July StrideBox Review

About a week ago I posted (with great excitement) this picture as I opened my July StrideBox.

I've been meaning to post a review of the contents, but this past week sort of got away from me.  So, without further ado, here are the contents of this awesome, running-treats filled package.

#1 - SpiderTech - X Spider - Pre-Cut Kinesiology Tape

I've never tried Kinesiology Tape before, but I see people running with it on all the time.  Fortunately, I haven't been injury plagued lately (as I'm knocking on every wooden surface in my apartment).  However, the description for this literally says "[s]tick it where it hurts" and my husband sometimes have pain on the outside of his knees, so maybe he'll be my guinea pig on this one.

#2 - Surge All Natural Energy Gel by Body Glove

I'm usually pretty partial to clif shots and to the powerbar gel, mostly because I like the ones with caffeine.  So, I have to tell you, I'm a little skeptical of what the description describes as "long lasting natural energy" that comes from "protein and green tea."  Nevertheless, I'm going to give it a try on one of my upcoming runs because the consistency feels comparable to the thinner energy gels like power bar and this particular packet is in my favorite flavor, double espresso.

#3 - Fabulous Ginger Peach - Energy Bar by Bearded Brothers

From the Bearded Brothers website:  "Bearded Brothers is an organic snackfood company, located in beautiful Austin, Texas."  I've heard wonderful things about this company from several bloggers, but I think I heard about them first from Olive to Run.  I am particularly intrigued by this flavor combination and plan on eating it as a reward after my long run tomorrow.

#4 - Apple Pie Nutrition Bar by PR*Bar

Before this StrideBox, I was unfamiliar with this brand of nutrition bar, but I gotta tell you, if this bar actually tastes like apple pie, I'm sold.  Also, the bar is 200 calories, which isn't terrible for a protein bar that has 15g of protein.

#5 - StrideBox Water Bottle & Hydration Sampler Package 

(Maggie was feeling neglected and wanted to be in the picture)

I've really been LOVING all the nuun that I ordered a few weeks ago.  I think that having the flavorings have really increased my water intake, which is a very good thing.  Perfect timing StrideBox!  Don't get me wrong, I really love the three flavors of nuun that I've tried so far (lemon-lime, tropical, grape raspberry).  That being said, I'm looking forward to giving these other electrolyte powders/tablets.

1. Lemon Lime Vega Sport Electrolyte Hydration Mix

2. Grape Berry HDX Hydration Mix

3. Tri-Berry GU Brew

4. Grape nuun Electrolyte Enhanced Drink Tabs

5. Berry Zym Sport Drink Tablets

6. Tropical Punch Healthy To Go! Acai Energy Drink Mix

The only brand of these drink mixes I've tried is nuun (and I am *very* excited to try the new flavor), but I'm super pumped to try out the Zym.  Zym appears to differ from these other mixes in that it contains TONS of B12.  

I'll definitely be washing down my Bearded Brothers bar with one of these electrolyte drinks after my long run tomorrow.

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Have you ever tried kinesiology tape?  Does it actually work?

Do you replenish your electrolytes with gatorade or have you tried these powders/tablets?

Favorite way to re-fuel during a long run/race?

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Desperate for Motivation & Inspiration

Historically, I haven't been the best at balancing fitness with hectic times at school/work.  Don't get me wrong, I would always prefer to go for a run, do a little lifting, and go for a swim.  However, obligations and my love of eating on a regular basis usually persuade me that school/work must come first and this necessarily requires me to spend most of my spare time sleeping to rest up for the next day of school/work.  Not a very healthy balance, but sometimes this is just reality.  Surely this is a reality that most people face at certain points, right? please?

I feel ya buddy... sometimes, life is just exhausting

At some point yesterday afternoon, I realized just how desperately I was in need of some good ole fashioned inspiration and motivation.

I don't know why I was scouring the internet for inspiration from random strangers when I inherited half my genetic make-up from the biggest inspiration I've ever encountered:  my mother (sorry daddy, this one's for mommy)

(circa 1984)
admittedly, both my mother and I have aged slightly (only slightly) since this picture

In fact, I got home this evening and decided to zone out by clicking around Facebook and look what I found!!!

Way to go Mama!!!

When I saw this, my heart was swelling with pride of my mother.  Actually it still is.  My mother has always spent her time making sure everyone else was taken care of and I am *so* happy that she is finally taking time for herself and her health.

Things like this make me really sad that I don't live closer.  I am so excited that my mom and I have yet another thing in common (not that we needed another thing).  I would *love* to go for a run with my mother (and I intend to go for a run with her in the near future).

My inspirational mother coupled with the rather inspirational weather we've been having here (I don't think it got over 100 today) have me excited to get some more miles on my legs starting today!!

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Who in your life inspires you to keep running when you feel like you're in a rut?

What are your strategies for fitting in your workouts when other areas of your life become busy?

Quick:  Favorite Song on your running playlist.

       (Miley Cyrus, We Can't Stop - judge if you want, I still love Miley)

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Yes, I watch Big Brother...does anyone else?

Monday Workout:
4 miles - treadmill

I knew I was feeling a little off this evening, so I decided to run on the treadmill at my apartment complex where I have wifi and can watch Sunday's episode of Big Brother 15. (No wifi at 24 hour fitness - what's up with that?!)

Do you watch Big Brother?  Do you have a favorite houseguest yet?

Monday was a good day.  I had a reasonably productive day at work, came home, jumped on the treadmill, then I ate a quick dinner and then cuddled with my puppies.  Not glamorous, but after thinking of all possible alternatives, I'm going to count this one as a win.

Try not to be too jealous of my glamorous dinner.
I have to say though, frozen beef w/ broccoli from Fresh & Easy is pretty legit.

Also, I wanted to let you know about two apps that are not normally free, but for some reason are free right now:

There is a free version of Map My Ride, but if I can get the ad-free version for free?  yes please!!
(this is the app I used to track my bike ride to work on Friday morning)

I've never used this app before, but I've heard amazing things so I decided to take advantage of it being *free*!!

On a sad note: Mt. Charleston is still burning. And the brave men & women working to contain the fire and keep people and property safe are still several days from containment.  In fact, officials are now estimating that the fire won't be contained until July 19th!  I really hope everyone stays safe and that the fire gets contained soon to minimize the damage to that beautiful area.

I can't leave on a sad note - so, I'll give you a preview of what's to come later this week

Yay!! My July Stride Box arrived this weekend!  I'm looking forward to looking through and trying out these awesome products, especially the assortment of drink/electrolyte tablets and powders.

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Do you watch Big Brother 15?  Do you have a favorite houseguest?

Tell me the last app (iPhone or Android)?

What did you eat for dinner last night?  I seriously need some ideas.

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What a week!!

I realize that I've been absent for over a week now and really I don't have a very good excuse....but I'm going to try anyway.  Basically, being out of town the last two weekends in a row + a very busy work week just exhausted me!  

For this reason, this post is a little bit of a iPhone picture dump.

The rest of my weekend in Chicago was awesome.  The weather was BEAUTIFUL, especially on Sunday.  I'm sure you're sick of me saying this...but I was *so* happy to escape the scorching Las Vegas weather.

My very good friend (with whom I stayed) lives less than a block from here!

My trip to Chicago consisted of:

#1 :: Delicious Food

Bailey's French Toast from Sweetwater Tavern & Grille
"bailey's cream cheese stuffed french toast, vanilla ice cream batter, mixed berry compote"
**try to control your salivating**

#2 :: A little bit of dancing and catching up with the most awesome friends:

seriously, everyone should be jealous of me for having such amazing friends.

#3 :: Chicago Pride Parade & Seeing Benny the Bull and Tommy Hawk:

The Pride Parade is always fun and seeing Benny & Tommy was the cherry on top (I'm kind of a Chicago sports nut....except baseball (Cardinals all the way))

#4 :: Having an entire row to myself on the flight back to Vegas!!

Eventually, I ended up sprawled out across all three seats, but I couldn't get a good pic of that.
Don't think that I didn't try, though....I got a lot of perplexed looks....apparently I'm not subtle when taking selfies.

After returning from Chicago, my week was so hectic with work, picking up my dogs from the vet, $1300 in car repairs (ugh).  The highlight of the first part of the week was this lovely package on my doorstep:

Yummy, yummy I got Tropical and Grape Rasberry nuun in my tummy

Fortunately, I had the lovely surprise of one of my dear friends from high school being in Las Vegas for the night on her way to a more tropical destination.

(ugh - hate the reflection caused by my glasses, but, unfortunately, this was the best pic we had)

Not to mention, there was this lovely holiday in the middle of the week to break it up.

Happy (belated) 4th of July!!

We spent our 4th of July hiking to Mack's Peak with Branch Whitney of Hiking Las Vegas for the 8 of Spades.

Yep, that's me all the way down there.

The hike was definitely the shortest hike I've done with Hiking Las Vegas in the Mt. Charleston area.  It took us about 1.5-2 hours to hike the 6 miles up 1,813 feet of elevation gain to the 10,033 feet elevation peak.  

Fortunately, it took less than an hour to get back to the trailhead.

The next day, July 5th, Husband went on one of my favorite hikes, White Rock Hills Peak in Red Rock, while I went to work.  

I let him take the car and I rode my bike the 7 miles to work (with the caveat that he pick me up at work - it is all uphill from work to home and I wasn't in the mood for that in 110 degrees)

All of this talk of hiking is making me more sad about the Carpenter Canyon fire that is consuming much of the woodlands around Mt. Charleston where I hike frequently.  This weekend, the fire was so intense you could see the smoke and the glow of the fire over the ridge of the mountains from down in the valley.

At this point, it is unclear whether the fire has been contained in any way, but I've seen the airplanes flying overhead and I've read the reports of many emergency personnel working to contain the fire.  I'm reasonably certain that there have been no injuries and no property damages.  I really hope it stays that way.

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How did you celebrate the 4th of July?

Favorite breakfast food?

       (I *love* french toast - easily my favorite)

Favorite nuun flavor?

       (grape raspberry is my favorite, but the only other flavor I've tried is lemon-lime)

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The ground might literally be on fire...

I can't take the heat . . . So, I got out of the kitchen Vegas

I've mentioned a few times how disappointed and unhappy I am with the way the weather is behaving in Las Vegas. I mean, I get it Las Vegas...you're a desert. No need to show off, have a temper tantrum or whatever you call this scorching behavior. Message received. I promise not to complain about 107 anymore.

Thursday, my co-worker and I went to eat salad bar at Whole Foods.  Apparently, I love spending $16 on salad (and my husband thinks that I spend too much money at Jason's Deli...). But, you see, there isn't a Yogurtland in the parking lot of Jason's Deli.  Therefore, I must go to whole foods due to its proximity to frozen, creamy heaven in a paper bowl.

It was so hot, that my rate of eating the frozen yogurt couldn't keep up with the rate of melting. That's ok.  I like mochi and heath bar soup in a red velvet and root beer float flavored creamy broth. 

I'm so glad that I'm escaping to Chicago this weekend. I mean, I don't even care that it might rain most of the weekend. It will literally be 30 degrees cooler. No joke

So, today, Las Vegas really impressed me with its misbehaving weather. American Airlines had to ask like a dozen people to take a later flight in exchange for a $500 travel voucher.  This request was not as a result of over-booking the flight. No. This request was because it was literally so hot in Vegas that the plane wouldn't be able to get enough lift if the plane was full. That's right. It is so hot in Vegas, airplanes basically don't work right. 

Have I mentioned how glad I am to be in Chicago?

7-11 Slurpees on every corner - one of my favorite things about Chicago

My orange chicken salad + adventures in staying hydrated in the desert

Wednesday Workout:
3 miles
This was all treadmill.  I started with a 0.5 mile warmup at 6.0 mph & 0.0 incline.  After that I did 3 sets of 0.5 miles at 6.6 mph & 1.0 incline + 0.5 miles at 5.7 mph & 1.0 incline.  For obvious reasons, this felt *so* much better than my run yesterday!!  

I followed up the run with just the tiniest bit of strength training, which, of course, including some planking.

Today was a full 6 degrees hotter than yesterday and, after my super sweat-tastic run yesterday, it would have been easy to give in to the desert weather and succumb to the charms of my couch and television.  However, I pulled myself up and marched off to the gym and got my 3 miles in.

If it is important to you, you will find a way.  If it isn't, you will find an excuse.

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Wednesday was such a pleasant day, look at this super healthy awesome lunch.

This was Plate #2 from the buffet.  Ok, that's a lie, it was Plate #3.

Behold, Lotus of Siam lunch buffet - Wednesday is orange chicken day.

So, after some super top-secret, time-intensive investigation, I've discovered that a mountain of orange chicken, numerous banana/coconut egg rolls, and an infinite number of pieces of sweet potato tempura is not the way to attain a flat stomach.  Who knew?  I mean, note the orange slice and the watermelon - don't they basically convert this plate of fried heaven into a salad?  No?  Well, agree to disagree then.

As I said, Wednesday was a pretty pleasant day ..... as long as we're avoiding the topic of the weather, that is.  The temperature got up to 108 degrees and was already almost 90 degrees when I woke up this morning.  I truly believe that living in the desert is a runner's worst nightmare (well, the desert or, maybe, chronic IT band issues).  I'm starting to understand why I haven't found an active running community here like I had when I lived in Memphis, TN.

.... and there is no relief from this heat in sight - in fact, it is only going to get worse! I looked at the weather on my phone and my only response: "You've got to be kidding me, 117?"

Thank goodness I'll be in Chicago this weekend - the highest temperature estimated for the weekend is 79 degrees on Friday!!

One thing I need to really focus on in this heat is hydration.  Drinking adequate water is not a strong point of mine, so I generally need a little help in that department.  I just get bored so easily.  I need something with some flavor (and apparently drinking 4 cans of diet coke a day will not hydrate you?).  I've tried the crystal light packets, but I also need something that is going to replenish my electrolytes.  So, I've decided to give nuun a try.  I sampled it at Ragnar and got a discount code, so I thought, what the heck and placed an order.

It was only after placing the order that I realized I had been using this stuff for years and just didn't realize it was the same stuff!  I had purchased several tubes of lemon-lime nuun tablets at Fleet Feet when I lived in Huntsville, AL (circa May 2011).  Unfortunately, they had been placed in a non-obvious box when I moved to Vegas and I only just found them this evening before heading to the gym!  Very excited to finish this final tube of nuun tablets up before I get my latest order!

Vintage Nuun
(well, maybe not old enough to be vintage - I mean, it isn't expired yet...)

PS - I get NO monies, etc. from nuun.  I'm just trying these out in a desperate attempt to stay hydrated in the aforementioned 117 degree heat!

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True or False, Orange Chicken is good for you?
       (well, at the very least, I think it is good for the soul)

For those of you that have been to Vegas, have you ventured to Lotus?  Or, did its semi-sketch shopping strip location scare you off?
       (If you fall into the deterred group, twist my arm, I'll be your chaperone)

What's your take on nuun?  Better than crystal light packets? 

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Stressed Out - Need Desserts (Watermelon Oreos & Cookie Butter to be exact)

Tuesday Workout:
4 miles
I forced myself to run outside, even though I didn't get up early enough to run this morning and had to run after work.  Even at 7pm it was still 100 degrees!  Living in the desert is really unpleasant sometimes.  It is supposed to 114 degrees this weekend (?!!?) - thank god I'm going to be out of town.  In addition, my legs still feel super heavy from Ragnar and my calves started burning .25 miles into the run (probably b/c of that epic 1700 ft hill).
Tomorrow is another day and I'll make myself more proud than I did today.


Monday was such a rotten day.  Well, it wasn't that bad.  The only thing that really happened was my being two minutes late to pick up my dogs from the vet and the vet locking me out and not allowing me to pick my dogs up until yesterday.  I understand that late is late, but I was just hoping that their sense of customer service would prevail and they'd cut me two minutes of slack.

Now, if I'm being honest, I think I was still overly tired from Ragnar.  That being said, I got a little emotional about my dog pick-up failure, but I was really looking forward to having my babies home.  Suffice to say, my plans for my first post-Ragnar workout got side tracked by my little breakdown.

To survive Monday I needed cookies

Cue the Watermelon Oreos (allegedly available only at Target).  These seriously made my night infinitely better.

So delicious.  Seriously, watermelon oreos!  What will those clever devils at Nabisco come up with next?

Speaking of grocery items that make me very happy, look what else I discovered at Target:

Move over Speculoos!  There is a new cookie butter in my life!!

Woah.  Biscoff Cookie Butter?!  I know the entire nation is obsessed with speculoos from Trader Joe's and that the entire nation is also being plagued with the unthinkable, a shortage!  Well, I think I can stop trying to show up at Trader Joe's the second they open on the off chance that they have cookie butter in stock.

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What strategies do you use to prevent the stress of life from interfering with your workouts?

Have you tried the Watermelon Oreos?  Thumbs up or thumbs down?

       (In case I was unclear, two thumbs WAY up from me)

Are you a cookie butter fan?  What's your favorite food to eat it with?

       (I'm thinking of putting it on toast with sliced bananas!)

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Weekend Roundup - Ragnar Recap

This was the weekend of my first Ragnar Adventure!!

I can't fully describe the ups and downs of this weekend, but I'm going to try anyway.  But, by way of preview:  there were moments of laughter; moments of team unity; moments of teeth-chattering cold; moments of triumph; and many, many moments of sleep deprivation.

Day #1 - Thursday - Travel Day
After super oversleeping, I had to rush around and frantically throw the remaining items that I needed, or at least the remaining items that I thought I needed . . .

I understand that it looks like I took a stuffed animal on the trip.
Well, I did take a stuffed animal on the trip, but I had a perfectly logical reason.....  Pluto here makes a *fantastic* pillow and he's much smaller than any of my other pillows.

I met up with the other 5 members of my team that were in my van (Van #2) at my work parking lot and were on the road to Logan, Utah.  I don't think I really comprehended how far away the start line for this Ragnar was from Las Vegas; it was an 8 hour drive.  That being said it was actually a very pleasant drive and not just because I didn't have to drive at all, but also because we stopped at one of my favorite spots for lunch:

Cafe Rio Fire Grilled Steak Salad w/ House Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

Once we finally arrived in Logan, we settled in at a house that belongs to one of my teammate's relatives.  So awesome that we didn't have to stay further away or splurge on hotel rooms!  Plus, I made a friend of the only occupant that was home during our stay:

Yes, I'm totally that girl that hangs out with an animal rather than get to know people that I don't know.

After briefly settling in we headed over to Olive Garden to carb up because we had some taxing days in front of us (dang, I really love carbs).  Then it was off to bed...our start time was 5:45am the next morning!  

Day #2 - Friday - Ragnar Start Day

I had a 5am alarm so I could take a super quick shower (knowing that it could be awhile before I had another chance to shower) before we headed to the start line at Utah State to send off our first runner.  Even though it was crazy early, we got to see the sun rise over the mountains and it was phenomenal.

Now, let me start by saying how glad I am that I was in Van #2. By being in Van #2, all I had to do was show up at the start line to cheer on our first runner and then head over to Village Inn for a delicious breakfast (i.e., more carbs).

Bacon, eggs, pancakes, and french toast.  The perfect start to any Ragnar experience.

After breakfast we drove to Exchange #6 where we had our safety briefing and waited for van #1 to arrive.  It was so exciting when we finally saw runner #6 coming down the road.  He slapped the slap bracelet on MC's wrist and she was off.  We hurried off to the van to chase after her, drive a little past her, then jump out of the van and shake cow bells, jump in the air like crazy people, and cheer her on.  It was more of the same with runners #8 and #9.  Before I knew it, it was my turn!  Scott/Steve slapped the bracelet on my wrist and I was off, running down a beautiful Utah country road.  

The first mile flew by (9:18), but after that I turned and was running in to a *very* strong wind.  At about 2.5 miles, my shoe came completely untied! That NEVER happens to me.  I blame the wind.  Finally, at 3.7 miles, I rounded one final curve and I could see the exchange zone and my teammate #11/GS was there waiting to take off on a 7.3 mile, mostly uphill, run!

The wind and elevation affected me more than I thought it would.
I ended up averaging 9:57/mile.

Once #11/GS handed off, #12/DC went off for a super quick 2-mile jaunt on a trail run at Snow Basin Ski Resort.  He was back in a cool 18:39 and we had some time to recuperate while Van #1 was doing their thing.  

We drove over to Exchange #16 where we had the opportunity to sleep in our sleeping bags on the lawn outside a high school.  I got about 1 hour of sleep (not enough) before it was time to head over to Exchange #18 and wait for Van #1.  It was starting to get dark and it looked like I would be running my next leg in the wee hours of the morning.

Our van looked pretty snazzy in the dark!  We had Christmas lights around the edges of the van that were plugged in to an outlet inside the van.  I mean, the decorations on most of the vans were incredible.

Day #3 - Saturday - Ragnar Finish Day
My next leg was a 7.5 mile run on a gravel path with just a slight, steady incline.  I started running at the fantastic hour of 12:55am.  When running a night leg in Ragnar, you're required to wear a reflective safety vest, a headlamp, and a blinking tail light.  I really wish I had a pic of it because I looked like a certified crossing guard.  Even though I had a headlamp, I was really nervous about running in the dark on this gravel path because I am super clumsy and there seemed to be a substantial risk that I would misplace my foot and break an ankle.  This fear kept my pace pretty slow, but I survived the 7.5 mile run without breaking any bones and handed the slap bracelet off to #11/GS once again.

I neglected to mention that, when I started running, it was 43 degrees when I started my 1 am stroll through the Utah wilderness?  Well, it was...and that temperature plus the sweat involved in running 7.5 miles made me a shivering, chattering mess.  I seriously thought I would never be warm again!

The next few hours are sort of a blur of chattering and sleeping.  I seriously have no idea what we did between the time when #12/DC completed his leg and the time shortly before MC took off for her final leg!  At this point I was getting super nervous for RAGNAR HILL, i.e., 4 miles straight up 1700 ft in elevation.  But, before I knew it, my final leg was upon me.....and it was wonderful!!  It was a challenge, and it was the slowest 4 miles I've ever run/walked (outside of leisurely hiking), and I enjoyed every single second of it.  Once I reached the top of the hill, I realized that my Ragnar adventure was quickly coming to a close. =(

I'm so impressed if you're still reading this.  I told you, the last few hours of the adventure was a complete blur which meant I wasn't the best at taking pictures.

At approximately 3:35 pm MST, we crossed the finish line at Park City High School and I officially became a Ragthlete? a Ragnite?  a Ragnarian?  Well, I became whatever you call a person that completed a Ragnar Relay without going completely insane from lack of sleep and lack of showering.

I'm definitely already ready to sign up for Ragnar Las Vegas.  Who wants to join me?