Lightest pair of sunglasses I have ever worn!

"Disclaimer: I received a pair of xx2i Hawaii1 polarized sunglasses to 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!"

I have been a fan of xx2i for the last year, I have enjoyed both sporty and casual frames from their collection and have found them to be high quality, durable and stylish.

I was sent a pair of XX2i Hawaii1 Sport Polarized glasses.  As usual, the packaging they came in was awesome.  It was in a hard case with lots of cushioning and a spot for the lenses to fit in and be protected. They also came with a soft pouch to carry them in, as well as a strap.  Look at the cool aerodynamic styling on the side!

Product specs –

• Matte White with Polar Grey lenses
• Extremely lightweight
  
• Easily adjustable, creating instant adaptation for any face shape or activity
  
• Bendable nose piece and rubber temple arms
  

I was anxious to get these beauties out for a run. I have wore them on countless runs and even in my recent half marathon.  I’m happy to say that yes they stay in place and they are so light that you can forget you have them on.  The best feature to me is how lightweight they are, due to the carbon fiber technology.

My one and only complaint is that when I take them off, the arms get caught in my hair a little every time. I did not experience any glare and liked their “sporty” look.   

Some other perks: Lifetime Warranty!  For someone sunglass-challenged like me, this is a really important plus.  I tend to lose and break glasses easily. You just have to pay a small shipping fee. They also let you try them for an entire year – 365 days – and if you don’t like them you can get a full refund. Say what???

Here are a few pics from racing in my xx2i Hawaii1 glasses:

The Hawaii1 model also comes in matte black and matte tortoise frames. These particular glasses retail for $124.99 on xx2i.com.  HOWEVER - They are offering a killer 50% discount with code “xx2iRocks”.  Stock up now to be stylin' all summer long!

Want some other opinions before you commit? Tune into #bibchat this Tuesday, May 31 at 8pm Central for a discussion including other BibRave Pros who have tried them out.
 

The chance to be a part of history!

"Disclaimer: I received an entry to the United Relay 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!"

From the moment I heard about the United Relay, I knew I wanted to participate. It's the first coast to coast relay across the US with 3 routes running simultaneously. Initially, I had a potential work conflict on the date that the relay would be coming through my town, and I was really disappointed.  When I looked up the route and individual leg maps I saw that my friend Chris Walsh was signed up to run one of the legs. I really wanted to join him and be a part of the fun!

The relay is divided into 3 routes (Red, White and Blue naturally), that dissect the country starting on the West Coast and meeting up in New York City. The whole idea started as a way to get people involved and raise money for some worthy causes (16 of them). It is presented by Aftershokz, the same company who makes the killer wireless headphones. Read my recent review of their product here.

There had been minimal marketing to the running community, as far as I could tell. They had trouble getting the word out, and as a result, had an incredible number of stages open to run.  Gradually, with the help of Bibrave Pros and SweatPink Ambassadors, I started seeing more publicity for the event and people were getting excited.

I saw photos of a friend in California (Tam) start off on one of the first legs of the race. I thought it was SO cool that someone I knew in another state was getting it started.

Both the Blue and White routes cut through Arizona. White cuts through Northern AZ and Blue comes through the metropolitan Phoenix area and on into New Mexico.  I had a few friends drive upnorth and run legs on the White route, one of them ran 20 miles AT NIGHT on Route 66!  Another ran the blue route the day before me in the heat of the day for like 15 miles!

Once I knew for sure that I could make it, I was pumped.  I luckily got a leg which was a loop, so it started and ended in the same spot.  On relay day, I made plans to meet Chris at the designated handoff spot.

My stage was on the blue route, on May 11th. It was a very hot day and our stage didn’t start until after 6pm.  The support crew met us and we waited for the runners to come in with the baton. The crew was from England and had never been to Arizona before. They were totally enthralled with the scenery. Finally the previous runners showed up and we were able to make the handoff!

Chris and I were off. The route was so much nicer than I expected.  Our start was in Papago Park. We only had one boring stretch on the side of the road, the rest was on the canal or on sidewalks through the park. I have lived here for 18 years and I saw some areas of the park I had never seen before.  The water flowing through was so peaceful and calming. I stopped several times to take pictures. We were treated to a magnificent sunset. Our leg was 5.1 miles total.

I also happened to know 2 of the 3 girls we were handing off to, so I was excited for that as well. One of them is a BibravePro, and the other girl I know from a local running group.  They had a much longer stage to run, and at night. Their leg was around 9 miles through the city of Tempe. At least it was going to be cooler for them.  The support crew did not come back for their handoff, so they were feeling a little uneasy about their safety.

Afterwards, I felt like I was riding a high from what I had just been a part of. I wanted to shout from the rooftop about what a cool thing the relay is, and I wished that I had been able to arrange to do more stages. Everything is so spread out, it would have been a lot to plan, and with my husband’s crazy work schedule, I’m not sure how I would have coordinated it all.  It was fun to sit back and watch some of my fellow BibRave Pros across the country run their stages.  I saw Erica, Angie and Heather run on the blue route and red route. My overachieving friend Angie ran 5 stages for a total of 48 miles! Now THAT is dedication!

The relay continues on, they are scheduled to wrap up in New York on June 4, after 6 weeks of continuous running or cycling (they cycle between stages when they have no runner signed up).

Take a look at the map, if you are in the Eastern part of the country, see if there is still an open stage near you and sign up!! I can’t recommend it enough, I would love to do be a part of it again!

Here’s another grab and go hydration solution in time for summer!

"Disclaimer: I received a H2O Venture Hydration Belt to 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!"

I have owned a Spibelt for years. I use it for any race that I have to carry keys for. The one I have has two super stretchy pockets, large enough to hold a phone and keys.

I was excited to try out the H20 venture hydration belt, I have a hydration belt that I really don’t like all that much that has bottles on it, and it bounces around quite a bit.  The spibelt has a very snug fit – and that’s what you want.  It ensures there won’t be any bouncing.  This belt has just one pocket, with reflective trim on it.

The belt comes with two 8 oz BPA-free bottles, two loops for gels and two bib number toggle ties. The bottles are dishwasher safe, which is awesome because we all know that fuel bottles can get sticky stuff in there that is hard to clean.

I absolutely love that the tops are open and you can just squirt the water into your mouth. No taking off the tops!  For the most part, my bottles stay secure when I’m running. I hear that the key is having the proper fit; and you just have to play around with it.

I wore the belt without bottles in 2 races and it was comfortable. I do find the pocket a little hard to get into, especially if you’re trying to do it while running.

The zipper itself is really tucked in there, so I was fumbling around a bit to get it open. I also miss the stretchiness of my other spit belt pocket.  This one isn’t quite as flexible.

DISCOUNT!!!
It comes in 4 colors, and retails for $44.99.   However, spibelt is offering a special discount for bibrave for 10% off with code “emily10”!

Need more info to make a decision? Tune into #bibchat on Tuesday at 8pm CST!

Being an Arizona runner, the thought of running in the crisp mountain air “upnorth” sounds like a great idea.  Until you factor in the hills.  I’ve never seriously considered running Whiskey Row due to it’s reputation as being one of the toughest courses in the country.  Nonstop upness!

A bunch of co-workers were doing the race (half, 10k, 2 mile races) and invited me along.  I decided to put on some big girl pants and give it a try. I never train hills but was hopeful I would live.

For anyone unfamiliar, Prescott is a town 2 hours northwest of Phoenix, up in the mountains where it is on average 15-20 degrees cooler than the Phoenix area. As we were driving around town the night before, I was getting a first hand view of the hills I had been imagining in my head. Check out this elevation profile!

As you can see, these hills go on for days. 

Our first stop was packet pickup (teeny tiny expo) where on Friday the 13th I was issued Bib#666. Seriously?! We went and had a nice dinner the night before and tried to relax and not think too much about the challenge ahead the next day.  As a side note, I have been macro counting and limiting carbs for the last month or so, and I wasn’t sure what to expect come race time.  I’ve had enough energy for my runs for the most part.  Normally I would use running a half marathon as an excuse to fall face first into a plate of pasta with a side of tons of bread.  I decided to try to not do that and see what happened.  I had a black bean burger open-faced with just a small side of pasta salad (and a beer).  Felt pretty good.

I got to sleep with the windows open with that gorgeous mountain air coming in. Delightful.

Woke up to a nice sunrise and a hot pot of coffee and friends. What could be better?  We were staying only 2.5 miles from the start so we didn’t even leave the house til 30 min before the race.  Crazy!  The start line was right in front of the saloon.  Did I mention this is an Old West town? And all the hotels are haunted?  As we were taking our obligatory pre-race photos, this old west costumed character guy snuck up behind us to photo bomb us.  He was carrying a shotgun and said  “when you hear this go off…run like hell!”

Race nerves were in full force as we waited for the start.  Finally we were off and within a mile my friend let me know she wasn’t feeling well and to go on ahead.  Yikes, I was left on my own.  The first mile wasn’t bad, relatively flat. Miles 1-2 started with a few rolling hills but still doable.  At mile 2.5 we were in the Hassayampa area and all of a sudden the vertical was so bad I had to walk. Even walking up the hill my legs were burning.

The temp was in the low to mid 60’s and sunny. Perfect to me, but probably warm to some.  I was worried about getting dehydrated. I didn’t carry my own water, but there were plenty of water stops with Gatorade at every one.  We continued on our climb up with a few downhills thrown in there.  At about mile 4-4.5 I had to take more frequent walk breaks.  It was just too much!  I was 100% focused on getting to that half way turnaround so I could start heading downhill. 

At around mile 5-5.5 I started seeing the leaders fly past me going down.  We hit a dirt road section of the course and were now in a wooded area. Really pretty.

I made it to the top of the turnaround and started heading down.  I found my friend who was thankfully feeling much better.  I was able to keep moving pretty well (thanks to gravity) but around mile 9 or 10 there were some big hills that required more walking breaks.    By mile 11 I was running out of gas, hanging by on fumes.  Even in the last mile I stopped 2-3 times for a walk break even though the hills were just about over. Oh well. I guess that's where those extra carbs would have come in handy.

I rolled into the finish to see some of my friends at the finish line cheering me on. That’s always awesome!!! :)

I felt a little queasy but was quite thrilled to have finished intact.  My finish time was 2 hrs 16 minutes.  All in all, I’m happy with that. I was hoping for 2:15 or less, but not having done it before, I really didn’t know what to expect.  I only started doing some moderate hill training in the last 2 weeks. 

This is the first of 3 half marathons that I have over the next 6 weeks, so I figured if nothing else this was good training and conditioning.

This was my 44th half marathon, and one of the hardest if not the hardest one. As brutal as it was, I would do this again.  I would certainly train on hills so I didn’t have to walk so much, and I also need to figure out a better fueling strategy than just sips of Gatorade here and there.

We immediately started celebrating our finishes at the local saloons. A good time was had by all!

I love a good multi-purpose comfortable short!

"Disclaimer: I received Zensah Well Rounded Shorts to 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!"

I’m always looking for different types of shorts to workout in. I tend to wear loose polyester running shorts.  Occasionally, on longer runs, I experience chafing as a result of this type of short (and forgetting to apply body gilde!).  I decided to give these well rounded shorts a try.

When I took them out of the box they were so tiny that I thought there was no way they would fit me.  They are tiny little shorts when not on you.  I put them on and couldn’t believe how soft they were.  It’s definitely something that feels good against your skin.  The 4.5" inseam is long enough that I did not experience any chafing.

I am glad I went with black; I have heard some reports of some of the lighter colors being more sheer.  I’m happy to report I didn’t have any trouble with that.  Zensah has stated that these were originally developed to be worn without undergarments, so that choice is up to your comfort level.

Here are the product specs:

• Ultra lightweight fabric
• Wide waistband for flattering fit
• Moisture wicking and anti-odor proprietary fabric
• Seamless Technology = no chafing
• 4.5" inseam
  

 
The material is ridiculously soft.  The shorts are so comfortable that I almost feel like I’m lounging around in my pajamas.

Ok now it was time to put them to the run test.  I ran several times in these shorts, anywhere from 3-7 miles each time. I also did weight training and went out for a walk in them.  I didn’t have any trouble with them riding up. And because they are spandex and have a snug fit, you feel like everything is nice and sucked in, but at the same time you are free to MOVE!

Another great use for these (at least for me) is to wear them under my Sparkle Skirts for races!  I need more shorts like this that don’t ride up and are super comfy.  How cute is this?

Pros -

• soft, comfortable
• lightweight
• no chafing
• no riding up

Cons -

• no pockets
• slightly sheer depending on what color you order
  

Bottom line, I really like these shorts and will wear them regularly for running or anything, really.  My only wish is that there was a pocket.  Really, really important for running! They retail for $41.99, but check out this great discount!

Discount Alert!
If you are ready to give these a try in time for summer, Zensah is offering  15% off these well rounded shorts with code ZENBIB15!

Get ready to #FeelAmazingEveryday with Amazing Grass Protein Superfood!

"Disclaimer: I received Amazing Grass Protein Superfood as part of being a SweatPink Ambassador with Fit Approach and Amazing Grass. Learn more about becoming a SweatPink Ambassador at FitApproach.com.

When I am looking for a midday power smoothie, I really want something that packs a big nutritional punch but also tastes good. That’s not asking too much, is it?  I’m looking for something quick, I don’t have time to juice vegetables, it just needs to be ready to go.

I choose to try the Amazing Grass Protein Superfood blend, in Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor.  That flavor combination really hits home with me, but sometimes you get that protein powder, or overly sweet aspartame taste when you get protein blends.   

I unscrewed the cap of the jar and took a big whiff. Reeses!  That’s what it smelled like to me.  I’m looking at the label – reading this ingredient list is like a nutritionist's dream of goodness.

• Green Food Blend – (all organic) – wheat grass, alfalfa, barley grass, spinach, spirulina, chlorella, broccoli
  
• Protein Blend – (all organic) – Pea protein, hemp protein, chia and quinoa
  
• Fruit & Veggie blend – (all organic) – acai, banana, beet, carrot, goji, pineapple, sweet potato, raspberry and rose hips
  

 
It has ALL of those supremely healthy and organic ingredients (plus peanut flour and cocoa)– but magically smells and tastes like reeses peanut butter cups!  What kind of hocus pocus is going on here? A 1-scoop serving has 190 calories, 7 grams of fat (1.5 saturated), 11 g carbs and 20 g protein!

This came at a time when I am watching my macros and have a very high number of grams of protein that I’m supposed to consume daily.  This fits right in. It tastes so much better than ANY of my other protein drinks that I use. It has so many nutritious ingredients, and tastes out of this world! I just do one scoop with 1/4 c almond milk and 1/4 cup water, plus some ice. I also added some cacao nibs on top for a little extra splurge.

There are lots of other things you can do with this superfood besides smoothies. You can make bars with it, and I even made pancakes with it this morning. Delicious!

I highly recommend giving it a try so you can #feelamazingeveryday too!

Amazing Grass is giving away one full size Protein Superfood (winner chooses flavor) to one lucky follower!  Entry details below. Contest ends Thursday, May 5 at 11:59 PM PST.Terms & Conditions: No purchase necessary.  Void where prohibited. 1 winner will be selected via the Giveaway widget.  Open to Residents of the United States, 18 years of age or older.  Must have a non P.O. Box mailing address.  Winner must have a valid email address.
Winner will be notified via email (if available) and/or blog post, and will have 24 hours to claim prize.  If original winner does not claim prize within 24 hours, an alternate winner(s) will be selected. Contestants must enter on the Rafflecopter widget in order to win.
All winning entries will be verified. If a winning entry cannot be verified as completed, a new winner will be drawn.  Winner will be provided the prize directly from Amazing Grass. Substitutions unlikely but may apply.  Azsungoddess (Emily) is not responsible for failure of sponsor to deliver product. If you have already won this item on another blog, please disclose so that another winner can be chosen. Good luck!

Discount Alert!

Even if you don't win, you can try it for yourself and save 30% with this one time use code – SWEATPINKEmily16!  Expires 5/31.  Only available on amazinggrass.com