Cheers to 2012!

What a year! 

Here's a snippet of the year that was (for this happy runner, at least):

Winter Series with friends.

True words!

Runnin' of the Green 4-miler

Fun with good friends.

The New Jersey Marathon crowd.

My running boys.

Pre-race.

Freihofer's Run for Women

Before the Boilermaker.

Beach time!

2nd place female at the Clove Run 10-miler!

Sandy Paws 5K

My little kindergartener.

At the ZOOMA half.

Told myself this a lot in 2012.

Before the Mohawk Hudson Half.

A new PR!

Post-race with friends!

The little guy's first school race.

Love my friends!

Veteran's Day Run -- new PR!

I know, I'm not great about making the photos look good and line up. I tried, believe me!

I hope you all have an enjoyable New Year's Eve -- and best wishes for 2013! Thanks, as always, for stopping by!

~ Felice

Holiday week.

I hope you all have been enjoying the holiday season!

It has been a good week here in Happy Runnerville. I've been keeping my mileage up, through lots of chilly outdoor runs -- including a nice 9-miler last Saturday with friends -- and a bunch of treadmill ones. Now that most of my running is indoors, I treasure the occasions when I can get outside. I don't care how bundled-up I have to get!

There was also this little thing called Christmas on Tuesday and it was great. My boys were so in to the holiday this year -- I think one of Conal's favorite things this year was making cards and drawings for people, especially his little brother. It was pretty cute.

Christmas day was spent at home in the morning and then over to my parents' house for the afternoon/dinner. There were 39 of us this year. Check out the panoramic pic my brother took:

That's a lot family, huh? Yup.

Yesterday, we were hit with the big snowstorm, which thrilled my boys. They even got out to make the first snowman of the year:

Sadly, we're finishing up the week with a wake and funeral but they are for Owen's elderly aunt, who lived a good, long life. And that's really all any of us want.

Have a great weekend, everyone! Thanks for stopping by!

~ Felice

Scott Jurek and Food for (my) Life.

Have you read Eat and Run by Scott Jurek? If you haven't, let me tell you: It's a great book and I highly recommend it. His story is an interesting one: Growing up as a meat-eating, hunting-and-fishing Midwesterner; becoming a vegan; developing into an elite ultra-runner.

I read the book about a month so ago and as I was doing so, I experienced a funny coincidence. In the book, Scott Jurek talks about his love of a particular bread, the Food for Life Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain bread. Just so happens I was invited to try out this bread for review and two luscious loaves of the Sprouted Grain Flax bread were delivered when I was about halfway through the book.

A sign? Perhaps.

You see, Scott Jurek rocks. He doesn't just run those crazy ultra-races, he wins them. He runs far and fast. I have no desire to get into the ultra-running world but, yeah, I'd take a little more speed and endurance. I mean, who wouldn't?

So, the bread. This stuff:

It is in no way your regular bread. Nope. It is made of sprouted grains, not flour. But, looks aside, the stuff is good. Really good. I love it. My boys, who I thought would scoff at the idea of even trying bread that looked so different from the norm, love it as well. So much so that I had to actually cut my younger son off. He wanted to eat too much of it and, well, his digestive system just wasn't up to the task of so many sprouted grains.

The bread is hearty and filling. And it is tasty. It makes great toast! I'm sold.

You can learn more about Food for Life on their web site. I'd never tried their sprouted grain breads before but, honestly, I'm now a fan. One of my favorite things is that Food for Life doesn't use any GMO ingredients in their products. That is the mark of a good company in my book!

Would I buy this with my own money? Sure would. In fact, I already have. Yes, the bread is much more expensive than the regular supermarket bread but it is also better. (I think it is about $4.99 a loaf at my local Price Chopper but I've been lucky to find $1 off coupons to use, which helps! Check out CommonKindness to see if they still have printable coupons.)

Have you tried any of the Food for Life Sprouted Grain products? 

Which is your favorite?

~ Felice




Review disclaimer: I was sent two loaves of bread for review. I was not otherwise compensated and the opinions expressed are entirely my own. I read Scott Jurek's book on my own. Took it out of the library, in fact!

Tips for running in the snow.

Welcome, winter!

Yup, winter is here so for lots of people -- like, me, here in the northeast -- that means snow. My hope is that, like last year, we'll have a fairly un-snowy winter. In case that wish doesn't come true, I'm prepared. Yes, I'm a big time treadmill runner when the days are too chilly to push my toddler in the jogging stroller and the evenings are just too dark and cold. But I do stick to outdoors for my weekend runs and I love it. 

So, for you, remember that a snowy season doesn't mean you have to give up your outdoors runs! Just be sure to follow a few key tips to ensure your safety when you head outside:

• Expect your runs to take more out of you. Running in the snow requires more energy so modify your expectations and your pace accordingly.
• Warm up well. Running on snowy or icy routes will call your outer- and inner-thigh muscles into action in ways they may not be used to. Be sure to warm up your legs muscles well with some extra flexibility exercises for those muscles. Rubbing your legs with The Stick or using a foam roller can work well.
• Wear trail shoes or add traction to your regular running shoes. Traction devices like YakTrax and STABILicers will give you extra stability in the snow.
• Make yourself visible. Gray days, dark evenings, and snowy weather can make it tough to be seen. Wear high-visibility or reflective gear so drivers can see you, if you run on roads. Consider getting a headlamp if you run in low-light conditions. 
• Alter your stride. To maintain better balance, shorten your stride and don't lift your feet as high as you normally do. Altering your stride will reduce your chances of falling or slipping.
• Activate your eyes. Be on the look-out for ice patches and snow-covered potholes, tree roots and other things that could trip you up. When in doubt, slow to a walk.
• Seek out fresh snow. Fresh snow provides more traction than packed snow.

If you follow these tips -- and you remember to dress for the weather -- running in the snow can be tons of fun. So get out there and enjoy yourself!

Do you have any other tips for running in the snow?

~ Felice