Drankful of Awesomeness!

I received a Drankful Adventure Pack as a part of being a BibRave Pro. Check out BibRave.com to read and write race reviews.

The ULTIMAte Summer Refresher - Now in Mocktail Flavors

 Disclaimer: I received an Ultima Replenisher sample pack to review 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!

So hot, so humid... basically SC Summer

So you may have heard me mention a time or two that I live in the hot and humid South. Now don't take that fact as a complaint, I am the first to admit that I am not built for cold weather running. No sir, give me 90 degrees over 30 degrees any day of the week. If that means a heaping helping of humidity, so be it.

Being a hot weather runner, I've come up with a number of strategies to make things easier on myself (see my top tips here) and perhaps the biggest thing to keep in mind is to HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE!!! And in the heat of the summer sun, drinking just water is not enough, you need a balance of electrolytes in order to replenish the sweat loss during a run (or any strenuous activity really). 

And while most people just think of Sodium when it comes to electrolytes, did you know that there are actually 6 main minerals that make up electrolytes? Well if not, I didn't either until I learned about Ultima Replinisher a few years ago - a clean electrolyte supplement. Ultima contains all 6 essential electrolyte minerals - Phosphorus, Calcium, Potassium, Chloride, Sodium and Magnesium. For more information on what each of these minerals do for your body, check out the Ultma website here: https://www.ultimareplenisher.com/electrolytes/

Ultima Replinisher also boasts a few other benefits, in addition to including all 6 essential minerals, worth mentioning. 

• Has Zero Sugar, Carbs or  Calories
• Sweetened by Organic Stevia
• Gluten-Free
• Vegan
• Non-GMP
• Keto Friendly
• Paleo Friendly
• All Natural
• No artificial sweeteners, flavors, or synthetic colors
• Super fast to dissolve - fastest dissolving electrolyte supplement I've ever tried in fact
• Comes in either convenient sticks or waste-reducing tubs (including scoop)

But yeah, it's awesome for you, but how does it taste? Honestly, it is my go-to hydration choice for a couple of reasons, and the taste is one of the biggest (another is that the stick pack dissolve so very quickly).  I can honestly say Ultima tastes like something I would actually drink even if it weren't scientifically beneficial to me. That is to say, it actually tastes really good! 

But with that said, Ultima has totally outdone itself recently with introducing 3 new AMAZING Mocktail flavors. And holy heck are they good!! So refreshing and so tasty, especially on ice after a nice hot run. The new flavors are:

1. 
   
   1. Peach Bellini - My post long run choice for refueling. I think this is my favorite flavor and reminds me of one of my favorite places to race, Savannah, GA and southern hospitality.  
   
   
2. 2. Coconut Pina Colada- "Do you like Pina Coladas?" I sure do! And this one is perfect for hydrating on your rest days to prepare your body for your next day's workout. I've even sipped one in the rain... 
   
   
3. 3. Appletini - Green really means GO with this fun flavor. There's nothing quite as refreshing as putting your speed workout to the max and then refresh with a tart Appletini. 

Interested in trying out Ultima Replenisher for yourself? Sign up for the newsletter at ultimareplinisher.com and receive 20% off your first purchase

You can also purchase Ultima Replenisher locally at stores all over. To find your closest Ultima retailers, check out their store locator here - https://www.ultimareplenisher.com/store-locator/

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Hydrating on the Go with SiS

Disclaimer: I received a Science in Sport GO Hydro Tablets sample pack to review 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!

Summer in SC is seriously hot and sweaty!

For runners, or any athletes for that matter, making sure that you are properly hydrated is one of the cardinal rules of proper performance. The harder you work, the more you sweat. The more you sweat, the more water and electrolytes you lose, particularly sodium. Losing too much and it can lead to dehydration which can cause all kinds of bad things to happen internally - reduced performance, increase in body temp, higher heart rate, dizziness, and so on. Dehydration can happen anytime of the year, but it typically is an even greater concern in the summer months with higher temperatures and humidity make us even sweatier. So as you can see, it is super important to stay hydrated and replenish  electrolytes. 

So yeah, I know all this. And as someone who lives in SC, or approximately 10 feet from the Sun in the summer, I know I should be using some kind of electrolyte supplement before, during and/or after outdoor activity. But just cause we know something is good for us, doesn't mean we want to do it, otherwise I'd eat spinach for every meal. See I've never been able to find a supplement that I really liked and therefore didn't have to force myself to take.

Ever the optimist, when I was given the opportunity to try Sport in Science Go Hydro tablets, I thought, maybe this will be the one that will get me excited about hydrating on the regular. I had used SiS gels in the past and been extremely pleased with their performance and taste, so I was hopeful. 

I received 4 tubes of 3 different SiS Go Hydro tabs, 2 Pineapple and Mango, 1 Lemon, and 1 Cola. I gotta admit, when I first saw the tube of Cola, I thought to myself, meh, I probably won't like this. But as a girl who never said no to caffeine, I'm willing to try anything once. (Full disclosure - I drink black coffee simply for the caffeine, caffeine is life). But you know what, Cola was amazing. It tastes just like those gummy cola candies from Haribo. The other two flavors I received are pretty great too. The Lemon is light and refreshing and the Pineapple and Mango is yummy and sweet. I like that one particular after evening exercise as it is kind of like a dessert treat. 

As for the performance, I have no complaints. I am currently unable to run due to my knee surgery but I have been going on more and more walks, many of which in the hottest part of the day and have been quite thankful to refuel lost electrolytes post-walk. I definitely feel perked up a bit after drinking it. Long story short I definitely recommend SiS Go Hydro tabs. They are great for hydrating before, during and after any strenuous activity and they taste really great. 

They are affordable too, just $11 per pack of 20 tablets. And for a limited time, you can try them with the BibRave discount code: BIBRAVE 20 for 20% off your Go Hydro Tablet order on SiS website here: https://www.scienceinsport.com/us/shop-sis/go-range/go-hydro-tablets. There are several other flavors other than the 3 I received as well including Pink Grapefruit and Berry. 

Mmmmm... Cola

The ULTIMAte Summer Hydration

Disclaimer: I received an Ultima Replenisher sample pack to review 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!

It's like a billion trillion degrees even in the shade - so sweaty

So you may have heard me mention a time or two that I live in the hot and humid South. Now don't take that fact as a complaint, I am the first to admit that I am not built for cold weather running. No sir, give me 90 degrees over 30 degrees any day of the week. If that means a heaping helping of humidity, so be it.

Being a hot weather runner, I've come up with a number of strategies to make things easier on myself (see my top tips here) and perhaps the biggest thing to keep in mind is to HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE!!! And in the heat of the summer sun, drinking just water is not enough, you need a balance of electrolytes in order to replenish the sweat loss during a run (or any strenuous activity really). 

And while most people just think of Sodium when it comes to electrolytes, did you know that there are actually 6 main minerals that make up electrolytes? Well if not, I didn't either until I learned about Ultima Replinisher - a clean electrolyte suppliment. Ultima contains all 6 essential electrolyte minerals - Phosphorus, Calcium, Potassium, Chloride, Sodium and Magnesium. For more information on what each of these minerals do for your body, check out the Ultma website here: https://www.ultimareplenisher.com/electrolytes/

Ultima Replinisher also boasts a few other benefits, in addition to including all 6 essential minerals, worth mentioning. 

• Has Zero Sugar, Carbs or  Calories
• Sweetened by Organic Stevia
• Gluten-Free
• Vegan
• Non-GMP
• Keto Friendly
• Paleo Friendly
• All Natural
• No artificial sweeteners, flavors, or synthetic colors
• Super fast to dissolve - fastest dissolving electrolyte supplement I've ever tried in fact
• Comes in either convenient sticks or waste-reducing tubs (including scoop)

But yeah, it's awesome for you, but how does it taste? So in the past, I have tried other hydration and electrolyte supplements and found them all to be fairly unremarkable. They've gotten the job done and tasted ok, but I've considered them pretty interchangeable. For me, I know they are good for me so I drink them. I was already very keen on Ultima due to the extra benefits, but I can honestly say Ultima tastes like something I would actually drink even if it weren't scientifically beneficial to me. That is to say, it actually tastes really good! 

I set out to test each flavor I received (5 total - Grape, Orange, Cherry Pomegranate, Lemonade and Raspberry) each day after my afternoon run for a week. Day 6 I tried a combination that someone suggested to me, mixing both the Raspberry and Lemonade together. Here's how they stacked up for me, in order from favorite to least favorite.

The "Official Ranking"

1. Raspberry Lemonade - Super refreshing with a bit of tang. Hands down the best tasting combo!
2. Lemonade - Not sour at all, just sweet, smooth and refreshing
3. Cherry Pomegranate - Really good with a Cherry flavor that wasn't overpowering
4. Orange - Tastes EXACTLY like an Orange Popsicle* (more on this)
5. Raspberry - Very good still, but was missing something, maybe because I like the Raspberry Lemonade so much I just think it needs the lemony goodness. Would still drink alone.
6. Grape - Not my favorite, but still good. I'm not much for Grape in general though

Now, for the ULTIMAte test (pun intended) - Will my little one drink it. My daughter has had experience in the past of grabbing my water bottles in the past only to discover upon taste that it has an electrolyte drink rather than water in it. On occasions when that happens, there is much carrying on as she has universally hated each that she has tried, to the point, that I have taken to loudly announcing what was in a stray bottle if it was not water, as if she has some kind of rights to my drinks (which, of course she's 9 so does). 

I'd always wanted to have her use electrolyte supplements due to her being so active (she takes Taekwondo 2 or 3 days a week plus is in her school's after school Running Club, in addition to being a super active 9 year old in hot hot, SC. But she wasn't budging on it, she hated the ones she tried.

When I received my Ultima samples, first off the little was super curious about them due to the variety of flavors and bright colors. This helped me convince her to try them. The real kicker was the first one I tested was Grape - one of her favorite flavors. After a few minutes of second guessing and stalling, she tried the Ultima Grape and actually liked it! She asked me to save the rest of it for after her Taekwondo class. Heck yeah! She's since tried all the flavors and has declared the Grape, Orange and Lemonade to be yummy - the others were "okay but not my favorite". I plan to get more of each of these 3 flavors to send with her to Girl Scout Camp this summer, so total Parent-Win! 

Lastly, I want to mention a fun experiment I did. Remember above where I said that the Orange Ultima tasted exactly like an Orange Popsicles? Well, I decided to go ahead an make Orange Freezer Pops from my Orange Ultima. I mixed up some Orange, poured it into homemade freezer pop tubes and popped into the freezer. I figured these would be an amazing (and fun) way to rehydrate after a hot afternoon visit to our local Amusement and Water Park, Carowinds. 

And YAY! I was right! They were super tasty and refreshing. The little wants me to make more with the Grape and I have a feeling that these are going to be a mainstay in our freezer. 

Interested in trying out Ultima Replenisher for yourself? Right now you can get a 10% discount off your order from the Amazon Ultima Storefront with discount code ULBRAVE19 

You can also purchase Ultima Replenisher locally at stores all over. To find your closest Ultima retailers, check out their store locator here - https://www.ultimareplenisher.com/store-locator/

And be sure to follow Ultima on Socials for news and product updates:
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Happy Fall Y'all (Yeah Right, this is SC)

“Disclaimer: I received Gatorade Endurance  products to review 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!”


Today is the first day of Fall. Any minute now, the leaves are sure to change to orange, red and gold, the days will get cooler and the air crisp instead of humid. 😃😃😃 

YEAH RIGHT!! I live in SC, it's going to be Summer until approximately mid-December. Don't believe me, today the temperature is forecasted to be 90. Happy Fall Y'all indeed! We're not getting a break from the heat and humidity for a while yet. 

So, since the Summer heat is planning on sticking around, I'm going to embrace it and just keeping all things Summer going strong. Cause if you can't beat 'em, join 'em I say. 

• Tank tops and flip flops through December. Why not? 
• Ice Cream and Sno Cones? The more the better. 
• Crazy giant bugs? Ugh, do we have to? 
• Yummy Summer flavors like Watermelon and Mango? Now that's more like it, bring on the Gatorade Endurance!!

Since the heat and the humidity plan on sticking around for a few more months, I'm going to keep up with my Summer hydrating strategy of dosing myself heavily with Gatorade Endurance, especially during my long runs  well into the Fall and probably Winter too. Before this summer I'd traditionally been a Water-Only Runner, at least for during runs sticking with electrolyte drinks for pre-run and recovery, but after having the chance to test out Gatorade Endurance back in June - check out my blog post about that here - http://runnerdgirl.blogspot.com/2018/06/gatorade-endurance-releases-2-new.html - I've really noticed a difference taking in the extra sodium and electrolytes during a run. 

So yeah, I've been doing more runs with either just Gatorade Endurance or with a bottle of both water and Gatorade Endurance, and my crazy hot mid-afternoon runs have been much more bearable and I feel like I recover much more quickly. So much so that I invested in a fancy new dual belt so I could carry a bottle of each on my upcoming long runs for first Half Marathon and then my first Marathon training. 

Speaking of my next Half Marathon, Rock n Roll Savannah, guess what the on-course refreshment will be? That's right, Gatorade Endurance. And you know what they say, nothing new on race day, so yay for training under the same conditions as race day. In fact, according to a recent article in Men's Journal, Gatorade Endurance is the on-course choice for over +300 races around the country including the New York, Boston and Chicago Marathons, plus, all Rock n Roll races. I've found that most races have the Lemon Lime, but I really hope they consider changing over to the Watermelon because I am really digging it. But either way, all flavors are engineered the same and offer the same benefits of the electrolytes, carbs and calories you need to perform your best. 

Want to check out it out for yourself? You can purchase Gatorade Endurance products from most retailers, but to guarentee the fun Summer flavors, you can order online (they even have a pack with the Mango Gels and Watermelon Thirst Quencher already bundled here - https://www.gatorade.com/products/endurance/endurance-new-flavor-pack  Plus, orders over $50 ship for free. 

And please, if you have any say whatsoever in the weather, or know of any good "cool weather summoning" dances, could you hook a girl up? Just because I am used to running in the heat, doesn't mean that I'm not ready for ACTUAL Fall and not just hypothetical Fall. 

Oh, and also... Want to join me in Savannah? Register here: http://www.runrocknroll.com/savannah/register/ and use code “RNRBRP2018” to save $15 on the Marathon or Half Marathon.

Gatorade Endurance Releases 2 New Summer Flavors

“Disclaimer: I received Gatorade Endurance  products to review 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!”

Growing up I was never really much of a Sports Drink kind of girl. Part of that came from the fact that I wasn't much into sports, I started running fairly late in life. I guess I always tended to equate these types of drinks, Gatorade in particular, as some kind of vaguely salty fruit punch that the jocks drank at practice. However recently, I had the opportunity to test out the Gatorade Endurance line and I have to say, my mind has been completely changed.

When I first had the choice of whether the try out Gatorade Endurance, I'll be honest, I almost passed. But then I thought about how Gatorade Endurance is provided at the aid stations at pretty much every race that I run, and while I pretty much only take water (cause you know, try nothing new on race day) I thought maybe I was missing out on something that could be beneficial for me. I mean, there has to be a good reason every race has it, right?

Gatorade was kind enough to send us BibRave Pros a packaging containing a 32 oz canister of Gatorade Endurance Thirst Quencher powder in their new Summer flavor, Watermelon. In fact, it was so new, that it wasn't even available to the public yet (more on this later). Also, they sent us 6 of their Endurance Energy Gels (an item I didn't even know they offered), also in their new Summer flavor: Mango (now available online). Both the Thirst Quencher and the Energy Gels are specifically formulated to meet the unique needs of athletes. The Thirst Quencher has 2x the sodium and 3x the potassium of traditional Gatorade while the Energy Gels have 20 g of carbs per serving and only 80 calories.

When I first opened the canister of Gatorade Endurance Thirst Quencher, the first thing that hit me was the intense Watermelon scent. It smelled so good! Seriously, when I took my Gatorade Endurance to track night later in the week, I kept opening my bottle up and making people smell my drink. It smelled that good! I also was surprised that it wasn't a bright red like I had assumed it would be. This was me again equating Gatorade Endurance with traditional Gatorade but I was happy to see that there was no harsh coloring. The container came with a scoop inside and easy to follow directions.  We also received a super cute Gatorade bottle with a watermelon on it which I used to mix up my drink. The flavor was really light and delicious and super refreshing! But how would it perform?

So if you've read my blog before, you may have seen that I live in SC. This year, we pretty much completely skipped right over Spring and went from a late Winter straight in to Summer. There was no easing into this year. It's seriously hot already. And since I try to hit the gym for strength training in the morning, that means I've been running in the afternoons when it is well above 80 and even 90 degrees out. Hydration is VITAL is what I am saying. 

The first run that I used my Gatorade Endurance on it was 89 degrees and sunny as heck. Let's put it this way, it was so hot out, someone in my neighborhood was making some kind of jerky in the windshield of their pickup truck. Not even kidding (I did say I live in SC). I was hot, sweaty and felt wasted after my run. That Watermelon Thirst Quencher tasted so good after! And I felt really great too. No stomach issue (always a fear when trying something new) either! 

The next night I took it to the track for speed work. 4.25 milles of 400s. No shade, direct sun, 6:30 pm so it was still hot from the day, but Gatorade Endurance had my back. The flavor is light and refreshing and it really helped me replace the electrolytes that were pouring out in my sweat. What can I say, I am a total Gatorade Endurance convert. Never again will I be hesitant to grab a cup of this during a race instead of the water. 

So where can you get it you ask? I'm glad you did, it just so happens, the new Watermelon Gatorade Endurance Thirst Quencher Powder was just released to their online store TODAY! You can order it by clicking here.

So in addition to the Thirst Quencher, I had the chance to try the Gatorade Endurance Gels in their newest Mango flavor. Now I am a bit of a snob when it comes to gels. I find that most I have tried remind me a bit of something between thick pudding or that gluey slime that my daughter likes to make. I packed some for my long run this past Saturday and at the 5 mile mark, tried it out. First impression, I was pleasantly surprised just how thin the gel was, not goopy like some can be. The mango flavor was really light and really tasty. I didn't feel the need to wash it down with water like I usually do with a gel even. And I for sure felt perked up after taking it. I will happily be adding these into my future fueling plans.

So yeah, I guess I'm a Gatorade fan now. Better late than never I suppose. Special thank you to Gatorade and BibRave for the opportunity to try out these Gatorade Endurance products. Coincidentally if you are interested in becoming a BibRave Pro so you too can have the chance try out amazing new products and races, Mid-Year Applications are being accepted now. Click here to apply -BibRave Pro 2018 Mid-year Application

You can also become a Gatorade Endurance Fan by following them on on their Instagram here - Gatorade Endurance