Topo Athletic MT Hybrid Shoe Review!

This week I stepped out of my comfort zone. I am typically a girl that likes to cushion her feet. I switched things up and tried a pair of Topo Athletics MT hybrid shoes. I primarily run country roads , which means I am on the road, or on the side of the road. I like having a hybrid shoe that easily transitions from the road to the grass for this reason.

Topo Athletic (Named after founder and CEO,  Tony Post) is "a brand created for and by athletes with a mission to develop gear that amplifies your body's amazing natural abilities."
You will find that their brand has a neutral platform with light cushioning. They are designed to have little to no heel to toe drop.

• When I put these shoes on, the first thing I noticed was the wider toe box. I like the room my toes had, to spread out, and rest in their natural position. Topo Athletic designs their shoes to allow "plenty of room for the toes to spread for healthy walking and running." But, they are also snug in the mid foot and heel. Bottom line, this shoes promotes stability. If you have a specific need, they also have alternate lacing options which you can find here. 
• On my first run, I noticed I had a greater awareness of how my foot was landing. This, in turn, helped me to work on my form. Topo Athletic says that it is "designed to work with your body to enhance natural movement." Based on my observation, that could not be more true!
• I did several shorter runs and one long run in these shoes. Making the transition to the road, and then side of the road when cars came by, was smooth and stable. These shoes are also great for walking trails!
• These shoes fit true to size, as compared to my size in other brands. 
• Competitively priced at $100, it's an excellent shoe for the money!

 If you are looking for a great looking, neutral shoe that you can take to the road, and the trail, all on the same run, then this is definitely the shoe for you! They can be found on Topo Athletics website or on Amazon.

Note: I was given this product in exchange for a review. This review is my own personal opinion of the product. I was not required to give a particular opinion on it. Please use any product I review at your own risk, and consult a medical professional if you have any health concerns. 

PaleoLife Bar review! Post Workout, Long Run, Refuel Ready!

You know that "hangry" feeling that hits after a long run? Must.eat.all.the.food!! It seems like I spend the entire day (and sometimes, next day) eating and eating and eating, yet never satisfied. I think this is the reason it's impossible to lose weight as a distance runner. While following a real food diet, it's even harder to find something that is quick and easy to grab after a run, with the right balance of carbs and protein to refuel our bodies.  
I was given the opportunity to try PaleoLife Bars as a post workout or post run snack. PaleoLife Foods is an ultra premium, natural, nutritional foods company that was founded on the Paleo/Primal diet belief system. This means that their bars are the highest quality, real, whole food, as close to nature, as possible. PaleoLife Foods started out designing the "ultimate post-workout recovery" and meal replacement foods for themselves, since nothing else met their high stands for Paleo-friendly, natural, and FRESH ingredients. 

Last weekend, I tried my first PaleoLife Bars. Saturday,  I was only going out for about 3.5 miles, but it was going to be lunch time, so I wanted something to eat as soon as I got done. CoCoaNut ended up being my lunch. The next day, I did a 6 mile, early morning run. As soon as I returned and cooled down, I had the Vanilla Nut flavor for breakfast. Here are my observations:

• Flavor: Sooooo Good! I would rate it 5 out of 5 stars. Some protein bars have a weird "healthy" flavor, but these taste like something homemade, and actually taste good. 

• Texture: Saturday, I carried the bar with me in my running pack. It was a little gooey, from being in the heat, but not melty or messy. These bars remind me of a thick, nut butter texture, but with some add ins. They are not too dry, either. It would be perfect as a mid-run snack, because it is not too chewy, and can easily be eaten with just a little water to wash it down. 

• Post refuel hunger rating: 5 out of 5 stars. It is the perfect balance of protein and carbs to refuel the body, and keep you satisfied. The first day, this ended up being my lunch, and I was not hungry again until time for supper. The 2nd day, after a 6 mile run, this ended up being my breakfast. Again, I was not hungry until the next meal. This is a big deal for me! No crazy binge eating all day, trying to refuel and heal my body. 

• Nutritional Stats and Ingredients: Most people who are following a Paleo or Real Food diet do not watch calories, but if you happen to, these bars are 290-340 calories each, depending on the flavor. Because they are so filling, they are great as a meal replacement, so do keep that in mind.  These are a truly Paleo food. I've seen so many products that claim to be Paleo, but have added ingredients that are not part of the Paleo food lifestyle. They do use rice protein as a source of protein, but it does follow their idea of the Paleo diet, as explained here. Other ingredients are nut butters, seeds, coconut and coconut oil, as well as cocoa and cacao nibs. For the full ingredient list, see here for CoCoaNut and here for Vanilla Nut. 

• Allergen information: As a food allergy mom, this is always a big factor for me. They do contain tree nuts, which is common with Paleo Foods. However, the allergen statement on the packaging also states that they may contain traces of Peanuts, Egg, Soy, Milk and Wheat. For this reason, I use safe practices of hand washing, after eating them, to avoid exposure to my food allergic child. 

• Price: A box of 8 bars is currently $29.48 on the PaleoLife website, and $33.48 with free Prime shipping on Amazon. This averages out to be $3.69 to $4.19. Again, looking at this as the cost of a meal replacement, it's not a bad deal. PaleoLife also offers several discount codes on their website. You can find those here.

I have to say, that I am impressed with these bars, and they will become a regular in my pantry. Not only as a post workout meal, but I can keep them in my bag for running errands, or while traveling, to always have a healthy, REAL FOOD, option on hand! To see more information about PaleoLife Foods, please see their website, Facebook page, or Amazon Store. 

Note: I was given this product in exchange for a review. This review is my own personal opinion of the product. I was not required to give a particular opinion on it. Please use any product I review at your own risk, and consult a medical professional if you have any health concerns. 

NoxGear Visibility Vest coupon code!

Check this out, y'all!!! NoxGear has these super awesome night time visibility vests for you nocturnal or early morning runners! They are offering a 20% off coupon just for my fans! See how lucky you are to follow me!? Through September 30th, use code RUNNERMOM on their website https://www.noxgear.com/, for the Tracer360 or Tracer360+ visibility vest. Let me know what you think about it! I can't wait to get mine and hit the road early!!!

Homemade Sports Drink- Nothing artificial!! Paleo, Real Food Friendly

I think summer has hit with a vengeance all around the country. The highs in NC have been upper 90's to 100 for the last week, with no end in sight. Proper hydration is critical right now, whether you are working out, or just out in the heat all day. Even when you are out by the pool with the kids, you should make sure that you are all drinking plenty of water. But, when you are really sweating it out, you need to replenish the electrolytes, carbs, and salt your body is using up. Sports drinks are full of refined sugars and artificial ingredients, so my family avoids them. Making your own is so easy, fuels your body, and tastes great, too! Coconut water is a natural source of electrolytes and has more potassium than a banana, so it's perfect for runners! Pair it with your favorite fruit for some added sweetness and carbs, and it's perfect. If you're one of those runners that needs some extra sodium, a pinch of sea salt will do the trick.

This year, when I ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon and the Kings Mountian Marathon, I carried my Camelback hydration pack with my own homemade recipe and it fueled me perfectly for both races! It is definitely my go to fuel!

Three simple ingredients is all you need.

11 ounces of plain Coconut water

1/2 cup of your favorite fruit*

1 small pinch of salt (optional)

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend 2 to 3 minutes, until thoroughly blended.

How easy is that!?

*I like to use frozen fruit, so the drink stays cold longer in the heat. 

Some of my favorites are:

Pineapple

Mango

Strawberry

Watermelon

Combine flavored and see what you like! 

Additional tips and tricks:

Get the kids involved to teach them healthy habits, and let them come up with their own flavor concoctions!

Stick with fruits that are easy in the stomach, especially if you are going to run with it. 

If you're in a hurry, keep a few baby purée pouches of your favorite fruit on hand. Put it all in a bottle and shake it up with the coconut water to mix it.

If you have some fruit at home that you need to use, put it in the blender until it's puréed. Then put into ice cube trays and into the freezer. Once it's frozen, store it in a ziplock freezer bag until you need it. One to two fruit cubes will be perfect for 11 ounces of coconut water, depending on your tastes.

I'd love hear some of your real food sports drink ideas! Leave me a comment and let me know what works for you! 

King's Mountain Marathon "Review"

A friend of mine has his own running blog. While training for my Marathon, he asked me to do a guest post on his blog about my first marathon experience. I was honored that he asked me to do it, and also excited to be able to put that entire experience into words. I will always be able to read and remember it. You can check out my "Lessons of a Mountain Marathon Mom" post here:
http://runningwithoutinjuries.blogspot.com/2015/06/lessons-of-mountain-marathon-mom.html

While researching a race, and finding this marathon, I only came across one blog review. I read some short reviews on a marathon finder website that almost scared me off. When I read the blog review, I knew without a doubt that this race would be my first marathon.

So, for anyone else looking for more information about this race, I've put together some of my thoughts.

1) If hills scare you, don't do it. These are not just hills. This is a MOUNTAIN. It's not just one little hill here and there. It is a MOUNTAIN with one really, really, really big hill, lots of medium hills, and a billion little hills. (The tree line on the medal is the elevation chart. Yes, mile 19 was really bad.)
       With that being said, I will remind you that I am not an experienced marathoner. I am not fast, but I'm not really slow. I'm average. I'm not a muscular, toned athlete. I am a work from home my with 2 very small children, and the post baby belly to show for it.  I have only done 2 half marathons. But, I did this. I did not die, I'm still here to write about it. I can't tell you what a normal marathon would look like for me, but I did this race in 5 hrs and 42 minutes. I would like to think I could do a "not as hilly" race in 4.5 hours. It was not easy, but I did it. If I can do this, I promise you that anyone can.

2) There was no time limit for this race. To quote their website, "You could crank out 26.2mi in cartwheels if you wanted to!"

3) This is a small race. If you need a large crowd to keep you going, this is not the race for you. If you don't like getting lost in the shuffle of runners, or competing for your "space" you will LOVE it.

4) The scenery is beautiful! When you are running through the woods, there's a decent amount of shade to keep you cool. You might even come up on some deer, or other wildlife. The hills that are making you stronger, (or making you use some nasty language), are providing a great landscape. 

5) It's an open course. This means there is some traffic, but very minimal. This also means that your friends and family can meet you anywhere on the course, drive along beside you, run with you, or make their own aid stations. This was one of my favorite parts. Having my hubby and friends there to greet me along the way, and run with me when I needed it was THE BEST! 

6) The race organizers do a great job with this race. They are friendly, helpful, and brutally honest about what you are about to take on. No sugar coating it!

7) I can't really put into words what a great, small town, friendly, beautiful race this is. 

I don't know that I will be there next year, but this is a race that I will never ever forget. I'm so glad that I made it my first one.

Want more information about it this race? Check out their website! http://www.kingsmountainmarathon.com/
If you are not ready to tackle the full, they have a half marathon, too. I was told it is uphill both ways. :)

Inspiring my Boys

I really, really love to run. I'm home all day with the kids, and I work a full time job from home. Running is my release, my sanity saver, and by taking that time every day, I can continue to be a good mom. My 4 year old loves to run, too. He's been my miniature running partner since he was 2.5. I want to encourage it, but sometimes I feel selfish when I leave him behind. I told myself that this summer, when I'm not training for anything, I would let him join in.
We just moved a month ago, and we have this huge, flat, beautiful yard. I decided to take advantage of it, and map out the distance so I could use it like a track for speed work. My hubby had the boys in the back yard, so I was able to watch them as I ran by. My first lap around the yard, and S had other plans. He was determined to run with me! So, I let him join in. He's actually pretty quick. We did a mile in about 11 minutes! My littlest one, who is 2.5 also joined in for a lap around. I didn't get much speed work done, but taking the time to inspire these boys is all my heart needs. I've got at least one little running partner in the making. Happy mom, Happy kids, Happy heart.