**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on those links.**

They’re here! They’re here! The Nano 5.0s drop today!

This new shoe enhances Reebok’s already successful Nano line, which I will tell anyone who asks is the best choice for CrossFit. I just wish they came in a wide size so Maverick could wear them too.

I’ve been in a very serious longterm relationship with my Nano 4.0s, which were a huge improvement on the 3.0s, so I’m excited to see how the next generation performs.

The Nano 5.0 features:

Enhanced Durability
Built with a Kevlar® DuraCage upper for lightweight strength so you can take on the toughest of workouts again and again.

Improved Fit &Natural Flexibility
Natural Last construction with an all-new molded heel and a fully contoured sockliner allows for an improved anatomical fit that keeps feet locked-in.

RopePro® +
Equipped with stronger composite materials, the re-engineered RopePro® Wrap provides bite and support against shoe shredding rope climbs.

And you can custom design your own, too.

Have you tried on the Nano 5.0 yet? What’s the fit like?

I was compensated for this post by HEX Performance. All opinions are my own.

Maverick and I try to make it to our CrossFit box at least 4x a week. We work hard. We sweat hard.

Some people will try to tell you that those of Asian heritage don’t sweat as much as other people. This is an outright lie, at least when it comes to me and Maverick. We are sweaty sweat sweaters. I like to say this means that our bodies are super efficient and superior at self-cooling, but mostly we’re just gross.

Now that the weather has skipped over spring and gone straight to the humid, oppressive, dog days of summer the sweat factor has increased exponentially, and we’ve narrowed down our preferred clothing choices to a few favorites. For me this means the shortest of shorts, tank tops only, and the most unobtrusive of sports bras. Mav sticks with the lightest fabrics possible.

Anyone who’s spent some serious time sweating knows that gear matters. Once you’ve owned some workout apparel in tech fabrics that moves with you, has strategically places seams and most importantly is lightweight yet durable, with sweat wicking capabilities you can’t go back. Cotton is rotten once it’s soaked in sweat.

The downside is that while these tech fabrics are awesome at transferring sweat to the outside, they are not so awesome at releasing sweat stench. And while it’s fun to watch your family recoil from you in horror after a sweatfest, realizing you smell before you’ve even begun your workout and suspiciously accusing the cat of peeing in your laundry isn’t quite as cool. (I don’t know who you accuse if you don’t have a cat.)

The cat pee/ammonia smell happens because you’re breaking down amino acids for energy, and it will probably be more pronounced after a really long/intense workout or if you’re not properly hydrated— a description that covers about 95% of my workouts. Add to that the fact that we’re basically wearing the same couple of outfits over and over… yeah. Stinktastic.

To get rid of the smell, I tried:

• rinsing out gear after class ahead of actually washing
• small loads of just our tech gear but the same amount of detergent (I hated doing this as it was probably shortening the life of our clothes)
• repeated washings between wears
• adding vinegar to the rinse cycle
• actually soaking the clothes in straight up vinegar before washing
• using more powerfully scented detergent (just smelled flowery on top of funky)
• using dryer sheets (this was a big deal! I never usually use dryer sheets)

Sometimes something would work for maybe one or two wears, then it would be back to funkytown.

But I’m not here to tell a tale of unsolvable woe, folks. All these sweaty selfies you’ve endured are not for naught.

I bring a solution.

There is life after stinkiness for your favorite workout gear, and it doesn’t involve potentially overabusing your expensive tech fabrics.

Get the funk outta here

No, seriously, this stuff works. Introducing the next gen detergent, HEX Performance!

Developed by major league lacrosse player Drew Westervelt, who presumably knows what it means to get a good sweaty stink on, HEX is high performance detergent with long-lasting odor eliminating technology. It’s the first and only system designed specifically to clean and protect today’s performance gear and apparel while staying gentle on fabric and skin.

• free of dyes, perfumes, and optical brighteners
• naturally antistatic and restores fabric wickability. No need for dryer sheets and fabric softeners
• for those who are hooked on that “clean laundry” smell, HEX Enhance+ Performance Booster (used in addition to HEX Power+ Laundry Detergent) adds a fantastic, clean fragrance— that isn’t overwhelming or cloying, trust me on this, I’m picky— without compromising your gear’s ability to wick, breathe, and move.
• HEX Tech creates a unique, bonded barrier that protects gear and apparel with odor-fighting technology, giving them long lasting protection from odors typically associated with bacteria

My favorite gear is back in business.

It doesn’t stink. It doesn’t smell like B.O. covered in fake flowers. It’s just sort of crisp and nice. And my hyper-sensitive skin didn’t react to it. ALL THE WINNING.

Plus, it’s eco-smart

This is important to me. The design of the package means a much smaller carbon footprint: 80% less warehouse space, 80% less landfill space, 80% less wood for pallets and paper for corrugates, and 75% less plastic when compared to the same size rigid bottles. And, HEX formulas are engineered to be eco friendly and biodegradable.

You can find HEX products in all Wegmans stores (first download this coupon for $2 off!). You can also purchase online here.

But I suggest you enter my giveaway! 10 will win a coupon for a HEX product. Ends at midnight on June 24th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I’ve always thought it was obnoxious when people said they were trying to “find themselves.”

I think part of that is because when I was younger, I had a pretty good handle of who my self was. I spent a lot of time in my own head. I read a lot. I put a lot of silly in the world, just because. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by people who let me talk a lot, who let me ramble on until my words became ideas and projects and passions.

Then I had kids, and I worked all the time, and I grew away from people, and I stopped doing the things that helped me to continually shape who I was. When I did get to spend time with people, even I was bored with what I had to say.

I stopped blogging because I didn’t feel like I had anything worth saying, let alone worth anyone else reading.

I didn’t do anything anymore. I didn’t think or write or create things. If I had spare time, I slept. Or I worried about the stuff I should be doing, or I watched TV to block out worrying about the things I should be doing. Sometimes I mutitasked and dreamt about the things I should be doing.

That’s no way to live. It’s not living at all, really.

Which is to say, I’m currently one of those insufferable people trying to find themselves.

My first step has been to do a lot of reading. I’ve gone back to reread the books that I’ve always considered to be the building blocks of who I am. I’m surfing Flipboard to find new things that spark something in me. I’m applying for jobs and opportunities that excite me. And I’m catching up on the bloggers who I used to read faithfully— binging on the several years of material that I’ve missed out on.

One of those bloggers is Seth Godin, and this passage (taken from this post) made my hair stand on end.

There’s a lot to admire about the common-sense advice, “If you don’t have anything worth saying, don’t say anything.”

On the other hand, one reason we often find ourselves with nothing much to say is that we’ve already decided that it’s safer and easier to say nothing.

If you’ve fallen into that trap, then committing to having a point of view and scheduling a time and place to say something is almost certainly going to improve your thinking, your attitude and your trajectory.

A daily blog is one way to achieve this. Not spouting an opinion or retweeting the click of the day. Instead, outlining what you believe and explaining why.

Commit to articulating your point of view on one relevant issue, one news story, one personnel issue. Every day. Online or off, doesn’t matter. Share your taste and your perspective with someone who needs to hear it.

Speak up. Not just tomorrow, but every day.

A worthwhile habit.

Annoyingly, it immediately earwormed that song Say Something by A Great Big World for me. And now, I’m sure, for you. You’re welcome.

Say something, I’m giving up on you—

I’m not giving up on me. I hope you haven’t yet.

I’ve got something to say, and I am saying it because I need it, and that is poetry. (Apologies to John Cage for morphing his quote, which I featured in the first blog post I ever wrote.)

I’m committing to articulating every day. My point of view. Refinding my voice. Getting silly. Getting noisy.

Say something.

Have something you’d like me to talk about? Hit me in the comments.

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Have you heard about the zPump Fusion running shoes yet? The Reebok zPump Fusion fits to your foot like no other shoe before it. There’s a push-button built into the shoe and when you press or “pump” it, technology within the shoe inflates around the contours of your foot. Custom fit and cushioning; no sliding around.

The technology is a lightweight and seamless fabric called the “fusion sleeve” that fuses an air-filled cage to your foot. When you’re ready to take them off, you just push a little button next to the pump and it releases the air. Pretty cool, eh?

I like this one in coral (generally speaking, I’m not into brights but coral is universally flattering!).

Keep in mind, the best shoe for you is the one that best fits your foot. But that fit can change from day to day during your training cycle, or even over the course of the day (tip: this is why you should always try on shoes at the end of the day, to accommodate your biggest size). With the zPump Fusion you’ll always be locked in and good to go.

Today and tomorrow (March 31st and April 1st), you’ll get free 2-day shipping on Reebok.com, no code needed. Just select “2 day shipping” at checkout.

(Another tip: start at Ebates.com and you’ll get an additional 5% back on your Reebok purchase. ALWAYS check Ebates to see if you can get cash back when you shop online.)

In October I started working with a new client on a FitFluential Twitter chat. We were talking about the love of the run, and running for good, and how the Timex ONE relay tied those things together. This relay “spans the distance between two of the most iconic marathons in the world”— from Chicago to NYC— and happened to still need runners in some cities.

Including my hometown, Wilmington Delaware.

So even though I’d not been doing much in the way of run training, I felt compelled to apply. Each runner got to choose a charity to support; Timex would be making a charitable donation of $100 per mile. The worst they could do was say no, right?

I was quick to mention that I continue to run only to prove to myself that I can do hard things that I really don’t want to do, in the hopes that I will nudge someone else who identifies as NOT A RUNNER to get out there.

And I was selected to participate. I was excited and petrified.

As luck would have it, the weather changed that morning from weeks of beautifully perfect fall temps to just a miserable, cold rain. I was late arriving because there were accidents on the backroads.

But I got there. And I ran.

I had 4 miles to run, starting at the Delaware Running Company store in Greenville right by my BFF’s parents’ house and ending just a bit past my in-laws’ house in Centerville. (This is how Delaware works.)

That’s an uphill climb pretty much the entire way. So much for my usual strategy of running the straightaways and downs and walking the hills.

I started off wearing my Under Armour rain jacket, but got all sweaty and irritated by it almost right away (not the jacket’s fault, I just can’t stand the feeling of wet fabric). So I just sucked it up and weathered the weather. You can’t even tell it was raining in these photos. Trust me, it was.

The nice thing though, was that the weather distracted me from the actual running, and since I didn’t want my phone to get wet I was pretty much unaware of time passing. The miles flew by. Before I knew it I was in Centerville, and headed downhill about a quarter mile towards my finish line.

You can kind of see the watch I’m wearing in this pic (I’m a terrible blogger and didn’t think to get a picture of it myself). It was worn by all of the relay participants to track the miles run. The touchscreen Timex Ironman ONE GPS+ lets you leave your phone at home: in addition to the features of a running GPS watch, it connects to Bluetooth headphones, allows you to send and receive messages, is compatible with Bluetooth heart rate monitors, is water resistant, and can send an SOS message complete with your exact location. Pretty cool.

Once my four miles were done I got to climb into the Timex van and warm up while we tailed another runner who was doing six miles.

Yes, I felt a little silly for being so proud of my paltry 4 miles. I knew a ton of people who were training for the NYC Marathon and were logging long runs of 18, 20 miles.

Running is hard for me. Especially something like this: no obstacles to break up the monotony, no one keeping me company. Just me and my thoughts, the loudest one asking me why the hell do I keep signing up for this stuff.

I don’t really know the answer to that question. But I keep signing up, and I keep doing, and that feels more right than doing nothing at all.

And in this case, I helped raise $400 for charity, which always feels pretty darn good.

You know how they say “if you run, then you’re a runner?” I say it too, but I never really felt it applied to me until I did this. For one day, I felt like a runner. A slow, thoroughly soaked and chilled to the bone runner, but a runner nonetheless.

You can learn more about the Timex ONE relay here.

If you’re local, I highly encourage you to visit the Delaware Running Company. I’d never been there before, but the staff was amazingly nice and helpful. It looks like they do group runs 3x a week.

(And in case you’re wondering about what I’m wearing in these photos: repping The Riv in my CrossFit Riverfront tank and hat; aforementioned Under Armour light weather-resistant jacket (doesn’t look like they carry this one anymore but this is similar); Pro Compression socks; Mizuno Wave  Sayonara shoes.)