What's In My Gym Bag

EspnW is holding an Instagram photo contest and one of their photos this week was "what's in your gym bag?" I posted this photo of my gear. First and foremost there are bright colors and that just makes workouts more fun and also increases visibility on the road. It's always important to be safe! Second, my favorite gear from Athleta - this awesome running tank and bright blue Relay Running Capri. They are so soft! If you're running the See Jane Run Half Marathon this weekend look out for me in my blue capris! I can't go anywhere without my favorite NIKEiD running shoes and Sportwatch. Nuun hydration tabs, KT Tape, music, sunblock and a massager are a must! What's in your gym bag? Did I miss any essentials? 

Peek Inside My Gym Bag

Unfortunately, I am a day late on my post but yesterday was National Running Day. I was fortunate enough to go on a five mile hill workout with the North Coast Striders, a local running club. We crushed those hills! When I got home I did some work and then got a surprise from Nike Running in the mail, new Flyknit shoes! I couldn't think of a more perfect day for them to arrive and am excited to start breaking them in. The colors are so fun! I have one other pair of Flyknit shoes from Nike and have  trained for and run two half marathons in them. I really like how light and supportive they are. They definitely add to the bright colors of my workout wardrobe!

Nike Flyknit Shoes

This week has also been nutrition focus week. I plan on tackling my third marathon and first triathlon this fall so I am trying to focus on keeping my body as healthy and happy as possible. A few weeks ago I received a sample of Zola Coconut Water to try. Coconut water is great for hydration and has a lot of potassium, all important for replenishing the body after intense exercise. I must say my favorite was the natural coconut water, it has great flavor and was extremely refreshing ice-cold. The coconut water with pulp was surprisingly good. It has actual chunks of coconut in the water and gives you something to chew on. It's a unique post-workout drink. The Acai juice was super refreshing, light and delicious. According to recent studies it's a super fruit so I just imagined it healing my body while I drank it. Bottom line, if you love coconut and all natural juices then give Zola a try. I'm going to stock up on my favorites next time I go to the store. 

Zola Coconut Water

I have a busy weekend ahead of me so stay tuned for my race recap and more! Are you running any races this weekend?

Summer Running Tips and My NIKEiD Shoes Arrived!

First of all, I would like to congratulate Brandy C. on winning my giveaway last week. Congratulations! Your prize is on it's way! Be sure to let me know what you think when you receive it! Also, another big giveaway is coming up in the next few weeks, so stay tuned!

In other big news, my NIKEiD shoes arrived this week. I had the privilege of participating in a one on one personal design session with the NIKEiD team to design these shoes last month and have been waiting for them to arrive ever since! They are so bright and fun! I love that they have my "Run Fierce" mantra printed on the tongue. Since they are a shoe built to simulate a more barefoot style of running I am working on building up my mileage in them. I ran one mile in them Wednesday, two miles Thursday and will take them out for some speed work later today. Have you checked out the NIKEiD design site yet? You can design so many different types of shoes, from running to tennis to sportswear, it's a really unique and fun way to spice up your shoe collection.

Along with my new shoes, the weather has begun to take a turn recently. As summer begins to creep up on us, we as runners need to change up our routine to accommodate the heat and change in weather. My routine changes significantly in the summer months. Here are some tips and tricks that keep me running strong throughout the long summer days and heat.

• Hydration is key and drinking ample amounts of water before working out is very important. When it's hot out I never want to start a run already dehydrated. Along with pre-run hydration it's important to bring water bottles with you on your run. I like to add a Nuun tablet to my water during runs. Nuun keeps me hydrated and replaces the essential electrolytes that I lose when I sweat. With no extra sugar added, these tabs are great for keeping me running strong.

• Ice is essential in heat over 80 degrees. I find that putting ice in my handheld water bottle works great. It keeps my hands and body temperature cool in the early stages of my run and I can take sips of water as I run. I can also spray water over my head if I feel I am about to overheat. Ice is key! Keep your body temperature lower and you can run longer.

• Wear a hat! I know they aren't always ideal, but a hat keeps the sun off your face and can protect your eyes and face from harmful sun. Also, if you place your hat under cold water before your run it will keep you cool along the way. A visor is another great option if you don't like hats, it keeps the sun off your face while allowing heat to escape from the top of your head. A win-win situation.

• Wear sunblock. Do I really need to explain this one? You will still get a runners tan while wearing sunblock. How do I know? I am as white as Disney's beloved Snow White and I lather on SPF 100 sunblock and those pesky rays still get through. Do yourself a favor and protect your skin from harmful rays and wrinkles.

• Run in the early am. If you have to set your alarm two hours earlier, do it. It is worth it to avoid running in terrible heat. Get a friend to keep each other accountable and don't make your runs optional. The buddy system always works for me. Also, lay out your running clothes the night before, or better yet just sleep in them, no excuses!

Do you have any tips that make running in the summer heat more bearable? I'd love to hear them! Let me know in the comments below! Happy training!

~Karen 

Boston On My Mind

Monday was suppose to be a day of joy. I followed the Boston Marathon all morning long and was excited to see the elite runners push their bodies so far and achieve so much. I'm not sure if I'll ever be fast enough to cross that finish line or qualify for the race, but watching those that are, that have fought to get there, is always inspiring. One of my friends, Tiara, is training right now to get to Boston 2014 and she has made sacrifices and changes in her life that only following a dream will allow. She pushes her body every day to achieve greatness. She is my inspiration and the reason I have been thinking about seriously training to run Boston. The sadness, devastation, and destruction that the bombing created is inexcusable. It took lives, sparked fear, and brought a day that should have been about triumph and achievement into a small hell. It wasn't fair of the bomber to do, to crush dreams like that. 

The heroes that arose will never be forgotten. The power of the running community bonded through tragedy both in Boston and in the social media sphere is inspiring. Runners are a resilient group of people. We put ourselves through pain in training, make sacrifices in life, wake up at the crack of dawn all to train for just a few events in which most of us will never win. We do it because of the feeling we get from achieving our own personal best times and for encouraging others along the way.

Runners around the country and world are running today in remembrance of Boston. We have banded together as crews, groups, friends and individuals to honor those who could not achieve their dreams. We run to show the world that we will not back down. We are the strong, the brave, the resilient. We #RunForBoston. 

Life goes on and it would be a shame to ruin the moments that make runners who they are and not to share the triumphs. This week I had a personal design session set up with NIKEiD set for Tuesday. I have been excited about talking with the Nike design team and creating my own shoe for quite some time. It was a fun experience and allowed me to see how designers work and what they look for in their shoe inspiration. Today I built my own shoe via a video chat with a Nike designer. My design was inspired by my home state of Oregon and the Oregon Ducks and their green and yellow colors. Also, green is my favorite color and had to be in the design. The blue and grey reflect the Oregon rain and cloudy skies. I also wanted to include the blue and yellow tones to remember Boston, if only in a small way. I put my mantra "Run Fierce" on the shoes to push me onward in my training and remind me to push harder when I feel like slowing down. 

NIKEiD shoes take 4-6 weeks to arrive because they are custom made in the factory, so they should be here by the end of May. It is going to be so hard to wait! I can't wait to try the new Nike Free Run design and put them into my training cycle. Stay tuned for my review and for pictures when they arrive. Until then, I hope you are all running fierce!

The Shoes I Designed with NIKEiD!

I also got an exclusive email invite from the Run Nike Women DC series to attend a special Ellie Goulding concert the night before the half-marathon in DC. This is such a great early birthday present! I can't wait to attend and hear her in concert. I absolutely love her songs and attitude. She is an amazing runner and I know she will be inspiring to see pre-race. Be sure to follow my story and all the happenings in DC on my Twitter account @superwomankw. I'll also be running with blue and yellow ribbons in my hair to show support for Boston. Life must go on and racing must go on to show the world that we will not be scared away from doing what we love.

Ellie Goulding Running for Nike!

I wish you all the best in your race training and reaching your goals in life, whatever they may be. I hear back from Nuun Hydration on whether I get to run on their Hood to Coast team this year tomorrow so stay watching the blog for news. Win or lose, it has been a great experience sharing my love of running with Nuun.

~Karen