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:

8 Comments Leave a comment

Road ID – wrist ID pin-tuck style

Disclaimer: I received an Road ID wrist ID 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 wearing a Road ID since 2013, less than a year after I started running I made sure to purchase one. At the time I did not see too many runners wearing them but I wanted to be safe since I was running a lot on my own at dark o clock before work. I remember the first event I wore my Road ID ironically enough I did not even run it, I walked a Mercedes Benz Corporate Run 5k.

Since purchasing my first Road Id back in 2013, I purchased another one in 2014 to update the emergency call numbers and get an updated color. My original band was the silicone stretch band and I got it in black, when I updated I got it in a teal color and continued wearing that one (nonstop) till I received this new style. Another way to add a little flare to your wrist ID is to add a badge, they have a bunch of kinds and metal colors. You can see my previous band had a saturn badge, that is not currently available but maybe in the future they will bring it back and in a rose gold. Crossing my fingers, for that one 🙂

I wanted to branch out with my new Road ID and try out a different style so I selected a 13mm rose gold pin tuck wrist ID band. Usually I am not a gold wearing lady but I have lately been intrigued by the rose gold color so I went with it instead of my usual silver colored metals (or slate according to road ID). Right out of the box I could tell this band was more grown up and professional than the regular silicone band I had been previously using. It looks classy and is functional, I like my running gear to have both of those qualities! I was also looking at the leather buckle band but for ethical reasons (vegetarian/vegan) I passed but it did look nice, if there would be a faux leather band I may have selected that one.

I’m sure most users of Road ID just put it on when they are going for a run/ride but I wear mine all the time. I don’t want to forget to put it on plus something could happen anywhere, not just while I am running and I want the emergency personnel to know my info in case there is no one around that knows my name or info. I can imagine going to a grocery store and something bizarre happening and passing out and at least the workers/emts can contact someone from the two numbers listed while I am in an ambulance.

This is one piece of running gear that is a necessity in my opinion, especially while running on the road in crazy distracted driver territory, which is all of Miami! I know that some people may carry there license while running but I do not find it necessary as long as I am wearing my road ID. I haven’t ever had any issues of weakening silicone or turning of colors on the information plate of these either so they are super durable. I wear mine in pools and showers and is still looks new. After all this time of wearing it nonstop it has only came off once while I was sleeping since it is a pin tuck latch.

ROAD ID

Also while checking out at RoadID.com you have the option of making a donation to the 4 Paws for Ability charity which provides service dogs to children in need. How awesome is that? Donating to a great cause while getting a wrist ID to keep yourself safe while out.

Comment below with other ways you stay safe on the run and I will randomly select a comment and provide a $10 off code for one lucky reader to get their own Road ID!

1 Comment Leave a comment

Ultimately my favorite headphones : Aftershokz Trekz Air

“Disclaimer: I received some Aftershokz Trekz Airs 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!”

This is not my first pair of trekz air and definitely will be purchasing some for friends and family this week as there is a major sale going on at Aftershokz this week to celebrate dads (Father’s day is on Sunday!) and grads (all the college/highschoolers who graduated this month). Head over to aftershokz.com to take advantage of some great deals after reading this review.

In the past few months my road running has minimized as it’s harder to find time to get out there between work and kid duties and now I have the added obstacle of weather since its summer and super rainy season here in Florida. Also I got a treadmill and it’s not a squeaky old thing that makes a lot of noise so hearing my music and streaming movies/shows has gotten more enjoyable as well. I have ran through marathons of tv shows in the past few months thanks to the awesomeness of my trekz airs.

These things are awesome and don’t go in your ear so they won’t irritate your ears, that was a major issue I had with wireless headphones in the past. They are bone conducting meaning they sit in front of your ear but do not transmit the sound through your ear but rather through your cheekbones to your inner ear. Never blocking your ears from hearing danger around you or other things you might need to listen out for, like toddlers in baby monitors crying. It really helps me when I am doing a treadmill run and watching a tv show on my tablet and my toddler wakes and starts crying for me. I can then get to her to calm her before she has a total meltdown. Another parental advantage to these headphones is on those relaxing but tiring nights when you just want to zone out in your favorite tv show but cuddle with your little one you can easily. My daughter gets to cuddle up with me while watching her show on the large tv screen and I can watch my netflix/hulu not kid friendly language shows without disturbing her or teaching her some new words 😉 . That feature alone has come in really helpful since that time I let her watch G.L.O.W with me and she asked me what was a douchebag? LOL.

6074c53c-cbae-4047-9ee1-806bae97ff3f

I don’t spend as much time road running with music anymore but on the off chance I can when running with the stroller I need to keep my ears open for any erratic drivers. Now I can hear some music to fuel my pace as well as listen out for when my toddler needs me to stop so she can get some more snacks/water.

While traveling I have used these on a plane and had no issues hearing the shows/movies I was watching, even without using the provided earplugs for use in safe situations where you need to block outside noise out. My boyfriend even watched Birdbox using them on the flight back and had no issues hearing the movie fully. I haven’t let my toddler borrow them yet but I might when we fly to Seattle next month and have a long flight to get there. They might be slightly big for her tiny head but will probably work, will have to test out that soon!

I have answered a phone call while running using these connected to my tablet and it gave me no issues in hearing the caller or picking up the call. All very simple and easy to use wireless headphone. Another thing that is super helpful about these things is that they are sweat resistant which is necessary in Miami. I produce what seems like gallons of sweat while running on the treadmill even and my trekz airs have never had any issues after being soaked from all the sweat on them. I just dry the sweat off of them with a paper towel and put them back in the zippered case they came with. I’m guessing I will be spending more time on a treadmill while on a cruise next month so I will not forget these and not forget to download some good shows before setting sail. Looking forward to the new season of Orange is the New Black and other good finds while traveling.

Do you have any aftershokz bone conducting headphones? How much do you love them? If you have not yet tried them hurry over to their website and get them on sale. Sale running from 6/9-6/16!

Have any recommendations for good netflix/hulu/amazon prime video shows/movies to watch? Let me know below in the comments.

Summer running plans: Road running or treadmill running?

Win Detergent FTW

Disclaimer: I received a bottle of Win sports detergent 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 on the lookout for a new sports detergent as the one I was using prior to Win was just not cutting it and my running clothes still had a sweat funk smell to them. Plus the other detergent was good but it was also not free and clear, it had a hint of fragrance that I was just not digging. There is also a fresh clean smelling one as well but I prefer fragrance free. The blue bottle is the fresh clean scented one and the green bottle is the free and clear, scent free, which is preferred by me as I have a daughter with extremely sensitive skin and prefer the one better for the environment.

Right now I am at the beginning of a run streak and I am going to have even more sweaty running clothes than usual since I won’t be taking my one rest day each week anymore till the end of this month or perhaps even longer if I want to continue for the runner’s world streak also. Plus my boyfriend runs with me 3-4x a week and I have his sweaty running clothes to deal with also. One thing I have noticed in the past year or so with running laundry is that it is best to hang the clothes so that the sweat dries before putting them together in a laundry basket. But even with hanging the sweaty clothes I would not get all the sweat smell with the previous detergent. I was lost on where to look to find another sports detergent, till I got the notification that I could test this one out. Something else that I enjoy about this stuff is that I can order it on amazon.com and get it shipped along with my other amazon goodies! Very convenient! Even more convenient is that in my area with Prime I can get it in one day, I can have my detergent tomorrow for no extra fee! Right now there is a promo going on that you can get 20% off your order when you use the code: WIN4RAVE – I am actually buying some more right now while I can get the discount and if you are an athlete, workout a lot or sweat a lot this is the detergent for you!

For more technical reasons your running clothes smell from the sweat is because the oils from your sweat attract the wicking technical clothing and get trapped in the fibers causing the smell, unlike other fabrics like cotton. But who can run in cotton? So how Win works is that the active ingredients separate the oils from the synthetic fabric to get back to that clean smell. Other sports detergents that I have used in the past have possibly taken out some of the oils but not all which means my running clothes retain some smell. Which is basically not good enough so check out Win for truly clean clothing. Definitely living in Miami I sweat for every run because we only have 2 days of cold weather where we sweat a little less.

4 Comments Leave a comment

Be Bright, Be Seen : Nathan Luna Fire 250 RX Run Chest/Waist Light product review

Disclaimer: I received a Nathan Luna Fire 250 RX Run Chest/Waist Light 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!

About 4 years ago I took quite a fall during a nighttime run resulting in some bruises and gluing my forehead back together again, luckily not a brain injury. Since then when I am running late or very early and its dark I definitely am running with a light of some sort. I have tried mini flashlights and headlamps but none have really felt right. In the past I have even tried wearing my headlamps as lights around my torso, and that actually sorta worked for awhile. Now there’s this light which is specially designed to wear on your chest or waist, so like I was experimenting with in the past it’s now an actual design! This particular light has 5 light modes:

33 Lumens ( Low)
100 Lumens (Med)
200 Lumens (Hi)
250 Lumens (Boost)
100 Lumens (White/Strobe)

I used the hi mode the most and it was VERY bright.

I tried this out along with my highly reflective Oiselle tank top on an after work run that was going to end up dark on the run home. I wore when my boyfriend and I took our daughter on a stroller run to the park to play, instead of wearing it with the strap, I clipped it to my shorts for that run and it worked pretty great, a little bouncy but after a mile I didn’t notice it so much. I also tried wearing it on my chest, under the boobs and it was okay but not as comfy as on the waist plus I hear from other local runners that the chest light placement can be blinding when coming up to another runner in the street. I encountered quite a few cars on the run back because we were running on the actual street because in some areas of my neighborhood there are no sidewalks. It seemed like all the cars could see me and were moving over to give us at least 3 ft of space to run. I plan on using the light again soon to clip onto the front of the stroller to use for navigating when running alone with my daughter on early morning/early dark evenings.

Overall I really like the design and the fit of this chest/weight strap but the strap can be a little loose even when tightened fully. The light stays bright and is charged by usb, so basically can be charged anywhere that you would normally charge your cell phone. Charged pretty quickly and the charge lasts for a long time of running. This light is reasonably price at $39.99 and with the code it’s only $32.00!

Use the code: NATHANBIB20 – good sitewide at nathansports.com, one-time purchase of up to $250. So get your new Luna fire and perhaps some hydration systems/bottles while you are there.

Have you ever used a headlamp/hand torch while running?

2 Comments Leave a comment

KT Tape – my review

Disclaimer: I received KT Tape 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!

So for a few years now (maybe 4 or so) I have been seeing KT Tape on runner friends and I have always wondered about it, I even bought a pack on sale once just in case I would need it. I never opened it, it was the original KT Tape in the neon pink color, then I lost it somewhere when I started having some aches. Luckily BibRave gave me the opportunity to try out an array of products from KT Tape and just in time too!

Back at the beginning of January I started getting some medial shin splints in my left leg and I was unsure of how it happened. I have been training nearly the same way as a year ago and hadn’t experienced any shin issues during that time so I was confused. Inner shin pain after I finished a run when I was just walking around started to really freak me out, I thought for sure it was the dreaded stress fracture. I continued running and even ran a marathon and two halfs with the pain until I changed up the shoes I wore to work. That made a huge difference but I digress, I started using KT Tape when it was sent to me, first the gentle tape (my skin tone and softer than the pro tape) but my application was all wrong and decided to take it off after one run. The Gentle tape is useful to use for a day or two and very discreet to wear as it is similar looking to an ace bandage in the color but works stronger than any ace bandage. I think it would be especially useful for carpal tunnel taping since it is less noticeable in an office setting. The KT pro tape all comes in a handy plastic box that will keep it safe when you throw it in your gym bag, very helpful for athletes on the go.

Next I tried out the KT pro Tape and got the application right for my specific aches and it worked like a dream, I wore it for 3-4 days before it started to slightly peel off and get some fraying from showers/drying. I thought it might take forever to dry after a shower but that tape dries very quickly and if you are in a rush I read that you can dry it even quicker with a blow dryer on the cool setting. I wear compression sleeves usually after my long/hard effort runs and did not want soaking tape under the sleeves but it never was an issue. It dried so quickly I did not even think about it. Due to the taping of my current issue it wasn’t so noticeable either. A lady that I am helping train in a couch to 5k program at work said she noticed but it was pretty discreet and wanted to know more about the tape. And that was when I was wearing the Pro tape in sonic blue! I gave her a rundown of the following info. Also if you need to remove the tape after a day or so for some reason use baby oil or remove it while in the shower for an easier and painless removal because this tape really sticks!

Here’s a breakdown of the KT Tape products I was sent to try out:

GENTLE TAPE: 100% Latex Free Cotton with Gentle Adhesive, Lasts 1-3 Days
PRO^TM: Synthetic Tape Lasts 4-7 Days
PRO^TM WIDE: 4″ Wide Stripes Lasts 4-7 Days (still haven’t tried this one yet)
PRO EXTREME^TM: Extra Strength Adhesive Lasts 4-7 but works well in hot/humid conditions (so Miami 95% of the time!)
ORIGINAL: Cotton Tape Lasts 1-3 Days and is very similar to the Gentle tape.

I am still trying out the Pro Extreme as I write this review and it works just like the Pro Tape but seems like it will stay on longer and work better in the hot humid conditions of most of my Miami runs. I think it will be very useful this summer if I am still having these aches, which I do not anticipate but luckily I have a solution if I do.

Another thing I really like about KT Tape is that you can go on their YouTube channel and find out how to tape pretty much every possible ache/injury you have and the instructions are easy for any non medical person (like myself). I have a friend who is also a runner and has used KT Tape to help tape her friends before big half marathons. She is a true believer in the power of kinesiology tape in general and prefers to use KT Tape brand over other brands. In the recent years I have noticed more and more taped up runners at races than 5 years ago, so if that doesn’t convince you that it works I don’t know what to tell you.

Want to try it out or do you already love KT Tape and want a great discount? Use the code : BIBRAVE30 to save 30% on your order at KTtape.com

1 Comment Leave a comment

Brilliant Reflective Safety Strips- A product review

I have been on the search for a product to make my Bob running stroller more visible at night. I take it to run clubs pretty often and now that the time has changed it gets dark pretty much before run club even starts. I always try to wear bright colors on my evening runs and especially so when I bring the little one along but I still don’t feel too safe. I have looked into wheel lights (not sure if they fit my stroller wheels) and installing flashlights to illuminate our path but haven’t came up with anything solid.

That is where Brilliant Reflective steps in, I received a set of the stick on reflective strips as well as the iron on reflective strips. Immediately I knew that I would be applying the stick on ones to my running stroller to help us be more visible on night and early morning runs. Not sure when I will be using the iron on ones as I do not know exactly what I want to iron them permanently on but I’m sure I will figure something out soon. Most likely I will iron them onto some winter gear, but since it’s not really feeling like winter here yet, I’ll have to wait.

Without Brilliant Reflective tape

With the tape, can you tell?

The brilliant reflective strips are very sturdy and easy to apply, I started with applying them around the stroller base and was done fairly quick and used all but one strip. The stick on strips come in 4 colors (black, red, blue, and purple) I got the black ones, which works well with the stroller because you don’t even notice they are added on in the daytime. The iron on strips come in the same colors as the stick on ones. I took a picture before applying the strips and one picture after and if you are not looking very closely, you cannot even tell a difference. The difference is when a flash of light hits them and then it is very noticeable where the stickers were applied.

I took the stroller out on an evening run, I do that fairly often when I cannot find someone to watch Phoebe in order to get my daily run in. We started running when the sun was just starting to set and before the final half a mile was done of our 3 miler it was already getting pretty dark. I’m so not a fan of this early sun setting season, I feel like my running gets a bit more dangerous to do and I usually shorten my weekday runs. My boyfriend was so kind to take these pictures while I ran back and forth along the road to get the best shot of how these reflective tapes work. Took some time to get the right shots as the flash is not the fastest on the iPhone 6s but I think it shows how the tape is visible in the darkness with a light shined on it. We even encountered a few cars while taking the photos and one of the pictures shows just how the tape lights up when the car is starting to pass by us. This is a great product and I will be definitely showing this post to all my mommy stroller runner friends, they could really benefit from this product as I have so far. I cannot wait to try it out again at run clubs this season. I plan on getting another pack of these stick on ones and putting them on my clothes as well to try it out, but I felt safer running with this on the stroller for sure.

As seen with car approaching

For more info and to order Brilliant Reflective strips.

Use code “BIBRAVE25” for 25% off the full order (one time use per customer). The code will expire on Tuesday at 11:59pm.

Disclaimer: I received a free sample of Brilliant Reflective Safety Strips as part of being a BibRave Pro. All opinions are my own. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

1 Comment Leave a comment