Tag: Summer running

My favorite running clothes

On By shorterandfasterIn Fitness, Running, Uncategorized8 Comments

Hi all! My dear friend from college asked me to put together a post about my favorite running clothes, so of course I had to do it. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I’m a major creature of habit when it comes to my exercise clothes. When I find something I love, I’ll wear it forever (case in point: the purple tank top/white visor combo below). Here’s a candid, unsponsored overview of a few of my favorites… Deby, this one’s for you!

IMG_0013Tops: As a curvy gal, I love the fit of Athleta’s tank tops. They tend to be the only ones that are fitted but not skintight, and they come in a great variety of cuts and colors. Also, for my short ladies, it can be super tricky to find tanks in an appropriate length!! Hip length usually = a cute mini-dress. Athleta to the rescue! Just be sure to size down–I wear an XXS here vs. a 4/6 at Lulu. Unfortunately my number one favorite tank I can’t seem to find this season, but the Surge Tank seems to be the closest thing–super lightweight for hot days. I also love the Chi Tank–a slightly heavier fabric but it works for running or yoga. I swear this only fits me correctly in the varied stripe version. It also happens to be on sale–go for it!

IMG_9761Shorts: I’ve written in the past about my love for slightly longer shorts, but this summer as my body composition has shifted a bit (thank you speedwork) I’ve started opting for shorter and more fitted pairs. I don’t totally love supporting Lululemon, but for long runs you can’t beat their Speed Track shorts. They have the perfect mid-length inseam and enough pockets to store your phone, keys, headphones, credit cards, and Gu without batting an eyelash.

Bras: Every time a bustier runner mentions bra issues, all I say over and over again is Moving Comfort, Moving Comfort, Moving Comfort. These bras are INCREDIBLE–I never ever wear anything but the Rebound Racer! I love that this lightweight bra has relatively narrowly spaced straps that don’t cut up under my arms (short people problems), no weird foam cup padding, and super adjustable straps. This baby has nearly eliminated any chafing issues for me!

IMG_9747Socks: Apologies for this whole post turning into a rant about short people probz, but being a smaller sized human comes with having very very tiny feet. This means I need socks that come in a full range of sizes (one size fits all is a hoax!) I also like a good amount of padding in my socks since I’m pretty blister-prone, and a nice cotton-y feel. Enter Bombas! These babies do the trick, and they have tons of fun colors to boot. If you’re looking for a good compression sock, I love Pro Compression’s Marathon socks, although they’re a little thin so I mostly use them for recovery. I’ve been lusting after the Marathon Elites which have more padding to actually run in, but at $55 I’m hesitant. I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve tried ’em!

Headwear: It may not be the coolest-looking thing, but if you’re training in the summer, do yourself a favor and get a visor!! I have this super basic one from Target and it is a life saver.

What are your favorite running clothing items?

Linking up with Patty, Erika, and Marcia for Tuesdays on the run!

Chicago marathon training: week 10

On By shorterandfasterIn Fitness, Running3 Comments

IMG_9946OH HAI! My recap is super duper not on schedule this week, but my head is still a little bit in the clouds with all of the wedding-y stuff so I’m going to keep blaming it on that for the time being. Either way, I’ve mostly been keeping up with my mileage despite the fact that Boston has been a freaking sauna for the last few weeks, so that’s a plus. I may shake up my schedule to post these weekly recaps on Sundays from here on out, mostly because it’s fun to revisit my long runs on my rest day. Also, Strava counts my weekly mileage totals from Monday-Sunday so that’s helpful.

These last couple of long runs were tough for different reasons. My 16.5 was supposed to be 17-18, but after a couple of nights of just not getting nearly enough sleep (dang engagement excitement and Opening Ceremonies shenanigans) I hit a major wall and didn’t have it in me to keep going. Thankfully I planned to do this run with some girls from track who are also running Chicago, so I definitely was able to feed off of their energy to keep the paces up.

IMG_9947This past weekend J and I were up at the cabin, where it was super duper humid but thankfully in the low 60s for my run on Saturday. As always, I struggled a bit with the lack of basically any flat terrain given the fact that I knew I had a fast finish long run on tap (aka each of the last 7 miles was supposed to be faster than the previous one). My splits weren’t quite as clean as I wanted them to be, mainly because I accidentally negatively split the entire run instead of just the end, but I’ll take it. J and I basically spent the rest of the weekend talking about wedding things and eating (#sorrynotsorry for all of the food pics, instafriends) and drinking mimosas. Not bad for a rainy-ish weekend!

Week 10:

  • Friday: 3 easy miles with J (SO EXCITED BUT ALSO DIDN’T SLEEP OOPS)
  • Saturday: 16.5 miles with the speedy track ladies at an 8:23 average
  • Sunday: 11 mile hike
  • Monday: 60 minute yoga/OFFIMG_9923
  • Tuesday: Track attack! 400s, 300s, 200s, and 100s–speedwork at 6:12 (details here)
  • Wednesday: 5.5 miles at 8:36 pace
  • Thursday: 6.5 miles with 10 minutes of 30 sec on/off intervals
  • Friday: 60 minute yoga and 3 easy miles with J
  • Saturday: 13 FAST finish miles for an 8:13 average
  • Sunday: OFF

Gripe of the week: since training started, I’ve had some gnarly recurring blisters on my right toes. Pretty much all toes have been afflicted at this point, but there’s one sucker on my big toe that’s so icky J and I have been referring to it as my “toe tumor” (he is SO thrilled to be marrying a lady with such attractive feet). I’m not sure if this is a shoe thing or a sock thing–I’m sure it indicates something funky with my gait but I figure it’s worth looking into gear/getting refitted for new kicks and seeing if that helps. It’s probably getting to time to replace my sneaks anyway (and get my marathon pair!) so I’ll keep y’all posted on that. Any blister avoidance tips are more than welcome.

Less than two months til MARATHON DAY!!!

Leah

Linking up with The Weekly Wrap, hosted by HoHo Runs and MissSippiPiddlin!

Chicago marathon training: week 8

On By shorterandfasterIn Fitness, Running3 Comments

IMG_9757Has anyone else been singing this song in their head all week? Holy heatwave, Boston! It basically has been in the 90s every day, which means even my early morning runs have been sweatfests. As I’m sure I’ve mentioned approximately one million times, I don’t tolerate heat super well and especially when it’s also humid, it really impacts my running–which you’ll see reflected in my paces this week. Here’s a really handy tool if you’re interested in how heat might affect your pace, but keep in mind that every body is different and be sure to give yourself a break/drink when you need it.

IMG_9738As I discussed in my last couple of posts, this week started off with an extra rest day to take care of some soreness in my hip. Luckily, it paid off and I was able to complete a tough 17 mile long run along the entire course of the Newton hills! I realized that if I run from my apartment to my childhood home in Newton and back it’s exactly 17 miles, so it was a really fun trip down memory lane. Aka Comm Ave. I was out the door by 6:15 a.m. and with 3 stops to fill up my water bottle, I was able to hold onto a strong 8:38 pace despite the temps!

Since I’m about halfway into my training, I have a few goals in mind that I plan to implement in the coming weeks. First, I want to make more of an effort to do some long runs with friends. IMG_9761My travel schedule has been pretty limiting here, but I’ve met some awesome ladies also training for Chicago at track (hi guys!) and am hoping to meet up with them for some upcoming runs. Also, my weekly mileage has worked out to be a little bit lower than I was planning. I’d like to incorporate a ‘longer’ mid-week run of 6+ miles, probably on Wednesdays or Thursdays. My hope would be to average around 40 miles/week–it’s all about learning to run on tired legs so that miles 20-26 of the marathon feel like a breeze 🙂 Lastly, I’d like to make sure I’m doing some tempo running once a week to incorporate speed beyond my track workouts.

This weekend I’m off to the Cape for a high school friend’s bachelorette–looking forward to some flat running in slightly cooler temps, and of course to some quality beach time with the gals. Full weekly recap is below!

IMG_9764Week 8:

  • Friday: OFF
  • Saturday: 17 miles at 8:38 pace
  • Sunday: 90 minute yoga/OFF
  • Monday: 3 miles at 9:02 pace
  • Tuesday: Track! 800, 4×400, 800, 4×400
  • Wednesday: 5.4 miles at 8:34 pace
  • Thursday: 6.6 miles, 3-5 at MGP, 6 x strides for an 8:09 average

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

Linking up with The Weekly Wrap, hosted by HoHo Runs and MissSippiPiddlin!

Five summer running must-haves (for ladies)

On By shorterandfasterIn Fitness, Running3 Comments

On a sunny spring day in Boston, it finally feels like it’s ok to start thinking about summer running. I absolutely LOVE running during the shoulder seasons in New England, but the hot weather is going to come and this year I’ll be prepared. I’m generally not someone who deals well with heat, so I learned quickly last summer what to wear to avoid scary sweaty chafe-y discomfort. Here are my top five summer running essentials for my fellow ladies–I’d love you hear about yours in the comments!a056b8a5cf153afb69b95e25a159df60

  1. A dry-fit hat: I got my Nike hat on sale a few years ago and it is amazing! It wicks a little bit of sweat and keeps me from having to squint too much on days when I don’t want to wear sunglasses. Word to the wise–pick a light color. Black not only soaks up extra heat, but it shows sweat lines like whoa.
  2. Super duper lightweight tops: I have a couple of tissue thin tanks from Athleta that I LOVE for hot long runs. The style I have isn’t currently available but I definitely recommend something light and preferably white for the hottest days. Someday I’ll have the balls to just run in a sports bra, but this will do until then 😉
  3. A sports bra that breathes: Speaking of bras, it is essential to have a good one in the summer. I am blessed/cursed with a couple of not so teeny ladies and have found Moving Comfort’s Rebound Racer to be an total game changer. MC’s bras are designed by female runners and are thin and breathable (I hate thick padding) while still holding you in place for the long haul. And not one chafing issue since I’ve made the switch!!IMG_8578
  4. Long compression shorts: Short shorts may look super cute, but hot damn, nothing burns more than the ensuing chafing. I’ve made the switch to a longer compression short and haven’t looked back once. Plus, these Old Navy ones are still short enough that I stay nice and cool.
  5. A flipbelt (or hydration belt for longer runs): I used to run with a big, clunky armband for my phone, and recently switched it out for a flipbelt, which is made of comfy stretchy fabric that you wear around your hips. I pinky swear you can’t even tell you’re wearing it–no bouncing AT all. I wore this during the NYC marathon last year and didn’t even know it was there.

Are you ready for summer running?? It’s coming in fast and hot!!