I’m very proud to have recently been selected to be a Sponsored CLIF Bar Ambassador. In exchange for being fueled by great CLIF products, I’ll now be helping to spread the word about CLIF and to give samples to people I meet at some of my training runs and races throughout the season.

CLIF Bar Minis, perfect for on the run.

I’ve been a huge fan of CLIF products for years, having used CLIF SHOT® Energy Gels and CLIF Energy Bars in the majority of my training and racing. I’ve also recently started using CLIF Builder’s Bars as part of my recovery, post-run.

What I like most about CLIF Bar is its commitment to “a healthier, more just and sustainable food system”.

The company continually strives to reduce its environmental footprint, sourcing ingredients using fair labor practices, and to increase its purchase of organic ingredients. To date, reportedly 70 percent of the ingredients it purchases are certified organic and certified-sustainable, with a goal of increasing this to 80 percent by 2015.

Learn more about CLIF Bar & Company’s story, food philosophy, and products on their website, and if you see me at a race or training run and haven’t tried CLIF products or some of their newest flavours, let me know!

There’s not much I love more than running in the snow. With the winter trail running season coming to a close, I wanted to share a few of the items that I’ve come to consider essential for braving the elements.

When I started running about 5 years ago I jumped pretty much straight into the half-marathon and marathon distance. Far from a high school or collegiate running background here. As I began to follow a formal training plan, I found the tempo runs and speed work to be more difficult than the longer distance runs but I quickly realized how important they are even for marathon performance.

In The Seven Sins of Memory, author Daniel Schacter describes the ways that the mind forgets and remembers. He divides memory’s malfunctions into seven fundamental transgressions or ‘sins’, while arguing that these features of human memory aren’t necessarily good or bad but all serve a useful purpose. For example, persistence is one of the sins of memory that can lead to things like post traumatic stress syndrome but it is also necessary for long-term memory.

“Up for doing a bit of running in San Diego in June?”

I had quite a few big training runs on the schedule leading up to my first 100 km race, the Waldo 100k later this summer, so when two friends asked if I’d crew and pace at the San Diego 100 miler, it sounded like a great excuse for a vacation.

My friends Hozumi and Jeremy, both much more experienced and talented runners, have been really great in mentoring me over the past year as I transitioned from road to trail and in training for longer distances, so I was happy to help.