Paddle boarding in Cleveland-You need to check what's SUP!

I've been looking for unique ways to cross train/work out in greater Cleveland. After doing some Googling...I came across SUP Cleveland.

SUP Cleveland gives residents of Northeast Ohio the chance to go paddle boarding. Yes paddleboarding on Lake Erie!

Recently I had the chance to interview SUP Cleveland Founder Jill Jankowski. Jankowski was one of the coolest ladies I've had the chance to talk to in a while. She has such enthusiasm for Cleveland and paddleboarding. She talked about how she came up with the concept for her business, "We wanted to create something that would offer clients a new way to see Cleveland. By coming out on the river they get to be close to/around the city and on the lake at the same time."

Photo credits: SUP Cleveland Website

"We felt very strongly about connecting the city (Cleveland) to the water," Jankowski said, "Yet offer people another way to have fun in Cleveland."

Being that I have never been on a paddle board I asked her about what she hears from her first time clients. People simply love their SUP Cleveland experience. Even first timers that may be a little scared.  "When people are on the water and when they get done we often hear the L word a lot." She explained you don't have to be in tip top shape to paddle board, "Anyone can do this at any physical fitness level. Anyone can stand on the board and propel themselves forward."

Jankowski has appreciated the response SUP Cleveland has gotten from the community and the tourists. "It's been great to see the response," she said.

Thinking about trying paddleboarding? You should consider it as it has a number of important health benefits Jankowski explained, "When you paddle board, almost every muscle is engaged. When you are on the river for 1-2 hours you are using your abs, core and arms. Its a great workout and its also great for the mind/spirit."

SUP Cleveland has classes 3 days a week that incorporate yoga movements into them. I was especially intrigued by the picture below. Wonder if I could do that. Jill says yes I can!

SUP Cleveland is also very family friendly. Read their website for specific info on bringing kids. But they have taken kids out individually on different paddle boarding excursions. They take great pride in making sure everyone that comes out to paddleboard is safe and most of all has an AWESOME experience on the river. These people love what they do and that enthusiasm shines through in their staff and all of the positive feedback I've heard from everyone who has tried paddleboarding. Special thanks to Jill Jankowski. I want to try and get out for an paddleboarding excursion before the season closes this year.
For more on SUP Cleveland and what classes and events they are offering check out their website.

New fitness app-GPS Sports Tracker

So a while ago I let you guys in a new concept in fitness monitoring through Sportslyzer. Now the Sportslyzer team has come up with a Mobile App-GPS Sports Tracker so you can  track our fitness during your workout. I have done some fiddling with the app and let me tell you it ROCKS! And its FREE! Check out all the features below.

We have packed the GPS Sports Tracker app for Android with neat ways of getting feedback from your workouts. So if you are not using the app yet, it's about time you started.

Here's what we have to offer for Android fans: improved interface with smoother and more accurate GPS tracking; get plans from your coach + create your own plans + track workout from a plan; weekly or daily overview of done workouts (heart rate zones, split times, speed, etc.); weekly overview of health data; Bluetooth heart rate belt support (see more); calendar for tracking competitions and events; test results database to track your progress over time; friends' leaderboard on your dashboard; improved voice feedback. All of this is seamlessly synced with the web. So it doesn't matter whether you use Sportlyzer on a phone or on a laptop/desktop computer - all of your data is accessible on all of your devices. Get the Android app Have an iPhone? Download the iOS app from here. The Sportlyzer Team

Wednesday Wisdom-7/9/14

Wednesday Wisdom 6/25/14

Photo credit-Pinterest

Wednesday Widsom-6/18/14

Photo credit-Pinterest

Two things Tuesday

1.) So the annoying pain in my left foot is starting to come back. I'm praying I stay healthy and it isn't...stressfracturetayogbay again. Worst few months ever...I gained weight and couldn't do ANYTHING! So this week I'm running very minimal miles. Also I am getting new trail shoes new Vibram Five Finger Lontras this week. I put a lot of miles on my Lontras that I bought last year with all the trail races I did. FINGERS CROSSED PEOPLE!!!

2.) So I've talked before that I am a fan of fitness apps. Well the ladies of Cool Mom Tech have found an interesting one...the 7 Minute Workout App. Check out their review of it here. Do you use fitness apps? If so which ones are your favorite?

1st Race of 2014-Dirty Snowflake Prediction Run

So Saturday I was up early to run my FIRST race of 2014. This wasn't just any race it was the first race in a series I absolutely LOVED last year-The Dirty Trail Series. 

Photo credit-Dirty Trail Series

Last year I didn't get to participate in the Dirty Snowflake Prediction Run due to a scheduling conflict. So I was super excited I was able to be a part of the Dirty Snowflake Prediction Run 2014.

The race took place at Cuyahoga Valley National Park, starting and finishing near the LEDGES SHELTER in Boston Township. I ran there last year in the Dirty Dirty 12K. The best way to describe that area is AWESOME! Simply gorgeous scenery EVERYWHERE you look.

Pre-race-It was a good morning, I got up in a reasonable amount of time and wasn't rushing out of the house.The only thing that stunk is I forgot my Silk Soymilk Iced Mocha glass before I left. Thankfully my husband got me some GU Chocolate Outrage packets that had some caffeine in them so I wasn't having a headache not having my morning coffee.

Luckily I had the rest of my race day goodies. I laid everything out the night before to help with that :).Getting out to Peninsula was pretty easy. Traffic was light and I had a stress free drive. This was a pleasant surprise as I was a bit worried about black ice because the weather was being Cleveland crazy! (Going from snow and cold to 40 in the course of a day)

I got out to the course signed in, got my bib and race swag (an awesome fleece blanket). Then it came time to give my prediction...this was something new for me as I had never done a race like this before. I said 53:00 because earlier in the week I was averaging about 12:00 miles.

Then a few minutes later organizers changed the race course. This was an awesome move, much appreciated as coming into the park I could see the paths looked really icy. I tend to be a tad bit clumsy at times so I appreciated them looking out for our safety. 

After that I met up with Katie, the chair of Moms RUN This Town-Cleveland Chapter. I had the pleasure of doing a Stella & Dot fundraiser with her and this group last year and was super excited to hear a number of the ladies were interested in trail running. Then we met up with  some other super cool ladies that are a part of Moms RUN This Town-Cleveland and we headed to the start line.

The course was that of an old school cross country course...I was having flashbacks of doing loops in high school and college. The first part of the course was flat then there was a midsized hill that took the runners up to a path in the woods then you would follow the trail out and repeat it again. 

It was so much fun! It isn't often as an adult you get to basically run and play in the mud and its okay. My feet and legs were wet and muddy and I didn't care.

POST RACE-
 

So I ran this race without my Garmin and without headphones. I called it kicking it old school in honor of my past cross country days. What was very interesting was I ran significantly faster than I was anticipating without all that stuff...my finish time was 42:49! So about 10 minute miles!! HOLLA!  It has been a long time since 10 minute miles for me. 

But that brings up an interesting question, have I been running to my Garmin and not running to run? My husband brought that to my attention when I got home and told him about the race. Hey, he may have a point. Also after doing a little online research I am not alone with this. 
Check out these posts about running Garmin free:
Health on the Run
ChiRunning
Then Heather Said
 
So this week I am going to experiment a little with this and see if  there is some truth to his theory.

Next race-Dirty Love 10K-Feb 9th.