When the going tough, the tough get snacking. At least, that’s what Aria does. She reaches over to her drawer and looks for her favorite snack . There are many choices, but what would you choose?

This started as a prank where some fiendish fiends (great description, yeah?) went around the lunch room and collected every snack that was randomly on tables and elsewhere. They filled Aria’s desk to the brim and now she has a veritable store house 2 feet away. Please be aware that by now, most, if not all, the food in this drawer has expired and may not be that good for you. Was it good for you to begin with? Mmmmmm…..I’m hungry either way ;)

Looking for a vacation spot that you can “run” and relax in? Here are three spots that will interest you. Don’t forget to bring a pair of running shoes.

Picture this. It’s a cool summer day. The sun is shining and lush greenery is all around you. Thick, tall trees. Arduous, sweet flowers. Fresh, clean air. The best part? You are on vacation and running through a magnificent trail that only gets better with each step. It’s an exhilarating experience that you can make come true by planning your next vacation in one of these areas.

South Florida (Miami and Florida Keys)

Ask your grandmother, there are a lot of reasons why people retire in Florida. It’s warm, full of sunshine and oodles of places to run. You can buy a packaged vacation in this area that includes a group run over a variety of trails or you can go solo. Just remember, that your choices will be endless. Beaches. Parks. Bridges. Lagoons. You can run in all of these areas. Just watch out for the crocodiles.

Napa Valley, Calif.

Ask anyone to tell you why Napa Valley is famous and they will say “wine.” While this is true, it’s also popular for another reason. It’s a great vacation spot for people who enjoy running. You can take a friend out for a run or go solo. Either way, you will be able to run for miles and miles through natural terrain cluttered with orchards and other country fare. Then, after a relaxing run, you can retreat to a nearby spa or visit a winery. It’s a great place to go if you want to get away for a bit of romance, but also enhance your usual physical routine.

New York City and Suburbs

Are you yearning for excitement, big crowds and city lights? You can get them all along with a fantastic run by vacationing in New York. Manhattan, Central Park and the Hudson River offer up a mesh of urban and country terrain that will challenge you physically as well as stimulate your senses. The key is to visit during the spring season. It is during this time that the weather is runner “friendly” and you can participate in big events like the Boston Marathon. This area will offer you a lot of photo ops and unforgettable memories.

These three spots will offer you a lot of great places to run. So next time you plan to get out of town, don’t forget your running shoes. You’ll have plenty of places to use them in.

Sources:
http://www.runningawayonline.com/sofla_active
http://www.runningawayonline.com/nyc_active
http://www.runningawayonline.com/wine_count_activ

Now that Memorial Day has passed and we’re officially in the summer fashion season sandals are the main footwear choice for most of us in the Northern Hemisphere. This should hardly be surprising because not only are sandals comfortable, their ancient. In fact, many of the earliest shoes we have historical evidence of were made in this style. Sandals have been found as part of ritual burials and were even depicted in prehistoric art. In fact, many of the styles of sandals popular today have endured for thousands of years thanks to their simplicity and grace.

The earliest sandals were all-purpose shoes created by our prehistoric ancestors. By the time of the Greeks and Romans, sandals, while still ubiquitous, were constructed from a variety of materials and available in an array of styles. The “thong” or “flip-flop” seems to have emerged in Egypt, although the style was popular throughout the ancient world. Later the Roman empire gave us everything from the practical sandals of a working man, to dress sandals for women and highly durable sandals for warriors. In Japan, resilient and surprisingly light-weight wooden geta that towered as high as twelve inches elevated pedestrians above the mire of the public streets.

The sandal and its many sub-genres has continued to diversify in the modern era. Where sandals were once a casual-only statement and flip-flops were strictly for the beach, discussion on appropriate sandals for the office can now be found in the pages not just of fashion magazines but also of mainstream newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal.

Today sandals are made out of an ever broader array of natural material such as wood, leather and silk, and increasingly synthetics that allow for more support, cushioning and structure. We have sandals for the beach, boardroom and ballroom as well as the hiking trail, the running track and the gym. And because many sandals are easier to construct than closed shoes, their affordability means most people own multiple pairs.

This year’s sandal trend, which started to make its appearance last summer, is a revived gladiator sandal. Some of these shoes have open toes, while others are woven over the toe and merely open on the sides, making them much cleaner for city wear. Heights vary too, with the straps and buckles ending at the ankle or in some cases going as high as the knee; luckily for us modern technology builds a zipper into most of today’s sandals in this style, making them much quicker to get on and off.

When it comes to sandals it seems likely that we’ll keep doing what we’ve already been doing for thousands of years — copying the past and enhancing it with modern improvements in efficiency and comfort. As for style, it looks like the ancients had it covered.