Safer Open Water Swimming with Restube

A while back I got the opportunity to test out something that would be helpful to people like myself that are apprehensive about open water swimming alone.   It's a personal flotation device that you can take with you when you swim in open water, or during any other water activity that you may not be wearing a life jacket for.

I'm sure you're probably wondering how that works.

Enter Restube.

It's portable, inflatable tube that comes in a little pouch that you can wear around your waist.

When I unpacked the box, I was a little skeptical that this would actually work.  But the instructions were very clear on how to insert the CO2 cartridge and how to position the belt on your body for the best results.  I didn't want to waste a CO2 cartridge just testing it out on land so I waited for the opportunity to swim with it.

Restube is very simple to use and size wise it is very small and compact.  It fit perfectly around my waist and sat nicely in the small of my back.  The pouch is roughly 6 inches wide by 3.5 inches high so it's fairly unobtrusive.  

We were in Mont Tremblant for the September long weekend so that was going to be my testing ground.   I fastened the belt around my waist and waded into the water.  I started swimming and didn't notice any sort of additional drag at all.  The belt was noticeable around my waist mainly because I don't normally wear anything like that in the water.  But it didn't bother me at all and after a while I didn't even notice it was there.

I swam out a bit further and pulled the release cord.  It was easily accessible.  The tube deployed and filled up quickly with no loud noises or crazy force.  Before I knew it, I had a fully inflated, bright yellow tube to rest on.  

While I was floating around on this, I noticed that end of the rip cord actually had a little whistle on it. So if you were in distress, you could alternate between yelling and blowing the whistle. GENIUS.  

Inflated, the tube is more than wide enough for a person to rest their torso on.  It's bright yellow so it's clearly visible from a distance.  You could also wave the tube in the air to signal for help.  You can also continue to swim with the buoy inflated if you want to make sure you are visible to boat traffic.  For triathletes, this alleviates the need to convince someone to paddle along side them in a boat while they swim.  And, if you get tired, it's easy enough to roll over and grab the tube and rest on it.  

This video from Innovation Sports shows you how Restube works. 

   

It's a pretty ingenious little invention.  My only criticism would be that it doesn't have a place to carry things like a key.  Other than that, it's very easy to use and maintain.   It deflated easily and then it folds back up and slips right back into the pouch.   It's small enough that you can take it anywhere.  The C02 cartridges can be a bit problematic when traveling.  In my experience, you're not able to bring them with you but it's worth contacting your airline to see what their requirements are.

You can order your own Restube directly from Innovation Sports.

Would this make you feel safer in open water?  Would you inflate it first and use it for visibility or would you keep it in the pouch around your waist as a safety precaution?

Disclaimer:  I was sent this product to review.  I was not compensated for it any way.  All opinions are my own.  

Running Strong Book Review

This book could not have come to me at a better time.  Those of you that read along know I've been struggling with knee problems for the last year.  They finally seem to be getting better but not without a lot of trial and error.  So when Runner's World gave me the opportunity to review Dr. Jordan Metzl's Running Strong, I took it.

Runner's World sent me a digital copy to review but I am going to buy a hard copy of it because I'm old school (and there's a cool app you can use with it).  There's so much great information in here that I'd like to be able to just pick the book up and flip through it.  I haven't quite embraced this whole e-book thing.  Never the less, that didn't detract from the plethora of information in the book.

If I'm going to be buying a book that can help me be an injury free runner, ideally it's written by someone who IS an athlete themselves.   Dr. Metzl is just that.  He's done 32 marathons and 12 Ironmans.  All AFTER tearing his ACL and developing arthritis in his knee.  So the man clearly knows his stuff.  I wish he practiced in Toronto. 

The book is divided into five different parts and has plenty of pictures as well as a very cool interactive feature.  If you have a hard copy of the book and a smart phone, you can download an app called Blippar that you use to scan any page that has this icon on it.  This will then bring up a video on your phone of whatever it listed in the blurb.  This one is a video guide on how to select the right running shoe.  How cool is that???   I do wish I had received a hard copy of the book so I could check this out.  The five sections are also colour coded for easy reference.  

In Part one, called Nuts and Bolts, Dr. Metzl gets into the kinetic chain and how it works and why it's so important to strength train.  He talks about the gait cycle, good running mechanics and has a couple of tests you can do at home to figure out if you have a muscle imbalance. 

Part two, called Uh Oh, What's that Pain, has 9 chapters, each devoted to a different body part and the various aches and pains you may experience.  Of course this is the first place I went to when I got the book, ha ha.   This section is incredibly well illustrated and informative.  He gets into what you should do if you feel pain in a certain area and what it may be and how to treat it.  He does stress that this is not a substitute for going to your sports doc if things don't get better.  The other amazing thing is this chapter is the foam rolling instructions he gives for each body part as well as strengthening exercises you can do.  It's like having your own desk top physiotherapist - I say that because many of the exercises in here are ones that have been given to me by a physiotherapist, ha ha.

Part three is called Getting the Most out of Your Machine.  This section covers everything from the science of running physiology (VO2 max, lactate threshold etc) to strength training to proper foam rolling technique.  Dr. Metzl has a workout that he calls the Iron Strength workout and he goes through it in this section.   A lot of these exercises are ones that I've recently started doing so I'm hoping they help!  There are Blippar icons everywhere in this section so you can see the proper way to do each exercise. He also devotes a chapter to the mental aspect of training which is something that many people don't even think about but is just as important as training your body, especially if you're looking to improve.

Part Four delves into the things runners love to talk about:  the Tools of the Trade.   In this section he discusses the importance of nutrition, not just during runs but pre and post run as well.  He also talks about clothing, socks and of course, shoes, and how to choose the right shoe.   There's a Blippar video for that too. 

Part Five is called His and Hers and it gets into some of the gender specific things that male and female athletes have to deal with or watch out for. 

As if all of that wasn't enough, there's an Appendix that has a variety of training plans from 5km to the marathon that are suited for all levels of ability.  They include days for cross training with his Iron Strength plan as well.   Bonus!

I found this book to be one of the most informative and useful resources I've come across in a while.  Whether you're just starting out in the sport or have been pounding the pavement for years, this book should be part of your running library. 

Link to buy the book: http://bit.ly/Metzl15PR

Link to Dr. Metzl’s website: http://www.drjordanmetzl.com/

You can also follow Dr. Metzl online:

Twitter (@drjordanmetzl):  https://twitter.com/drjordanmetzl

Instagram (@drjordanmetzl):  https://instagram.com/drjordanmetzl/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/DrJordanMetzl

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Disclaimer:  I was given an electronic copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.   All opinions are my own.

 

It's the Bits! Recovery Bits Review & Giveaway!

Disclosure:  I was provided a sample of RECOVERYbits® in exchange for an honest review.

In the words of one of my favourite TV characters:  "Winter is Coming".   And we all know what that means.  Cootie season is upon us.  Followed closely by the Season of Overindulgence.  Scratch that.  They go hand in hand.   I don't know about you but I find when I over do it, I end up getting a cold.  Too much sugar, too much booze and too little sleep can only result in a visit by the cootie fairy in my world.

Enter RECOVERYbits®.  I'm sure many of you have probably heard of ENERGYbits®, right?  These are part of the ENERGYbits® line up.  You can check all the products out here.  Of all the products, I was most intrigued by the RECOVERYbits.   Given the amount I like to race, I'm always on the look out for new recovery products, especially supplements because compression socks can only do so much, ha ha.  According to the company website:

"RECOVERYbits® algae tabs are the most natural way to build your immune system.  RECOVERYbits® can aid your detox or cleanse by removing toxins naturally. They also help build your digestion, improve longevity and help reduce hangover symptoms.  With all these benefits it's remarkable that RECOVERYbits® have just one ingredient - chlorella algae.  Chlorella algae has been used in Asia for fifty years where it is prized for its many benefits."

Before I get into my review, a little bit about chlorella.  It's an algae that has the unique ability to pull toxins out of our cells and eliminate them through natural means (sweat, urine, etc).  It's packed with vitamins and nutrients like vitamin C, zinc as well as all the B vitamins.  It also contains 60% protein.  It has also been used to increase good bacteria in the intestine, along with a host of other things.   How's that for a super food?  A word of caution though,  not all chlorella supplements are created equal.  It all depends on how the crop used to make the supplement in question was cultivated, harvested and processed.   RECOVERYbits® are 100% organic non GMO so the quality is there.

The folks at ENERGYbits® sent me a tin with 2 servings in it. A single serving is 30 tabs.  They are fairly small in size but it took a good half a glass of water to get them all down.  They recommend swallowing them whole and not chewing them as they have a very "green" taste (I agree, I bit one to test it out and didn't really love the taste).   I kept them in my purse with me for about 2 weeks after I got them because I wasn't really working out hard and I didn't have any parties on the horizon but I figured there may be a day where I didn't feel good.  Work had been busy and I was feeling a little run down.  Sure enough, one Friday mid-day I felt like I had gotten hit by a Mack Truck.  I felt completely exhausted, I had a bit of a headache and my face was starting to feel hot.  Which is what usually happens when I'm fighting something.  Time to test out the bits!  I took one of the servings.  By the end of the day, I felt fantastic.  The headache was gone and my energy level had returned to normal.

A few weeks later after a particularly rough week of work, I started to feel the same way.  This time I only took half of the serving as I wanted to leave the other half for a Christmas party I was going to attend in a couple of weeks.  A few hours after taking them, I felt better.

The real test came this past weekend.  Our friends had their legendary Christmas martini party and I partook a fair bit.  I'm not a big drinker, other than my one Friday beer a week.  And I don't really drink hard liquor.  But these martinis were so good.  We had two parties that night and at the first one I had a glass of wine.  At the martini party I had 3 martinis.  For me, that's a LOT.  We rolled into the house around 3:00 am and I promptly took the remaining RECOVERYbits® crossing my fingers that they would help me feel somewhat human when I got up.

Amazingly, the half serving worked!  I didn't feel awesome but I felt a heck of a lot better than I should have.   My head was a bit foggy but other than that, I felt totally fine.  No headache, nothing.  I even had enough energy to go for a run a couple of hours after I got up.   I can only imagine how much better I would have felt if I took a full serving.

Needless to say, these are now going to be a part of my regular recovery routine.  If they can kick a hangover to the curb, I can only imagine how well they'll work after a hard workout.

Now for the FUN part!  The awesome folks at ENERGYbits® will be giving away a sample of RECOVERYbits® AND one of their brand new iphone arm bands to one lucky reader!  The contest is only open to U.S. residents unfortunately.  Sorry my fellow Canucks!

Entering is easy - just head on down to the Rafflecopter below and click away!

And, because the folks at ENERGYbits are so awesome, they are launching a special promotion starting tomorrow!  If you buy two bags of bits, you'll get a a complimentary gift bag that includes the following items:

* ENERGYbits® sports arm band
* ENERGYbits® sunglasses
* ENERGYbits® headband
* ENERGYbits® tin of bits
* RECOVERYbits® sample pack
* Candy canes and festive ribbons, all in a black organza bag.  The retail value is $50!  Not a bad little gift. 

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The Racing Weight Cookbook - Review!

As an endurance athlete, our nutritional requirements are somewhat different from other folks.   This is something I'm still learning 15+ years into my endurance sports lifestyle.  One thing I've definitely learned over the last few years is that what you put in to your body directly affects what you get out of it.  Knowing that, I try to eat as cleanly as possible which usually means I'm cooking something or other for dinner, which also means I need to plan ahead.  Sometimes life doesn't always work out that way.  Things come up.  You end up getting really busy at work and what limited time you have left in your day you devote to squeezing your workout in.  With no plan, you usually end up making less than ideal choices food wise.  Case in point:  last Thursday night, I had a 70 minute trainer ride and I got home from work a little later than normal so I got on the bike a little later than I would have liked.  G came downstairs when I was halfway through my ride and asked what we were doing for dinner.  I didn't even want to think about cooking something so I told him to order something.  I was SO HUNGRY that day that I ended up ordering sweet potato fries with my 1/4 chicken dinner + a salad.  And, I ate it ALL.  Did I need the fries?  Probably not.   But hunger led me to make a less than ideal choice.   But it doesn't have to be that way.  Yes, there are some days that I just want to have Swiss Chalet and french fries so I'm going to have them.  But it doesn't have to be a default.

Enter the lovely Georgie Fear.  I have never actually met Georgie but I have had the pleasure of knowing her virtually for almost 3 years (oh the wonder of the interwebz!).  I first "met" her in an online forum and have been gobbling up her recipes and nutritional knowledge ever since.  Her recipes are some of my go to favourites because they are simple, easy to prepare and they taste great.  When I heard that she was teaming up with Matt Fitzgerald to create the Racing Weight Cookbook, I was so excited.   Now, I'm going to come clean, I hadn't read Racing Weight before I got the cookbook but that is about to change. 

The first thing that struck me with this book was the way it was organized.  Not everyone has the desire or aptitude to spend hours in the kitchen making things and Matt & Georgie realize this so they've organized the recipes into sections for 1) The Athlete Who Doesn't Cook 2) The Athlete with Some Cooking Experience and 3) The Athlete Who Loves to Cook.  Each one of these sections is then broken down into breakfast, lunch & dinner.  The easy recipes are as simple as a smoothie or how to cook eggs 3 different ways.  The more complicated recipes are still quite simple in my opinion and I'd say that I fall into category three (on most days, ha ha).  

You will also find a code by the recipe that will tell you if it's a high protein (HP) recipe, a high carb (HC) recipe a vegetarian (V) recipe or a recovery (R) recipe.  This helps you figure out what you should eat in order to fuel your workouts and recovery.  The recipes also give you a Diet Quality Score (DQS).  DQS is the first step in the Racing Weight Program.  The program is based on 6 guidelines:

1.  Improve your diet quality
2.  Manage your appetite (I have a hard time with this!)
3.  Balance your energy sources
4.  Monitor yourself (again something I struggle with)
5.  Time your nutrition
6.  Train for racing weight  

Improving one's diet quality is probably one of the biggest factors in getting leaner and performing better.  I am a walking, talking testament to that fact.  For years I weighed anywhere between 130-135lbs.  At 5ft 5in, that's not out of the ordinary.  Even while training for both my Ironman races, I never really got much below 130lbs.  I'm going to chalk that up to two things:  1) the way I ate and 2) the way I trained at that point in time.  Because I was so busy training I relied on a lot of pre-packaged foods.  Frozen lasagna's, frozen pizzas etc.  Things that I could throw in the oven and cook while G and I were doing our evening workout.  Once I stopped relying on those things and actually cooking REAL food, the weight started to come off and stay off (imagine that!).   I'm now between 120 - 125lbs and my race performances have improved in leaps and bounds, despite getting older.

I've been cooking from this book on a regular basis since I got it a few weeks ago and I haven't been disappointed with anything I've made.  There are a few recipes in here that I was already familiar with as I have one of Georgie's other cookbooks (Fuel Up, which I also highly recommend).   Those of you that follow me on instagram know how much I love my pancakes due to the sheer amount of pictures I post of them.  Each one of my pancake recipes starts with Georgie's pancake recipe which was included in the Racing Weight cookbook.  They're delicious as is but also easily adaptable which I love.

Gingerbread pancakes - adapted from Georgie's recipe!

While they encourage you to cook as much as possible, there are also various recipe "hacks" in here that add more nutritional value to pre-packaged food.  One I really enjoyed was the Tomato Florentine soup.  It took no time at all and it was absolutely delicious.  They key with these is to find quality pre-packaged foods.  Another example they give is the 5 Minute Burrito using an Amy's bean and cheese burrito.  Definitely something I could get behind on a day where I am pressed for time and just want something quick, easy and healthy.

Tomato Florentine Soup

I'm loving this book so much it hasn't left my kitchen counter since I got it.  I think it's a very user friendly cookbook geared towards all levels of cooks.  I also feel that it's a solid resource to help athletes get their diet and nutritional goals on track.  Do you NEED to have the Racing Weight book to reap all the benefits...perhaps.  I do think that by following Matt's guidelines in this book that you will successfully be able to get leaner and perform better.  It's definitely a book that is going to stay in my regular rotation.

Disclaimer:  I approached Georgie and asked her for a copy to review.  All opinions are my own. 

Runner's World Cookbook Review

Disclaimer:  I was given this cookbook by Runner's World Magazine in exchange for an honest review.

When Runner's World offered me the opportunity to review this cookbook, I was giddy with excitement.  I have a confession to make.  I am a cookbook-a-holic.  A recipe junkie.  There is something about cracking open a cookbook for the first time and flipping through the pictures that excites me.  I love food and I love to cook.  Especially good for me food.  So this opportunity was definitely one I wasn't going to pass up.

After much trials and tribulations with Fed Ex, the book arrived via G.  Thank goodness he works in the U.S from time to time!

I sat down with it immediately and flipped through it.  It has an excellent intro that goes through the nutritional requirements of runners.   Within the intro is a series of guides to things like oils, grains and proteins.  They list different types of each, along with suggestions on how to use them or in the case of proteins, what cut gives you the best nutritional bang for your buck.  A fantastic thing to have regardless of your level of expertise in the kitchen.

The cookbook itself is divided up into the following sections:

Breakfast (this features an entire section devoted to pancakes and toppings.  I seriously died and went to pancake heaven)
Snacks and Smoothies
Salads and Dressings
Soups and Stews 
Sandwiches, Pizzas and Burgers (YES!)
Sauces and Pasta
Meat and Poultry Mains
Fish and Seafood Mains
Vegetables
Desserts

This is where most cookbooks would stop.  But since this is a cookbook geared towards fulfilling the unique requirements of runners, they've taken it one step further and categorized each recipe using the following keys:

pre-run
recovery
fast
vegetarian
vegan
low cal
gluten free

There is also a handy section on how to stock your pantry and then to top it all off, there is a special recipe list at the back of the book that groups everything according to the above categories.  Looking for a recover recipe?  Instead of flipping through the book to find the tab under the recipe, you can just refer to this list.  How awesome is that?

When I got the book, I bookmarked no less than 8 recipes I wanted to make immediately.   I decided on 3 and made my grocery list.   I wanted something that was quick and easy (Thai beef and snow pea stir fry), I wanted a soup because it was starting to get cold out (sausage and mushroom soup) and of course, I wanted a pizza (caramelized onion and fig pizza).   None of these recipes disappointed.  The thai beef stir fry was definitely quick, easy and very tasty.

The sausage and mushroom soup was very hearty.  I had some cooked quinoa that I added it to it instead of the rice and it was delicious.  It also seemed to be one of my more popular instagram posts that week, ha ha.  Must have been the colder temps.

And lastly, the pizza.  Oh lord almighty.  Caramelized onions and figs are a match made in heaven.  Add goat cheese to the mix and it's beyond amazing.  I didn't make my own crust, I used a pita instead.  I don't really think it matters too much what you put this on, the combination is so good, it would make cardboard taste delicious! 

I'm happy to report that this book has not left my kitchen counter since I've gotten it.  I've made a couple of other recipes that have also been very easy and incredibly tasty but didn't make it in front on my camera or my phone before they got gobbled up.  The recipes are easy to follow and don't require any crazy ingredients.  I think the recipes in this book would be easy enough for kitchen newbies to follow and are tasty enough for seasoned pros to enjoy as well.  Suffice to say this book has quickly become another go to source for flavourful and healthy recipes that keep me up and running. 

For those of you that have a runner / foodie in your life, I think this would make an excellent gift.  Especially for YOU if that runner of yours does all the cooking.

Sweet Dreams Are Made of This: Dormeo Octaspring Evolution Plus Pillow - Review & Giveaway

 Disclaimer:  I was given this pillow by Dormeo Octaspring Canada in exchange for a review.

As an athlete, I think that most of us forget that sleep is one of the most important things required in a successful training plan.   If you're pushing your body day in and day out and not getting adequate amounts of quality sleep, your performance will suffer.  Guaranteed.  So many things can affect our sleep quality, from what you've eaten before bed, to your stress levels.  Even something as simple as your pillow can also affect how well (or not) you sleep.

I'm a picky person when it comes to my pillow.  I don't like anything too soft and squishy.  There needs to be some support and firmness to it.  That being said, I don't like overly firm pillows either.   There has to be a bit of give as well.  Not an easy thing to accomplish in a pillow.  My current pillow is getting up there in years so when I was offered the opportunity to review this pillow and I checked it out online, I jumped at the opportunity.  Do you know how expensive a good quality pillow is??  These pillows retail for $159.99.  That, my friends is a pair of running shoes and maybe a gel or two if your shoes happen to be on sale. 

I have to be honest, I was a little skeptical about this pillow but, I'm always game to give new things a go.  I've used a memory foam pillow before and I wasn't a huge fan.  It made my head hot and I didn't find it to be all that supportive.  But the technology in this pillow was different than traditional memory foam pillows.  Most memory foam pillows are a solid block of foam that is contoured accordingly depending on what position you sleep in.   The Dormeo Octaspring pillows are actually filled with memory foam springs that are shaped like honeycombs and vary in firmness throughout the pillow.  It was this technology that made me think hmmm...this might actually be good!  You can get the inside scoop here.

This is what the pillow looks like inside:

Octaspring describes their pillows as having "comfort zones".  They use a firm memory foam pillow spring to give support under the neck and soft breathable memory foam pillow spring for under the head.  The pillow case is also designed with mesh end panels to allow for air circulation. Talk about the best of both worlds!  You get the support of memory foam without the hot sweaty head.  Win / win in my books.  The brochure I received also said that "this pillow respects the natural contours of your vertebral column thus providing a good sleeping posture so you wake up ache free and well rested in the morning."  If there's one thing I have problems with it's that.  I cannot tell you how many times I've woken up with a sore neck or shoulders from either the lack of support from my pillow or the way I've slept on my pillow.

So.  Let's get down to the nitty gritty.  What did I think?

First Impressions:

It comes in a box.  I am pretty sure I've never bought a pillow that comes in a box.  A box means business!

The pillowcase is incredibly soft.  I could probably just sleep on that alone.  I always put an actual pillowcase over my pillows.  It's one more layer that my drool has to get through.  I may try sleeping on it without one just to see what it's like. 

It's been a while since I've slept on a memory foam pillow so when I first lay down on it and my head didn't sink in to it immediately I was a bit sad.   I love plopping my head into a big fluffy pillow just because I love the way it feels.  I don't love the way they feel when I wake up sore and achy in the morning though so I was willing to trade that for a good nights sleep.

Normally when I get a new pillow, there is a bit of an adjustment period until my body gets used to it.  Probably because I've never stuck with the same pillow, ha ha.  I slept like a baby that first night and I woke up totally fine the next day.  No aches, no pain, no muscle tightness, nothing.  Same with the second night.  And the third.  I've been using it for two weeks now and I haven't woken up with any sort of soreness or discomfort no matter what position I sleep in (back or side). The other thing I noticed was that my pillow always felt slightly cool.  This is a big deal because I am a furnace at night and I usually wake up at some point during the night and flip my pillow over to the cooler side.  I haven't had to do this once with this pillow.

Final Verdict:

I'm sold.  This is my pillow of choice.  And when it dies, I will probably go back and actually purchase one.  These pillows actually come with a 2 year warranty as well!  Gotta love that.

Now the fun part!  I get to give one away to a lucky reader!  I was really hoping to be able to open the contest up to folks in the US but unfortunately it's for Canadian Citizens only.

Contest starts today and ends at midnight next Friday October 25th.  Winner will be announced on Saturday October 26th.

What do you need to do to enter?  Go to the handy Rafflecopter Giveaway and get clicking!  It's as simple as that. 

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Crazy for Clif! Review and My First Ever Giveaway

Disclaimer:  I was given these products by Clif Bar in an exchange for a review.  I was not compensated for this post in any way.

When I started riding, usually just used gels for fuel because I never rode much longer than about 50km.  Once I started training for Ironman, my rides because progressively longer and I found myself bonking on a regular basis on the bike.  I wasn't riding hard, I just struggled with getting through my rides with enough energy.  Gels didn't seem to be working for me.  My coach at the time recommended that I experiment with solid food to see if that helped.

Enter Clif Bars.   I swear if it wasn't for these nuggets of goodness, I don't think,  I know,  I wouldn't have made it through my first Ironman.  The thought of eating gel after gel after gel for 6 hours straight on the bike was so unappealing.  I needed solid food.  

I have A.D.D. when it comes to my food.  I don't like to eat the same thing over and over, especially when I'm training.  Clif Bar to the rescue!  They have so many amazing flavours, there was no way I was going to get bored.  For my long rides, I would take a few different bars, cut them up into bite size pieces and put them in a ziploc so I had my own personal grab bag of Clif Bar goodness.  Each time I reached in, I never knew what I was going to get but I knew it was going to be good.

My fave Shot Bloks & my Clif Bar grab bag

 Over the years Clif has continued to set the flavour bar high.  When they came out with the White Chocolate Macadamia nut a couple of years ago, I lost my mind.  Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, they came out with Coconut Chocolate Chip.

Are you kidding me?  Amazeballs.

The other product of theirs that I quite enjoy are the Shot Bloks.  Yet another genius idea.  They are blocks that have the consistency of jujubes.  So if you don't feel like having a gel but don't want the density of a bar, these are perfect.  The range of flavours is also pretty amazing as to be expected.  They even make a margarita flavoured one with extra sodium.  I use those on days when it's super hot out and I'm sweating a bit more than usual.  Nothing like having a margarita on the bike!  The best part?  I don't have a hangover the next day. 

You can imagine how jacked I was when Alex from Clif sent me a bunch of product to try.  These guys really do cover all the bases from racing to recovery.  Don't even get me started on their Builders Bars.  Oh my. 

Are you a fan of Clif Bar Products?  Well guess what?  Today is your lucky day! Clif has given me an "All Inclusive Workout Pack" to giveaway to one lucky winner.  It includes:

4 new Clif Bar Flavours (2 White chocolate Macadamia Nut & 2 Coconut Chocolate Chip)

A pack of Cran-Razz Shot Bloks

and

3 Builders Bars

Are you excited yet??  I know I am!   Contest is open to Canadian Residents only.  Sorry U.S. pals, I hope to host another one in a while that will be open to you guys too!

What do you need to do to enter?

Tell me what flavour of Clif bar you go crazy for in the comments below.  

For bonus entries:

* Follow me (or already follow) me and Clif Bar on twitter.   Leave a comment telling me that you do.

*Follow me (or already follow) me and Clif Bar on Instagram.  Leave a comment telling me that you do.

*Share this giveaway via Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest or your blog and tag me and Clif Bar.   Leave a separate comment for each share!

I would have added a bonus entry for liking my Facebook page as well as Clif Bars Facebook page but apparently it's against the Facebook rules for contests and promotions.  It won't get you an entry but stop by and show some love anyway!

Contest runs from today until this Thursday August 1st at 11:59pm EST.  The winner will be chosen on via Random.org on Friday August 2nd just before I run away on my holidays!