I haven’t done a favorite things post in a while!  That’s because I’ve been busying using what I Iove and not deviating from the box.  I’ve dropped a few brands because some of my preferences have changed but if you must know I’m still wearing Athleta & Saucony EVERYTHING, I’ve tossed in a couple pair of 7” Nike Pros, some Gypsy Runner & I don’t run without my Injinji Socks.  Enough said on the “normal”.  Let’s talk about what’s NEW!  And for the record, I’m not an ambassador or affiliate for any of these brands, I don’t have a discount code but if you find one send it to me, and I don’t have free product to give you.  Lame, huh?  Sorry, I’ll try to do better next time.

Tailwind Nutrition – How many of you have this sitting in your fuel drawer but haven’t yet tried it?  I had a few packets sitting for months, like 6+ months.  I didn’t try it til I had enough with my tummy issues.  Tailwind politely calls our tummy issues “gut bombs”.  So appropriate. 

Tailwind is a liquid nutrition that is wheat, gluten, diary & soy free.  It’s 100% natural.  It was designed for people running ultra distance like 50 & 100 mile races but I’m proof that it works great for marathons too!  This product hydrates, fuels & gives the electrolytes needed to race for as long as I like.  Easy to mix, clear since it doesn’t have artificial additives for color & flavor, comes in 7 flavors (one of which is unflavored) and with or without caffeine.  It has the consistency of water and has a light refreshing taste.  Plus it has glucose/sucrose which helps fast delivery of energy to the muscles.  I’ve been low on sugar before while racing and it’s not pretty.  Sometimes the miles & time on our feet get away from us.  Sometimes the heat & humidity take more out of the body than we can possibly understand until it’s too late.  With the constant stream of tailwind going into my system, I feel good, all the time.  Even when those around me are getting sick, crashing & heading for the med tent.  For more info, checkout the tailwind website.  They have more info that I can possibly share, I just know it has worked wonders for me and I’m confident that I’ll finally get that PR that I’ve been chasing. 

FlipBelt Hydration Bottles – Have you seen these yet?  You now know that I’m in love with Tailwind.  The reason it took me so long to try it was because I didn’t want to CARRY IT.  I despise hydration belts with all my being.  I don’t even care if they are good ones that don’t move or bounce.  I avoid them like the plague.  I also dislike handhelds.   And I haven’t had the desire to try a hydration vest.  So when FlipBelt came out with their new hydration bottles, I ordered one before the ink was dry on the website. 

I use my FlipBelt ALL the time.  I load it up for runs & races and go, go, go.  I was hoping it was be just as awesome with the hydration bottles.  It worked great & did NOT bounce.  I was so happy!  I use the 11oz bottle & mix in my Tailwind.  Tip:  If I’m using the scoop out of the Tailwind bag, I also use a baby formula dispenser to get my Tailwind in the FlipBelt bottles.  The opening on the bottle is small, which is good cuz its easy for drinking and carrying, not so good for adding fuel to the bottle!  The bottles are curved to fit snuggly to our body.  I can only carry one 11 oz bottle at a time or I’m not comfortable.  But the Tailwind mixes so nicely, that I put 4 scoops into ONE 11oz bottle for marathons.  That’s 400 calories and I make sure I drink that by the 20 mile mark.  Then I use water on course for extra hydration.  These FlipBelt bottles are a great option for hydration on the go!  Tip:  FlipBelt usually is running some sort of special discount code on their Facebook Page.  Go find them on FB if you are looking for a discount!

Eagle Creek Pack It Sport Bags.  I had never heard of Eagle Creek until a couple weeks ago when they sent the RockNBloggers some free stuff.  It was right before I left for my double marathon weekend & I tweeted out a pic real quick, packed up the bags to go & I left.  I had zero idea how helpful they would be for that race weekend. 

They sent me a large Foot Locker that fit shoes up to size 11.  I always have more than one pair of run shoes for these big weekends but the plan is to race in one shoe unless there is a problem.  I was able to put my main pair of shoes in the locker, plus I added my watch, fuel, socks, calf sleeves and FlipBelt to the foot locker.  Super easy. I pulled it out on race morning and had everything I needed for the run other than my clothes.  VERY nice having everything in one place!  Quick pics below before I stuffed the rest of the goodies into the shoe locker.  Lots of room.  Sealed up the shoes and the smell (if that’s an issue). 

The real gem of this collection was something I didn’t use initially when I packed up.  It was the large Fitness Locker.  I took this with me for my dirty run clothes.  It’s water proof & antimicrobial.  I was thinking it would be prefect for my wet, nasty marathon clothes.  Little did I know how much I would need it.  There was non-stop rain at the Kentucky Derby Marathon.  Upon finishing the race, I had a wet singlet, bra, shorts, compression sleeves, socks, flip belt & visor.  Normally, I would have been thieving the bag in our hotel room that’s reserved for dry cleaning, but not this time.  I threw ALL those clothes & the visor into the Fitness Locker and zipped it up.  Done.  No wetness.  No smell.  Then I threw the Fitness Locker in my gym bag with all my other CLEAN clothes & zipped everything up. 

Then we headed over to Cincinnati, where I did it all again.  Got done with the Flying Pig Marathon the next day.  No rain but this time we had heat, humidity, sprinklers & water hoses.  Same scenario when I got back to the hotel.  I was drenched, my clothes were drenched.  So I grabbed the Fitness Locker, which didn’t smell at all from the Derby race, and unzipped it to add the clothes from Flying Pig:  wet singlet, bra, shorts, compression sleeves, socks, flip belt & visor.  The bag was now full with 2 full sets of wet clothes but it easily zipped & I tossed it into my regular bag with the remaining clean clothes.  Easiest travel I’ve ever had with wet, gross, dirty clothes. I’m very happy to add these Eagle Creek Pack It Sport bags to my travel collection.  Check out their website if you need help organizing your fitness clothes & gear or need to transport wet/gross clothes to and from the gym or while traveling.  Prices are very reasonable and that is the best part!

Okay, that’s the latest edition of my “Favorite Things” list.  I think these are all relatively new products that are noteworthy.  I hope they help you as much as they have helped me.

Do you have any new products that you’re loving?  If so, let us know in the comments below!

** Happy Running & TRIing ** Amanda – TooTallFritz