Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Reebok Zquick Running Shoe Review...

This post is sponsored by FitFluential, LLC on behalf of Reebok.
 
 “These shoes will make you UNNATURALLY QUICK!”
I have always been a fan of Reebok, but after trying the new Reebok Zquick zrated running shoes, I am SOLD. In the back of my mind I have always wondered why they wouldn't make a shoe out of car tires. I mean hello my tires on my car hold thousands of pounds and they last for thousands of miles. I get 3-400 miles on my shoes and they are done. Enter the Reebok Zquick...
What does Zrated mean on a shoe sole?
ZQUICK takes inspiration from Z-rated sports car tires, which are rated for speeds in excess of 149mph. Essentially, ZQUICK provides the same speed and handling for your feet.
Check it out...

 
The key to good handling tires is maximum ground contact; in tires it’s called a contact patch. It’s the amount of area in contact with the ground.  More area is better for handling and the more surface area means more distributed force and better grip.
 
For handling we also wanted to take into account the dynamics of the foot itself. Your foot changes in dimension when you put weight on.  When your foot is completely weighted, it’s about 5mm wider than when it’s in the air.  That’s your own naturally handling feature.  Your foot spreads out on impact to distribute force over a broader base.  To accommodate for that natural handling feature we built slashes into the bottom unit that go all the way to the lasting board so that your Z-series shoe spreads with you.

I was super excited about trying these shoes because, I have always had a problems with me toes spreading on impact when running. So I end up my feet being so sore after I run. I was able to wear the Reebok Zquick for a couple runs and also a few cardio Crossfit classes and I have to say they have been the most comfortable shoes I have ever wore, They are also super light weight and have a no sew upper bootie making them very comfortable to run in.
















I would tell anyone looking for a light weight, comfortable running shoe to definitely check out the Reebok Zrated Zquick shoe. They come in some awesome colors for men and women. You can purchase them online at Reebok.com.


Have you ever run in Reeboks? If so what is your favorite Reebok shoe?


Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Rock n Roll Marathon Series Relay Recap...

Rock n Roll Marathon Series Relay Race Recap
2012 Half, 2013 Full, and 2014 Relay medals













I have been kind of back and forth about writing this recap for a couple of reasons. I LOVE this race and have run it 3 years straight, but this year I was disappointed with a few things. Overall the race was put on exactly how it was the past couple of years which has been amazing.
The first year I ran it, I ran the 1/2 marathon. It was a blast and couldn't have been more fun...
Ray, Jennifer, Carra, and I rocking the half in 2012.














Jennifer and I had so much fun doing the half, we registered for the full marathon in 2013...
Shannon, me, and Jennifer in tears after finishing the full
marathon.
















So this year I decided that I wanted to check out the relay. I had previously ran the relay with my sister n law Hannah at Rock n Roll Phoenix...
Yeah we were rocking the RNR theme in
Phoenix. Hannah and I had a blast!





















Since I had already ran a relay with Rock n Roll before and had a blast, I thought that this would be the same scenario. So I called the BFF Melanie and asked her if she was interested in running it with me, and of course she was all for it.
Remember the awesome Koss
Headphones I reviewed for FitFluential a
few weeks ago? Well they are on sale
at Walgreens for $19.99 for a
limited, so go get you a pair, they
are AMAZING!
 


















The way that the RNR Nola relay works is that the first person runs 7.5 miles and the second person runs 5.6 miles. We had decided that I would run the first half and Melanie would run the second half. So Sunday morning came and we had our flat runners out and ready to get dressed...
Flat runners ROCK!












I lined up at the start line and off we went.

Melanie was able to jump in the first mile with me till she had to cut across the street to the transition area. I thought that it was kind of interesting that there was nothing telling you at the start which way to go to get to the transition area if you were running the relay. You basically had to rely on the small map they gave you at the expo. If you aren't familiar with the roads of New Orleans or the course you could get lost easily. And what else shocked me was that there was no shuttle or anything to transition area. So the first runner had to walk a mile to get to it. I realize that this may have been hard because of road closures but I think if they looked at the course a little closer they may have found a better transition zone. Anyways I was able to catch up with some friends around mile 2 and stayed with them for a couple of miles and then before I knew it I was rounding the corner at mile 7 for the transition. The course itself is amazing. They had great signs on course as to where to cut off for the transitions. (I thought I took a pic, sorry:( ) The problems started at this point...

After my half was done, I had thought about just jumping back in and finishing with Melanie after all at that point you only have 5.5 miles to go, however RNR specifically says if you don't stop at the transition you will be disqualifies and banned from running an RNR race, so of course I stopped. I understand this rule because you pay a cheaper price per person for the relay. Makes since! So after finishing they had a couple boy scouts passing out bananas, granola bars, water, and Gatorade. They gave you your medal and then you were told to walk straight down this particular street to get back to the start line where a shuttle would take you to the finish line. No problems right? Wrong, it was over a mile we had to walk down a not so safe street. Now for some of us that may not have been such a big deal, however most people run a relay because they cant run an entire half marathon. I saw a few people barely making it to the buses. They should have had some type of shuttle to get the people back to the start.

After riding the bus to the finish line party, you basically became a spectator. So you wait for your partner to come running into the finish line and into the chute where they are greeted with high fives, and you did its. They are given there medal and bananas, power bars, water, and chocolate milk. Then they can pose for their official finishers picture. This is where I think they messed up the most. The first person who ran the relay is not allowed in the chute to take an official finishers picture with their relay partner. Now some people might not think that its a big deal, but for some it is. You want the official picture saying you did it and you want it with your relay partner. After all you guys are running as one. It basically felt like those 100 or so people running the relay weren't as important as the half and full runners.



















Overall the race itself was a blast. The relay was fun too. I personally would never run it again just because it wasn't what I had expected and nothing like the relay in Phoenix. However I would tell everyone to run this race considering that most people would run the half or full and it is a fantastic race. Most people may not even know they offer a relay option. I just hope that maybe with a few changes it would be an even better experience.






Monday, February 3, 2014

Preview of this past weekend at Rock n Roll New Orleans

Hey guys, as most of you know I was in New Orleans for the Rock n Roll Marathon Series race. I absolutely LOVE this race and have ran it the past 3 years. In 2012, I ran the half marathon. In 2013, I ran the full marathon. So this year I decided I would tackle the relay with my BFF Melanie. If you didn't know already about the relay option that is offered, I will be recapping all the fun on Wednesday for you guys to read.
This year was the 5 year anniversary of the race being in New Orleans, so the bling was FANTASTIC...
I also told you guys last week about the epic RnR Tweetup that was going down on Saturday at the expo. Being around such awesome and inspiring people and bloggers made me feel amazing. Ill let you know who was there and what they talked about on Thursday...
Last but not least some of my fave peeps from Swiftwick Socks in Nashville made home in a booth at the expo in New Orleans. I was so happy they came and showed these Gulf Coast people how amazing their socks can be.
Stay tuned for my recaps on all the fun that was the Rock n Roll New Orleans Marathon Series Relay... 
QOTD: Have you ran a RNR race? If so which one?