The following post is sponsored by FitFluential, LLC on behalf of Reebok.
The past two days have been a bit of a whirlwind for this girl!
After work on Tuesday, I caught a flight to New York City and was in the city for less than 24 hours before it was time for me to return to Florida Wednesday night. The purpose of my trip? Attending the launch party for Reebok’s new running shoe, the ZQuick!
When I was invited to the launch, I was thrilled for the opportunity to see some of my friends at Reebok and meet a few of the people I’ve been working with via email for more than a year now. And since I was already sold on the aesthetics of the ZQuick shoes before I arrived at the launch, I couldn’t wait to slip on a pair and try them out for myself.
I arrived in New York City late Tuesday evening and my friend Merri met me at my hotel for a sleepover! I’ll fill you in on some of our shenanigans soon (cronuts were involved and I am dying for another one…), but for now let’s skip ahead to the ZQuick launch party!
I had the pleasure of attending the party thanks to Reebok and FitFluential and met up with one of my favorite beautiful (pregnant!) blogging buddies, Tina, in the hotel lobby on Wednesday morning so we could head over to the event together.
We planned to walk there but the rainy weather combined with the snow on the ground made the sidewalks incredibly slushy which didn’t work so well with my rolling suitcase. We ended up finagling a ride to the event with three guys in Reebok apparel without realizing we were piggybacking on UFC fighter Johny Hendrick’s limo ride to the event. Oops! Thanks for the lift, guys!
Once we arrived at the Classic Car Club of Manhattan, we were ushered into a welcome room for media and greeted with a goodie bag that included a moisture-wicking Reebok tank top (love the length and the fun back!), capris and the new ZQuick shoes to wear during the event.
I liked the feel of the shoes from the minute I put them on. They are very lightweight and the toe box is wider than other running shoes I’ve tried which I really appreciate. I told Tina the shoes feel like they’d be fabulous “all purpose shoes,” making them ideal for travel, too!
When I travel, sometimes I don’t know what shoes to pack and since I only want to pack one pair of gym shoes I often have to decide between running shoes and the shoes I prefer to wear for my other workouts. The ZQuicks feel like a great go-to shoe to pack when you travel and aren’t sure what activities or workouts might be on your agenda since they obviously lend themselves to running but the low midsole profile of the shoe gives me the stability I want for boot camp or lower body strength-based workouts.
Before the event began, we had an hour or so to mingle and snack on some healthy fare, including fresh juices (LOVED the almond, orange, sweet potato and apple juice), fruit and granola bars.
A little after 10 a.m., Allison Hagendorf took the stage to kick off the event by welcoming everyone and introducing Bill McInnis, a former NASA engineer and Reebok’s head of advanced innovation.
Bill told us more about the design process behind the ZQuick and the technology that went into creating the new shoe that is inspired by Z-rated sports car tires.
Then it was our turn to put the shoes to the test in a series of obstacles.
Three athletes and celebrities attended the event to demonstrate the four obstacles that lay before us.
Recognize anyone?
UFC fighter Johny Hendricks, Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman and Sin City actress Jamie Chung!
(Me + Aly)
As a little girl, I remember being mesmerized by the United States gymnastics team when the “Magnificent Seven” competed in the 1996 Olympics and I followed Aly and her teammates’ Olympic journey in 2012 when they won gold and Aly won a gold medal on the floor and a bronze medal on the balance beam. I was so grateful for the opportunity to meet Aly and chat with her about a number of topics. Here are a few highlights from my conversation with Aly that I thought might interest you guys:
- Aly’s workout regimen: She often trains two times a day and loves running on Sundays as her “me time.” Beam and floor are her favorite gymnastic events.
- Combating nerves during the Olympics: She said combating nerves during the Olympics was all about being incredibly prepared. She practiced non-stop and made sure her routines were so ingrained in her head that they felt like second nature.
- What Aly does in her free time: Aly is taking a college English course at the moment, so free time is often dedicated to homework!
- Aly’s diet: She said she eats “really healthy” and especially loves green juice, but she also enjoys dark chocolate every day so she doesn’t feel deprived.
After Aly, Johny and Jamie demonstrated the four obstacles, it was our turn to test out the shoes for ourselves!
First up for my group was the City Agility obstacle that tested our agility as we jumped over a large box, dodged garbage cans, ran up and down steps and down a ramp.
After the first event, we were already looking a little sweaty!
The second obstacle, Raw Speed, was rather straightforward. A sprint!
At first I raced with Tina which was rather comical because she didn’t realize it was time to start and when I took off and didn’t feel her running near me, I got nervous and looked back for her. We are a mess!
Then someone asked if I wanted to race Aly. The chance to get my butt kicked by race an Olympian!? Yes, please!!!
I was nervous to step up to the start line with Aly and didn’t go right away, but I’m pretty sure that even with a solid start, Aly would’ve still smoked the heck out of me.
Our third obstacle, Turn On A Dime, was one of my favorites! Once it was time to start, a course illuminated on the ground to quickly guide you around stacks of tires.
The final obstacle, Street Handling, was probably the most tiring, but also a lot of fun!
Four cones surrounded a somewhat slippery surface and we had to sprint to and from a white box to put the light out on whatever cone was illuminated. It was 45 seconds of sprinting, stopping and changing direction!
I would LOVE to have access to this obstacle course at the gym for some HIIT training! It was intense but a lot of fun and I know I’d have a great time trying to beat my previous scores.
Once the obstacle courses were complete, it was time to return to the media room for snacks and a chance to chat with trainers, athletes and blogging friends. Some new blogging friends I enjoyed chatting with during the event: Jocelyn, Jenna and Kayte. Such fun women!
Before I knew it, the launch party was over and I was headed back to the airport to return to Florida. It was a super fast trip to NYC but I’m so grateful for the opportunity to attend such an interactive launch party. Thank you, Reebok!!!
And those of you eyeing the new shoes, stay tuned for a giveaway that will pop up on the blog very shortly!
Question of the Morning
- Have you ever met an Olympic athlete?
- If you could meet one Olympic athlete, who would you like to meet?
I would love to meet a large number of Olympic athletes, but I think it would be really neat to meet Tara Lipinski. I thought she was absolutely amazing when I was younger and looked up to her a lot!
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I was a competitive swimmer for 11 years and attending various training camps allowed me to meet a few Olympians and try on their gold medals!!! They are crazy heavy! I was at a meet at UGA and literally bumped into Michael Phelps…that was awkward and I ran quickly away after apologizing. Those shoes look awesome! I love the bright colors!
What an awesome opportunity!
Love the look of the shoes!
I may have to look into those for my marathon training.
I LOVE my Reeboks I have now!
This sounds like such a great trip! I love the different obstacle courses you got to participate in, and I also love those sneakers, especially the color.
I loved watching the 2012 olympics. Gymnastics is my favorite Olympic sport! I have met a few Olympians. I was a big time gymnast when I was younger and would go to Olympic gymnastics camps where I met Dominique Moceanu and others. I also go to the Olympic gymnastics tours every 4 years and have met Carly Patterson and seen Shawn Johnson. I’m amazed by their dedication and hardwork!
I love those shoes! I’ve been back and forth between Reebok and Nike for a while for some new gym shoes (not running shoes!) and really love the coral color you have there! Also, I’m completely jealous that you got to meet Aly. She was one of my favorites! I’ve met Michael Phelps many times because he’s from my hometown, and actually met Ryan Lochte a few months ago in Gainesville. So, so random but he was a character!
What a cool opportunity to race with Aly!! That’s a really great memory. It’s crazy to think that she works out twice a day and trains so hard NOW while the next Olympics are still another two years out! That’s focus!
It looks like 24 hours of pure fun!!!! I would love to meet any olympian, who wouldn’t? They have so many things to teach!!! Their discipline is one of the things I admire the most!!
I really enjoyed this post and love the tank top and sneakers! I’m in the market for an “all around shoe” and even though these are technically for running, they seem pretty versatile!
I’m really lucky in that I go to a school with a fair number of Olmypians! I know a few personally and they’re all super nice!
I played high school hockey with Keri Herman whose in Sochi now! She’s every bit as fun and energetic as she seems. LOVE her and so proud of her!!
The Reebok event looked super fun! I’ve been looking for a good all around shoe for running errands and after a 4yr old so I’m excited to check these out!
I loveeee the color of those shoes! That’s awesome that you were invited to the launch party. Congrats! It looks like you had sooo much fun!
Ashley, Married to the Game
I’m so happy you had such a great time in NYC! Side note: the urge to eat a cronut does not go away. I debate waiting in that line at least weekly!
The event was a blast and it was great to meet you. Hopefully we’ll run into each other again soon 🙂
Oh my gosh I’ve been craving another cronut ever since I finished the last bite of the last one!
Oh my goodness. Just bought a pair of Nano last night and now I’m dying for the Z Quicks. Looks fun.
I LOVE the color of those shoes!! Thats so awesome that you got to meet Aly and interact with her. Ive always been a fan!
Great recap and what a cool opportunity!! That looks like so much fun! I love the tank and shoes. I was a competitive swimmer for many years and got to meet several Olympic swimmers at various meets and training camps over the years. A highlight: I was one of the athlete representatives for Florida and got to meet several swimmers from the 2000 Olympic team (including Dara Torres!) at the national convention!
That is awesome!!! Dara Torres is a rockstar!
That is so fun! I love all the obstacles you had to do. Meeting an Olympian would be amazing. I agree that I looked up to Tara and would enjoy meeting her. She seems so girly and fun!
I follow you on IG and have been waiting to hear about this trip- so neat! I think I met an Olympic athlete the other evening. I work at a speciality running store and we had an event and I caught part of a conversation of a guy saying since he’s competing in Rio he has “x” number of tickets allotted him- pretty neat! I’d like to meet the Williams sisters, both Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan, as well as Lindsey Vonn.
So fun! Those shoes look pretty comfy! I would love to meet anybody on the 1996 gymnastics team. That was such a magical olympics!
looks like an AMAZING and super fun experience!!
oh my GOODNESS! jamie is gorgeous, aly is incredible, and johny is amazing! you’re so lucky! just wondering, would you recommend the zquick or nano (1 or 2) for gym wear?
This event looks like so much fun! I loved watching the girl’s compete in gymnastics two summers ago. I’m more into the summer Olympic events, but I hope to tune in to some of the Winter games coming up. Tara Lipinski was a role model for a lot of girls our age I think!
I met an olympic swimmer once and it was so cool, they are so dedicated and inspiring!
That sounds like so much fun! Testing shoes, meeting Olympians, eating cronuts…very fun! I’ve never met an Olympian before, but I love watching them compete. The suspense and their abilities are amazing! Glad you had a great trip!
~Bre
Looks like a fun filled 48 hours!!! Yay!!!
You know what I love about this post!? (Besides the shoes, of course). It’s that Reebok invited and featured women of all different shapes, sizes and body types to participate and celebrate their athleticism. I love it! Not every athlete looks the same and there is no one perfect form. Plus, the event looked like a ton of fun!
Looks like you had a blast in NYC! That looks like so much fun! The juices look delicious too. I would never imagine putting together almond, orange, sweet potato and apple juice. It sounds yummy!
That is so awesome that you got to meet Aly! I met Shawn Johnson a few years ago at a cheerleading camp. Hope you had a great time in NYC!
What an awesome launch party!
I would love to meet an Olympian! Micheal Phelps, Lolo Jones and Ashton Eaton!
Street Handling looks like so much fun!! I’ve never owned anything Reebok, but you always mention how long the length on the tops are. As a tall girl, I think I need to look into this stat!
Seriously so awesome! What an incredible partnership!
I’d like to meet speed skaters Apolo Ohno & Chad Hedrick!
since sin city won’t be out for a while, you should check out jamie chung on abc’s once upon a time, she kicks butt as mulan.
Last June I went on a Dancing with the Stars cruise, and one of the celebrities that joined was Shawn Johnson. Being a huge gymnastics and Dancing with the Stars fan I was thrilled. When I actually had the opportunity to meet her it was pretty awkward, and uncomfortable…. Nonetheless, it is inspiring to be in the presence of an Olympian, especially a gold medalist. Go team USA!
I had the honour of meeting Wayne Gretzky when I was 5 years old. This is way back when he was just starting out in hockey, but I remember thinking how down to earth and nice he was then. I also met figure skater Kurt Browning twice. The second time my cousin won a meet and greet breakfast with him that she brought me with her. So we, along with other winners, had breakfast with him and his then fiancee, now wife ballerina Sonia.
I would love to meet other hockey players, figure skaters. But I really would love to meet American gymnast Shannon Miller since I am the same age as her. I really loved watching her back in the 90’s.
Yes! I met Summer Sanders in NYC a few years ago and she was AWESOME!!! I totally idolized her growing up, so it was definitely one of the coolest people I’ve met, more so than most of the celebs I’ve met through work.
Oh my gosh, that is SUCH an awesome opportunity! I’d be so starstruck if I met Aly, haha! I love love love those shoes!
Cute shoes!
I’m so jealous you got to meet Aly! I love her! This launch party looks so fun!
What an awesome launch party! I want to know how they dream up those ideas- lighting up the floor to tell you where to go on the course?! That’s so cool 🙂
I used to live at the Olympic Training Center (while interning for USA Triathlon), so I got to meet a lot Olympians. The best part was being able to train in their facilities while they also trained. It was such a dream world.
Even though he seem like an air head I would still love to meet Ryan Lochte– so cute!
Those shoes….H.O.T.! I love them!!!!
I have been following your blog for a while Julie and I have to say- it’s pretty awesome 🙂 A few years ago I voulenteered at the Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston and while I didn’t get a chance to meet any of the athletes face to face seeing them run was AMAZING and totally motivated me to PR at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon ( which was the next day). 🙂 LOVE the Z Quick shoes you have pictures of I am looking for an all around training shoe so I may have to invest in a pair.
Ahh! This event looks like a blast. I have to say, Scott is super jealous of you meeting (and competing against?!) Aly. As am I. I absolutely can’t wait to get my hands on a pair of ZQuick sneakers! 🙂
How FUN!! Not just the opportunity to meet and compete with the celebs, but just to try the new shoes and run around for awhile. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for that giveaway because those shoes are CUTE and I have a business trip in a couple weeks and those would be perfect! 😉
Ahhh!! That’s so amazing!!! I’m a HUGE fan of gymnastics, so I’m pretty sure I would faint if I ever met any of them!! I did meet Dominique Dawes once, and you know the only thing I was able to get out of my mouth? “I remember watching you when you fell on floor in the 96 Olympics! I cried!” Yea… not my best moment.
That is so cool that you raced Aly!
What an awesome experience! So cool that you get to be a part of that 🙂 I’ve met two Olympic swimmers, and actually took a technique clinic with them – Misty Hyman and Janet Evans. I even got to take pictures holding a gold medal, it was such a great day.
If I could meet any Olympian it would most definitely be Michael Phelps. I was a competitive swimmer for years and had hoped to be an Olympian one day (never happened, obviously.) He’s given so much attention to the sport which is awesome!
This looks like so much fun! I would love to meet Lola Jones. Did you know that she’s part of the US Bobsled team this year? Could you imagine, participating in both the Summer and Winter Olympics?!?! Amazing…