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!!