review - AnnaTheApple

February 19, 2015February 19, 2015

Running and my new Mizuno trainers

I like to think of Thursday as Friday eve, is that weird? To be honest, I don’t mind my working week. I enjoy my week, work and all (though sometimes my commute can push me beyond insanity – podcasts and audiobooks definitely help!). Though obviously weekends rock.

I thought I’d do a post of where my running’s at and also review a pair of Mizuno trainers that I was kindly sent by Millet Sports.

I actually had no idea Millets sold trainers – or anything running-specific. I thought Millets was purely a camping/back-packing company. I was chuffed they have a sub-section for other sports too (such as running, triathlons, racket sports, hockey and football).

I was allowed to select any pair of Mizuno running trainers so I went for what I know suits me best in terms of my gait (like many runners, I over-pronate): the Mizuno Wave Paradox. I’ve had a similar pair before and I ran the Paris marathon in them.

They’re a supportive trainer and have a high level of stability. From the website: “The Dynamotion Fit uses biomechanic and motion picture technology to design a blueprint and develop a shoe that works with your foot through the gait cycle. Smooth Ride engineering minimises the rapid rates of acceleration and deceleration of the foot during transition, creating as smooth a ride as possible.” [Source]

And as you can see it has more support on the inside of the shoe to help balance the rolling of your foot if you pronate inwards.

Still wearing my shorts!

I like Mizuno and found their trainers comfortable, well fitting and supportive. And I love the colour!

Yes I have been injured a lot and though it’s easy to blame it purely on whatever trainers I was wearing at the time, personally for me, it’s more likely to have stemmed from bad training mistakes (too fast, too much, too soon) and lack of adequate strength training to support my training. Running a lot on those weaknesses exploits them and then boom you’re injured. I started out in Mizunos when I first started running and it was only when I got too into heavy training that I fell into injury. So I’m not a big proponent of trainers causing injuries as an argument.

That being said, you do need to choose a trainer that suits your running gait and the terrain you’re on. I’ve always stuck with stability trainers and think that’s best for me as I have ridiculously flat feet. And let’s not get into the argument of over-cushioned trainers and barefoot running please…

Anyway, thumbs up for Millet Sports. They have a great range of trainers and other sport apparel and accessories. Another website for me to spend ridiculous amounts of time and money on – wahay!

How’s my running going then? Well I’m sad I couldn’t be involved in Jantastic this year (again) but it’s for the best. I’ve been running three times a week and keeping the mileage low and the pace at whatever I’m feeling – whether that’s 7.30 min/miles or 8.30 min/miles. Going forward my long runs will be more to the 8.30min/mile ranges and parkrun will probably be where I attempt any form of speed. I’m so relaxed about it it’s wonderful. My runs feel good – everything is working as it should, so far no issues and I feel like I’m running strong. I am back to loving running!

Box jumps are a killer

I also go to the gym three or four times a week as well. There I do an hour’s worth of full-body strength training and focused running-specific strength work, like single leg squats. I genuinely feel stronger and really enjoy these workouts, despite having to get up at 5am to do them!

Having the gym really helps because it takes the pressure off my running. I get a good sweat on and my heart rate is up and muscles that have been asleep for a while are now back in business. It’s obviously no shocker that I love to exercise, so fuelling this love in a different way has made running become a joy rather than my only form of ‘proper’ exercise.

Future goals? I deferred the London marathon as my training is just not good enough and I want my next marathon to actually have proper marathon training for once! I have Eastleigh 10K in March and Southampton half marathon in April so I feel good about those. I’ve also signed up to another marathon in June (the Liverpool Rock and Roll marathon). It’s about 17 weeks away and I feel like I can continue running nice and easy now, and then gradually creep the mileage up later and be sensible about my training.

But let’s be real here, this is me and injury is one of those things I think will happen regardless. I will continue with the gym though, continue being sensible with my training and pray I dodge the bullet. I also think my standing desk is a big help as well – I’m still going strong!

So that’s me currently. Loving the gym and loving running. How long may this last?? 😉

What trainers did you first start running in?

What brand are you most loyal to in running?

What is your running gait like?

***Full Disclosure: I was sent the Mizuno trainers for free to review. All opinions are my own as always.***

February 9, 2015February 9, 2015

Barely Functioning and MuleBar Review

Hey hey hey, I’m back! My holiday in Orlando and Dallas was AWESOME. It was just amazing. I’ll do a full reap when I’m back to normal functioning and get my schizz together…At the moment I’m just about coping with regular life.

We got back on Saturday morning about 7.30am British time (1.30am Dallas time – ouch). I had a pretty terrible flight back. Leading up the flight I felt really ill – like massive stomach cramps going on. So the first hour of the flight was basically Ben holding my hand and me wincing at cramps which felt like my stomach was being torn in two. This meant neither of us could relax. Eventually after standing up and pacing at the back of the plane things calmed down and we could finally just chill. What a trooper Ben is to deal with me! I watched Gone Girl which was really good. Rosamund Pike is amazing!

I’m such a light sleeper that sleeping was really hard (especially as there was a lot of turbulence) so after 2 hours or so I gave up and watched Whiplash instead. Definitely a good move. What a film! I definitely recommend. It is so tense!

Saturday and Sunday are basically as blur of tiredness. I slept for 12 hours on Saturday night but woke up exhausted, dizzy and disorientated. Basically I felt rough. Like awful. Not just tiredness, but a deep exhaustion and confusion. I’m feeling more normal now but still tired. Ahh the joys of long-haul flights!

Anyway before I get back into the swing of things, I have a review. I was kindly sent some MuleBar energy products to review a few weeks ago. The company sounds brilliant. The idea of the products came from these two guys who wanted energy bars that tasted good and didn’t upset their stomachs when they did crazy things like climbing the Andes! They made prototypes in their own kitchens and, in their own words, “peddled them around” races (source) to get people to try them and give feedback. I love that the products were born this way – it just feels so much more “real” that way, you know?

I was sent a range of different type of bars/gels and different flavours. I was quite intrigued by a curry flavoured one!

ReFuel Protein Bars (find HERE)

This is their answer to protein shakes. They’re basically high protein to help the growth and maintenance of lean muscle mass after exercise (not necessarily climbing Everest or the Andes though!) What’s cool about them is that they’re the only Fairtrade protein bars on the UK market. There’re also no synthetic ingredients, artificial preservatives, colourings, flavourings or palm oil, and are suitable for vegetarians.

I was sent two flavours: Chocolate Date and Chocolate Banana.

Chocolate Date Nutritional Info:

Calories per 65g serving: 240cal
Protein: 13.3g
Carbohydrate: 31.8g
Of which sugars: 27.9g
Fat: 6.7g
Of which saturates: 1.6g
Fibre: 2.5g
Salt: 0.1g

And the ingredients don’t look awful at all (compared to some energy bars!).

Thoughts? I tried the Chocolate Date one and Ben tried the Chocolate and Banana one (I’m not a big banana fan – other than actual bananas strangely enough). We both thought they were really tasty. Very sticky, chewy and sweet and it felt “naughty” eating it, you know? Nice and filling too without any synthetic after taste. This would be a good snack between lunch and dinner, or (and this is how I would use it) straight after a race when you know food might be a while away but you need something. The protein and sugar in it will be perfect for muscle recovery and tide hunger over. Alternatively, when you’re up a mountain and need an easy snack! 😉

Energy Bars (find HERE)

Apparently easy on the stomach and digestion, these are ideal for during exercise for the slow release energy they provide. They’re Fairtrade and organic certified, and contain no synthetic ingredients, artificial preservatives, colours, flavourings or palm oil, and are suitable for vegetarians. And they have a compostable wrapper!! So if you do drop the rubbish accidentally then it’s not going to harm the environment.

I was sent five different flavours: Apple Strudel, Jimmy’s Choc Orange, Eastern Express Savoury, Mango Tango and Summer Pudding.

Mango Tango Nutritional Info:

Calories per 56g serving: 201cal
Protein: 4g
Carbohydrate: 36g
Of which sugars: 23g
Fat: 5g
Of which saturates: 0.5g
Fibre: 2.g
Salt: 0.04g

They all have a similar nutritional profiles, the calories being around 200 calories (some less, some more). Interestingly the savoury Eastern Express bar contains Garam Masala and cayenne pepper so is a more spicy and obviously savoury bar, rather than simply another sweet one. Really enjoyed the Summer Pudding flavour

Thoughts? I really enjoyed these. Kind of sticky and chewy, and not too sweet. Definitely came in handy when we flew from Orlando to Dallas and arrived quite late in the hotel and were hungry and needed something smallish rather than having a big meal so late in the evening.

I also really like that there’s a savoury bar as sometimes on a long cycle or walk too much sweet stuff can get tiring and taxing. You need something a bit different from time to time. And I loved the curry flavour. It wasn’t hugely overpowering but very nice.

Energy Gels (find HERE)

Similar to the bars, these have been designed to be easy on the stomach and are organic. They contain brown rice, agave syrup and Himalayan crystal salt to keep you going during exercise. They also have a caffeinated gels (one with 50mg and one with 100mg of caffeine). Again no synthetic ingredients, artificial preservatives, colourings, flavourings or palm oil, and suitable for vegetarians, organic and Fairtrade certified. They also have funky quick tear packaging.

They have five flavours: Apple Strudel, Salted Caramel, Cherry Bomb, Zemon Zinger and Cafe Cortado.

Salted Caramel Nutritional Info:

Calories per 37g serving: 108cal
Protein: 1g
Carbohydrate: 25g
Of which sugars: 19.5g
Fat: 0.17g
Of which saturates: 0.1g
Fibre: 0.5g
Salt: 0.1g

Thought? I haven’t tried the gels yet purely because I haven’t been on any long runs or cycles to use them. However I LOVE the sound of them. I love that they’re fairly ‘clean’ with no nasties in there (though sadly not vegan for any vegan runners). The salted caramel one sounds made for me. Check out the ingredients:

Pretty good right? I’m very excited to give these gels a blast on my next longer run or cycle. I think these might be a game changer for me. And I really like the Lemon Zinger flavour has 50mg of caffeine, which I’m always a fan of.

I really like this company and the products. I’d be more inclined to have the gels but I can definitely see myself picking up the protein or energy bars occasionally for when I’ve got a race coming or am going for a long walk with Ben.

What’s your favourite flavour energy bar or gel?

What is your snack of choice if you’re on a long walk/hike?

How do you cope with jet lag?

January 2, 2015

New Year – new me? {And a giveaway!}

Happy New Year! I won’t do a “year recap” post as I personally find them a bit dull. Also my year wasn’t the best if I’m honest.

Yes I know I ran two marathons and I’m so proud of myself and pleased that I got through them (especially considering I didn’t do ‘proper’ marathon training for either). And a few other races were good experiences too but on the whole and everything in between, it sucked in terms of my running. One injury to the next, one rubbish run to the next.

But 2015 is going to be better (ahh, haven’t we all heard that before in January, eh??) I don’t really do New Year’s resolutions but I have some rough goals that I’m keen to stick to this year to help make 2015 better than 2014.

What I came to realise (and probably must be quite clear as an outsider I suppose) is that running took over things. I’d almost say it consumed my life. I got very down when I couldn’t run and everything I was looking forward to was to do with running. Every goal I had, every plan in the diary. Having now not run since November I feel (and this is going to sound really stupid and weird) free.

All races planned for this year (including London) have been put to one side and I’ve stopped thinking and worrying about them. Who knows I might run them or not. I frankly don’t care at the moment. Without any pressures on me the need to get back into running has disappeared. I’m satisfying my need for exercise by going to spin (I have a love hate relationship with that brutal class), pump, circuits and all the other crazy classes I’ve tried over this break. I feel stronger and my general fitness is still there and I can go to the gym however many damn times I like in a week without worrying I might break. I’ve even been doing double classes some days – because I can. (Don’t worry, I’m still very much balancing all this exercise with cake).

And this made me realise that I can easily give up running for a bit and still be fit, healthy and more importantly happy. Obviously I do want to run at some point – and though I’m not running right now I am still very much a “runner” in my heart and always will be. But my goal for this year is for it to not be all I do. I want to keep going to the gym, working on the weights and my strength, and going to spin, but running when I fancy. The mistake I made last year was quitting the gym as soon as I was back into running, which doesn’t work for me. So that’s my goal in a nutshell! That and eat less cake. Nahhh scratch that actually, less cake would make 2015 truly rubbish.

On to the giveaway! The lovely people at 9Point9 have sent me two of those very cool Zephyr Fire 100 hand torches (normally £44.99) made by Nathan Sports to give away to TWO of my readers.

I did a review of this product a few weeks ago which you can check out HERE. Basically it’s a hand-held torch so when you go running (or walking!) in the dark you can shine the light in front of you to see. It’s also USB rechargeable which is immensely useful as batteries truly suck. It also has a button on it to sound a siren if you’re in trouble.

To been in for a chance, just leave a comment below saying why the hand-held torch would be useful to you! I’ll announce the winner 12th January. Good luck!

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? What are they for this year?

Did you achieve last year’s resolutions?

How do you achieve a balance with exercise? Is it all one sport or do you vary what you do?

***Full Disclosure: I was sent the two Nathan Zephyr Fire 100 products for free to giveaway to two readers***

December 24, 2014December 24, 2014

Christmas Stollen and Body Glide

Woohooo it’s almost Christmas!

Tomorrow Ben and me (with Alfie in tow) will be picking up Ben’s mum and driving the 15 minutes to my parent’s house mid-morning to celebrate the day-long eating extravaganza otherwise known as Christmas. I’ve been put in charge of vegetables (clearly my speciality) so I’ll be carting honey-marinating carrots and parsnips as well as Brussels’ sprouts, broad beans (OK, not entirely a Christmas thing but they’re my favourite veg and I’m in charge sooo…) and some vegetarian stuffing (Ben’s mum and me prefer the non-sausage mix stuff). All good in the hood.

We’ll also be taking the freshly iced Christmas cake…da da!

We used royal icing and just kind of swirled it on. We bought the snowmen to decorate. We’re not brilliant at decorating as you can probably tell…

And the stollen was made pretty much by Ben while I hovered about sneaking samples.

My German friend’s mum’s kindly gave me her stollen recipe as we had some of hers freshly baked when we were over in Berlin recently and it rocked my world. Well anything does that has marzipan in to be fair but this was especially good. We wanted a fruitless stollen to bring as my dad can’t have the Christmas cake because he can’t eat dried fruit (or rather, as he so delightfully puts it, it “goes straight through him”).

Here’s the Stollen recipe (all credit to Charlotte’s mum) if you’re interested:

Stollen

500g plain flour (we had to sub for wholemeal as we didn’t have plain, whoops)
2 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
150g caster sugar
Pinch of salt
150g soft margarine
250g quark
100g chopped almonds
200g marzipan (we might have significantly increased this to twice the amount)
To Dust: 30g margarine; 2 tbs. icing sugar

– Sieve flour and baking power into a bowl, add eggs, sugar, salt, margarine, almonds and quark. Knead into a soft dough and wrap in foil. Leave in fridge for 30 minutes.

– Roll out dough into a square (approx 30 x 40cm) on a sheet of lightly dusted baking paper.

– Thinly slice marzipan and lay out on the dough (alternatively sit the fat sausage-like wodge of marzipan on the dough depending how generous you were with the marzipan). Wrap the dough up from the sides to the middle and press together. Bake for 45 minutes at 175 degrees.

– Melt margarine and spread on warm Stollen and dust with icing sugar.

You can add different dried fruit or peel to the Stollen as well beforehand but like I said, we wanted ours to be more simplistic. Serve with jam, butter or cream cheese (highly recommended) or just eat plain! I think ours cracked quite a bit during baking because we used the stupid wholemeal flour but normal plain flour should be a lot better.

And lastly I have one more quick review for you. I was sent a Body Glide product from the company to test out. Sadly I haven’t been able to test the specific product I was sent out with running but I have previously used this brand before when doing races or when it’s been particularly warm. And I have trialled out the product they sent with my new gym activities.

I’ve suffered many times with chafage and honest to god it’s no joke. Like blisters they are savage and can really affect how your run is going. When I wear sleeveless tops to run I really felt the chafe under my arms. Getting into the shower afterwards was beyond painful.

A slightly old photo of when I suffered from the dreaded chaffage

Body Glide is a company specialising in a range of anti-chafe balms to help athletes keep comfortable and avoid irritation. These particular balms are quite popular because they are non-greasy and very reliable as they can apparently survive all weather conditions. I can attest that it reliably survives a hot sunny day!

The Body Glide have a new range being introduced to the UK:

Original Body Glide – the standard anti-chafe and blister balm
For Her – anti-chafing balm with effective skin moisturiser
Chamois Glide – balm for cyclists
Foot Glide – blister resister specifically for feet.

And they do different sizes as well so you can take a little travel-sized one with you to use just before a race. I was sent the For Her product.

It was great – very easy to apply (like deodorant) and it wasn’t sticky or greasy. It didn’t smell of anything in particular either. It was also nice that it had a nice moisturising element to it. To be honest though, I wasn’t overly fussed about this and happily would have used the original. As long as I don’t chafe I don’t mind!

I’ve used the original body glide product before when running. I all but bathed in it before my marathons and happily had no rubbing issues during. Although I failed to realise I’d chafe on my lower back! Who’d have thought to have applied the glide there!?

So a big thumbs up! Anything to stop that dread burn in the shower or that horrible chaffing feeling while you’re running (and then end up running like a chicken as I had to do one race as the rubbing was so painful).

Anyway, a big merry Christmas to you all! Have a lovely day and eat lots of yummy food. I know I will be!

Do you do any Christmas-specific baking?

Do you chafe when you run? Or are prone to blisters? Nasty little buggers.

***Full Disclosure: I was sent the Body Glide product for free to review. All opinions are my own as always.***

December 19, 2014December 19, 2014

OTE Sachets and PowerBar Energize Wafers – ProBikeKit Review

Hey hey hey. Last Friday before Christmas! Thankfully I’m working from home again today which is nice. Means I could go to Spin this morning and miss out on horrific traffic.

Today I have another review for you guys. This is review of the ProBikeKit.com website of which I’ve reviewed before (find HERE for my Clif Sports Energy Bars review and HERE for hydration tablets). Like I’ve said previously, I like this website because it has a range of both cycling-specific and running-specific products, from accessories, bike kit, clothing and nutrition. Today’s post is again focused on nutritional side of things.

OTE Energy Drink Sachets (find HERE)

This is a box of 14 drink sachets (for £12.99) which are designed to maximise your workout. You add the sachet of power to a 500ml of water and drink during your workout. It has a balance of electrolytes which help keep you hydrated and also provides carbohydrates (maltodextrin and fructose) to help fuel your muscles for 45-60 minutes. It has a neutral pH and is free from artificial sweeteners, colours or preservatives. It is also suitable for vegetarians and vegans, and is gluten and dairy free.

Calories per 43g serving: 180cal
Fat: 0g
Of which saturates: 0g
Carbohydrate: 40g
Of which sugars: 8.2g
Sodium: 360mg
Fibre: 0g
Protein: 0g
Potassium: 304mg
Calcium: 31mg,
Magnesium: 10mg

Thought? They come in three different flavours: Orange, Blackcurrant and Vanilla. I chose Orange. When you first smell the powder it’s like “woah!!”. It’s really strong – kind of similar to sherbet? I assumed it would taste similar. However, the taste is subtle and not very sweet at all. At first I wasn’t keen but then after swigging more it grew on me. It’s pleasant. Sometimes overly sweets things can be really overwhelming – especially when you’re also chomping through lots of gels and/or jelly beans etc. during a race or workout.I think it’s a great idea if you’re out on a long ride or long run and need some easy carbs and hydration that aren’t overly sweet. I probably wouldn’t have it during a short run or normal workout though as I wouldn’t need it but it’s ideal for endurance. And you could argue that you could have this instead of a gel as it’s got the carbs in there which means carrying less stuff during a run or ride. I’m a fan!

PowerBar Energize Wafer (find HERE)

This is a box of 12 wafers (for £10.99) which contain a C2MAX which is “dual Source Carb Mix contains a special of glucose and fructose sources ” (source). They’re individually wrapped wafers to help fuel you before or during your workout. They come in either Berry Yogurt flavour or Chocolate Peanut. They contain no artificial colours.

Calories per 43g serving: 166cal
Fat: 4.8g
Of which saturates: 2.4g
Carbohydrate: 28g
Of which sugars: 14.4g
Salt: 0.22g
Protein: 2.8g

Thoughts? They’re a bit flaky in texture so I can’t imagine they’d be a great choice for eating during a workout (especially running – perhaps cycling though if you don’t mind a bit of crumbage?). They’re very sweet but this is due to the high carbohydrate content designed to give you a buzz of energy to fuel you on. It was deliciously chocolatey as well with really only a hint of peanut (I liked this as I’m not a peanut person really – Snickers are a no-go for me). It’s definitely not a snack I’d eat middle of the afternoon to acquit my hunger as I’m sure my blood sugar levels would spike, but before a run or gym session they’re ideal as a quick “pick me up” if you don’t have time to make something more elaborate. The ingredient’s list isn’t perfect but it doesn’t look too bad for what it is. They’re also very tasty which always helps! 😉

Like I said, I really like ProBikeKit.com. Especially since I’ve become a bit more of a cyclist. There’s a whole range of bits and pieces on the website at, I think, quite affordable prices.

What do you have if you’re in a rush before a workout if you need a quick snack?

Do you drink your carbs or eat them when doing a long run, or both (if you do at all that is)?

***Full Disclosure: I was sent these two products for free to review. As always, the opinions are my own***