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ENERTOR™ Insoles Review

A few weeks ago I was sent some full insoles from the lovely people at Enertor Insoles.

As regular readers are probably aware, I’m terrifically injury prone and, due to my fallen arches (flat feet), I tend to suffer from lots of injuries. Obviously I can’t simply blame my feet because there have been many times I’ve made stupid training decisions too, like not taking enough rest between races. But I live and learn. Eventually…

Anyway, as I said I was sent some insoles for my trainers for when I run. I’m not new to insoles and have used them on and off for a number of years. So when I was sent these I was quite intrigued to give them a go.

Though the insoles do help ward against injuries, they apparently also aim on improving performance. They give long-term cushioning and aim to support normal muscle function and reduce leg pain. They’re made with patented D3O® technology, which is basically a “smart” material that cushions and supports the foot when the foot is moving slowly but when there’s an impact (i.e. your foot hitting the ground) the material absorbs and disperses the energy. This allows the insoles to reduce shock by 44% and provide energy returns of up to 36% [Source].

You cut the insoles down to size using regular scissors to fit your trainers and then slide them in (in place of your original insoles).

Thoughts? They were easy to cut to size and put in my trainers. I found them really comfortable. I didn’t notice them as much as previous insoles but I could tell they were there. In terms of improving my performance, I couldn’t really say but they are comfortable and I felt like my feet were adequately supported. Running was nice and smooth. It helps that I’m becoming a lot more aware of my feet since working with my physio to improve my arch strength and I could feel that the insoles were helping support this.

I’ve had previous insoles which have been really inflexible and have given me very bad blisters  but these are far more forgiving – no blisters! That’s not to say they don’t support my feet, but they seem to work better with my feet rather than forcing them into a very unnatural gait. What I loved about them is that they’re designed to reduce the pressure on the forefoot and improve the functionality of the big toe area – which is key for flat footed people like myself and something my physio has specifically mentioned. They are quite ‘springy’ as well – you can feel the cushioning power of them.

So I’m very happy to continue to wear these in my trainers. And they apparently last 18 months which is very good! So I can just remove them and put them in new trainers as I go.

I was also sent a technical Enertor t-shirt as well which is always very welcome! Especially as it isn’t ginormous on me.

Have you ever tried insoles?

What kind of trainers do you wear?

Are you injury prone?

**Full Disclaimer: I was sent the insoles and the t-shirt in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own honest ones.**

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Rants and Raves #34

Oooh I have a few ranty points today. Can’t beat some cathartic ranting, am I right?

Rant: I love parkrun, as you may well be aware (!), and I think people who are anti-parkrun are insane. Literally insane. But I can understand that people who don’t understand its magical properties (community spirit, getting outside, promoting volunteering, promoting health and well-being, inspiring people to do great things, etc. etc.) may not be as on board. On Saturday everyone who parked their car along a residential road next to Netley Country Park where the Netley parkrun takes place had their car keyed.

This is disgusting and there is NO REASON that this should happen. OK so a herd of cars appearing every Saturday and parking up your road could be annoying – I fully understand that. No one wants their road blocking up (by the way, the cars don’t block the road, they just park LEGALLY). But to do something as destructive as that? That’s awful. If the person responsible was so angry then surely they should have left a strongly worded note or come out of their hole house and spoken to the car owner’s – LIKE AN ADULT. Seriously what is wrong with people to think this is an acceptable way to deal with what they see as an issue?

(It was reported to parkrun and they’re investigating)

Rave: Onto more happier notes. You know I’m an idiot and booked my flight home from my recent Spanish holiday twice (read about that wonderful saga HERE)? Well, the lovely people from Expedia read my blog and sent me a very nice email. They offered to refund the ticket I booked by mistake! Happily they didn’t think I was an idiot (though who could blame them if they did?) and said they could relate to the mistake and wanted to give me a happy ending by refunding me the money. Ahh so nice of them! I hardly need to sing Expedia’s praises (most of my holidays are booked with them because, hello savings) but this has made me feel all warm and fuzzy about them

Rant: Having to take Alfie to the vets for a teeth clean. I say teeth clean but this involved him having to be anaesthetised…

He’s a sensitive soul and doesn’t like change. For example, being in the car causes him to shake (I have no idea why, he’s had no bad experiences in one!) so being at the vets is really not his cup of tea. It was quite heart-breaking to drop him off and say goodbye. The nurse told me to leave rather than her take Alfie away so it wasn’t quite as brutal (still felt it). Apart from Alfie’s displeasure of course, the two worst parts were a) the nurse calling him “borderline senior” at seven years old. WHAT? He’s going to live forever!! and b) it costing over £300. OUCH. But he’s worth it of course.

Rave: I have a bit of a resistance band addiction it appears. I now have no less than five. One is a long one I use for assisted pull-ups (as mentioned in a previous post), the other is a cheap one that I’ve tied together and use round my ankles for crab and monster walks and the other three are new purchases.

I got them from Amazon very cheaply. And they come with their own little bag which is handy. They come in three different strengths. They’re a lot shorter and don’t require tying so are perfect for using doing things like clamshells and leg lifts (all about that glute activation!). And they seem a bit more hardy.

Rant: I now dread part of my walk with Alfie in a morning. As I get closer to the pond I just hope the duck lady isn’t there (the one that yelled abuse at me). Some mornings she is and some she isn’t. When she is she glares at me. She honestly stands there looking at me with this horrible look on her face! It makes me feel so uncomfortable. I refuse to put Alfie on his lead as 9/10 he doesn’t go after the ducks, but I spend my time praying that Alfie keeps his interests away from the pond. I’ve seen other dogs chase the ducks so I don’t feel quite as awful as clearly Alfie is not the devil incarnate (or more likely, I’m not a terrible owner) but it still makes for an unpleasant experience. One funny morning was Alfie running over to her and eating all the bread she’d thrown. That made my morning.

Rave: New trainers! It’s funny because I was checking on Strava the other day and noticed that the trainers I’d been using after Boston were well over 300 miles. Now I realise that to some people (you lucky souls) that’s no issue but for my last few injuries it’s always occurred with trainers that are over 300 miles. Perhaps this is entirely coincidental but I do know that most of my injuries occur because of my fallen arches (as my physio keeps telling me and stressing me to do my exercises every day). Remember when I wore those old trainers for that fateful failed 18 miler in Wales? Well, anyway this called for new trainers to be bought immediately and something I will pay stricter attention to in future.

I kept to my trusty Mizuno’s Wave Paradoxes. I’ve used them pretty much since I started running. I’m a fan of Asics, Brookes and Adidas too but generally it’s Mizuno for the bulk of my mileage.

Rant: (at myself) For buying the wrong size *face palm*.

Rant: The real aggression there is out there for Pokémon Go (I promise I’ll stop bringing this game up in my blog). What is the issue for a bit of harmless fun? (Let’s ignore the few and far between stories of the idiots who take it to a different stupid level). My parkrun friends did have a good laugh at me though when I was playing while we were setting up on Saturday morning. They suggested a more useful game for me would be “Boyfriend Go” but the Pokémon thing was probably hindering that. Fair point.

Cinnamora Drink Review

I was contacted via Twitter by @CinnamoraDrink to try out their new cinnamon infused drink Cinnamora. I thought “why not?”. It sounded a bit weird but I was happy to give it a go.

Basically it’s a still soft drink that, well, tastes of cinnamon. It’s almost zero in calories, contains no fat, no added sugars and made from ceylon cinnamon. The ingredients are cinnamomum zeylanicum extract, citric acid, sucralose, and water. Apparently cinnamon is widely used in ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine for conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol and indigestion.

My thoughts? I won’t lie, I really didn’t like it. The flavour just didn’t sit well with me. To be honest I think that’s because of the cinnamon associations I have. For me cinnamon means Christmas, hot drinks, gingerbread and Christmas cake. To drink it as a cold beverage just messed with my brain a bit. It’s not an unpleasant taste or disgusting, it’s sweet and refreshing – it’s just personally for me it didn’t work. I gave a few cans to some friends to see their thoughts and they were a lot more positive than me, but they still thought it was a bit odd.

I think that this drink would probably work better in the States as they have such a huge cinnamon love over there, whereas in the UK, cinnamon really only comes out in baking and Christmas time. I could be very wrong though!

What’s getting you riled up lately?

What are your thoughts on cinnamon?

When do you buy new trainers?

**Full Disclosure: I was sent the Cinnamora drinks for free in exchange for my honest review.**

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Rants and Raves #33 and Phoenix Fit UK Elastic LaceSystem review

Hello, hello! I shan’t mention the obvious (to us in the UK) this morning as I don’t want to go into political discussions on my light and fluffy blog…however, I will say that I just hope that the future is as bright and cheery as the Leave campaign pledged it would be (*cough*). For me it’s a rant but to others it might be a rave. We shall see! Anyway I have other rants and raves for you today, hope you enjoy!

Rant: My name just seriously causes problems for people. It’s Anna Smith-JAMES. I get so many variations and people just don’t seem to get the hyphen. The two names are relatively simple, why is it so difficult to understand? This was the reserved sign for our Sadlers meal at the weekend.

Come on people!

Will I change my name back to just James when Ben and me complete our divorce? Probably not. I like my name at the moment and it’s such a ridiculous faff to have to go through so much paper work to change it.

Rave: New gym and running gear. Yes the obsession continues to live on. I can’t help myself. I buy more workout clothes than I do normal clothes. And to think if I do get into climbing I’ll need to buy more stuff for that I’m sure

A lovely lady was wearing some really nice Adidas shorts at parkrun and I asked her where they were from and she said Sports Direct! And they were in the sale too. So I literally went out and bought them that day.

They have pink shorts underneath the black material which looks really cool and prevents any unfortunate moments of exposure. Oooh er!

I also bought three new sports bras from Forever 21. I love Forever 21 as it’s very cheap and the colours and styles are always really bright and fun, and you can choose between low, medium and high impact.

Rant: When I was bouldering on Sunday I got a savage blister on my finger. I won’t share a picture because I hate it when people do this as I hate wounds and things like that on the Internet (I suppose you could argue that vegetarian/vegan readers might feel similarly to my excessive meat pictures on my blog, sorry!).

Anyway it is ridiculous how painful my finger is. The pain woke me up in the middle of the night! It’s only a small wound but it’s basically exposed flesh from where the top layer of skin has been rubbed off from the climbing. I have a true appreciation for the pain that Ramsey Bolton’s victims went through. I would not survive well under torture I can tell you that!

Rave: On the meal at Sadlers on Saturday there was a party of twenty people. Happily we had ordered our food and been served before them so our service was tip top and quick. This did mean though that during our meat coma at the end we got to see there food arrive.

And arrive it did! They had meat platters for everyone and this basically meant three HUGE wooden platters just piled full of food, following by bowls of chips coming afterwards.

It was insane. We just looked on in awe (though none of us craving ANY food by this point!).

Though despite saying I wouldn’t need to eat meat again for a good week, I have started to get the cravings again. I tend to eat a lot of fish during the week but I’m glad I have the contents of my swan of shame in the freezer…

Rant: [Game of Thrones spoiler alert] What is Sansa thinking?? Withholding crucial information from Jon because…? Either it’s bad writing or Sansa is not who we thought she was. Also, there are some ridiculous Sansa pregnancy rumours going around social media. This will really annoy me if it comes to be true because in the books Sansa and Ramsey haven’t actually met.

And I fully topped up Alfie’s food bowl that evening

Phoenix Fit UK Elastic LaceSystem

I was recently sent some new elastic lock laces from Phoenix Fit UK.

Basically you swap your regular laces for these elastic laces and, due to the lock system, you don’t need to actually tie the laces. They’re primarily aimed at runners.

The pack comes with easy-to-follow instructions (and there is a YouTube video you can watch as well) so it didn’t take long for me to put them in my trainers. You then snip the excess laces and add the lock system onto the end. It sounds more complicated than it is really.

I chose a pink colour and they go so well with my Helly Hansen trainers. And, having worn them many times now, find the laces to be very easy to tighten, keep my foot secure in my trainer and are really comfy. It’s actually upgraded my trainers a bit as previously I had just plain white laces that had seen their best.

I imagine they’re ideal for triathletes because they’re super quick to loosen and tighten, which is handy for the transition areas. You can buy the laces in many different colours from Amazon for £6.49, which in my eyes is a bargain.

What are your rants and raves this week?

Lock laces or regular laces?

Game of Thrones watchers, did you enjoy the last episode?

**Disclaimer: I was sent the laces for free in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own honest ones.***

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Books Lately

I’m a big fan of books. I’m always reading something and as soon as I finish one book I’m on to another. That’s not to say I’m a particularly fast reader or that I read intellectually challenging or deep things but I always like to have something on the go.

I used to be one of those people who would always, without fail, finish a book. But actually I’ve realised life’s too short for books you don’t enjoy. It’s supposed to be pleasurable after all so if something really isn’t interesting to me I’ll drop it and move on. Here are some of the books I’ve enjoyed lately.

Room – Emma Donoghue

OK strictly speaking I actually listened to this as an audiobook. The book is told entirely from a child’s perspective so it was narrated as so. At first I was a bit dubious thinking “Oh god, do I really want to listen to a 5-year old tell a story?” but I kept at it as it instantly drew me in.

From Amazon:

“Jack lives with his Ma in Room. Room has a single locked door and a skylight, and it measures ten feet by ten feet. Jack loves watching TV but he knows that nothing he sees on the screen is truly real – only him, Ma and the things in Room. Until the day Ma admits there is a world outside.”

I’m desperate to see the film now as it was such a moving and fascinating story. Yes the subject matter is pretty grim and it can be very dark at times, but the book’s tone and overall story was not dark. There is such an innocence as well with it being from a child’s perspective. Obviously if it had been told from the mother’s perspective it would undoubtedly be a grim and different story.

Behind Closed Doors – B. A. Paris

I do look at the bestseller lists for a lot of my books. You kind of know you’re going to get a fairly decent read as the masses have gone for it and like a sheep I follow (though ‘decent’ can be a stretch for some books…). This is about a husband and wife who from the outside look perfect but as you find out more and more it turns out it’s a horrible fabrication.

It’s fairly unbelievable I have to say but it was a definite page-turner. I was desperate to find out what would happen. The characters are a bit one dimensional but as thrillers go it was pretty good. Good holiday read!

The Diet Myth – Tim Spector

I do love a bit of myth busting when it comes to so-called nutrition facts and ridiculous diets.

From Amazon:

“Drawing on the latest science and his own pioneering research, Professor Tim Spector demystifies the common misconceptions about fat, calories, vitamins and nutrients. Only by understanding what makes our own personal microbes tick can we overcome the confusion of modern nutrition, and achieve a healthy gut and a healthy body.”

Really interesting. A little repetitive at times as it obviously had a slight agenda with the whole microbe and gut focus but it really opened my eyes. I knew our gut health was important but never to this extent. There are some great anecdotal and scientific research which is really fascinating. It’s not quite the page turner but still interesting.

Bossypants – Tina Fey

I was at a loss of what audiobook to go for (I have the Audible subscription of getting one book a month) and had heard so many people rave about how funny this was and how brilliant Tina Fey is and as she was the narrator for the audiobook it sounded good. Don’t get me wrong, she is funny and I did laugh but because I didn’t know a huge amount about her and had never watched Saturday Night Live it wasn’t as good as I hoped – some stuff was lost on me. I have a lot of respect for her though and she’s clearly very talented.

Happily – Sophie Tanner

I was contacted by the author to read this book. It sounded like such a bizarre but interesting story so I was intrigued!

From the author:

“Happily is a story about a woman who marries herself. In a case of life imitating art I married myself in a performance at Brighton Fringe Festival last May – you can read more on that in a feature I wrote for Stylist.com here.”

This sounded like quite a refreshing and weird book to read. I was a bit dubious at first but it’s such a fun and light read I found myself really enjoying it. It’s got a really good theme running through it that basically you need to love yourself before you can love someone else, which I fully believe. Don’t expect someone to be your missing piece or to fulfil you. Fulfil yourself first! A nice change form the usual “must find man” themed chic flicks.

You can download a copy on Amazon. You can find more about the author here:

Do you read a lot?

What’s your usual book of choice?

What’s your favourite book? 

**Full disclosure: I received a pdf copy of Happily by Sophie in return for a review. All opinions are my own honest ones.**

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Deep Heat Muscle Massage Roll-On Review

As I mentioned in a previous post, recovery is so important when it comes to training. For people who are, dare I say, a little obsessed with running and exercise (yes I fully include myself in that camp), we’re always after ways to get back to training as quickly as possible. There are no quick fixes obviously, not without becoming a full-time elite who has the beck and call of physios, dieticians, trainers, coaches, sponsors etc. etc., but there are small things that can make a difference and help us mere mortals out.

I’ve been sent the new Deep Heat Massage Roll-On to test out and I was quite intrigued by it. I’ve used the heat patches before and found them quite effective but as a one-time use thing, not exactly cost-effective. The gels and creams are all a bit messy… So a roll-on sounds perfect and travel-friendly!

Deep Heat is used to ease and loosen muscles. This is a new format as it’s applied through a rollerball applicator. It’s a drug-free way of reducing muscle tension and DOMs (delayed onset muscle soreness), increasing blood flow and without any stickiness. A key ingredient of the roll-on works by activating the TPRV1 receptors in our skin which alert the brain to a sudden change in temperature at the site of application. This can help realign muscle fibres and break down adhesions and scar tissue. Ideally it is to be used post-exercise or on injury-spots to help with rehab. You can even use it pre-exercise to help loosen muscles up ready to get going.

Thoughts? I really like this. The roller ball is great as it’s provides some good massage into niggly, difficult-to-get to areas (hello hips). Massaging with your hands is all well and good but having an actual ball thing is perfect. I often use a tennis ball to foam roll so this was a perfect for me. It was also perfect when my foot was niggling me.

It gives a gentle heat to the area and feels very similar to the cream. It has a light fragrance but definitely still smells like Deep Heat, though it’s not unpleasant. The lotion comes out very easily as you roll it onto yourself but my only qualm with it is if you want to really use it for massaging the area then they’ll be lots of lotion coming out. It makes the area of skin not sticky or greasy but just, well, covered in the lotion. I would then have to use my hands to massage it in a bit more. This isn’t that much of an issue as more massage isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s also very handy to take with you to races or pop in your gym bag.

The rollerball is available from Boots, Tesco and other pharmacies and supermarkets for £4.99.

Do you use Deep Heat?

Do you get regular sports massages?

Do you warm-up before exercise?

  **Full Disclaimer: I was sent the Deep Heat for free in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own honest ones.**