Fits Do Product Reviews: Nathan Wrist Runner

By Cool J in Minneapolis

Hi friends! How is your week going so far? 

My week is going swimmingly. It's a cutback week for marathon training, which is definitely a welcome reprieve for my tired legs. Last night was our only workout of the week: Yasso 800's. 

What are Yasso 800's? Read all about them HERE. Basically, you run a 1/2 mile in your goal marathon time. So if I want to run a 3:45 marathon, I should run 1/2 mile in 3 min/45 seconds. It's actually not a very tough workout, so our coach told us to go ahead and push it faster than our goals. I ended up doing most of my repeats between 3:30-3:35. We did six repeats (about 6.5 miles total with warmup/cooldown), and then we were done with workouts for the week! 

Tonight was just an easy run. I was stuck at the office a little late, so I was on my own; even Matilda had already gone for a run. No running friends for Jess. That's okay- I'm still smiling! 

But you know what doesn't make me smile? Wearing gloves, an ear band, long tights, and a thick Brooks top in April does not make me smile. Boo on this cold windy weather! And now there's snow in the forecast. Thumbs down.

Definitely not smiling about this weather!

Even though the weather was not cooperating, I did have an opportunity to test out my Nathan wrist runner. I bought it on Amazon for about $7. The zippered pocket was definitely secure- no losing my key on this run!

I'm guessing most people wear their wrist runner UNDER the sleeve, but how would the reflective band do its job that way? I wore it outside the sleeve with pride: everyone knew my key was secure!

The wrist runner may be secure, but it's also a little large. With warm running clothes on, it wasn't so bad, but I could definitely see it being pretty annoying in the summer. It might cause quite an obnoxious tan line too!

The inside of the wrist runner is lined with a towel-like material, which is probably decent for sweat absorption, but it might not hold up that well in the heat of the summer. 

Overall, I think the Nathan wrist runner is a decent fit for your key during a run for the cooler weather, but won't cross over very well into the summer. I think I will buy one of the shoe key holders like this one:

*Have you found any other ideas for your key during a run? 

**Have you tried Yasso 800's? Do you think they are a good workout?

Fits Do Race Reviews: A $5 Race?

By Cool J in Minneapolis

Jazz hands to reflect our excitement for the Ron Daws 25k!

You read that correctly folks- five dollars! I shouldn't even be posting about this race because I think its a bit of a runners' secret. So here's the plan: just tell all your frenemies to go pay $70 for the Team Ortho Get Lucky half marathon (plus $10 to park at the race and $10 to park at packet pickup), and then you can write your check for $5 (yes, check- there ain't no fancy, highfalutin online registration for this race), and mail it in (yes, snail mail). And guess what? I'm 99.9% sure you'll have the "better" long run.

This super secret race, my dear friend, is the Ron Daws Memorial 25k (25k = 15.5 miles). Its held in Hopkins, Minnesota at 8 am sharp on Saturday, April 6. With its voluminous hills, the Ron Daws is often a very popular race for people training for the Boston Marathon. However, this year the two races were too close together. (Boston is the Monday after next weekend) Boston training run or not, the Ron Daws definitely attracts some hardcore runners.

I'm going to start off by saying that I give this race a 9 out of 10. There was plenty of free parking at the Cross of Glory Baptist Church as well as heated bathrooms, (though two hundred runners were asking a lot out of those old church bathrooms.)

Again, you read that correctly- only 200 runners! The race is capped at 200, though there was still room this morning for race day registration (double the price though...at a whopping $10.)

If you're looking for frills, cool gear, a medal, lots of crowd support, goodies at the finish, etc. then this is not the race for you. But if you're looking for a down home, old school run for RUNNERS, for a price that fits the bill, then this is the race for you.

No frills packet pickup in the church gym

The course was funny. You did two laps of one loop, to get to about six miles, and then you did two laps of another loop to get you to the 15.5 mile distance. It was actually not too bad, because you knew what to expect after experiencing the hills the first time around, (though it was a little disheartening to get lapped by the winners around mile eight!) Running the same loop multiple times meant that you passed the solo support stop four times- perfect!

Map of course

There were maps available in the gym, so you could become familiar with the course, but luckily for me (and my terrible sense of direction) the course was marked quite well, especially for such a tiny race. There were cones, arrows, and accurate mile markers the whole way.

Dustin studying the course, though he really didn't need to!

The course was funny, but also incredibly challenging. According to Dustin's Garmin, there were multiple hills with nearly a 5% gradient, over about 3/4 of a mile. Every time you encountered a new hill, you knew you'd have to run it at least one more time. 

I ended up running with two men who were probably close to seventy, but they had a lot of good stories about the history of the race. They were friends with Ron Daws himself!

Who is Ron Daws? 

According to this Wikipedia article, Ron Daws was a runner and 1968 Summer Olympics men's marathon athlete. Born in Minneapolis, he also competed at the 1967 Pan-American Games marathon, and finished first in the National AAU marathon also in 1967. He was married to Lorraine Moller in the 1980s, who he later divorced. Daws died of a heart attached in 1992. In honor of his death, in 1993, the MDRA Rons Daws 25k was renamed after him.

Picture of Ron Dawes and Steve Hoag running in Theodore Wirth Park

source

By the way, his first wife Lorraine was also an accomplished marathoner, participating in four Olympic Games. She won the bronze medal in the marathon at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona at the age of 37.

Personally, I had a pretty terrible race. My legs were quite heavy from the hill workout on Thursday, and I easily lost the motivation to push it. I let myself use this as a nice and easy training run, albeit with lots of hills.  I didn't have much of a choice, as those hills were not my friend today, and my darn IT band was definitely flaring up. And I lost my Garmin, so all I had was an old-school stopwatch! But you know what? An old school stopwatch was perfectly suited for the Ron Daws 25k. Ron Daws didn't run with a Garmin, now did he?

Despite my personal poor performance, I still would highly recommend this race. It was a challenging course, that's for sure, but it was a lot of fun. Next year, I plan to run this race instead of the Get Lucky half marathon. And maybe next year, I'll have a Garmin and a little more drive to face those hills!

With my speedy running gal pals- and partners in crime for the Newport Marathon!

***We brought warm clothes to change into and headed to Pizza Luce in Hopkins for brunch afterwards. Did you know they have a pretty decent brunch menu, i.e. not pizza? Check it out here.

Fits do Product Reviews: Nathan Wristrunner

By Cool J in Minneapolis

My Nathan brand wrist runner arrived today!

I can't really review it until I run in it, but for $7, seems like a win. It has a reflective strip for those dark morning runs, and a secure zipper pouch.

Matilda liked it too.

Fit Fanatic: "The Hill" Workout

By Cool J in Minneapolis

Just stopping by for a quick hello, after a late night of hills with the Calhoun Beach Running Club.

I have a love/hate relationship with a hill workout. The hate? Why is it so damn hard? Why doesn't it get any easier? Why am I moving so slowly? Did someone make this hill longer?

But it's not just the actual hill workout that stresses me out. It's the whole day leading up to it! I think about the impending doom all day at work. I think about what I'm putting into my body more than ever. Those leftover jelly beans? Probably a bad idea.  I constantly check the weather, debating how to dress. Windy, with a high of 47 degrees? Shorts? Capris! Ah, the stress!

The love? When the hill workout is over! It's awesome to have completed close to ten miles on a weeknight. Your quads and butt are tired and sore, but you feel great. It's true that you end up getting home pretty late, and you end up whipping up some food, (whatever kind of food you can whip up as quickly as possible), and before you know it, it's time for bed, but hey, you just ran a bunch of hill repeats! You rock! Oh, and tomorrow is a rest day!

Our club usually does repeats of a certain hill that is about half a mile long, or one mile roundtrip (up and down). It's located on Kenwood Parkway in Minneapolis. You know who else lived on Kenwood Parkway?

Mary Tyler Moore did!  Well, sort of. The show wasn't actually filmed in Minneapolis, but this was the house she "lived" in on Kenwood Parkway. Gorgeous, right?

So at least the houses are pretty to look at during the hill workout! But truly, it's hard to notice them when you feel like you're going to puke.....

It's a two mile warmup to the hill from the club, and then a two mile cool down afterwards. Throughout the marathon season, we increase the number of repeats from four, up to perhaps eight! Tonight was my second hill workout of the season, so I managed to do six repeats.

Here's a map of THE hill

I don't have the stats on the elevation for the hill. Mason tells me it's over a 100 foot gain, which may not sound like much, but remember, that's over just a half mile. And in Minneapolis, that's a mountain! But it's challenging for everyone. I dare all you SoCal bloggers to come do repeats on this hill and tell me our city is flat!

**Actually, side note- one of the SoCal bloggers that I read- Run, Eat, Repeat- is coming here in June for the Women's Half Marathon in Bloomington (a suburb of Minneapolis). This half marathon is only two weeks after the Newport Marathon, but I decided to sign up for the heck of it. Who doesn't love an all-women race? All that she-power is inspiring.  Let me know if you're running it!

I don't necessarily have to prepare for a ton of hills at my next marathon, as the Newport Marathon (which is in eight weeks!!!) isn't supposed to be that hilly. However, hill training makes you a stronger runner, no matter what. I'd rather do some extra hills today and be prepared just in case!

Afterall, Newport won't be hill free.  Here is the course description from the marathon website,

"Starting in Yaquina Bay State Park at the historic "haunted" lighthouse, runners will head north along the ocean through some of Newport's picturesque neighborhoods. This loop through the city is primarily residential with a few short gentle hills and turns at street corners. Heading back through the starting area, runners will proceed DOWNHILL under the Yaquina Bay Bridge to the bayfront. Past shops, restaurants, galleries, and a large fishing village, the course continues along the bay. Just past mile four, there is a short hill that rises about 40 fee, then descends back to back to bay level where it continues for the remainder of the race. The course follows the Yaquina Bay and River estuary to mile 15 where it turns back toward town, retracing the same route. The same hill at mile four reappears at mile 26, and then it's downhill from there to the finish. Along the course runners will be treated to a splendid variety of views and scenery, wildlife and shipping, fisherman and crabbers. It is a very flat, very fast, and beautiful course that will produce numerous PR's. The course is USATF certified and ahas proven to be an excellent qualifier for the Boston Marathon."

The course sounds beautiful! I'm getting really excited- only eight weeks!

What kind of hill workouts do you do? Do you like hills? If you live in Minneapolis, let me know where you do your hills!

Featured Fit: A Birthday Shout-Out

By Cool J in Minneapolis

A little belated, but here's an official birthday shout-out to one of our most loyal readers (and recent GUEST BLOGGER) Mr. Mason!

We celebrated with the birthday boy at a concert at the Triple Rock Social Club last Saturday.

 I struggled with what the right fit would be for the venue, but went with my reliable mustard Banana Republic cords (you've seen then many times, I know), a nautical top from J.Crew factory store (sold out), and an LL Original necklace. The birthday boy's vintage polo (above) also fit the bill- it was from TJMax! 

A good choice for a memorable picture with the sisters from Chaos, Chaos!

Mason with Asy and Chloe


A fresh, new fit for me in terms of venue and music, 
and a fun night for all!

Fitting Remarks: Sticker Rant

By LL
My husband always says that bumper stickers only work to tell other drivers what kind of person you are. You might see the bumper sticker on the back of the GMC pickup with Calvin peeing on the Ford logo. Got it, you don't like Fords. Or, you see the sticker with the Close our Borders phrase. Yep, you don't like immigration. You have a 2.62 Running Sucks sticker...yes, we all know that you are overweight, lazy and probably never completed the mile in high school gym. You aren't changing my mind about running. But thank you for providing me with some fuel for my evening run. And be certain it will be longer than 2.62!

Failed Fit: Losing Your House Key on a Run.

By Cool J in Minneapolis

AWESOME UPDATE TO THIS STORY. The key has been found, and is safely inside our house.

How was your Easter? Did you spend it with your family? Go on an Easter egg hunt?

With neither my family nor my husband's family nearby, we were on our own for this holiday. After sleeping in a bit, we decided we should go for a quick run to exercise Ms. Matilda. Apparently, Tilda doesn't know that Sundays are for rest!

I grabbed a house key and put it in the velcro pocket on these gloves...

It was cold and windy, and my legs were still tired and sore from the 17-miler the day before. Neither one of us was really enjoying the run, and we were ready to get inside in the warmth when it was over.

Unfortunately, as we arrived back at our house, I realized that somewhere along run, I had lost the key! Yes, the velcro pocket had failed me, probably when I took off my gloves when my hands got a little too warm. Oh crap, what should we do?

All the doors to the house were definitely locked, and we realized that most of our neighbors were not home. It was Easter! Even if they did happen to be home, we would have felt pretty silly hanging out all sweaty, making calls with their phones trying to get ahold of a locksmith, while they searched for Easter baskets.

Instead, we ran the 1/2 mile to our friends Abby and Andrew's house, hoping with every step that they were home.  And thank goodness they were! I felt bad interrupting their peaceful Easter breakfast, but so grateful that we could borrow their cell phones and internet to find a locksmith that was open on Easter. And trust me, Easter Sunday is not the day you want to get locked out of your house! We had to make several calls before we finally found one that served the Minneapolis area who was willing to help us out.  Of course, there was a holiday surcharge on top of the regular fee. Never lose your key on Easter!

Two hours later and $200 poorer, we finally got back into our house. We learned our lesson the hard way, and have come up with a backup plan for future lockouts (which includes giving a spare key to our helpful friends!)

This morning, I met Kelly and Abby for some 5:30 am Monday morning tempo intervals- what a way to start the week! I wanted to be sure I didn't lose a key again, so this time, I donned this little fanny pack (below). I figured the zippered pocket was a lot more secure than the velcro on my glove.

How do you hold onto your key when out for a run? Apparently, there are a lot of options:



Source

Clockwise from top left:
1. Fuel Belt makes a zippered wrist pocket for only $7! Buy it HERE- I just ordered one!
2. Jogalite makes a pocket for your shoe that's only $10. Buy it HERE
3. Nike also makes a shoe pocket for $11, buy it HERE 
4. Similar to my fanny pack, you could go with a Nathan Reflective Belt for $21 - buy it HERE
5. Most running pants do have a small pocket, but it's rarely secure, which is risky.

Lululemon also makes a super cute pocket that goes around your wrist. Unfortunately, it's velcro, not zippered, so I question how secure it is.

Cute? Yes. Secure? Maybe not.

So tell me, where do you keep your keys when out for a run? Have you ever lost a key while running? I hope you didn't get locked out like we did!