Friday Thrive

Read

Or, more appropriately, listen. I sometimes need some light background noise to help me focus on work, but I am honestly not a huge music person. Usually I play podcasts when I need background noise, but this week I started listening to Harry Potter on Audible as I worked. I’ve read the books so many times that the story won’t distract me from work and I enjoy having something longer than podcast. The book just plays in the background as I get into a groove of working on training plans and coaching. 

Friday Thrive

I am really enjoying re-reading books right now. A good book always reveals something new upon another reading, even if it’s the fifth re-read. 

Run

Outside Magazine featured a recent article titled “Life Lessons from Joan Benoit Samuelson” and this particular lesson stood out to me: “Technology is a good servant and a bad master.” Samuelson talks about how she learned to use her GPS watch on a run and when to leave it at home. Don’t let it control your runs, but use it to your advantage in training. 

That’s the approach I’ve been taking for the past few months, after spending a long time learning exactly how threshold, interval, and other places should feel. I am still overall a proponent of training by feel, but pace provides valuable feedback during certain runs. There’s no value in running faster than a workout should be and a GPS can keep you from turning that tempo run into a 5K time trial. But on easy days? I only look at that thing after the run. 

Friday Thrive

The approach reminds me of what Matt Fitzgerald said in his interview on the Running for Real podcast: run by effort on easy days and pace on hard days (paraphrased). 

Wear 

Ryan’s outdoor gear business, The Gear Well, recently launched a casual wear collection including T-shirts and hats. The shirts made of a soft, breathable tri-blend and are so comfortable. The moose tee is my favorite. The unisex small was a bit baggy on me, so I would recommend ordering the women’s cut for a more fitted shirt. I’ll probably try the women’s cut with this bear shirt.  (P.S. Stay tuned for a giveaway soon!)

Friday Thrive

Hydrate

REI hosted their annual Memorial Day sale, so of course we had to go to their flagship store and shop. I had been searching for a larger hydration system since Ryan, Ollie, and I started running our long runs together. The small Amphipod bottles that I stashed in the pockets only suffice for Ollie now, especially when we have to dump water over his head to keep him cool. 

I dislike waist belts that place the water bottles near the front of the hips, I wanted something less annoying than a handheld, and I didn’t want a full hydration vest (yes, I can be that picky about things I carry/wear on a run). I found this Nathan Peak Waist Pack, which places the bottle in an easy-to-access position against the lower back. I usually carry my phone in my back pocket and barely notice it, so I am hopeful that this one is comfortable.  

Friday Thrive

 

Eat

My mom randomly sent us some Epic snack sticks (thank you, Mom!) and I was very surprised at how delicious these were. I’ll only eat Paleo jerky because that ensures no soy or creepy preservatives, but some Paleo jerky is more of a jaw workout than a satisfying snack – not ideal for a hiking snack. These jerky strips are tender, flavorful, and well-seasoned. My favorite flavor is the Venison Steak with sea salt and pepper

Friday Thrive

[Tweet “What to read, wear, eat, and more in this week’s #FridayThrive @TheGearWell @outsidemagazine @EPICbar “]

Do you re-read books?
What’s your current favorite snack?

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15 Responses

  1. I don’t usually reread books and I actually found that I had a hard time paying attention to audio books. Ive always been more of a visual learner so it makes sense. It would probably be different to listen to something I’ve already read since I wouldn’t miss anything if I got distracted.

    1. I’m more of a visual learner as well, so audiobooks work best for me on re-reads (or very, very long boring car rides). When I know the story, I can fill in any gaps I miss.

  2. I missed JBS article. She’s one cool chick. I got to meet and run with her a few years ago. Someone asked her about what supplements she recommends and her answer was – real food. Supplements give you really expensive pee. Love it!

  3. I love JBS. She is very quiet in person–intimidating because she can be very hard to read. But lady knows what is up.
    Jim Dale’s narration of the harry Potter books is completely masterful. I only think of them in those voices that he created, not the movie voices!

  4. I used to run with that exact same Nathan belt. It’s nice, and comfortable. I hope you like it. I only stopped using it because I want a 2-bottle belt so I can carry both water and sports drink on my long runs.

  5. I really like snacking on FitJoy bars. I just ate a cinnamon roll one. Lots of protein which is good after workouts, and I like the cinnamon roll protein bars more than actual cinnamon rolls. Weird huh?

    I always wear my watch. I wear it when I’m not running and my wrist feels naked without it, so I never leave it at home. I don’t look at my pace during runs, especially easy runs, but I like to wear it to at least know how long I ran for my training log. It automatically syncs, so otherwise I’d have to manually figure out the distance and manually add it to my training, so I’d rather just wear the watch. I do agree people get way too caught up in paces. Many runners honestly never have an easy day and every run is a race, including group runs which basically involve people chasing Strava segments or racing the others on the run.

    1. I wear my watch also but flip it over to tell time (especially running early the morning, I need to know what time it is more than anything) – the automatic syncing is definitely a plus. There’s a huge difference between having the watch and being a slave to it – especially on those easy days!

  6. I’m not sure I could eat a piece of jerky with an actual photo of the animal on the packaging. I have a hard enough time cutting open rotisserie chicken. Ha ha ha! Oh wow, my cat is snoring beside me right now. I’ve never heard her snore! I didn’t even know cats COULD snore. Anyway, I really love the shirts that Ryan came out with. I’m thinking about getting a couple, except my belly bump would get in the way. I know my oldest son Jake would love the “Outdoorsy AF” shirt.

  7. I am thinking about getting a portable water bottle and that waist back that you mentioned seems like a good solution. I might have to look into it… thanks!

    Also: that t-shirt with the elk is so cute!

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