Advertisements

Tag Archives: fitness

Brooks Glycerin 16 Shoe Review

July 19, 2018 By in Gear Review, Running, Running Reads Tags: , , , , , 2 Comments
Brooks Glycerin 16 Shoe Review

For the past few versions, the Brooks Glycerin has been one of my favorite shoes.  It’s soft, neutral, and like a sponge underneath your feet.  If you’re looking for daily training with a lot of cushion, then the Glyercin is a great choice.

When the Brooks Glycerin 16 came out, I knew I wanted to try it sooner rather than later. After going through a few pairs of running shoes, I decided it was time to replace mine.  Keep in mind, I’m not associated with Brooks in any way.  I work in a running specialty store and like shoes.  Also what works for me, might not work for you so take every shoe review (including mine) with a grain of salt.

Brooks Glycerin 16 Shoe Review

So What Updates are there?

Fit:

As with most running shoes, especially Brooks, most of the upper is now seamless.  It accommodates wider feet, bunions, and just more feet in general.  Seamless toe boxes allow companies to fix as many feet as possible. I wear a 10-11, and the 10.5 regular widths have been excellent for me.

The upper is a double mesh that is both breathable and stretches to adapt to movement.  Your feet don’t feel constricted (not that they ever should in a running shoe).  If your feet tend to overheat quickly, this breathability will allow for more airflow.

Brooks Glycerin 16 Shoe Review

The Ride:

More Cushion

Or as I say to customers that come into the running store, more cushion for the pushing.  The biggest update for the new Glycerin is the addition of the DNA Loft Cushion.  What does that mean?  Why does it matter?

DNA Loft Cushion is a combination of the Brooks signature material.  It’s a mix of their signature cushion: DNA foam, as well as air and rubber.  This provides a soft feeling while still responsive and “poppy”. Slightly Different from the Hoka Clifton, that is just soft all the way around.  The ride itself feels smoother.  You won’t feel like you’re clunking around in a high cushioned shoe.

Conclusion:

I liked the Brooks Glycerin 15, and I like the Brooks Glycerin 16 just as much.  I don’t feel “too different” in the shoe, and for the past few years, it’s been a reliable shoe in my rotation.  I typically wear it in daily runs and occasionally for warming up or cooling down at a race too.

Current Shoe Rotation:

Daily Runs: Brooks Glycerin 16, Diadora Fly, New Balance 1080, Hoka Clifton 5

Workouts: New Balance 1400, Nike LT Racer

Races: Nike LT Racer, Nike Fly

(as you can see, I have a few reviews to work on, but I always wait until I have at least 100 miles on shoes)

Questions for you:

What is your current favorite shoe?

What is a shoe you’ve had in your rotation?

Advertisements

Hiking High Mountain with a View of NYC

July 17, 2018 By in hiking Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment
Hiking High Mountain with a View of NYC

Recently, I took a short trip to Passaic County in North Jersey.  While in town for the day, I decided to hike a short trail at High Mountain in Passaic County. Even though it was cloudy, there was a faint view of NYC.

I was surprised by how quiet the trails were in the middle of the populated area.  In fact, I didn’t hear any car traffic and only saw two people on the neighboring golf course at the very end.  (That’s right, no one on the trail!).  There are a few loops you can do and you can get a hike of about 6 miles if you desire.

I will say, there are sections of trail that can get muddy after heavy rainfall and I was glad I had my Goretex (waterproof) Brooks Cascadia.

While the trails are well marked, finding the path in the beginning was tough.  It starts right near the traffic circle.  Once you get on the trail, it’s easy to follow.

In order to see the NYC skyline, the hike is only about 1.6 miles.  It’s somewhat steep but nothing rigorous. Once you get to the top, you can see a great view, but you can also stand on the rock nearby and get an even better view.  It was cloudy when I went so I didn’t have a picture-perfect view.

Here are a few photos:

Here is the start from the traffic circle.  Since there is no “trailhead”, if you can’t find it just walk around the entire traffic circle.

High mountain passaic county nyc

Hiking High Mountain with a View of NYC

Even had some deer spotting

Hiking High Mountain with a View of NYC

Overturned tree

Hiking High Mountain with a View of NYC

Hiking High Mountain with a View of NYC

View of NYC

Hiking High Mountain with a View of NYC

Neighboring Golf Course where I saw the only people of the trek.
Hiking High Mountain with a View of NYC

In all, if you’re looking for a local hike with a good view of NYC, High Mountain in Passaic County is a good one.

I had a great time and would definitely go back.  Hopefully when it’s a little bit more clear!  It’s great if you are looking for something with a view, or even with pets, or kids.

Here are other hikes I’ve done this Spring and Summer:

Hiking Turkey Swamp in Freehold
Exploring Cattus Island in Toms River
Exploring Hartshorne Park in the Highlands
Hiking to the Cape May Lighthouse
Hiking Bear Mountain in a Downpour
Hiking through Belleplain State Forest

You can see all hikes here.

Questions for you:

Have you ever hiked with a view of a City?

What is your favorite hiking shoe?

Training Last Week: Working and Running at 12000 Feet

July 16, 2018 By in Running, Training Tags: , , , , , , , 8 Comments
Training Last Week: Working and Running at 12000 Feet

So much to unpack from last week and weekend.  To say it was one of the best weekends I’ve had in awhile is an understatement.  I don’t even know where to start.  Training last week was good.  Even though I positive split like a boss, I had a decent “first workout back,”,  Then as most people know, over the weekend I ran the hardest running race I’ve done.  Can’t get much better than that!

Monday: 20 minutes easy
Tuesday: 60 minutes easy
Wednesday: 12X400 road/90 seconds rest (average 6:10)
Thursday: Am 30 minutes easy/PM: 2 miles Colorado
Friday: 45 minutes easy Colorado
Saturday: UnderArmour Copper Mountain Trail 25k (2:58)
Sunday: Rest and travel home

Thoughts:

There isn’t much to unpack there.  All of my runs were just that, easy.  I don’t have too much exciting about them because there wasn’t too much excitement that happened.  I ran easy.  My easy 2 miles in Colorado was a 2 mile (26-minute run) through the trails we were going to be running.  Running those miles, made me wonder, how the heck I would finish the trail race.

Took me about 26 minutes to run 2 miles but the view was worth it.

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on

12X400 Workout:

The workout started well, and the first 6 averaged around 6 minute pace.  The second 6, however, just felt like a brick hit me and I couldn’t get my feet to move any faster.  I didn’t hurt injury-wise, but it was a reality check that I haven’t been doing speed the last few months so I won’t go as fast as when I was.  The second 6 averaged about 6:20 which with some work I hope I can progress faster than that again.

Copper Mountain Trail Race (2:58)

The Copper Mountain Trail Race was one of the best races I could hope for. I was running an intense trail race in Colorado, something I’ve never done, at an altitude I’ve never done.  I haven’t felt that nervous for a race since my first marathon, the NYCM.  I had no idea what to expect, and my only goal was to finish.  Making it to the top, I didn’t feel sick at 12000 feet of altitude, but to be honest, I think it’s because I hydrated well and took my time.  My slowest miles were definitely in the beginning.  They weren’t the hardest climbs, but I didn’t want to take it too fast.

The hardest parts (for me) were actually the technical downhill climbs towards the bottom.  Because I run (and walk) on my toes, my calves are far stronger than other areas of my legs.  I got passed by far more people on the downhill (maybe about 10 or so?).  I am very proud of my finish.  I had no idea what to expect and had zero expectations.  I could have finished in 4:29 (the cut off was 4:30) or the time I did and feel happy about it.  I’ll have a full recap soon.

The next week will be a lot of TLC.  I would like to get in a workout, I will be traveling again for a big family big birthday.  Probably no races next weekend, as I am going to the Taylor Swift concert ha!

Posts from the Week:

Today is My Birthday

Hiking Indian Wells State Park

Questions for you:

What has been your hardest race to date?

What is the highest elevation you’ve ever run? 

Today is My Birthday

July 12, 2018 By in DailyMusings Tags: , , , , , , 7 Comments
Today is My Birthday

As my unoriginal title indicates, today, July 12th, is my 28th birthday.  Some years I write X number of things I learned before age X.  Other years, I don’t even write a post about my birthday.  Some years I spend with family, some with my husband, friends, and others I’ve spent alone.  I haven’t learned a heck of a lot new since last July 12th, and there is no way I could write 28 things I’ve learned since 28.

Last year, I decided I wasn’t interested in material items or junk.  I stopped buying new clothing, and in 2018 my New Year’s Resolution is not to buy any new nonathletic apparel (I don’t go crazy on buying athletic apparel either).  After bills, I’ve chosen to spend my money on experiences rather than things.  Experiences like races, diners, and traveling to random places.  Things that I can look back on and think: dang that was fun.  I don’t need or want any useless junk.

As I reflect upon that, I’m also sitting on an airplane to Denver, Colorado.  I’m doing something out of my comfort zone, and maybe the hardest thing I’ve ever done.  I’m going to run the Copper Mountain 25k.  My only goal is to finish.

I haven’t been secretly training for trail races, but after running the Xterra 10k a few months ago and having fun, trail no longer terrifies like they once did.  I’ve spent a lot of time this spring and summer hiking and it’s become just as fun to me as running. It will be my longest run in a long time, the highest altitude I’ve ever run, and maybe not my wisest idea.  As I mentioned on my blog, when the opportunity first presented itself a few weeks ago, I said no but thought: why not? I have nothing to prove, and it’s getting me out of my comfort zone.

I’m really looking forward to running this weekend.

A few highlights of adventures from age 27:

Visiting the Grand Canyon

grand canyon north rim

Our vacation last year that we booked two plane tickets to Denver and a rental car with no plans.  We ended up driving 2600 miles and seeing amazing places.

road trip through colorado

PRing at the Phoenix Half in February Phoenix Half marathon feb me running

10 Mile Hike through GrayBeard Trail (North Carolina)

Air Force Marathon (half for me) with my husband and in laws

Apparently, I decided to nap and close my eyes right there…

Private Flying over NYC

flying over nyc

Those are just a few of the many memories I have from age 27.  I can only hope 28 will be just as fun!

Questions for you:

When is your birthday? How did you celebrate last year?

Any last minute trail tips?

Training Last Week and Doing Something Crazy

July 9, 2018 By in Running, Training Tags: , , , , 6 Comments
Training Last Week and Doing Something Crazy

Last week was a decent week of training.  I am slowly getting back into more of a consistent grind.  While I’m not training for anything, I’m running and enjoying it.  Since I’ve either been injured or burned out, this ahead of most summers so far.  In fact, I haven’t run consistently over the summer in 3 years!

I hadn’t planned on not racing this week, but the cards fell that way. I had contemplated running a race on the Fourth of July. However, the heat and my mood didn’t want too.  I ran an easy, but humid run which was fine for me.  I have no regrets about it.

Monday: Short Walk
Tuesday: Easy 60 minutes
Wednesday: Easy 60 minutes
Thursday: Short Hike through Hike Point Park
Friday: Easy 60 minutes
Saturday: Easy 60 minutes
Sunday: 15 miles with last 7 at 7:05

Thoughts:

I said I was going to race more in July and then didn’t race at all last week!  Ha, plans change.  As I mentioned, on Wednesday I opted to sleep in, enjoy an easy run, and relax versus race.  Over the weekend, there wasn’t anything local that worked with my schedule.

Make good choices, like not wearing black on days like these.

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on

Sunday Long Run (15 Miles with last 7 at 7:05):

On Sunday, I did my longest run in a couple of months.  The weather was ideal, and I felt great the entire time.  I am extremely pleased with how it went. Over the Winter and Spring, I was consistently doing 14-15 miles on Sunday.  It kept my endurance sharper and made me, “half marathon ready.”  Meaning: You can finish a half marathon well.  Will you PR with that alone?  No, but you won’t feel like peeling over at mile 11.  Which leads me to my next exciting announcement.

Next Weekend I’m Going to Colorado:

Next weekend, I’m going to run the Underamour Mountain Series trail 25k at Copper Mountain.  I haven’t been “secretly hiding it and training for trails races,” but the opportunity presented itself recently and I’m going to take advantage of it.  When I was first contacted but someone, a few weeks ago I turned it down.  As most people know, I have social anxiety and have had some a relatively bad setback over the late spring.

This sort of spontaneousness (the kind I can turn down), is something I generally do.  Then I thought for another hour, and I was like, what am I thinking.  This is a once in a lifetime oppertunity, and I can’t turn it down.  It’s going to be fun.  It’s going to challenge me both physically and mentally!

It is entirely out of my comfort zone, and my only goal is to finish.  The cutoff time is 4.5 hours.  Since I’ve been getting into hiking a lot this Summer and it looks like such a fun combination of both hiking and running.  Do I have any expectations?  Absolutely not, but I’m really looking forward to challenging myself.  I’ll be the first to admit, training wise, it’s not my smartest decision but my goal this summer is to have fun and try new things.  I

There is a 20% discount code for any of the Underamour Mountain Series including Copper, Killington, and Mt. Bachelor.  I can’t believe I’m doing something so off the wall crazy, but you only live once right?  I never thought of myself as a trail runner but after enjoying hiking so much, I want to give it a shot. I think it will be the hardest running race I’ve ever done.

Posts of the Week:

Walking around Belleplain State Forest

Recovering from Workouts

June Training

Irish Festival 5k (20:25)

Questions for you:

Do you have any tips for trail racing?

How was your week of training?

Recovering from Workouts

July 6, 2018 By in vital proteins Tags: , , , , , 30 Comments
Recovering from Workouts

A few weeks ago, a reader asked me to elaborate more on how Vital Proteins were helping to recover from workouts.  For the last 6 months,  even before I was an ambassador, I have taken Vital Proteins directly after every run.

I’ve gotten even more efficient at it during the summer too!  Now that it’s hot, my smoothie “recipe” is the first thing I want to cool me down.

Do I Personally Find Collagen to be Effective?

I wouldn’t post if I didn’t, but I genuinely do recover faster from workouts.  While I’m not doing many hard runs right now, I am running and still want to recover.

Why?

In general, protein helps muscles repair.  It doesn’t matter whether you use protein powder, supplements, collagen, or even have a slice of steak. There are dozens of scientific articles for having some sort of protein after each runs.

I mentioned a while back, I used to not have any protein because honestly, I was either forgetful or running late.  Since incorporating Vital Protein Collagen, I’ve added an extra 12-18 grams of protein depending on which product I use.

You could use other sources of protein, but collagen is fast, efficient and has other health benefits including healthy skin, nails, and hair. 

Here are a couple other benefits:

  • Helps decrease joint pain
  • Bone Health

Joint Pain:

I’m lucky that I don’t have a lot of joint pain.  I typically run in a well-cushioned shoe, but my form is more likely to give me a stress fracture versus joint issues (right now).

Speaking of Bone Health:

My form in running causes me to be very injury prone.  I’ve attempted to change it, but I walk and run on my toes. I always have and probably always will.  (Many nicknames include: twinkle toes, human ostrich, and ballerina runner) While it makes me a lot less susceptible to muscle injuries, it makes me a lot more vulnerable to bone injuries. Bone health is a huge importance of all runners, especially females.

Many scientific studies have shown that you can prevent osteoporosis by supplementing with collagen.  Collagen is able to stimulate the bone creating cell: osteoblast. This helps to make bones stronger and also healthier.

So those are just a few reasons that I’ve found taking Vital Proteins to directly help with running.  I’ve never used another collagen brand, but I’ve never had an issue with Vital Proteins and have liked every product I’ve tried (which is most).

The Products I’m Liking the Most This Month are:

vital proteins collagen peptides

Beauty Collegen in Strawberry Lemon

Banana Cinnamon Collagen Whey 

While I’m an ambassador for Vital Proteins, all thoughts and opinions are my own.  

Questions for you:

What are some ways you get protein after a workout?  

Runners: How do you keep your bones strong and healthy? 

Have any Collagen Questions?  Ask Away!

June Training

July 5, 2018 By in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , 2 Comments
June Training

I hope everyone had a good Fourth of July!

Training wise, usually June is a tough month for me.  It was an “easier” month because I did run but it was in the bottom of how months have gone.  It’s hot, humid, and I’m not adjusting to the weather well.  To be honest, I like the heat far more than the cold, I’m just not adjusting to the weather well.

Anyway, I did put down some races but none were anything to say: “the best race ever”.  I had fun at each though.  The Newport 10 miler being my favorite as I got to see my family.

One last hurrah before my brother, Matt, goes back overseas for a while. 🇺🇸⚓️

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on

Miles Run:
Range of Paces: 6:07-12:03-untimed.
Rest Days:
Races:
Newport 10 Miler (1:03.57)
Fathers Day 5k (20:06)
Bungalow Beach 5 Miler (32:12)

Irish Festival 5k (20:25)

Thoughts:

Looking back I ran nearly all of these races at the same pace.  Running a 5k and 10 miler at the same pace is probably not the indicative of fitness but the weather, course, and training all played into account.  There isn’t a whole heck of a lot to say right now.  June was a busy month and I think July will be as busy.  While yes, running is fun and I enjoy it, it’s not the only thing I like.

The summer, for me, isn’t about grinding away at PRs, it’s about having fun.  I don’t want to train hard because I would rather do that when I’m less busy.  I like to be outdoors hiking or just relaxing as much as I like to be outdoors running.  

Making the most of the longest day of the year. 😎🌞

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on

Plans for the Rest of July:

We are already 5 days into July! Anyway, my plans are the same as June.  I will run when I can and enjoy the process along the way.

Posts from the Month:
Hiking Bear Mountain in a Downpour

Running:
Rest is Best
Blah Blah Blah: Run Easy
Benefits of Racing Frequently
Saucony Triumph ISO 4 Shoe Review

Other:
Vital Proteins Recovery Smoothie
Hair and Nail Benefits of Collagen
Why You Don’t See Many Negative Sponsored Posts

Questions for you:
How was your fourth of July?
How was the month of June?

%d bloggers like this: