Mission Athletecare Giveaway

Posted on August 8, 2012 by tootallfritz

As most of you know by now, I’m a huge fan of Mission AthleteCare! Their motto is to Perform, Protect & Rehab.

Perform – Enhance performance during competition!
Protect – Combat elements before competition!
Rehab – Restore body after competition!

Those are things which I can really get behind, particularly when their products are formulated to not only to work for you NOW but also in the future by being paraben free. If you are not familiar with the paraben issue, my friend Bridgett has broken it down into laymen’s terms HERE and uses ScienceDaily as a reference. If I understand it correctly, many scientists are concerned about parabens causing health issues including breast cancer. More information and ~~scientific~~ detailed reports on the Eves-Best & Livestrong websites. The paraben issue is enough of a concern to make me pay attention to the ingredients in products I buy and be thankful when I come across paraben free items. I’d personally rather be safe now than sorry later.

I have randomly written about Mission AthleteCare products multiple times in the past as I stumble across a new favorite and I have even given way items out of my personal stash for the Favorite Training Items Giveaway. More recently, I talked about the Mission Athletecare EduraCool Towel which Aby and I are still fighting over. You can read that post HERE. I actually read a review on it from another blogger yesterday who didn’t think it was that “cool” but then she also mentioned she lived in a no humidity area. Our towel, that we use in the Midwest, is awesome, stays cool for hours and we find it very refreshing. The fact that it is reusable, washable and big enough ~~to fight over~~ is just a bonus!

I am also in love with the 5 Hour AntiChafe Stick which I am now using exclusively to combat the infamous chub rub. This product is smoother than some of its competitors, goes on very easily, does not crumble and stays on for hours under very ~~nasty~~ hot and sweaty conditions. The sticks is $9.99 and I have 2 for the giveaway! I use it for running, triathlon and keep one in my purse for skirt/short days.

The Foot Rehab Cream is a new product to me. It has a light peppermint scent that I love, tingles slightly upon application and helps the feet repair from those long/frequent training runs. This is also a good product if you are in sandals all day, every day and your feet take a beating. The kids and I love this one and hubby is thankful that it’s not nearly as ~~stinky~~ aromatic as the Burt’s Bees Peppermint Foot lotion that ~~he always complains about~~ we used before we received this. The Foot Rehab is $9.99 and I have 2 to giveaway.

We also just recently ventured into the Mission Athletecare Suncare line. We use so much sunscreen that I should buy stock. Skin Cancer runs in my family so we use it liberally, we frequently reapply, then reapply again. We are constantly outside, at the pool or on the lake and go thru as much as a large spray can of sunscreen (or more!) a day. However, I keep buying different brands because I can’t find one that we like. My biggest complaint is that the sunscreen burns our eyes and is greasy and/or sticky. For a family that runs & plays hard, sunscreen burning the eyes is just not an option but I haven’t been able to get around this problem. One of the Mission ads, below, specifically identifies the problems with sunscreens “stinging eyes, clogging pores, leaving hands greasy” but I was still a little skeptical.

We tried both the Kids Continuous Play SPF 70 and the Sun Defeated SPF 30 which both retail for $9.99 per can. The kids loved this stuff and there was no saving it for a “special” occasion because every time they got called in for sunscreen, Aby would demand that I use the Mission because it didn’t burn her eyes. Ummm….Okay. She didn’t know anything about what it should or shouldn’t do but knew that’s the brand she wanted. That’s as good of an endorsement as I can possibly give so after we use up our current stock of randoms, it will be all Mission sunscreen for us. The applicator worked well, didn’t spray too hard and the spray dried immediately without leaving a sticky film. This was a big win for us! I have 2 cans of Sun Defeated SPF 30 and 1 can of the Kids Continuous Play SPF 70 to give away. This totals 7 items available to win!

So let’s get some winners! I will pick 7 winners via a random number generator on Tuesday, August 14th at 9am. In order to be entered in the giveaway, please do one or all of the following then make one comment below to let me know what you did.

“Like” Mission Athletecare on Facebook HERE – 1 entry
Write on Mission’s Facebook wall that TooTallFritz.com sent you for the giveaway – 1 entry
“Follow” Mission Athletecare on Twitter HERE – 1 entry
Tweet, Facebook or blog about the giveaway – 2 entries for each share
Comment below and specify which product you would most like to try (this will help me distribute the goodies!) – 1 entry

In all there is a possibility of 10 entries. Good luck and please share the giveaway to throw some love Mission’s way for being so generous!

If you want to try a few Mission AthleteCare products use the 20% off coupon code: TooTallFritz20 I won’t make any $, you will just save some! Coupon code good thru August 30, 2012.

** Amanda – TooTallFritz ** amanda@tootallfritz.com

Mixing Things Up & Giveaway Winner

Posted on July 25, 2012 by tootallfritz

I have just reached the point in rehab where I am able to run a little bit at a time. Yesterday was 2 miles in the dark at a conservative 9:19 pace. A two mile run, although quite an accomplishment, and testament to the effectiveness of my rehab, still does not constitute a full workout. So I’ve been doing a lot of random things to fight the boredom and keep moving. Yesterday included the 2 mile run, then a 30 minute StairMaster session. Today began with a 9.5 mile ride on the trainer and tonight I will do my weekly swim workout. I just try to focus and keep moving while utilizing workout DVDs, various pieces of equipment like the elliptical & StairMaster and I ride my bike both inside and out. While riding on the trainer is not fun, think running on the treadmill ~~mindless and super boring~~, it certainly has it’s benefits. The trainer gives me freedom to ride in the dark, when I’m with the kids and when the weather is less than ideal, like this morning during the thunderstorm! I admit, I feel empowered by the fact that I can ride my bike even when it’s not an option to take it outside.

My bike set up is below. I move the bike on and off the trainer all the time, by myself. So if you are looking for an indoor riding option ~~while the kids are napping, playing or watching a movie~~, there is no need to spend extra money on a spin bike, just purchase a trainer and use the bike you already own. I bought this fluid trainer years ago via an online sale at Performance Bike. I think it was $139 circa 2006. Just an idea to keep things moving even when the weather is bad! And this is way cheaper than a treadmill!

Now, the giveaway winner! Last night around 8pm, I read Aby all of yesterday’s comments on “keeping cool” and let her choose the winner. She had a tough time deciding between two but finally decided that Susan D’s suggestion to freeze her underwear was the best, most creative and funniest suggestion! She and her brother then promptly ran to their rooms for a pair of clean undies to put in the freezer. Thanks, Susan…..I really appreciate your “suggestion”.

Aby’s second choice was Brian P’s idea to hit every ice cream joint on the south side. Aby loves ice cream more than almost anything and she had a very rough time awarding Susan the win when it ousted Brian’s ice cream suggestion. Since Mission AthleteCare has been so generous with the goodie pack:

I decided to award Brian a prize too. Susan D wins the EnduraCool Towel & Brian P wins a 5 hour Anti-Chafe Stick. Please send your mailing addresses to amanda@tootallfritz.com and I’ll get your prizes out ASAP!

The 5 hour Anti-Chafe Stick is one more anti-chafe product in the Mission AthleteCare line. I had previously tried the Anti-Chafe Cream and compared it with Body Glide and was not impressed. The Anti-Chafe Cream works well for bra strap rubbing but did not perform well with the chub rub that I experience in the inner thigh area. It’s an issue for me and I keep Body Glide in my purse and use it constantly when I wear skirts or shorts. So I’m a big Body Glide fan for both life and running/triathlon. When the Anti-Chafe Stick arrived, I assumed that it wouldn’t be able to compete with Body Glide but I was wrong. It actually goes on much smoother than Body Glide and works just as well, if not better. So just in the “application” aspect, I now put the Mission AthleteCare Anti-Chafe Stick ahead of Body Glide. This is big in my world and I’m happy they sent me some to try because I probably wouldn’t have bought any since the cream wasn’t my favorite. Thanks, Mission Athlete! Brian, I hope you like this product as much as I do! Enjoy; I know your feet and body are taking a beating during marathon training in the heat and hopefully this will help prevent blisters on your feet and soothe any other hotspot/chafing areas you get while on the run.

What is your favorite anti-chafe product?

** Happy Running ** Amanda – TooTallFritz ** amanda@tootallfritz.com

Middle of the Road….. & Quick Giveaway

Posted on July 24, 2012 by tootallfritz

The great thing about living in the ~~middle of nowhere~~ country is that at 4am, traffic is non-existent and it’s just me and the ~~coyotes~~ open road. Since I am bouncing back from the torn tendon in my foot, I am slightly cautious about footing. This morning, I took the flattest/smoothest section and ran down the middle of the road with my Knuckle Lights shining a bright path in the darkness. Here is the road I ran this morning but in the light, at 5:45 am. Still not “too” busy.I know all of you have been battling the heat and humidity for marathon training while I have been rehabbing my injury. Inside. In an air conditioned, zero humidity environment. Today was my first hot run and let’s just say, I need to adjust quickly. It was 83 degrees at 4:30 am with a feels like temp of 87. It was not only warm but very humid as the rainstorms were still miles away. I only ran 2 miles, at a very relaxed 9:19 pace but it was stifling.

Aby, my soon to be 11 year old, has been running in the heat all summer. She has raced several 5Ks, is running 2x a week at Cross Country Camp and basically suffering thru the miserable heat & humidity just like all of you. She may be young but has figured out a few great ways to stay cool while running.

1) She freezes her water bottles and takes them to Cross Country Camp frozen so that they will still be cold when she needs them. In fact, we just picked up this Nathan Thermal QuickShot Handheld for her at the Sports Authority booth of the Rock N Roll expo. We paid $11 but Running Warehouse looks about the cheapest online for $16.95. ~~I hope she’ll let me borrow this sometime.~~

2) She also found a 180s Quantum Cooling headband ($15 online, $12 expo) that is activated by sweat and/or water to continuously cool her head. It also has a slot for ponytails, which made her squeal with delight.

3) She has also ~~stolen~~ borrowed my new Mission Athletecare EnduraCool Towel. The towel that Mission just sent me last week. The towel that I only have used one time. The towel that stayed cool for hours, even hanging on the chair to dry. The towel that I should have had on my run this morning. The towel that is hidden away in her Cross Country bag. I’m going to get this one back ~~unlike my gps watch which she has commandeered. Is it over-the-top to give a gps watch as a birthday present to an 11 year old?~~

I hope all of you have also figured out a few unconventional ways to keep cool during these sweltering summer runs! In case you haven’t I’m going to do a fast giveaway to get one EnduraCool Towel into somebody’s hands in time for this weekend’s long run. So if you want an EnduraCool Towel, then put on your creative hat! This needs to stay PG because I’m going to let Aby pick the winner at 8pm tonight (winner to be announced tomorrow morning).

Please make a suggestion for Aby (age 11 – 6th grade) of a crazy/funny way to stay cool this summer. Ideas can relate to being “on the run”, cooling off post run, or dealing with the heat in “real life”. In order to respect the laws of creativity, it does not have to be something which is actually feasible or even something which we could implement. We just want to make her giggle. Think/Create an idea & comment below! Good luck!

Info on EnduraCool Towel from Mission’s Website:

Mission’s™ Enduracool™ is made from a proprietary performance fabric that instantly cools when wet with water or sweat, wrung out and snapped in the air to activate the sustained cooling properties. Use during or after competition to provide sustained cooling on your neck, head or other hot zones.

How It Works: A revolution in cooling, this performance fabric absorbs and retains sweat and water, circulating the molecules while regulating the rate of evaporation to ensure an instant cooling effect against the skin for hours, without feeling wet.

Towel Dimensions: 12.25″ x 33″