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Injury update and SimplySupplements Review

Friday! I love Fridays as you know you just have to get through the working day and then you’re freeeeee to enjoy whatever. I like my job but I like weekends more šŸ˜‰ And happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers. Thanks for clogging up my social media with ridiculously amazing looking food. It was tough scrolling through all of that while I munched on my lettuce and tuna!

Just a quick update on my running and then on to a review. I’m really really hoping my injury is on its way out for good. I’ve run twice more since that grumpy parkrun I did at the weekend. One was three miles on Monday and another three miles on Wednesday.

My usual route around work is a bit of an annoying one as it’s so hilly so the first mile is always feeling amazing as it’s mostly downhill… then the second mile is pretty much a slog uphill. But it’s a nice variation to just a flat run.

On Monday I felt some discomfort and tightness around my knee, but no pain. Then for Wednesday’s run the discomfort was a lot less. Things are looking good! I won’t lie though, the running is hard work. I’ve lost all my endurance and speed. Strangely though I don’t mind. For my Liverpool marathon last year this is how I started and I was able to gradually improve. It’s quite exciting getting faster and running longer as the weeks go on. It’s a far more enjoyable process for me than being top of my game and sharpening the point to hit faster and faster times. That might not sound that believable but genuinely this is how I feel. When you’re at your PB level, hitting those faster and faster times becomes quite painful for me so having a gentle build up like this is a bit more relaxed! Progress is far easier šŸ˜‰

My plan for now is just to continue running 3-5 miles nice and easily three times a week. Sometime mid-December I’ll start to increase things gradually as I start heading towards marathon training for Boston.

On to the review. This is my third review with SimplySupplements I believe. I like the company and I like their products. I don’t take a vast amount of supplements as I’m big believer in getting valuable nutrients and vitamins from your food.

SimplySupplements sent meĀ Glucosamine 500mg and Chondroitin 400mg:

Glucosamine is naturally found in the body and helps support joints and connective tissues. This natural production can decrease though with age as well as injuries negatively impacting on the body’s cartilage. Chondroitin is also included in this supplement as it’s been found that the combination is more effective when taken together in terms of the body absorbing glucosamine. The glucosamine and chondroitin are high quality marine sourced (and therefore not vegetarian or vegan unfortunately).

You take three tablets a day with food. The capsules are nice and small and easy to take. I will put my hands up and say I don’t have a science background or know the research for whether or not these are effective supplements to take but what I will say is that from speaking to other people (like my mum, who’s a nurse) they agree that glucoasamine is supposed to be good for joints. As a runner this is obviously very important to me! I also have a history of arthritis in my family so I’m also aware that I need to take good care of my joints as I grow older – and as I continue running. It’s actually one of the most popular supplements, other than Omega 3, that is regularly taken as well. Anyway, I’ve been more than happy to take this as I come back from injury!

What supplements do you take regularly?

When do you start marathon training for a spring marathon?

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

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Calabrian preserves and running update

Right, before I get into any injury and running talk… I have a lovely little review of some Calabrian preserves.

I was sent a trio of typical Calabrian preserves from Artimondo.

The delicacies are produced by Sirianni, a family business founded by Agostino Sirianni in 1999 and located in Cittanova, a small hamlet in the province of Reggio Calabria, Italy.

The trio consists of (from left to right in the photo) Spilinga ā€˜Nduja sausage spread, Tropea red onion jam  and a black olive patĆ©.

Spilinga ā€˜Nduja Sausage Spread

“ā€˜Nduja is the most typical and traditional culinary delicacy of Calabria, Southern Italy. Its name comes from ā€œandouilleā€, the French word for sausage, and it consists in a very soft sausage, so tender that it can be spread. Its unmistakable flavour is vigorous and piquant.” Source

I made the mistake of putting a big blob on a teaspoon to try it out before using it in anything. MISTAKE. It is ridiculously spicy. Spicy in a nice aromatic way though. It’s lovely and flavoursome. I jazzed up some rather boring courgette spaghetti (courgetti – I hate pasta). I made sure to tame it down with a bit of cream cheese though as it was quite spicy. It’s apparently very good on bread and pizza (and of course regular pasta!).

Tropea Red Onion Jam

This is Italy’s answer to onion marmalade I think. It is SO good. I’m loving it. It’s lovely and sweet but does have a slight bitter twang to it, which adds to the flavour. It’s advised to have with grilled meats and mature cheese, so very much like a chutney on a cheese board or a ploughmans.

To be honest, I’ve just been throwing it into stir fries and salads. It goes especially well with grated parmesan cheese (chicken, the jam and parmesan = SO GOOD). I have such a sweet tooth and love the savoury-sweet combo so this just rocks my world.

Black Olive PatƩ

I was a little confused about this one. It’s apparently a black olive patĆ©… but I couldn’t see any black olives. And it didn’t seem like any patĆ© I’m familiar with! It was more like an olive pesto. Again, it’s ideal for topping bread, pasta and pizza. I added it to courgetti again.

There’s a lot of oil in it but it’s so flavoursome and mixes really well with the ‘pasta’. It is quite spicy but not crazily so.

It went very nicely with tilapia (a white fish) and chicken as well. If you don’t like olives, you won’t like it as the olive flavour is very strong. I love the taste of olives so this really worked for me.

All three jars are Ā£14.96 (inc. P&P anywhere in the UK). A nice addition to a meal šŸ™‚

Now on to my run on Wednesday evening… I ran at an easy pace for three miles. In general it was quite tough. I’ve lost a lot of fitness and as I haven’t done any cardio (bar a few minutes of warming up before my strength workouts) or running for 6.5 weeks. That said, I didn’t need to walk and I wasn’t hugely struggling. Just the slower pace I was running was a lot harder than it used to be.

In terms of my knee and leg? Well to begin with everything felt creaky. Everything felt absolutely fine but as the run continued I just felt a bit off: tight and stiff, and towards the end a bit of discomfort cropped up. It left me feeling a bit unsure about how it went.

I was disappointed, I won’t lie. I felt 98% fine before the run so I thought that would translate into the run perfectly. Yes I know, rather naive! I got a bit grumpy and fell into a bit of a well of despair thinking I’d regressed. After the run my leg did feel worse than before but there was no pain, just tightness and discomfort. A niggly, slightly tender feeling basically. Though I was pleased to find walking downstairs caused no issue other than a bit of discomfort. Walking down stairs was the one thing when my injury was bad that would always hurt and cause me grief so the fact that stairs are no issue gave me hope.

I saw my physio the next day and he calmed me down. He said that the fact I felt no pain during or after was a very good sign. He said it was to be expected that it would feel uncomfortable and niggly. He worked hard on my whole left side and reassured me that the issue I had before (my internally rotated leg – because of the excessive tightness in different muscles) wasn’t there so I hadn’t buggered anything up. He even said a gentle parkrun on Saturday would be a good idea to see how continuing to run affected things. YAY!

I’m still nervous I’ll regress but I’m hopeful I’m on the path to recovery!

Do you enjoy Italian food?

What’s your favourite pasta meal?

What are your plans for the weekend?

**Full Disclosure: I was sent the preserves for free in return for a review. All opinions are my own honest ones.**

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Sole Softec Response Footbed Review

Hello, so I have a great review for you today. I was kindly sent some insoles and socks from the guys at Sole.

I have fairly collapsed arches (though now actually less so after making efforts to strength them over the past year – an exciting and thrilling process…not). So I’m not completely flat-footed anymore but I still don’t have very high or strong arches. Towards the end of a run or race I imagine my arches collapse further and this can cause me all sorts of biometric issues further up my legs and body.

Softec Response FootbedsĀ (Ā£38)

I’ve previously worn insoles to help support my arches and I wear supportive shoes to help as well. So I was very intrigued when I heard about Softec Reponse Footbeds.

They’re a 1.6mm layer of cushioning that you replace your regular trainer soles with. The cool thing about them is that they’re moulded so provide a more custom support.

They’re great for:

  • Equalised pressure distribution
  • Reduced plantar fascia strain
  • Increased balance and feel
  • Improved natural heel cushioning

They’re mouldable because they have an orthopaedic base layer which adapts to your foot without compromising that orthopaedic shape. You mould them by heating them in oven prior to putting them into your trainers… Sounds bizarre right?

The insoles come with really easy instructions. First I trimmed down the insoles to fit into a pair of my trainers. I used the regular insoles as a guide to make sure they fit nice and snugly into the trainers.

Then I removed them from the trainers and popped them into the oven for 3 minutes (I set an alarm as knowing me I’d have completely forgotten about them otherwise).

There’s a sensor on the side of the insoles which turns from white to black when they’re ready which is very handy. You then have to put the insoles quickly into your trainers (let them cool just slightly!) as you need to put the trainers on and stand in them as quickly as possible to maximise the moulding effect. I won’t lie, I felt panicked and rushed to do this as speedily as possible, though it could be because I’m quite neurotic. Anyway I got my feet into them fairly quickly. Ahhh lovely and warm trainers.

You then stand there for two minutes to let the magic happen. Then it’s complete!

Thought? OK obviously right now I can’t run… but I’ve been doing lots of walking in these bad boys. They’re very comfortable. I feel well supported and not crowded or restricted in movement. I like that my foot fits nicely on them after the moulding because it means my foot isn’t rigidly forced into a position it’s not used to or not natural for it. Yes the soles provide support, but by supporting and working with my natural foot shape, rather than against it. I’m really excited to wear these for running. It was about time I got some new insoles so these are perfect.

Lightweight Sport SocksĀ (Ā£11.50)

I was also sent a pair of their lightweight sport socks.

They’re a great all-rounder sock with breathable mesh panels and moisture control.

Thoughts? They’re too long to wear when I go running or to the gym (unless I wear leggings) but they are PERFECT for wearing with wellies (rain boots for international readers). I struggle to find decent wellie socks that don’t slip down and there is nothing more annoying than having to ferret about inside your wellie to put up your socks. They stick to my ankles and calves perfectly and they’re so soft and comfy. I also love them in my walking boots.

Do you wear insoles?

What type of trainers do you wear? Supportive, cushioned, neutral etc.?

What socks do you prefer? Long, short, compression…?

*** Full Disclosure: I was sent the insoles and socks for free in return for a review. All opinions are my own honest ones ***

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Mio Skincare review

I am a low maintenance female when it comes to beauty regimes. I’ll do the basics but when it comes to make-up, cleansing, toning, deep conditioning, face masks, facials…nope.

I got in to a really good routine a few weeks ago of painting my nails, but then that sort of stopped. It’s just so hard to sit still for the time it takes for the nails to dry. No snacking, no fidgeting, nothing! I pluck my eyebrows and straighten my hair – I’d say that they’re my ‘superfluous’ beauty things above and beyond the basics society requires of me. And straightening my hair takes one minute as really is more an OCD thing of neatening things up as my hair is dead straight anyway…it sadly never curls (don’t get me started on blow drying though – takes forever!).

So when Mio Skincare contacted me to review a few items ofĀ their range I thought, “Me? Really?”. I had a look on their website and surprisingly wasn’t confused by the different products, which for me is a great start (BB cream anyone? What evenĀ is that??), but quite intrigued. This looks like my kinda stuff!

I was sent the Boob Tube+ Multi-ActionĀ Bust Firmer, the Workout WonderĀ Invigorating Muscle Motivating GelĀ and theĀ Natural Dry Body Brush.

Boob Tube+ Multi-Action Bust Firmer

OK so when I first saw this product I was a bit like “well, this isn’t going to be that useful to me”. I’m not exactly the most blessed of women in that area. Cleavage – what’s that like?? But actually it’s not aimed at big breasted ladies looking for a cheap lift. It’s more to do with the skin quality around your boob-area – as in your chest and neck (dĆ©colletĆ© if you will).

That area of the skin is very delicate and usually sees quite a bit of the sun, so wrinkles and lines (especially on the neck) are quite common. This product (from their website), aims to:

  • Keeps lines and crinkles at bay so thin skin stays smooth
  • Visibly healthier, fitter, glowing skin within days
  • Skin brightening actives take years off sun damaged skin

It has a whole bunch of rather impressive ingredients…

Thoughts? It smelt amazing and it absorbed into my skin like a dream. It left my skin feeling lovely and soft. I can’t confirm or deny my boobs are any more perky (I’m 27, small-boobed and have no kids, I can’t say I’ve had any issues in this area) but I do love this. It made me feel like I was doing something good for my skin.

Workout Wonder Invigorating Muscle Motivating Gel

This definitely got me excited. A moisturiser that helped relieve sore muscles?? Sign me up!

The idea is that it cools and ‘revs’ up your muscles, either pre or post workout. It has ingredients such as V-Tonic TM, extracts of Arnica, Horse Chestnut, Murumuru Butter, Spearmint and natural Magnesium to to help increase circulation, reduce inflammation and speed up recovery.

Thoughts? It smells lovely and minty and it definitely feels very cooling when you put it on. My legs were tingling, but in a very pleasant way. Again it absorbs easily without being greasy. I am a big fan of this. I used it after the marathon and it was a dream.

Natural Dry Body Brush

I’m sure all us females have tried using a body brush before in the desperate hopes of reducing/eliminating cellulite. Anyone succeeded? Yeah didn’t think so. Cellulite is the curse of 99% of women, whether it’s a smattering of tiny dimples or the full-blow orange peel, cottage cheese effect. It sucks but it’s life. This body brush is aimed reduce cellulite by helping with lymphatic drainage and removing toxins. It’s also aimed to exfoliate the skin making it softer and smoother.

It’s made of natural boar bristles and has rubber massage nodules so gives a nice feel to the massaging. You can brush dry or wet though I preferred dry, just before I got into the shower.

Thoughts? I liked using it on my legs mainly to get rid of dead skin cells. It left them nice and soft. I had to make sure I moisturised afterwards though as I found it can dry out your skin. As for smoothing…the jury’s out. It did liven up my legs a bit and increase blood flow but as for giving me Victoria Secret-esque worthy legs, doubtful. But it was a nice treat that I’ll probably do it once every week at the weekend to keep myself nice and exfoliated.

Overall, very high-quality feeling products that made me feel like I was treating myself.

What are you absolute musts for your beauty regime?

Would you say your high or low maintenance?

What is your least part of your beauty regime? Mine is blow-drying my hair. I’d happily pay someone to do it for me while I did something else.

**Full Disclosure: I was sent these products for free in exchange for a review. All thoughts are my own honest ones.**

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Flexitol foot moisturiser review

Hello! I’m back in the UK again now after a fantastic holiday in Iceland. Honestly, I can’t recommend it enough and I’m so glad I got to go out there (all that passport drama was worth it!). I’ll obviously do a full recap but as I only got back last night it’ll have to wait for a bit.

Until then I have a review of a foot care product called Flexitol. They’ve created a range of products that are aimed to treat those dreaded foot issues, such as dry and flaky heels, hard skin and also more serious ailments associated with diabetes.

Now, as a runner my feet are obviously hugely important to me. I need them to be shipshape in order to survive the miles I run on a weekly basis. However, as long as they’re functioning well I tend to ignore their appearance. I will rarely show my feet off or walk around barefooted in front of people. As you can imagine, running doesn’t do much in terms of making my feet look particularly nice. I’ve had my share of black toenails, blisters and dry skin. Aren’t I delight??

My feet don’t usually get the love and attention that they deserve.Ā So whenĀ Flexitol sent me their moisturising foot cream to test out, it was quite a novelty for my feet. [Don’t worry, there won’t be any bare foot photos in this post as I’m sure I’m not alone when I say no one wants to see my feet (or feet in general).]

The cream was really quite light and absorbed into my skin easily and quickly. I hate it when a cream leaves you feeling greasy (body butters, I’m looking at you). The cream’s enriched with lots of good stuff:

  • Urea: Helps to increase the amount of water that the skin holds, whilst decreasing the amount of water lost from skin’s surface. It also helps to gently exfoliate rough and dry surface skin
  • Lanolin: Helps to restore and maintain moisture balance
  • Decyl Oleate: Promotes long-lasting softness and smoothness of the skin
  • Vitamin E: Helps the skin to be quickly restored to its silky-smooth and well-nourished, conditioned state

My mum gave the seal of approval as well. Now she is a lady who shows of her feet! She had bunions years ago but underwent a double operation to effectively break her feet back into place. For years she was embarrassed about her feet but now, since the operation, she loves showing them off and getting pedicures. She does have lovely feet – not runner’s feet like me! I let her try a bit of the cream on her feet and she loved it too. She often suffers with very dry heels (probably due to inadequate foot wear at work *cough cough*) and found using the cream helped relieve them and improve the skin quality.

The moisturisers is also good for people who suffer from Eczema and Psoriasis – you just need to use a bit more on those areas.

I definitely recommend it to keep those valuable runner’s assets in tip top condition! And maybe even make my feet a bit more worthy of the light of day…

How do you look after your feet?

Do you moisturise regularly?

**Full disclosure: I was sent the Moisturising Foot Cream for free in exchange of a review. All opinions are my own honest ones.**