It's Rock n Roll Savannah Race Week!!

It's RACE WEEK!! And not just any race week, but a Racecation Race Week! Starting Friday, I am Savannah, GA bound for Rock n Roll Savannah!! 

This weekend I will be running my very first Rock n Roll race(s) and I am super excited! I've always heard amazing things about Rock n Roll races and finally, I get my chance to experience one for myself. And so far, everything I have experienced has been amazing. I love receiving frequent updates from races (I'm a bit of an obsessive over planner and tend to worry over small details) so the updates have been super welcome. In fact, yesterday, I received 3 Final Preparations Updates (one for each race that I am registered for). 

The shirt's I'll be earning! That Peach KILLS me!! 

So here's the plan. Friday, I leave Rock Hill with a group of amazing friends who have all run this race before (there will be 5 of us total) and will hit up the Expo. Then, we are spending the night with the MIL of one of my friends, so that is awesome. Saturday morning, it is up bright and early for the Half Marathon - 3 of us are running the whole thing with the other 2 doing the Relay and sharing the miles. 

I'm personally earning 3 of these beauties! 

Saturday after the race, who knows what adventures we'll embark on. I've only been to Savannah twice ever (once 15 years ago and once when I was 9) so I have no idea what to do. If you have any suggestions, let me know in the comments!

PIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then Sunday afternoon, we head back to the Race Site and 4 of us will be running the 5K and thus earning the Remix Medal. Then, 2 of us will be also doing the 1 Mile earning a pie for the Sweet Georgia Pie Challenge. You heard (read) that right, I GET A PIE!! 

Overall, I am super excited about both the race and the trip. I'm trained and ready (well as ready as I'll ever be). I'm still trying to decide my strategy for the Half, but since I scored me a pretty decent PR earlier this year and have like a billion races coming up, PLUS start Marathon training next week, I feel like I am going to run this pretty conservatively. But then again, as soon as the start sounds, my dumb self will probably run all out. But no matter my time, I know it's going to be an awesome race and an awesome weekend. 

Here's what I'll look like, be sure to say HI!

I'll be rocking out bright BibRave Orange shirts for all 3 races and a BibRave Trucker Hat for the Expo, so if you see me there, be sure to stop me and say Hi!! Also, I am sure I will be posting a ton of pictures on both my Twitter and Insta, so if you don't already follow me, make sure you do. Links below:

RunNerdGirl on Twitter
RunNerdGirl on Instagram

Sleep On It! A Performance Pillow Review

"Disclaimer: I received a Bedgear Performance Pillow to use and 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 I know a lot about Performance Products, both in my personal and professional lives. Not only am I a runner, I work as the Communications Coordinator for a company that makes equipment specifically for testing Performance Textiles. Seriously, I am up to date on everything Performance. At least I thought so until I heard of Performance Pillows. 

Bedgear offers a wide selection of Performance Bedding options, everything from Pillows, to Mattresses, to sheets and blankets. Their products were developed by a father who's son suffered from allergies and had a hard time sleeping on the hot, stuffy hypoallergenic products that were available on the market. He cut up some performance fabrics to make a pillow for his son and Bedgear was born.

Bedgear's philosophy is that sleep is a personal thing and everything from the temperature to the height of your pillow can greatly affect your sleep, and for that reason, they have several different series of pillows, all with options within each series so you can find your perfect fit. To find your perfect fit, they have a Pillow ID system that asks a series of questions to determine the best pillow for you. It asks questions about your size and sleep preference. I took the quiz and was paired with the Lightening 2.0 in the Storm Series. 

First thing I noticed when I unboxed my new pillow was how heavy it was. Seriously, if I decided to have a pillow fight with this bad boy, I would easily take down any opponent. This wasn't some dainty pillow that would be losing it's shape. Next thing I noticed was that it was really cool to the touch. The exterior fabric was silky and smooth and actually felt a bit chilly. This is due to the Ver-Tex® fabric which draws heat away from the body and stays cool to the touch. The heft comes from being made of several layers, all that offer cooling, ventilation, support and comfort.

I was seriously excited about using my new Bedgear pillow as soon as I received it. I am a notorious light sleeper coupled with a super early wake-up call - 4:30 am most days so I can put in a run or gym workout before having to be at work at 6:30 am. Anything that helped me to get better sleep would be greatly appreciated! 

Did I also mention it's super pretty? Look at that cool pattern!

So how did it work for me? Pretty darn great! The pillow was super comfy, soft, yet firm and amazingly cool. I use a ResMed S+ system to monitor my sleep each night and before getting my Bedgear Performance Pillow, my average sleep score was in the 70s-80s. My first night with my new pillow, I scored a 94! And I've consistently seen more and more 90s since. I feel like I've slept much better and more deeply. I've even slept right through my alarm a few times in the last month, which, while not optimal, was something I've never really done before. 

Can't argue with the numbers

All and all, I am fully convinced by my Bedgear Performance Pillow and highly recommend it for anyone wanting to get the most out of their sleep-time.

Interested in trying it out for yourself? You can order online at www.bedgear.com and use discount code BIBRAVE15 good for 15% off your order, (excluding WOW Deals), valid through 11/30/18, online only.

I'm a Buff Girl: A Product Review

"Disclaimer: I received a Buff Original Multifunctional Headwear to use and 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!"

Yup, I'm a Buff Girl. Unfortunately when I say that, I don't mean buff as in the super strong (though I am working on it with my Burn Boot Camp membership) what I actually mean is I am a big fan of the brand, Buff, USA.

I have always loved their super practical, super comfortable headwear. And, if you are a regular reader of my blog, you may recall that this summer I got to try out a lot of their cool lifestyle products like Run Cap, Arm Sleeves and Insect Guard (check it out here if you missed it: Live More This Summer. And while I really loved each of these, I always seem to gravitate back to the Original Multifunctional Headwear as my go-to running accessory. They are just so versatile and so comfortable! 

Anyway, when I recently learned that Buff had redesigned their Original Multifunctional Headwear and at first I got nervous. I mean, this is my go-to item and it was perfect, why change it? Well, I'm pleased to say that I'm happy they did because it's even better than before! 

One of these items is way
more stylish than the other

So what did they change? First up, they are now made with 100% recycled REPEVE® Performance Microfiber. Basically, 2 plastic bottles that were retrieved from beaches and/or streams were recycled and made into performance fabric, which was in turned made into my Buff. How cool is that? Also, now they offer UPF 50 Sun Protection instead of UPF 25. So they block way more harmful UV radiation. They are also more comfortable with a new 4-Way Seamless Ultra Stretch design. 

Oh, and they released a bunch of really cool, really cute designs. I had a really hard time choosing one, but ultimately went with the Groove. It's bright, colorful and literally matches everything since it is rainbow colored. I LOVE IT! Especially on cloudy, dreary days. It really brightens up my run and make me feel warm and sunny inside.

No really, I even wore it when I did and 8 mile training run during a hurricane earlier this month!

So yeah, a truly awesome product, made much more so. What's not to love about that? You can pick up your own redesigned Original Buff online here: https://www.buffusa.com/ 

You can follow Buff on Twitter here:  Buff_USA
and on Instagram here: Buff_USA

And if you haven't followed me yet on either of those, you can find me here on Twitter: RunNerdGirl
and here on Instagram: runnerdgirl