Love Lululemon but Hate the Price?…Meet Ellie!

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Kristen Henkels

Hey All,

I don’t know about you, but if it were up to me I would spend at least 90% of my time in spandex and Nike Frees. Alas – this is not really an option for me since I have an office job, but when I do get to don athletic attire, I like to have some fun with it. Bright colors, daring cuts, various brands – I’m a fan of it all when it comes to gearing up to sweat it out.

The crème de la crème of women’s athletic wear these days is the yogi master-of-the-universe, Lululemon. Now I’m a huge lover-of-luon myself, but I can’t go around buying a pair of $100 yoga pants every month (as much as I would like to). You can’t either? Meet Ellie!

Ellie is a brand-spanking new women’s activewear company that specializes in beautifully-designed garments to kick ass in at the gym – that won’t leave you completely broke. The company is the brainchild of co-founders Marcus Greinke and Lindsay Daniels, who both have strong backgrounds in retail apparel and design (take a look at their monthly collections – they know what they’re doing). Marcus and Lindsay decided to take their collective experience to launch Ellie as an e-commerce site after realizing the huge gap between Lululemon and well, pretty much every other activewear brand in the category.

Similar to Lululemon, Ellie uses high-quality materials and meticulous design elements to craft their products, however production is vertically integrated (all products are designed in-house at their LA studio), cutting the time from design to wearable product down to two months. Basically the entire production process is more efficient from beginning to end and the cost savings are passed on to the Ellie consumer. Score!

Ellie fans can buy individual items or subscribe at $49.95 per month to the Fit Fashionista Club to receive two items of their choice. If members don’t make their selection in time, Ellie will send a surprise pairing of their latest monthly line. In this case, surprises are definitely a good thing. And if all else fails, return shipping is free for members.

I signed up to the Fit Fashionista club a few months ago and have been pleasantly surprised each time I receive Ellie’s signature pink, metallic envelope in the mail. Check out the pictures below of me testing out the Hot Tropic Bra and To Dye For Capri from April’s Coral Crush Collection.

Cute, functional, and affordable – Ellie is officially my new best friend.

Ellie Hot Tropic Bra_To Dye For Capri 3 - The Fit Wanderer

Forever Wandering (preferably while wearing spandex),

- Kristen

Run as One 4-Miler in Central Park (04.28.13)

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Kristen Henkels

Hey All,

My NYRR 9+1 quest continued this past weekend when I ran in the “Run as One” 4-mile race in Central Park. (2+1 down, 7 races to go!)

The weather was gorgeous and spirits were definitely high when I entered the park around 7:45AM. This is the first running race that my mom has ever attended and it was pretty cool having her there to support me (and hold all of my stuff – much easier than dropping things off at bag check haha).

After a short warm-up jog, I did a bit of stretching, including the infamous Couch Stretch we do quite often at CrossFit (see above). I couldn’t find a wall so made do with this oak tree. More than a few dogs were a bit peeved that I was invading their territory. While comical at the time, the more I think about it the more I realize that maybe I shouldn’t use trees to couch stretch in the future…(ick).

One valuable lesson I learned from the Run as One 4-miler is to get to my pace corral nice and early. I always seem to squeeze into the crowd about 5 minutes before the start and unfortunately this weekend I was too late to get with my correct pace group. Speaking of crowds, there were about 7,000 runners in the race. That’s a lot of people!

My mom was having some fun with my camera while she was trying to pick me out in the crowd running by. The guy above is one of the most legit runners I’ve ever seen. He puts all of us to shame – what a champ.

I had bit of a slow start since there were so many people running shoulder-to-shoulder for the first 2 minutes of the race. Thankfully I went into the run with the goal of feeling things out and trying to find my natural pace without stressing over my splits and average pace. So while typically I would have been very frustrated that I was stuck behind some slower runners, I just let it roll of my shoulder and instead focused on finding a comfortable rhythm while enjoying the racing atmosphere.

Despite relaxing my competitive spirit a bit on this run, I always make a point to give it my all and sprint through to the finish of the race. There’s always a little bit of gas left to burn in the tank at the end of the race, and I know I’m always happier after tapping that last energy reserve no matter how badly I’m hurting. Plus it’s pretty fun to pass people in the last 10 seconds, not gonna lie.

Overall, I’d say the race was a success in terms of finding a solid rhythm and gathering a few race day learnings prior to my half marathon on May 18th. I finished with an average pace of 7:51/mile which is historically a bit slower for me, but heck – I’ll take it!

The “Run as One” 4-miler was a great way to spend a sunny Sunday morning in Central Park with my mom, especially since everything is green and in bloom. I’m sure I’ll miss this type of weather when the humid summer months roll around. I better start hydrating now….

Forever Wandering,

- Kristen

My (1-Month) Half Marathon Training Plan

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Kristen Henkels

Hey All,

So as I mentioned, I spontaneously (and perhaps recklessly?) signed up for the Brooklyn Half Marathon with only about a month to train for it. D-day is May 18th, 2013.

…What the heck was I thinking?!?

Now obviously this is not an ideal (or an intelligent) timeframe to train for a 13.1 mile race but I’m going to attempt to take a smart approach in preparing for it. After a bit of frenzied Googling I thankfully came across the following article in Men’s Health Magazine: http://news.menshealth.com/half-marathon-training/2012/11/08/. To sum it up, training for a half marathon in a 1-month timeframe is not advised, but it is possible. Here are the main points from the article:

Build up to a 10-mile run and add only about 10 percent volume a week.
In addition – focus on RECOVERY, include a strength workout twice a week, and make sure to do some stretching and foam rolling.

I crafted my 1-month half marathon training plan based on the above points and also incorporated 5 days of CrossFit training into it (I couldn’t resist – at least it’s a healthy addiction?). Stir that together with a heavy dose of mobility work and recovery et voila!:

I feel much more confident now that I have a plan to guide my training. The hard part is sticking to it.

For all you distance runners out there – How many weeks did you take to train for your first half marathon and do you have any advice for sticking to a training plan?

Time to hit the pavement (and the foam roller)!

Forever Wandering,

- Kristen

Back in Business – CrossFit, Racing, & More

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Kristen Henkels

Hey All,

It’s been a long time, but The Fit Wanderer is officially back in business. I may have stopped regularly posting (shame on me), but I have definitely been busy challenging myself with new training and new goals.

First of all, I am officially CrossFit obsessed. I joined Reebok CrossFit 5th Ave in December of 2012 and have never looked back since. Not only have my workouts become much more dynamic and varied, but I’ve also made a ton of great friends. More on CrossFit later, but if you’re a skeptic I must say – don’t knock it until you try it. It may seem like a cult from the outside, but once you go, you know that the constant, humbling challenges and the super supportive community of CrossFitters is what makes the experience so wonderfully addicting.

In other news, I’ve also decided to complete the NYRR 9+1 Program this year. Pretty much, any New York Road Runner member who completes at least 9 qualifying races and volunteers to help at one race in 2013 is eligible for guaranteed entry to the 2014 ING New York City Marathon. So far I’ve completed 1 race (Scotland Run 10K in Central Park) and also got my +1 in by volunteering as a race marshal at the More Magazine/ Fitness Magazine Women’s Half Marathon. So obviously, there are quite a few running races in my not so distant future…and I’m pumped.

Speaking of running races, I did something very spontaneous a few weeks back. I signed up for the Brooklyn Half Marathon on May 18th. That’s 13.1 miles – I’ve never run that far in my life! Well, there’s a first time for everything and although my training time is very limited I did put together a solid plan to get me ready for the big day. I will for sure be scheduling a few long runs in Prospect Park leading up to race day as well – those hills won’t know what hit them!

Finally, I’ve also decided to start incorporating a bit of swimming into my weekly training – just for kicks. I was a competitive swimmer from the ages of 6-18 and I suppose I’m feeling a bit nostalgic. You can take the swimmer out of the pool, but you can never really take the pool out of the swimmer (no really, I think I still sweat out chlorine…). I plan on signing up for a few open water swims this summer, most of which will be down the Jersey Shore. However, I’ve already committed to swim the Brooklyn Bridge 1K Swim between Brooklyn and Manhattan on July 7th – so excited for this. I just need to purchase a wetsuit so most of my body does not have to come in contact with the polluted waters of the East River…

As you can see, I’ve been pretty busy the past few months and plan to keep it that way. But have no fear – I will be posting more frequently to keep you updated on all of these fun new challenges ahead of me - so stay tuned.

Forever Wandering - but back in business.

- Kristen

The 5K that Kicked My Butt.

Posted on December 9, 2012 by Kristen Henkels

Hey All,

It’s been a while since my last post but that doesn’t mean I ever stopped wanderin’. I wanted to give you a quick recap on my 5K Turkey Trot before I tell you about what else I’ve been up to these past few weeks.

To sum it up, the measly 3.1 miles that made up the 5K Morris Township, NJ Turkey Trot kicked my butt. Seriously, my legs were sore for an entire WEEK following that race. How did that exactly happen and why was it so painful? I can’t be sure, but here is how the whole thing went down.

My sister Mary, Zach (Mary’s bf), and I arrived in Morristown, NJ at about 7:10AM to check in and pick up our race numbers. Not too many people were there at that point since the race started at 8:30AM but we weren’t sure how crowded it was going to be so we arrived bright and early. The weather was freezing out so once we checked in, we hustled back to the car to stay warm until it was closer to race time.

We finally pulled ourselves away from the warm, safe haven of the car when masses of people started walking towards the race grounds. Although it was a just a local NJ race, there were about 1,000 participants. Let me tell you, the lines for the port-a-potties were insane! This was probably my first mistake – instead of doing a warm up jog and stretching out prior to the race, I hopped up and down in line for the bathroom in the minutes leading up to the start. Not a good way to prep for a race, but when you gotta go, you gotta go!

Mary, Zach, and I wished each other good luck and went our separate ways to find our respective pace corrals. I am more of a glass-half-full type of girl, so I optimistically lined up in the 7 minute/mile group. Another mistake – I really had not been running much since Hurricane Sandy but I thought to myself, “Hey I just had a really long taper so I will probably have tons of energy and run very fast!” Not the case.

Finally, the Mayor of Morristown said a few short opening lines to welcome us to the town and wished us a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. Soon enough we were off and I was sprinting at full speed along with the other runners around me. Without my Garmin watch that I mistakenly forgot back in my NYC apartment, I didn’t really know how fast I was running. I tried to pull in the reins a bit since there was a lot of road ahead of me and I was already out of breath.

The first mile was not too bad – pretty flat but lots of twists and turns since we were running through a residential neighborhood. It was fun to see some of the neighbors outside their houses cheering the runners on. Plus I needed all of the motivation I could get to keep running as fast as I was.

The second mile was where it started getting really rough. We were greeted with a super steep hill smack dab in the middle of the race with little reprieve in sight. Even though I was pushing with all of my might, it felt like I had practically slowed to a walking pace while muscling up the hill. This was NOT what I had signed up for! I think this was the part that completely destroyed my calf muscles for the next week – my body was just not used to running up such a steep incline.

And now, some photographic evidence of my painful 5K experience:

5K Turkey Trot KH

This is me completely out of breath and cringing after the uphill battle in mile 2. Ouch. The only reason I kept running was to get to get to that turkey dinner that awaited me back home.

The last mile was a mental test much more so than a physical one. All I kept thinking about was how great it would be to cross the finish line and walk off the pain I felt in my legs. The road seemed to stretch on forever although despite the pain, it was quite comical to watch some of the runners hobbling along wearing turkey hats, with the little bird claws swinging in the wind. Go turkeys, go!

The finish line finally came into view and although I was not feeling too great, I sprinted through the finish to the best of my ability. I looked up my final chip time online – instant results, gotta love them, and I finished with a pace of 7:23/mile with a total time of 22:56.5. While I was way off my goal time of 7:00/mile, I was still pretty happy with my results and now I have a benchmark for all of my future 5K races.

Everyone was happy when they crossed the finish line, after all we had some good food waiting for us at home. Although the 5K may have been embarrassingly difficult, it was fun to do something different on Thanksgiving morning instead of just pretending to help my mom cook (I’m still not very good at peeling potatoes). Who knows, maybe we started a little tradition of our own? I guess it depends on if I can convince my sister to run the race again next year…

The 5K Turkey Trot was a great way to kick off the weekend in a healthy way. While my calves were throbbing for the rest of the day at least my endorphin levels were through the roof. All in all, I’m just thankful I survived.

Forever wandering,

- Kristen

Weekly Wanderings…November 5th-11th

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Kristen Henkels

Hello All.

My wanderings were a bit singular in focus this past week and had little to do with fitness, although I did get in a few solid workouts. Do certain things ever seem to catch your eye over and over again? This week I guess I was just feeling a little…blue:

1. Blue skies & fancy free

The Flatiron District is one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city, especially on days like this one.

2. You can do anything but don’t step on my blue suede…Pumas.

Blue Shoes - Buckyball Madison Square Art Exhibit

Based on the cool-factor of his shoes, I’m assuming this older fellow was also listening to Jay-Z. Can I grow up to be like him someday?

3. Vroom vroom.

Isn’t this one of the prettiest things you’ve ever seen? I. want. it.

4. Flea-ing the scene

Snapped this beauty at the West 25th St. Flea Market. Who wants to play the license plate game?

5. Keep Good Going

Ok you caught me. This may be the tagline for a life insurance company but…it was inspiring at the time.

What caught your eye this past week?

Forever wandering,

- Kristen

Turkey Trotting – Morris Township, NJ Thanksgiving Day 5K

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Kristen Henkels

Hello All!

So I decided that my next race will be a a quick and dirty 5K on Thanksgiving Day (11/22) in Morris Township, NJ. I also successfully recruited my sister, Mary, to run with me – I’m so excited! The race is located about 30 minutes away from my parents’ house in NJ so not only will Mary and I feel like we’ve earned our Thanksgiving feast, but we will also miss most of the food preparations (which was my secret plan all along!). Just kidding mom…

I have not raced a 5K since my freshman year of college when I was a coach for the Girls on the Run program in Ann Arbor, Michigan. That being said, I typically run at least 3 miles whenever I go for a jog so I think I will be ok. My goal would be to run at a 7:00/mile pace at least, so hopefully that is do-able. Only time will tell.

Forever wandering,

- Kristen

The Fit Wanderer.

forever wandering

Love Lululemon but Hate the Price?…Meet Ellie!

Run as One 4-Miler in Central Park (04.28.13)

My (1-Month) Half Marathon Training Plan

Back in Business – CrossFit, Racing, & More

The 5K that Kicked My Butt.

Weekly Wanderings…November 5th-11th

Turkey Trotting – Morris Township, NJ Thanksgiving Day 5K

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