Run in the Desert: Meet Running Shoe Expert Hollie Sick

Ever wonder what it's like to run in the desert?

🔥It can get really HOT.

If you want to beat the heat, you have to wake up early. It requires a certain kind of mindset to chase sunrises, train for races and go after PRs...with a smile.

And nobody does it better than running shoe expert and WeeViews member Hollie Sick. 

She...

• Runs most of her miles in the Mojave Desert.
• Blogs about running at Fueled by LOLz
• Shares her adventures on Instagram @fueledbylolz
• And she's personally helped 1,000-plus runners find the right shoe for their running goals

"It's pretty awesome to run in the desert," says Hollie. 

"There really isn't anything to worry about. I can hit the trails from my house within a half a mile, run across the sand dunes or go on old ATV trails."

After tennis and soccer didn't work out (read about it here), Hollie's parents signed her up for swimming.

• She put in the work. 
• She got better at it. 
• She was even a competitive swimmer at State University of New York - Potsdam.

"I was never a runner," says Hollie. "I was pretty much the standard kid always trying to get out of running in gym class."

Here's the curious thing...

Swimming was the perfect preparation for long-distance running...

"In college, swimming two to four hours a day was just part of the training," says Hollie. 

"Staring at the bottom of a pool for that long really helped me develop mental toughness and the ability to deal with monotony."

So how does a competitive swimmer make the leap to running?

"My college was offering a free long-sleeved T-shirt for finishing a 5K," says Hollie.

At just 20-miles south of the Canadian border, there was usually a chill in the air in Potsdam, N.Y. And a free long-sleeved T-shirt was just enough of a hook to get Hollie to show up for the race.

"I ran that 5K in about 23 minutes," says Hollie, "which is pretty good for someone who didn't run."

That's how it started...

Near the end of the college season, the burnout from swimming for 15 years was real.

She needed a break. But she needed to be active.

"That's really when I picked up running," says Hollie. "I started running about 20 miles a week and doing shorter races."

Since then, she's ran a long list of races, including:

• 5Ks
• 10Ks
• Half-marathons (1:22:04 PR)
• Marathons (3:07:15 PR)

When Hollie moved to New Jersey in 2013, her love for running went with her.

And she landed a job working at the South Jersey Running Co.

"I really learned a lot about running, training, shoes, and working with runners," says Hollie. 

"I got to see all the new shoe releases, talk with brand reps, and test a lot of different running shoes."

• After helping 1,000-plus runners find the perfect shoe for their running goals, she wrote the book: A Guide to Running Shoes.
• She's reviewed more than 150 running shoes on the Fueled by LOLZ blog.
• She's sponsored the monthly WeeViews Gear Giveaway

And she's added her own WeeViews on five running shoes:

• Hoka One One Bondi 8
• Atreyu Base Model V2 
• Nike Zoom Fly 5 
• Hoka One One Clifton 9 
• Asics Nimbus 25 

Looking for a running shoe to help you go the distance, train for a race, or run for fitness?

"Stop listening to articles and people who say there is a best running shoe," says Hollie.

"It's not there. It does not exist. There is no best. Only a best for you."

So how do you pick a running shoe?

Here's what Hollie recommends:

• Comfort. "This is the most important factor," says Hollie. "Just because someone says it feels super comfortable to them, doesn't mean it will fit your foot the same way. If you try on a pair of shoes, and it's not instantly comfortable, it's not the shoe for you."
• Sizing. If you came to visit me in the running store, I'd measure your feet to get your size," says Hollie. "But width can be really important, too. For example, a middle-aged woman with bunions is going to need a wider shoe."
• Biomechanics. Pay attention to your foot strike and how it feels when you walk or run, says Hollie. This can help narrow down the choices to find running shoes that work for you. Try on a couple different brands.
• Performance. It's also a good idea to choose a running shoe based on what you're looking for, says Hollie. This could be trail running, racing, road running. "If you're looking for a fast shoe, you might go with a shoe with a carbon-fiber plate. If you run a lot of miles in bad weather, snow, rain or ice, you might benefit from a Gore-Tex shoe for more protection."
• Cushioning. There's lots of options based on your preference, from minimalist shoes to super stacked Hokas, says Hollie.

And the running shoe myth buster:

"Ultimately, the right running shoe has to feel comfortable," says Hollie. 

"If it feels comfortable when you try it on, you're probably going to run well in it. And you won't need to break it in." 

Instagram

• @fueledbylolz

Blog

• Fueled by LOLZ

🏃‍♀️Favorite races

• Anthem Shamrock Half Marathon in Virginia Beach, Va. (9 finishes)
• TCS New York City Marathon in New York, N.Y. (4 finishes)

👟Favorite running shoes

• Asics Superblast "This shoe has a ton of cushioning, and it doesn't feel clunky like the Nimbus or the Cumulus."
• Nike Air Zoom Tempo Next%
• Saucony Sinister

⌚Favorite running watch

• Coros Pace 2

📕Favorite running books

• The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike's Elite Running Team by Kara Goucher.
• Choosing to Run: A Memoir by Des Linden
• Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man's World by Lauren Fleshman