Ready.Set.Move subscription box – a Review

“Disclaimer: I received two Ready Set Move boxes 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!”

If you are like me you have tried a couple of subscription boxes but have not been totally impressed with any of them so far. I have tried beauty boxes and even a fitness box series but none were super impressive. Till I received my Ready.Set.Move box and I am not just saying that. It has a ton of cool products that I would never have tried otherwise but now gotten the chance and now want to purchase more of said products. I will go over the goodies in each of the boxes that I received so you can see for yourself.

These boxes ship January, April, July and October, so 4x a year and a box filled with over $100+ worth of fitness/running gear to use right away! By using the code: BIBRAVE10 you will save $10 on a box when you first sign up. They have mini boxes for $20 and then limited edition seasonal boxes for $59 too in addition to the subscription box which you can choose a mens or womens box.

Now to the January box and it’s contents:

Bracoo Compression Leg Sleeves

Brooks neon yellow headband & sunglasses strap

Floyds of Leadville recovery protein in chocolate and vanilla flavors & Recovery balm

Honey Stinger fruit smoothie gel & strawberry waffle

KT Tape sample pack & Recovery + Pain relief gel roll on

La Colombe Coffee triple shot draft latte

Nuun hydration sport in Fruit Punch (one of my favorite flavors of Nuun)

Nathan HyperBrite Strobe light

SpiBelt original running belt & Spibelt beam led headwear hat

Triggerpoint Nano Lite foot massage roller

Here are a couple mini reviews on some of the products:

Floyd’s of Leadville protein shake powder: I had never tried any of their protein powders and in general I don’t like mixing the powders and prefer my protein shakes premade and cold. But this was actually pretty good tasting and not gritty like other protein powders can be, I felt more energized after taking this after a 30+ minute strength workout.

KT Tape Recovery + pain relief roll on – I haven’t actually had any pain lately from running so I let my mother who has arthritis give it a try when she started having some aches and she said it helped her. So it’s good for arthritis as well!

Nuun hydration sport has been my go to electrolytes for the past 8 years or so, almost since I started running! The fact that the flavor I got was one of my favorites was a big bonus.

SpiBelt original running belt: I had never tried a waist belt for holding my phone in during runs but now that I have tried it I really don’t want to deal with my armbands again. I have already been looking at some of the other color options I like it so much!

Triggerpoint Nano Lite foot massage roller: I am notoriously bad at rolling my muscles out after running, and almost never stretch before or after runs, I am making a big effort to do this more now. Especially now since this foot roller is super easy to use and I can use it under my desk when working from home or at the office. I can multitask! Plus I am getting older and know that I need to stretch more in general.

Here is what was in the April box:

Bob’s Red Mill almond protein powder & peanut butter and oats Bob’s bar

Bracoo Simple Ankle Sleeve

Brooks notebook and pen

Earhoox attachments for earpods & airpods

Floyd’s of Leadville cbd soft gel & cbd gems

KT Tape Chafe Safe – anti chafing wipes

La Colombe coffee nitro cold brew

Nuun hydration energy in berry blast

Mueller Kold Towel

Spi belt beams reactors

I just got the April box but here are a few more mini reviews:

Brooks notebook and pen: Besides being cute, I always need a notebook to write random things down and training miles and info.

KT Tape Chafe Safe – anti chafing wipes : I have tried other anti chafing products in the past but never in a wipe form, which makes this one easier to carry with you on the go as well in a bag to pack before a race. Almost everyone deals with chafing at some point or another so it will definitely help everyone!

Mueller Kold Towel – I like this a lot and I will like it even more when it gets more into the heart of summer, even though it’s only spring here in Miami it already feels like summer! A towel to put around your shoulders in the middle of a run, even on the treadmill on my porch it will be a lifesaver.

Again, if you are a new subscriber for the Ready.Set.Go box you can get $10 off by using the code: BIBRAVE10

Have you tried out fitness and/or running subscription boxes in the past? What is something you liked about them and what is something that annoyed you about it? Let me know in the comments below.

Check out my fellow Bibrave Pros review of the Ready.Set.Move box below:

And some pros made youtube videos here:

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Run Wild – February 8, 2014

Running a 5k six days after my first full marathon seemed like a dumb idea when I signed up for this race about a month before. Luckily it ended up really well for me. I usually really hate races that start later than 7:30am but I did this race last year and had a lot of fun so I tried to not be too bothered by the 8am start time. Plus races at Zoo Miami are a lot of fun, getting to run by all the animals. Sometimes I even go and walk around the zoo afterwards but this year it was just too hot by the time the race was over. My aunt said she would be there but I never saw her till after the race was over, I did run into Matt and a girl from FIU Run Club. It was her first 5k race so she was pretty excited. I lined up 10 minutes before it started and the announcers kept telling people to not have their kids up at the starting line but most people did not listen. That is the issue with zoo runs, the beginning is always a mess with dodging and practically jumping over little kids or strollers but then it gets better when you get around them.

Hop!

I felt pretty strong despite only doing one post marathon run before this race. Another great thing about zoo races is that they almost always have finisher medals. Finished the race, jumping over the finish line timing mat, seems to be my signature move. Haha. I got water, picked up some reusable bags, coconut water, some greek yogurt and a banana before heading back to the finish line to see my friends cross the line. Then I waited on the side to see my aunt and her friends cross the finish line, cheering them on as they reached it. Afterwards we took way too many pictures and waited in line for some yummy baked goods from Corner Bakery Cafe. Then watched the awards ceremony, and they started giving awards to the top 4 in each age group! So I ended up being called up and cheered on for my 4th place finish! Wish all races would have top 5 finishers in every category. The course for this race was a little bit short, and they told everyone at the start of the race, this was a new PR for me. Who would’ve thought I would PR less than a week after a marathon!

4th place in age group.

Close Up.

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Miami Marathon – February 2, 2014

A year ago I told my coworker that I had just signed up for a half marathon, at the time he had said soon you will be signing up for a marathon. At that time I said “No way! A marathon is way too much for me” actually believing that I could not do a full marathon. When I signed up for this race I had just finished the Tropical 5k, which is the 5k the day before the big race. There was a race blitz and I decided to sign up for the half marathon distance since it was 20% off by the time I got a chance to sign up. At the time I hadn’t even ran my first half marathon, yet was planning for a year in advance to run another one, the Allstate 13.1 Miami Beach was still a month away.

Fast forward to June, when I finally was cleared to start running again after my surgery I decided then that if I could survive such a big scare then I could run a full marathon. I started training a bit early in September since I was not sure how the holidays would go and effect my long runs. It is a good thing I did since lots of things came up the last few months of the year: a friend’s wedding & all the events that come with weddings, baby shower, unexpected races and travel. Since the Fall here is generally (not this year) slightly cooler than the rest of the year there are tons of races and I had to sign up for a lot of them I had to alter my long runs at times. For the most part I got in most of my long runs and two 20+ milers during training luckily still.

sparkle duct tape lettering, got the idea from Fannetasticfood.com. Amazingly stayed on through sweat & rain!

When race day started to approach and I started to taper a bit it was a very strange feeling, since I hadn’t tapered for any races since March. I will admit I might have been a bit more agitated by things around me also at the time. Otherwise I was feeling very confident in my training and the goal was to just finish the race feeling good. I’m proud to say I accomplished that goal and was able to make my final mile the fastest in my splits.

Before the race selfie.

Waiting with Matt in Corral F.

Race day morning I got up early, I’d say 3:30am and got ready to leave for the race, packing a small bag of things I might need. I got a ride with my aunt, who was doing the half marathon that day, she kept being negative about how she was probably going to get a call from a race official to pick me up from the road. Those kind of comments do not get me down, instead they just make me more determined to prove them wrong. I dropped my bag off at my aunt’s Galloway group tent and headed to the AAA to use the bathroom. When there’s a real bathroom I will take it any day over a smelly port a potty and luckily I got there just in time for them to open up another ladies bathroom. Then I headed to find the F corral where I would wait till the race started, it was a bit confusing to navigate especially with sooooo many people waiting around. Eventually I found it and sat down on the curb to wait, I find resting my legs as much as possible before the race begins helps me conserve more energy. I’ve never been one to stretch and hop around before a race and it’s always worked for me. My friend Matt met up with me in the corral and we started out the race together. I did not want to start out too fast so he kept me slow for the first couple of miles till he dropped off at the first water spot to stretch out his legs. I never really understood why people put their names so big on their shirts for races till I did the same, at first it was a bit weird having strangers scream “GO LISA” but eventually it really really helped me. I liked all the crowd support right over the Venetian Causeway, a giant mob of cheering faces. I stopped at a few water stops in the first half but all the water stops in the 2nd portion, by then it was getting very very warm. Even when the race started at 6:30am it was already close to 80 degrees so I knew I had to stay as hydrated as possible. Basically the first 12 miles were super crowded since 75% of the people were signed up for the half marathon distance. Just around the time of the split I saw a couple people start to walk, I started cheering and telling them to get going and finish the half strongly. By the time we split off it was desolate and only a couple runners ahead and a couple behind but pretty quiet. Less cheering squads except at the water stops, usually there were cheerleaders there which were helpful and cheered for me by name. I have to say the Coconut Grove residents who were out in their front yards cheering and giving everyone water/snacks were awesome! At around mile 16 in Coconut Grove the skies started getting dark and when the wind picked up I knew we were about to get some rain. Quickly I pulled out my phone to put it in a plastic baggie so it wouldn’t get soaked and my grandma was calling. I picked up and told her I had 10 more miles to go and had to get off the phone because rain was coming. Five minutes after I hung up with her it started pouring, so for the next 5 miles I ran through the rain. Ran by an awesome resident giving out ice cold beer just before the Rickenbacker Causeway but didn’t partake in any. I just wanted to keep up the momentum because I knew if I would slow down for too long I would get lazy and walk too much. That was the hottest part of the race, there is no shade out there with Biscayne Bay beside you. Back in Brickell I passed lots of brunch’ers who cheered me on drunkenly while stumbling down the sidewalk, that was pretty amusing. I was so happy to see that mile 25 sign that I increased my speed and it ended up being my fastest mile of the whole marathon! But that last mile did seem the longest with a steep bridge just before the final .40 , I trudged over it and once I turned the corner and saw that finish line arch I sprinted to it. Never had I felt so accomplished after crossing that finish line. I got my medal and put a Nuun tablet in my water immediately and grabbed a banana from the food tent. Then met up with my aunt and her running friends at the Galloway tent to rest, I knew I had to keep moving for a bit longer so that I wouldn’t get really stiff afterwards. By that time the side of my knee was aching and I was kind of hobbling around, my IT band. Never have I had a problem with it before, but probably going those 26 miles for the first time aggravated it. When I got home later that day I made sure to ice it and put my Zensahs on, seemed to help. For the next few days my quads and hamstrings were achy but nothing crazy, so I rested and did not run for 3 days after.

Almost to the finish line!!

1st Marathon medal.

Got my trusty Zensahs on & still got all my toenails!

Here are my mile splits:

Overall I felt that this marathon experience was a great one. I didn’t worry about my finishing time, this race’s goal was just about finishing and feeling good still. I succeeded and signed up for next year’s marathon again. Can’t wait!

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YMCA of Homestead Jingle Bell Run 5k – December 14, 2013

Starting line.

Onward to race #2 for the day. This race is actually really special to me because it is the first race my parents have ever attended. Arrived early at Baptist Hospital in Homestead, where the starting line was. I decided to be festive for this race and wear a santa hat, which I later realized was a dumb idea since it was over 80 degrees out and my head needs to breathe. About a mile into the race I just wanted to rip the hat off but kept it on for finish line photos. Convinced a friend from run club to run this race and ended up running it with him the whole time. We are used to running the same pace at run club so the goal was to stay with him and kick up the pace at the finish line. I talked most of the way, not that he could probably hear me as he was wearing headphones but still kept my mind from focusing on the pain of running so quickly. I even mentioned that we might actually place high in our age group when we were about a mile from the finish line. Well I set a new 5k PR that day and placed 1st in my age group. The first time ever being 1st! Plus we set a course record for our age groups as it was the first race on that course and the first year of this race. Never had I felt more high from racing than that moment, plus my parents and grandmother were there to see it happen. We got Christmas ornaments with the race info on it at the finish line. There was also free local craft beers but I did not partake in those this time, but I did have some pizza from The Big Cheese when I went into the YMCA for the awards ceremony afterwards. After carbing up and getting my medal I headed home to change and get ready to go out with some friends for a night of dancing. This race was dedicated to Angelika, who loves all things Christmas related.

Finishers received this ornament.

pizza!!!

#1!

Close up of medal & my cute polka dot running skirt.

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Live Ultimate South Beach Quarter Marathon – December 14, 2013.

Ready for a day of racing.

I always love races that start and/or end on South Beach. Great views and a walk on the beach afterwards is a very peaceful ending to a race. I made myself a little of a challenge by signing up for this race and a holiday 5k later in the evening. Kind of like how Disney sets up challenges, but usually on different days. Getting to the race was a bit of a headache, I knew I didn’t have to be as early as the half marathoners but also didn’t want to arrive too late and not find any parking. There was a major accident on the McArthur causeway just before the bridge so that slowed everyone down considerably to get to the beach. Luckily I got through the mess in enough time to find a metered parking space, and the meters didn’t start till 9am, which was perfect since this race started at 7:30 and I knew I would be done before 8:30am.

Miami Beach.

It was a very windy morning and so strong that it was blowing the port a potty doors open almost hitting some runners who were walking by. I ran into a friend of mine who was running the 5k while her husband ran the half marathon, we talked for awhile till it was time to line up. The 5k & quarter marathon distance runners started at the same time, while the half marathoners started an hour earlier giving them a head start. Although while running the quarter marathon we did see some half marathoners heading back the opposite way we were going. This course took us up Ocean Drive and then around the Miami Beach Convention Center and through the golf course and up the boardwalk. I had no goal in this race, as I just wanted to finish strong and not kill myself since I had a 5k later on that night. It was starting to get really hot by the time I finished the race, so I walked over to Nikki Beach where they had the food and goodies. I grabbed some stuff and headed to the beach to watch the waves while I ate and watched the half marathoner run by on the sand. This race was dedicated to my friend Erik.

Live Ultimate medal.

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Palm Beaches Half Marathon – December 8, 2013

This race was a last minute decision race, I actually ran it for a friend of mine who was not able to make it to the race. And who could turn down a free race? I knew that even though this race would not count towards my Storm Series medals I would still have the satisfaction of being a secret category 4 runner. The only thing that had me stressing about this race was the fact that it was 2 hours from home. I tried to weigh the pros and cons of getting a hotel and staying overnight there or driving up there very early the day of the race. I ended up driving up there the day of, which I will not do if I choose to do this race again, next time I will stay in a hotel and get some rest rather than waking up at 3am to drive on a very lonely highway. On the way up there I noticed a couple of cars swerving so I was a little paranoid about getting hit by a drunk driver on the way there. Turns out I did end up getting hit by a car, but not on the way, but rather while I was parked and racing. Not a terrible hit, but still a dent in the side of my car from apparently someone who does not have a cell phone or phone number to call and report.

A sweaty thumbs up.

Finish line focus.

Anyways back to the race, I had never been to beach area of West Palm Beach, only to the concert venue up there, which is not close to the beach at all. I drove up the day before to pick up my race packet since there was no race day packet pickup, and ended up making the day of it, stopping by Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale to go shopping. For the race I decided to again find a pace group and run with them, I choose the 4:20/2:10 group. This race was a half and a full marathon and some of the people in the pace group were doing a relay option for the marathon. I talked to a lady who had been running for 20 years while I ran the first 7 miles. Then I started to feel really bad, crampy and just lightheaded so I started stopping at the water stops and walking through them, at that time my music started getting screwy and skipping songs after 30 seconds. It was an extremely hot morning, I’m pretty sure I got a tan it was so hot. I knew I had to stay as hydrated as possible and keep going, even if I had a bad time it would not count against me. There was hardly any shady areas in this race, meaning we were being roasted by the sun the whole time. I was never happier to see a finish line when I finally got there. Another kind of bad thing about this race was that we had to run by the finish line when we still had about 5 miles to go, kind of annoying. Something I really liked about this race was the fruit on the course, they had strawberries, I normally do not eat the food/gels on the courses since I bring my Honey Stinger energy chews but this time I walked eating a cup of strawberries. I finished the race in 2:16:01. I exchanged my race shirt for my size and went over to World of Beer for my free beer, I choose Sierra Nevada since it’s a pretty light beer. I normally get a banana at the end of races but this time when I went to get one they were green so I passed on that. I ate a Luna bar that I had in the car instead. I rested a bit before the long 2 hour drive home and then journeyed home to later discover the dent on the side of my car that I overlooked while in my post race daze. This race was dedicated to Matt, who could not race this one.

Pretty sand castle.

Sierra Nevada & new medal

Close up of my 3rd half marathon medal.

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iRun 10k – December 1, 2013

I cannot express how much I love the iRun events, their pacers are motivating and the group is just really positive. Plus their events are very well organized and I never have to fear of them running out of water at the finish line. And they give out medals for their events instead of heavy cotton race shirts that hardly anyone wears anyways. I personally do not wear race shirts unless they are gender specific and that is rare except for half marathons. When I went to pick up my race stuff the day after Thanksgiving they put the bib number and ads along with a reusable water bottle in a cute green gift bag. Felt more like a present than a packet pickup, in other words really special.

Taking off! Can you spot me?

The race started early and we were off and running through neighborhoods. This is the 2nd iRun 10k I have done, the first one was back in March, check out my recap here. After the race I wore my medal proudly and tried out some of the sponsored juices and fruits. I waited for the results and came in 4th place in my age group, I’m pretty happy with that, I can only hope to be 3rd in my age group next time! This race was dedicated to my friend Chez.

Extreme close up.

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Miami Turkey Trot – November 28, 2013

I did the 5k race last year as my first timed race and this year I decided to do the 10k. There really is not enough 10k races in the Miami area, I hope this changes sometime but I do not see it happening anytime soon. 10k is really my favorite distance. For this race I didn’t want to kill myself for a good time really but rather use this as a warmup for my iRun 10k happening 3 days later. Funnily enough the iRun running group were the pacers for this race so I ran with the 54 minute 10k girl. This race started at 7:30am, I always prefer much earlier or at least 7am races but the weather was great for running that morning. Around 55 degrees or so, I wore a lightweight long sleeve and capris, lots of others were wearing full length tights and hats, I knew they would be regretting that decision pretty early. Because seriously in Miami we never really see these kind of temps, sometimes in the coldest months January & February but otherwise its always hot. Plus this race is a big family race so there’s a lot of strollers and families running/walking together. This race was dedicated to my friend Tony, who does not eat turkey on Thanksgiving either.

my great finish line photo. major fail race photographers!

It was a lot of fun doing the 10k distance this year and running through a neighborhood and talking with the runners who were also running with the pacer. Still had my headphones in case I got bored and needed some music. The last mile I took off and left the pacer and rest of the group behind, thanking them. Unfortunately I do not have a finish line photo for this race, apparently I was too quick to photograph. Haha. After I battled the crowd at the end of the finish chute I walked around a little and skipped the line to grab a banana when I spotted a friend. We sat in the grass talking while watching others finish and looking for her friend. It was a great start to a Thanksgiving and perfect weather for a race.

Having a banana with Lisette after.

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Allstate 13.1 Fort Lauderdale – November 10, 2013

I didn’t sign up for this race till mid summer, when I was still recovering from my myomectomy. I believe at the time I really needed to sign up for this race to help push me to train for another big race. 5k’s and 10ks are easy enough but that first half marathon was a challenge to me. At the time I had no idea why but now that I look back at it I realize it should’ve drank some water and stayed hydrated during the race. Lessons learned loud and clear. This time my aunt came along with me, to cheer her friends on and me during the race. And I didn’t have to check any bag, she was my bag check, carrying my stuff from the starting line to the finish line

starting line in the dark

This race was about an hour away from home so I had to be up pretty early to make it there by 5:30am. Got there in enough time to hit the port a potty line before it got crazy, which happened about 15 minutes before the race. My plan was to hopefully PR but that was not in the cards. The morning was cool considering the normal 80 degree temps and also overcast, I was slightly worried that it might rain. It did not rain at all and became pretty sunny halfway through the race. I was hoping to stick with the 2:00 pacer and beat my previous half marathon time but he started out way too quickly and I could not keep up. At that point I just hoped to run the whole way but stopping at water stops to walk through them. Running through a tunnel in the city was pretty interesting as most of the runners started screaming and making noise to get it to echo off the walls. The wind was so intense at this race & affected a lot of times. I know that I worried a bit about being blown off my feet by it a couple of times. Running along Fort Lauderdale beach was a great view though, it’s so lovely to see the sun starting to rise above the water. There were also a lot of kite boarders in the water so when I started to slow down I looked over to check out them to distract myself. I knew this race would not be my best but I powered through it and thought about other things. I probably stopped at 6 of the 12 water stations on the course so I was not feeling so horrible when I crossed the finish line. Right after I found my aunt I threw a Nuun tablet into my water bottle and felt even better. My friend German drove up to hang out at the beach and when I went to the beer tent to get a free beer he came along and got some free beers too. They were giving 2 beers per person at the time, I didn’t even finish one of my beers but it did taste pretty refreshing at 9am. Michelob Ultra in case you were wondering. This was the first race in the Florida Storm Series for this season, meaning you gain more medals the more halfs/fulls you complete in one season, up to 5 big races and a giant 5 medal if you complete all 5. I signed up for 3 races this season so I will be gaining a 3 medal in March. This race was dedicated to my friend Priscilla whom is having a high risk pregnancy.

some action.

right after finishing!

beer!

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Miami Beach Halloween Freaky 4 Miler – October 26, 2013

This race distance was new this year for this event, usually it is only the half marathon distance and I was not sure of my ability to run two half marathons so closely. When I found out they had a 4 mile race I thought it would be fun since I had never done a 4 mile race, and since most of my weekday runs are 4 miles I knew it would be easily doable. Plus the aspect of dressing up in a Halloween costume and running was a good combo. Took some time to figure out what I would wear that I could run in. I chose a gladiator costume that was short enough to wear a running skirt underneath and easy to run in (did a very short test run in my backyard to test this).

On a bridge.

Finishing with my sword out!

I was just unsure about the whole carrying a shield and sword throughout the race. I came up with the idea of putting the sword in a loop on my skirt and holding only the shield to run till the end when I would whip the sword out for the finish line photo. I have to say that idea really worked except for the fact that it was a very windy morning which was not ideal for running with a shield that was determined to hold me back. I ran the 4 miler pretty quickly despite my pace being a minute slower than normal. I lost the headband that came with my costume on the first mile, it was that windy! After the race there were buses to transport everyone back to their cars but they said it would be awhile before they left so I took a little walk down to the sand. When I was starting to walk back to the finish line and bus area I got to see the first female half marathoner finish. I love finishing races at the beach because there’s nothing like walking out onto the sand after a race and just seeing the calming ocean to relax you. I couldn’t stay too long after this race because I had to race home and get ready for my friend’s bridal shower.

The beach is the best finish line.

This was also the race that I decided to start dedicating my races to my friends. It really helps me stay focused and keep going despite my mind telling me to stop and walk. This race was dedicated to Gio.

Mini werewolf medal.

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