my favorite things:::: giveaway #2

first of all, the winner of the Gu giveaway is::::

missy, email me your address and i'll get your fuel out to you!

and on to another favorite thing of mine, a true marathon must have!!!

when i started running i had no idea how much junk i would need to carry with me. fuel, hydration, music, phone... where are we supposed to put it all?

i purchased an iFitness belt at the expo for my first half marathon and wore it the next day... and for every half marathon since! i feel like i broke the golden rule for racing [nothing new on race day!] but luckily it worked out perfectly for me.

i chose a double pouch belt and it provides enough room for me to pack my phone and fuel. it is not bulky, even when packed to the gills. and i cannot stress this point enough, it seriously does not move, bounce or slip. it has an adjustable strap and i love that it's thick and lies perfectly flat.

showing off my double pouch belt after Run The Bluegrass

iFitness also sponsored 12 in 2012 last year and generously provided us all with single pouch belts. i use this belt for shorter distances, when i don't need both my phone and fuel. 

my single pouch belt

why i love these belts:::

• they don't bounce, slip, or ride up
• they don't chafe
• they're water resistant
• adjustable strap
• they don't smell [even after repeated use and sweat drenches]
• they are made well and they don't show wear

iFitness has generously offered up a belt to one of my readers [the winner can choose a single or double pouch belt]! 

to be entered in the giveaway, head over to iFitness' website and tell me which belt you'd choose if you win. 

for extra entries you can:

Follow  iFitness on twitter

Tweet about the giveaway (include @iFitnessInc and @courtneymelson)

this giveaway will end at midnight [EST] on thursday february 28th. iFitness is providing the prize to  one winner. all opinions provided above are my own. 

my favorite things::: giveaway #1

as much as i'd love to give everyone of y'all ALL of my favorite things... i'm not oprah so i had to settle for this. i've picked a few of my marathon must haves that i'd like to share with you all over the course of the week leading up to the big race.

when i started running i was totally clueless about fuel. i couldn't for the life of me understand how people ran so much and kept their energy up. as luck would have it, i stumbled upon the running blog community and found a wealth of information about race fuel.

i've experimented with a lot of different fuels and I've finally seemed to find what works best for me. for half marathons i prefer to use one pack of Clif Shot Bloks. They're delicious and give me just enough energy. I tear into them at mile 7, and consume one every mile until the end.

for marathon training, however, i began searching for a different plan. i'd tried Gu before and hated it, but apparently I just hadn't find the right flavor for me.

through trial and error [aka, gagging on several flavors] i found three flavors that i actually look forward to consuming:  peanut butter, chocolate outrage, and vanilla bean. i've used them for all my long runs and they sit well and also give me a good burst of energy.

in my experience, the only bad thing about gels and chews can be that sometimes i just feel empty. you know that hungry deep down in the pit of your stomach feeling? i had that during my 30K. i just wanted some solid food!

you all know that for racing reasons i split up my two twenty milers. in hindsight that may have not been the best idea for multiple reasons, one of which, i fueled during those breaks with natural peanut butter on ezekiel toast. so now, i have no idea how to fuel for on race day. GREAT.

so i'm trying to decide on race day fuel. should i take 4 Gu's with me [i used 2.5 during my 30K], should i take 3 Gu's and a pack of Shot Bloks, should i pack a five guys burger?

give me your opinion on how i should fuel for race day and i'll enter you for a chance to win an assortment of Gu energy gels. i'll include my favorite flavors plus some others in case your taste is different than mine. 

this giveaway will end at midnight on Tuesday February 26th (eastern standard time).