joyful bath review & giveaway!!

on of my favorite activities is taking a long bath and reading a good book. when kyle and i were house hunting there were 3 things i wanted. an awesome kitchen, a backyard, and a fabulous bathtub. i got 2 1/2 … but most importantly i got my bathtub. 

i do not really know how or when, but i was introduced to the joyful bath company and was told to try them because “if i liked epsom salts, i would love their salts more”. so i bought a little packet of “green tea glee” to try them out and was pleasantly surprised!  i used them in hot baths and ice baths, baths to recover from runs and when i just wanted to relax. when it snowed in January i started to really really follow the joyful bath company on twitter and learned that they do something called #bathday on Wednesdays.   (explanation: they tell their faithful followers to tweet one of their product names and if you’re the 11th or 4th or 9th or 24th or *you get it* you win a free product). 

Ok… but in all seriousness.  I love this company for so many reasons. 1st and most importantly, their products are phenomenal.  Up until being introduced to them I swore by epsom salts in my ice baths and hot baths after long runs, blast900 workouts, & on days my legs just hurt. The glorious thing about their products are that many of them have epsom salts mixed into their concoctions.  2nd. The owner. Founder. Creator. She is an athlete so she understands muscle pains and aches. when i get to chat with her on twitter (or whoever runs the twitter page) she is always so joyful and encouraging! 3rd. they’re also wonderful because they ship CRAZY fast.  And I mean a package can get from Bethesda Maryland to Atlanta Georgia in 3 days.  It is like they have their own little postman! 4th. they smell glorious.

I like so many of their salts for different reasons.  post run or for sore muscle days I like Ginger Snap, ‘Nilla Buttermilk, and/or Oatsy Floatsie.  Long day at the office?  I really like Green Tea Glee or Oatsy Floatsie (the lavender. love.)  And when I want to just take a bath to relax or read… Citrus Buzz or Oatsy Floatsie.  (Guess, which one is my favorite!!)   I also enjoy mixing two kinds together… like Oatsy Floatsie & ‘Nilla Buttermilk :o) ….I have heard good things about Mellow Yellow, yet I have never tried it.  Maybe next?

Since I love finding new fun things and I like sharing new fun things… I am giving 1 reader the chance to win 3 samples of 3 products they love or just want to try.

what to do to be the lucky winner:

1. follow my blog. or tell me that you have been following. (+1)
2. follow joyful bath on twitter @joyfulbathco (+1)  …and once you follow them you can play #bathday on Wednesdays!!
3. scoot over to their website (link above) and tell me what 3 bath salts you have tried/want to try/like (+1)
4. your ice bath secret. what do you do to make it manageable?!

Happy entering and hopefully winning. this wonderful fabulous giveaway will end in 1 week. 7 days from now—next sunday the winner will be announced.

The Nike Free Saga / Review

Months ago I decided I wanted a pair of Nike Free running shoes but I told myself I would get through Marine Corps Marathon training and running before buying a pair.  Then all of a sudden it was holiday shopping time so I just decided to throw them on my Christmas list. I figured there would not be any problem in finding them or getting them and since they were #1 on my list someone, somewhere had to break down and buy them for me... ...that is until Oprah came out with her stupid "Oprah's Favorite Things" episode and proclaimed that she LOVED the Nike Free Running Shoe. .....and with that every Oprah watching woman in America (and probably the world) went out and bought herself a pair of Nike Free shoes (to probably never ever run in, but to grocery shop and take little Tommy to daycare in).  Oprah is the modern day King Midas... everything she touches (or says) turns to gold and everyone has just got to have it and/or do what she says (i would insert my political opinion here, but that is too controversial so i won't say it.)

And that leaves me... the RUNNER who refuses to buy Vibrams because they look ridiculous but wants to try and "barefoot"/minimalist shoe thing who has heard amazing things about Nike Free shoes ..... shoeless. Ba Hum Bug. :o(

Originally... the plan was to go to zappos and get them for $85 and free shipping.  But thanks to Oprah and her faithful followers I was forced to look all over the Internet for a pair and found a pair at DSW for $79.95 (already cheaper) + free shipping + $10.00 off thanks to rewards gift certificate. So $75.55 with tax.  I did not get the muted blue and gray ones I initially wanted, but ordered a dark gray and loud teal pair.  There is a catch though: I ordered a 9.5 rather than a 10 hoping that maybe they fit. THEN! I went to Dicks Sporting Goods one day (just because) and they had a pair of black and hot pink ones.  In size 10. (and i was right, the 9.5 were too small, so I would have to return them to DSW) So, I snagged them - not really liking the color scheme.  Since I did not like the overall look of the shoe, I did not take them out of my car, I left them in the back seat hoping that maybe when I went to DSW they would have a size 10 and I could just exchange them and then return the pair from Dicks and still get them at the awesome price...  Well the DSW ones came and they were gorgeous and when I went to exchange them... they did not have a single pair of nike free shoes in any size so I had to return them ... leaving me with a pair of black and hot pink shoes ... which honestly are a little too loud looking for me, but I figured beggars can't be choosers and I FINALLY have a pair of Nike Free running shoes so suck it up and run in them.  :: big sigh. deep breathe. big sigh. ::

BUT!!! As I searched for a picture of said loud shoes to post for your viewing pleasure, I stumbled across Shoe Station and across a pair of size 10 in the same coloring of the pair from DSW for $79.99 with free shipping and then with a 20% off coupon making them $69.11 (which was cheaper than DSW and I hate paying full price for anything). SO.. BAM I ordered them with tons of excitement and I tracked the package and tracked the package.  Then, it snowed and iced in Atlanta throwing UPS for a tailspin and closing my office for 3 days.  SO, when UPS was allowed to work again, my office was still closed and UPS tried to deliver my shoes. when they learned that my company was closed, the driver decided to play Santa and gave my shoes to some random receptionist named "nelson" at some random company. enter anger and fear that i may never have the cute shoes and be stuck with the black and pink ones... WELL,  I ended up coming to the office with a sticker on my door telling me to follow the rainbow to find the pot of gold.  Suite 750 had my shoes. My coveted shoes.  And then I returned the other pair to Dicks.

So... after all this, I of course just had to try them out.  And after a few runs and wearing them around the apartment ... my final opinion is this.

• They are very pleasing to the eye, insanely light, and fight like a sock -- however, the "tongue" of the shoe may drive me nutty.
• Super comfy.
• There is VERY little padding on the bottom and that is because they're supposed to simulate barefoot running
• The toe box is HUGE so the shoe does not feel too tight, yet my toes/foot is snug so I do not predict any bli
• This may just be me... but I can for sure feel my legs getting stronger
• I hate my foot getting hot and these are totally breathable

I have a 5k this Saturday in Marietta and I am going to wear these to REALLY give them a whirl and I am going to try them out at blast900 in 2 weeks. 

And with that said. I won't have to buy these as often as my Brooks since I do not see myself logging high miles in them, but I will buy them again.  And thanks to Oprah I am going to have to watch zappos website...

wigwam socks review.

a few months back natalie from wigwam sent me an email thanking me for being such a fan of wigwam and sent me some socks that she loves and she trains in. they came in a pretty box and with a really nice handwriten note and i was really stoked to get them and then try them all out. it  has taken me months to do this review because of sheer laziness and not really knowing how to describe 5 pairs of socks. really. that is a hard task since i always thought a sock was just a sock and once you find something you love, in the running world you tend to not change. plus i tend to just grab a pair of socks from the drawer and i only grabbed the free ones every so often, but i have been wearing most of the socks and others i have not tried just yet (forgive me) … but since people have been wondering about socks a lot lately (or at least my twitter friends are) – i decided to stop being lazy and review some of the ones natalie shared with me.

there are many things that i love about wigwam and that have kept me wearing them for so long and kept me buying them.

1. i have never ever ever blistered when wearing wigwams.
2. all the ones i have tried have no toe seam like thing so it’s like the sock is 1 big piece of fabric. no toe seam = no irritation,
3. they’re super comfy to wear
4. they may be pricey but they are made so so so well. I don't have to worry about them falling apart, getting holes, etc..
5. for the most part, they’re light, breathable,  and comfy to wear.

so onto the little write ups on the free pairs of socks i scored…

racey: these ones were my fave and the most comfortable and i am currently sad since i am missing one of them so I cannot wear them anymore (and I cannot seem to find them at REI so I don't know where to get them). they are so so so cushy and comfortable. they are cut just right – so none of the sock is showing – and despite being thicker than the average sock i normally like and am drawn to, they don’t make my foot hot or uncomfortable. i have found myself wearing these around the house just because and grabbing them most often to throw in my gym bag. as mentioned, i currently only have 1 racey sock so i have not been able to wear them, but once i find the match i will run in them again and when I find out where to buy some I am stocking up. =)
ironman tailwind: i like these. i like these a lot. i actually had bought myself a pair or two before getting the free pair. they have just the right amount of cushion and they keep my foot dry and cool for the most part. they were not my favorites on the super hot days {i am weird, i hate hot feet when i run and i tend to think about my feet midrun} but now that fall is coming back they’re working out well. The cut is just perfect, giving the heel and back of the foot just the right amount of coverage and they are comfy. i have always been a big fan of the "ironman" socks and these ones did not disappoint. these are $12.00 at REI and I feel they’re worth the high price tag and I will for sure continue buying these ones.
ironman surge pro: this sock had it’s ups and downs for me. the first thing i noticed was that it was cut too high for me (i don’t like my sock showing or doing over my ankle) but i noticed that it was lightweight which i love.  i am honestly on the fence with this sock – i liked how it was tight on my foot (but not too tight) yet they did not cause blisters, but it lacked enough padding for me. i also did not find that it kept my foot as cool as i would like in both the hot summer and cool fall. i will 100% keep wearing this sock especially for the shorter runs and i do want to see how they do in the fall/winter. I would rate these a 7 out of 10 because I really couldn't complain about them.  If the cut was lower I would for sure wear them more often, since we all know I don't do all my scheduled long runs. ;)
ironman spark pro: these ones just did not do it for me. i thought they were cut way too high. i thought they hugged my foot well and did not blister but they did not breathe as much as i would have liked and my feet just felt hot and uncomfortable.. the weirdest thing i noticed about these socks is that i think they cut off the circulation to my feet (yes, i untied my shoes and loosened them and they still feel asleep).. when i run in these my feet tend to fall asleep and i don’t know if it’s because they’re cut so high and so tight, but it is weird.  i kept these ones in my bag for spin class  – not so much of the outside running. i really have not put too many miles in with these on so i cant say too much about them.
trail trax pro: these ones are still in their packaging. i am kinda scared of these ones due to how thick they are. also – they’re evidently ideal for cool weather running and atlanta has not yet seem cool weather (yeah it is 70+ degrees currently). i will try these this winter – i promise but since i hate hot feet i just have not yet.

i know everyone has personal preference about their sock and the cut, the cushiness, the colors, the texture and materials, etc.  I know I am really picky and when i first started running and trying socks i tried everything from thorlo to goldtoe to the target champion brand and then finally found and loved the wigwam brand.  But if you’re ever in the market to try a new brand, i really am a HUGE fan of Wigwams. to rank them 1-5: 1) racey 2) tailwind 3)surge pro 4)spark pro 5) trax pro

POM Wonderful review.

A few weeks back I got an email from Ryan at POM Wonderful telling me that he came across my blog & was enjoying looking at it/reading it and he wanted to know if I would be interested in a case of POM Wonderful Pomegranate juice. Even before Ryan approaching me I had a deep love of POM and their products but I really did not know too much about them or their beverages other than they were (a) super tasty and (b) good for you. But of course, him offering up a free case of POM Pomegranate juice was something I could not turn down. After thinking about it, I realized that even though I love pomegranate everything I have never bought or drank a bottle of straight pomegranate juice and I has always stuck to their teas... so this was a good opportunity to try something new and fresh.

A little about POM: POM Wonderful is the only company that grows, harvests, processes, and ships their own pomegranates. They grow their own pomegranates in California’s San Joaquin Valley, pick it by hand, squeeze it and manufacture their own bottles! All of this is for quality control. Numerous independent laboratory tests have shown that POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice has superior antioxidant content, ounce for ounce, compared to other juices and beverages.

And my review: To be honest, when I took my first swig (and first bottle) I thought that it super tart and I was not too sure about it. But since I had a free case and Kyle was not interested in it, I decided to give it another whirl and after drinking it and drinking it I really do like it. At first sip, it has a tart taste followed by a bitter taste, but I learned you cannot chug it. It is a product and a juice that you can (and need to) savor and enjoy in small bits. it kind of has a cranberry/grape taste to it - it's unique and i like it. Ryan who initially approached me mentioned that he likes making the smoothies post workout, but i never did try that so I can't tell you if I agree with him or not. but i do know that pomegranate has great health benefits and i would continue to drink it. it's just a bit pricey, that's the main downfall.

other uses: smoothies. pomegranate martinis. cupcakes. there are a bunch of recipes on their website here ...and if once i invite sweets back into my life i want to try and make the cupcakes.
Where to purchase: i know you can get it at the some grocery stores in the refrigerated section and some gas stations, but here is the store locator so you can find a store close to you.



but POM i do miss your glass containers for the teas. I have about 5 in my cabinet and I would love more.