Running gear - AnnaTheApple

August 14, 2014August 14, 2014

High5 or Nuun for hydration?

Hello! I have the second part of my ProBikeKit review for you today.

If you missed the first one and are interested it was reviewing the Clif energy bars (find it HERE). As I got the choice of what to pick from the website (was actually really hard to choose, so many good products) I decided to do a little stand-off between the High5 electrolyte tablet product and the Nuun version. And with it being so warm and sunny recently it was actually a perfect choice.

The idea behind the electrolyte tablets is that it’s better than water in that there are important electrolytes added which help keep the athlete properly hydrating. Water is only good for so long and indeed if you have too much water it can be very dangerous as it effectively washes out valuable salts from your system. I’m no scientist so if you want to read more go HERE.

High5 Sports Zero X’treme Caffeine Hydration Tablets – Tube of 20 (find HERE)

Basically you add one of the tablets to around 500ml of plain water and let it dissolve (I vigorously shake my water bottle to speed this up). The flavour is very subtle – kind of like weak squash with a little bit of a chemical taste. I wouldn’t describe it as delicious but it’s not horrendous. There are two flavours available in this range: berry and pink grapefruit (I had berry).

It contains zero calories (hence the name) and this version contains caffeine. I’m a big believer in having caffeine before big races or parkruns. I need my morning coffee. But I dislike drinking coffee before my long runs because I want to just get out there and having coffee sloshing around is not good, whereas there is time before races for it to ‘go through the system’ if you like.

I would fill my bottle with this and take it with me during a long run. Sometimes I would drink 500ml the day before a race if I know it’s going to be hot to make sure I’m fully hydrated leading up the race, not just on the race day.

According to High5, it helps improve attention, concentration and reaction time. There’s added vitamin C (supporting the immune system) and magnesium to help with the “electrolyte balance, reduces tiredness and fatigue, whilst supporting muscle protein synthesis” (source). There are no artificial colours or preservatives and it’s suitable for vegetarians and vegans. There are 20 in this tube and on ProBikeKit it’s £4.99.

Nuun Active Sports Isotonic Hydration Tablets – Tube of 12 Grape (find HERE)

Similar to above you add a tablet to 500ml of water and let it dissolve. Nuun seems to be very popular in American and I hear about it lot on different blogs so I was keen to see what it was like in comparison to the more widely known High5 above.

This product only contains 12 tablets and is slightly more expensive at £5.99 per tube. So obviously it’s more expensive than High5’s version.

Each tablet contains 360mg sodium, 100mg potassium, 12mg calcium and 24mg magnesium – and again very low calorie (6 per tablet). But there’s no caffeine added variation available. There are lots of flavours to choose from: citrus, lemon tea, lemon/lime, orange, grape, strawberry, fruit punch and tri-berry. Mine was citrus fruit flavour. It tasted OK, again kind of like weak squash but not unpleasant.

Thoughts

Which did I prefer? It’s funny because I prefer Nuun as a company but I prefer the High5 product. The added caffeine and vitamin C win me over. Probably taste-wise, Nuun is better but I’m not that bothered about taste. High5 is also cheaper, when considering how much you could be using this product it is a definite consideration. I think either though are fine to use and it’s just down to personal preference. I know that High5 also do a caffeine-free version if the caffeine isn’t your thing.

Hope you enjoyed the review! Check out the ProBikeKit website for more cool products (for both running and cycling).

Do you drink a lot of water when you run?

Do you use electrolyte tablets or sports drinks? I tend to avoid sports drinks as they are so sweet and it makes me feel ill when running. I like the fact that these have no sugar in them so it avoids that stomach issue. Ben however loves his sugary drinks when running and after a run.

Have you tried Nuun or High5 products before?

**Full disclaimer: I was sent these products for free to try. All opinions are my own**

July 28, 2014July 28, 2014

Brighton, Ben’s nuts and nipple plasters

So things have been a little running heavy round here. Now I know the main focus of my blog is running but I like to liven things up a bit occasionally and talk about other stuff.

The other weekend Ben and I went to Brighton for a daytrip to see my uni friends and their partners. One of them, currently living in Brighton, had just recently got married…the cheeky so-and-so went abroad and didn’t invite anyone, how rude! 😉 We were very pleased for them regardless though.

We had a lovely walk to a local pub which serves the best monster pizzas, salads and Turkish-style pizzas. As it was the day before the Stansted half marathon I thought it best to go for a nice carby meal. For the good of the race of course.

Seriously that thing rocked my world. It was filled with lamb (not usually my thing), beef and chicken with a tomato sauce and vegetables. It was as big as my face pretty much.

No issue in finishing that bad boy. What did you expect?

After that we all went for a lovely walk in the hot hot sunshine along the seafront. I may have even dipped my toe in the sea. Or got ridiculously splashed by a ginormous wave.

This is the new dress I got from Oasis a few weeks ago (the only damn thing in my size). Suitably summery enough. Gotta wear these things as much as possible in Britain as you never know how long the sunshine will last!

We headed back to the flat and the new-husband brought out the most delicious blueberry white chocolate cheesecake known to man.

So thick and creamy. I do love a good baked cheesecake. I might have had seconds but we don’t need to dwell on that.

Speaking of food…Ben has been in a quandary recently about food and what to eat. He wants to lose weight but not lose the will live when he runs. It’s tough. I’d say he does eat quite healthy (for the meals I make him anyway…) but he doesn’t eat breakfast (the cardinal sin) and his lunch of choice would usually be a chunky white mayo-filled cheese laden vegetable barren sandwich at work. With no option really to buy anything else as his office just had a ‘sandwich lady’ and no shop.

I make myself lunch every day and it can be a faff but I do it because I like my salads and can go to town on all my favourite ingredients. But Ben, bless his soul, is not the type of guy to make a salad every day (show me the guy who is…).

As I’m a good, loving wife (no comments please, it’s true) I suggested I’d buy him a salad every day from Tesco as it’s just over the road from work for me (so is Costa and this is becoming an issue) and then he could take it the next day for work. A guess a better wife would make him a salad but let’s not push it here, people.

Salad selfie

Alongside this I would also buy him little portioned pots of nuts. But this was getting to be ridiculously expensive – how much for a 25g portion of cashews? Are you joking? So I bulk bought a load of mixed nuts, salted nuts, dried fruit and chocolate covered raisins…

Now each day Ben gets a little Tupperware box full of nuts etc. to take to work with his salad. I think I’ve earnt a few Wife Points 😉

Now to work on his breakfast…(*cough* and wine *cough*).

One of my other wifely duties is buying Ben his nipple plasters (he has mastered the chafe issue whereas I have not for my HR monitor). But we have serious issues.

Uh oh. We’ve got problems. Tesco do the best ones! OK that’s a lie, Tesco do the cheapest. Who charges over £3 for four blister plasters (*cough* Scholl, are you serious?)?

So you’re prayers are required. Our stock at home will only last so long. Dire times indeed.

If you have a partner, what do they have for lunch?

What’s your favourite nut to snack on? I love salted cashews. Or pistachios because they slow me down.

Ever suffered from the dreaded chafe?

July 25, 2014

Fashionably Fit: Summer Style

Hello there! I think we can safely say summer is well and truly here. Well, us Brits needed something new about the weather to moan about right?

It’s not secret that I get up stupidly early to run. Currently we’re talking at 5.10-20am depending on how far I go. When people hear this their usual response (unless they’re a fellow runner) is “you are mental, why on earth?” Sure I could run in the evening but I love being out there in the morning before most people are awake. And the best part is that the sun is shining! When my alarm goes off I’m actually OK to get up because the sun has been beaming through our white curtains and has gradually woken me out of a deep sleep anyway.

I always tell people who are interested in getting fit or starting running, it’s so much easier to start in spring and summer than winter. I detest getting up so early in winter because it’s like the middle of the night. It’s cold. It’s usually wet. I’m grumpy. So the motivation isn’t there. Therefore summer is a great place to start these good habits.

But before and during summer, us women get hounded by that nasty stock phrase: getting “bikini body” ready. The obsession begins just before summer, flashed across every women-focused magazine (“lose 7lbs in 7 minutes!” or something similar). To combat this horrid obsession SportsShoes think that rather than focus on the ‘perfect bikini body’ the better solution for body confidence is to don some colourful, high performance kit and go for a run in the sun. Nothing is more empowering I’d say.

I’m a huge fan of Nike and SportsShoes has a great range of technical active wear which will help women look good, feel great and ultimately boost their confidence. I could live in my workout gear (seriously) so for me it’s important to feel and look good in it.

I was sent some cool Nike gear to trial and review. A number of very summer-focused running and workout tops. Perfect for the heat!

This purple running top (find it HERE) was perfect when I went on a 15 mile bike ride the other Saturday and running in general.

The fabric wicks the sweat away from my skin so I don’t get all sweaty and sticky. There’s all little holes in the back as well to keep you cool.

Another top was the below yellow one (found HERE): It is very bright. I love that about it! It’s also made from very thin material (slightly see-through?) but keeps you very cool. I adore this top.

Again made from the technical material to help sweat wicking (nice phrase there). In retrospect not a great top to wear with my tiny shorts but it was seriously hot that day so I didn’t care (let’s not talk about the very cheeky joking remark I got about looking like I was just out of Anne Summer’s – how rude!)

The below top (find HERE) I initially thought was just a regular workout top in that it was just cotton, but it’s actually made from that wicking fabric too so I can run in it without any chafing issues.

It’s a little big on me but I quite like that – it’s airy and cool.

Another top is a plain black one (found HERE).

The top is a nice feel but it does slip down a bit which was a bit annoying. I was wearing a pink sports bra underneath to jazz it up so it wasn’t too big a deal. It is quite loose and light so cool in the hot weather.

The final top is more of a gym top than a running top (find it HERE) as it’s a bit thicker and I’m sure it would rub under my arms (that dreaded chafe…).

It’s such a nice colour though. I tend to wear a lot of dark colours in both normal life and running, so it’s nice to add some more bright colours to my stock! Again it’s made from the wicking fabric. And it’s very soft feeling.

I love the summer because you can really wear so much more exciting work out gear. In winter there’s a lot of jackets and leggings which is never as exciting. Plus during the summer you can get a nice tan on your arms and legs (though not always with great tan lines!)

What do you wear during the summer to workout?

Does what you wear help build your confidence?

What colours do you prefer for your workout clothes?

**Full disclosure: These products were sent to me for free in order to review, but all opinions are my own. The links provided are not affiliated links.**

October 25, 2013

Friday Favourites

Happy Friday! I cannot believe how quickly time is flying. I’m started to get those pre-Christmas panics (you know the ones…cards, presents, food, decorations). But it’s still October. Whew.

I thought I’d do a post on some stuff I’m loving lately.

Treats in the office:

Although it’s always sad when someone leaves, I do fully appreciate them buying cakes for us to indulge in. Or having a wife that bakes cake and has leftovers!

Clockwise: Halloween themed cupcake, oat and raisin cookie, caramel cupcake

Delicious! Nothing like cake to brighten up a day in the office.

Ben embracing the plank challenge:

I’ve been trying to do planks every other day, usually in an evening in my PJs just before bed. Ben sits on the sofa watching TV muttering some weak words of encouragement (“come on, it’s not that hard”). So when I’d collapsed into a heap on the floor I turned and challenge him to do a plank. I scoffed that he wouldn’t manage a minute.

Challenge accepted and accomplished! He proved me very wrong. He did a very successful minute plank. He refused to go further than a minute though. Apparently proving me wrong was enough.

Doing stretches in the ladies’ toilet:

Yeah it sounds weird. Yeah it is weird. I need to get these stretches in and so I’m squeezing them in wherever I can. Nothing major, just hip flexor stretches and pendulum kickbacks.

I ~~live~~ stretch in fear of someone walking in and seeing me though…Not like I haven’t already got a reputation at work of being a little bit strange (mug incident).

Slow cooker meals:

I’ve been enjoying a fair few slow cooker meals recently and I’m loving it.

It does involve a little preparation either the night before or in the morning, but it saves so much time in an evening. Perfect for when I’m back late. More on my favourite recipes to come!

Running in thunder storms:

My eight mile run on Tuesday evening began with some scattered bits of lightening which was all very exciting. On mile four, however, the heavens opened up and it was a crazy downpour!

Running in the rain

Sorry that the video is a bit rubbish! You can see how hard it was raining in the puddles though. When I got home I was soaked and ready for a lovely hot shower.

Doing my best drowned rat impersonation

But other than getting drenched, it was a good run. I kept it fairly easy running 8.30-8min/miles. I wanted to ease gently back in to it after my niggle reoccurrence and also with the race on Sunday.

My best friend and worst enemy:

I recently got a new foam roller as I found my smooth one wasn’t quite ironing out all my kinks. So I upgraded to this bad boy:

A Trigger Point foam roller. It has ridges in it to mimic a person’s hand, attempting to emulate a sports massage. I love it. It really does get into your muscles and work hard. Plus it’s nice and small to tuck away easily. Now if only I could take this to work and use it in the ladies’…

Cold weather running gear:

I can run in the cold no problem. I get warm quickly and it doesn’t bother me. All except my hands. They never get warm on runs. Last winter I just used regular gloves and they were sort of OK but a nightmare when I wanted to do something on my iPod. Now I have some great running-specific gloves with a thumb area that works on the iPod/phone screen!!

Plus they just look cool and aren’t bulky. In fact I feel a bit like a magician in them

And here’s some random links for your viewing pleasure:

Does foot strike really matter in running?
12 great core workouts
Good advice for hill running
10 types of people you find at the gym – The last one is SO true.

What things are you loving lately?

What’s your essential workout item?

Foam rollers: do you use them? I can’t live without mine now.

September 13, 2013September 13, 2013

Positives and negatives

Happy Friday! We made it – almost time for the weekend. And apparently a wet and windy one for the UK. Joy of joys.

Yesterday was a slightly different day as I was working from home. There were several positives and negatives in my day so I thought I’d base my post around that theme.

Positive: No commute in the morning. Bliss. Also, getting up at 8am is heavenly. I think I had a full 10 hours sleep.

Negative: I was really sleepy and reluctant to actually get out of bed. Can’t I work from bed? No. I needed to get up, showered and downstairs at our table to get into ‘work mode’.

Positive: I had Cougar Town on in the background as I worked. I am so addicted. I think I love every single character. They’re hilarious. Also 20 minute episodes are perfect chunks.

Negative: I had to keep pausing Cougar Town when I needed to concentrate and think. I would have loved to have just sat there watching the TV all day but I actually have work to do and it required a bit of brain power. Boo.

Positive: Unlimited access to all food.

Negative: Unlimited access to all food. Thankfully I had our weekly food shop delivered later in the day so we were a bit bare on the snacks until the afternoon. Then a huge watermelon came into my life.

And then there was some serious watermelon massacre…

I couldn’t stop. It was so good.

Positive: I got loads of chores done in between working. Putting the washing on, hanging it up, etc. I love feeling doubly efficient..

Negative: Alfie giving me his big old furry “walk time?” eyes. All. Day. Long. No Alfie, you just have to go in the garden I’m afraid.

Positive: I had running club in the evening which was great because it meant I didn’t have to rush home and have a mad dash to get ready. I could even prepare dinner for when I got back (Ben was working late so it was just me for dinner). I could just shut down my laptop and amble upstairs leisurely.

I was quite nervous about running club as I hadn’t run since Sunday (all part of the ‘easier’ week). I was just terrified of any pain or discomfort. But I started running and it was great! Towards the end of the run my groin was slightly achy and I could feel it going downhill but otherwise I felt quite strong.

I got to the meeting spot to find my usual group flagging on numbers. In the end it was two speedy guys and me. It wasn’t too tough and we took it easy in the middle as it’s now a lot darker in the evening and we were running through some woods and had to be careful of footing. I managed to push it on my own for the last mile as I headed home.

Positive: I got to wear my new high vis’ arm band. It’s got LED lights all round it that you can turn on. Brilliant for the winter. One of the guys said it looked cool

Negative: That same guy said it looked cool…just like a Christmas tree. Excellent.

The run really helped me feel more confident for my goal pace for the half marathon on Sunday. Basically I’m going to aim for a certain pace (comfortable but not completely easy) and then as I hit 9 miles see what I think of pushing it a bit more. Who knows. I’ll see how it goes.

I’ve ummed and arr’ed about taking my hydration belt but I think I’m just going to go ‘naked’ (there’s an image!) and if I need water pick it up at the drinks stations (of which there are plenty). I don’t think I’ll need any gels either, but there are some available there.

After the run I got home and ate a mammoth meal of stir fry veg, chicken, butternut squash, courgette (zucchini) noodles, chicken and cream cheese.

You know when you go from starving to full really quickly? Yep I felt that quite strongly last night!

So tomorrow I’m off to Bristol to see friends, and then it’s the half marathon on Sunday…duh duh DUH (<– dramatic music, if you didn’t get that…)

What are your plans this weekend?

Do you switch up your work out gear for winter? Any high vis’ lovers out there?

Water, gels…how do you fuel during races? Unless it’s hot I won’t bother, maybe just water from the stations. Gels only if it’s really tough. I’ll have had a good breakfast so I’ll be fine.