Energybits and my new 6 mile PR:#Bestfoot Link-up

Happy Monday! I am again participating in the #bestfoot link-up hosted by the awesome Run to the Finish, Darwinian Fail and Sweetlife Ericka. Each Monday we share how we put our #bestfoot forward last week. Please stop by the host blogs and check them out!

Energybits and a new PR!

After some social media communications, I was offered a free sample of Energybits to try in exchange for my review of the product. I did not receive any other compensation in exchange for my review and all opinions are my own.

I typically do my long runs on Saturday mornings and this past Saturday was no exception. However I had to do the run even earlier than I typically do as we were going on a day-trip with my mother-in-law and had to pick her up and hit the road by 8 A.M.

I thought this was be a good test for the Energybits as I really needed energy to make it through that long run and then drive 3 hours without a lot of time for relaxation or recovery (*I still did stretching/rolling before heading out on the road...you can't skip that!).

Energybits are unique in that they look like a supplement as they come in a small pill form, however they are NOT a supplement OR a pill. They are FOOD. They are made from 100%  spirulina algae, which contains the highest concentration of protein over any other food in the world and they have one calorie per tablet. They have been hailed as one of the "world's greatest superfoods" by NASA, the IHO and the UN. Apparently the rest of the world has figured this out, but here in America we are a bit behind on the algae front.

 

                                                Pic courtesy of www.energybits.com

I think one of the things that I've seen other exclaim about the most is that the recommended serving size is 30 tablets and if you are still not wrapping your mind around the fact that it is FOOD not a supplement, it seems odd. But, as the website states, think of it like having almonds, you're not going to have just one and expect that to do the trick, you need a handful. It's the same with Energybits as they're also food.

I took the recommended 30 tablets (just swallow with a glass of water, no need to chew!) and headed off to the park where I have been doing a 6 mile loop. I have to say that I noticed an immediate difference in how I felt and my energy levels. Normally I'm someone who takes a good two miles to really feel like I'm in the run, but it wasn't so this time. I felt great at the beginning and strong throughout. Lo and behold when I looked at my splits after...I had a new PR for this run...by 5:25!

I also managed two miles under 10 minutes without sacrificing the other 4, so I felt pretty awesome about that.

One of the other noticeable difference was how I felt afterwards. My general soreness was markedly decreased and I didn't feel a dip in my energy levels a few hours post-run which tends to happen to me. However the biggest thing was that I didn't feel hunger until lunchtime and my only breakfast had been the Energybits!

I am not a starve yourself person by any stretch of the imagination, but I also know that runners often feel a hunger and consume calories that are disproportionate to the actual amount of energy expended. Having such a pure protein source allowed me to avoid that.

All in all, I feel like I put my #bestfoot forward this past week (with the help of Energybits) with my new PR!

Keep checking back as I should have an Energybits giveaway coming to the blog shortly!


What was your #bestfoot this week?

Thanks for reading!

Conquering THE Hill-#bestfoot

Just like last Monday, I am participating in the #bestfoot Monday link-up hosted by the awesome ladies at  Run to the Finish, Sweet Life Ericka and Darwinian Fail. Please check out their blogs as well as the other linkers!

Most runners I know have "a hill". This is a hill that you study and ponder but don't quite feel ready to face. I actually have two of these hills that I think to myself when driving them "I'm going to get you one day."

Well, this past weekend, I officially ticked one of them off my list. I have been running my long (6 miles right now) runs in Forest Park, which is about 2 miles from my house. Forest Park is a HUGE urban park (bigger than Central Park) and is a really amazing benefit of living in St. Louis. There is an incredible amount of things to do and see there, so running it is always a new experience.

One of the best parts, for a runner, is the fact that there is a foot path for walkers/runners that circumnavigates the entire park, forming a nice 5.66 mile loop. Normally I begin running south from my preferred starting point so to avoid "the Hill" which is the western edge of the park along Skinker Blvd. It has a climb of about 219 feet in .7 miles. I know that's not huge but it is a long constant hill. I decided that this Saturday, I was instead going to begin my run north and face it.

The start of the run was good, but we are quickly moving away from ideal running temps here into hot/humid conditions, even fairly early in the morning. I could really feel it on the run as it seemed like the sun was much hotter and the air was thicker...and it's only April, it's just going to get worse!

By the time I got to the hill I felt ready for it and just plowed on ahead. As I was running it I reached three separate times when I thought I was "at the top" but forgot about "one last turn". I kept reminding myself that I wasn't worried about maintaining pace (which would be crazy) but only with maintaining effort. By the time I finished it I was SO happy for it to be over and also really feeling drained.

It made me realize that with the increased temps, I really am going to need to start hydrating on my runs, even ones that are only an hour. I probably made it for another 3/4 of a mile after reaching the top before I did something that I haven't done on a run in well over a year...I stopped to walk. I know many people are fans of walk/run intervals and I think they're great for those for whom they work. For me, I've always found that it's that much harder for me to start running again if I stop to walk and it's just not been my thing (this could change when/if I start training for a full marathon). I only walked about 20 seconds or so and then got back to it.

However the second half of my run was just bad pace wise, I had forgotten that after "the hill" the back half of the park consists of quite a few rolling hills, and I ran over 11 minute miles, which is slower than I've been doing lately. Overall I was not happy with the run. I didn't like slowing, I didn't like having to walk, and I was super annoyed that my hat blew off twice (I hate distractions like that). So why in the world am I including this for #bestfoot? I'm including it because I beat the hill, even though it took its toll. I faced something that had been a fear of mine and lived to tell the tale. It wasn't a great run, but that's just the way it crumbles sometimes. I'm still proud of myself for doing it and ready to face it again!

#Bestfoot Link-up

Hi all,
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! The weather here was gorgeous which allowed for a lot of outdoor activity including a 6 mile run on Saturday around Forest Park (biggest urban park in the country).

Today I'm joining the #Bestfoot link-up hosted by Run to the Finish, Darwinian Fail and Sweet Life Ericka ...three awesome blogs that you should really check out.

#bestfoot is about keeping yourself accountable and writing about how you put your best foot forward the week prior to keep your progress moving forward.

As anyone who has read this blog before knows, while I'm not new to the world of running, I'm new to the world of racing, training, etc. I am running my first half-marathon in October with a goal on eventually running a full marathon sometime in the future.

In order to start my progress toward my half-marathon, I know that I need to increase my weekly mileage totals. Right now I'm not too focused on pace, just on building my endurance.

This week, I put my #bestfoot forward by increasing one of my weekly runs by 2 miles and rolling/stretching daily. I know in the grand scheme of things adding 2 miles to one run isn't a huge deal, however this move is designed to help me transition my weekday "short runs" from my typical three miles into something more, thereby allowing me to get to a place where I can increase my weekend long run more significantly.

So on my Thursday run instead of 3 miles, I did 5 and I felt great! I then did another 6 on Saturday, brining my weekly total to 20 miles. This is my highest weekly mileage to date, and my goal is to replicate that for the next two weeks or so before increasing it slightly again.

So how did you put your #bestfoot forward this week?

PS-Congratulations to all those who ran Boston today and to those volunteering and cheering them on. I watched the coverage of the elites and now have the live feed camera on to watch two of my friends cross the finish line!