Sponsor Review: Raley’s Supermarkets – SPONSOR of the Napa Valley Marathon

Disclaimer: I received a $25 gift card to review Raley’s Supermarkets role as a sponsor for the Napa Valley Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!

OK, raise your hand if you like grocery shopping. There’s never a “good” time to go and do it. There are always so many distractions of foods you need not be buying and then there’s the challenge of finding the right food for you. Throw in that you’re training for a race and need the right nutrition to supplement your hard work and it can be a nightmare! And that’s where a business like Raley’s comes into play. They sponsor the Napa Valley Marathon so they can better help their runners get associated with a healthy diet and the right foods to provide the energy they’ll need to have a successful race experience. So, how do they do it?

One of the best features the within the store itself offers is what it calls “Shelf Guide Icons” that are located throughout the store. Each of these icons makes it easier (and more time efficient) for you, the shopper, to get in and get out and get what you need. Some of the icons used include: Plant-Based, Organic, Keto Friendly, Clean Label, No Sugar Added, Carb Friendly, High in Protein and Gluten Free. Obviously, this make it easier for you to navigate quickly through the store and acquire the foods you need/want that will assist you in your race preparation.

Another amazing option provided by Raley’s is their Run Smart! nutritional campaign. They GIVE you the tips and suggestions to have a great race experience and how to properly train for the race, what to do to take care of yourself during the race and, finally, what you need to do at the completion of your race.

This is how you sponsor a race! Raley’s has it down pat and has your back for the Napa Valley Marathon. And, more importantly, they have your health on their mind. They are there to suggest, to help or just to assist in any way.

I suggest you take a look at some of my Bib Rave Pro friends who have also contributed blogs discussing the benefits of Raley’s Supermarkets and how they work hard to make your race day experience a great one.

https://theswagmama.com/2020/02/01/grocery-shopping-love-it-or-loathe-it/

http://ampdwellness.crazyhamster.run/grocery-shopping-yay-or-nay/?preview=true&_thumbnail_id=6604

http://www.thisoldrunner.com/blog/need-help-eating-right-before-during-and-after-a-race-try-raleys-nutrition-guide

Hope you enjoy their viewpoints and notes!

And, as always, happy running!

 

 

In the Buff: Why This Headwear is for You

Disclaimer: I received an Buff Original Headwear to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

I’m not sure where to start with the Buff Original Headwear. I know that you might read this and think I’m just filling  your head with all positives because I’m getting paid or something (I’m not) but that’s not the case at all. I love the Buff! I used to wear hats on all my runs. Now, I hate wearing hats on my runs. The Buff prevents all sweat from dripping into my eyes which I could never say about any of my hats before. But that’s just a personal reason for me to love the Buff. So, why should you?

One big reason to want to wear this product on all your runs, or any outdoor activity really is the protection it provides. The great material it’s made of provides a UPF 50 factor. What does that mean? Means your head/neck are getting 98% UV protection during your outdoor activity. That makes for a great product! Now you may say, well it’s only covering your head so what does that matter? Well, there are several ways for you to wear this awesome item!

 

And the Buff Original Headwear fits as tight or as loose as you want it to fit. Perfect no matter what. And protects you all over from the sun.

And you can also use it as part of your Halloween costume! Lol!!

Finally, one of my favorite reason that you should think about owning your own Buff Original Headwear wrap is because of what they are partially made of. Every wrap includes two recycled plastic bottles in its construction. How about that?! Great product that serves your needs AND you’re helping Mother Earth at the same time! Win-win!

Think about getting yourself a wrap today! You will not be disappointed in its performance or value in the long term. Make sure to check out their website, www.buffusa.com.

If you already own one, I’d love to know what you think. Great product or what?

Happy Running!

Athlinks + BibRave: A Match in Results Heaven!

Disclaimer: I reviewed Athlinks as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

I’ve never really kept a close enough attention to my race results as time as gone on. Don’t get me wrong, after running a race I was quite eager to find out what I did that day but I would tend to forget those numbers as the days went by. So, knowing if I PRed a distance or how much I might have improved a time (or took a step back) was never easy and required more guesswork than actual fact. Not anymore. The Athlinks website is a great device that locates your personal results from any race that you have run over the years and connects them to your profile. And it’s has simple as registering your name and creating said profile.

Once your profile is created you’re off to the races, no pun intended, as you search out your results. My most recent race in February was ready to “claim” approximately one week after running it.

Once you claim your result it is added to your list of races and compiled by year. 

Another neat feature lies at the top of your home page. The site gives you your PR marks in various distances and also provides number/percentage comparisons to others on the site.

Another fun feature is the “Rivals” tab and it is exactly what you would expect. It finds your friends from your social media sites, if allowed to, and shows how you’ve done in the races you both participated in. I clearly have my work cut out for me against my “rivals” and need to step it up!

When you click on the name of a rival, it will show what the races were, so even if you are just becoming friends with someone, you will still be able to see back to races you both ran well before you ever knew each other. Pretty cool stuff!

Lastly, for all those upcoming races, you simply search for the race, add it to your list and fill in the info of what distance and your goal time. The site then adds it to your home page and others can see what events you have in your future.

So, why wouldn’t you sign up with Athlinks too? So much information and a lot of fun competition too!

Will you be my next rival? (I might have stolen that line from Lisa Dretske, who has an awesome blog that you should check out!)

2018 Samson Stomp n Romp

Another year has arrived and with it another Milwaukee County Zoo Samson Stomp n Romp 5K, an annual race that helps support the zoo and its conservation efforts. I love the cause for this race (I’m a big animal person and love zoos that don’t just show off animals but do other things to protect and help them) and I love that you get to run through the zoo for the course. What I don’t love is how the weather always manages to stick it to ya for race day. Yeah, I know, it’s January and it should be expected, but, this year was just an unfair tease. The Thursday before the race it was 55 degrees outside. Race day that Sunday, small reality check as the start time temp was 8 degrees. Like I said, not fair. But, at least the course was clear (thanks to that warm weather) and there was no snow or ice.

I went into the race this year hopeful (but also realistic) that I would place in my age group so I could win a sweet gorilla trophy but this wasn’t to be the year. I just haven’t hit a point in my training yet where I can compete with some of the speed guys out there. I was still around 4+ minutes off from being able to place. It’s frustrating but I am hopeful that I will hit that mark at some point; it is a goal to get one of those trophies, no matter how silly it may seem. And my mark, 23:20, was nothing to scoff at and for me, is pretty good.

As for the race itself, well, it was cold. A lot of heavy breathing with that sharp cold air hitting the lungs and your breath puffing out into the air like you’re watching an old NFL Films game recap. Like I said, you get to run through the zoo and there are plenty of animals to view/look at as you run by. Noticeable to me this year were the penguins, polar bear, seals, caribou, tiger, camels and Japanese macques on their special island. I love getting to see the animals as I run by. I can only imagine they are wondering what the hell we are doing out there in the freezing temperatures. The course starts and finishes in the same place, so what is a downhill sprint to start the race is an uphill climb for the end, something that I always grimace at when I round the corner heading towards it. After you finish, you head to the zoo welcome center and enjoy some water or Gatorade, granola bars, coffee and yogurt bites. There is no medal for this race but that’s also how the zoo is able to put all the money from registration towards the animals.

You do get a long-sleeve shirt though, so there’s that 🙂 And it’s a quality cotton shirt as well which can be saved for years or gathered up and made into a runner’s quilt.

If you have the chance to run this race, a simple 5K, I recommend that you do. It’s fun. It’s for a good cause. And you make new friends…all grousing about the cold, haha.

If you have any questions or comments, please let me know. I’d love to answer or banter with you!

Happy running!