Live. Give. Run. Blog
To Inspire and Move the Human Spirt, One Sole at a Time
Each month our Charm City Run shoe experts review a new and different running/walking shoe in a YouTube video series we call “Shoes to Charm Your Socks Off.” Not only do we provide honest, helpful shoe reviews, but we have a blast doing it! Check out our most recent video featuring the new Brooks Launch 9 and Launch 9 GTS here. Below we break it down for you if you prefer to read your reviews.
Running is something that, for me, evolved over time. It began with friends as a way to get exercise and connect with other women. Most races in the 1980s were co-ed…The Rite of Spring, The Constellation 10K, The Crustacean Crawl, and the Father’s Day 5K. The Lady Equitable was unique because it was a women’s only race. It was sponsored by Equitable Back and the course was in downtown Baltimore. After many mergers, Equitable Bank no longer exists nor does this race.
As a runner (although that term could be applied loosely these days), spring is one of my favorite times of the year. The weather is starting to turn and suddenly 50 degrees doesn't seem so bad after all. If you trained through the winter you are excited to see what you can accomplish early on as you build toward your goals for the year. If you took the hibernation strategy it's time to get back to business, and building fitness is a humbling but rewarding experience. After a spectacular crash-and-burn in my first marathon attempt, the allure of redeeming myself has me getting back in the training mix. Either way, the roads and trails are buzzing with runners and walkers anxious to enjoy time outdoors.
Picture it: a beautiful day in Colorado, skiing under clear blue skies when out of nowhere: BOOM! I was hit by an out-of-control skier. The aftermath of the accident was a complete tear of my left ACL as well as a partially torn meniscus.
The pain of the injury was intense, but short-lived. By the time I had made it to the emergency center at the mountain base, I had only minimal physical discomfort. However, after learning of my diagnosis and the long road of recovery ahead of me, the mental discomfort was real…and not short lived.
Last year, our Live. Give. Run. Foundation began partnering with a local Baltimore non-profit called TasteWise Kids. Their mission is to empower children of all ages to think about food in new ways, to explore their own sense of taste, and to realize that flavorful, nutritious food and good health go together. Through engaging programming with a fun, interdisciplinary approach, TasteWise Kids is working to foster healthy eating habits among young people, regardless of background, so they may learn to make better food choices into adulthood.
Two of Live. Give. Run.’s core goals are to support our youth and to encourage people of all ages to lead healthy lifestyles - this is why we’re so excited about what TasteWise Kids is doing.
To celebrate Women’s History Month, we wanted to share what the team of women who lead TasteWise Kids are doing! They have gathered special recipes passed down from woman to woman in an effort to grow the connections between women, food, and each other.
We encourage all our Charm City Run women to learn and cook one of these recipes with a girl or woman in your life, or to send us something your learned from an awesome lady! TasteWise Kids Executive Director Wendy Jeffries has shared the first recipe: a now three generations old recipe for Irish Soda Bread (perfect for getting ready for the Under Armour Kelly Benefits St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock 5K!). Funny enough this particular recipe all starts with an Italian grandmother who knew nothing about Irish cooking, but with love and determination this delectable St. Patrick's Day treat came to be. Check out the recipe here!
Each month our Charm City Run shoe experts review a new and different running/walking shoe in a YouTube video series we call “Shoes to Charm Your Socks Off.” Not only do we provide honest, helpful shoe reviews, but we have a blast doing it! Check out our most recent video featuring the all new Hoka Kawana here. Below we break it down for you if you prefer to read your reviews.
My day job is a 9 to 5 that has me sitting behind a desk 40 hours a week. This means that on most days, dawn and dusk runs are the only chances I get to stretch my legs out in the fresh air. Of the people whose runs are also limited to these hours, I wonder how many of them have prioritized the use of visibility gear on these runs. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been guilty of throwing on a neon shirt for visibility and calling it a day before heading out the door for my run.
Training to become a better runner is an arduous journey. You dedicate hours per week to logging miles; each stride over the pavement bringing you closer to shaving seconds – or minutes – from your race times. Tempo runs, hills, sprints, and intervals all cycle in and out of your arsenal. Your nutrition is dialed in, and your recovery habits are on point. Though the process is challenging, you’ve been here before, and you know exactly what to do to get the needle to move. Well, until the needle slows. Or stops.
For Charm City Run Events, the festivities begin with the arrival of March and the Under Armour Kelly Benefits St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock 5K. I can’t imagine any better way to kick off the racing season than with the first race of the B3 Distance Series. The Shamrock 5K is one of the most celebrated annual Baltimore City events with support from thousands of city residents who, despite road closures and other logistic challenges, not only accept it, but embrace it! This can be seen by the large crowds that show up to cheer participants and celebrate Irish heritage. Shamrock is an absolute blast for everyone involved and having the ability to hold the race in person after two years of virtual events adds to the excitement. It’s the precursor to the warmer days of Spring around the corner and a calendar of amazing running Events.
I put off working with a nutritionist until it was the last thing I could think of to improve my running. Charm City Run Nutrition Program Coach and Sports Dietitian Sarah Schlichter and I actually exchanged emails months before I decided to move forward. I wasn’t sure, at that time, I could change. I’m pretty stubborn about certain things, and food has always been one of them. My friends and family actually used to call me “Picky Nicky” because of how particular I was about what I would eat growing up.
