by thinkmarsh | Jan 28, 2017 | clothes, product review, recovery, running
I cannot believe how chilly is has been the last two weeks in London! Don’t get me wrong, I love winter and have all the right kit to stay warm, but in the 6 years I have lived in London I don’t remember it ever being so cold for so long. While I was home in New York for Thanksgiving, I saw warm sports kit (merino wool, thermal, fleece lined) in all the shops, but I knew (or so I thought) that it would never be cold enough in London to wear it more than once or twice a year.
It was fortuitous that
SKINS Compression got in touch soon after and offered for me to test out their compression kit. I chose the A400 line because it features Adaptive Technology that helps regulate body temps. This seemed like a good compromise as London often has cool/windy weather, rather than hot or cold extremes. The leggings feature 360 degree reflectivity and have a pocket in the back of the waistband.
The A400 long sleeve top has similar features to the leggings, such as 360 degre reflectivity, moisture wicking, and dynamic gradiant compression. The other unique feature is silicone gripper on the hem of the top which keeps it in place as you run, bend, or stretch, meaning you don’t need to worry about flashing some skin but rather focus on your workout.
I have worn the A400’s on long runs, trail runs, parkrun, and a, eight mile run commute. I never felt too warm or too cold on my run, which was amazing to think how versitile . The compression is supposed to help with blood circulation and recovery. (
You can read more about compression technology here.) Obviously, the only downside to compression gear is how tight it is. You need to be confident in your body shape as SKINS leave nothing to the imagination. Every curve gets a form fitting hug.
The other tips I have for staying warm are wearing light-weight running gloves. This is something I always do to help my hands from developing more severe eczema. I have a pair of
sport E-Gloves that I really like to wearing when running. They don’t get sweaty or damp, even on long runs, meaning my hands don’t get cold. They also dry quickly so I can wear them a few hours later.
As you will see in my photos here and on Instagram, I am always wearing a snood in the winter. For some reason, as soon as I step outside in weather that is a bit cool, my nose runs. In the summer, I think I have allergies too which also cause excess mucus production. So I wear a snood in the winter to easily wipe my nose (don’t worry, I wash it regularly). It also helps warm you breathe when it is so cold outside, your nose hair freezes. You can bring the snood over your face and breathe in air that is warmed by your body temp first.
Finally, I wear a lightweight handband to cover my ears when it is really cold. It is also a bright High-Vis color to help me be seen. I would advise accessorizing with lights and reflective wear too if running in low light conditions. Yes, the clothes have 360 degree reflective bits but you want to ensure that all traffic and cyclists definitely see you coming.
I am so happy to say that SKINS is offering my readers a 20% discount using the promo code PTMOLLIE-SKINS20 on all full-priced items. Offer expires 31st January so head on over and pick up some kit today to beat the winter blues.
Thanks to SKINS for gifting me the A400 top and leggings. As always, all opinions are honest and my own.
by Mollie Millington | Jan 18, 2017 | exercise, family, product review
Most people aim to start exercising more as soon as the clock strikes midnight on the 1 st January. But if you commute to work, have a family, or other outside responsibilities it can be hard to fit it in. The dark nights and cold weather don’t help much either. When Decathlon reached out to me to take part in their Decathlon Decathlon Challenge, I thought it sounded like a great idea as the events were a big unusual.
Decathlon sent me a hula hoop, darts board, and hiking boots with an assisgnment for each one. I was to see how long I can hula hoop for, try to get the lowest score on darts board, and time myself lacing up the boots. These are brilliant ways to encourage your family to get up off the couch. Most family members can take part (some will need supervision with darts even though they are plastic). Or make up your own with what you have around the house.
Here are a few ideas I had to get the family to be active together when it is too cold and rainy to go outside:
- fastest up the stairs
- longest wall sit
- longest plank
- most times hopping on one foot in 1 min
- number of squats in 30 sec
- how many tries to roll a double on a pair of dice. You decide if lowest or highest is the winner.
- how long you can hold your breathe (be sensible here!)
How did I do? Well, I thought the hula hooping would be easy as I used to love it when I was younger. But I was absolutely rubbish! I couldn’t even make 10 sec. Neither could my husband, so I felt a little bit better about it. When was the last time you hula hooped?
The darts were a bit ‘easier’ for me as I am crap at that sport, even though we used to play with my grandpa in his basement when I was growing up. I scored a 10 if you don’t count the 2 throws that didn’t even hit the board. Since the darts are plastic, they cause less damage to the wall and were a bit safer to have in the living room. I still would only hang it on a wall you don’t care about as the darts might leave a small mark and, of course, keep an eye on the kiddies at all times.
 |
| We had a wee bit of space on the wall for the board. |
 |
| Action shot! |
The boots were trickier as I had to overcome my need for perfect alignment and flat laces and focus on getting the task done. It took me 1 minute 48 seconds to get both boots laced up. I changed my stratgey for the second shoe but I don’t think it made a difference in my final time. If you don’t have hiking boots, you can use any pair of shoes the laces in your closet. Hopefully they don’t smell too bad!
 |
| Ready, set, go! |
 |
| Look at the focus on my face. |
 |
| Finished! |
Let me know which challenges you and your family decide to try by leaving a comment below. I would love to hear some new ideas too on how you stay active at home without getting cabin fever.
Thanks to Decathlon for gifting me these fun items. As always, all opinions are honest and my own.
by thinkmarsh | Jan 18, 2017 | exercise, family, product review
Most people aim to start exercising more as soon as the clock strikes midnight on the 1 st January. But if you commute to work, have a family, or other outside responsibilities it can be hard to fit it in. The dark nights and cold weather don’t help much either. When Decathlon reached out to me to take part in their Decathlon Decathlon Challenge, I thought it sounded like a great idea as the events were a big unusual.
Decathlon sent me a hula hoop, darts board, and hiking boots with an assisgnment for each one. I was to see how long I can hula hoop for, try to get the lowest score on darts board, and time myself lacing up the boots. These are brilliant ways to encourage your family to get up off the couch. Most family members can take part (some will need supervision with darts even though they are plastic). Or make up your own with what you have around the house.
Here are a few ideas I had to get the family to be active together when it is too cold and rainy to go outside:
- fastest up the stairs
- longest wall sit
- longest plank
- most times hopping on one foot in 1 min
- number of squats in 30 sec
- how many tries to roll a double on a pair of dice. You decide if lowest or highest is the winner.
- how long you can hold your breathe (be sensible here!)
How did I do? Well, I thought the hula hooping would be easy as I used to love it when I was younger. But I was absolutely rubbish! I couldn’t even make 10 sec. Neither could my husband, so I felt a little bit better about it. When was the last time you hula hooped?
The darts were a bit ‘easier’ for me as I am crap at that sport, even though we used to play with my grandpa in his basement when I was growing up. I scored a 10 if you don’t count the 2 throws that didn’t even hit the board. Since the darts are plastic, they cause less damage to the wall and were a bit safer to have in the living room. I still would only hang it on a wall you don’t care about as the darts might leave a small mark and, of course, keep an eye on the kiddies at all times.
|
| We had a wee bit of space on the wall for the board. |
|
| Action shot! |
The boots were trickier as I had to overcome my need for perfect alignment and flat laces and focus on getting the task done. It took me 1 minute 48 seconds to get both boots laced up. I changed my stratgey for the second shoe but I don’t think it made a difference in my final time. If you don’t have hiking boots, you can use any pair of shoes the laces in your closet. Hopefully they don’t smell too bad!
|
| Ready, set, go! |
|
| Look at the focus on my face. |
|
| Finished! |
Let me know which challenges you and your family decide to try by leaving a comment below. I would love to hear some new ideas too on how you stay active at home without getting cabin fever.
Thanks to Decathlon for gifting me these fun items. As always, all opinions are honest and my own.
by thinkmarsh | Nov 10, 2016 | fashion, product review, running
It always amazes me how Londoners will go for fashion over function when it comes to shoe choice. I know I am neither trendy or cool, especially in an urban sense. But where I grew up, when there was 2 feet of snow , you would wear warm tall boots. The first winter we were in London, it snowed a few wet centimetres. As we had just came from Michigan and still had our gortex winter boots. We met friends for coffee and they were in Nike trainers with frozen feet. We may not have looked cool, but our feet were warm and dry.
|
| Brand new OOFOS. I need a pedicure STAT! |
After races, people often change out of their running shoes (cuz those are only for running in) and throw on flip flops. I can’t wear most flip flops because the design often lacks arch support and cushioning. With my history of plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinitis, it causes me a lot of pain to wear flat shoes for long periods of time. Usually I will leave my trainers on after a race or bring another pair with me to change into.
This summer, I was fortunate enough to have a pair of OOFOS Recovery flip flops (OOriginal in Fuschia, of course) to product test after my races. I wore them after the Dublin Half, between laps at Spitfire Scramble, after the Berlin Marathon, and while I was awake on the bus during the FitbitFifty. The OOFoam technology is a little cushy, yet supportive. The shoe design also has an arch built in. Usually my narrow feet don’t feet in sandals were the straps are not adjustable (the straps would be above my feet making it hard to walk), but my feet fit in oofos just fine. The shoes are light, making it a no-brainer to take them travelling. The color selection means they can compliment many outfit choices too and there are a range of designs too. I felt great the day after the races where I tested them out, while during the relays I was able to keep going. You can even throw them in the washing machine to spruce them up.
 |
Easy to wash, but because mine are a ligher color,
there were still a few areas of wear. |
Fast forward to colder weather……
 |
Muddy dog walks are now bareable due to warm
dry feet |
In the summer, I wear trainers while I wear gortex shoes from September to May in London. It rains a lot here and I hate having wet feet. Walking Oldland in the park through long grass, there is still a chance my jeans and socks will get wet. I have some budget wellies from decathlon but they are really heavy and my socks always fall down (do you ever have this problem?). I also had to invest in insoles for the wellies as there was no support in there at all.
At a recent press event, I was introduced to Bogs Footwear. They specialise in waterproof shoes, from wellies to walking shoes. Most recently, they launched a leather range but this is only available in the USA so far (good thing I am going home for Thanksgiving in two weeks). I have been using the Crandall Tall wellies on my dog walks and while out watching Guy Faulkes fireworks. My feet have stayed toasty warm. There is a soft lining and handy holes on the sides to pull the boots on with. The heel has plastic higher up which allows you to take shoes off using other foot without ruining the Neo-Tech waterproof insulation. The design is sleek enough that I would wear them out to a country pub but I don’t think I would wear them on a night out, unless it was a bonfire or haunted hay ride.
Both shoes are fit for purpose and stylish enough to wear outside of race recovery and dog walks. I am so glad I can finally have shoes that are comfortable and look good too rather than having to pick function over fashion.
What is your shoe of choice after a tough race or while on a wet walk through the woods? Do you go for fashion over function?
 |
| Bring on London wintery weather! |
OOFOS and Bogs Footwear were kind enough to gift me these shoes to try out. All opinions are honest and my own.
by Mollie Millington | Nov 10, 2016 | fashion, product review, running
It always amazes me how Londoners will go for fashion over function when it comes to shoe choice. I know I am neither trendy or cool, especially in an urban sense. But where I grew up, when there was 2 feet of snow , you would wear warm tall boots. The first winter we were in London, it snowed a few wet centimetres. As we had just came from Michigan and still had our gortex winter boots. We met friends for coffee and they were in Nike trainers with frozen feet. We may not have looked cool, but our feet were warm and dry.
|
| Brand new OOFOS. I need a pedicure STAT! |
After races, people often change out of their running shoes (cuz those are only for running in) and throw on flip flops. I can’t wear most flip flops because the design often lacks arch support and cushioning. With my history of plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinitis, it causes me a lot of pain to wear flat shoes for long periods of time. Usually I will leave my trainers on after a race or bring another pair with me to change into.
This summer, I was fortunate enough to have a pair of OOFOS Recovery flip flops (OOriginal in Fuschia, of course) to product test after my races. I wore them after the Dublin Half, between laps at Spitfire Scramble, after the Berlin Marathon, and while I was awake on the bus during the FitbitFifty. The OOFoam technology is a little cushy, yet supportive. The shoe design also has an arch built in. Usually my narrow feet don’t feet in sandals were the straps are not adjustable (the straps would be above my feet making it hard to walk), but my feet fit in oofos just fine. The shoes are light, making it a no-brainer to take them travelling. The color selection means they can compliment many outfit choices too and there are a range of designs too. I felt great the day after the races where I tested them out, while during the relays I was able to keep going. You can even throw them in the washing machine to spruce them up.
|
Easy to wash, but because mine are a ligher color,
there were still a few areas of wear. |
Fast forward to colder weather……
|
Muddy dog walks are now bareable due to warm
dry feet |
In the summer, I wear trainers while I wear gortex shoes from September to May in London. It rains a lot here and I hate having wet feet. Walking Oldland in the park through long grass, there is still a chance my jeans and socks will get wet. I have some budget wellies from decathlon but they are really heavy and my socks always fall down (do you ever have this problem?). I also had to invest in insoles for the wellies as there was no support in there at all.
At a recent press event, I was introduced to Bogs Footwear. They specialise in waterproof shoes, from wellies to walking shoes. Most recently, they launched a leather range but this is only available in the USA so far (good thing I am going home for Thanksgiving in two weeks). I have been using the Crandall Tall wellies on my dog walks and while out watching Guy Faulkes fireworks. My feet have stayed toasty warm. There is a soft lining and handy holes on the sides to pull the boots on with. The heel has plastic higher up which allows you to take shoes off using other foot without ruining the Neo-Tech waterproof insulation. The design is sleek enough that I would wear them out to a country pub but I don’t think I would wear them on a night out, unless it was a bonfire or haunted hay ride.
Both shoes are fit for purpose and stylish enough to wear outside of race recovery and dog walks. I am so glad I can finally have shoes that are comfortable and look good too rather than having to pick function over fashion.
What is your shoe of choice after a tough race or while on a wet walk through the woods? Do you go for fashion over function?
|
| Bring on London wintery weather! |
OOFOS and Bogs Footwear were kind enough to gift me these shoes to try out. All opinions are honest and my own.
by thinkmarsh | Oct 25, 2016 | clothes, fashion, product review
|
| Motivation Quarter Zip on the Nile |
The North Face (TNF) has long been a favourite brand of mine. I have 3/4 zip shirts that are 5+ years old and they don’t show much wear. I also prefer TNF backpacks for my daily commute as they have great internal organisation and are once again, built to last.
In the spring, Blacks gave me a few pieces from the new TNF Mountain Athletics line. As I wrote previously (link) I practically lived in the Motivation Quarter zip while I was in Cairo and Instanbul. The fabric was light enough to carry in my purse but also kept me warm on the warm and once the sun went down. It didn’t even start to smell after a few wears. We recently spent a love weekend in ache Alsacian region of France for a wedding, where the top was a staple in the misty weather during the day and the chilly evenings at night.
 |
| Love these pretty leggings! |
The warm spring and summer meant that I haven’t been able to wear the Pulse leggings very much to exercise in. They are very comfortable and the print is flattering on my body type (although I would like a thicker elastic waistband but that is my personal preference). The only thing missing is a pocket to keep a few essentials in. Perhaps if you were running up a mountain, you’d have a bag with you anyways.
The Play Hard vest (aka tank top in America) is soft material with a loose cut, which I prefer as opposed to skin tight kit. I wore the tank in Fierce Grace yYoga and completely soaked it through. I also wore it on a photo shoot with Will Patrick and am quite happy with the results. I love the bold design too which inspires me to be bold when out training in the mountains.
These pieces are really versatile and can be used in the gym, out for a run, at yoga, and of course when you are exploring the great outdoors. Check out the full Mountain Athletics women’s range offered at Black’s here (and here for the men’s). These pieces are perfect for autumnal training as the leggings and layers will help you tackle a rang of temps throughout the day.
Black’s kindly gifted me these pieces. All opinions are honest and my own.
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