MD Calf Sleeves - Tried It Tuesday

Recovery, recovery, recovery.  I have learned this lesson a thousand times over by now: after putting your body through athletic strain, it's ever so important to take good care of it properly to ensure you can KEEP pushing!  There are various aspects of recovery, including proper nutrition to replace what you've used up and to enhance muscle healing, active stretching and yoga, and light cross training.  My favorite recovery strategies, though, are the ones that don't require a lot of attention - which is why I LOVE my compression sleeves after long runs and races!

Disclaimer: I received these sleeves at no cost in exchange for my review.

All opinions expressed here in are, as always, my own.

Compression sleeves are designed to increase blood circulation thanks to "pressure points" along the length of the sleeve.  Each compression point helps squeeeeeeeeze along the direction of bloodflow to ensure your muscles are getting enough blood to keep them healthy.  Your blood also carries the building blocks for muscle tissue, so increased circulation can help your muscles repair themselves quicker.  Additionally, the compression helps push blood back up to the heart, carrying away the lactic acid and other waste products that are created by exercise.  Between these various benefits, the main takeaway is that your muscles will feel better faster, allowing you to get right back into training with minimal down time (and minimal hobbling after a big run)!

Though I've tried compression products before, these new MD calf sleeves might be my new favorites.  Other calf sleeves have been a little too long for my short little legs, so I end up with bunching around the ankle or knee (and with compression gear, bunching can be quite painful).  Compression socks have had too much pressure on my arch and made my feet go numb.  My MD sleeves, though, are just the right length and size for my calves!  Wearing them around after a race (like Saturday's Fall Classic half marathon) or even after a tough leg day at the gym is so easy: I just slip them over my calves and go about my life, then the next day I'm right as rain and ready to do it all again!  Seriously, you can't ask for an easier recovery booster.

Some people choose to run in their compression sleeves, too.  I have not found wearing my sleeves while I'm active to work for me, personally, but if you're suffering from poor circulation during races, maybe compression sleeves can help you.  To me, they're just too tight while I'm flexing mid-stride.  Maybe it's mostly psychological, but it doesn't work for me so I don't do it - that doesn't mean others don't benefit!  If you wear your sleeves while you run, post a comment about how the sleeves have helped you on the road!

If you haven't tried compression yet, or are looking for the perfect gift for the runner in your life, try out MD calf sleeves with 20% off on Black Friday!  These sleeves come in fun colors and are very true to the sizing chart posted, plus they're Prime eligible on Amazon.  Sleeves make great stocking stuffers!

RICEing Just Got Easier

Aches and pains are pretty much a guarantee for those of us living an active lifestyle.  While there are plenty of good injury prevention practices, there's just no avoiding the occasional twist, sprain, or general overuse soreness.  Every athlete knows how to treat those minor injuries with the old RICE adage: rest, ice, compression, elevation.  But even if we weren't itching to get back to our movin' and shakin', this on-the-go world makes it difficult to take proper care of those aches and pains.  Who has time to sit still for an 20 minute ice application every few hours throughout the day?  Fortunately, gone are the days of needing a ziplock full of ice cubes to stay perched precariously on your sore knee or ankle.

Disclaimer: I received this product at no cost in exchange for my review; I received

no additional compensation.  As always, all opinions expressed herein are my own.

Paincakes are revolutionizing the RICE treatment for those of us who suffer from sprains or sore muscles but have to keep moving despite the pain.  While resting completely is certainly the best treatment, it simply isn't always feasible to take a day off work just to nurse an irritating minor injury.  For those days, an ice pack that sticks in place and doesn't leak is just about the best possible invention on the planet!

The science of the gel-based reusable ice pack isn't exactly modern marvel, but I've never seen one that is both flexible and self-adhesive until I found Paincakes.  In the past, if I wanted to use one of those gel packs, especially on a busy day, I had to monkey with an ACE bandage for a while trying to find a good combination of flexibility and stability that would allow me to go about my activities for the day.  If you've ever tried this delicate juggling act yourself, you probably remember being frustrated that you couldn't quite find the right level of tension to keep the ice pack where it needed application while still being able to move at all.  Paincakes totally solves this problem by sticking directly to the affected area - and staying PUT for as long as you need.

Paincakes - part of a balanced recovery routine!

I've been using my Paincake for almost a year now, and it sees action almost weekly.  The adhesive is still just as strong as it was on the first use!  In fact, the only signs of the frequence of use mine receives are the slightly peeling edges of the adhesive square.  Since the Paincake sticks so well, it takes a little effort to peel it off, and the repeated pulling is starting to pull the square up at the corners ever so slightly, but I supposed that's to be expected after quite a bit of use.  It certainly hasn't impacted my ability to use the ice pack, so I'm not really worried about it quite yet.  The product only claims to be good for 100 resticks which I hit quite a while ago, so I think I'm doing well!

My Paincake is great for icing the entire ankle area, or one side of the knee, at a time.  I can also target other painful areas, like specific points on my back that need iced down after a tough workout, or the bumps on my forehead when my dog knocks me into a doorframe because she's so excited I'm home (yes, that happens more often than you'd think - she's the best but she's a handful!).  There are also mini Paincakes that pack the same punch but in a smaller size!  Both the regular and mini Paincakes come in a waterproof ziplock pouch so you can tuck them into a suitcase while you travel, allowing you to take relief for aches and pains anywhere you might have access to a freezer.

Obviously last year...  #Windians

Having the ability to ice anytime, anywhere, without having to be careful about my ice pack slipping or falling off helped me get through last year's marathon training with minimal down time.  It's currently helping me ease back into teaching fitness classes on a regular basis.  And in the future...  Who knows what it might help me accomplish?  When I'm able to take better care of my body, anything is possible!  Kinda makes you wanna set a big new goal, eh?  ;)

What helps you take care of your body while balancing a fitness lifestyle and, well, a regular life?  Do you have a favorite RICE routine or product?  What's your next big fitness goal?

Naked Energy - Tried It Tuesday

Anyone who knows me has probably heard me say I don't drink coffee - and anyone who has ever SEEN me, especially when I'm working races, has a hard time believing I'm not chugging it all day!  Usually, energy is no problem for me, as I'm naturally pretty bubbly.  Some days, though, it's a struggle to get moving, stay alert, and keep my momentum going forward.  On those days, I need a little boost, but it can be hard to find products that can provide the extra energy without having more negative side effects than it's worth.  Thankfully, more and more supplement companies are making pre-workout products that are made from natural ingredients to eliminate or mitigate all the awful itching, tingling, and heart pounding I constantly experience when using non-natural pre-workouts.

Disclaimer: I received this product at no cost in exchange for my review.  I did not receive any

additional compensation, and all opinions expressed herein are my own.

Originally, I was all set to write this review based on trying Naked Energy to get my feet moving and my excitement pumping for my return to teaching morning fitness classes.  It seemed like a good enough test, and results were readily apparent starting with my first use.  Not only did the pre-workout get my blood flowing for my classes, it kept me alert and bouncing (literally) for the entire day.  But those were pretty typical days after the classes ended.  I got an opportunity for an even better test of the product last weekend, when my race management company hosted a sold-out marathon at one of Northeast Ohio's beautiful state parks.

My biggest struggle with this new race company has been the distance: it takes an hour for me to drive to the office, even on a low-traffic day.  Headlands Beach state park, where the race was held, is even farther away than the office.  Wake-up time for me was around 2:30am (yes, ugh is correct).  Waking up that early isn't really that bad, but waking up and then driving for an hour and a half in the dark is pretty rough.  I mixed myself a water bottle full of Naked Energy, tossed in some creatine and BCAAs, hopped in the car and started chugging.

Just about to head over to start the race - already 6 hours

in and still feeling bright and peppy!

By the time I got to the park, I was AMPED.  My drive had consisted of some great tunes and the building feeling of "It's TIME!"  I stepped out of the car ready to tackle a long, exhausting day with absolutely zero apprehension.  The kicker to the whole day was that, on top of working setup and tear down for the event, I was also planning to run the half marathon - there's not a lot for timers to do between the start and finish of a marathon besides let the equipment work, so I wanted to get my October half in the books early.  The pre-workout would have to help me get through not only the long day of work, but also the 13.1 miles I'd chosen to throw in the middle of it.  On top of an already tall order, the day started chilly but quickly became very hot when the intense sun reached its zenith in a cloudless sky.  GAME ON.

While many of my coworkers battled through the morning, I was bright eyed, bushy tailed, and beaming all throughout packet pickup and the start of the race.  Since I had stayed at the registration tent until all runners had been helped, I was the last to start the race, but I was feeling great and made up distance quickly.  Finally about two miles in, I connected with a running friend and we chatted for the next 10 miles while we kept our feet shuffling and our spirits up despite the growing heat.  I booked it for the last mile to empty the tank, crossed the finish line, and - went back to work!

Some form of dancing.  Somewhere this counts as a dance.

My job for the next few hours consisted of mingling with runners to get feedback and answer questions, then I moved over to the finish line to hand out finisher medals to the full marathoners as they crossed.  One of our event photographers kept chuckling every time he walked by me and I was dancing; he finally just started snapping pics of me with waaaaay too much energy for post-race, let alone post-race/post-work with more work to go.  I did start feeling the aches in my legs around three hours after I had finished my race, but my energy level stayed true.  After the last finishers crossed, I helped take down our equipment and pack the trucks, then went back to the warehouse to wash out 80+ Gatorade coolers and dozens of grimy tables before driving the hour and a half back home.

When I finally returned to my puppy (who was looked after all afternoon by my boyfriend, thankfully) it was almost 6pm.  That's almost a 16 hour day full of activity, and I was only just starting to feel tired!  Honestly, if there's a better test of an energy supplement, I'd be scared to go through whatever it would be.  I was so elated at the end of the event because everything had gone well and I had made it all day with a huge, genuine smile on my face, thanks to Naked Energy.

Earned that medal thanks to Naked Energy!

Naked Creatine review in the works as well...

The real kicker is that I didn't experience ANY of the typical side effects I've noticed in any other pre-workout I've taken.  At no point did I feel anxious or nervous.  I never got the flashes of warm tingling feelings along my skin either.  I also didn't feel overly intense about anything, either, which I had noticed on a few other energy supplements in the past.  My focus was even-keel, my energy was constantly high, and there were no adverse physical sensations.  That's perfect for what I need from a pre-workout supplement.  I'm so very glad I tried this one despite so many iffy experiences with similar products in the past.  I guess "Naked" is the way to go!

Quatro Logiq Running Gear - Tried it Tuesday

Now that I run almost exclusively longer distance races, I'm always on the lookout for gear that helps me take all the gels, music, tissues, water, or whatever else I'll need to cover the mileage safely and (hopefully) quickly.  You can tell from all of my race photos that I'm clearly madly in love with my favorite running shorts that I wear to every warm weather half marathon, but they're shorts.  What if I want to bring some gear along on a cooler day?  Until recently, the only option in my wardrobe was to either wear the shorts under a longer pair of leggings (uncomfortable) or to wear a jacket with pockets in which my items would bounce around while I ran.  Well, I think I found a better solution!

Disclaimer: I received these items at no cost in exchange for my review.

As always, all opinions expressed herein are my own.

Quatro Logiq is an Australian company that is solving some of runners' biggest gear problems.  Though their catalog has several items I'm dying to try, I settled on testing out a very simple outfit for starters: a tank top and compression capris.  Doesn't sound flashy, but the big draw was the tank top, which is made with FOUR pockets along the back of the shirt into which I could tuck all my little running add-ons without needing bouncy pockets.  Plus, it's a compression fit, so I could easily wear it underneath a looser long sleeve without discomfort.  I ordered a medium tank top (I normally take small or medium in tops, so I erred up for compression gear), and a pair of large compression capris to go with, since I don't actually own any leg compression gear.

When my items arrived (very quickly despite the overseas shipping!) and I pulled my clothes out of the packaging, I was a little shocked.  The tank looked HUGE, and the capris looked TINY.  I seriously thought I received an XL top and XS bottoms!  Though skeptical, I pulled my gear on and found that my capris fit PERFECTLY despite looking absolutely impossible to squeeze into - I guess that's the joy of compression gear?  The top, on the other hand, was a little too tight even though it had originally looked way too big.  Then I realized the website uses European sizing, not American, and I probably should have ordered a large top.  It was still wearable, so I took the outfit for a test drive.

I'm IN LOVE with these capris.  They're such a great fit and they're probably the most moisture wicking item of clothing I've ever worn.  My first few runs in the QL gear were late summer evenings in slight heat and high humidity, which would normally have me dripping with sweat even in other wicking gear.  Not so in my QL capris, I was dry with no chaffing the whole way!  And even though they appeared so super small at first and I was worried that halfway through the run my waistband would be cutting into me, I never once felt like I was wearing anything smaller than exactly what I needed.  Definitely a major win!

The tank top is highly functional, too, even though I did experience some fit issues from not paying enough attention to the website's sizing.  There are four pockets in the bottom of the back of the shirt, and surprisingly, I had no problem reaching ANY of them to insert or remove items during my run.  All four pockets are the same size, but two of them have their openings stitched a little narrower to keep things like keys and money from popping out easily during the run.  Two of the pockets are full size, and could easily fit my Droid Mini phone while still in its case.  I could put the phone in and pull it out without having to stop running, which is exactly what I was looking for in a pocketed shirt.  I can also tuck gels into the pockets, and I bet you could fit one of those FlipBelt bottles into one too if you wanted to take a small water bottle.  Nothing in the pockets bounced, but I did have some issues with the shirt riding up a bit because of how tight it was.  Again, if you pay attention to the sizing, you probably can avoid this problem.

My gear has gone through a couple washes now, and I am happy to report no shrinkage and no damage to the material with a cold/cold wash cycle and hanging to dry.  I've had other wicking products pill up in the same wash cycle, so I was very pleased to see that these items held their shape, sizing, and quality with no issues.  I'd also like to mention that they sent me my items in a reuseable QL drawstring sack, which is a cute little bonus!

Since ordering this outfit, Quatro Logiq has actually added some NEW gear to their website!  I had my eye on their shoulder sleeves since the beginning (basically a long sleeve shrug that would pair perfectly with the tank top's pockets), but now I'm also interested in several of the sports bra designs they recently released, including one that has another pocket in the racerback straps of the bra.  I'm looking very forward to adding more QL gear to my wardrobe and can't wait to see what else they release in the future!

And of course, you can try it too!  Use promo code logiq15 to take 15% off your order at Quatro Logiq to find YOUR new favorite gear!

What's your gear-carrying solution for when you run or workout?  Have you tried compression gear in the past?

Tracking Training

Guess what - I'm writing about the Marine Corps Marathon again today!  No surprise, I should think, with my first marathon only days away and my whole being focused on the event...  Today it's "Tried It Tuesday" and I'd like to show you how I increased my accountability and data tracking for my marathon training plan.  Introducing: JournalMenu.

Many runners use GPS tracking that feeds data into apps like MapMyRun or even Nike training products, producing tons of raw running data.  I've used GPS throughout almost my entire running "career", and I've been able to see time and distance improvements when they happen.  What has been lacking for me, though, was figuring out why those improvements were happening, or why the improvements I expected didn't happen.  With raw data, it's difficult to make many connections between cause and effect.

To enhance my marathon training, I got my hands on a custom made JournalMenu planner.  Maybe it's because I've always loved hand-written notes and letters, but I have definitely found a huge benefit to using my planner throughout the past few months.  I take my raw data from MapMyRun (time, distance, average pace) for each day's run and transcribe it into the journal - but then I write notes on the full experience.  How did I feel on the run?  What did I eat throughout the day?  Did I refuel during my run?  What types of products did I use for pre-, mid-, and post-run?  By notating all the details of my runs, I have been able to make some connections that exposed opportunities for improvement.

I'm also able to record all of my cross training in the same pages, so of course I just had to color code all of my entries!  Run stats in pink, products used in red, experience notations in gold, yoga in blue, lifting in purple...  The more thorough I got, the easier it was to see the patterns of successes and opportunities.  Digital tracking gives us a lot of information, but it isn't always easy to decipher into something useful.  JournalMenu has helped me bridge the gap between information and knowledge, and it shows in my many training gains over the past six months.  I've cut almost 15 minutes off my half marathon since starting my journal tracking!  And there's that little matter of the marathon around the corner, which wouldn't have been possible without learning about my body's reactions to training, fueling, and resting during my training period.

Oh, and BONUS: JournalMenu actually allows you to FULLY customize your planner!  As you can see, my cover is obviously custom made, but the inside pages come in a wide variety of styles, such as weightlifting formats and two-day-per-page blanks.  There are supplemental materials for all manner of training, like pace charts and training plans for various race distances.  JournalMenu caters heavily to the CrossFit crowd, and even included pages of sample CrossFit WODs in my book for me to try!  No matter what your fitness goals or favorite activities, JournalMenu can make you a planner that will help you along your entire journey.

How do you track your progress when training for a goal?  How do you interpret the raw data you collect?  What's your next big goal?