Jubralee Winner!

Congrats Reb!  You are my winner for the Jubralee!
Email me for info on how to claim your lovely new bra  :)

Thanks to all for entering!  Even if you didn't win one, find a way to welcome a Moving Comfort member to your family.  If you're a B cup or larger (or even an A), I promise you won't regret it!

Moving Comfort Jubralee + giveaway!

I love this bra and photo of my 4 year old and I that was a random catch when I was just trying to get a photo for this post.

So I already wrote a bra review on the Moving Comfort Juno bra, but they have another great bra I have been using and she deserves attention too.  So here it is.  The Moving Comfort Jubralee is a soft, smooth, pretty bra that supports great and is easy to put on.

From the company:
Jubralee combines the best features from Moving Comfort’s top selling styles to create a state-of-the-art, high impact bra featuring hidden side and under bust support, front adjustable straps and, subtle-contour cups. 

Jubralee utilizes a unique combination of encapsulation, compression, and elevation to deliver unmatched support and comfort in a flattering, streamlined, and sporty design.

Consider this:· In one hour of aerobic exercise, an unsupported 34D breast moves about 1,000 vertical feet. Jubralee reduces vertical motion by roughly 450 feet, the height of a 45-story building.
Source: Moving Comfort Biomechanics Testing Research, 2011
The acceleration (how quickly the breast stops and starts) of an unsupported 34D breast is approximately 2.9g. Compare this to airplane take off and landing accelerations ranging from 1.7 to 2.1g. Moving Comfort’s Jubralee cuts breast acceleration in half, minimizing pain during exercise. Source: Moving Comfort Biomechanics Testing Research, 2011

The fabric is really soft.  A thin and smooth outer layer and a cool mesh on the inside.  Not a bad, too loose mesh, it's sewn really well, but just a mesh that breathes and fits well.  The actual inside of the cup is another very smooth and soft fabric and the mesh is above and between the cups.
It has a great firm band which is so important in sports bra support, and buckles in the back like a normal bra making it easy to put on.  I used their great fitting room part of the site (which I highly recommend using) and went with the 32 band they suggested and while I worried it was too small, I appreciate how firm it is now.  Cup wise I think the Jubralee might run just a tad smaller than my Juno.  I have a D in both, but I feel like the Juno is a little bit bigger.  I don't think the size discrepancy is enough to go up or down a cup from what I have, just something to keep in mind if you're in between sizes, I suggest going with the bigger cup size in the Jubralee.  D sounds big to me even though I am nursing, but that's what the fitting room said and that's what fits.
The Jubralee has the same style straps that thread through the bra and have smooth not scratchy velcro in the front making the bra easy to adjust and another nursing friendly bra!  The fabric of this bra like I said is smooth and thinner than the Juno so it doesn't thread through as easy when I undo it to nurse, but for most women who aren't nursing with it, that isn't a concern.  The velcro doesn't seem quite as strong as the Juno's and has come undone a few times when I didn't want it to, but ironically not when I'm running, but mostly right after I fasten it again and get up to move around.  So one shouldn't worry too much about the velcro coming undone, it was just something I noticed.

The support in the bra is just as good as the Juno, high impact (and I am a C-D cup right now so I do have something to support).  Something I wear to run and teach my water aerobics classes that involves jumping and plyometrics and such.  Moving Comfort does actual bio-mechanical testing with this bra.  I remember seeing them debuting the testing and the bra at summer Outdoor Retailer show last summer (they're actually kiddie corner to our Altra booth).  So the Jubralee keeps me from bouncing, but still looks very attractive.  I'm vain sometimes, but we'll just call it building my confidence beacuse I like the way I look ;)  If I ever choose to run in just a sports bra and shorts, THIS is the bra!  It's just so pretty.  They have several other awesome color choices I love too.  This company run by women really does a great job aesthetically as well as functionally of course.

I don't have any complaints with this bra.  Haven't had any chafing or rubbing, and the velcro has only slipped a few times, but not when I was actually running.  I'll take it for the ease of nursing and adjustment access it gives me.  The bra breathes great and has good shape.  The traditional style straps don't bother my shoulders in back at all like I wondered if they would since it's not racerback style.  I find the Jubralee being my go to bra lately because it's so easy to put on and supports great!  Definately check it out.  Moving comfort is priced similar to other high quality brands and is totally worth the money.  I tell you ladies, you spend the $50 (they have some colors for $32 right now too - that's a deal!) on a bra like this and it will not only support you way better than your $15 Target bra, but it will be more comfortable because it breathes better and will surely last longer.  I've given my Moving Comfort bras a beating this last 6 months running, biking, racing, and teaching in them all week and undoing and pulling them up and down all the time to nurse and they're holdilng up great!  Like any other important piece of equiptment like running shoes, you really need to pay for quality.  This bra and any Moving Comfort bra really (I have 3) are worth the money, worth the money, worth the money.  I am not sponsored or paid at all by Moving Comfort, just a happy customer.  Check em out!

Or how about winning one?!  Leave me a comment telling me which Moving Comfort bra you think you'd like the best (or which you already like the best if you have one) and I'll enter you in once to win a Jubralee!  You can have a second entry if you like their Facebook page and mention my blog on their wall, and then let me know you did here in a comment.  I'll draw a random winner on Saturday September 15th, so enter by 11:59pm Friday September 14th. Good luck!

Catch up time!

I have several posts I need to catch up on, but a baby and 3 other kids that need me and a hubby that gets grumpy when I spend all day on the computer, so I'll do them as soon as I can, but here's what's to come.

Utah Half - last minute half ironman
Alta Peruvian Downhill Dash - 5:40-6:04 pace?!  Yep!
Ogden Valley Tri
Trail Running

FreeThingsFriday - First Endurance

This has been a long time coming, I'm sorry I've held out on your so long!  But I want to tell you about my favorite nutrition product line, First Endurance.  Here's some background. I was a dedicated Hammer Nutrition user for years and years and introduced many people to it.  It was last year and we had recently started carrying First Endurance at Powertri.  A coworker gave me some comparisons of it to Hammer, and while I didn't think anything would really feel all that different and better that what I was using, about 3 weeks before Ironman last year I decide to try this First Endurance stuff on my last 110 mile long ride just to see if all the hype was for real.  It was.  My energy and mental state stayed SO steady.  It wasn't that I felt hyped up or anything, I just felt so steady and kept going fine and a biggie for me was that I didn't get grumpy and ancy to get home as usually happened at the end of every long workout.  It was also so simple!  First Endurance has A TON more electrolytes in its products than other nutrition products including Hammer, even with Endurolytes, and it's all in the drink or gel.  I can't tell you how many times I got a pill stuck in my throat, fumbled and dropped pills mid ride or run, or found a bunch of pills crushed in my pocket or bento.  I really love the fact that the electrolyte complex of First Endurance allows me to only use the drink or the gel or a combination.

EFS

So let me tell you a little bit about their products, and keep reading, I'll tell you how to enter to win some from me for free!  First Endurance has a powdered drink mix in several flavors (more potent flavor, sweet, but I like them, tropical punch is my favorite for sure).  The grape is good if you like grape, the orange reminds me of the McDonalds old school orange drink, lemon lime is lemon lime, and like I said, tropical punch is my favorite, especially cold on the bike.  I don't do super cold drinks on the run, I end up with side aches.  I personally like to concentrate my bottles, so I can carry less weight, and I think at twice the concentration it tastes better than only 1 scoop per water bottle (bike bottles, not 8-10 oz running bottles).  But don't concentrate it more than 3x the dosage (or 7%), can mess with absorption.

They also have a version of a gel, Liquid Shot, but it's actually not a gel at all as it has no gelling agents in it.  A gel is closer to a solid, and our guts do not like to digest solids when exercising.  So First Endurance 'gel' is like a thick liquid and comes in 4 serving (400 calories) flasks, or big 24 serving jugs.  The Liquid Shot comes in vanilla and a new berry flavor.  Both are strong flavors and I prefer vanilla, but I started mixing the two in a flask and I really like that combination, really mellows out both flavors.  The fact that it's not a gel makes it easier to swallow too.  Liquid shot does not have as high an electrolyte count as the EFS drink mix, but still a lot.

The other thing different about First Endurance is that they don't put protein in their products, kind of.  Yes our bodies need protein, but what they actually need is from the protein, they need the amino acids.  So First Endurance takes the amino acids out of the solid protein and puts it in their drink and gel so you're getting the important part of what you need from protein but without the digestion issues.  "EFS contains 2g Free Form Amino Acids per serving which is the equivalent in BCAA and Glutamine profile to 9g Whey Protein."  I had used Perpetuem for years and never super successfully.  It about killed me at Ogden Marathon 2009 when I just wanted to kill over and vomit the entire last 6 miles because my stomach was so upset.  It didn't happen till I started the Perpetuem, and it hasn't happened since (I haven't used Perpetuem since).  A lot of people refer to Perpetuem as 'rotgut' because it can be so hard to get something so heavy to settle well in your stomach.

So aside from the high levels of electrolytes (highest level of sodium on the market, and did you realize you can't effectively absorb fluids you drink without proper sodium levels?), the clean and effective amino acids, First Endurance also uses a mixture of simple and complex carbs unlike former fav products of mine.  Some simple carbs allow for quicker initial absorption.  EFS and Liquid Shot also includes Malic acid in their products.  From the website " Malic acid stimulates oxygen consumption by increasing mitochondrial uptake, improving mitochondrial respiration and increasing energy production. Malic acid is essential in the formation of ATP, the body's energy source. Malic acid allows the body to make ATP more efficiently, even under low oxygen, or hypoxic conditions. "
I should also mention that First Endurance makes a great product I used last year when I race prepping for Ironman and racing so much that summer, called Optygen HP.  It has some pretty sweet stuff in it and improves oxygen absorption.  I don't think I realized the difference it made until I was off it.  First Endurance also has a great recovery drink called Ultragen.

So how do I use it?  When racing I do my usual 3 hours before race breakfast, then take 100 calories of Liquid shot 15 min before the race.  If the race isn't longer than an hour I may carry a flask of calories with me, but I can usually get away with what my body has stored in that amount of time.  Now in longer races, I use 200-250 calories on the bike, about 150 on the run.  To get those calories for say 3 hours, as I've done in half and full Ironman races, I take a regular sized water bottle (the short ones, not the tall ones) and make 5 tick marks on it with a sharpe, then fill it with water and 3 scoops of EFS.  I'll also carry a flask of Liquid Shot.  I have my Garmin go off every 15 minutes, and on the :00 and the :30 I'll take in 1/6 of my EFS water bottle (here's where the handy markings come in so I make sure I get in enough) and some water.  On the :15 and :45 I'll take almost a serving of Liquid Shot (about two mouthfuls) and some water.  This gives me about 250 calories. During IMSG last year I picked up a pre-frozen EFS water bottle and new flask at bike Special Needs.  If it's just a running race, or just on the run of a tri half ironman or longer, I carry a Liquid Shot flask with me to sip on every 30 or so minutes while alternating with water.  I haven't felt the need for any additional products like salt tabs or anything.
Here is some more good stuff from First Endurance:
"During long races (3 hours+) considerable stress is put on an athlete’s body. 1) Glycogen (energy) stores are depleted 2) cells experience damage from cellular oxidation 3) electrolytes are depleted and 4) amino acids are depleted.

1) EFS replenishes glycogen by using a mix of high glycemic carbohydrates including both simple and complex sugars. This easy to digest mix is rapidly absorbed and delivers fast and long term energy.

2) Formulated with 120mg (200% RDA) of Vitamin C per serving, EFS helps protect cells from oxidation keeping the immune system stronger for better training and faster racing. A depleted immune system can cause upper respiratory distress which generally accompanies long exhaustive exercise.

3) EFS provides the most potent electrolyte profile available. The combination of all five electrolytes deliver a potent 1040mg per serving, helping to prevent cramping. The 300mgs sodium per serving also aids in maximum fluid absorption so you stay hydrated throughout your training and racing. Supplementing with additional salt tabs, electrolyte tabs, or salty snacks is no longer needed when using EFS.

4) 2000mg of Amino Acids offers the same BCAA and Glutamine levels as 9g Whey Protein. These amino acids have clinically shown to improve performance, reduced post-exercise muscle damage, improve muscle glycogen resynthesis, reduced central fatigue and improved rate of perceived exertion." 


Heather Wurtele said it very well detailing her nutrition during Ironman St George this year, winning it for the second time.  Check it out.  I really enjoyed it

There's some really great stuff to read on the website, check out the Q&A of EFS and Liquid Shot at least.  So all that said, there are some nutrition companies I will not use period, thick slug like texture, all simple sugars, syrups, artificial colors/flavors (of which First Endurance has none), and I certainly think Hammer is a great company, I just found something better for me.  I love the convenience of not having to bring any pills or protein source with me, it's all there in the drink and/or 'gel'. I've had people share concerns about it's higher cost, but I don't think it is in the end since you don't have to buy salt/electrolyte additives or a protein source.  If cost is a concern for you, save First Endurance EFS and Liquid Shot for your harder/longer workouts and races.  But I really think it's worth it.  I love the higher level of electrolytes, and respect the research First Endurance puts into their stuff.  Nutrition is a very individual thing that must be practiced and is something everyone has to try for themselves as certain bodies like certain products, but I'm uber impressed with First Endurance.   No cramping, great absorption, great energy levels and mental clarity.  I've raced with only it since April of last year and don't plan to stop any time soon.  So there's my plug (and I'm not sponsored by First Endurance by the way, I buy it at Powertri, and I just love the stuff).  

I think you will too, so how about a giveaway??  I have 4 packets of EFS and 2 flasks of Liquid Shot that were generously donated by Robert at First Endurance (who by the way is a head of the company, and has communicated with me in almost every email I've sent, awesome customer service!).  Here's what you need to do by Monday June 6th at noon:  1) Go on their website, and leave me a comment here telling me one thing that you like or is appealing to you about First Endurance including a small quote from the website telling me you checked it out, and 2) tell me if you'd like to try the EFS or the Liquid Shot in this giveaway.  My followers have been kind of quiet lately, hint hint,  so if you I only get a handful of comments then great, you'll all get something, if I get lots of comments I'll do random drawings for the giveaway.  Good luck!!    ETA:  Winner's announced in the comments, thanks for playing!!  Another good giveaway in a couple weeks

Favorite things Friday!

Hey all!  I'm feeling better these days and working out well the last couple of weeks.  Been following my Ironman St George plan from this time last year which is fun.  I've been asked if I'd do it this year if I kept following the plan and we didn't get pregnant and I'd probably still say no.  Probably.  I would absolutely LOVE to do Ironman again, including IMSG, but where I just wasn't planning on it 3 weeks ago and I don't have all the base I did last year this time, I'm not sure.  I want to do really well and smash up my time a bit, so I'd like to be really prepared.  I am really excited to watch the action this year too.  We shall see.  For now I'm just enjoying being active again.  I'm going nordic skiing (skate style) tomorrow for the first time in a year, we'll see how that goes!  I really like it, it's an amazing hard workout, but I'm not great at it.  Hopefully I come home unbroken with everything intact  :)

So, haven't done one of these for a while, but have been meaning too.  This is a product we use at my house ALL the time, like daily.  And what's nice is it's cheap.  These Nature Made Immuni-C packets are great!  Just like Emergen-C, I just get the 72 packet Costco version to save some money, but you can find name brand Emergen-C on sale fairly often.  Anyway, this baby is packed with 1000mg of a very absorbable kind of Vitamin C (better than pills), as well as 17 other vitamins and minerals.  I put it in all of my smoothies or recovery drinks.  Here's a quick recipe for the smoothies we do around here in our Magic Bullet (we have a Kohls generic one too that works great, just get em when they're on sale for like $20)

• 1 cup 100% juice, usually apple, sometimes orange, grape, or some other 100% blend
• However much more water you need for your desired consistency
• Packet of Immuni-C
• Splash of Flaxseed Oil (maybe a tablespoon?)
• Handful or raw spinach (no you really cannot taste either the spinach or oil)
  Blend - the first blend is optional, it just helps blend the spinach finer
• Add a cup or so of frozen or fresh fruit - superfood blueberries are my favorite, bananas, pineapple are good too.  We get a bag of blueberries and a bag of mixed fruit frozen from Costco to use
• A scoop (roughly 12-20grams worth) of protein depending on the workout length, intensity, and body weight.  I use 100% whey isolate for long or hard workouts and post race, a blend of isolate and concentrate like Interphase for not as intense workouts.
• A scoop of HEED or Carbopro  (if you use HEED and juice together the drink will be really sweet, just fyi) to get to that 3:1 or 4:1 carb to protein ratio
  
  Blend and drink!

If I don't have time for a smoothie or I'm away from home I'll just do the water, Immuni-C, protein, carb powder in a water bottle and shake it up.  You can even add the powders in there before hand so you just have to add water, no measuring away from home.  The recovery powders like Ultragen or Recoverite are great, I just prefer the fresher nutrients and lower cost of my shakes when I'm home.  I will use the powders after races sometimes though for convenience sake.
If the shake is not a recovery shake, just something during the day, leave our the carb powder, and the juice for that matter if you want, which is just in there for more quick absorbing carbs.  We don't usually need more help getting carbs in our regular everyday diet.  You may also use less protein.  And if I haven't had a shake at all in a day (which is rare, I try to get all that good stuff in every day) or if I'm feeling a cold or illness come on I'll just have a Immuni-C packet in a 6oz glass of cold water.  I'll do 2-3/day with a cold.  Doesn't taste horrible alone, but some people think it's an odd taste, I don't mind it for what it gives me.

So there you go.  Want a packet or two?  I'm not going to do this contest style, you just leave me a comment in the comments and I will send the first 10 people some!  Unless we see each other regularly, email me at leslie@powertri.com with your address and a message mentioning this post and I'll send some out.  Happy Friday all!

* NOTE:  My costco stopped carrying this brand, so you'll want to look for Emergen-C.  5-31-11

Favorite Things Friday - A girl's best friend

No, not diamonds, at least not for this girl. This bra, the Handful (yes that's it's name, isn't it awesome?!) is I dare say, my very favorite piece of workout clothing. Nothing makes me feel cuter than this bra, and yes, vanity is everything sometimes. I mean honestly, in my head, thinking I look good makes a huge difference in my confidence level come race day. It really does. I just think you race better when you feel confident about yourself. And I'm not prancing around shirtless all the time, I feel cute with it under my tech shirts and jerseys too. You can see it in almost all of my photos this year. Let me tell you more about it.
I've had this bra 6 months now. My first thoughts upon seeing it were three things. It's way cute, but is it a yoga bra or will it really support me, and as a triathlete, will it dry quickly? Let me address those 3 points.
Cute - SO cute! I love the colors (black, white, pink, nude, cocoa), and the pink matches my Powertri kit perfectly. Again, I'm back to the vanity, yes :) I love the thin straps, so flattering, and the back? LOVE it! The bra comes with removable pads that looked kind of bulky before I put it on, but they so totally work with this bra. Ladies, you know what I'm talking about here when I say I have grown, fed, and loved my 3 children, and as a result, the girls definitely do not look like they used to. Lets just say push up/padded bras are my friends (gentlemen if you're still reading, sorry to burst your bubble, but those beautiful babies you like to help create really do take a toll on all of us women). So I was so so so super excited upon donning this lovely creation, and just loving what it did for me. I had shape all of the sudden! And it looked natural too! Oh and those pads? Very good at concealing the whole 'headlight' effect too, definitely no worries there.
Support - does it support? Yes it does. Do I realize I'm not exactly the best girl to talk about needing a lot of support? Yes, I do. I've gotten smaller as my dear children have grown, but I've run through pregnancy and nursing and know how stinkin hard it was to deal with bras then, and I still know I never want any bounce even now. And this bra does its job. I've worn it during all types of training, and at every race but 1 this year I believe, including Ironman St George which includes a marathon of course. I've never felt like I was bouncing. That said, yes, the Handful is probably not the best high impact bra for those larger than a C. But that doesn't mean it can't be a great weight room, yoga, spinning, etc bra at the gym where let's be serious, it's a meat market anyway, so you might as well look good :)
Fabric - I was concerned as soon as I held the bra that it wouldn't dry quickly. I was worried these lovely shaped and gently lifting removable pads would just be sponges and leave me wet my whole race, but......NOT SO! I was pleasantly surprised to have no issues at all with it drying. I haven't paid enough attention (because it hasn't demanded it), but it's for sure dry within 30 minutes or so of being on the bike WITH the pads in. *I did hear of a lady soaking and then freezing the removable pads though and then putting them back in the morning of a hot bike race, interesting!*  No chaffing issues with this bra either. The fabric is very comfortable and seems to breath really well too, and I've never seen my pink one with sweat stains. The bra is easy to get on and off, which is always important. Sizing is great, and if you're falling between two sizes, I say size down. Oh and it comes in it's own little wash bag, so machine washing is a breeze.
Cost - $39.95.  No, not your Target $10 clearance special, but so worth it.  You get a bra that you'll really like the way you look in, a bra that does it's job, and it'll last a lot longer than a cheaper sports bra.  Look around at other online athletic retailers, really well made bra's typically go for $30-$50 .  This bra is worthy of it's cost.

So there you go, I love this bra. As there slogan states, "It flatters, not flattens". It feels good, does what it should, and looks great. So I thought how much I'd love one of you to have one so I contacted the good people at Handful Inc. And, drum roll please..........they're giving me a code to give to one of you for a FREE bra of your choice off their website (you only pay shipping). That's a $40 value ladies!! I'm so excited! So here's the deal. I'm super impressed that Handful was willing to give away a free bra, so I want to help them out. If you will become a fan of Handful Inc on Facebook (they send promos to fans by the way), you can have a chance at your own FREE Handful bra. Just post some brief little schpele here on my blog about why you'd like a Handful too, and let me know that you became a fan, and poof, I'll enter you in the random drawing. You have until next Thursday, Sept 9th at 11:59pm to post a comment below, and then I'll announce a winner on Friday Sept 10th. Cool? Awesome!

Your favorite tri shop Powertri carries these wonderful bras now, and I seem to recall a 15% off code on my blog somewhere to help you out  :)  Go in and try one out or order online, you won't be dissapointed.

Free stuff anyone??

As I mentioned in the last post, it was so great to meet new people at Stansbury last week, seriously, so cool! Several of you said you read my blog, and I love to have new friends in person or just in the online world, so how about a little giveaway? If I can get 5 of you who have never commented to post a comment somewhere this week (so by Sunday), then I'll throw your names and the names of anyone who comments who I know as well (IF I get the 5 new comments) into a random drawing for a package of bright green KT Tape. I'll also post a 15% dicount code to Powertri (ok I was supposed to do that awhile ago, but still....) Ok? Ready go!

This is good stuff by the way.  Created in Utah, used around the world.  KT Tape has tons of great videos to show you how to tape any injured or irritated areas up.  The stuff stays on for days too, and in the water.  Comes in lots of fun colors too because we all know how important accessorizing is   :)