Clif Bar Organic Energy Food Review

As a Chief Running Officer for my run group Run Eat Tweet AZ, I had the opportunity to try out Clif Bar Company organic energy food pouches.

All of these opinions are my own.

I apparently have a very sensitive stomach when it comes to running fuel. I haven't found much yet that doesn't make it upset, so I was pretty excited to give these a try and see how they worked for me.

There are 4 flavors available and I received 2 of each. The fruit ones are smaller than the other two, but with both sizes, you need to have a reasonable sized pocket to put them in to take on a run with you. I'm injured so I've been running shorter loops in order to come home and stop running if I needed to, so I never had to carry one with me.

The first one I tried was the Banana Mango with Coconut. I was running in the heat of the Arizona morning sun at 10:00! Not my smartest plan. I looped home every 2 miles, and thankfully I did so I was able to refill my water. I was trying to decide what kind of fuel I was going to use, the sun was sapping everything out of me and I new I needed something. I remembered I had the food pouches in the fridge, so I pulled out the Banana Mango with Coconut to fuel up. It was so good! It hit the spot big time, nice and cold with a light flavor. I only used half and figured I'd finish the other half after my next loop home. I started off for another two miles. After the first mile I felt a little discomfort in my stomach, but figured it was probably just the heat getting to me. I looped home and finished off the pouch and then went back out for my last mile. Overall I enjoyed that one. I ended with a little discomfort, but I really think that all had more to do with the heat. I'd probably have no problem using this flavor on a regular basis.

The next one I tried was the Pizza Margherita. I had just come home from a double workout, a quick 800 meters in the pool and a 5 mile run. I reached for this pouch thinking it would be a perfect end to the workout. This flavor just wasn't for me.

The next week I was up extra early for a morning run. I did a similar run, 2 miles, pit stop at home, then back out and so on. This time I took out the Banana Beet with Ginger pouch. I really enjoyed this one too. I was anxious about the beet flavor, but it was pretty good. It was a slightly stronger flavor, so for me it wouldn't work as a mid run fuel, but it would be great for a post run. This is my situation, but take a look at the other CRO reviews, because they may have a different take. Like I said before, my stomach is very sensitive while running and doesn't respond well to very much.

The last one I tried was the Sweet Potato with Sea Salt flavor. I had just come back from a 7 mile run and was starving! While I was getting breakfast ready I pulled out the sweet potato pouch and gave it a try. Again, just not a flavor for me, a little too salty I think and not quite my taste.

I'm glad I got a chance to try all the flavors. It helped me figure out which ones would possibly work for my pre/mid/post run fuel. Overall I'm pleased with the product. It's easy to pack and easy to store. I love that it's resealable for later use. The fruit ones were definitely my favorite and I could probably use one of them post run/workout and the other mid run!

Would you like to try Clif Bar Organic energy food pouches for yourself? Head over to Run Eat Tweet AZ Facebook page to enter to win. Good Luck!

GoMacro Macro Bar Review

Thanks to my awesome run group Run Eat Tweet AZ, I was able to test out, for review, the GoMacro Bar!  Thanks Run Eat Tweet AZ and GoMacro for the opportunity!

For me testing out "health foods" has an acquired taste.  That's not the case for everyone, but I guess my taste buds are always surprised, not sure what to expect.  So it always takes me more than one taste test before I can really make a decision how I feel about it.  Thankfully, GoMacro made that easy for me.  I mean...holy big box, and all the flavors!  What an awesome company!  I received a box of mini bars as samples.  For me this is perfect!  They sell full sized ones, but the minis are more my speed. 

A quick view about the bars and company per their Facebook page:

• Short Description

  USDA Organic, Gluten-Free Certified, Kosher Certified, Non-GMO Project Verified, Vegan Certified, Soy Free & Macrobiotic energy bars.
  
• Company Overview

  GoMacro believes in feeling good about what we eat- how it tastes, how it’s made, and how it sustains the environment. Family owned and based in a small rural community, our wholesome food maintains goodness on all levels. Small in size but big on impact, we are a big picture company. GoMacro.

The first bar I tried I thought I couldn't go wrong with.  Peanut Butter and chocolate seems to be a go to, even for me with my distaste for peanut butter!  I gobbled one down for breakfast as I was heading out for an early morning movie with the kids.  This was not my favorite.  I was so bummed.  I'm not sure what I was expecting I guess, but it just didn't suit my flavor.  Never fear, that was just my first taste.

Quick breakfast

I decided to head towards fruity next, so before a double workout I went for the apple and walnut one.  Ahhh, much better.  I REALLY enjoyed that bar and several others since the first initial choice.  I've tried a few other flavors, most of them I like a lot.  There was only one other so far that wasn't my favorite, but still not bad, just not my taste.

There were plenty of quick "on the go" breakfasts when I didn't have time to whip something up, so having the GoMacro bar around has been a very handy thing.  You can pair it with just about anything and have a winning combination!  Fruit, eggs, smoothie, (ice cream) whatever your heart desires!  I've used them for before workouts when it's been a couple hours since I've had a meal, but it's still too early to eat another meal, but I also just need a little fuel, nothing super major.  I've also used them as an after workout snack, especially when it's later at night and I don't want to fill up.  Seriously, having this box around has been so great!

Just before heading out for a double workout.

Extra early morning on the trails.

My children have been begging to try them out as well.  I haven't shared with them yet because I was working my way through each flavor to find the ones they'd like better (they're pretty picky, I ease them in gently) I can update this as they give some a try in the next couple of weeks.

What I like about these best is I know what food is in them.  There's no words/ingredients I can't pronounce, the ingredients are natural and it's a good family company which is always nice.

I'm grateful I've had the opportunity to test drive these bars.  I've enjoyed that they're so easy to pack away and snack on when needed, and with all natural ingredients, they're a win every time!

Would you like to have the chance to win a box of your very own?  Well thanks to GoMacro and Run Eat Tweet AZ, you can!!  Head on over to Run Eat Tweet AZ Facebook page to get the details!  Wait!  There's more!  GoMacro has also provided a code "BLOGGER" for 40% off your first purchase!!  How great is that!  Head over now and take a look, and happy munching!

M80roller Review and Giveaway

So let me start off my saying, I'm a pretty huge gear snob. We don't have a lot of money, so when I'm looking into buying any kind of running/workout gear, I ask a lot of questions, read reviews, check out the website of the product and pay close attention to what others are using. I want to be sure that when I finally choose to buy something, it's exactly what I'm looking for.

So, when I found out I was going to be receiving an m80roller as a Chief Running Officer for Run Eat Tweet AZ to test out and review, the first thing I did was jump over to their website to read what I could on the roller. I wanted to know what it was that made it special and what others had to say about it.

This is what the creator, Matt Olaya (who's awesome by the way and has always "liked" or commented on my instagram posts where I mention/tag the m80roller) had to say about it:

I came across a problem with the conventional “Foam Roller” and set out to solve it. Behold, the M80 Roller a “Foam Roller” that is unique. M80 Grooves provide deep tissue therapy that diggs deeper than any other Foam Roller on the market. Besides the pressure, the M80 Roller guarantees that its shape will never give and it is 100% water proof (Hand Wash It).

Well that got me curious. How could little tiny "grooves" possibly work out the kinks in my legs/back any more than the flat surface of my foam roller could? Guess I'd just have to wait and find out.

The roller showed up at exactly the most perfect timing ever. The day before the Phoenix Marathon and the day before my first half marathon. I was suffering from IT band syndrome and was pretty sore. My regular foam roller wasn't working very well, so I went to Home Depot to buy some PVC pipe. My legs desperately needed relief....anyway, I divert. I received it at the expo for the marathon, and as I sat waiting for my ride home I noticed lots of side glances my way, I have no doubt, aimed toward my brand new shiny m80roller!

Image from m80roller website

I got home and tossed it to the floor in my jeans and "test drove" it on my quads. Um, yeah, one roll up, one roll down, get off! Holy hurts so good! But you don't stray from the norm before race day right? So I tucked it away for use right after. But I couldn't believe the difference, even through my jeans, that I felt in comparison to my foam roller and even the PVC pipe. Oh boy was I excited!

I actually waited a full day before I attempted to roll out after the race. I had gotten so sick on the course, and was surprisingly more sore than I expected, that moving around made me feel worse, but by Monday I was ready to roll my poor aching legs and hopefully loosen up my tight IT bands. If I hadn't been so low to the ground, I might have passed out. It hurt, but not like pain hurt, just like..oh my gosh, I didn't know I could hit that muscle like that....hurt. It was amazing! I didn't spend much time on it. I couldn't. I needed to take a break. I put it away.

I pulled it out again the next day and rolled a little more. I was able to go longer that day. I don't roll directly on my IT bands, but I've been hitting everything around them and it has felt so amazing! I've been able to stop wearing my straps to help alleviate the pain while running. My legs were feeling better and better each time I used the m80roller. I was stoked!

Flash forward, I've had it for a month now. I'm very bad about stretching and rolling routines, but I'm getting better about it, and my body craves the deep massage I get from the roller.

But I don't think I've touched on what really sets it apart. I have not tried other expensive rollers that are on the market, like I said, I'm pretty cheap and very picky about what I choose to buy, so I only have my basic foam roller and PVC pipe to compare to the m80roller. First of all, my basic foam roller lasted me (kept it's shape) for maybe 3 or 4 months. My children like to stand on things, and between me using it and them standing on it from time to time, I noticed it was wonky. I know, that's not a technical term, but it describes it, because I don't know if something round can be crooked. It didn't roll smoothly anymore, but I figured it'd be just fine. The m80 has not lost its shape and based on all the reviews I've read so far....it won't loose it.

My PVC pipe was super hard, and it was rolling my muscles, but it still fell flat (figuratively) when it came to really relieving any major tightness. Another problem...it rolled away from me. I had to stop and readjust it all the time unless I was in shorts. If I was wearing my Old Navy running crops or my Procompression socks, it would slip away. I spent more time trying to keep it in place...not relaxing the muscles that I was trying to work out, that it almost defeated the purpose of using it.

The m80roller stays exactly where I put it. I never have to chase it down. I can focus on relaxing the muscles and working them out. Those tiny grooves really dig deeper into the muscle. I didn't think it was possible, I was pretty skeptical, but I'm tellin' ya, it feels so great! The combination of the pipe to make it hard, and the foam to make it bearable is perfect!! Did you know you can also wash it if you have to? It's design means that no sweat will stay in it, but if you get it dirty, it can be hand scrubbed and set out to dry off! That's a bonus if you're like me and have grubby kids who like to stand on things/touch things they shouldn't with their dirty little feet and hands.

All of my IT band woes are not over. I still struggle with tightness, I still have shin splints, my muscles are still tight, but I've spent over a year doing this to my body by not taking care of it regularly, I know, like everything else, the problems won't go away over night. What I do know though, is that since using the m80roller, I've gotten more relief in this past month, than I have since beginning to run again.

So would I buy this product? You better believe it! The 30" roller is now on my "to buy" list. So go check out Amazon to read reviews and head to www.m80roller.com to look around more there at their FAQ and to check out all their color options! No boring colors/prints there!

 BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!!!

Want a chance to win one! Well this is your lucky day! Run Eat Tweet AZ has 5, that's right FIVE rollers to giveaway! Head on over to their Facebook page to catch the details! US residents only. You're NOT gonna wanna miss a chance to win one of these!

GIVEAWAY!

This is seriously a GREAT roller!!