My Favorite Running & Fitness Goodies Giveaway

Posted on December 30, 2012 by frogifer

Just because the holidays are pretty much over doesn’t mean gift-giving has to come to an end. I want to jump-start all your New Year fitness resolutions with a care package of some of my favorite things. Whether you are planning to run your first 5k in 2013 or complete your 100^th marathon, these little goodies will help you get to the finish line just a little easier. It’s my New Year gift to one of you! Enter below on the Rafflecopter form to win this assortment of sporty stuff.

Save Our Soles Performance Socks for the Enlightened Athlete: Size Medium branded with Competitor 25^th Anniversary logo. You can never have too many socks, especially SOS socks.
Sun-Rype 100% All Natural Fruit Strips: A delicious and nutritious product made in Canada but found in the fresh produce section of your local grocery. Contains no preservatives, artificial colors, and is gluten-free and nut-free. You get one dozen fruit strips in Strawberry.
FuelBelt – Super-Stretch Waist Pack in Blue ready to hold your race-day necessities like a phone, keys, nutrition gels and girl stuff.
Slacklaces – “The Flexible Shoe Lace” in Pink are an inventive way to tie up your sneakers. Don’t just lace them up old-school though; check out my old post on special techniques to lace shoes that alleviates problems like heel slip, smushed big toes, and such.
Nuun Active Hydration Tablets – Enjoy one tube of 12 tablets in the Tropical flavor. If you haven’t used Nuun before, you’ll love it. Drop one tab into a bottle of water and it fizzes up without stirring to provide you an on-the-go electrolyte drink without any sugar.
Sports Legs: Supplements to reduce lactic acid build-up and minimize post-race soreness (5-tablet supply which is enough for one marathon). I have used these a few times with some success, definitely less sore the next day. The company told me they would make my legs feel 15 years younger, now if only the rest of my body follow suit.
Chia Surge Endurance Gel – Pinapple-Orange Flavor and Raspberry Flavor from Vitalyte Sports Nutrition. You can find these gels retail at REI Outdoor.
Handana: It might not be hot now, but come summer, you’re going to appreciate wiping your brow with this stylish and easy-to-wear high-performance sports band. Made right here in Austin, Texas!
Jamba Juice: Run your errands or workout in this understated but oh-so-fashionable Jamba Juice cap and then treat your healthy self to a smoothie with the 3 one-dollar gift cards. It’s no secret that my favorite flavor is Razzamatazz® with a whey protein boost.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Helping You Stay Hydrated Giveaway – Nuun Electrolyte Drink Tabs & Swag

Posted on September 1, 2012 by frogifer

In honor of my recent participation in the Hood to Coast Relay on a team sponsored by Nuun Hydration, I’m giving away some sweet swag to keep one lucky winner hydrated for the remainder of the summer. If you’re not familiar with Nuun, you’ve been missing out on an awesome product that features essential electrolytes, no sugars and a light, refreshing taste! Nuun is used by some of the best athletes on the planet, armies of weekend warriors and the crowds of spectators cheering us all on.

Just plop one tablet into a 16 to 20-ounce bottle of water and in about one minute you have a refreshing beverage containing the proper balance of water and electrolytes like sodium and potassium. Each tube of Nuun is portable and the quick-dissolving tablets make it simple to hydrate on the go. Use of Nuun reduces the needless use of toss-away water bottles and the Nuun container itself is recyclable to be mindful of our beautiful Mother Earth. Make your water count!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

With Hydration and Juice For All! Nuun-ified Watermelon-Blueberry-Pomegranate Agua Fresca Recipe

Posted on July 4, 2012 by frogifer

Happy 4th of July! Nothing like sitting out on the front porch, resting hamstrings fatigued from the morning’s Freedom 5000 and declaring independence from corn-syrupy sodas with a nice big glass of watermelon agua fresca in hand. Even though these “fresh waters” originated in Mexico and Central America, I am happy to pledge my allegiance to the light-bodied, fruitiness that is oh-so ultra thirst-quenching without being too sugary sweet.

Of course, I had to take my own liberties with this summery south-of-the-border sipper by adding a couple Nuun All-Day Hydration Blueberry Pomegranate tablets. If you aren’t familiar with this new product from Nuun, you should be! Each fizzing drink tablet has less than 8 calories, zero sugar and no artificial stuff while boasting a blend of vitamins A, B, C, D and E to keep you hydrated, energized and focused throughout the day

Nuun Watermelon-Blueberry-Pomegranate Agua Fresca Recipe

2 cups cold water
2 tablets Nuun All-Day Hydration Blueberry Pomegranate
2 cups seedless watermelon, chopped in 1-inch cubes
1 teaspoons Stevia sweetener
Crushed ice for serving (optional)
Handful of frozen blueberries for garnish (optional)

Pour water in blender; drop in Nuun tablets and wait for them to completely dissolve. Add watermelon chunks and Stevia to blender and puree until smooth. Pour mixture through a strainer into a pitcher, forcing a bit of the pulp through. Chill at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve with or without ice cubes and a smattering of frozen blueberries. Makes two servings (only 60 calories each)!

Coming up tomorrow: A Nuun Giveaway!

Running For Team ‘After Nuun Delight’!

Posted on April 30, 2012 by frogifer

It’s been a crazy few weeks in my running life, from my ‘Big Boston Marathon Meltdown’ on April 16^thto a jubilant redemption 12 days later with an older-age P.R. in a local 5k (18:44). Between the highs and the lows, I’ve scarcely had time to report about some exciting news that is unfolding to become the biggest adventure of my year . . . maybe my decade. Drumroll please . . . I will be joining the exclusive all-female blogger Team Nuun to run the famous Hood to Coast Relay at the end of August 2012. As the largest (not to be confused with ‘longest’) relay race in the world, the 31^st running of the Hood to Coast Relay begins in Mount Hood, Oregon and travels all the way down to Seaside – 199 miles! Not to worry, I won’t be running almost two hundred miles alone, I’ll have 11 other runners that I will share legs with – literally and figuratively! Our official team name is going to be “After Nuun Delight” – cute, huh?!

Nuun tablets are easy to use on the go.,

So if you are new to Nuun, let me give you the skinny on the important product details. Nuun is a hydration tablet that is dropped into 16-ounces of water where it fizzes up Alka-Seltzer style – oh, but it tastes so much better! Available in 11+ refreshing flavors (I like Strawberry Lemonade and Lemon Tea), Nuun has absolutely no sugar and less than 8 calories per serving – yet doesn’t sacrifice important electrolytes needed to power through a marathon, bike race or other active endeavor. And, if your biggest workout is bar hopping, it’s rumored that a Nuun tablet dissolved in water and consumed before bed and another upon awakening will lessen the effects of a hangover. I wouldn’t know, but I’ve heard.

Oh, Yes I Did! Nuun Tri-Berry Electrolyte Jellies

Posted on April 7, 2012 by frogifer

Nuun recipe perfect for Hood To Cost Relay - Team After Nuun Delight

Nuun electrolyte jellies are both a novel and nutritious recipe.

A Jell-O dish of some sorts has long been on the menu at our Easter gatherings, think big 60s style molds suspending little bits of fruit and marshmallow. But, hey, this is 2012 and I need some Jell-O that’s a little more ‘on-the-go’ friendly and addresses my electrolyte needs this week as I finish up training for the Boston Marathon. So hmmm, scratching head . . . why not combine my favorite sports drink tab (Nuun) with a mixture of plain and flavored gelatin to create some mighty-fine, finger-food fuel? Can’t wait for the reaction when I set down this masterful remix of our time-warped gelatin salad tradition on the big Easter buffet.

I’ve been drinking Nuun for years out on my long runs, the subtle yet seriously yummy flavors don’t overwhelm with sweetness – in fact, Nuun tablets are sugar-free with no artificial flavors or colors, providing optimal hydration without all those carbs that sometimes upset my stomach during a race. Now, these jellies do have some sugar in the recipe . . . a girl can’t live by sodium, magnesium and potassium alone! This recipe uses Nuun Tri-Berry tablets, but after the Boston Marathon, I am going to experiment more with this recipe and make a ‘sweet victory’ version using Lemon Chai from the Natural Hydration line along with lemon Jell-O and a little vodka . . . stay tuned for that!

Nuun ‘Tri-Berry’ Electrolyte Jellies

• 1 env. (1/4 oz.) unflavored gelatin
• 1¼ cup cold water
• 3 NUUN Tri-Berry sports drink tablets
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 Tbs. cornstarch
• 2 pkg. (3 oz. each) sparkling wildberry flavor gelatin*

Pour cold water into small bowl, drop in Nuun tablets and let dissolve. Sprinkle unflavored gelatin over Nuun-gelatin mixture, let stand 1 min. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and cornstarch in medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in Nuun-gelatin mixture until blended. Bring to boil on medium heat; cook 5 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add dry gelatin mixes; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Pour into 9×5-inch loaf pan** sprayed with cooking spray. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Remove from mold by holding pan upside-down over cutting board, it will slip out. Cut into 24 pieces.

*you can use any mixture of Nuun and flavored gelatin that you prefer
** In lieu of the loaf pan, I used a 24-ct ‘brownie bite’ silicone baking mold.