runner

Marathon Must-Haves

10.17.2013

Marathon season is here! (At least I think so.) I am super excited for all the races coming up. Nike Women’s Marathon, Women’s Health Run10Feed10 10k, possibly the US Half Marathon, then last but certainly not least, the Paris Marathon in April!! I thought I’d put a list together of a couple of my marathon essentials.

1. CEP Compression Sleeves: OMG! These are my new best friend. I have had a lot of knee and ankle pain the past year and these have completely turned things around for me. I honestly don’t think I can run long distance without them. Other than getting new running shoes, these have helped tremendously. They improve blood circulation, stabalize muscles and joints, prevent injury and I have noticed an increase in performance. They also have actual socks as well, which I haven’t tried but wouldn’t be opposed to.

2. iFitness Hydration Belt: I have not tried using a hydration belt, but I just ordered this one after getting a recommendation from a friend. She has used a few others that were not up to par and said this one fits low on your waist, is extremely comfortable and easy to use. Hydration belts are completely based on preference. Some people like to use hand held water bottles, but I’m really looking forward to avoiding the hydration stations and trying a belt.

3. GU Chomps / GU Gel: Wow. I fly with these things. This is what got me through my first marathon. They give you so much energy and stamina to keep going. As soon as you feel like you’re loosing endurance, pop a chomp or some gu gel and you’re on your way. I like the caffeinated options the best and chomps opposed to gel during the race. Pre-race GU gel is okay, but doesn’t taste as good as the chomps. I couldn’t run a marathon without these!!

4. KT Tape: When not wearing a compression sleeve, this is good to wrap your knees with. Make sure to read up about how to apply. I used KT tape during my first marathon and it helped alleviate the pain in my knees. This is also personal preference when choosing to wear a compression sleeve or tape. Both work great.

5. Nike Fuel Band: This thing does it all. In fact, I love all Nike products. The fuel band tracks everyday activity, calories burned, movement and distance traveled using an LED screen. There is a second generation Fuel band coming out soon which also includes a heart rate monitor as well as other improvements including real time syncing, and notifying you when you need to get moving! Love the fuel band as opposed to other regular watches because it converts activity to “Nike Fuel” and allows you to compare activity with friends. This thing is amazing. You can read more about it here.

What’s on your marathon must have list? Do you have any runs coming up?

Women’s Health RUN10 FEED10 Event

09.19.2013

Hey loves! Women’s Health Magazine is putting on a Run10 Feed10 run in San Francisco on Sunday, October 27th! Please join me if you are in the area, it’s for such a great cause.

Use this special code (Run10 Feed 10: R10F10USA) to receive $5 off their ticket price through September 22^nd.

WOMEN’S HEALTH & FEED ANNOUNCE

2^nd ANNUAL RUN10 FEED10 EVENT IN SAN FRANCISCO

Presented by Unilever

2^nd annual event inspires people to race to fight hunger in America

Event to include bonus yoga session, nutrition and beauty consultations, great giveaways and more.

Women’s Health’s wildly popular race and fundraising event,RUN10 FEED10, is coming back to San Francisco onSunday, October 27, 2013.

WHO: Join Women’s Health Magazine, FEED and its founder, Lauren Bush Lauren, and thousands of amazing men and women runners in the fight against hunger.

WHAT: This fall, Women’s Health magazine will host RUN10 FEED10 in San Francisco. The concept is simple: run a 10K with us and provide 10 meals for those struggling with hunger in San Francisco. Last year, RUN10 FEED10 raised 1 million meals nationwide and we’re setting the bar even higher for 2013.

Timed 10K races will also be taking place across the country in New York and Chicago. People living in Boston, Los Angeles, Miami and Seattle can participate in one of Women’s Health’s “Fun Runs” and if runners do not live in one of our host cities, they can still participate by signing up to run their own 10K. The money from the registration and fundraising efforts will go to their nearest metropolitan area food bank. Download the official, free RUN10FEED10 app to plot your training course.

The day will include:

An unforgettable experience running at 10K for those in need
Pre-and-post race activities including guided stretches and yoga with a special guest trainer
Tons of freebies, experiences and giveaways from FEED, Dove, Degree, Lipton Tea, Simple, Kellogg Nourish, OPI, Vaseline, Birkenstock, Sketchers, Cigna, Ford Fiesta, and more.

WHY: Right now, over 50 million Americans are food insecure, meaning they don’t know from where their next meal is coming. The reality is there is enough food in the world today for everyone to get the nourishment they need for a healthy and productive life. The other reality is that we can do something about it. Together, we can make a huge impact in a very simple way. All you have to do is RUN!

WHEN: Sunday, October 27, 2013 at 8 AM

WHERE:Crissy Field, San Francisco, CA

Registration Fee: Sign up for Run10 FEED 10 at www.run10feed10.com. Included in your $50 registration is race entry, your donation of 10 meals, and a limited-edition FEED bag
$50 – until 9/30/13
$60 – 10/1/13 – 10/24/13 or until the race sells out!

Fundraising Information:
Women’s Health is encouraging all participants to raise $100. You can start fundraising by going to www.run10feed10.com, clicking on the START FUNDRAISING tab at the top of the page,and joining the appropriate city’s RUN 10 FEED 10 fundraising team. Share your page with your friends and family to spread the word! It only takes 10 friends donating $10 each to raise an extra $100 for your community.

ABOUT FEED:

After witnessing the effects of hunger firsthand when traveling as a WFP Honorary Spokesperson, Lauren Bush Lauren founded FEED Projects in 2007 with the mission of creating good products that help FEED the world. Every product sold has a measurable donation attached to it and, to date, the social business has been able to donate over $6 million and provide nearly 60 million school meals globally through the United Nations World Food Programme. FEED has also supported nutrition programs around the world, providing vitamin supplements to over 3.5 million children through UNICEF.

Over the past six years, FEED has forged successful partnerships with companies such as Target, Disney, Pottery Barn, Clarins, Whole Foods, Gap, DKNY, Links of London, Godiva and TOMS.

FEED products are available online and at retail locations around the world. For more information, please visit www.feedprojects.com or follow FEED on Facebook (FEED Projects) and Twitter (@FEEDProjects).

See you there!

How To Speed Up Your Metabolism / Paris Marathon!!

09.17.2013

If you’ve been following the Facebook page, you’ve probably already heard my big news…but I am more than excited to tell you guys that I will be running the 2014 Paris Marathon in April!! This has been on my bucket list ever since I can remember and I am so excited to visit Paris for the first time, AND run my 2nd full marathon!! Have any of you been to Paris? If so, your recommendations for restaurants, shopping or any place to visit would be much appreciated! Can’t wait!!

(photo sources: unknown)

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“How do you eat so much and manage to stay fit?” “How is your metabolism off the charts?!” Aside from a hearty workout regime, building your metabolism takes time, but in turn allows you to constantly eat and burn fat while at rest. Sure, a teeny percent has to do with age and genetics, but it is in your control to increase metabolism and shed the extra weight that you’ve been dying to get rid of! Here’s how to speed up your metabolism:

Build muscle. Get in the weight room and lift those weights ladies and gents! The more muscle you gain, the faster your resting metabolic rate. Burn calories while sitting? Umm, count me in!
Eat every 3 hours. If you eat more often, the faster your metabolism. Strange, but true. Make breakfast your most important meal and add protein! If you want a faster metabolism think protein. Here’s why. Your body burns twice as many calories digesting proteins than it does carbs. Think eggs or greek yogurt for breakfast and chicken or fish for lunch or dinner.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. (and no not with alcohol). Dehydration leads to a slow metabolism! Studies have shown that cold water does the trick. Cold drinks force your body to work to warm up, which builds more energy.
Use spices. Think cayenne, chillis, red pepper. Anything that makes you sweat means your metabolism has increased.
Green tea, full of antioxidants and contains a plant compound called ECGC which promotes fat burning.
Coffee. Caffeine stimulates your central nervous system and increases heart rate. Gotta love your cup o’ joe.

It’s important to remember that you can grab control of your future! Stop the I can’t and go with I can do this! Even when it comes to your metabolism, take control of it. Try these tips and don’t use your age, weight or genetics as an excuse. Speed up that metabolism, get moving and get healthy. MUAH!

My First Full Marathon!!!

06.18.2013

I still can’t believe it. If you follow me on Facebook, I’m sure you’ve heard the news, but for those who haven’t, I completed my first full marathon this weekend at The Wipro San Francisco Marathon! It’s kind of a funny story, and definitely did not imagine my first marathon to happen like this. So here’s how it went.

Believe it or not, I went to the race with the thought of running the half. I had a full marathon bib, but havent trained and was definitely planning to wing it. A friend of mine has been training like crazy for her first full, and I got a couple of runs in with her but had no intention of running the full 26! At mile 2 I told her, “Wouldnt that be crazy if I ran the full with you?” Crazy, it was! When we approached mile 13 if was feeling great and she turned to me and said “so….what are you going to do.” I honestly didn’t even think about it, I went for it! Most everyone would want to be finished at mile 13, right? I’m not going to lie, when I saw the half finish line it was hard! But I knew I could do this, I knew I could finish the full and how amazing it would be if i did.

I couldn’t have asked for a better cheerleader by my side. My friend, Luba stuck by my side the entire run. She was motivating me like crazy, talking to me the whole time, telling me not to give up. I never doubted her, but by mile 20 my body was definitely taking a hit. It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life! But I knew I had to finish, there was no other option. By the last mile, I was dragging but it was amazing to hear so many runners rooting me on, telling me we were almost done.

Although it was by no means easy, it was also one of my biggest accomplishments. I still can’t believe that I completed my first Full marathon with no training! It was an emotional experience. By the last mile I couldn’t hold back the tears. The feeling was unexplainable.

I wouldn’t recommend that anyone else try this, but I do recommend you train and go for it! My mind and heart literally took over my body and I accomplished something that I never thought I could. It’s so important to listen to your body and what it is telling you. The only reason why I went ahead with it is because I knew that I could make it. I knew my body could handle the pressure. All the strength training I do is what came in handy. My heart was telling me yes. So I went for it. Push your body, but know your limits. Train, train, train so you are not as sore as I am today!!

I will post later about post-marathon recovery, as it’s one of the most important parts. I am the most sore I have ever been before, so now its time to take care of my body and replenish all the nutrients I lost during the 4 hours and 46 minutes of running. The soreness will fade but the awesome story will last forever.

Congrats to all my fellow runners! You can finally say “I did it. I never gave up. I never quit.” Those moments of pain turned into memories and an accomplished goal that only 1% of the population could obtain. This was the world’s 15th hardest marathon course! You did it! Now you can thank yourself for the rest of your life. It’s truly a life changing moment.

Next up is the Live Ultimate Run in San Francisco on June 30th! To sign up enter code: AmbassadorJenna for 10% off your entry!

“Running is like celebrating your soul. There is so much it can teach us about life.”

Portion Size / Live Ultimate Run

06.07.2013

Happy Friday! Hope you all had a great week! It’s a never-ending battle with me to get my portions correct, so I thought this chart would be a huge help not only to you guys, but myself included. These portions look teeny tiny but keep in mind you should be eating 5-6 small meals a day! This is a HUGE issue when going out to restaurants. Most places load up the portions, leaving you the option to finish the whole thing. My personal advice: take half home with you! No need to be overly stuffed. This will only eliminate the “6 meals a day” theory.

So keep it small. Keep it simple and enjoy!