Ten Dollar Tuesday: My Soxy Feet

Today’s Run: 3.11 miles @ 29:24

Hey, it’s Tuesday night, and there’s only three days left in the work week! Who else is excited about this?! I am! But for work weeks that last longer than a second, I occasionally order something special for myself and have it delivered to the office so that I have a little treat to look forward to at some point throughout the week. Most days, I don’t need any “swag” to help me get through the day, but every once in a while, I’m having a bad day and a package arrives; if it’s for me, and it happens to be running gear, my frown immediately turns upside down, and I’m feeling better.

Today was a not so bad day, but because of the three-day weekend, I have to admit, I was dreading going into the office a little bit. Knowing that I had ordered some new running socks last week definitely helped with me with getting up and going to work in the morning (I tried to get up early and go running…although I got up earlier, it wasn’t early enough. Still working on that one…). Because our post office, is super slow, though, my socks weren’t waiting for me bright and early this morning, as I expected. However, when 4:00 p.m. rolled around, and I knew that the mail had come, I had a present waiting for me:

I’m going to start this review with (of course!) the price. I was recently named a My Soxy Feet Ambassador, so I’m lucky enough to get a 30% discount on their products—most of them retail at around $12.99. So with the 30% discount mine are under $10. Sorry if this seems like I’m cheating on this $10 Tuesday. But for all of my friends who love socks that rock, be sure to use the coupon code SOXYFRIENDS at checkout and you can enjoy 10% off of your purchase. Not $10, but pretty darn close!

I have to say that I love, love, love this company. I will only act as an ambassador and write positive reviews for businesses and products that I love…and this is one of them. From their website: 

 “Each pair of our high quality athletic socks is an ode to someone who has helped me understand the interplay between challenge and joy. So on those days when excuses are looming, I hope that these colorful socks inspire you to get out and run.”

These socks definitely brought me joy today, from the moment I opened them and saw how nicely they were packaged. It was a nice special touch to see that they were wrapped up nicely in tissue paper. But even better are the socks themselves.

This photo doesn’t do the socks justice, but I wanted you to see the entire presentation of the package. I ordered their Dog Daze socks and their Loves Me socks. Another nice personal touch—the packaging around each pair has a special message on it.

Another thing I loved about these socks (and a big reason why I purchased the Dog Daze ones, besides the fact that they were cute and I wanted to show the world how much I love dogs) is the fact that a portion of the sales from the Dog Daze socks will go towards Greyhound Ranch Rescue, A New Beginning Pet Rescue, and Montclair Township Animal Shelter in Montclair, FL. Melissa Corp, the owner of My Soxy Feet, is a huge philanthropist! Other socks on their website include Heart & Sole, with a portion of the sales being donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation; Flutter, with a portion of sales going toward the National Thyroid Cancer Foundation; Shine On, with a portion of sales going toward the BASE Camp Children’s Cancer Foundation; United, with a portion of sales going toward One Fund Boston; and Wintery Mix, with a portion going toward the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund.

All socks are made with Cool Max and Ecomade fibers, allowing your feet to breathe, and preventing them from blisters while running. A mesh top allows for ventilation and an extra sole cushion provides comfort and durability. To give you a breakdown, a majority of the socks consist of 53% Cool Max Ecomade fibers, 46% Nylon, and 1% Lycra.

I put these socks to the test today during my 3-mile run, and I pushed myself hard today. I was trying to beat my husband’s 5k pr time of 29:24, and instead of beating him, I hit the same exact time! I will admit, my feet did get pretty sweaty while I was running (who’s don’t?), but I was surprised at how quickly they cooled off and dried up as soon as I stopped running. Usually my feet (and socks) stay wet for hours afterwards! I didn’t run long enough to tell if my feet would blister, but I do own another pair of socks by a different company that are made of the same material, and they were my favorites (were being the key word), so I can safely assure you that you most likely won’t be getting any blisters while wearing My Soxy Feet socks.

So how do you get a pair of these socks? It’s pretty simple! You can visit the My Soxy Feet website here and order some. And don’t forget to enter the SOXYFRIENDS coupon code to get a 10% discount!

 

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Ten Dollar Tuesday: Another Awesome Bargain…and Some More Big News!

My Last Workout: Sunday, “long run day” 4.01 miles @ 40:02

Since my last post ended on a very bad note, I wanted this one to start off on a very good one! Sunday was my “long run” day, as in 4 miles long. I am literally starting from scratch with my marathon training, but I’d rather err on the side of caution, and (hopefully) avoid injury. Everyone who commented on my Vegas post is just going to have to wait until November to find out what decision I’ve made.

I’m not even going to breathe a word about which marathon I’ve decided to make my first until it’s over with, because as you know, I’m superstitious and don’t want to jinx myself.

But in the meantime, I’ve been on a major runner’s shopping spree, starting with a bargain I found while at Marshall’s on Friday.

First Week of February Giveaway & Final ZYM Review

Today’s Workout: 12 miles @ 2 hours, 5 minutes

This giveaway has now closed. Special thanks go to ZYM for sponsoring our first contest!

Again, this week’s workout was my longest run on the treadmill. Basically, every run every Sunday after this will be my longest run ever, until/unless I start tapering. I haven’t made up my mind which marathon I want to make my first yet, but due to scheduling conflicts, I think I might have to wait until August to even attempt my first marathon. I might just do a half marathon in the spring, until then, but we’ll see. My goal was to complete my first 26.2 in/around May, but between my sister’s upcoming nuptials, my husband’s birthday, and I just found out my cousin is getting married in June, I may have to re-evaluate my plans.

But…I have bigger news to share with you before I even start discussing my marathon plans with you!

An Unusual Saturday

Today’s Workout: Approximately 4 mile run @ somewhere between 39:45 and 40:00
ZYM Flavor of the Day: Grape. I’m not quite sure why, but this was another flavor I was hesitant to try (I need to stop with the rhyming there, before this turns into a Dr. Seuss novel!).

I guess just because I wasn’t sure what to expect. Were the tablets going to make my water taste more like grape juice or grape soda? If they tasted like grape soda, I was golden…but if they tasted more like grape juice…not so much. I was excited when I opened up the tube of tablets and was overcome by the scent of grape soda. I couldn’t help but think, “yummy” before ever even trying it in my water. Well, this tablet didn’t disappoint, and was full of flavor.

After drinking a full bottle of regular water this morning, I drank half a bottle of grape water in 5 minutes, felt full of energy, literally jumped up off of the couch, changed and headed out the door for a run.

Beginners: How to Make Running Part of Your Routine

Today’s Workout: Rest Day
ZYM Flavor of the Day: Lemon-lime. This flavor was much sweeter than the Berry flavor I had tried yesterday, and there was no hint of the bitter taste that I detected in the Berry ZYM. Like it’s predecessor, the lemon-like flavor contains caffeine, and is sure to give early morning runners the wake-up call that they need. Which is why I found myself choosing a ZYM tablet instead of coffee again this morning. Once again, it did the trick. And as an added bonus, it kept me hydrated – something coffee (which is a diuretic) – doesn’t do.

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Speaking of early morning runners…up until now, I haven’t talked too much about my running schedule, other than the fact that I typically am NOT an early morning runner. A few things about my running schedule:

• I usually run in the evening (except on the weekends, when I sometimes run in the morning, but more often than not, run in the afternoon)
• I run 4x a week, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Sundays are always my long run days.
• For the most part, I don’t mind changing running days, but I NEVER change my long run days.
• If I think I need to scale back on my running one day, because I could potentially get injured, I do.
• However, if I don’t feel like running, feel too tired or lazy to run, etc., I still do.

Running on Empty

Today’s Workout: 6 miles @ 59:23

Some days you feel like you have loads of energy, and on others, you’re so exhausted, you wonder how you’re ever going to make it through the day. That’s how I was feeling today. I went to bed at a reasonable hour 12:00 a.m., and then the dogs woke me up at 2:00 a.m. That’s a far cry from my normal 4:00 a.m. wake-up call from them. Anyways, it took me hours before I could fall asleep again!

I was already running late to work this morning because I pressed snooze an extra 15 times, I was so exhausted, so instead of picking up my regular coffee from Dunkin Donuts, I plunked a ZYM in my water bottle and brought it with me.

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Today’s flavor? Berry. Now, much like many other electrolyte tablets, this flavor is infused with caffeine. 100 mg of caffeine, to be exact. To give you an idea, that’s approximately the same amount of caffeine as what’s in a Dunkin Donuts medium latte.

I wasn’t aware of this at the time, but this morning, between desperation for caffeine and excitement to try out a new flavor of the tablets, I downed that water bottle like it was my job.

I was perky and alert in no time. To be honest, if it weren’t for that pretty little tablet, I’m not quite sure I could have made it through the day. I was literally contemplating calling in sick this morning…that’s how bad it was. I think the only reason why I didn’t was because I go by the philosophy of “if you stay home sick, you can’t do anything.” Not even run. And I wanted to run today, so that meant I had to book it into work.

Now, regarding the taste of the Berry flavored ZYM. It definitely tasted Berry flavored, but if I’m being honest, there was a little hint of a bitter flavor within it. I didn’t mind it, and if I was running while drinking it, I probably wouldn’t even notice it…but I did. This tablet is, of course, filled with electrolytes and a bunch of other vitamins, like B3, B5, B6, B12, and some C thrown in there for good measure, so my guess would be that that’s why it was a little bitter. Now, I did enjoy the Berry flavor, but if you asked me whether I’d choose orange and Berry, I know I’d go for the orange, which I think is exceptionally good…which is why that’s the flavor I chose for my run this evening.

Regarding my run…nothing was going to make me alert. I was exhausted when in started running, and knew before I ever stepped on the treadmill that it would be a mental challenge. But, because this blog keeps me accountable, I told myself to do what Nike says and “Just Do It.” And so I did it, and completed my scheduled 6-mile run. Go me!

What do you do to make sure you get your run in on those super exhausting days?

Coffee, tea, or other caffeinated beverage? What’s your go to drink that keeps you up when you’re tired?

Who Needs a Spa Day When They Could Be Running?

Today’s Workout: Rest Day
Yesterday’s Workout: 4 miles on the treadmill @ 38:39

Today was a rest day for me, which worked out well, because yesterday my mom literally begged me to get my hair chopped off did with her. I acquiesced to her request, considering getting a haircut is the closest thing I’ve had to a spa day in over a year. Yeah, I’m a real girlie girl!

Running Shoe Review: Mizuno Wave Rider 17

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Today’s Run: None (Rest Day)

After yesterday’s 8-mile run, I thought that I would be really sore, but apparently the right amount of stretching and icing worked. I was a tiny bit tired today (had a really difficult time getting up for a Monday), but overall, it wasn’t too bad! I always plan my rest days after my long run, but despite taking the day off, I still had trouble getting as much fuel as I would have liked.

Yesterday, I had mentioned to JP that I’d like to try implementing Meatless Monday’s into our routine. We could both use some more vegetables. Epic fail on all accounts. Maybe next week will be better.

A sampling of today’s diet:

Breakfast: Coffee with 3 tbs International Delight Creamer (my all-time favorite is Almond Joy) and a banana

Lunch: Turkey Burger on a bun

Dinner: Homemade pizza on a honey oat crust (I thought this was OK, the crust was a little too sweet for my liking, hubby wasn’t crazy about it at all…he also chose to add some bacon to his personal pizza…)

Moving on to the Mizunos. I’ve been holding out on all of you because I hadn’t gotten a chance to really break in my shoes. Up until yesterday, I had only worn them on the treadmill, and I couldn’t go ahead and give a shoe review without testing them out on the pavement!

When it comes to running shoes, my first true love was the Mizuno Wave Inspire. I tried those babies on 5 years ago, and I’ll admit, I never knew comfort in a running shoe until I started wearing them. I believe those were the Mizuno Wave Inspire 7s. Then the 8s were out, and they were completely different, all wrong. If you check out Mizuno’s website, that’s what a lot of people are saying about the Wave Riders. So if you’ve always been a fan of the Riders and have yet to set foot in the 17s, be prepared. You might not like them. Maybe it’s the fact that I haven’t worn them previously, but to me, it’s like I’ve stepped inside my first true love again.

There are so many things that I love about these sneakers: the sheer lightness of them, their cushioning that makes me feel like I’m running on marshmallows, or the way that they feel like they’re made for my feet.

You know you’re in love when you only plan on running four miles in a pair of shoes and you end up running the entire 8 miles in them because they feel so good, you don’t want to take them off.

And they’re easy on the eyes, too. I actually own the slate gray ones, but since I’ve posted photos of those with you in the past, I thought I’d post the sunset colored ones for you to drool over. I think I’ll buy a pair I’m every color!

It’s official; I’ve finally become a believer in the Wave Rider.

What pair of running sneakers were you’re first love?

And which pair are your true love?