Coffee Meets Protein: Click Powder

I had a pretty intense struggle going for awhile when I started training for half marathons. In the mornings when I'm not training, I almost always have a travel mug full of coffee. But when I'm training, I drink a protein shake for breakfast 5 out of 7 days a week. It seemed impractical (and kind of wasteful) to make a protein shake AND a mug of coffee - so I was stuck compromising. On days when I had my protein shakes, I was almost ALWAYS dragging a little bit in the morning because I didn't have that jolt of caffeine like I was used to.

So let me show you about the face I made when I discovered that there is a PROTEIN POWDER that TASTES LIKE COFFEE with THE SAME AMOUNT OF CAFFEINE AS A DOUBLE SHOT ESPRESSO.

That face. That is the face I made.

Let me introduce those of you who aren't familiar to this miracle product from heaven. CLICK Espresso Protein Powder comes in Mocha & Vanilla, is packed with 15 grams of protein, two shots o real espresso coffee, and 23 vitamins & minerals. Whether you drink protein shakes in coordination with your training or your diet - this is an absolute MUST HAVE for anyone looking for a perfect morning meal replacement.

I even got a fancy 20 oz. Click blender bottle (which is slightly smaller than your typical blender bottle) that is perfect portion-wise. They do have these on their website, as well, for $7.99.

I tried both the Mocha & the Vanilla Latte flavors. I truly have the say that I enjoyed both of them, but I love chocolate so Mocha was my favorite. I want to note here that these do not have a weird artificial taste to them at all. There's no weird aftertaste or bitterness to the coffee flavor because it's ACTUALLY coffee. That was my main concern for this product, and I'm happy to say that I genuinely enjoy drinking it because it tastes so good. 

This is the Mocha powder itself. Each canister comes with a scooper & you put two scoops into your water to make a single shake. You can really get fun with your recipes, too. Mix it with ice, heat it up, add in other flavors... the possibilities are essentially the same as you'd have with your typical cup of coffee. The Click website actually has a ton of really awesome recipes you can test out, too.

My favorite way to drink it is to blend it with cold water (you can see the powder sitting on top of the water here before I shook it up) & then add some ice. The ice kind of freezes it a little bit and gives it kind of a watery slushy consistency. I have to note, as well, that this keeps me full until lunch time, as well. It's not a huge portion by any means, but it's 100% effective in terms of getting you your caffeine fix and filling you up.

If you're interested in buying or trying Click (sample packs of 3 are available for just $4.95), you can visit their website here. I have to note that it's also available in decaf if you're one of those people who starts tweaking if they have too much caffeine :) 

Big shout out to Click for being so sweet to me & for making a product I can truly say has become one of my daily staples! You guys have a great thing going.

Keep Running,

Kelli

Kell On the Run: Squarebar Review

This time of year is incredibly crazy for me. Between training for races, running races, working, & gearing up for my studio's annual recital in June, I find myself multi-tasking quite a bit. One of these multi-tasks involves eating in the car, and this becomes a heck of a lot easier when I have convenient foods to eat in said car.

In the same sense, I don't want to go through a McDonald's drive-thru. As convenient as chicken nuggets may be, I try pretty hard to behave myself during the week & stick to eating healthy. So as my quest continues to bring you healthy, quick, on-the-go-solutions - I present to you the Squarebar:

Three different flavors available: cocoa almond, cocoa crunch, & cocoa coconut (my personal favorite). You can get Squarebar's through Abe's Market in packs of 12 for $35. 

If you're a chocolate lover, you will really love these little devils. All of them are coated in organic dark chocolate & contain no artificial flavors or colors. They're also only 200 calories a bar, which makes them great for before the gym or to hold you over before dinner or whatever. I also have to note that they're totally organic, don't contain any gluten, soy, or dairy, and they're also Vegan friendly if that's your thing.

I think their size is perfect, too. I run into a lot of nutrition bars that are either too big or too small and I end up either wanting more or wadding up the portion I don't want to eat in the wrapper and forgetting about it in my car for a week. That's usually a fun surprise when I go to clean my car out and find a rock hard piece of granola bar in my center console.

The texture of these is pretty unique, as well. This one (the cocoa coconut bar) has visible pieces of coconut in it which I really liked since I am such a coconut fan. But they're not really chewy-chewy OR crunchy. It's kind of a soft solid (I hope this is making sense), so have no fear if you're not a fan of those overly stick-to-your-teeth chewy or crumbs-all-over-your-car-seat crunchy bars. It's unique, but really good.

You can also keep up with Squarebar via their website and facebook page. I'm always thrilled to find these companies that started in someone's kitchen and evolved into a really great product for healthy, active people. Big thanks to Andrew for hooking up Runkellirun.com & introducing us to a seriously great product!

Keep Running,

Kelli

5ks with Rainbow Leopard Legs

It's really unfortunate that I'm writing this post right now about how I just ran a 5k in beautiful weather last weekend and now it's quite literally raining ice outside. Pittsburgh weather has been so up and down lately, and it's such a bad time of year for that. I am totally over running on the treadmill every single time I train :( Breathing the hot, smelly air of the dude next to you running in a sweatsuit is not nearly as enjoyable as breathing fresh, Spring air. I have high hopes for next week.. hopefully this all goes away.

So anyways, I ran a race last weekend to benefit the Athletic Trainers Association here in Pittsburgh. It was along the river, which was pretty nice, except for the fact that it smelled like Seaworld in certain areas. It was like 50 degrees, though, so I honestly was just so thrilled to not need 18 layers.

I tried out my new leggings from B-Skinz during this race and it allowed me to win the award for the most awesome bottom half.

There wasn't really an award for that, but I would have won if there was.

These are their capri length rainforest leggings

They're $26 through their website

If you're into bright colors and crazy prints, you definitely should check out B-Skinz. They have ankle length leggings, capri length leggings, shorts, sports bras, skorts, and more. I also like their stuff because it's high-quality, and most of the crazy leggings I buy are from Wal-Mart and have a hole in them after a couple runs. I also have to add that they make crazy leggings for guys, too - so if you're a male runner who wants to run with Cheetah print legs, they totally have you covered. 

I really enjoyed the fact that we were able to hang out in the Steeler's indoor training facility before and after the race. It's an awesome building, and the turf was nice and comfortable to stretch on before the run. This race was very well-organized (which we all know is one of my major pet-peeves) and there was a station for everything both before and after the run. They had a silent auction and some raffle items, and I think my mom was slightly devastated that she didn't bring any cash or a check book with her, making her ineligible to bid on the sweet Pittsburgh Penguins stuff they had up for bid. Either way, it was a nice little set-up and there were about 300 people there.

I would post the picture they took of me crossing the finish line in this race, but I look like the biggest idiot on earth. So unless you want to dig through the archives and find me, that one will remain in the vault.

I did, however, PR for 2013 running it in 25:48. 11th in my age group, which surprised me, but there were a ton of serious runners in this race and less of a "let's do this for fun" crowd. Either way, I was happy to run it in under 26 and I am hoping to keep shaving time off from there. It's amazing what a difference the warm weather makes.

Keep Running,

Kelli

Win A Sparkly Soul Headband!

When I wore my Sparkly Soul headband to dance last week - all of my girls basically looked at it like this:

I'm not gonna lie, when I got it in the mail I kind of had the same reaction. I have been really into non-slip headbands lately, and finding a brand that makes them in pure glitter form is pretty exciting. Aside from the fact that they have the ever-important velvet liner, these bands are a little bit different than most non-slip headbands. Instead of having only one small elastic portion on them, the entire band stretches.

I actually really like the light purple/rainbow color combo, and you could even reverse the band if you wanted to. The glittery side is slightly textured, so it would have the same "grip" quality as the velvet side. I also had a couple questions when I wore it as to whether or not the glitter would flake off. I have to note that this is not actual glitter glued to the fabric. It's actually just textured metallic fabric that has the look of glitter. It's really quite pretty in person, and I don't think the pictures do it justice!

My band is rainbow with a light purple liner, but they have a ton of different colors to choose from. I also prefer thicker bands (mine is 5/8 of an inch), but they also have thin bands that are 3/8 of an inch. Even if you're not a runner, these are great for dance, cheer, gymnastics, yoga, etc... It's really just a cute way to spice up your hair when you're too lazy to do anything too exciting :)

Now that I think about it, this would actually be perfect for a St. Patrick's day run!

Sparkly Soul (who you can find on Facebook & follow on Twitter) was nice enough to offer Runkellirun.com readers the chance to win a free headband of their choice. All you have to do is visit the Runkellirun.com Facebook page to enter. Make sure you check it out before Friday, March 18th. That's when a winner will be contacted!

If you want to visit the Sparkly Soul website in the meantime to check out their full selection, you can find them at Sparklysoul.com. Thanks a bunch to Sparkly Soul for hooking me up & I hope that you all add a little sparkle to runs this Spring!

Keep Running,

Kelli

Play Hard. Train Harder. Get Dirty.

I'm really happy to announce a new affiliate of Runkellirun.com & that's GET DIRTY tees.

Even though GET DIRTY was founded by a baseball player, the more I read about it - the more I could relate it to running & how I personally felt about the sport. The brand stands for working hard & giving your all no matter the circumstance. You don't get better by thinking about it, you get better by training harder & sometimes - getting dirty.

They talk in their "about me" section about how their motto (Play Hard, Train Harder, Get Dirty) is a good reminder to keep pushing when the workouts get tough. When I'm running in their gear, I can't help but feel a little extra badass with that slogan across my back:

This is the red & black short sleeved shirt. This comes in a couple different colors, and there are also fitted versions for girls. Only $15.00 & they're printed on both sides.

This is the back of the shirt. I love their motto.

Sorry that my back is sweaty in this lol.. I took this after my run today.

They also have long-sleeved shirts (no back print on this one) for $20, as well as hoodies, sweatpants, & polos. I've pretty much been living in GET DIRTY gear for the past week.

Anytime I can represent a brand that I feel, in turn, represents ME - it feels really good. Companies founded by inspirational athletes who understand and appreciate hard work are my favorites, and it's a shame that they get overshadowed by big name brands that don't necessarily have the heart that they do. If you're looking for gym gear with more than just a swoosh on it, check out http://www.getdirtytees.com & grab yourself a shirt or two. Their site also features a bunch of pictures of runners wearing GET DIRTY tees during mud runs, which I think is a pretty awesome idea.

Thanks to GET DIRTY for partnering up with Runkellirun.com & I look forward to working with them both now & in the future.

Keep Running (& get dirty),

Kelli

Freeze Your Lymphs Off 5k & My TrailHead

I realize this post is a smidge behind, but you'll have to forgive me. I was waiting for race photos to be posted & they finally went public tonight. Two weekends ago, my boyfriend & I ran the "Freeze Your Lymphs Off 5k For Lymphoma" run. It was held in Sewickley, PA which is about a half an hour away from where I live just outside of Pittsburgh.

I love running community races. I love the feeling of them and the sense of togetherness is something you won't find anywhere else. In this case, the young man who put on the race did it for a big reason. His father was diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma, and he holds this run to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. When I see a kid who's in high school doing something like that - I want to be a part of it. Josh not only put on a fantastic race, but he was also really personable and organized throughout the entire event. I give him a lot of credit & I hope to make the run an annual thing.

Here's Josh holding down the fort

It was cold (obviously) and I apologize for not getting my traditional "car dash thermometer" shot. It was in the 20's, though & there was actually a bit of snow that fell during this one. I can't really complain because I didn't exactly hate ice cold snowflakes landing & melting on my sweaty cheeks :)

I must admit the scenery looked very pretty with the fresh snow on the trees. And it kills me to admit that because I really, really dislike snow.

No clue how I managed to look this chipper in this photo, but I don't hate it! You can see that once again I was wearing my Cool-Cat Pro to keep my neck (and occasionally my nose/mouth) warm & protected when the wind picked up. This race was also the perfect opportunity to try out my new TrailHeads Goodbye Girl Ponytail Headband. 

If you've never seen TrailHeads before or heard of them, they're great for girls like me who want to wear an earband without their ponytail on top of their head. It might seem high maintenance, but with the way my hair is layered, high ponytails flip around all over the place and cause me more annoyance than anything. TrailHeads make both these headbands and "ponytail hats" which cover your entire head instead of just your ears. The ponytail headband I wore is only $20.00 through the TrailHeads website & it's definitely something I'd recommend if you run outdoors during the winter months. 

And this is my "pensive runner" impression

I came in about fifteen seconds later than I would have liked to, but I ended up placing 6th in my age group (20-29) & 80th overall (out of 238 finishers). Could I have been better? Yeah. But for the third race of 2013, I'm feeling pretty good about where I am.

And don't ask me how, but my boyfriend managed to avoid every camera on the route. He did the same thing in the Freaky 5k last year, too. Maybe he's a vampire.

Big thanks to Josh for putting together an amazing race & for his dedication to the cause. Being able to donate $12,000 to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is an amazing accomplishment & I am very happy to say that I was a part of that.

Keep Running,

Kelli

Guest Post: 5 Things Every Runner Should Have

Another great guest post from Dave. If you've recently gotten into running & you're starting to really get serious - these are some great things to consider looking into. While every runner is different, we can all benefit from some relatively simple tips! 

***

I am currently looking at my Facebook news feed.  Looking through a couple days’ worth of posts by friends, I am noticing a trend.  People are starting to run!  Whether it is a “Couch to 5K” program, a training regimen for a race, or just to get in shape, people are running.  Why?  I would like to think they see runners like me, Kelli, or a friend and get excited when they see us having so much fun!  Another possibility is that new runners see how much you can improve your overall health by taking a run a couple times a week.  Or perhaps, they get dragged into it via peer pressure of a runner friend.  The reasons, while numerous, are not what I am going to talk about today.

All the time new runners come up to me and ask, “Dave, what type of equipment do I need for running?”  While it is obvious you really don’t need any equipment whatsoever to run, there are 5 items that I highly suggest every runner (beginner to advanced) have.  These items, while optional, have helped me immensely in my training, and have allowed me to become the runner I am today.

Running Shoes:  This seems obvious right?  While this may seem like a jest toyour intelligence, this is always the first item I recommend.  Running shoes are designed for one reason and one reason only: running.  I am not going to go into the complexities of running mechanics and how your shoes should fit; however, I will say that everyone runs differently.  Depending on how you run, you will be fit into a shoe that is conducive to your personal comfort, height, weight, gait, and experience.  I highly recommend going to a LRS (Local Running Store) to be fit for running shoes.  They are experts in gait analysis (how you run) and they will be able to determine what type of shoe is right for you.  The right shoe will ensure that you will run comfortable and injury free; running in the wrong shoes can hurt you!!!  So run (or drive) to your LRS and get fit, I promise you will not be disappointed.  Side note: Most of these stores are focused on the runner, not on their bottom line.  They will usually let you return/ swap out shoes if you do not like them; plus, you get to support local business, win/win!

GPS Watch:  If you don’t have one, you are already behind.  I know, I know I know, GPS Apps are on smart phones now.  The issue with this is plain and simple: looking at your IPhone strapped to your arm is immensely harder than looking at a watch.  This does not allow the runner to accurately pace themselves.  Unless you do all your running on a track or map out your run every time, it is hard to see how far/fast you are going.  I know, I know, I know, they are expensive!  I had to deal with this problem too!  However, with new technology comes a cheaper price.  Instead of paying a hefty rate, one can buy a GPS watch under $100.  Although they may not have the all the “bells and whistles” that the top-notch ones have, they give you the basic stats of distance running: how long, fast, and far you are running.  I don’t mean to take away emphasis of good old fashioned “feeling”, but the technology exists, I suggest using it!

Running Socks:  Another item that I have found makes all the difference is running socks.  While you may not want to spend $10 a pair like me, there is one factor that the savvy shopper should be aware of when buying socks for running,  It is no cotton whatsoever.  Cotton does not wick away sweat and when wet socks chafe against feet, they cause blisters.  Blisters suck.  So, no cotton, ok?   Pick synthetic fabrics that wick away sweat; dry feet=happy feet.  

Proper Running Attire:  Same as the socks.  Go for sweat wicking polyester fabrics rather than soggy cotton threads.  Running clothing should fit properly too!  Skip the baggy shorts and shirts for athletic fitting garbs.  Not saying you should wear super short shorts, but wear something that will give you freedom of movement while keeping you cool and dry.  From my experience, I tend to spend the extra money on running clothing, but anything athletic and synthetic should do!

Good Form:  Good running form (in my opinion) is the most important item you can have.  There are multitudes of form techniques out there and if you are just starting out (or looking to improve); I always recommend improving your technique.  There are great books that guide even the newest of runners in proper form and technique.  Speaking from experience, I increased my speed, recovery time, and decreased my injury rate from buying a $15 book and taking heed of its sage wisdom.   Good form running consists of a midfoot strike as opposed to a heel striking motion.  Do yourself a favor, go on YouTube and watch some videos of elite Kenyan marathoners.  You will see that they have all the aspects of good form running.  Check out Chi Running, Natural Running Center, Pose Method, Newton Running, or any other natural/midfoot running book/site.  It has taken me to new heights and I have a feeling it will help you too!  Let’s just say, if it is good enough for the Kenyans, it is good enough for all of us!

I hope this helps! If you have any questions, concerns, or need a little helpful “brand” advice.  Email me at Thatnavysailor@gmail.com.  

Keep Running,

Kelli & Dave