The Happy Runner

Happy runner, interrupted.

2013-05-21T17:33:00.003-04:00

I met with my doctor today to go over my MRI.

The good news: No fracture.

The bad news: Two tears and hematoma.

My gluteus minimus and tensor fascia latae are torn. The hematoma is just from the internal bleeding (from those tears). The doctor said he could aspirate the hematoma but recommended letting it resolve on its own. Otherwise, the treatment is just rest.

Rest for 4 more weeks. As in, no running. No. Running. For. Four. More. Weeks.

I'm to ice the area and rest. Avoid stairs and hills. If I don't have pain, I can walk (wooo!) and I can try out biking, if I'm so inclined. Honestly, I'm not all that inclined given that a) I don't own a bike and b) I'm about as spastic a bike rider as they get.

But, I might be tempted after another week or two of inactivity. We'll see.

In the meantime, I'll do my best not to mope.

Yup.

If this blog gets too mopey, feel free to give me a virtual kick in the shin. What can it hurt? I can't run anyway.

Wah, wah.

Impatience is not a virtue.

2013-05-20T13:54:00.003-04:00

I have been very good about resting my lame hip for the past 2+ weeks. Very good.

So on Sunday, when I went out for a walk, I thought I might live life on the edge just a little and run a few steps. To try out the hip. See if the rest is doing anything at all.

Apparently, my impatience was a bad idea.

After about a half mile walk, I ran maybe 5 steps. That's it. Five lousy steps. The pain was quick, searing and unbearable. I had to stop immediately and limp home.

Crushed.

It was not a good idea. I know this -- in hindsight. At the time, though, it didn't seem like such a bad idea. In fact, it seemed totally fine. Go for a walk. Run just a little bit to test things out. Walk as necessary.

I go back to the doctor tomorrow. Obviously, I'll be resting until then when he'll tell me . . . what? To be patient? Probably. He'll probably tell me to be patient. To rest. Let it heal.

Yeah. I'll get back to work on that patience thing!

Have a good week, everyone --

Rest, rest, and more rest.

2013-05-17T08:40:00.001-04:00

Day 13 of no running. Boo! Hiss!

My hip still feels off. It is still swollen. I've been to the doctor and had x-rays and an MRI. On Tuesday, I go back and, until then, I'm not supposed to run. At that point, I will have been resting for over two weeks.

Gah!

I keep telling myself that this time off is important. Obviously, since I'm injured, I can't run. But more than that, this time off is giving the un-injured parts of my body a rest as well. It has also been a chance for me to do some more concentrated cross-training. I'm a little limited in what I can do, so I've been focusing on weight workouts that don't stress my hip. Strong upper body, here I come!

I believe -- I have to believe -- that this forced rest is positive. After my hip heals and I return to running, I'll be back feeling stronger and refreshed from the rest. As I think back over the past few years, I see that I've basically been training with little-to-no-rest since two weeks after my son was born, two-and-a-half years ago.

Sure, I've had weeks of reduced running but I haven't truly taken a running break. An injury was bound to happen, I suppose.

So, here I am now. Injured. But looking at it as forced rest. A necessary evil.

It had better yield good results!

Have a good weekend, everyone. Thanks for reading.

Who needs a ride? (giveaway winner!)

2013-05-15T08:58:00.001-04:00

Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway for a copy of Jennifer Graham's book, Honey Do You Need a Ride?

I used random.org to pick the winner from the eligible entries and the winner is . . .

Amy Glass

Congratulations, Amy! Send me an email at felicehalf [at] yahoo [dot] com with your address and I'll get your copy of the book right out to you!

Enjoy the day, everyone!

The crazy runner.

2013-05-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

So, here we are. Day 10 of no running. Ten days. No running.

Ten. Days. Of. No. Running.

Ten days of thinking non-stop about my ridiculous hip injury and how it means no running for the foreseeable future.

In other words, ten days of me going crazy.

Yes, I admit it. I've gone straight-up crazy. Straight-up injured-runner crazy, that is. And injured-runner crazy is a very, well, special, kind of crazy.

Truth.

Injured-runner crazy makes one hyper-aware of all the glorious running that one is missing. And in that hyper-awareness is the knowledge that the rest of the world is still out there, running.

And, believe me. Everyone is running.

Really. They are. Everyone, everywhere. Even non-runners are running. Couch potatoes are halfway to 5K and over-the-moon happy about it. Everyone is running. And injured-runner craziness tells me that they are not just running, but they are having the Best. Freaking. Times. Of. Their. Lives. They are practically frolicking.

Everyone is running frolicking-good runs.

And long. Oh, those runners are out there running for miles and miles and miles. With glee. Glee! Everyone, everywhere is running the Longest. Runs. Of. Their. Lives. With so much freaking glee!

And no pain.

Those runners? Running their joyful/long/fast/what-have-you runs? Yeah, they are doing it without pain. Without a single ounce of pain. They are running super-human speeds and distances known heretofore only to Dean Karnazes and they are doing it all with glee and no pain!

EVERYONE IS RUNNING!

Except for me.

And therein lies the craziness.

I can't run. And all I see all around me is runners, running. I want to be them. I want to be out there gleefully running 18 hilly miles at 10K pace while pushing a 35lb kid in a stroller -- or whatever the heck those fit, uninjured runners are up to today. I want to be doing it. I don't want to be resting. Or icing. Or compressing. Or elevating. And I certainly don't want to be waiting for an MRI. And then waiting for the follow-up.

But I am. I am doing all of those things I don't want to do, which means I am not running.

And it is driving me crazy.

I know it is for the best and I know whining about it is about as unattractive as it gets. I can't help it.

Because, you see, I've gone straight-up injured-runner crazy. Please bear with me. I'm sure I won't be this brand of crazy forever.

At some point my hip will heal and I will run again. And the crazy runner will give way to the happy runner once again. At least I hope so!

Keep your fingers crossed . . .

Honey, Do You Need a Ride? (review and giveaway)

2013-05-10T09:15:00.004-04:00

Honey, Do You Need a Ride? Confessions of a fat runner is a new memoir by Jennifer Graham that will make you chuckle, whether you're a runner or not.

Yes, Jennifer is a runner. A self-proclaimed fat runner (which, if you take a look at her photos, is totally not true, in my opinion). She is also a divorced mom. And one heck of a funny woman.

Her whole package works in this book. She writes in that fast, funny style that makes the book easy to read and hard to put down, simply because you're having so much fun reading. She writes about how "skinny people . . . have no idea what a gift it is to move around with your thighs rubbing together like a couple of superglued hams." And in a chapter titled, "How Nike Made Me a Terrorist" she writes:

"I might be a redneck, not only because I consider Walmart a vacation destination, but because I run with a second-generation iPod strapped to my arm. Also, I own, and sometimes use, a heart-rate monitor even though an eleven-minute miler needs a heart-rate monitor like a single mother of four needs a donkey.

"I am running white trash, a smashed Gatorade cup on the sidelines of life."

But the book is not just about her weight as it relates to running. She also writes about going through her divorce and other ups-and-downs of life and how running has been with her throughout. Graham doesn't run to lose weight -- although she repeatedly talks about how it would be nice if all those miles she's logged would result in weight loss. Instead, she runs for what running gives her: a sense of achievement.

"At its core, Pre said, running gave him a sense of achievement. Here, all these years, I've been thinking I haven't achieved anything because I haven't lost any weight, but there it is. A sense of achievement that didn't come from my children, or my writing, or my oft-admired ability to remember birthdays. A sense of achievement that comes from the simple fact that I run."

I enjoyed this book. True, I enjoy most running books, but this one had the added feature of an interesting story and Graham's light, relate-able writing style. I recommend it!

Would you like to enjoy a copy of the book?

Lucky, lucky. I have a giveaway for you! One reader will win a free copy of the book. To enter, just leave me a comment and let me know you'd like to win!

If you share this giveaway (twitter, pinterest, facebook, etc.), let me know in another comment for an extra entry.

This giveaway will run through Tuesday, May 14th and the winner will be announced on Wednesday.

Good luck!

Thanks for stopping by!

Review disclaimer: I was sent a copy of this book for review but was not otherwise compensated. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Flat and flashy -- the Saucony Kinvara 4.

2013-05-08T08:24:00.002-04:00

A while back, I posted about an awesome run that happened to take place while I was wearing an awesome new running shoe. I promised that I'd have a review of those shoes once I had a chance to try them out a little more. Today, I'm back with that review.

I was given the opportunity to try out the new Saucony Kinvara 4 running shoes in this super-fresh neon yellow and pink color combination:

CONTINUE READING my review . . .

Running, with a side of rice.

2013-05-06T07:20:00.001-04:00

I had big plans for Saturday. Big plans.

I was meeting my friend, Amanda, for her first run since November. November! She is signed up for the Mohawk-Hudson half marathon in October and the NYC marathon in November. So, Saturday, we -- along with our friend, Bridget -- were heading out for her first run.

It was perfect running weather. I left my house early to run the 3.5 miles to our meeting spot. About 1.5 miles into the run, Bridget passed me in her car. She slowed down, we chatted and I ended up hopping in with her and driving the rest of the way to meet Amanda.

We were early so we set out to run a mile. A few steps into the run, I felt something weird in my hip.

Pain. Weird pain. Burning, searing, weird pain.

I kept going because that's what happens when you're out for a run on a perfect Saturday morning with friends. The pain, unfortunately, kept going too. About a quarter mile from where we were meeting Amanda, I told Bridget I needed to walk.

I kept my cool but really, inside, this was totally me:

Yup.

Bridget and I met Amanda and after hugs all around, we set out for our run. Fortunately, since Amanda is just getting back to running, she was game for a little run/walk. It was the only thing I could handle and even that didn't feel so good.

I didn't think much about my hip because I was so happy that Amanda was back to running and Bridget and I had about a million questions for her so we chatted and before we knew it, we'd run/walked 2 miles.

It was wonderful. I was really proud of Amanda for getting back out there!

Bridget, me, Amanda

It is tough to start back up with running after a long layoff, especially one that has been filled with personal ups and downs. But, Amanda is doing it. Way to go, Amanda!!!

Since the run I've been hunkered down in RICE City. Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation. Although, honestly, other than to stand it is a little awkward to try to elevated the hip. And the compression thing is tough, too. So, I'm resting and icing. I guess I'm in RI City.

Anyway, my hip is still sore and that really rots. I didn't run on Sunday, even though I had plans for a local 5K, and I'm taking today and the rest of the week off. If I feel solid by Wednesday, I'll test the hip out on Friday. Yes, that's right, I'll wait an extra day.

At least that's what I say now . . .

No, I will. I really will. I need this hip to be fine. No injuries, please!

And now, I'm off to ice the hip. Healing vibes, anyone? I'll take them. And, while you're at it, if you have some good luck vibes to spare, send some Amanda's way as she rediscovers her running self.

Thanks! Have a great week.

April recap.

2013-05-01T13:43:00.000-04:00

April was a good month for me. Although my mileage was way down from March, it was an expected decline and made sense for my training -- I had a taper week before the half marathon followed by a recovery week after.

The half marathon was great and my runs since have been increasingly good. I'm sure the turn to warm spring weather has had a little something to do with that! I got out for a really good run with my friend, Karen, last weekend and it was one of those recharging runs. Karen is training for a marathon at the end of May and she had a 20 miler on her schedule for last weekend. I ran almost 10 of those miles with her, over one of the hilly routes we'd run several times last year while training for the NJ marathon. It was such a good run!

May is pretty wide-open for me. I hope to get out and run with friends as much as possible this month and I also plan to get myself in gear for the Freihofer's 5K the first weekend of June.

Until then, here's a look at the month that was:

Strong Running Mamas in NYC.

At the half marathon expo with Bridget and Elisa.

Enjoyed a few fun runs in my new kicks!

April stats:

Running (miles): 86
Racing: 1, the More/Fitness half marathon

Happy May Day, everyone! Thanks for stopping by.

Silence is . . .

2013-04-25T09:05:00.001-04:00

. . . well, it just is.

And it is what's been going on around here. I haven't had it in me to post -- everything I've thought about writing has been just not quite right. So murky have things become since the marathon bombings.

Yes, I'm still running. And still focusing on what's wonderful.

And, yeah, I've gone on a few runs for Boston:

http://instagram.com/felicepd

In fact, I've had several good runs and my half marathon recovery has gone well. I'm ready for what's to come -- including marathon training this summer.

But, writing about running hasn't happened. Like I said, it has all seemed not quite right. So, instead of writing here I've turned to blog silence.

I'm shaking it off, though. Silence may be golden and all that but it makes for a crummy blog! Crummy, crummy. And who wants a crummy blog? Not me, that's for sure.

So, I'm off to shake off the crummy! Thanks for stopping by.

PROBAR winner.

2013-04-19T14:58:00.002-04:00

With everything that happened this week, I've been distracted and have just gotten around to picking the PROBAR winner. Thanks to everyone who entered. I used random.org to pick the winner and that is . . .

Jeff Gallup

Congratulations, Jeff! Please email me at felicehalf [at] yahoo [dot] com with your mailing address so you can get your bars!

Have a great weekend, everyone. Thanks for stopping by!

Focusing on what's wonderful.

2013-04-17T09:11:00.001-04:00

Running is wonderful. Even -- perhaps, especially -- amid the awful.

I'm choosing to focus on the wonderful.

My first marathon.

Pre-race with my 2 year old.

Pregnant running.

Racing with my almost 3 year old.

Jingle Bell run with Jen, Bridget and Janis.

Joyful running.

Winter Series with Amanda, Suzy, Janis and Bridget.

Future running buddy for sure!

High-fives from my little guy in the half marathon.

First half marathon with Janis, Bridget and Amanda.

Mother's Day race.

Boilermaker with Elisa and Bridget.

Refreshment after the Schroon Lake half.

More high-fives from my little guy!

Love the NJ Marathon group!!!

Boilermaker with Bridget, Sheila and Amanda.

Strong Running Mamas at the Mohawk-Hudson half marathon.

Finishing the half!

Enjoying the post-race moment with my boys.

Future marathoner?

Strong Running Mamas in NYC -- happy and ready to run.

Still a happy runner.

Still sad about the Boston Marathon bombings.

But still -- always -- a happy runner.

More/Fitness Half Marathon race report.

2013-04-15T09:45:00.000-04:00

So, on Friday, I wrote this about the race:

"Whatever happens, as long as I run a smart race for the day and the situation, I'll be pleased."

I wasn't lying. And, fortunately, I ended up pretty pleased with my race.

But let me backup before I get to the finish.

The More/Fitness Half Marathon is an all-women race that takes place in Central Park in Manhattan. I traveled with my good friends Bridget and Elisa down to NYC on Saturday morning. We spent the day walking around the city, eating, going to the Expo, eating, people watching, taking in the sights, and eating some more. Really, we did a lot of eating.

Bridget, Elisa and me

After a pretty rotten night's sleep (as is to be expected the night before a race!) we woke up at 6:00 to get ready for the race.

We walked up to the start and met up with some of our fellow Strong Running Mamas and, of course, snapped a quick pic:

Go, Strong Running Mamas!

Soon enough it was time to start the race. I had a plan, as I'd outlined on Friday. Run a smart race. Pace myself. Shoot for 1:55 or better.

I tried. I felt so good as the race started and I knew that there were some big hills so I tried my best to keep my pace under control. I think I did a pretty good job:

Mile 1: 8:16
Mile 2: 8:04
Mile 3: 7:43

I had told myself not to run under 8:00 pace and, actually, I wanted to be closer to 8:30 for those early miles so I didn't quite stick to the plan. But, that happens, right?

Anyway, around mile 3.5 is the biggest hill of the race and, yes, it is big. And long. However, I run hills all the time so it didn't seem nearly as bad as everyone said it would be. It was followed by a nice downhill and then a few additional hills before the course brought us through the start line again for the second loop.

Mile 4: 8:04
Mile 5: 8:42 (grabbed some water to add to my bottle)
Mile 6: 7:49

At the halfway mark I was still feeling good, although I was getting pretty warm because I'd dressed in a long sleeve top and it was getting sunnier and sunnier.

My original plan was to run conservatively over the first half of the course so I wouldn't burn out and fall off pace for the second half. I didn't run quite as conservatively as I'd planned, but I did keep things under control so, fortunately, I held my pace fairly well as we made our way through the second loop.

Mile 7: 8:16
Mile 8: 8:22
Mile 9: 7:53
Mile 10: 8:19

After going through the 10-mile mark, I felt like I was guaranteed a sub 1:55 finish (which was my A goal). All I had to do was run 10-minute miles for the last 3.1 and I'd have it.

No problem!

Except . . . well, I'd had a stomach cramp for pretty much the whole race. It wasn't that bad and I'd been able to ignore it. Until right around mile 10. That cramp kicked-in big time and I knew I had to figure out a way to ignore it so I wouldn't let myself slow down. I needed to keep going, keep up the pace, finish strong.

Cramp, be damned!

Mile 11: 8:34
Mile 12: 8:05
Mile 13: 8:17

I was holding on. As we turned toward the finish line at mile 13, I saw that I was running right behind Mika Brzezinski, the Morning Joe co-host, who was co-hosting the race (with Allison Sweeney from The Biggest Loser). Everyone was cheering for her and I let all the cheers carry me through.

(I ended up finishing 20-seconds in front of Mika and about 10 minutes in front of Allison. How cool!)

Last .32 miles: 7:33 pace
(my Garmin registered 13.32 miles so I did a little extra zigzagging out on the course . . . oh, well!)

More/Fitness Half Marathon, done! And done well.

I crossed the finish line with a smile on my face, knowing that I'd run well and was feeling great. Sure, I'd pushed myself but I didn't feel spent. All that and I finished less than two minutes slower than my PR -- on a hillier, more crowded course.

I couldn't be happier about the race!

Here are my stats:

Official time: 1:48:46 (8:19 pace)

Overall place: 575 out of 7,550
Age group place: 56 out of 1,096

I met back up with Bridget and Elisa -- both of whom ran strong and enjoyed the race as well -- and we walked back to the hotel. We were slightly ridiculous in our back-patting but we felt pretty proud of ourselves and enjoyed basking in our accomplishment. After cleaning up, and doing a little more patting ourselves on the back, we headed home.

It was a super weekend! Great race, great friends. I'm already thinking about planning a race weekend away for next spring! Why not, right? Right!

Thanks for reading -- and for the good luck wishes before this race!

More/Fitness Half Marathon

2013-04-12T14:11:00.002-04:00

Race weekend is here!

I'm running the More/Fitness Half Marathon in NYC on Sunday with two friends, Bridget and Elisa. Tomorrow morning we'll head down to the city and enjoy the day before pushing ourselves through the hills of Central Park Sunday morning. It should be a great time!

Since it is a weekend in NYC, we want to have fun but, of course, we do have a race to run. Which means I should probably develop some sort of race plan. I've been putting it off and putting it off . . .

According to the McMillan calculator, I should be able to run a 1:45 half. I would love to run a 1:45 half. And, some day, I plan to do just that. I just don't think it will be this weekend. Sure, a 2 minute PR would be awesome. But, the More/Fitness course is notoriously hilly (two laps around hilly Central Park) and crowded, so the conditions aren't ideal for a PR. And, like I said, it is a weekend away and I'd like to enjoy myself with my friends.

So, I'm not gunning for a PR and I'm totally OK with that. But I would like to run well.

My goals, then, for the half look like this:

B goal: Finish in under 2 hours. My slowest half was the ZOOMA Cape Cod half that I finished in 1:59:57. It was a tough, tough race for me so I imagine that, unless something dreadful happens, I should be able to beat that time on Sunday.

A goal: Finish in under 1:55. Totally doable. That's 8 minutes slower than I ran in October so even with the hills and the crowds, I should be able to run 1:55 or faster.

I plan to pace myself over the first half of the race and run around 8:30 miles or so. I tend to take off faster than I should in half marathons, running under 8:00 pace for the first 4-5 miles. I can't hold that pace over 13.1 miles. I know this. I know it is better to start slower and not burn out. My plan is to start slower on Sunday. Run at an 8:30 pace for the first 6-7 miles and then see how I feel. Maybe I'll hold that pace for the whole race. Maybe I'll speed up. Maybe, if I'm feeling cruddy, I'll slow down. Whatever happens, as long as I run a smart race for the day and the situation, I'll be pleased.

So, that's the plan. Now, I can continue obsessing about race day weather and what to wear!

(Yes, it looks like perfect racing weather. Still, I obsess.)

The forecast could not be more perfect!

Are you racing this weekend?

Good luck to everyone who is!

Have a great weekend, everyone, and thanks for stopping by.

PROBAR review and giveaway!

2013-04-10T09:08:00.001-04:00

Bars, bars, bars! Let's give it up for bars!

I'm talking about energy bars, here . . .

And right now I'm enjoying PROBAR protein and meal replacement bars. A big reason for my enjoyment is this:

Dairy free. Certified organic. Non-GMO Project verified. Made in the good ol' US of A.

All good stuff.

Another big reason is the taste. The PROBAR bars are really tasty. And taste matters, especially when you are on the go and rely on energy bars as much as I do (yes, I always carry bars with me wherever I go -- for me and for the kids).

I was given the opportunity to try out an assortment of PROBAR Core (protein bars) and PROBAR Meal (the whole food meal replacement bars). Both are good but PROBAR Meal is my favorite.

Oatmeal Raisin, Chocolate Coconut, Superberry Slam, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip . . . all good. And you know what? Pretty good ingredients. If I had to pick a favorite, I'd go with oatmeal raisin, which is a bit funny because I'm not much of a raisin girl. And yet, for real, the PROBAR Meal Oatmeal Raisin is delicious. Simply delicious.

OK, so I like the bars. And I like the fact that I get to share them with you.

How? Discount and giveaway, my friends. This just happens to be your lucky day . . . check it out:

The Discount:

I have a discount for you! If you'd like to try out PROBAR (any kind) just pop over to the web site and enter the code BLOGGER at checkout for a whopping 40% discount. No joke.

The Giveaway:

As if the discount wasn't enough, I also have a giveaway. One lucky reader will win a box of either the PROBAR Core or PROBAR Meal -- winner's choice! How fun, right? Right.

To enter, leave me a comment telling which type of bar you'd choose if you win (Core or Meal).

Additional entries:

As always, you can gain extra entries. Remember, though, you must complete the required entry first! And, yes, I'll check. (Leave one comment per entry for the additional ones to count) So, here's what to do:

Follow me on Pinterest, or let me know that you already do (leave a comment)
Pin the image from this post to share the giveaway on Pinterest (leave a comment)
Follow me on Twitter, or let me know that you already do (leave a comment)

Share this post on Twitter using this tweet:

I just entered to win PROBAR bars from @TheHappyRunner http://tinyurl.com/cm3bzlw #giveaway

Follow me on Instagram, or let me know that you already do (leave a comment)
Link to this giveaway from your blog (leave a comment)
Follow PROBAR on Facebook (leave a comment)

This giveaway will run through Monday, April 15 at 11:59pm EST and the winner will be announced on Tuesday.

Good luck!

Review disclaimer: I was sent an assortment of bars for review. I was not otherwise compensated and the opinions expressed are entirely my own.

My best run.

2013-04-08T09:32:00.004-04:00

It was Friday afternoon and I had some unplanned-for time on my hands. The boys were at my parents' house, the weather was running perfect, I had some new kicks that I was dying to try out.

It was time to run. Outside.

So I laced on my new Saucony Kinvaras (check out the fresh color!):

And I headed out in my neighborhood.

I didn't know what to expect, wearing new shoes. And part of me worried that I was foolish. A week before a half marathon isn't usually when people decide to give new running shoes a good test. Who wants to risk injury from bunk shoes?

Not me. But no worries, you know from the title of this post that didn't happen.

Phew!

A few strides into my run, I still felt a little worried because I could tell that my stride was just a little different. I could hear my footfall as I climbed the first hill on my route and it sounded strange. Then I flew down the other side of that hill and something changed. I fell into a rhythm and my stride became comfortable.

I turned and climbed the big hill at the back of my neighborhood. I usually slow way down on that hill, but this time I didn't. I held strong and when I looked at my pace for that first hilly mile, it was 9:32.

I ran on.

The second mile of my run is flatter with a few downhills and only small uphills. I floated through it in 7:28.

Then I floated through the third mile, with its big uphill, in 8:20.

And then my last mile, mile 4, with yet another steep incline, as well as some nice downhills, was an easy 7:40.

I finished up with a quarter mile at a 7:20 pace.

Friday's run was -- by far -- the best run I've had in ages.

I can't say exactly why, unfortunately. Maybe it was the pleasure of running outside on a weekday after so many treadmill runs. Maybe it was the freedom of having unexpected time alone to run. Maybe it was the new shoes. I don't know.

Whatever it was, I had a great run. I let my body "just run" and it fell into some speed. I never felt like I was pushing myself, I just felt like I was floating through my miles. It was the best feeling.

I hope to have many more of those runs this spring and into the summer!

Have you had a best run lately?

Want to read about some other runner's best runs?

Check out Miss Zippy's site for a whole list of them!

Thanks for stopping by!

PS: I was sent the Saucony shoes for review, free of charge. I'll be reviewing them in a future post.

Simply Snackin'

2013-04-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

I've been so busy enjoying my latest review product, I forgot to post the actual review!

Whoops!

I was sent a big package of Simply Snackin protein snacks (beef and chicken sticks) to try out recently:

And try them I did. When I could wrangle them away from my 2 year old, that is:

He loooooves jerky and especially loved the Simply Snackin sticks.

Here's a little about Simply Snackin, from their web site:

"High protein, low calorie Simply Snackin gourmet dried meat snacks are the preferred choice of on-the-go people leading or adopting active, healthy lifestyles. Although often referred to as "jerky," Simply Snackin products deliver an experience unlike any conventional jerky -- bite after bite of moist, lean, savory chicken breast or beef sirloin is paired with flavorful mangos, apples, blueberries and other artisan ingredients."

To that, I say, "You write the truth, Simply Snackin web site people."

I am a fan. The flavor combinations are great: Sirloin with cranberries and blueberries, chicken with mango and papaya, sirloin with pineapple. And the texture is, in my opinion, superior and easier to eat than regular jerky.

Now, please know that I am a jerky fan. There is almost always jerky in my pantry and the whole family loves the stuff. So, in some ways, I was primed to love Simply Snackin. But the opposite is true as well. As a jerky lover, I could have been turned off by the ways in which it is different from jerky.

I wasn't turned off at all.

Here's what I love:

The convenience of the individually wrapped sticks (so easy to keep in my bag!)
The simple ingredients list
The low (for jerky type snacks) sodium
The texture
The taste
The taste
The taste

It's true. I love the taste!

My favorite flavor? Dried Beef Sirloin with Cranberries and Blueberries. No question.

So, I'm sure you're thinking, "OK, Happy Runner, it's all well and good for you to write about how much you love your free beef snacks. But do you love them enough to spend your own money on them?"

Good question, friend. Glad you asked.

And my answer is, yes. Yes, I do. In fact, I already have. I ordered up the beef assortment, 24 pieces. I only wish I had ordered 48. Live and learn, live and learn . . .

You can treat yourself to some Simply Snackin by ordering on their web site, too.

Have you tried Simply Snackin? What did you think?

Thanks for stopping by!

Review disclaimer: I was sent a package of Simply Snackin meat sticks. I was not otherwise compensated and the opinions expressed are entirely my own.

March recap.

2013-04-01T08:39:00.000-04:00

March was a full month. First day of spring. My longest treadmill run ever. My longest outdoor run of this training cycle. My first race of the season. Lots of sugar-free experimentation.

Overall, a good month.

I feel like my training for the More/Fitness half marathon in two weeks (gulp!) has gone fairly well. I've gotten in plenty of miles, even when the weather and my body haven't completely cooperated. I've been (knock on wood) healthy and injury free. All good things.

The only bad thing in March was that my treadmill started crapping out at fast-ish speeds. I still haven't had anyone look at it so I'm not sure what is the matter and I need to get on that. Fortunately, it works at regular running speeds so I've been able to use it almost as much as I've needed to.

Anyway, here's a look at the month that was.

Warming up for stroller running!

Runnin' of the Green with Bridget.

Snow at the beginning of the month.

March stats:

Running (miles): 114.2
Racing: 1, the Runnin' of the Green (Island) 4 miles (not a PR, but a strong race)
Cross training: 8

Happy April Fool's Day, everyone. Hope April is a good month for you!

Rest and run.

2013-03-27T13:34:00.002-04:00

After Sunday's long treadmill run, Monday was a well-deserved rest day.

Tuesday was a planned 5 miler. And . . . it didn't happen. Due to a series of unfortunate events, which included some gross vomit, I couldn't run. But that happens sometimes and I'm looking at it as a bonus rest day. Unplanned, but fine. I can roll with an unplanned rest day!

Today, I made up for it a bit with an awesome outdoor stroller run.

Take a look:

5 hilly miles in the sun.

Wearing capris.

Pushing my (heavy) running buddy.

Awesome.

With any luck, I'll get back out there tomorrow for my planned 6 miles. Fingers crossed. Whatever happens, I'm enjoying the fact that the spring weather is starting to warm up!

Happy running, folks!

Win a $10 Target gift card + cereal and a game!

2013-03-26T09:50:00.005-04:00

I've got another giveaway going on!

Check it out:

I'm giving away a prize pack with 2 boxes of cereal, a $10 Target gift card and a retro Parcheesi game.

To enter this giveaway, pop on over to my other blog and follow the instructions.

Good luck!

12 miles. Treadmill style.

2013-03-25T09:27:00.002-04:00

I had a great plan for yesterday's long run. I was going to meet Bridget for 3 miles at 7:30. Then Elisa would join us for 5 miles. I'd finish with 4 miles by myself.

Only, that didn't happen.

See, it was cold this weekend and my body has been rebelling against the cold. Not in a "Oh, I don't like the cold and would rather not go out in it" kind of way. That I could handle. No, it has been rebelling in a "I'm going to kick all of your nerve pain into high gear and I'm going to keep it like that for hours and hours and hours" kind of way.

Not pleasant.

I've learned that if I'm feeling a certain way and it is too cold and windy, my body can't handle it. The pain while I run is one thing -- and, believe me, I can handle pain while I run -- but the lingering pain is another thing entirely. After a cold run, my feet can hurt for a full day. Same with my hands. And my face? It is bad. My face gets a feeling like I've just been shot-up with Novocaine. And it doesn't go away. The worst is my nose. In addition to the pain from exposure, it is red and raw -- some combination of sunburn (the antibiotics make me more susceptible to sunburn) and response to the cold.

Lovely, right? Right.

So, I've more or less learned my lesson and stick to indoor runs when the conditions aren't right. Like this weekend.

Saturday was 5.75 miles on the treadmill. Sunday was 12.3.

So much for a long run with friends!

It didn't bother me too much. After all, I got to run in shorts:

Never a bad thing.

But, you know, treadmill miles can be boring and there's not a lot of fun stuff on TV on Sunday morning. How many episodes of "Say Yes to the Dress" can a runner really watch?

So, long run on the treadmill: Done. 12.3 miles. Sure, I wanted to stop at 9. And at 10. And, I really, really, really wanted to stop at 11. But I kept going and even finished strong.

Now, can we just get some warm weather sometime soon?

Please?

Have a great week, everyone!

Spring!

2013-03-20T08:47:00.004-04:00

Happy first day of spring!

We've been waiting and waiting for this day, with its promise of sunshine, flowers, and warmer days. And yet . . . here is what spring looks like this morning in Happy Runnerville:

Well, they've got their hockey sticks so they're happy!

Have a great day, everyone -- snow or no snow!

Designer Whey snacks and sips.

2013-03-19T09:28:00.000-04:00

I have never been a huge protein powder kind of gal so it is quite the admission to say that I've recently been won over. Which I have.

Let me give you a little history: I'm super wary of soy (the main ingredient in many protein powders) and try to avoid it. Also, I believe in getting nutrients from whole foods.

But then, in January, I was put on my sugar-free diet and, well, things changed. Not the soy part -- I'm still not in favor of soy. But the protein powder part. That, I'm down with.

See, if I want to have sugar in my diet, it needs to be from natural sources like fruit. But it also needs to balanced out by plenty of fiber and protein. Since fruit generally is pretty high in fiber, that first part is covered. Protein, though? There isn't all that much of it in fruit.

Welcome to my world, protein powder!

When I was given the opportunity to review Designer Whey protein powder I was excited to try it out. I started out by adding a scoop of the vanilla powder to my regular smoothies (banana, strawberry, a little almond milk), ate a few of their protein bars, tried the pre-mixed shakes after two tough runs, and then I decided to get a little crazy. I decided to branch out a little and experiment. I made some different smoothies with success and before I knew it, I was cooking-up (OK, processing up) new energy bites recipes.

Yes, that's apparently what passes for crazy around here!

Anyway . . . I added the vanilla powder to some of my standard energy bites recipes and felt pleased that my sweet treats were now protein rich as well.

Good for me.

And then things got even better for me. I opened my can of white chocolate protein powder. I took out a bag of pistachios. I went to town.

To Delicious Town.

Friends, these are my favorite:

You want the recipe, don't you?

Of course you do.

And I'm not stingy, so here you go:

Pistachio White Chocolate Energy Bites

1/2 cup shelled pistachios
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup whole (but pitted) medjool dates
1 scoop white chocolate Designer Whey protein powder
about 1/8 cup water

Process the first 4 ingredients in a food processor until well blended and the nuts and coconut are finely chopped. Add the water and pulse. The mixture will begin to clump together in a big ball. This is what you're going for. Once you have this dough, stop processing and form into balls, or squares if you prefer. I like to make mine big enough for two bites but feel free to make yours smaller or larger.

* * *

These are so good. The pistachio/white chocolate combination is perfect and the dates give the energy bites just the right amount of sweetness.

For someone (like me!) who needs to be concerned with balancing carbs with protein, these are a good solution.

I also made a wicked-good green smoothie:

Smooth. Creamy. Satisfying.

And easy to whip up:

1 frozen banana
1 cup frozen spinach
1/2 an avocado
1 cup almond milk
1 scoop vanilla Designer Whey protein powder
a few ice cubes

Blend.

Drink.

Enjoy.

Here's what I like about Designer Whey protein powder (aside from the really good taste of the white chocolate):

Whey is something that I can consume (my options are limited, after all), so that's a win right there
It has a low glycemic index
It is grain-free (gluten, corn, etc.) and peanut-free
All the whey is produced in the USA

Here's what I don't:

It contains soy lecithin. Granted, not that much but still. Why must there be soy in everything? I really wish this was a completely soy-free option, since there aren't many out there.

Overall, I like the products.

I'm using it instead of yogurt in my smoothies. I'm adding it to my energy bites to balance the carbs. I'm checking out other recipes and have found a few dessert ones that I really need to try. For me, Designer Whey is a good addition to my pantry!

To buy: Designer Whey is available at most grocery and mass market stores. You can find store locations on their web site.

Have you tried Designer Whey?

What do you think? What's your favorite recipe using protein powder?

Thanks for stopping by!

Review disclaimer: I was sent free products for this review through FitFluential but was not otherwise compensated. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Runnin' of the Green (Island) race report.

2013-03-18T09:17:00.001-04:00

Saturday was my first race on the spring season, and my first since New Year's Day: The Runnin' of the Green (Island) 4 miles.

Last year, this race was terrific. The weather was perfect (I ran in a skirt and a tank top), a bunch of my friends ran it, and I ran a distance PR of 29:05.

This year, the race was still great but a few things were different. For starters, it was freezing and windy on Saturday. And I did not run a PR, which is totally OK since I wasn't going for one.

I was, however, going for a solid race. I wanted to run as steady as possible and not blow up in the last mile. Ideally, I wanted to finish in 30 minutes or faster.

For all of those loose goals, the race was a success!

I went to the race with Bridget, who was running it for the first time. We got there in plenty of time, picked up our packets and then raced back to the warmth of her car to figure out how many layers to wear. After re-layering, we made our way to the start and we were off.

With Bridget, before the start of the race. We were sporting our green!

I started in the middle, to make sure I didn't go out too fast and it ended up being a good plan. I pretty much passed people the whole race -- what a boost! I felt really good the whole way, with the exception of my breathing. Because it was so cold, my breath was more labored than is normal for a race and I couldn't breathe through my nose at all. Fortunately, it wasn't much of a problem.

At the end of the race, the route turns and you run a long straight-away where you can see the finish line from fairly far off. It is deceiving. On one hand, you're sooooooo close to the finish line so you want to run hard and be done. On the other hand, you're still far enough away that if you run too hard, you risk burning up before the finish line.

So, I pushed it a little when I saw the end and just tried to hold it. Once I was truly close, I pushed harder and finished strong.

As I said, not a PR, but well under my ideal of 30:00! A good race!

Here are my stats:

Official time: 29:37

Overall pace: 7:24
Mile 1: 7:23
Mile 2: 7:16
Mile 3: 7:19
Mile 4: 7:29
extra distance on Garmin: :10

Overall place: 159 out of 664
Gender place: 43 out of 353
Age group place (female, 40-49): 14 out of . . . hmm . . . not sure.

I'll take it.

Hope you all had a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by.

Lucky winner!

2013-03-15T08:44:00.003-04:00

Thanks to everyone who entered my Lucky Runner giveaway! The lucky winner (selected using random.org) is . . .

erindegroff

Congratulations! Send me an email at felicehalf [at] yahoo [dot] com with your mailing address and I will get your goodies right out to you!

Have a great weekend, everyone!