I received Nuun product tablets and water bottle as part of being a Bibrave Pro. Learn more about becoming a Bibrave Pro(ambassador), and check out Bibrave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!
Nuun Nuun Nuun, who doesn’t love Nuun? I have been a fan for a number of years, ever since I stumbled upon them at a race expo. Needless to say I was excited when we got a nice Nuun package as part of our swag bag from The Running Event(TRE). Here is what my package consisted of:
Nuun Electroyltes- helps replenish you when you sweat
Nuun Immunity- gives your immune system a boost of support
Nuun Vitamins- a anytime drink for your daily health
Nuun Performance– perfect for longer, intense workouts
** Fun Fact: The Nuun products with the colored tops have added caffeine. I learned that bit of information from the Nuun rep at TRE.
FAVORITE PRODUCT
So, what was my favorite product out of the 4, I have to go with Nuun Performance. Seeing how the majority of the time I use Nuun is when I am out of a run, I was immediately drawn to Energy Nuun Electroyltes with its added caffeine to help you get through the dreaded long runs. The Energy Nuun comes in 4 different flavors, but my favorites are Wild Berry and Cherry Limeade.(other flavors are mango orange and fresh lime) I can immediately feel a burst of energy, especially on those hot summer runs, when I take a swig of Energy Nuun. Not to mention the flavors are more intense. More importantly, I have never had any GI issues when using Nuun so you don’t have to worry about any unscheduled potty breaks in the midst of your run.
FAVORITE FLAVOR
Up until recently my favorite flavor has always been Wild Berry Energy Nuun, well that has changed. In the midst of my many Nuun conversations I have had with other runners, a new concept was discovered….HOT Nuun. I first heard it in October of this year when my friend, Chris mentioned it while we were working a booth at the Army 10 miler expo. The following month I was discussing it and several people said that their favorite flavor was Ginger Lemonade….HOT. There was that Hot concept again, not to mention I had never seen the ginger lemonade flavor. Since I had a Ginger Lemonade in my swag bag from TRE, I decided to take it with me to work one morning. My job had given all the employees mugs at some point during the year, and since I don’t drink coffee, what better way to try it out with some hot Nuun. I went to break room and filled up my mug with some hot water, returned to my desk and dropped 1 Nuun Ginger Lemonade tablet into it. It almost look like a volcano erupting as the Nuun tablet was attacked by the hot water. After the fizz subsided, I took a sip and MIND BLOWING. It was without a doubt DELICIOUS. I don’t drink coffee but, like most people, some mornings I need a little pick me up. I can totally see Ginger Lemonade “hot” Nuun as my go to. It has now become my favorite flavor of all Nuun. *I was also told Orange Citrus Nuun Immunity hot is also good, but I haven’t tried that one yet.
TRY IT FOR YOURSELF
Nuun, as a brand, speaks for itself but if I can help persuade anyone to try it for the first time…I WILL. Nuun is great and does not contain many calories. Give it a try. Do me a favor and try ginger lemonade in hot water, and let me know what you think. I look forward to reading the comments after you do.
I have never owned a pair of Altra running shoes, nor have I ever tried on a pair so I was intrigued when I saw we received a pair as part of our Running Event swag bag. I received a pair of Altra’s new Escalante 1.5 in gray and yellow. Having never owned a pair, I was anxious to hear about what the Altra representatives had to say at The Running Event when we walked around. If you read my previous post about TRE Influencer’s Day, you know that I mentioned that the Altra booth was the most passionate about their product and now I can understand why.
So how does incrediwear work? To start with, incrediwear does not need compression to work. How so you may ask? Incrediwear uses technology that incorporates semiconductor elements within its fabric, which when it is stimulated by body heat, releases negative ions. Those negative ions activate molecular vibrations that increase blood flow and speed. Increasing circulation helps bring more oxygen and nutrients to the target area, which optimizes the body’s natural healing process and accelerates recovery. A few benefits of increased blood circulation is reduced swelling, reduced fatigue and accelerated recovery.
From the moment I put on the socks, I felt comfort. They kind of gave my feet a big hug but I it didn’t feel like compression at all. I have tried a few other brands of socks and have been quite fawn of one in particular, but I will say the incrediwear socks are as comfy if not more comfortable than my usual brand. I wore the socks on a few runs and the performance was exceptional. My feet were not tired or numb at the end of runs, like they are sometimes with other brands. Not only were they good for running but I also wore a pair to work on casual day and I could really tell the difference. I almost wanted to lose my shoes and walk around the office in my socks, but that wouldn’t be very professional. Lol
It is my understanding that this is the 2.0 version of the product, the first version was made of cotton. This version greets you with plush microfiber to make it even softer. In addition to the change in material, the 2.0 version also made the belt PU coated the belt to make it look cleaner. You can definitely feel the difference in softness the first time you rub your hand across the towel.
Have you ever beast mode your run/workout and was just too sweaty to ride home? Went to the beach and enjoyed the ocean water? With the Orange Mud Seat Cover and Changing Towel, you don’t have to worry about stopping at some gas station to change your clothes, instead you can do it on the spot. The Orange Mud Seat Cover and Changing Towel comes equipped with an adjustable belt and secure clip. That means you can wrap the towel around you, and securely undress yourself without any fear of there being a full moon. I used this feature several times after my track workouts and I knew I had to make a few stops before heading home. None of the others at the track was the wiser as I quickly changed out of my sweaty cloths, all under the cover of my changing towel.
The Orange Mud seat cover and changing towel comes with a zippered section that when zipped can go right over the headrest in your car, converting it to a seat cover. No time to change, no sweat (pun intended), convert the towel into a handy seat cover and be on your way. This year’s summer felt like one of the hottest in a long time, couple that with the high humidity and it made for endless super sweaty returns from long runs. I got my new car in July so I was super nervous about getting it all stinky after runs but Orange Mud cleared that issue right up. The towel successfully kept the sweat locked in and never transferred to my new seats. Once the towel gets to funky, you can simply toss it in the wash with the rest of your running attire.
The young lady working said “I don’t know why its taking him so long”. She said he had been working there 25 years and knew everything about everything. A few minutes later, she says to me ” I know what he is doing”…I think he is trying to upgrade you”. I responded “really?”. A few minutes later he drives up in a Mercedes GLA hybrid. He jumps out and looks at me and says “will this work”. I had never driven a Mercedes so I was kind of excited. He didn’t have to do that for me, so I thanked him several times before driving off. I would tell you how I had to read the manual to find out how to adjust the seats but my learning of that car would take up several paragraphs. lol
I left rental place and drove straight to the expo for the race. After I successfully parked using the backup camera, I made myself inside to the packet pickup. They had a designated area for runners to the Re-Run challenge to get both their bibs. I walked up and provided the lady my bib number. She started shifting through bibs and couldn’t find mine. She advised me that they had several stacks of bibs that had not been sorted yet, so she began to go through stack by stack, still she couldn’t find my bib. She asked the guy working with her for help, and he started going through the stacks. STILL NOTHING. By this time a line is starting to form and another lady had came up for her bib, and they couldn’t find hers. After about 10 minutes of them searching, they sent me down to another table to get a new bib assignment. Im honestly beginning to get upset. I go to the table and explain to them the situation. Lady says that she couldn’t reassign me a another number if I already had one in the system. She said she would walk down and look through the bibs herself. After about 5 minutes of looking, she finds my bib in the same stack the previous 2 individual had been looking. I thanked her and headed over to VIP to pick up my band. As I was walking a looked at my bibs…the first one was right but the 2nd bib had a totally different name. Frustrated, I walked back to the same lady that had just helped me and showed her. Her response was “I don’t know what is going on with them”. She walks over and tells a coordinator what’s going on, then she goes to the 5k area to see if my correct bib was there….IT WAS. After finally getting my bibs and VIP bracelet, I went for the swag. Last year swag consisted of pajama bottoms and a beach towel, this year they had duffle bags and performance shirts celebrating the race’s 45th anniversary. I collected my goods and decided to walk around the expo to see what free stuff I could grab. My favorite booth was the taste testing of the beef and wine tasting, both were great. I stayed about an hour before heading to my friend’s house to prepare for the next day’s 5k.
About 9pm thursday night, I receive an email from race organizers saying they were going to move Friday night’s 5k to saturday morning because of the weather. The forecast was causing for 90 degree weather at 7pm Friday night, with high humidity. Rather that subject runners to potential dangerous conditions, the decided to move the race. I appreciate them letting us know well in advance, although I was disappointed. By moving the race, they pretty much put an end to any runner that was trying to do the Re-Run challenge because now the 5k and half marathon were starting at the same time, so no way you to do both. They said that we could still receive all three medals after the half and we would get a voucher to move our registration for the 5k to 2019. I don’t like getting medals I didn’t earn so I got up Friday morning and did my own 5k. I went out at 6:30 and it was already extremely hot and humid. I think they made a good call moving the 5k to the next morning.
In spite of the hills, their was beautiful views to see as we ran through KC, past the hospital and through several neighborhoods before ultimately finishing downtown. The final mile of the race was downhill, and you could try to take advantage IF you had anything left in the tank after the hills. I had a little bit and was able to finish in a respectable time. I checked my watch and saw that we had run course with 975ft if elevation. My course graph looked like a heart beat signal. lol
Not all frozen meals are made equal, and Luvo is proof of that. When I was given the opportunity to test out some of Luvo’s new Flipped Bowls, I jumped at it. I am usually not a fan of frozen meals, but I was willing to give Luvo a shot based on what I have heard from a few friends. Ordering was simple from their website, and I received my order within a couple days in a cooler packed with dry ice. I was worried with the heat in my area about if the meals would still be frozen when I got home from work. Most of the ice had melted but the meals were still frozen. Win!
Recommendation
These bowls more than lived up to the company’s reputation. Each bowl provides you with a tasty meal, packed with tons of nutritional value. At $5.99 a box, you don’t have to worry about breaking the bank to have a healthy meal. Do not hesitate to give these a try. If you are ready to tickle your tastebuds, use code BIBRAVE at checkout to Buy 7 bowls, get 1 Free. Enjoy
I arrived at the expo Friday and all the runners were talking about was the possible rain the following day for the race. The percentage had changed to 40% but the possibility was still there. The resort we were staying was about 1.5 miles away from the start, so my plan was to walk to start.
This would allow my family to sleep in and not have to worrying about getting up at the crack of dawn to drive to the shuttle pick-up. Race morning I got up, got dressed and started my trek to the start line. I could tell it had rained over night, but there was no rain as I started my walk. By the time I got about half mile in, it began to drizzle and by the time I got to start line, there was a light rain. It was not bad, considering it was still warm(high 60s, low 70s). The race was set to start at 7am, and at 6:30am it was still just a light rain. All the runners were optimistic that the rain would not get any worse……well we were all wrong. As soon as the speaker announced that it was 5 minutes to the gun, the rain showed up.
TMilesAndRunning 