The following post is sponsored by Fitfluential LLC on behalf of Reebok.
I know this week has been extra fitness-focused on here, but after not being able to work out for so long, it feels so good to be able to move again!
A little over a month ago I got these super sweet Reebok ZQuicks to test out and review. Seriously, how beautiful are they? I had never run in Reebok sneakers before but am obsessed with my Reebok Dance UrLead shoes. They are the best shoes ever for moving and grooving during a Zumba class. Josh and I have committed to running so many races this year so I couldn’t wait to try their running shoes out. And then like the day after I received them I started not feeling well, and ended up not working out for three weeks. Womp womp.
Josh and I had signed up for a Valentine’s Day race a while back, and even though I still wasn’t feeling my best I decided to push through and run it. It sounded like a fun time and I really wanted the t-shirt. I was also excited to finally break in my ZQuicks. As soon as I put them on I could feel the traction in the sole. I felt like my shoes were gripping the ground. This is the Z-Rated technology in the shoe that was inspired by high-performance tires. I especially appreciated this because the course ended up having a mixture of ice and mud in spots, so I needed all the traction I could get!
The shoes immediately fit me and worked for me feet. There was no breaking in or adjusting period which I really appreciated because this was not an enjoyable run for me. This was without a doubt the most painful race I’ve ever run. Probably the only thing that didn’t hurt on my body was my feet. Running when sick = not fun. (And not sexy. Props to the photographer who snapped this great shot of me trying to deal with a runny nose, wheezing lungs, and aching body all at once.)
This past weekend (a week later) when I was finally starting to feel better, I decided to attempt another 5k. As great as the shoes felt on my feet from day one, I didn’t like that they were connected in my mind to such a horrible race experience. Josh and I drove to Regency and decided to run around the neighborhood. I like to point out various houses and dream about someday living there.
This run was night and day from my last experience. In a week I had gone from a horrible run to an amazing one. And I was able to pay so much more attention to my feet and how they were performing while I ran. The shoes really moved with my feet. They have a built-in bootie that hugs your foot while you run and flexes with it. I felt like I could really control where I planted my foot each time and didn’t have to worry about my foot slipping or sliding. The shoes are also incredibly light which is great for increasing your speed. I’m not a fast runner, and no shoes that I put on my feet are going to make me a fast runner. But well-designed, lightweight shoes can make me faster than I used to be. I loved how these shoes didn’t weigh down my feet at all.
I ended my run feeling happy and on top of the world. Life is such a gift and having the health to be able to be an active participant in it is a true blessing. Getting to wear high-performance and super cute athletic wear while you do is icing on the cake. I plan on rocking these shoes at lots of upcoming races. 😀
Question of the Day: Do you run in lightweight running shoes? I used to wear super heavy, stabilizing shoes and never realized the difference lightweight ones could have on my running until I tried on a pair and realized for the first time that my foot didn’t feel like it was lugging around an extra ten pounds.
OMG those kicks with your green socks! I AM IN LOVEEE 🙂
Aw thanks! I like color coordination. 😀
Those look so super cute!! Love the color and so glad that you’re feeling better!
Thanks so much Christine! It’s great to not feel horrible anymore.
I wear light shoes and so I will have to look for these! I love that you ran even when you didn’t feel well–good for you!
Aw thanks Terri! I’m so glad to be feeling better.
Are you going to continue schilling crap 24/7? I ask this honest question as someone who started reading around the time of your wedding. 8 of your 10 last posts have been sponsored, & the 2 Five Facts Fridays are toeing that line as well as both mention free products you’ve received. Every time I see a post come up I think “this has *got* to be it on the sponsored stuff” but you just keep schilling. I’m all for bloggers making a living, but when all you ever seem to do is sponsored, your blog is no longer genuine or something I’m interested in reading. Again, serious question – if this is going to continue, please be honest with me so that I may unsubscribe. I like your blog, but this is excessive.
Hey K!
I’m so sorry to be disappointing you with my blog. Please know how much this both makes me sad and opens my eyes to things. I’m going to give you a completely honest answer, so please know I am not responding with snark or anything. It’s just me typing out how I feel.
1. I’ll be the first to admit that I am bad at balancing my time. I’ve got a full time marketing job, a part time social media job, my new husband, my new friends, clubs I’ve joined, and this blog. There are so many things I want to blog about and chat with people about but at the end of the day I’m exhausted. I don’t create a blog calendar for my own personal content that I share, so if I don’t have a deadline for something that has to be posted, I’m likely to choose going to bed at 10pm rather than sitting down to start writing a new blog post that I usually finish writing at midnight. A post where I’m working with a company gives me the deadlines I need and also inspires me to share a story with my readers with their product as the vehicle. I share updates about my life through those posts. They are not simply sponsored posts to me.
2. Since I was in 9th grade I’ve wanted to be a marketer. I love connecting people with products. I love to help develop market campaigns. I like the conversations products create and getting to understand what people like about a product and what they don’t. Free stuff and money are cool, but I honestly do this way more so because marketing is a passion of mine. I get paid for most of my campaigns through Paypal, and my Paypal is currently unable to be withdrawn from because I haven’t sent in the paperwork proving I got married and changed my name. I’m not writing these posts because I need the money so I’m going to force products down your throat and am going to ask you guys to spend your money to fund my life. Josh and I are not rich, but we have two great jobs in the Midwest where there’s a super low cost of living. Then I have my part time job that I wasn’t looking for but was approached about and took because I’m passionate about it. We’re able to live well on the incomes from our real-life jobs and I do not look for this blog as a way to fund some part of our lifestyle we’re currently not able to.
3. It hurts me to hear you describe my posts as schilling crap. I made a decision a long time ago to not promote products I’m not passionate about. I know it sounds crazy but I decline way more opportunities than I take. Yes I’ve done a sponsored post about Whole Foods, but I also go there weekly and buy 90% of my groceries there (with the last 10% from Trader Joe’s). I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on Stonyfield yogurt before I ever received a free yogurt. I was in need of and reading up on and comparing heart rate monitors and fitness trackers for months before I took on a post about Polar. It is a product I’d buy with my own money and therefore feel comfortable writing about to my readers.
4. I was honestly expecting a comment like this with how my posting schedule has been lately because I would side-eye myself if I came to a blog and saw as many sponsored posts as there have been on mine late lately. Being sick for a month sucked. This week’s posts were supposed to be way more spread out so that they weren’t sponsored, sponsored, sponsored one right after another. I had to get extensions on all of my posts and this week was the first one I really felt up to working out. If I couldn’t get extensions, I wouldn’t have blogged about the products because I would never review something I haven’t tried and subsequently loved. If I don’t like something, I’m not going to blog about it, or I’m going to mention what I don’t like in the post. I’ve gotten to know myself well enough to know what products are going to be good fits for me when deciding which sponsored posts to take on. My stories and posts are 100% genuine and 100% me. If you and I were sitting down for coffee and you asked about my sneakers I’d say the same things to you in person that I did in this post. My friends can attest to that. We’re actually buying Josh the guy version of these shoes because he loved how I described mine so much.
5. To answer your question so you can decide whether or not to unsubscribe, my post tomorrow has no mentions of any sponsored content. Monday’s post is sponsored post about Heidi Klum’s New Balance collection because I was a moron and thought this past Monday was March 3rd. I honestly love the line and want to look into getting a pair of her colorful pants. I normally do black on the bottom and colors on the top but I want to step out of my comfort zone a little bit. I have no other plans for sponsored posts next week. Lately there has been a cluster of sponsored posts just because of being sick on my part. I do plan on reviewing my February PopSugar Must Have Box next week (I pay $39.95 a month for it.) and there is a referral link. I will be blogging about my friend Molly’s bridal shower that I’m going to this weekend. I also want to blog about my experience with laser hair removal at some point. I’m going to mention I’m getting it from Ideal Image but there is no referral system and we are paying for the procedure 100% ourselves. I just want to review my experiences and see if anyone else has used them. I’m about to go in for my second treatment so I’d love to get feedback from other people. The rest of the week will probably be about planning for our honeymoon and a leadership summit I’m attending next Thursday through work. I also eventually need to recap the rest of our wedding. The image sizes are so big and the thought of scaling them all down for blogging is daunting.
I 100% agree with you that I should not have so many sponsored posts one after the other. I seriously need to prioritize my time to be able to schedule and make it a priority to write more non-sponsored posts. You guys make the time to come read my blog, it’s the least I can do. At the same time I hope you see why I work with brands and write the posts that I do (tldr- because I love it!). I really appreciate your feedback and always want to encourage an honest and open dialogue with my readers. What you see is what you get with me. There’s only one thing in my life I don’t blog about but I can email you what that is.
Thanks for taking the time to voice your concerns and leave me this comment. It really means a lot.
Aren’t they fun? I love how light they are! Wow there’s actually ground showing where you are. We’re still about 18″ under snow. Boo.
Oh no! I hope the snow melts quickly!
the shoes just LOOK cool! haha
I love them!!
Cute shoes! I have such funky feet, shin splints, plantar faciitis, etc. that I have to wear those clunky kind of running shoes.
You gotta do what’s right for you girly! It’s way better to take care of your feet than try and force them into shoes that don’t work for you.
Shoes are pretty and bright! 🙂
Thank you! I love them! 😀
Erin, those are pretty cool looking shoes. I have not worn Reebok since the 80’s so I not familiar with how they feel any longer. They look so flat on the bottom, so it was interesting to hear your thoughts 🙂
Yes, I’ve been progressively shrinking the mm drop on my shoe. I went from 8 to 4 in the span of a year. The shorter drop really works for me.
Reebok has really come a long way with their fitness gear! I’m impressed, and glad you are finally feeling good again!
Thanks Kim! Yes I’m really loving their new products! I think the last few years has really gotten them back on the fitness radar.
I currently run in a pair of Reeboks and love them. I really want to give these shows a try, I hear so many great things about them, I’m going to have to take the plunge!
Let me know what you think of them! I love mine!