Product Review: Under Armour Micro G Velocity

Price: I paid $55 CAD for these at an Under Armour outlet, however they’re normally $74.99 CAD

The time finally came for me to replace my beloved Gel Cumulus 15s after I noticed the sole was tearing from the body of my shoe. Initially, I had every intent on getting the Cumulus 17s, however on a trip to an outlet mall, I decided to pop my head into the Under Armour store. What intrigued me first was the price. All the shoes were under $115 CAD which is very attractive since I knew the Cumulus costs around $40 more.

After doing some quick research on my phone while in the store, I was torn between the Micro G Velocity and the Speedform Slingshot. Not going to lie, the Speedform Slingshot was a REALLY pretty shoe. Like, really pretty. Taking into consideration that I’m coming off of an injury, I decided to give both shoes a try and see which one felt better. The Micro G Velocity seemed to really give me the support and needed which I felt the Speedform Slingshot was lacking. I’ve ran a total of 10.4mi so far in them, and here’s what I think:

-super lightweight: I would almost go as far as to say that they are lighter than my Cumulus 15s.

-the sole is made from 4D form which molds to your feet and gives you support that’s catered to your foot. This is huge since my left foot has a lower arch than my right – if you’re in this boat, I highly recommend this shoe (or any of there shoes with 4D foam)

-stays true to size

My only complaint with this shoes it the tongue. I find it to be a bit too thick, however it’s not thick enough for it to be an annoyance. Maybe I’m just too picky.

Close up of the tongue.

Running Fast, Lifting Heavy approved: Yes

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy

Product Review: Goddess Garden Organics Sunscreen (Sport Stick & Everyday)

Disclaimer: I received a sample of Goddess Garden’s sunscreen to review for the purpose of this blog. As always, the opinions expressed are my own and I’ll always stay honest to my feelings.

Price: $12.99 USD (for 3.40z)

Price: $7.99

I’ve been on the hunt for an organic sunscreen for quite some time, especially with the weather in Toronto heating up and us getting more sunny days. I also burn pretty easily due to my already tanned skin attracting the sun and my bucket-load of freckles randomly dispersed all over my body. Even a 20-minute run will be enough to get my shoulders rosy. When I found Goddess Garden Organics on Instagram, I was immediately intrigued by their promise to deliver a quality product with quality ingredients.

 

Apparently, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are safe minerals, (by safe, they mean that it doesn’t absorb into the skin and it’s gentle on the in environment), that reflect UV rays and are instantly effective. Generally, sunscreens take about 20 minutes to be “effective” so I really liked this feature. They also don’t have chemicals like oxybenzone and octinoxate, which get absorbed into the sunscreen, (hence the delay in affectivity).

I was given a sample of the Sport Sunscreen stick and the Everyday Sunscreen, (both spf 30). I decided to use the Sport Stick at City Chase since it was small and we could easily reapply on the go. I found it to be very effective in terms of protecting me from the sun, however my hugest complaint is that doesn’t rub in at all! It literally looked like I had bleaching cream all over my body which remained from 9:45 am all the way until well after 3:00 pm. Daniel found the same thing happened to him as well and if anything, it was worse for him since his legs have a considerable amount of hair on the whereas mine do not.

You can’t see it, but the sunscreen stick is in my right hand.

I decided that lack of spreadability could be due to the fact that it’s a stick of sunscreen and not a bottle of lotion, so I tried the Everyday Sunscreen on a separate run. Although it spread a bit better, I found that it STILL didn’t absorb as well! Kind of disappointing. I’m definitely happy that I got samples, because it would’ve been unfortunate to spend more-than-the-average sunscreen on this.

Running Fast, Lifting Heavy Approved: sadly not. I really wish I could’ve given it the stamp approval, though!

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy

Product Review: Liftcorp Apparel Urban Wrist Wraps

A while ago I wrote a blog post about the HORRENDOUS service I received from Liftcorp Apparel (the company that makes these wrist wraps)…this was the product I was waiting for. Definitely give that post a read if you haven’t already, because it somewhat prefaces what will be said here.

After feeling that my wrists needed more support, I was on the hunt for some wraps. I somehow came across Liftcorp Apparel’s site and was pleasantly surprised to see that their wraps were only just over $16.00. Since they’re based in Australia, they use AUD, however CAD is pretty much on par so I really wasn’t paying extra for it. After waiting forever for these wraps to come, they finally came and I was able to try them out for a while before writing this review. Here’s what I have to say about it:

-The only pro to these wraps are that they support my wrist pretty well

-I’m a newbie to the wrist-wrap world so I don’t know if this is supposed to happen, but the thumb loop digs into my thumb like crazy. To the point where I have to unwrap between sets so it doesn’t rub my thumb raw

You can see here where it digs in.

-One of the wraps is already falling apart! The stitching seems to have come out on one wrap where the velcro attaches to the wrap

Where the loose thread is is where the velcro is starting to detach.

I’m pretty disappointed by this product. I honestly wish I just took my money elsewhere. I’d even be ok with paying more than I did. Anyone have any recommendations?

Running Fast, Lifting Heavy Approved: definitely not.

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy

Gels vs. Chews

Remember how I said that I was going to do a gels vs. chews comparison post? Well this is it. I’ve thought about this for a while, especially when I was looking into what nutrition I would need during a long run. What I’ll do is list the pros and cons for each and then commonalities at the end.

Gels

-Easy to take while on a run, (you can just kind of slurp it back and go)

-The consistency of some can be a little thick, so it might make things a little tricky

-Like eating different kinds of jam

-More calories in one gel relative to one chew

Chews

-The size of some of them can be massive…read my post on the Clif Bloks as a good example

-The packaging can be a bit of a challenge while on the run

-Kind of like chewing on a gummy candy

-Don’t fit in those little loops on a fuel belt

Common Ground

-No difference in flavour (generally)

-Both can be taken just as often as the other, so it’s not like you cut out some time by taking a gel vs. a chew (for example)

-Both can have caffeine

-Price wise there generally isn’t a huge difference between one singular gel and one singular pack of chews

What are your favourite gels/chews? Any other perks to either that you can think of?

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy

 

 

Product Review: Clif Bloks Energy Chews

Price: $2.55 CAD (couldn’t find it on the National Sports website)

A couple of weeks ago, I made a trip to National Sports to get some chews/gels. I ended up buying two packs of Clif Bloks Energy Chews, (one black cherry and one tropical punch), and two Clif Shot Energy Gels, (both were the razz flavour), while I’ve already done a review on the gels, here’s my review on the chews. Just as a head’s up, you can probably expect a gel vs. chew post in the very near future.

I decided to take one chew every 35 minutes rather than 3 every 45. There are two reasons as to why I arrived at that time interval:

1. When I was taking the gels, I only used half a pack every 45 minutes and that seemed to work for me.
2. The chews from Clif are HUGE.

With that said, this is what I gathered from my experience with Clif Bloks Energy Chews:

-Like it said, it’s huge. Because of its size, it makes it challenging to chew…especially while running.

-The tropical punch flavour was really tasty. I always have a huge sweet tooth, so it’s kind of nice to get that while on a run.

-Not super convenient to take while on a run since it comes in a long package.

-Digests well, (it’s also organic which is a plus)

-The caffeine gives you a quick boost without the crash

I still have one more pack of chews to go through, but I think I’m going to stick to gels after this. Question for you guys: how do you guys run and take gels or eat chews? I literally have to stop and do it…clearly I’m not the greatest multitasker!

Running Fast, Lifting Heavy Approved: I’m going to say yes, but I wish the size was smaller.

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy

Product Review: Clif Shot Energy Gel

Price: $1.50 (at mec.ca)

The decision to run long distances comes with a host of new elements: hydration packs, electrolytes, gels/chews, the list goes on. I felt like my hydration game was pretty on point, but I needed to figure out something on the chew/gel front. Since I work at a running store, I’ve tried a fair bit of running nutrition, however I’ve never been able to try them during a run. I had put a fair amount of research into this, since messing up nutrition during a run can really make or break you. When trying to find a brand and type of running nutrition, I took into account the following:

-Chew vs. Gel: (chews can be a little tricky to navigate since you have to chew them mid run, whereas gels can just be slurped down). That being said, gels sometimes are a little on the thicker side and make it harder to swallow.

-Accessible Packing: I don’t want to fight with the package mid-run.

-Certified Organic: I tend to get headaches and digestive issues sometimes post-run, so I wanted to make sure the ingredients were something that could be easily digested with no issues.

-Caffeine: An immediate burst of energy is nice, but a non-caffeine gel/chew wasn’t a write-off.

-Good Flavour: This one is pretty self-explanatory.

After reading some blogs on here and doing my own research, (and trying some stuff at work), I settled on the Clif Shot Energy Gel. I also bought the chews, but I haven’t used those on a run yet so I’ll save those for another review. In the mean time, here’s what I thought of the gel:

-I still haven’t mastered the running and eating thing, so it’s been a little challenging running and swallowing the gel. This isn’t anything to do with the brand, (in fact, I find Clif’s gels pretty easy to swallow), but more so with my lack of experience.

-Tastes like raspberry jam, (I bought the razz flavour, also a huge win).

-Caffeine delivers immediate energy with no crash

I should probably note that when I use the Clif Shot Energy Gel, I only use on half a gel every 45 minutes. When I first tried running and gels, I didn’t want to take an aggressive approach in fear that I would mess with my digestive system. So far, that seems to be an effective method, so I think I’m going to stick to it.

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy

I Really Attract Bad Customer Service…

Ugh…where do I begin? So over a month ago, (February 12^th to be exact), I ordered a pair of wrist wraps from a company called Liftcorp Apparel. Based in Australia, I knew the wraps would take a while to get to me, (Toronto), but I was totally cool with the wait and the price. The AUD is pretty much at par with the CAD, so I didn’t lose out and only paid around $15.

The day that I ordered the wraps, I got an email saying that it was en route to my house.

Quick I thought, but at least I had some confirmation that the order had gone through successfully. Although I was given an order number, I wasn’t given any tracking information so I couldn’t track the progress of my parcel. This worried me, but I’ve had packages with no tracking information arrive safe and sound, so a red flag wasn’t raised just yet.

Fast-forward to now and I still haven’t received my wrist wraps. Since WEEKS have passed, it would’ve been more efficient to have walked into a store buy the wraps. I decided to reach out to Liftcorp and explain the situation:

However, this is the reply I got:

The most frustrating thing about this is that they keep using every excuse in the book: my mailbox might not be big enough, (I live in a condo), the wraps could be waiting at the post office, blah blah blah. They’ve also denied that I haven’t received the wrist wraps and won’t give me a refund:

To make matters worse, there’s a huge time difference between Australia and Toronto, so getting a reply is crazy difficult and takes forever. And there’s no phone number on their website to contact them! Grrrr. *end rant*

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy

Product Review: Insane Labz Alien Recovery

 

Price $39.95 (without my “runlift20” coupon code).

As you guys may or may not know, I became an Insane Labz athlete about a month and a half ago and am IN LOVE with their products. When I made the decision to start training for a half-marathon, I knew that I would need extra help when it came to recovery, especially since I strength train three days a week. Insane Labz has both Alien Recovery and Alien Energy as part of their “recovery line”, however I decided to go with Alien Recovery since Alien Energy has caffeine. This is what I thought of it:

-There’s 35 scoops per container, however since the instructions for use call for only half a scoop, the container can go a long way

-5 Different flavours, (UFO Grape, Area 51 Punch, Alien Blood, Watermelon, and Blue Raspberry). I got Alien Blood based on the website’s reviews and it tastes really good! It reminds me of Blue Raspberry Kool-Aid. Though if the Alien Blood flavour tastes like Blue Raspberry Kool-Aid, I wonder what the Blue Raspberry flavour tastes like? I’ll try it and report back.

-Loaded with l-leucine, iso-leucine, and l-valine, (bcaas)

-Doesn’t have a bad after taste

I know that doing a product review for a sponsor is always a little dicey since you never know if the review is authentic or not, but I’d hope that you guys know by now that I give honest reviews on all products. While this is the first BCAA product I’ve tried, I’d 100% buy it again. I definitely notice an improvement in recovery time/soreness and it also gives me a little boost during my workouts since my muscles are in better shape than normal. Want to give it a try? If you use the code “runlift20” at checkout, you’ll save 20% off your order!

Running Fast, Lifting Heavy Approved: Heck yeah.

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy

Product Review: Vega Sport Performance Protein

Price: $49.99 CAD

Remember when I said that I went to GNC and they had a BOGO sale? This is what I went to purchase. As you can tell from some of my other product reviews/my Instagram, I’m definitely a fan of Vega and use their products often. While I’ve had their all-in-one shakes before, I’ve never tried their Performance Protein. My usual criteria when purchasing a protein powder are flavour, (I usually buy chocolate or vanilla, I never get too fancy), calories/serving and what’s actually in the powder itself. If you’ve ever used Vega before, I’m sure you can attest to the fact that they always load their products up with a variety of beneficial things. The Performance Protein is no different. Here’s what I thought of it:

-I got the chocolate flavour and the container says that the protein powder has tart cherries in it so I expected more of a dark chocolate flavour, however it resembles milk chocolate more so (not a complaint, just an observation).

-It has 6g of BCAAs per serving which is AMAZING for runners and weightlifters alike.

-It tastes good in shakes, milk, and water as well. This is important to me, because I wouldn’t want to buy a protein powder if I can only mix it in one thing.

-Mixes really well, (no clumps).

Verdict? Another pat on the back for Vega. This stuff is delicious. I never would’ve thought that I would love a vegan protein powder as much as I love Vega’s.

 

Running Fast, Lifting Heavy Approved: Yes

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy

 

P.S. Have something you want me to review? Write it in the comments!

Product Review: Rivalus Powder Burn 2.0

Price: $39.99

I’ve been posting pictures of this product on Instagram a lot recently…I can’t get enough of it! I stumbled across Rivalus Powder Burn 2.0, (a creatine-free pre-workout powder), while at GNC. GNC usually has some sort of BOGO deal on, and since my boyfriend and I were about to purchase something, I figured we should take advantage of the offer. I approached one of the employees for her recommendation for a creatine-free pre-workout and she showed me this one. There were a couple different flavours, but the watermelon flavour was at the front so I just picked that one.

I find pre-workouts to be tricky, because they generally come in smaller containers and are pricey. This one’s well worth it though. Here’s what I thought of it:

-The watermelon flavour is AMAZING!! It’s honestly so delicious. It reminds me of the watermelon flavour Jolly Rancher, (literally).

-Creatine-free, (a plus if you don’t want to hold onto the extra 3-5lbs of water weight)

-The container says it takes 30-60mins to kick in, but it actually only takes 20-30mins to start feeling it

-The “itchiness factor” of most pre-workouts isn’t nearly as strong in this one

-Only 10 calories/serving

I’ve tried other pre-workouts in the past, but this one is 100% the yummiest. Not only does it taste good, it’s effective and fast acting. I think I’m going to be a regular user of this product from now on…it’s just too good NOT to use!

Running Fast, Lifting Heavy Approved: 100% YES. This stuff is amazing.

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy