FitFluential

Mizuno Wave Rider 18 Review

October 27, 2014 by Michelle 18 Comments

This post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Mizuno. As always, the opinions expressed here are completely my own.

Since this pair of Mizuno Wave Rider 18s arrived at my door a couple of weeks ago, I have been running in them exclusively. On the road, on the track and on the treadmill, they have quickly become my go-to running shoes. Quite simply, I love these shoes!

I knew I was on to something good, when I logged over 9 miles in them straight out of the box on a rainy, wind-swept morning. The fit was snug, comfortable, and supported, as the shoe easily formed to my foot.

My next run took me to the track for 400-meter intervals – I felt light and quick, something I haven’t been able to say for a while. I was sold!

Wave Rider 3

You’ve got to love a shoe with a design that takes inspiration from the Japanese concept of “Hado” – the vibrational life force energy that promotes powerful transformations. Um yes I’ll take some of that please! Sounds good doesn’t it?

For me this translated into a shoe that is an ideal balance between fit and performance, providing a smooth ride that allows you to let go and get lost in your run. A welcome change for me during what has been a tough training cycle.

At just 7.8 oz, the Wave Rider 18 is light and sleek, while Mizuno’s patented Wave technology delivers maximum responsiveness and just enough support for a stable, but unencumbered run. A combination that I think would appeal to a wide range of runners.

Mizuno Wave Rider 18s are available in three color combos (I’m eyeing the white-Fuchsia Purple next!), and retails for $119.99.

I am so looking forward to logging many more miles in these lovelies!

What are you currently running in?

Have you ever tried Mizuno?

Filed Under: #WaveRider18, fave things, FitFluential, product reviews

Friday Five: Running and Fitness Resources

September 12, 2014 by Michelle 10 Comments

Happy Friday! This week the ladies of the DC Trifecta (Courtney, Mar and Cynthia) are asking everyone to share 5 blogs you love. Well I do read a fair number of blogs and there was no way I could just whittle it down to five. So instead, I thought I’d share five running and fitness resources that I turn to again and again.

International Association of Women Runners — This is my coach’s site so you may say I’m bias. But, if you’re a women of a certain age (ahem…over 40) this is great resource to check out!

Runners Connect — A team of running coaches weighing in on all aspects of running and training.

Natural Running Center — A wealth of info on all things “natural running” related, including shoe reviews.

Fuel Your Future with Tina — Tina is an elite athlete with some great training tips to share.

FitFluential — Again, I may be biased here, as I am a FitFluential Ambassador, but I think the FF blog offers a great range of fitness/healthy living posts.

Now, I’m very excited to say I’m off for a date with an Alter G treadmill – a full report coming soon!

So tell what are your favorite running and fitness resources?

Filed Under: fave things, FitFluential, Friday Five

Designer Whey Sustained Energy Review & Giveaway

June 25, 2013 by Michelle 21 Comments

A couple of months ago, I had the chance to review a number of products from Designer Whey – they were all a win with me so I was very happy to get another chance through FitFluential to try Designer Whey’s newest product Sustained Energy™.

Key features of the Sustained Energy™ line include:

Formulated with Endurance Blend™ : Designed to give you balanced, stimulant-free, sustained energy through a premium protein blend of fast-absorbing whey protein and slower absorbing soy & casein proteins.
16g of Protein: 32% Daily Value per serving.
5g of Fiber: To help control hunger.
Packed with 19 Vitamins and Minerals: Including B-vitamins to help convert protein, carbohydrates, and fats into energy; vitamins A, C, & E for fast workout recovery; and, calcium and vitamin D to maintain strong bones.
100 calories per serving: Naturally flavored and just 1g of sugar.

Sustained Energy™ comes in two great flavors – Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Velvet. And while I enjoyed them both, Chocolate Velvet was definitely my favorite.

This concoction I call Chocolate Heaven is a yummy combination of:

1 scoop Designer Whey Chocolate Velvet
1 cup chocolate almond milk
5- 6 frozen whole strawberries
3-4 frozen cherries (an extra boost of antioxidants for muscle recovery)
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed

While I usually love drinking chocolate milk post-run, this shake has been a great alternative and has given me a little added staying power when lunch doesn’t happen until late in the day (which has happened on more than one occasion lately with all the various end-of-year school activities!)

The great folks at Designer Whey are offering 6 — yes six! — Running with Attitude readers a chance to try the new Sustained Energy protein powder in the flavor of their choice!

To enter:

(Mandatory) leave a comment telling me which flavor you want to try – Chocolate Velvet or Vanilla Bean.

(Additional entry) Follow both @RunAttitude and @DesignerWhey on Twitter and tweet this message: “I want to win @DesignerWhey Sustained Energy protein powder from @RunAttitude http://wp.me/p3alX4-lk #DesignerWhey #FitFluential” Please make sure you leave a comment here telling me you did.

This giveaway is for U.S. residents only and will be open until Thursday, June 27th, at 11:00 pm EST. Winners will be announced on Friday, June 28th, 2013. Good luck!

Product was provided to me by Designer Whey as a FitFluential Ambassador for the purpose of a review. As always, the opinions expressed here are my own.

Filed Under: #DesignerWhey, FitFluential, giveaways, Nutrition, product reviews

Under Armour Challenge – #WhatsBeautiful

May 8, 2013 by Michelle 4 Comments

Under Armour just launched their third What’s Beautiful campaign and I’m very psyched to be a part of it through FitFluential.

Under Armour’s What’s Beautiful is all about pushing limits and redefining the female athlete. This is for women who want to push past where they have been before — To put a goal out there and then go after it in a big way. It’s easy to get started, just declare your goal on the What’s Beautiful site and then get to it! You stay accountable and get extra motivation by accepting challenges and interacting with other participants. You can also team up with others who share similar goals for additional support and motivation.

My What’s Beautiful goal is:

Focus on speedwork, strength training and core work so I can own new PRs for the 10k and half marathon; and most of all, be a stronger version of myself.

For added motivation I also created Team Core Strength for anyone who wants to make building a strong core a key to their overall success – you can join my team here!

You can also keep up on what’s going on by following along on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtags #IWILL #WHATSBEAUTIFUL.

Are you ready to set some new goals or re-up your current ones? Join us as we redefine the female athlete. #IWILL.

Filed Under: #IWill, #WhatsBeautiful, FitFluential, goals, motivation, Team Core Strength, Under Armour

B.A.A Distance Medley – 5K Race Report

May 3, 2013 by Michelle 7 Comments

This year I’m participating in the 2nd Annual B.A.A. Distance Medley which consists of a 5K, 10K and half marathon. The 5K was held the Sunday of the Boston Marathon weekend.

It was a great morning for a run — sunny but cool (just 40 or so). J and the boys decided they wanted to come cheer me on so the whole family headed into downtown Boston. Getting in and parking was easy. It was definitely chilly so I left the guys to do some warm up strides. Just as I was heading over to get my good luck hugs from my kiddos, I was lucky enough to find fellow FitFluential Ambassador Amy from Running Escapades and her husband in the crowd!

As we stood in the shadows of the high-rises it was even cooler and I did my best to stay warm and loose. I chatted with some of the other runners and just tried to soak in the atmosphere. I couldn’t get over the size of the crowd for a 5K (5,000+ runners) – the energy was great!

The downside of a crowd that big on a course that winds in and around the narrow streets of Boston’s Back Bay was the amount of bobbing and weaving I had to do. There were also a fair number of people who clearly didn’t seed themselves properly as I found myself running up on people who stopped to walk within the first half mile….seriously?! But I settled in the best I could and just enjoyed the run.

The B.A.A. had set the course up so we would finish the final “right on Hereford, left on Boylston” stretch and across the Marathon’s famous finish line. J and the boys were watching from the grandstands and said they could see me make the final turn on the jumbotron — my boys thought that was pretty cool and allowed my oldest son to catch these shots of the finish. (My youngest liked that I passed that guy right at the end!)

I made my way through the corral, got my medal and a bag of snacks and found my wonderful cheer squad!

Overall I was happy with my time of 30:56 and I’m really looking forward to the B.A.A. 10K in June!

Filed Under: #13in2013, B.A.A. Distance Medley, FitFluential, race report

Nutrition Update: #DesignerWhey Product Review

April 26, 2013 by Michelle 7 Comments

Recently this showed up on my doorstep

photo (3)

The folks at Designer Whey sent me a crazy array of their products to try! I was expecting to receive just one of their protein powders – instead they sent protein bars, ready-made shakes and Protein 2Go drink mix, in addition to two protein powders.

I’ve mentioned here before that one of my goals for 2013 is to get a better handle on my nutrition. And now that I’m finally feeling like I’ve got a handle on my fueling during a run, I’ve started to turn my attention to what I’m eating during recovery. So getting to try out these products came at a great time for me.

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve had a chance to try everything — and the verdict….love them!

Designer shake

I immediately started with the protein powders – 18g of protein, only 100 calories and naturally sweetened with Stevia. I received both French Vanilla and White Chocolate – they both had good flavor, but the White Chocolate became an instant fave! I was initially concerned it might be too sweet, but it had a yummy creaminess that worked well with my usual smoothie add-ins (unsweetened almond milk, chia seeds, almond butter and frozen strawberries, bananas and cherries) without being overpowering. It has quickly become a favorite post-workout recovery drink.

My husband J got in on the act sampling the protein bars. We had three flavors to try: Peanut Butter Crunch, Triple Chocolate Crunch and Chocolate Caramel Crunch. Quite simply these bars are so good! They’re 160 – 170 calories with 10g of protein and other vitamins. Designer Whey packs a lot into these bars including a lot of flavor!

My favorite was the peanut butter, while J really liked the triple chocolate – he said it tasted “like a real chocolate bar not at all waxy.”

The last item I received was the Protein 2Go. Designer Whey sent all three of their flavors: Lemonade, Mixed Berry and Tropical Orange. You just pour one of the packets into about 12 – 16 oz of water and shake. I thought these mixes offered a nice refreshing drink with the added benefit of 10g of protein plus B-Vitamins and Vitamin C. I really like these have no artificial sweeteners or flavors, and the packets are easy to carry with you anywhere. I think these will be particularly good in the summer months served ice cold!

A big thanks to the folks at Designer Whey – I’m happy to have discovered their products as they’ll now be a part of my recovery nutrition strategy.

What’s your go to recovery foods/drinks?

I received these products as a FitFluential Ambassador. All of the opinions expressed here, as always, are my own.

Filed Under: #DesignerWhey, fave things, FitFluential, Nutrition, Recovery

Thursday Thoughts (aka 3 Things)

October 18, 2012 by Michelle 6 Comments

1. If someone sees my zen, could you please return it to me! It’s almost hard to imagine that last week this time I was getting ready to head out of town with J for a weekend away to celebrate our anniversary. (By the way, thanks you for all the good wishes!) We had a great time! But a few days back into the grind of the daily routine, kids’ school work & sports, etc. and that weekend away seems like a million years ago! As a friend pointed out, “The zen disappears the moment you pull into your drive way.”

2. It’s Thursday so that means I hit the track this morning which always makes me happy (despite not being a fan of 1000 meter repeats!) There’s always something about finishing a track workout that leaves me feeling a little badass — gotta work on translating that feeling to the road more often! Just a little more than 3 weeks until the Chilly Half Marathon — I think I may try to go check out the course this weekend to see what I’m in for.

3. I participated in a great Twitter chat on Tuesday hosted by FitFluential and Commitment Day. What is Commitment Day? It’s a movement to get 300,000 people in over 30 cities to participate in a nationwide 5k on January 1st, and more importantly to set the tone to commit to a healthier lifestyle in 2013. You can run, walk, skip if you want but the point is to get out there. I especially love that they are encouraging families to come out and participate together (in fact children register for free with an adult!) I’m planning to participate in the Boston event with J and our boys and encourage you to check out the event in your city — check the Commitment Day website for more information.

Filed Under: 3 things, Chilly Half, Commitment Day, crazy week, FitFluential, track work, Zen

Finding Balance during the Holidays

December 15, 2011 by Michelle 6 Comments

I think many of us are on a quest to strike a balance in our daily lives. But, when the holiday season rolls around with all of its extra time demands and food temptations, it’s really easy to end up off-kilter. This week the FitFluential Ambassadors are sharing tips for staying balanced during the holidays — here are a few things I’ve found that help me stay on course.

Don’t forget to eat — I know this may sound counter-intuitive with all the holiday parties and treats floating around. But, I know that in your daily running around trying to cram in all that needs to get done, that it is very easy to skip a meal for the sake of time. Don’t do it! Feed your body and feed it well. You’ll be less tempted to down that extra cookie and you’ll have the energy you need to get all of those “to do’s” done.

Drink up — Water I mean! I find hydrating in the winter is something I really need to focus on. Again, staying hydrated helps to keep your energy level up, helps you to feel full and helps to balance that extra glass of wine or holiday cocktail.

Keep moving — Commit to carving out time each day to move, whether it’s your regular run or dancing the night away at a holiday party. And, remember every little bit counts so take the stairs when you can or park at the far end of the parking lot when you’re out shopping. Got snow in your area – a snowball fight with the kids or a walk with your dog are great calorie burners!

Take in the moment — It’s way too easy to get caught up in the “get it done!” mentality. Remember to stop, breathe and take in the moment. The holiday season is not a race – Enjoy the time with friends and family.

Sleep — Just like eating well, don’t sacrifice sleep in the name of getting more done. Try to maintain your normal bedtime – your mind and body will thank you.

Filed Under: FitFluential, holiday sanity, seeking balance

November Rewind

December 1, 2011 by Michelle 7 Comments

Good things for the month:

While I logged just 60 miles – one of my lowest months of the year – this still goes in the “good things” category because they were quality miles that helped lead to 2 PRs this month!

I was selected to be a FitFluential Ambassador! I’m really looking forward to connecting with other bloggers and the opportunity to test, review, and hopefully giveaway various brands of fitness gear/equipment/books/food.

Things I could do without:

My left ITB/knee saga – Yeah…enough already!

On the decks for December:

The Jingle Bell 5k – my last race of the year!
Returning to acupuncture for my ITB — it really made a difference in the days leading up to Philly.
A little 2012 planning — trying to figure out my training plan for my next half marathon…and maybe a little race shopping 🙂
Diving full force into the holiday season!!

How was your November? What do you have planned for this month?