**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.)

I am very very picky about my CrossFit gear. I actually own a TON of fitness clothing and shoes at this point, but I recycle the same dozen outfits over and over and over again. Let me save you some time and money by telling you my favorites that I’m seeing on sale this Black Friday.

(Note: some of these are affiliate links, meaning I will make a % of purchases if you click through. Not comfortable with that? It’s cool. Just open a new window to shop.)

Reebok

40% off site-wide at Reebok.com with code HOLIDAY

40% off the online Reebok Outlet with code HOLIDAY

Free shipping and returns for risk-free shopping.

Reebok makes up more than half of my CrossFit wardrobe; it’s also my clothing of choice for most obstacle races. It’s comfortable, super sweat wicking and the board shorts are the best for repelling mud/water (I’ve also worn them canoeing and in a pinch, as a bathing suit bottom).

I love my Nano 4.0s with a white hot passion. They’re specially made for CrossFit and I swear they make burpees easier. They have a nice wide toebox and work great for running shorter distances; I wore them for my Spartan Sprint with no problems.

Before I had the 4s I had the Nano Speed, which I loved for its dual WOD/running ability too. They don’t make the Speeds anymore but you can get the Reebok CrossFit Sprint TR for $49.99 with code BLACKFRIDAY. It looks to be very similar.

If you’re more into the idea of lifting shoes for lifting, running shoes for running, you’ll want to investigate the Reebok CrossFit Lifter and Lifter 2.0 for $89.99 with code BLACKFRIDAY. (FWIW, my preferred dedicated running shoes are Mizuno.)

Other special deals you can pick up with the BLACKFRIDAY code:

Reebok Skyscape for $29.99: these shoes use the same tech as the soft padding on bras. They are soooooo comfy and are very low-profile, I replaced my Converse with black Syscapes for wearing as everyday kicks. Seriously, at this price you won’t regret getting a pair in black and another in a fun color or print.

Reebok Women’s Electrify for $39.99: running shoes inspired by Z tire technology; they’re like sports cars for your feet. Again, comfy; more geared toward running, although I wouldn’t go with them for putting in serious mileage.

The kids wear tons of Reebok too

Deals with code SAVEBIG:

• Reebok Kid’s Electrify for $29 with code SAVEBIG
• Reebok Kid’s Zig Big & Fast for $29 with code SAVEBIG
• Reebok Adult Jet for $49 at Reebok.com with code SAVEBIG

And if you’ve got a hard-to-shop-for person on your list… I always suggest custom shoes.

Hylete

Hylete (hybrid athlete) is the 1st runner up for my fave CrossFit gear. It’s comfortable, it’s flattering, it breathes well. The items I have (V neck tees, capris, shorts and sweatshirt, all in grey or black) aren’t flashy, but I keep them in very heavy rotation. Which means that they’re washed and worn constantly, and after a year are still in great shape.

At this point, I’m excited about clearing my phone of pics, so you get all the Hylete photos whether they’re flattering or not.

Left: Hylete tee & socks; middle are tees; right is capris

Hylete is doing all sorts of deals in its gift guide and UPS ground shipping is free until December 1st.

Lorna Jane

Lorna Jane is for when I need to be out & about before or after the gym and want to look nice. Or, when I am really racing the clock and reach for an all-in-one tank + bra.

I also love their standalone sports bras. They are pretty much my go-to when I’m not at the box. I talk more about my love of LJ in this post.

 Lorna Jane blue top and compression tights; hooded black tank on right.

Lorna Jane is doing 30% off when you buy 3 or more items with code BLACKFRIDAY30 or 20% off when you buy 2 items with code BLACKFRIDAY20. It looks like you also get free shipping when you spend over $80.

Have fun shopping 🙂

I signed up for a 30 day paleo challenge at our CrossFit box. My normal diet is, overall, pretty good, but I figured I could stand to be disciplined for a month and see how it changed my energy levels and strength/endurance during workouts.

It was also a nudge to limit drinking to the weekends, and even then I’m sticking with wine.

Food rules for our paleo challenge:

YES: all lean meat, fish, seafood & eggs; all non-starchy seasonal vegetables; seasonal fruit

In moderation: healthy fats, nuts and seeds

NO: grains or cereals at all; legumes; dairy; processed foods; sugars or artificial sweeteners

Alcohol is allowed but at a minimum amount.

Scoring:

• Clean week: 5 points per week. One unauthorized cheat meal: 3 points. More than one unauthorized cheat meal: 0 points for the week.
• We completed a test WOD which we will do again at the end; ostensibly to illustrate a proper diet improves overall performance. If we do better the second time around, 5 points. I’m actually a little concerned because I don’t think I could have done this any faster than I did (5:29).

• Bringing a friend to “Bring a Friend Fridays” earns 3 more points (wanna go?)
• If we post a pic on social media in Riverfront gear and hashtag #TheRiv #CfRiverfront we earn 3 easy points.

I pretty much live in Riv gear.

• Participating in Crossfit Riverfront get togethers or events earns 5 points and a coach-approved cheat meal.

At the end of the day, the scoring isn’t such a big deal; I have no idea where we stand compared to other teams. But you betcha I’ve been going and doing the challenge WODs to earn my cheat meals. They’ve been doozies, too. (The workouts, not the meals.)

One guy did the humans vs. zombies Halloween WOD in acid washed tight ass jeans. Respect. I haz it.

So far, I really miss cheese. Like, a lot. But I’m vaguely lactose intolerant, and frankly, I can feel the difference, not eating the cheese. I don’t get that icky-full feeling after meals. Depending on who you read, some iterations of the paleo diet allow some dairy, and I’ll probably add it back in after the challenge is over, but not at the quantities I used to eat it.

The first day of the paleo challenge was hard, simply because I didn’t prepare. Egg breakfast, OK, but no cheese on top? I had to make some ketchup from scratch because I can’t just eat eggs plain. And then, I had like no time for lunch but nothing quick to grab. I spent the night boiling eggs and chopping veggies and the rest of the week went much more easily.

The family is eating normally for the most part; what we’ve primarily done is simplified our meals, forego the very cheesy dishes and quick processed foods (we never ate a lot of those anyway), and some easy substitutions (coconut oil for butter or olive oil when sautéeing, coconut flour for regular flour, etc). Sauces and cheese is available for them on the side. I eat eggs and fruit for breakfast and leftovers or salad for lunch, for snacks I have hard boiled eggs, raw vegetables, honeycrisp apples or bananas.

Sample lunch. Salad, honeycrisp sliced thin, egg salad made with avocado rather than mayo.

One of our skill sessions this week was a 2K row. I took it nice and easy and didn’t have to stop at all— that’s unheard of for me— finishing in 9:06. In June, I was pretty proud of my 9:49.

Maverick and I came in first by a solid 30 seconds for this week’s paleo challenge (partner) WOD, at least for our timeslot (those 5:15 am people are a different breed and their scores were like a full minute faster). Given that I spent the early part of the week sidelined by a stomach bug, I’m feeling pretty smug about it.

The warmup was 50 burpees for time; I did it in 3:42 but can’t find my time from the last time I did it. I’m pretty sure it was a little over 4 minutes; the time before that was just under 5 minutes, pretty soon after we had started taking classes. I only mention it so I know for next time 😛

The workout was 50 kettlebell swings (we used 25s), 50 goblet squats (dropped to 20 and even so am feeling those today), 50 box jumps (I have to do mostly stepups because of my knees), 50 situps and 50 one-arm thrusters (we held on to the 25s for these).

The “partner” element was just that I had to wait for Mav to finish his 50 of any move before we could move on to the next one. He was only a few seconds behind each time, and I gave him some grief about a water break (“c’mon! You can’t drink water and jump on the box at the same time?!”) but I was pretty damn proud of the kid.

How’s that for an awkward photo?
I was trying to save Heather from having to touch my sweaty back.

Anyway, I’m curious to see how I’ll feel when I add dairy and grains back in at the end of 30 days; maybe I’ll decide it’s in my best interests to limit them.

But not pumpkin pie. I plan to eat my weight in pumpkin pie in two weeks’ time.

Paleo challenge eats so far:

• Paleo pumpkin bread
• Pot roast and baked potatoes (sweet potatoes for me). Simplest meal ever, lots of leftovers.
• Steak kabobs with peppers, onion and grape tomatoes.
• Roasted chicken: basted in coconut oil, rosemary, garlic and lime juice.
• Fire roasted bacon meatloaf with roasted asparagus
• Pan fried steaks. They had rice, I had leftover sweet potato.
• Pork tenderloin with sautéed spinach
• Slow cooker BBQ chicken breasts and thighs (we made this BBQ sauce; it tasted like a great pulled pork sauce. It needed something to make it more BBQ. Like something to make it smoky?) with roasted garlic broccoli. I ate a whole tray of broccoli and I felt no shame.
• Stuffed peppers. We doubled the recipe, using both ground bison and venison sausage. It was pretty fantastic.
• Breakfast for dinner. Eggs, bacon, whatever fruit and veg we had sitting around. We did this once each week.
• and a couple of nights of “there’s a fridge full of leftovers, go eat something.”
• I made ketchup, mustard and Worchestershire from this post’s paleo condiment recipes.
• Most of those nights had some sort of salad involved.

My earned Halloween cheat was broccoli bites; this week we went to IHOP for Jake’s birthday and I had some crepes and a cheesesteak. And then I slept for 13 hours. That’s not related but it’s such a rarity I just want it on record.

I feel good. I’m sleeping better. I’ve had to miss a fair number of workouts since we started thanks to my work schedule, illness and having to shuttle Jake around to doctor’s appointments for his dislocated shoulder, but I feel like I’ve given my full effort each time— no having to take breaks because I was too tired, too fast. I think ahead about snacks and have healthy ones, rather than grabbing something to eat in the car on the way to class. And I’m definitely eating more than I used to, which is a good thing. I’m very guilty of being a meal skipper and then eating anything in my way.

So, two weeks in, paleo challenge verdict: not too hard, feeling good. Down 11 pounds, but take that with a grain of salt since I was sick for a couple of days.

Let’s see how I feel at the end of the month 🙂

Ever done a paleo/ Whole 30 challenge?