Hellooooo! I’m having a blast here in Orlando!
After sleeping in a little bit on Friday morning, our group headed over to the race expo at the ESPN Wide World of Sports.
Sarah, Julie, and I called each other the night before and coordinated our outfits for the day. (FYI: We are wearing is the Moto Pullover from the Heidi Klum collection.)
The expo was really great with all sorts of awesome vendors, brands, and Disney gear. I think it was actually one of the best expos I’ve ever been to!
While wandering around the expo, I saw the special, limited edition New Balance 860v3, a Mickey and Minnie-inspired sneaker for 2013.
Earlier this year, New Balance produced 1,000 pairs of this special Disney-inspired shoe and sold out within hours at the very first Disney race of the year. The shoe was such a hit with Disney runners, New Balance made more and, in 2014, New Balance will create an all new, more customizable (with special race-specific inserts) sneaker!
A few of the fun shirts I saw at the expo:
After spending some time at the expo, our group headed to the New Balance Track & Field Complex where we ate lunch and then had a chance to meet Jenny Simpson.
Lunch was delicious””salad, roasted veggies, pulled pork, grilled chicken breast, fresh fruit, and cookies””all of my favorites!
During lunch, we had the opportunity to watch Jenny do a track workout.
She was cruising!
When Jenny finished her workout, she chatted with our group and answered a bunch of questions.
In the video below, Jenny talks about her workouts. She averages about 70 miles per week!
Other interesting tidbits from Jenny:
- Before workouts and races, she typically eats oatmeal or cereal.
- After workouts and races, she eats as soon as possible. She said she once met with a registered dietitian, who said the recommendation about eating within 20-30 minutes of exercise is a good one, but you should really consume some calories ASAP. Jenny’s usual picks are yogurt, smoothies, chocolate milk, or something with a 3:1 protein to carb ratio.
- Jenny’s recovery day workout pace is 7:10 and she runs for 60-90 minutes. Recovery days are all about time not distance for her.
- Jenny takes a full rest day once every 8 weeks.
- When she went pro, Jenny was pitched by 7 different athletic brands, but ultimately chose New Balance.
Jenny was really sweet, friendly, and down-to-earth. She even ended up chatting with a group of us for quite awhile after the formal session ended.
credit: Instagram @rungiarun
Questions of the Day
Who is your running hero?
If you could ask Jenny anything, what would you ask her? (New Balance offered to coordinate interview with her, so I’ll send along your questions!)
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34 Comments
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I NEED that Dear God shirt-it is so me!
That is so awesome!! What a great weekend for you 🙂
And of course the expo was amazing – Disney doesn’t mess around 😉
-Sammy
Oh woah…she only takes a rest day once every 8 weeks?! I love hearing how these athletes train and eat!!!
Cute outfits too!!
Her RECOVERY pace is 7:10?! Holy cow, she’s super speedy!! That expo looks like so much fun!
Wow what an amazing weekend you have had! So amazing to meet her! She is crazy fast! I am in awe!
My running hero is Joan Benoit Samuelson. She ran NYCM this year in under 3 hours at age 57.
That’s a heck of a lot of running how does she stay injury free???
She is absolutely inspiring to me!
Sooo jealous; looks like you’re having a great time–Disney is the best!
Awesome! My running hero has to be Kara Goucher, I’ve been a fan of hers for a long time now and just really like her!
Thanks for sitting and the weirdo table with me at lunch.
Friends don’t let friends dine alone!
It looks like you are having so much fun! I love that Moto pullover…so cute!
What a fun weekend! Great photos!
I loved reading Julie’s recap too about meeting Jenny! I am so going to try and make it a goal to eat something more quickly after a workout, I always thought 20 mins was the rule but good to know that it really is the sooner the better 🙂
Does she do any other fitness? Yoga, lifting?
So much fun! The wicked strong – got to love it!!!!
710 recovery pace…. AMAZING. Tell me your secrets, haha.
That looks like an awesome expo! I’ve always wanted to go to one and I think next year I’ll make it a goal to find one to attend 🙂
Just her recovery pace is 7:10!? That’s amazing!
Wow that’s amazing…. does she find it difficult only taking one rest day every 8 weeks? What’s her recommendation on the number of rest days for the average person who works out for fun and to stay fit?
i think it’s interesting that she runs for time, not distance. also that she *only* averages 70 miles per week, which isn’t really that high for a pro/semi-pro runner, you know? i’d be curious to know how she came to adapt her current training program and how it differs in quantity/quality miles than training programs she has used in the past.
What an awesome weekend! I really love Ryan Hall. I just love how inspirational he is! Disney does the best expos!
WOW, 70 miles a week with a recovery time of 7:10, I’m truly amazed! I wish I could run 70 miles a week!
70 miles a week is insane — that’s what I run in a month most of the time! I met her at the meet up and she seemed really sweet 🙂 I can’t imagine only taking a rest day every 8 weeks — I love my weekly rest day!
I love the Disney expo’s, I may have spent just a little too much money there.. oops! 🙂
I’m so jealous (& happy for you of course) that you met jenny simpson! sooo freakin cool 🙂
I am having so much fun reading about your weekend in Disney. I must admit that I am envious of you – tell New Balance I want to go too 🙂 haha
Here’s my questions for Jenny: Since it sounds like she doesn’t take a lot of rest days – what does she do when she just doesn’t have the motivation or the juice? Sounds like she makes a workout happen anyway, but when 7:10 is a recovery day pace, obviously there’s not much room to be unmotivated. How does she motivate when it’s not there?
Where can you get some of those t-shirts??
1 full rest day every 8 weeks?! My gosh!!
One full off day every 8 weeks? That insanity!!
Sounds like you are having a blast though!
7:10 recovery pace? That’s amazing!
My question for her would be: If she only takes one full recovery day each week, how does she train on non-running days?
that is awesome! I can’t believe she only takes one recovery day every 8 weeks!
Meb Keflezighi is my running hero! He has an incredible life story and has such strong faith and perseverance. Check out his book “Run to Overcome.” It’s a very easy read and so inspiring. He is a really great person and such a positive role model.