The training log is wrapping up this week, which means I'm going to be a nervous wreck! I already started to freak out just from last week. Things really started to sink in once I got the official race emails and Facebook posts. Eek.

Running this past week was a bit lackluster. I'm also suffering from some minor food poisoning which made this morning's run noticeably bad. High heart rate, chills, and later in the day a massive headache and nausea. Eugh.

I didn't get any runs under a 10 min mile average, which was kind of a bummer. My longest run Saturday was 10 miles in Marin, so I decided to ignore MAF altogether and run free with my friend and training partner Rini. We did a gorgeous out and back course through the Tennessee Valley. It was only about 4 to 500 feet of elevation gain, but was a harsh reminder of the hill work I've been slacking on.

Can I just mention how awesome that run was though? It was an event at the San Francisco Running Company that was sponsored by the sock company Stance. If you have a thing for socks, running or not, you need to check them out. So many designs!!! Anyway, they seriously went all out! Not only was the run a big hit with over 60 participants, but they gave away free socks, had a food truck, beer, and foot massages! Here's a pic with me and Brett Rivers, the owner of SFRC. I feel so lucky to have known him back in our Zynga days, and find it incredible how fast and how far the store has developed in the past few years! He is also blazing fast on the trails (9th place this year in Western States), and I expect big things from him in the future.

Anton Krupicka was there too, as he's sponsored by them. Jon, Rini and I totally geeked out about it. If you don't know who he is, he is a legend in the ultra running community. I watched him in the documentary Unbreakable, and it's amazing to see him in action. His gait is so smooth, and it's amazing to see him flying at 7 minute miles at the end of a 100 mile race.

Left: Me, Anton (yeah, first name basis) and Rini

Back to the socks - they were awesome! Talk about high quality, and the patterns are really fun. They are lightweight and snug. If they made knee high socks I would totally be hooked on them, but with the mid calf ones I have to show my embarrassing runners tan, and I'm not too keen about that. I was super happy to score a free pair though.

My awesome tan line.

I only have three more runs left until we head up to Folsom on Friday for the race. I don't think I've ever been so nervous for a race before! It is a deep unknown considering that it will be 18 miles more than I've ever done before in one go. Butterflies are going nuts in my stomach. 

So what's one piece of advice that you'll hear from pretty much every running veteran? Never try anything new on race day. Typically in an ideal situation you've worn the exact outfit, ate the exact gels/food, ran in the exact shoes and socks...with nothing new. My friend that wore this cotton shirt for a marathon at a last minutes notice understands how important this advice is, since his repercussion was some seriously bloody nipples. 

That piece of advice is also one that runners repeatedly ignore, despite knowing it. This week I'm trying a handful of new things in my mad attempt to survive these 50 miles. The weather is showing some warmer temps than I've been training in and used to, and considering that I don't do well in heat, I've gone into panic mode.

So here's my new running vest that I've never gone over 10 miles in. It's the Salomon S-Lab Advanced Skin 3. My boyfriend has it and swears by it, and I primarily wanted one because my 1 liter Spry wasn't going to cut it. I also wanted something with two bottles so I could have both water and electrolytes, and I could swap them out at the aid stations quickly. I'm treating this race like I'm not going to be doing any stopping at all, when in reality I'm sure I'll probably crawl into the fetal position for a quick sob session.

First impressions of the vest: it's a good fit. I got the XS/S but think an XXS would fit too. I wish there was one even smaller for petite framed girls like me. The water bottles are 16 oz, and I tend to fondle them and it gets a bit awkward. HOW CAN YOU NOT FONDLE THEM THOUGH. They're...right there. The pockets are numerous but I feel like they're all a little bit difficult to jam stuff in. I also wish the front clips were a little less messy and more clear. It didn't come with a hydration bladder, but came with an insulated pocket for a bladder if you buy one. I got mine at a discount at Sports Basement, but otherwise the normal price of $160 seems a bit outrageous to me. I'll give a better updated review after the race.

Last, I decided to try out this hiker's wool that was recommended to me by my friend and AR50 training partner, Rini. She discovered this stuff in New Zealand, and it's popular with long distance hikers there. 

I was a bit skeptical and worried when I put it on, but once I did it was kind of amazing! I think it's a hidden secret. The wool is so soft, and it binds with your sock when you put it on. That was the hardest part for me, putting my compression sock on it, but I found that if I turned the sock almost completely inside out and then put it on, it was better. Once the sock was on, it almost felt like there was gel between my toes because it was so slippery and soft feeling. I didn't feel hot, and I didn't get any blisters. Granted, the farthest I went with this was 10 miles, but I seriously don't think it's going to be a problem. This seems like a great alternative to Injinji toe socks. Pretty thrilled with this.

Well that's all! Sorry for the lengthy update, I'll try to squeeze another post in before the big race. :)

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Last week before the race. Plus check out my new Salomon Vest!

HeatherIhn 2

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Two lessons learned today. First, if you make a Twitter account you should probably check it. And second, shoe reviews are best done with angles of the entire shoe. Especially the sole.

This morning I had the spontaneous urge to check my runlittlegoat twitter account. I figured it was probably dormant, despite connecting all of my Instagram photos to it. I was almost right. It was almost lifeless, except a few posts directed at me to give an update on the Hoka One One Valors!

Remember these guys? Valors Vs Bondi3's

I figured that the only people reading my blog were my equally fitness and health crazed friends, and...my Mom. (Thanks Mom!). 

To make up for it, I'm going to give this person AKA Midpackbiped on Twitter, a quick recap on the Valors. 140 characters just did not cut it.

I was surprised to find that I've done over 400 miles in these shoes so far (thanks to Strava tracking them!), even with alternating them between the Hoka One One Clifton's (My previous "review" here)  and Altra Olympus's. By the way, the olympus shoes are a STEAL right now. 

I can't complain. The Valors have held up. Keep in mind though, that I'm somewhere between 105 and 110lbs, so I don't think I'm the best person to talk to about shoe wear and tear. It's clear that they have plenty of miles left in them.

The only thing I don't like about them, is the toe box. I REALLY wish they would take a hint from Altra and really give a toe box that let's your foot splay out. I don't think that I have an unusually wide foot, but I'm a bit sensitive to my toe room. Especially when I wear the Injinji toesocks, I find that my toes are uncomfortably cramped. I just said toe way too many times in this paragraph.

I DO love the upper. It's substantial in quality, but is also light and breathable. The colors are nice, but I've never been a huge fan of the Hoka Logo smeared all over the side. I don't mind it, I've learned to accept the fact that runner's can't choose a shoe primarily for their looks. They're definitely getting more fashionable as the years fly by, but I'd love to get rid of the giant logo.

And does anyone else think the bird flying in the "O" looks like a women's bikini? That's all I see. I bet you can't unsee it now, can you.

The ride is cushy and smooth, and I still reach for those on the days I need an extra soft footfall for my legs. 

Now, I have to say that I am getting confused with all of the different models they are putting out. I know that the Valors are comparable to the Bondi's, but I'm not sure how different it is from the Bondi4. Then there's the Vanquish, and Odyssey, and don't forget the Constant. I used to feel like I knew everything about Hokas, and could probably be a better sales person than most of the running store employees, but now I'm starting to lose that feeling. Too many to keep track of, all with very slight differences! 

Anyway, that's my updated review. These shoes will probably go into retirement if I choose to run with them in the AR50. It's scary that I don't know what shoes I want to run in yet. 

And I'll end with a new pair of shoes I received today! I got the fancy and sleek Skora Core's. Made from...goats. I guess it's fitting. Or is it? I will write a review for them soon, but it won't be running based I don't think since I'm not much of a minimalist. I wanted to get them just for wearing casually, because they are just that good looking. 

Now go follow me on Twitter!

Jack approves!

My Skora Core's. And our dirty old floor.

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Hoka One One Valor Update

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Major progress this week! I hit milestone after milestone, and the taper has only just begun! 

Four out of the five runs this week were all under a 10 min/mi average. Which is INSANE because this week was also the very first run that I've averaged under a 10 min/mi. I don't know what my body is on, but I like it. 

Tuesday's run was a teensy tiny four miler. It was a 9:56 average. Wednesday was a 10 miler, which was a 9:44 average. Thursday was hill day, and I did over 700 feet of elevation in 8 miles, and that was a 10:35 average. 

That run in particular was still a huge leap for me, considering the last hill day 8 miler I did exactly one month ago was just over 600 feet and 24 seconds slower per mile. 

February 19th

March 19th

Saturday's run was 16 miles. Even though it is significantly shorter than my previous long runs, my legs were still tired and revolting against going since I've been going so much faster. I still managed a 9:51 average, and broke my half marathon PR (2:08:44) since starting MAF. And then this morning's 10 miler I snuck in just under 10 mins with a 9:58 average, but that also included the two hills at Coyote Pointe. NOT TOO SHABBY.

Sorry to be so braggy, but after four months that required EXTREME patience, it feels amazing to finally reach my goal of hitting under a 10 min mile average at my MAF heart rate (149). I feel like screaming it from the rooftops! My goal for this whole thing was to hit a 10:30 min mile by the time the 50 miler came up, so I'm quite thrilled. 

Speaking of which...it's only 12 days away. I am officially done with long runs, and the longest one to do now is only ten miles. It's starting to hit me. EEK.

My legs are surprisingly tired after this week, I think because of the pace increase. While my heart rate is remaining the same, it's really difficult to convince my legs to move faster. This is one of the downsides of MAF, you lose your speed. While before I would think that moving at a 9:45 pace would be beyond easy, now it's a bit of a struggle to get that spring back in my legs. I'll take it though. People that do MAF need to realize that the speed will go away but you can earn it back with hard work and elbow grease. :) 

Aside from the great running week, I have been experimenting with some paleo baking. To satisfy my sweet tooth I made some Double Chocolate zucchini cupcakes. They are incredible!!! Plus it's pretty cool that I snuck in a whole cup of grated zucchini and they taste absolutely sinful. In all the recipes I cut down the honey by about half since I am a bit sensitive to overly sweet foods now.

I also made some banana bread with some old bananas we had sitting on our kitchen table. Jon LOVES banana bread, and now that he's trying to eat healthier, he can indulge in these paleo slices instead. I threw some walnuts in there, and you can't even tell that it's good for you. 

Lastly I made some Lemon Poppyseed Mini Muffins, made with fresh lemons from our neighbor's tree! They are so cute and tiny, and perfect for when you want a bite of something mildly sweet. 

Other than all the baking and running, I've been spending a lot of time in the garden. I'm taking it seriously this year. Yesterday we spent a couple of hours at the SF Flower and Garden Show, and my mind was blown. Talk about a gardening heaven! However after several hours of standing and walking after my 16 mile run, I was EXHAUSTED. Seriously, I think walking slowly for four hours is worse than running a marathon. But I did buy these little guys to brighten up my garden and office space.

Speaking of gardening, back to work for me!

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Holy Record Running Week, Batman!

HeatherIhn 0

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Seeing how MAF training is getting a lot of spotlight these days, I thought I'd share some of the positive and negative attributes that I've experienced for the past four months.

Keep in mind that your own personal experience will vary. You may just be genetically gifted and find that the MAF hr is actually hard to keep because you're so freaking...well, I'll stop there. Just keep walking if you're one of those people. This list is for those sad and probably broken people that are teetering on the fence and looking for a justification to ditch MAF or stick with it.

The Downs

• You are force-fed humble pie. MAF training starts off by just checking the ego at the door, and eating a slice of humble pie. Not real pie. I wish it was. Mmm...pie. You're going to be much slower. Grandma and Grandpa are going to pass you on their speed walks with their smug poodles. Your significant other is going to exclaim, "WOW that took you such a LONG time, I was so worried about you, I called the police for a search!" Try not to strangle that significant other. They mean well. The point is, you need to be real with yourself, and understand that you need work.

• It requires an unbelievable amount of patience. MAF training takes PATIENCE. And lots of it. The people that seem to need it most are the people that are hardest to slow down. I don't like to categorize myself too much, but I know I'm leaning heavily toward a type A personality. I like to go, go, go, I love following a strict schedule, and I have a hard time slowing down and listening to my body. I didn't ever want to use a heart rate monitor, simply because I knew that the numbers would be scary.

• It also requires a heart rate monitor. I personally don't mind this part because I am a data nerd, but some people think it's a bother and you can get dependent on it. And nobody likes to put on a cold wet heart rate strap on at the first part of their morning. 

• This plan takes TIME. If you're telling yourself that if you don't see improvement in a couple of weeks you're going to quit, then you probably shouldn't even bother. It took me at least one full month to see any progress at all. In fact, my progress went backwards into the dark pits of Hell before it started to claw it's way back into daylight. It brought me to tears more than once. Not only will it potentially take over a month to see progress, but progress for me afterwards was steady and slow. Soon, slow starts to not feel so bad, but depending on the aerobic shape that you're in, it could possibly take years to reach your plateau of speed.

• You might scare away your loved ones. Sure, not everyone is going to be as dramatic as me, but I do think this one will happen to some. I went through extreme highs and lows, from feeling like flying to threatening to quit and pouting on my bathroom floor. If you have a significant other or anyone that you're living with, you might want to give them the heads up that you won't be quite yourself. My poor boyfriend...

• You will feel alone. Very, very alone. It is difficult to run with other people at the beginning of the training. Not only will you most likely be minutes slower than your average pace before, but simple things like talking will bring your heart rate up. I did 95% of my training completely alone. You will have friends that will politely run slow with you, but it ends up being more stressful because you know you're holding them back. 

• Kiss your races goodbye. During your MAF training, you probably shouldn't be racing. Some people squeeze in a 5k or 10k, but I would discourage it at least until you're a few months into the training. This can be hard, especially if you're a racing maniac like I was. The ol' medal rack might need some dusting.

• Prepare to walk. I had to ditch trail running for the most part, simply because any hill would bring me to a screaming halt or a crawl. I'm still not great at hills, and I need to walk very slowly up most of them, often stopping part way. This saddens me a lot, and continues to be one of the worst parts about MAF training to me. Sure, you can still keep training on the trails, but in order to keep my sanity during base training I needed to run more on flat ground.

• Warm ups are time consuming. Maffetone is pretty strict about his warm ups, and I think he has a point. I had to force myself to do a very gradual one mile warm up before every run. This easily adds on an extra 12-15 minutes, considering that I start off walking. It also makes me a little miserable because I start running early in the morning when it's cold out. Your average runs will take much longer considering you will be running a slower average pace, with the additional warm up. I should mention that he also recommends an equal cool down, which I don't always do...

• You might have to forfeit other sports and activities. This one is debatable, but I think it has helped me progress faster. I had to say goodbye to my rock climbing gym, and plyometrics. Why? Not only was it additional stress to balance all the things, but if I did anything to make myself sore it would easily raise my heart rate for the run. I don't believe you need to say goodbye to all strength work, but you will probably need to make some adjustments.

• It's a birthday downer. This one is a half joke, but really...for every birthday you're basically waving adios to another precious heart beat. If you're older, you can't help but look down at the younger whipper snappers doing MAF and have envy of their 160 MAF hr.

Okay, I think that's enough of the negatives. Are you still there? If you are, then maybe you have a chance. I needed to be honest, because there are indeed a lot of downsides. I do believe that the positives outweigh them, so here they are.

The Ups

• Injuries, be gone!  This one is a biggie, and one of the most prominent and wonderful parts of MAF. My training used to be littered with fall back weeks due to injuries. I have had almost every injury in the book. Hip pain, shin pain, knee pain, foot pain, you name it and I've probably experienced it. With MAF I have more than doubled my weekly mileage with far fewer injuries. In fact...not to jinx it, but no injuries. :| It weirds me out actually, and I can't stop talking about it to my friends (sorry friends.)

• Sicknesses are sparse and short! Running easier and slower is much more friendly on the ol' immune system and adrenal glands. I used to get sick much more often, and I can say that in the past four months I haven't been sick for more than one day. At the most it would be the start of a cold, but I would be able to stop it completely by the second day.

• You appreciate your surroundings. Since I'm moving at a much slower pace, I have time to let my mind wander and relax. I've grown to appreciate and anticipate getting out in the morning to watch the sun rise. I pay more attention to the wildflowers that are sprinkled along the path. It's nice. 

• Practice good breathing. This goes hand in hand with the meditation. Prior to this training, I never really did an actual recovery run, or easy run. My easy runs used to be a 9:30 pace, which clearly was still way too hard. Therefore, I never was able to get full deep breaths while running. At my MAF pace, I can have keep controlled breathing for up to five or six counts in and out. If you breath out with an audible "phhhhh" sound, it will almost guarantee a drop in heart rate. I find myself focusing on my breathing even outside of work and it's calming. 

• You'll look forward to every run. Well, maybe not EVERY run, but I find that I do get more excited to go out each morning. I set my heart rate monitor so it doesn't show my pace, so when I go home it's a surprise to see my progress. There's always that dangling carrot of hope.

• Meditation becomes your friend. I've never been one to meditate. Throw me in a yoga class and I'm that person that rolls their eyes at all the weird breathing and chants. Lately though, I have really been able to focus on my environment and quiet the ongoing voice in my head. As soon as I start thinking about the race or about life in general, I see my heart rate rise, so meditation helps me keep that in check.

• Run Longer. Like I mentioned, I have more than doubled my weekly mileage. In fact at the start of the training, it's good to log in more time. I recommend at least six hours a week. I rarely get tired mid run, and at this pace I feel like the energizer bunny that can keep going, and going. It might be a good time to sign up for a new distance of a race, since you'll be accumulating a good amount of miles.
  

• Have more energy. I believe this is partially due to my new low carb/high fat diet too, but I know that running slower gives me more energy throughout the day. I used to do long runs and be absolutely useless for the rest of my weekend, but now I am almost annoyingly energetic. I have no problem running 38 miles a weekend and still get all the house chores and gardening done.

• You'll be more mindful of your heart rate. I am more in tune with my body now, and can feel when my heart rate is higher without a monitor. I can sense when I start to get sick faster, which gives me an advantage of defeating it quicker. 

• Watch yourself progress. You are at the bottttom of the barrel. But with patience, you WILL get better. With more patience, you'll get good. And with even more patience you'll be sitting on top of that barrel throwing down the arrow like in Mulan. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you should watch this. The only way to go is up, so enjoy the process and watch yourself improve. Go little Gazelle.

• Gain a greater sense of peace and holistic lifestyle.  Lastly, I am just all around a more peaceful and calm person. I may still be quite a bit slower than my prior years, but I know that I can maintain this throughout my life and extend my running career. This experience has taught me to look at my health holistically and that alone is gold! No more ibuprofen, no more ice baths, no more band-aids on a larger underlying problem. I feel proud of myself for addressing the issue from where it's stemming, and it's been making a clear difference. 

I think this sums up the ups and downs. I'd be curious to hear other people's stories if they have done any MAF training. If you are just starting out, one of the best pieces of advice I can give is to follow Maffetone's nutrition. Nobody likes to restrict food, but changing that is part of the whole issue here, and you will see faster gains by taking out sugars and processed foods.

Good luck, and keep your chins up. :)

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The ups and downs of Maffetone Training - with Goat illustrations!

HeatherIhn 2

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YEE HAW. The crux of the training is OVER. Now I can sit back and chillax while I finish these last three weeks of tapering. I'm glad to get the hard weeks over to be honest. It wasn't injury inducing *knocks on wood* but I was definitely pushing my body more than it was used to.

This weekend I completed a marathon. I sneaked out of the house at 6am, an hour and a half before sunrise. It was so dark that my head had both a headlamp and sunglasses on my visor. I bet I looked like a real winner. I was perplexed when I saw that the trails had a couple of morning birds out there doing their walks and runs.

Eventually the sun came up. I really love seeing the sun rise in a new setting, so it was cool to see the San Mateo Bridge all lit up. If you haven't run at night, I think you should give it a go. It is sort of invigorating to have such a change in environment.

It was a long run but honestly, it wasn't too bad. The last six miles that I usually dread and slog through were not shabby at all! I finished with an average of 10:28, and an avg hr of 153. I only needed one gu, and kept my water pack filled with two tabs of NUUN. Yesterday, the Chocolate Outrage Gu was on the menu. It was DE-licious. I actually had a small portion of the Pocket Fuels Chocolate Expresso which grossed me out. It was like they ground up a bunch of coffee beans and mixed it with a small amount of chocolate hazelnut butter. The texture was unappetizing and left my mouth really dry. For the amount of effort that goes into mixing those packets, I'm kind of leaning away from them and would rather just have a packet of Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter instead.

Oh and I wore my new Injinji Compression socks! They seemed to work at keeping my worrisome pinky toe blister at bay, but I'm afraid they cramp up the toebox of my shoes now. I'm not sure if I should risk it. They were nice though. A great material and decent compression to them. I was pleasantly surprised!

My other runs weren't memorable enough to talk too much about. It was a bit of a rough week, I think I was still getting over the 50k from two weeks ago. I still averaged my runs between a 10:00min/mi and a 10:30 min/mi so I was happy with that. Even today's run was strangely fast considering how I felt. As my legs warmed up and got comfortable I kept getting faster. It was almost a negative split 10 mile run.

In other news, I got some new sunglasses. These are the Rudy Project Stratofly SX's. I got the Photochromic Clear lenses. I wasn't sure if I liked them at first because the lenses didn't get as dark as I was used to, but now that I've used them in some pretty strong sun I think it's sufficient. It's nice to have them transition since I run from dark to light. They are comfortable, don't fog and don't bounce. I wanted to splurge on some nice sunglasses because my old ones were cheapo's from a race expo. They felt okay but were ill fitting for my tiny asian face, with my almost complete lack of nose bridge. These are great because the nose piece is adjustable. 

Last, I wanted to mention my boyfriend's AH-MAZING trail mix he has whipped together for our lower carb lifestyles. He also got tired of me picking out all the good stuff and leaving him nothing but sunflower seeds, cranberries, and raisins. He doesn't have a specific recipe, but this combination of hazelnuts, walnuts, toasted coconut shavings, 72% dark chocolate, and beef jerky is just heavenly.

Oh and before I forget, be sure to like my FB page to get random running updates and photos. The posts and photos will be kept mostly different from the FB page to keep it somewhat interesting. 

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ON TO THE TAPER! Plus, my new Rudy Project sunglasses, and my boyfriend's trail mix!

HeatherIhn 1

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First of all, I was looking at my Strava data and look at this! See that really tall spike in June? That was 66.8 miles, BUT 50 of those miles were when I went crazy because I was injured and decided to bike 50 miles to make up for it. And no, I don't bike. And yes, my butt did hurt. I also got brutally sunburned because apparently that happens on a bike? Anyway, the highlighted bar in February is my current highest RUNNING week mileage, which weirdly also adds up to 66.8. I am such a believer in MAF training, because I had no idea this kind of mileage was possible on my body without injury. *KNOCKS ON ALL THE WOOD*

Things I've learned this week: running 32 miles and then trying to continue training by running six miles two days later is going to suck. The third day (12 miles) isn't any better. And the 4th day (8 miles) is probably going to feel worse. However, if you go to bed earlier than your Grandmother at 7:45pm on a Thursday night, 12 hours of sleep should do your legs some good. SLEEP IS SO IMPORTANT. Don't be that person thinking you can squeak by with 4-5 hours and be perfectly normal. You're either a freak of nature, or you're lying to yourself.

I thought my recovery from the 32 mile would be a little bit faster than it was. Then again, it is quite a feat to conquer, so I'm amazed that my legs were able to continue as tired as they were. The soreness was primarily in my quads, I think from the 1300 ft of gain that I wasn't prepared for. It was a bad time to move my office seat to the 2nd floor. :| Stairs were not my friend.

Surprisingly, my paces weren't too shabby despite the extremely heavy and sore legs. It was reminiscent of the days when I was sore from horse back riding, but not as bad I guess. I cranked out one of my fastest runs ever on Thursday. A 10:05 pace average for 8 miles. The weird thing is that it felt slow! I have made major progress since the last time I did this run in early December, considering that this is after my 50k and my legs were still so sore. I chopped 50 seconds a mile off in three months! I'm sure it's even more if I actually gave my legs a break long enough to let blood flow back.

Earlier this morning (MUCH earlier) I finished my longest run of the week. A measly 24 miles.

Just kidding, it's not measly. In fact, I kept longingly gazing into the ocean and any hotel pools that I passed by. I was so tempted to jump in to give my legs an icy relief. They just aren't used to so much abuse! The temperatures were also quickly rising, despite me getting out of the house at 7am. Sorry East Coast/Mid West, but our temps are actually pretty warm out here. It was 78 degrees in our house mid day.

The heat was rough on me, and by 12 miles my heart rate started climbing past my 149 MAF hr. I managed to keep it at or below 160 for the remainder. The sun was brutal, as you might be able to tell from my wicked runner's tan line. I guess that's one downfall of the compression socks.

Prior to the run I freaked out because I realized I didn't order any Injinji toe socks to keep my little toe blister at bay. I found this awesome wiki page that showed step by step instructions on taping, as well as describing the different types of tape and methods. I'm definitely bookmarking it. The tape actually worked out great. I felt my toe hurting a little at the end because of the swelling, but it remained blister free!

Oh, and I got new Hoka One One Clifton's! As usual, they were a dream straight out of the box. I really wish the tongue was thicker. I put in both of the insoles to give a tighter fit, but they were cushy and a smooth ride. I didn't realize that my shoe collection is skewing sharply to the Teal/Yellow/orange, but at least it's consistent? I'll be alternating between the Hoka One One Valor's and the Cliftons for the next couple of weeks. Possibly my Altra Olympus' if my toes start to feel too cramped.

My shoe lineup. Valors - Cliftons - Nike Wildhorse

The Cliftons!

And that's about it over here! I have another 10 miler tomorrow, and then lots and lots of gardening!

A last little note I wanted to share is my recipe for my new favorite shake EVER. Again, I need to post a disclaimer saying that I may not be the best judge of taste right now. I haven't had sugary or carby foods in months now, so...yeah.

I recently discovered Maca root Powder. I wanted to balance out my hormones a bit for training and health reasons. Turns out it also gives a great energy boost and is a sort of superfood. Some people apparently are turned off by the taste, but weirdly I enjoy it. A LOT. I was so excited at the malty texture and subtly sweet taste it gave my smoothies.

My smoothie ingredients

So what do I do? I use my little Magic Bullet blender, and fill it about 1/3 full of crushed ice. I then put in a cup to a cup and a half of Flax Milk, unsweetened (or unsweetened Vanilla). I have tried a lot of non-dairy milks and this one hands down is my favorite as far as texture and flavor. I also put in a tablespoon of almond butter for some fat and calories, and a tablespoon of chia seeds for the Omega 3 fatty acids and fiber. Lastly, I use some stevia drops for flavor. I've been using the Vanilla Bean and the Peppermint drops (just maybe 3-5 drops of each) from Sweet Leaf. Blend it up and it's sooo good and filling.

I'm not into artificial sweeteners but I do like that stevia comes from an actual plant. These add just a hint of sweetness without the sugar. Oh so good!!!

That's all! Enjoy your weekends! Don't forget about Daylight Savings!

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Maca Root Powder, Hoka One One Cliftons, and SO MUCH RUNNING.

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