Relay Essentials

Ragnar Northwest Passage was my first relay; luckily we had some veterans on our team who assisted with all of our packing needs, but I want to share with you what I think are relay must-haves!!!

First, and perhaps most important is NUUN! The key to surviving 15-20 miles in a 30hr time frame is proper hydration {especially when running in the heat of the day}!! Keep the NUUN flowing and make sure to bring several different flavors...it's fun to have options and switch it up from time to time! 

Relays are all about being a team, and a team is not complete without custom bondibands! The neon NUUNKOTB bondibands were not only great for wicking the sweat during our runs, but helped make sweaty, rained on, un-washed hair look good! 

During a relay you live in workout clothes, so its important to be comfortable {while running and in-between runs} Once I tried on my  JUNO sports bra from Moving Comfort I was hooked! It is seriously the most comfortable and supportive {this is key for me!} sports bra I have owned; not to mention cute {most of my sports bras are black or white}

Thanks Stacie for modeling...I wore mine during my first leg when it was cold & pouring down raine

 When I asked what I should pack for a relay, everyone said compression apparel! NUUNKOTB turned to ZENSAH for our compression needs: The Zensah compression leg sleeves are made with gradient compression which provides wide ribbing in the front for shin support and tight ribbing in the back for calf support. Not only did the compression sleeves keep our legs feeling fresh between legs, the colors were neon-tastic! 

No matter what runner you are of a relay, you will have to run one of your legs during "nighttime" hours, which means you will have to run in a reflective vest {which as you can see, I liked! And even wore during non-nighttime hours}.  I choice a RoadNoise vest {which I confirmed was Ragnar approved}.  Why RoadNoise!? The RoadNoise comes equipped with lightweight speakers {didn't bother me at all while running} and a cord for an MP3 player or iPhone {headphones aren't the safest, especially at night!}...just plug in your tunes and you are ready to SAFELY rock your run! The music was plenty loud enough, and I could her traffic & people around. Oh, and did you notice it's pink!? {they have other colors too}

 I was singing and dancing through the miles! 

I never run without my phone because its my GPS and iPod! When you're doing a relay, with a group of bloggers, its pretty important to have your phone with you at all times...you don't want to miss a prime twitter or instagram opportunityv{Not often on a run are you passed by Risky Business}.  Thanks to spi-belt we were able to stay connected to the social networking world at all times :c) {and didn't even notice we were carrying our phones} Oh, and having our phones on us came in handy when we got lost...

One of the main priorities while doing a relay is staying properly caffeinated!

Last, but definitely not least, is having a #lemontea ready for runners when they finish their last leg!

WHAT IS ON YOUR RELAY ESSENTIALS LIST?

NUUNKOTB Tour Recap

I had the privilege, honor and amazing opportunity to run Ragnar Northwest Passage with NUUN and 9 other bloggers! I headed up to Seattle Thursday afternoon, where I was picked up from the Airport in the NUUN-mobile {how great it that!?} Alanna, who is from Canada, also came down Thursday afternoon so we headed to the hotel, met up with Lauren and walked around Seattle before heading back to the NUUN HQ!

Once we had grabbed a Starbucks {which we hit up several more times in the following 30 hours} and walked through Pike's Market we headed back to the NUUN HQ for dinner and van decorating.  It was so great to officially {IRL} meet everyone; ffriendships were instantly created and the fun times began.  After NUUN hydrated and carbed us up, we headed out to decorate the vans...luckily we had some creative people, and the rest of us hung out laughing, taking pictures, and making sure the artists had the markers they needed!

 

Van 1 got up bright & early on Friday and started the journey to Blaine around 5:15am {first stop: Starbucks}.  As we got closer to Blaine, the clouds started getting darker and darker, and then came the rain! One thing I DO NOT LIKE is running in the rain, but how can you have a bad attitude when you are rocking " HIP HOP" pants, I mean really!? {even when you do get passed by a hot dog...can we say embarrassing!?}

Van 1 leap frogged, cheered, supported, tatted & spread the NUUN love, hydrated, passed around the NUUN medal and counted roadkills {people you pass} during legs 1-6, and was excited to hand off to Van 2

The first major exchange was in Bellingham, which is where 2 of our vanmates live, including Meghan, who finished her leg and went and curled up in the back of the van, feeling even worse at this point.  We insisted she go home, rest, & shower, while we went and grabbed some lunch. She was even kind enough to throw my wet {and at this point stinky} shoes and towel in the dryer.   We went and grabbed Pho {which just might be my new favorite race meal & reminded me of my trip to Vietnam} and headed back to pick up Meghan so we could make our way to Burlington for our second legs

I was expected to kick off our second set of legs just before 9pm, which meant nighttime running, and I was just a little excited about it! There is something about running in a vest {with music blaring}, headlamp and glow sticks that made me want to dance!

disclaimer: I only had to run the last mile or so of my run in the DARK, otherwise I might of had a different attitude about it.  OK, I probably would've been a lil scared!

I led us out on our second legs, and saw a girl up in the distance that I was determined to catch.  I kept gaining on her, and finally reached her, and kept looking to see if my van was coming to witness the roadkill {I felt like they always saw me being "killed}, but they didn't come and I continued on.  Only for them to catch me and see me get killed by a {different} girl running up a hill...oh well!

It was during Corinne's run that we encountered the 4 legged gorilla man {some idiot who was jumping out of his driveway and chasing runners on all 4...it was weird}, but we had her back and Katherine got out to tell him what was up {did I mention she has her black belt!?} Everyone made it through their night runs and were grateful to have running buddies {Mason even jumped in to run with Meghan}, but Becky's injury was really bothering her. A simple, "how was your run?" from a random girl {OK, a friend of Lauren's, but Becky didn't know her} resulted in her having a total meltdown and saying she wasn't going to be able to run her last leg.  And no, the girl responding with "oh, I'm sure you're just tired, you'll feel better after some sleep" didn't help! I told Becky not to worry at all, I would run her last leg {I was so impressed that she rocked her first 2 as well as she did! ROCKSTAR} I don't recall exactly when it happened, but at some point Becky went to get out of the van, nearly fell to the ground due to having marathon legs {which she was proud to achieve by only running 10 miles}, and started wandering around like a drunk puppet {she was walking funny due to the pain in her shins and foot}, and from then on #drunkpuppet was the source of our entertainment {luckily Becky has a great sense of humor and would laugh every time I or anyone else tried to mimic her, which was quite frequently!}.  In all seriousness, Becky was a total trooper, running her first two legs, and then cheering and supporting us through our last legs! I am so glad she joined us for the journey...it wouldn't of been the same without her!

After about 3 hours of sleep in the van {a few people went into the school to sleep in the gymnasium} we were woken up by a nice "Rise and Shine B*@$%s" from a van near us, and ready to start our third, and final legs {but not without a trip to Starbucks first...PRIORITIES}.  My first run was a quick 3 miles, and then I had about 1.5 hours until I ran Becky's 4.5 miles...which was supposed to be EASY, but  it sure didn't feel easy!

And before we knew it, we were done, and celebrated with BACON and BEER!

THANK YOU truly isn't enough for the opportunity, memories, new friendships and phenomenal support that NUUN provided us with! Not only do I love their product, I love their people too!

July Foodie Penpals

I love receiving mail, especially when it contains yummy goodies and local flavors.  And I love seeing the creativity that people put into their packages! My Foodie Penpal was Kristen {aka The Recipe Queen}, whose blog is all about FOOD {you have to check it out}; she loves to take everyday recipes and jazz them up! 

Here is what I received:

Good n Natural Bars...I can't wait to try these, I love a good bar!

Salsa AND a Spicy Black Bean Salsa recipe! BOOM! Double Whammy! And thanks to Foodie Penpals, I am starting quite the salsa collection!

Ummm....Snapea Crisps where have you been all my life!?

Saratoga Chips...yummy potato chips

I'm normally NOT a huge fan of granola bars {too messy, and I'd rather just eat granola}, but these are so good, and the chocolate is just enough when I am having a sweet tooth! 

I"m going to have to make some pancakes or waffles soon! 

You too can be a part of Foodie Penpals, click below to find out how! 

Van 1: Hangin Tough

Ok...so last weekend was the EPIC tour of NUUN Kids on The Block through Ragnar Northwest Passage! Before I go into a recap of the 200 miles, I want to reintroduce you to me van mates {now friends!!!}|, because the post I wrote earlier really doesn't do them just justice!  

First off, we had our fearless leader{arg!} and driver: Mason, Chief  Hydration Officer at NUUN! Mason was great at making sure we had opportunities to cheer on our teammates during their runs and got us to all of our exchanges in time {there were only a couple close calls}. He even joined one of our runners for a night run! And perhaps most importantly, he made sure we were caffeinated by getting us to a Starbucks at all of the major exchanges {priorites}

Chief Navigator 

I was runner #1, and handed off to Lauren {you will see some serious hand-off photos in posts to come!} Lauren is seriously so fun, and sweet; I felt like I had known her forever! She is extremely social, and knew half of the people on the route, and was a RagnarNWP expert, which came in handy a couple of times! 

Checkin em off!

Corinne {friend of Meghan} was a total lifesaver, and stepped in about 2 weeks before the race, because one of our runners was injured! She is not a blogger or on twitter {until she ran her first leg and we took matters into our own hands ;) } so she really didn't know any of us at all; but you would never of known it! She fit right in {I don't think we overwhelmed her too much} and took on one of the tougher legs, 8 miles, pretty much all uphill, with no van support! Corinne dominated the hills and rocked her night run, ending it with a loud "we've got the right stuff, baby!"  During her night run, we saved her from the 4 legged gorilla man...we had her back! 

So happy to be done! 

Katherine, Mason's wife, flew home for 3-days from her vacation in Michigan to run with us and totally ROCKED it! She recently took up running {she is an avid tennis player}, and seriously dominated the roads from Blaine to Whidbey Island with lots and lots of roadkill! She was also our co-pilot, and made sure we got where we always got where we needed to be! She {almost} used her black belt skills to protect Corinne from gorilla man...that't what teammates do! 

Becky, aka, #thriftydrunkpuppet and NUUN tattoo artist {I was demoted from the job}, was seriously HI-LAR-IOUS!!  Up until Thursday before the race, we weren't sure if she would be joining us as a runner or just a cheerleader, but she ended up doing both! Becky was the one always losing stuff in the van {packing and unpacking her stuff several times}, a goodeater {always clearing her plate}, the one who taught us what a bronie is, and earned the title of drunk puppet {she tells the story best here...you have to read it!!!}. I later changed her name to thrifty drunk puppet {she is always looking for a good deal and doesn't like to spend money}when following the race she borrowed a friends boot for her foot and bought crutches {that are too big} from the Goodwill! I think she is diagnosing her injury with these! Becky was SO excited to be running, after not running for 2 months, and always had a huge smile on her face!!

Check out the NUUN medal!

Becky Drew a picture of herself!

Meghan earned the Hangin Tough award...two days before the relay she tweeted that she wasn't feeling well, and started chugging NUUN All Day! Unfortunately, the sore throat didn't get better, only worse! But she rallied through, and spent a lot of time sleeping/resting in the back between her legs! She was able to go home, shower, and take a nap at the first major exchange, which made a big difference. Despite being sick {she could only communicate by whispering, and found out after that she had bronchitis} she got out and cheered for every runner, and made it through her 3 legs, while being concerned about getting us sick and waking us up with her coughs {how nice is that!? we were just as concerned for her}

Shhhhh....don't tell the Ragnar officials this, but we had two extra van mates that weren't registered to run! They snuck into several pictures along the way, so be looking for them in upcoming posts! 

Meet Ragnar and Drunk Puppt {"DP"}


{SEVERAL} MORE POSTS TO COME! 

NUUN Winner & Bulu Box review

EEK! So sorry it has taken me SO LOONG to announce the winner of the NUUN ALL DAY giveaway, its no excuse but I was busy wrapping things up and getting ready to head out on  a 200 mile, 2 vans, 12 runner adventure from Blaine to Whidbey Island {several posts coming soon!}.  According to random.org, the lucky winner is Jill {comment #8}.  Jill, please email me at hroberts123@gmail.com!

DO YOU LOVE GETTING MAIL AS MUCH AS I DO??

What an amazing concept: 1)sign-up for a monthly or yearly subscription 2)each month, a new

Bulu Box will be delivered to your door containing 4 to 5 premium samples 3) Save on full-size versions of the products you love.

The box includes samples pertaining to vitamins, natural & herbs, diet, energy, sports nutrition, protein, cleanse & detox, sleep, sexual health, and other!

My box:

Life Equals Omega-3: I am a huge fan/advocate of fish oil, but as many of you know who take fish oil, you can have a fishy taste after, well NOT with LIFE = Omega-3.  LIFE= Omega-3 is sourced 100% from wild Norwegian anchovies, and has the Maximum DHA/EPA {which is what you want to look for when selecting a fish oil}.  You want to the know THE BEST thing about Life=Omega 3!? For every product they sell, they donate an equal amount of chiIdren's multivitamins to malnourished children worldwide.   will definitly be turning to Life Equal Omega-3 for my fish oil needs!

pure matters for everyday health: Vitamin D3 - 3000 IU : Vitamin D is essential for calcium absorption & helps maintain a healthy hear! The capsule is 100% vegetarian and also helps with Healthy Body, Bone Health, Joint and Tissue Health, Circulatory Health, General Wellness, Immunity, Muscle Health, Oral Health, Senior Health, Women's Health, Anti-aging. 

I don't know about you, but I am not the best about taking my vitamins, so this is a great reminder of how important vitamins are for us!

I don't know about you, but I am a night-time snacker, so I was excited when I saw that my Bulu Box contained nightfood, a  bar designed specifically to eat at night!  Read more about eating at night here! Its an interesting concept, and while I can't say whether it helped me sleep or not {I have been so busy & tired these days that I am out in T-2 seconds when my head hits the pillow}, the it has a great taste, and is a nice, lite snack to eat before heading to bed

RevHoney U-Tube: RevHoney U-Tubes are small tubes of honey and freeze dried fruit. No caffine, no stimulants. Just honey and fruit. I was pleasantly suprised with the taste! I plan on throwing mine in my bike pouch for all-natural, on-the-go energy next time I ride! I'm looking forward to trying their other flavors too!

I don't know about you, but I love receiving mail/packages, and it's even better when its filled with samples for living a healthy lifestyle! For as little as $9.17/month {yearly subscription}, you too can receive a Bulu Box on your doorstep full of healthy goodies every month!

Bulu Box was kind enough to send me a box to review, but the opinions and text are all mine.

We've Got The Right Stuff...and so could YOU!!!

I don't know about where you are, but here in Southern OR summer has arrived, with the temps hitting the upper 90s!  Temperatures like that scream HYDRATION, HYDRATION, HYDRATION! I'll be the first to admit that I do hydrate a lot {probably too much} with iced americanos, but  in between them I turn to NUUN for my hydration needs.  I've always been a big water drinker, but why drink it plain when you can spruce it up with fabulous flavors & electrolytes, with less than 8 calories!? I think it's safe to say I have become slightly addicted to this fabulous stuff!

NUUN just outdid themselves, once again, and came out with a new product line: NUUN All Day. Sugary and caffeinated drinks take you on a roller coaster ride during the day, but with zero sugar, under 8 calories per tab, and an all-natural blend of 117 vitamins and minerals, NUUN All Day keeps you going. For more information, go here. I am officially addicted to NUUN All Day now too, and after trying all 4 flavors {which are all super yummy}, I'd have to say that my favorite is the Tangerine Lime {which would make sense, since my favorite flavor of NUUN is Lemon+Lime} 

In 7 days, I will be running Ragnar Northwest Passage with NUUN and 9 other bloggers! We will be spreading the NUUN love from Blaine to Whidbey Island, but I also want to spread to the NUUN love with you, my blog readers! So here is your chance to win 2 tubes of NUUN all day &  a NUUN water bottle!

This is how YOU can win some NUUN All Day {please leave a separate comment for each}:

1. Follow me on twitter

2. Follow my blog

3. Follow NUUN on twitter

4.Let me know how YOU stay hydrated during the summer, especially while working out

5. Tweet about the giveaway!

Contest closes July 18th at midnight PST, and winner will be announced on July 19th!