Very hard not to be shook by this.

Thoughts & prayers go out to everyone in Boston today.

5 No-Brainer Ways to Spice Up a Neighborhood Run

I live in a relatively small suburb outside of Pittsburgh known as Crafton, PA. While some don't like the idea of living in a town where you know a vast majority of the population, I truly like where I come from. I grew up in Crafton, and until my boyfriend and I buy a house (hopefully) later this year - it's the place I currently call home.

When the weather isn't 100% unbearable outside, you can generally find me running through Crafton. The town itself isn't very big, but I've mapped out both a 5k and a 10k course (the 10k does involve a bit more "circling the block" than I'd like, though). The nice thing about running in Crafton is the fact that there is a nice mixture of "holy crap" hills, "not-so-bad" hills, & flat land. I've found it to be great in terms of training for both short & long runs just because it's perfect for endurance building.

Because I consider myself somewhat of a "regular" when it comes to neighborhood running, I've listed five easy ways to spice things up when you're starting to get bored. As someone who has tested all of these strategies, I can tell you that they really are a nice way to break up an otherwise typical "neighborhood run". 

1. Don't Obey the Law: After running the same route for quite some time, I realized something funny about the course I chose to take. Because I was so used to not only running through Crafton, but DRIVING through Crafton - I noticed that I totally was obeying "One Way" streets on my runs. One day, I decided that I was going to make an effort to go the opposite way up these streets & it was surprisingly awesome. This works especially well if you're very familiar with an area, because you're able to get a view that you wouldn't normally get when driving through the area.

2. Go Down Memory Lane: If you live nearby or in the area where you grew up, I can't tell you how much fun it is to literally turn your run into a trip down memory lane. Make a point to run past places where you used to hang out, old friends' houses, the swimming pool where you used to spend every summer, etc... Every time I do this, I find that I get so lost in my own thoughts that I end up running longer without even thinking about it.If you want to up the ante - create a playlist to listen to during your memory run that's full of music from the decade you grew up in.

3. Get Funky: While this doesn't specifically apply to running in a neighborhood, it's something that I only do on training runs (not during timed races) to have a little bit of fun. Whether you want to do it with your current playlist or put together a new one - make up a "movement" for a part of every song. It could be something as simple as playing the air drums during the chorus or you could make it more challenging like doing a spin move and a tuck jump when the bridge comes in. Not only is it fun to listen to every song start and think "Ok, what's my move for this song?", but it's also a nice way to add in a little bit of extra "OOMPH" if you get fancy with your cues.

4. Switch It Up: I've found that so many runners JUST run and totally forget how important strength training is, as well. To incorporate leg work into your regular neighborhood run, do lunges down alleys instead of jogging. Anytime you know your approaching an alley, slow down a bit to regulate your heart rate, and lunge the length of the back road. Lunges will not only help you build strength in your legs, but they can also help reduce your risk of injury & improve your balance.

5. Capture It: This is something that I just recently thought of & I'll eventually be chronicling it here on the blog. At some point on your run, choose a spot to stop and take a picture. Try to pick a location with some character, too. Take a photo in this same spot every single time you run. It could be on your warm up, in the middle of your run when you find you typically need a break, or somewhere on your cool down. If you're a regular neighborhood runner, there's a good chance you take the same or a similar path back home when you run. Right now I only have 7 of these pictures, but I am loving this project already. Once the seasons begin to change, you can imagine how interesting it will be to see the transformation.

Keep Running,
Kelli

Nuu-Muu Exercise Dresses

So if you're anything like me, you heard the term "exercise dress" and made this face:

It's not exactly two things I'd ever associate together, but as a girl - I was intrigued. I don't necessarily consider myself "high maintenance" or anything like that, but I am a little bit of a girly girl. Usually I incorporate my love of all things girly into my running career through things like sparkly pink headbands and obnoxiously loud animal print leggings.

But a dress? That's an interesting concept.

Well Nuu-Muu brought it to life with their exercise dresses designed for women on the go. They're available in a bunch of fun patterns & I was given the opportunity to try out one of these little gems for myself.

I'm wearing the "Breeze" dress. Like all of the classic dresses, it runs $70.00 on the Nuu-Muu website. Also, I'm just wearing a pair of black yoga pants underneath. Those aren't attached to the dress or anything.

The dresses are honestly INCREDIBLY comfortable and you could easily spend the whole day in it unlike some other uncomfortably tight workout gear. The fabric is a lycra/polyester blend that is very soft and stretchy, but it's also not too thin which is great. It's also not a static-prone fabric which is a FANTASTIC because I have been seriously struggling with static cling lately.

The length of it is nice because it's not too long to where it looks old lady-ish, but it's also not so short that you're constantly worrying about your butt hanging out. I would recommend wearing yoga pants or leggings or shorts under it, though, just because there are slits on the sides that could allow for a little peek-a-boo action.

Another thing that Nuu-Muu has tended to focus on is the fact that they wanted to make a dress that was flattering on every figure. Not only does the fabric help with that, but the cut of the dress itself does, too. I have to note, as well, that there's no pulling or digging in the sleeve area, which is nice because so many sports tops annihilate your armpits. That sounds graphic, but you get my point.

Here's the slits on the side that I was talking about. Because of them, you're really able to move comfortably in the dress. Running, doing yoga, going to the grocery store - whatever. This is great for any active woman on the go, really. You'll be comfortable and feel good in what you're wearing no matter what you're doing - and I think that's really important.

Cute detailing with the keyhole in the front and the Nuu-Muu tag in the back. The higher back also allows the dress to cover most sports bras, too.

Keep in mind that Nuu-Muu also carries dresses for little gals & an upgraded pocket dress with a pouch in the back that makes carrying small items around with you easy and convenient. If you're interested - check out the Nuu-Muu website and gear up for whatever Spring activities you've got going on. 

Keep Running,

Kelli

Gettin Tipsy at Just a Short Run

As Pittsburgh attempts to enter Springtime 2013, I went ahead and ran the 13th Annual "Just a Short Run" in North Park over the weekend. As a popular training run for the Pittsburgh Marathon, this was an absolutely HUUUUGE event here in Pittsburgh. I ran the 8.1 mile course, but there were also 5k, half marathon, & 30k courses. The 8.1 mile alone had nearly 600 participants.

Instead of shirts, you got shorts for this run which was kind of cool. There were also "Feetures" socks in the goodie bags, so that was a nice little surprise, too. Usually it's just 6,000 pamphlets and a rubber bracelet.

I have to commend Elite Runners & Walkers for putting on a very organized race given the size of this event. With over 2,500 participants overall, it could have been a serious mess. My mom came with me to spectate and we were able to park, board the shuttles to the start line, & quickly get back to our car after the race. It was also a beautiful day (even if it was kind of chilly in the morning), so that helped make it a nice experience overall.

I was pretty happy with my time on this and came in right around my goal. My clock time was 1:17:05 but my chip time was 1:16:43. This was a really good training run for the half (which is just about a month away now), so I was happy. I don't know what the hell I did to my foot, though. It still feels like the top of it is slightly bruised. I honestly think when I retied my shoe to put the chip on it, I made it too tight & ended up paying for it. I was sick all last week with some horrendous stomach bug thing, so being able to pull this off without running my normal 5x a week while sick was a big accomplishment for me. I feel like I'm finally at the running level I've wanted to get myself to for the past 6 months or so. It feels really good & I am so excited for my upcoming Spring & Summer runs.

I have to say that I really enjoy the North Park course, too. If you're getting into running in Pittsburgh - this is just a really nice place to run. The course is a little bit hilly, but there's a nice little lake and some pretty wooded areas to run through. I also like that people can bring their dogs there because I genuinely enjoy seeing pups on my run :)

In other news, I wore my Tipsy Runner shirt to this run and I wanted to share them with you guys since I really love their brand. I did, however, decide to run with my track jacket on just because it was prett-y freakin cold on Saturday morning. But like a good review blogger, I took pictures beforehand!

Because let's be honest, runners love their alcohol.. Have you BEEN to a half marathon after party? The proof is in the pudding. This is the "Runner's Trio" shirt & it's available in both short sleeve (which I'm wearing) and long sleeve. I think the martini with the fishnets is my personal favorite. She's totally crushing it - look at that form.

I have to note that this shirt isn't just a flimsy little tech shirt. It's a very high quality athletic shirt and has a more breathable mesh-like paneling down the sides (which you can see here). This runs $35.00 on the Tipsy Runner website which you can check out here. They also have shirts for guys, so if your boyfriend or husband is a work out buff & a wine-o, they have him covered, too :) It's a truly comfortable shirt & it washes up nicely, too. If you're doing a wine country half (which is on my list for next year) - this would be the perfect shirt for it!

And after everything was all said & done, YEP - I sure did have some sangria in my Tipsy Runner wine glass :) These are also for sale on their site for $12.00.. This would make a really cute gift, too!

Thanks to both Tipsy Runner & Elite Runners and Walkers. Hope you're able to start running outdoors this week so you can stop choking on the sweaty stench of the dude next to you on the treadmill at the gym! Too much? I'll go now.

Keep Running,

Kelli

Coffee Meets Protein: Click Powder

I had a pretty intense struggle going for awhile when I started training for half marathons. In the mornings when I'm not training, I almost always have a travel mug full of coffee. But when I'm training, I drink a protein shake for breakfast 5 out of 7 days a week. It seemed impractical (and kind of wasteful) to make a protein shake AND a mug of coffee - so I was stuck compromising. On days when I had my protein shakes, I was almost ALWAYS dragging a little bit in the morning because I didn't have that jolt of caffeine like I was used to.

So let me show you about the face I made when I discovered that there is a PROTEIN POWDER that TASTES LIKE COFFEE with THE SAME AMOUNT OF CAFFEINE AS A DOUBLE SHOT ESPRESSO.

That face. That is the face I made.

Let me introduce those of you who aren't familiar to this miracle product from heaven. CLICK Espresso Protein Powder comes in Mocha & Vanilla, is packed with 15 grams of protein, two shots o real espresso coffee, and 23 vitamins & minerals. Whether you drink protein shakes in coordination with your training or your diet - this is an absolute MUST HAVE for anyone looking for a perfect morning meal replacement.

I even got a fancy 20 oz. Click blender bottle (which is slightly smaller than your typical blender bottle) that is perfect portion-wise. They do have these on their website, as well, for $7.99.

I tried both the Mocha & the Vanilla Latte flavors. I truly have the say that I enjoyed both of them, but I love chocolate so Mocha was my favorite. I want to note here that these do not have a weird artificial taste to them at all. There's no weird aftertaste or bitterness to the coffee flavor because it's ACTUALLY coffee. That was my main concern for this product, and I'm happy to say that I genuinely enjoy drinking it because it tastes so good. 

This is the Mocha powder itself. Each canister comes with a scooper & you put two scoops into your water to make a single shake. You can really get fun with your recipes, too. Mix it with ice, heat it up, add in other flavors... the possibilities are essentially the same as you'd have with your typical cup of coffee. The Click website actually has a ton of really awesome recipes you can test out, too.

My favorite way to drink it is to blend it with cold water (you can see the powder sitting on top of the water here before I shook it up) & then add some ice. The ice kind of freezes it a little bit and gives it kind of a watery slushy consistency. I have to note, as well, that this keeps me full until lunch time, as well. It's not a huge portion by any means, but it's 100% effective in terms of getting you your caffeine fix and filling you up.

If you're interested in buying or trying Click (sample packs of 3 are available for just $4.95), you can visit their website here. I have to note that it's also available in decaf if you're one of those people who starts tweaking if they have too much caffeine :) 

Big shout out to Click for being so sweet to me & for making a product I can truly say has become one of my daily staples! You guys have a great thing going.

Keep Running,

Kelli

Kell On the Run: Squarebar Review

This time of year is incredibly crazy for me. Between training for races, running races, working, & gearing up for my studio's annual recital in June, I find myself multi-tasking quite a bit. One of these multi-tasks involves eating in the car, and this becomes a heck of a lot easier when I have convenient foods to eat in said car.

In the same sense, I don't want to go through a McDonald's drive-thru. As convenient as chicken nuggets may be, I try pretty hard to behave myself during the week & stick to eating healthy. So as my quest continues to bring you healthy, quick, on-the-go-solutions - I present to you the Squarebar:

Three different flavors available: cocoa almond, cocoa crunch, & cocoa coconut (my personal favorite). You can get Squarebar's through Abe's Market in packs of 12 for $35. 

If you're a chocolate lover, you will really love these little devils. All of them are coated in organic dark chocolate & contain no artificial flavors or colors. They're also only 200 calories a bar, which makes them great for before the gym or to hold you over before dinner or whatever. I also have to note that they're totally organic, don't contain any gluten, soy, or dairy, and they're also Vegan friendly if that's your thing.

I think their size is perfect, too. I run into a lot of nutrition bars that are either too big or too small and I end up either wanting more or wadding up the portion I don't want to eat in the wrapper and forgetting about it in my car for a week. That's usually a fun surprise when I go to clean my car out and find a rock hard piece of granola bar in my center console.

The texture of these is pretty unique, as well. This one (the cocoa coconut bar) has visible pieces of coconut in it which I really liked since I am such a coconut fan. But they're not really chewy-chewy OR crunchy. It's kind of a soft solid (I hope this is making sense), so have no fear if you're not a fan of those overly stick-to-your-teeth chewy or crumbs-all-over-your-car-seat crunchy bars. It's unique, but really good.

You can also keep up with Squarebar via their website and facebook page. I'm always thrilled to find these companies that started in someone's kitchen and evolved into a really great product for healthy, active people. Big thanks to Andrew for hooking up Runkellirun.com & introducing us to a seriously great product!

Keep Running,

Kelli

5ks with Rainbow Leopard Legs

It's really unfortunate that I'm writing this post right now about how I just ran a 5k in beautiful weather last weekend and now it's quite literally raining ice outside. Pittsburgh weather has been so up and down lately, and it's such a bad time of year for that. I am totally over running on the treadmill every single time I train :( Breathing the hot, smelly air of the dude next to you running in a sweatsuit is not nearly as enjoyable as breathing fresh, Spring air. I have high hopes for next week.. hopefully this all goes away.

So anyways, I ran a race last weekend to benefit the Athletic Trainers Association here in Pittsburgh. It was along the river, which was pretty nice, except for the fact that it smelled like Seaworld in certain areas. It was like 50 degrees, though, so I honestly was just so thrilled to not need 18 layers.

I tried out my new leggings from B-Skinz during this race and it allowed me to win the award for the most awesome bottom half.

There wasn't really an award for that, but I would have won if there was.

These are their capri length rainforest leggings

They're $26 through their website

If you're into bright colors and crazy prints, you definitely should check out B-Skinz. They have ankle length leggings, capri length leggings, shorts, sports bras, skorts, and more. I also like their stuff because it's high-quality, and most of the crazy leggings I buy are from Wal-Mart and have a hole in them after a couple runs. I also have to add that they make crazy leggings for guys, too - so if you're a male runner who wants to run with Cheetah print legs, they totally have you covered. 

I really enjoyed the fact that we were able to hang out in the Steeler's indoor training facility before and after the race. It's an awesome building, and the turf was nice and comfortable to stretch on before the run. This race was very well-organized (which we all know is one of my major pet-peeves) and there was a station for everything both before and after the run. They had a silent auction and some raffle items, and I think my mom was slightly devastated that she didn't bring any cash or a check book with her, making her ineligible to bid on the sweet Pittsburgh Penguins stuff they had up for bid. Either way, it was a nice little set-up and there were about 300 people there.

I would post the picture they took of me crossing the finish line in this race, but I look like the biggest idiot on earth. So unless you want to dig through the archives and find me, that one will remain in the vault.

I did, however, PR for 2013 running it in 25:48. 11th in my age group, which surprised me, but there were a ton of serious runners in this race and less of a "let's do this for fun" crowd. Either way, I was happy to run it in under 26 and I am hoping to keep shaving time off from there. It's amazing what a difference the warm weather makes.

Keep Running,

Kelli