11 Fitness Items I CANNOT Live Without!

I saw this on Hungry Runner Girl's blog and I wanted to share the top 11 things that I cannot live without! I couldn't narrow it down to 10 so I have 11! When I prepare for a long training run or travel for a race, these are the things that would send me into a mad panic if I forgot to bring them along with me!

Here is my list of fitness items that I am incredibly thankful for and have learned to love!

1) Garmin Forerunner 620-This is my favorite Garmin by far and the top item that I just cannot live without! It provides so much running data and I just love it! I love the Live Track option and the fact that the data automatically uploads to Garmin Connect.

2) GU Energy Gel-My favorite flavors are Jet Blackberry and Salted Caramel. The energy kick that this gel gives me during a race or a long run is amazing. The Salted Caramel flavor tastes just like candy so it's like a treat while I am out on my runs. You have to try it if you have not already! They just released a new flavor, Salted Watermelon, that I am dying to try!

3) Foam Roller-This thing has saved my life! If you don't have one, please go and buy one and start using it! After being injured so many times, I became religious about using my foam roller. I use it after all of my runs and it has made a huge difference! I can now run 20 miles and have no soreness the next day. I like the extra firm one because it really hurts so good!

4) The Stick-This is the best for sore legs. I even have the travel sized version that fits inside my bag. I never leave home without it and I even take it to work with and secretly use it at my desk. It is also the best thing to have on hand for relays when you are cramped inside of a van overnight.

5) 20 oz. Amphipod Hand-Held Water Bottle- I have been trying to kick the hydration belt lately because it is just so much easier to just carry my hand-held. I can't be without my water so I have yet to master running a race using the course supplied hydration. I can go pretty far on this bottle without having to refill it and the outside pocket works perfect for holding my Chapstick.

6) Fitletic Ultimate II Running Belt (with Bib Holder and Fuel Slots)- I love that the front pocket is just the perfect size for my phone and the belt has slots to hold my GU's. The bib holder is great since I don't have to worry about forgetting safety pins on race day.

7) Body Glide-I learned a valuable lesson after my first marathon. I had some serious chaffing issues and I could feel my skin burning in the end of that race. Lesson learned and I never had that problem again since using Body Glide.

8) Nike Tempo Shorts-These are the most comfortable shorts that I have ever worn. I have tried other brands but my heart belongs to my tempo shorts which would explain why I have over 25 pairs of them!

9) Compression Socks- I wear both Pro Compression and CEP. I love them both. I wear them for all of my runs and they help me recover faster and improve my circulation. I have terrible tans lines from them but it's totally worth it to me!

10) KT Tape Pro- This tape has saved me when I have aches and pains and when I have been injured. I love this stuff! I only wear the Stealth Beige color though so I don't have to worry about matching it up with all of my clothes. I like the Pro version because it sticks better and is waterproof.

11) Nike Sun Visor-I cannot wear sunglasses when I run because I feel like I can't see. Weird..I know. I never run without my visor because it keeps the sun out of my eyes and the sweat off of my face.

What are your favorite fitness items that you cannot live without?  

Please share in the comments below.

What is in my Ragnar Bag and Plans for team "Runners High."

I don't mind packing my bags to go on a trip but I have to admit that I really dislike unpacking! Having said that, I promised myself that I would not over pack. I also had to keep in mind that I am sharing a van with five other people and they need some space too! I looked at a lot of packing lists for Ragnar that are floating around and I think I have everything I need. I also have water and snacks that I will be bringing with me and I might bring my pillow too. 

We were lucky enough to have two great companies sponsor our team. Our team captain was able to get her husband's employer to cover the costs of both of our vans and the fuel! Lucky us! We are also blessed that one of our team members is employed by BJ's Brewhouse and was able to get a donation from them as well. We plan on using the money to eat and celebrate as a team once we finish the relay. I plan to sleep on the way home, since we will have a long drive back from San Diego, and then be in full celebration mode when we return home. I am going to miss my boys since they will not be able to come and cheer me on.

 

I don't think we are dressing up but we did order custom shirts with our team name (Runners High) and team member and volunteer names on them. Our team reserved a hotel at one of the major exchanges so we will be able to rest and shower while Van#1 runs their second legs. Based on the average pace of the team, my second leg, which is only 2.2 miles, will happen sometime around 12:30am. I am a little nervous about the night run but since it is short it should not take me very long to complete. In addition to my reflective vest, safety light and headlamp, I bought these socks to keep me more than visible at night! Can you tell that I am a little nervous about the night running part?

 

It's been pretty crazy these past couple of days trying to get the last minute details in place. We also lost two of our runners at the last minute and had to replace them ASAP. One of them is injured and the other one never showed up for the team meetings or responded to any of the team captain's email, texts or phone calls for some reason or another. We do know that this person is okay so I am not sure why there was no response. 

I am feeling really nervous and excited about my first relay and I can't wait for the fun the begin! We are meeting up at 4:30am to take some pictures and head down to Huntington Beach. Our team starts at 7:00am so be watching for my tweets, Facebook posts and Instagram posts. I will be using the hashtags #socalragnar2013 and #teamrunnershigh to keep you updated on our progress. 

Anybody else going to be out there running So Cal Ragnar? Good Luck!

Taking Chances...

I finally got myself together yesterday afternoon and went for that test run I kept talking about. After the rain we had last Thursday I thought that the hot weather was finally over but I was wrong.  It is back into the 90's for a good part of this week which makes running outside almost impossible for me. I can't wait for the heat to move on so that I can get back to my regular routine. I think I need to spend more time on the roads then on the treadmill which may be a good explanation as to why my shin is rebelling.

I had no choice but to run on the treadmill because I did not get up early enough to run (this is really starting to become a bad habit) and by the time I decided that I was going to do it, it was already 91 degrees. The gym was pretty empty which was nice because during the week it is crazy busy and if you get there too late you have to wait to get a machine. I was able to run with minor shin pain but I can still feel something there.  I alternated between running a half mile and walking a quarter mile and ended up with 3.35 miles. Not much of a "run" but I wasn't about to go all out and kill myself after a 21 day break from running! I did have to stop myself a couple of times from increasing the speed since I was feeling good and I felt refreshed to be running again.

Although the pain was minimal, the true test is always the very next day. As I am typing this post, I can say that I am feeling pretty good. The pain is still there when I touch it but I am not feeling like my whole leg is about to fall off! Today is a cross training day so I will be spinning this evening and tomorrow I will attempt the same jog/walk routine as I did yesterday and see what happens. I am being faithful about stretching, electrotherapy, icing and doing my PT exercises. I am also getting better at taping myself with KT Tape and that seems to be helping as well. 

The three black dots are the point of pain, in case you were wondering.

Hopefully this will be a turning point for me. I have an exciting "Girls Only" weekend coming up which includes a little bit of running so hopefully I can be a part of it.

Can I also confess my jealousy towards everyone who ran the Nike Women's Marathon on Sunday?  Everyone was talking about these super cute Tiffany blue Lunarglides and I want them... I am not sure if I would wear them but I would love to have them even though I did not run the race. They are all over Ebay for $200-300+ which is out of my spending limit for shoes :(

 

Were you lucky enough to run the hills of the Nike Women's Marathon or Half Marathon this weekend in San Francisco? 

I wasn't, but this race is definitely on my list of races to run.  It has the best race loot by far!

 

Do you collect special limited edition items from races?  

I never do but I am sure that I will go broke on Boston Marathon everything when I finally get there!

I'll Take a Shin Splint Any Old Day!

Yes, I have a darn shin splint in my left shin! I am actually pretty excited about it because life could be worse!  I could have that nagging knee pain that had sidelined me for about 10 weeks, 3 days, 5 hours, 3 minutes.......you get the message! I have been icing it for the past couple of days and it is getting better but I tell you it is always something these days!! I just bought some KT Tape Pro to try out so I going to watch a video on how to use it and maybe that will help.

Source

I went to physical therapy this morning and did my boring routine on the dreadmill.  I did 3.75 miles in 42 minutes which about an 11:11 pace.  The walking part is what kills my time.  Then I had my beloved H-Wave and Icing Session, which is my favorite part!

The good news is that my PT is now going to allow me to do a bit more.  She wants me to try running, yes I said running, at 6.0 on the dreadmill for 15-20 minutes at a time with 2 minute walk breaks of 4.2 in between!  I will be trying that out as soon as possible.  I think I can consider 6.0 on the dreadmill a run, right? I don't go back to physical therapy for another two weeks and during that time my PT wants me to try to get up to running 30 thirty minutes straight without a break but only at 6.0 and only on the lovely dreadmill! Oh, and no incline! She has way too many darn rules for me to follow but something is better than nothing, right?  I shouldn't be complaining!

I am still waiting for my grade too!  I thought I would know something by now. I guess I have to spend another week worrying about it! On a positive note, today is like my Friday since I don't have to work tomorrow!  Yippee!!!

Have you tried KT Tape?  If you have, let me know what you think of it.

I Love to Torture Myself!

Maura sent me a text on Wednesday night asking me if I wanted to go to the LA Marathon Expo with her on Friday. I was hesitant to go to the Expo at first because I was already feeling sad about not being able to run the race. I decided that I might as well go and pick up the shirt that I paid for so off we went. I am a terrible co-pilot so we got lost of course, but we made it.

 I am kind of glad that I went because I have never ran the LA Marathon before so it gave me the opportunity to familiarize myself with the area and see how they run things.  I actually picked up my bib, t-shirt and my goodie bag and then we did some walking around. We spun a few wheels to get some prizes, ate and drank lots of free samples and visited the Lululemon trailer and took this silly picture.

One of the first things that we did was try out KT Pro Tape.  They were taping people up for free and I was curious to see if it really works.  The guy who was doing the taping was a PT so I explained my injury to him, hopped up on the table and he taped me right up. 

I don't know if it was in mind or not but I was able to get a great workout in that evening which included a jog/walk on the treadmill followed by serious 15 minutes on the elliptical without any pain.  I also had no pain when I got up  Saturday morning. The KT Pro tape is water resistant and can last up to a week or longer.  I showered with it on and it didn't come off so that was a plus.  I decided to take it off last night because I thought three days was good enough and I am going to buy more and attempt to re-tape myself.The PT told me that he would post an instructional video for me so that I can do it myself.  How nice of him!

I also did some shopping and decided to buy some CEP Recovery Compression socks. I have been wanting a pair and decided to treat myself! They were a little bit cheaper at the Expo not to mention no tax and no shipping costs! I am glad that I went to the Expo but at the same time it was a form of self torture when you know that you won't be crossing the starting line :(