Tag: fitness
Marathons are usually my go-to race distance, but what’s this runner doing this spring? Focusing on shorter distances, and I need all the help I can get to go fast.
Running full-out is not my preference. Even though the 42.2k of a marathon is grueling, part of the reason I enjoy them more is the fact that you have to go at a slower pace, one you can complete that distance in. But with 5k or 10k, you have to go faster (OK, you don’t have to, but when you’re competitive with yourself like I am, you do!).
Cue the Reebok Fast Flexweave. For my training this spring, I’ve been using this new running shoe. I want technology on my side if I’m aiming to be fast. Its specifically designed for agility and speed. Think quick-burst workouts and speed work…AKA my life right now (…what have I gotten myself into?! I kid, speed work is a necessary evil when you’re training for a marathon, too).
The Fast Flexweave features an upper made of Flexweave, which is an open, figure-8 weave that results in the upper being ultra lightweight. This helps my feet feel weightless and makes it all that much easier to lift my feet and keep on moving forward. Also, there are tailored zones within the Flexweave fabric for extra flexibility and breathability; I love this because running with feet that feel like they’re roasting inside your shoes that feel stiff is so uncomfortable and distracting.
I prefer a fair bit of cushioning in my shoes, and while these are lighter, they do offer a comfortable amount of stability and durability through the midfoot; I think they strike just the right note in terms of delivering the stability and comfort of the type of sole I usually gravitate toward for a longer run, but in a more nimble and lightweight design for the shorter distance I’m focusing on. And that’s also likely thanks to the design incorporating pressure-mapping technology, so that the Fast Flexweave is flexible where you need it to be and stable where you need it. If only finding a partner to be just precisely flexible and stable when needed were as easy!
Stay tuned as to how my training goes, and I have it on good authority that you may be able to win yourself a pair of Reebok Fast Flexweave yourself! (Keep your eye on this post and my Instagram!)
UPDATE: You can WIN a pair of Reebok Fast Flexweave!
“Aaaand, you get a pair of Fast Flexweave!” I wish I could be Oprah and give all of y’all a pair…but the good news is I do have one pair of women’s Reebok Fast Flexweave (valued at $130) to give away!
The giveaway is open to Canadian residents. You can enter in four different ways (enter all four ways as each way counts as an entry — and on Instagram you can enter multiple times!):
INSTAGRAM: Follow me on Instagram (@healthandswellness), and LIKE the photo related to this giveaway , and then tag friends who could use a pair of Reebok Fast Flexweave themselves. One tag per comment, each tag equals one entry.
TWITTER: Follow me on Twitter (@healthswellness) and tweet:
I like to go fast! I’d love to #win a pair of @reebokcanada Fast Flexweave from @healthswellness! http://bit.ly/RbkFastFlex #fastflexweave #reebokcanada #bemorehuman #giveaway
FACEBOOK: “Like” the Health and Swellness Facebook page, and reply on the photo on the page — tell me what season is your favourite for running!
BLOG COMMENT: Comment right here on this post and share with me if you prefer to run on a track, the street or trails.
This giveaway is open until 11:59 p.m. ET, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. The winner will be chosen at random on May 16, 2018 and contacted via the method they’ve entered to provide their shoe size, shipping address and contact info.
Photographer: Sean Pollock, @seanpollock
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April 30, 2018
Well, this year’s off to a fun start! I’ve been trying to make an effort to try more new things, such as the crystals 101 session I attended the other night, and now I just got to participate in the breaking of a Guinness World Record!
How fun is that?! Yesterday at the YMCA, I was one of the 454 participants in the world’s largest exercise ball class, and we broke the record by merely one person! The energy in the room was great and the half-hour class flew by. We were lead by none other than Eva Redpath, who I’ve known for some while now, and as always she made it an engaging workout that had us all bouncing, lifting and sweating it out early in the morning. I expected nothing less when I heard she was leading the class.
Why the attempt at breaking the world record? We were there as part of the YMCA GTA’s Sweat for Good campaign. No matter where and how you exercise, we all sweat. Same same, right? But when you exercise at the YMCA, you sweat for good. The YMCA GTA offers programs and services dedicated to the physical, mental and social health of Torontonians of all ages. And by choosing to make the YMCA GTA your gym, you become a part of this community that helps strengthen Toronto as a vibrant, healthy society.
Although I haven’t had a gym membership in a while (I typically run outside and then mix in a variety of other workouts here and there), I do have really fond memories of the YMCA. I used to go swimming as a kid there, and I remember meeting up with friends every weekend to walk there and the smell of chlorine always takes me right back to those fun times in the pool. I remember we would also use the sauna afterwards, just to warm up afterwards (I bet that the women weren’t too fond of us kids in there now that I think about it, but we were pretty well-behaved kids).
I also took gymnastics and dance lessons at the Y. Practicing roundoffs and cartwheels and headstands on the mat, learning jazz ballet choreography—so much of my fun as a kid took place at the Y.
And having been to the YMCA a couple of times recently, I love seeing that it’s still thriving with members of all ages. It’s easy to see why, though; the facilities are top notch. From the wide variety of gym equipment to the awesome running track (although I think it was the badminton players I saw in the gym that was most envious of—so fun!), to sweat for good in such a welcoming community is a great thing.
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January 12, 2018
In late November, my running buddy suggested I do a December runstreak with her. Her plan was to run 5k daily in December. I briefly considered it but knew there’d be days I would be unable to fit that in my schedule. I was also very wary of the runstreak potentially making me hate running.
But then I read about the Runners World runstreak in which you commit to running one mile a day (I believe their time frame is from American Thanksgiving until the new year). That distance Daily sounded much more manageable to me so I decided I would aim for that every day to n December.
I maintained the runstreak straight only for the first six days of December. On December 7, I caught an early morning flight to Vernon, B.C., and was out and busy with Buick until 10 p.m. at night. The hotel gym closed at that time plus I was exhausted as it was 1 a.m. EST and it had been a long day. Short of running in the hotel hallways for one mile, there wasn’t a way to get my run done.
After breaking the streak, I became less committed to it. Upon returning from Vernon I was so burnt out I stayed in bed for basically 24 hours straight. I do think if I hadn’t broken the streak on the 7th I’d have mustered some energy to do one mile, though, but with it broken, I just didn’t see the point.
For the remainder of the month, I continued running fairly regularly. I did several one mile or 2k runs on the treadmill. I’m not a treadmill runner but it just seemed easier than layering on winter gear, plus for such a short distance, the treadmill is almost tolerable (I just find it so boring!). For the last week of December, I did my run first thing in the morning daily, combining it with Billie Jean’s first outing of the day, and that worked out quite well.
In the end, I ran 20 of the 31 days of December, as short as one mile and as long as 10k. I learned to withstand short treadmill runs (one good thing about the treadmill is my runs often became tempo runs since I just wanted off of the treadmill faster). I was able to get my active pup some morning cardio. And it got me to try out running in sand when I was in the Bahamas for work.
While I don’t see myself as someone who will runstreak as a lifestyle (I know people who have run daily for more than two years! Yes, two years!!!), I was happy it motivated me to get off the couch and out into the fresh (read freezing) winter air. I think runstreaks are a great way to motivate some people, but it’s also risky if missing a run derails your entire will to run at all. I’m a fairly dedicated runner so I was able to push myself to fit in what runs I could but I could see the all or nothing thinking derailing some people for good in the same way overly lofty New Year’s resolutions can be the downfall for so many folks. For me, I’m personally better cut out to run less frequently but longer distances but I’m glad I tried it out and I’d consider another one in the future.
If you’re a dedicated runstreaker, I’d love to hear what you’ve learned from it!
January 2, 2018
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