I neither understood nor appreciated the importance of quality running socks until last week. Yes, I own a pack of three great, legit, running socks, but I just figured they were comfortable but overpriced. I didn't see the point in buying more. I figured I could just buy a pack of low cut Puma socks from TJ Maxx, and they would do the same thing as my fancy Road Runner Sports running socks. Boy, was I wrong. All it took for me to quickly learn the error of my ways was to go on a few long runs. About three miles in to each run, almost to the exact distance, I would start having weird pains in different parts of my feet. First, it would start in the ball of my foot. There was internal and external pain. It hurt! Then, my heels would start having the same pain as the ball of my foot. Sometimes, I would have to sort of trot, just to ease some of the pain. At the end of those runs, my arches would be screaming! I remember being perplexed, until I realized what the problem was. ...

I haven't done a Mix It Up post in a while, and I thought it was about time for me to talk about how I've been mixing it up lately. You guys, I have really started to love trail running! It feels great on my joints (especially my knees and ankles), and I love the feeling of being outdoors, running through the woods, clearing my head. I don't need to listen to music to entertain me, and it just feels so natural to me (I guess it is, technically?). Trail running isn't for everyone, but if you like being outdoors and you haven't tried it, it's probably something you should take a crack at (after you clear it with your doctor, blah blah blah). ...

Howdy, lovely reader! Now that I have a week under my belt at the new/old job, and yesterday was my last day at my part-time job (Ann Taylor), I feel like I can finally unwind a little bit and give my blog (and my readers) a little more love. Woohoo! That little bit of extra free time also means that I can refocus on my fitness goals. I have been playing more volleyball, and my runs (when I run) have been longer, so I haven't been totally sedentary, but I know that I can do better. And so I shall! This week, I'll be beginning my half marathon training. I'm using the No Meat Athlete Half Marathon Roadmap .  I'm not vegetarian, but one of my vegetarian friends suggested using the running plan to successfully complete my first half marathon. So, to have some accountability, and to put my plan down in writing, I put together my first week of half marathon training, using the Roadmap  as a guideline. ...

People, people, people... I am POOPED! I started my old/new job this week (I'll explain some other time), and I have been helping out with the college volleyball team I'm assistant coaching this season. Between the job transition, coaching, and trying to get some rest, I have been neglecting my exercise and blog. I'm sorry! I'm sure you all, in all of your loveliness, totally understand. :-) This week, once again, I am linking up with the lovely ladies of the WOW Linkup . This week's theme is, "What's Your Favorite Sport?" Now, unless you haven't been paying attention, you should know that my favorite sport to play is volleyball. Little known fact about me? My favorite sport to watch is... ...

UPDATE: AMRAP made a change to the prizes! Please check below for more information! If you're a regular reader and/or social media follower, then you know that I am always on the hunt for good things to grab and go for pre- and post-workout. As I've gotten more serious about running, I've discovered that this is more important than I'd initially thought, and since this revelation, I am slowly becoming more intentional about what I put in my body to help with recovery and pre-workout energy. That's why I was ecstatic last month when I was given the opportunity to receive and review the new AMRAP Bar flavors, thanks to my Sweat Pink Ambassadorship. I received a box of AMRAP bars in Fig Cacao, Cashew Vanilla, and Almond Honey. At first glance, I noticed that they were much bigger than I'd expected. They are about the size of a personal check, and pretty dense. This should be interesting , I thought. Keep in mind that I am super cynical about new health food ...

Happy Hump Day! Is is still considered Hump Day, since most people in the States had Monday off...?  I hope you're having a wonderful first week of September! I know I am! I spent the first day of September (Labor Day) getting my sweat on! Sweatember, I think they call it? My brother and I ran across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge -- a bridge that separates Maryland and Virginia by crossing the Potomac River. We didn't run the full Woodrow Wilson Bridge Trail , which would have resulted in a 7-mile run, but we did run most of it, for a total of 5 miles. That was my second 5-mile run in four days, which sounds crazy to me as a newbie runner, but also sounds like I'm making great progress for being able to complete a 10K this month -- my latest goal. A volleyball friend of mine has basically convinced me to run the Annapolis Running Classic Half Marathon at the end of November, so I'll be training a lot harder over the next few months so that I can successfully complete...