Bockfest, A Few of My Favorite Things, and A Run I was Proud Of

This weekend was the Bockfest 5k in Cincinnati. A few of my friends wanted to do it and I was excited but torn about whether or not to run with my group. Luckily, they made the path to where we could cut off at 7 miles and be at the starting line to Bockfest.

A blooper picture of me with my running crew.

My friends quickly showed up at the race and we started together, but later split up. I stayed with my husband as this was his first 5k. He did a really good job and it was fun to coach him along the way.

Much beer and coneys were consumed afterwards, but I was definitely ready to go home and sit down after having my legs carry me 10 miles. The couch has never felt so glorious!

Really why I wanted to write this post though is to tell you about some of my favorite running things....

First off, tech socks and Body Glide, both things that help me from getting terrible blisters/chafing. As you may have seen, my blisters were totally out of control on my right foot. I didn't post a picture, but I actually got a second blister, caused by wrappings to cover up my first blister. It's been so annoying. Luckily, I've invested in 2 pair of new socks. There are several different brands. I picked Under Armour only because they were on sale. These socks are not made of cotton. Cotton gets very wet if you are sweating creating a rubbing effect on your feet which is probably what caused my blisters in the first place. These are not made of cotton so they don't get soaked when my feet sweat and they have treated me very well. These socks are expensive, hence why I browsed the clearance section. If you invest in a pair the L & R tell you what foot they go on. Body Glide also helps prevent rubbing. I now put this where my blisters are (to keep extra rubbing from happening) and I put them around my sports bra. Again, this is a place where I've gotten chafe marks from sweating. They burned really bad when I got in the shower! 

Next up, Cliff energy shots in the vanilla flavor. I've tried a lot of different nutrition because my running group provides samples. Even though these things grossed me out at first, I finally tried this and was so glad I did. These are great for long runs to replenish your energy with some carbs and sugars. It helps to prevent fatigue and I have to admit it really has helped me when I take one in the middle of my run. Out of everything, these have been the easiest to digest for me. I have a funky stomach (as mentioned before) and these did not seem to upset it like some of the other products did. I will be using this as I take on the Heart Mini next Sunday!

I'll be sharing more of "my favorite things" as the journey continues. I've learned what works mostly by learning what doesn't work.

 Lastly, I want to share a picture of a run from Wednesday night that I was super proud of. My pacing was sped up by the dreaded fartleks, but I didn't surrender. In fact, this time I really didn't even feel pain. It was a great feeling to finish on Wednesday and be in such good shape after a 10'42" pace. So good, that I was able to enjoy being proud of myself without negative self talk. Thanks Beyonce!