Some of my favorite things, take 2

A while back I did my first installment of "my favorite things." I don't know about you, but when I have a product; food, clothing, online shop, or just about anything under the sun… I like to talk about it. Like it's the best thing ever put out there on the market. And, of course i want EVERYONE to try it.

With my training hours getting up there lately I feel like I'm constantly going back to my staples, my favorites. So, in no particular order, other than the order I found the pics on line here are some of my latest and greatest FAVORITES.

The CamelBak podium Chill water bottle. If you live in AZ you understand how impossible it is to keep your fluids cold in the summer. I like my water and gatorade ICE cold. Not luke warm bath water. This bottle keeps it just like that. In my opinion, WAY more so than the Polar bottles. And the best part about this bottle is the way the water comes out. There is no top to pop open every time you want a drink. You simple open the valve before your ride and when you want a drink you squeeze the body of it. It's awesome. No more pinched lips either!

The best part about the podium chill bottle is while it still holds 20 oz of fluid, it also fits on my beautiful mini road bike, RED. I freaking love this bike. It took me a while to get the saddle right and fit tweaked and replace some fancy ass brakes that were on it, but I absolutely love her. She's smooth and light and responds like nothing I've ever been on before! Not that I've had a whole lot to compare to, but still. And, she's RED. And, what's better than a RED bike. I hope someday she'll have the TT version to keep her company :-)

A & D lotion. After years and years of saddle problems, I've found my solution. Nuff said.

My new favorite swimsuit. I've been wearing TYR brand suits for YEARS. It was the first lap swim suit I bought with my first introduction to real swimming back in college when I signed up for a conditioning swim/PE elective. Ha, to think I actually thought I could swim. The brand has always fit me and the quality is fantastic. They started coming out with some skimpy versions of their 1 piece that are SUPER cute. While I don't exactly want the itsy bitsy suits, it is nice to not get such dramatic tan lines. Insert the new TYR thin X-back, Rock Star pattern suit. I bought it in RED and while it's a wee bit skimpy on my hips/booty, the tan lines are minimal, yet I'm still in my preferred 1 piece. It's CUTE and red (red version not shown) and I love it. It's also made with their durable "durafast" material that lasts a long time! LOVE.

Ok, these stupid little pieces of sugar below are called Techno Gummy Bears. My friend Angie introduced me to them and now they are like crack. I like gummy bears, but I don't love them. Shane on the other hand would take a bag of gummy bears over a meal any day of the week. However, there is something different about these little devils. The flavor is better than regular ones. I don't know, maybe it's in my head. All I know is I'm thankful I don't know where to buy them other than online because that would be BAD.

I'm a big fan of most Zensah Products. We came in contact with this company when we started the website Allthingstriathlon a few years ago. It was a baby of Shane's and while he didn't get out of it everything he was hoping for, he learned a LOT. Anyway, we were selling this product on the website and got a few samples to try out. I've been wearing the arm sleeves for years now, but these little capri compression tights were a staple for me this winter. They are seamless and lightweight and absolutely perfect for putting on over your bike shorts when it's cold outside. Even as the temps warm up you aren't too warm, but if you do decide to take them off they fold up nicely and fit in your jersey pocket. The seamless is key for me as extra seems and bike saddles are no bueno!

Power Bar Nut Naturals, Mixed Nut flavor. I finally started eating solid food last year (on the bike) and admit I can't believe how long it took me to figure out how much better REAL food vs Gels all the time can be. I am not always starving and recover much faster. I do however struggle finding the right bar. I can't eat whey protein so a lot of the normal energy bars are out for me. This one is awesome tho. It tastes like a rice crispy treat and is easy on the stomach. What's better than eating a rice crispy treat on the bike?

My next alternative to eating so many gels are the GU chomps. I've always been a power bar gel fan, but the chomps are SO good. They don't stick too bad to your teeth and they have some great flavors!

Agh, The Desoto 400mile bike short. I've been wearing the Desoto tri short for years now as well, but I finally bit the bullet and bought their 400mile short. It fits just like the forza tri short, almost compression like but the padding is just a wee big more generous than the tri version. BUT, it's not all big and bulky like a normal bike short. No leg grippers and a little pocket in the back. They are the best bike short I've ever worn. Hands down. If you haven't tried it, go for it - you won't be disappointed.

And last but NOT least Recovery e21. This is a recent conversation I had with a friend about the product.

Friend: So...e21. Whats the no BS on the two products. is the electrolyte product really better than say Endurolytes? What about the other joint product. Could use a good recovery program.

ME: I could not recommend the e21 recovery product more. i've been regularly taking it for over 2 months now and I'm handling my training better than ever. At first, I was just taking 2 pills (1 serving) after my hard workouts, and especially 2 between double workouts (so like after run, before swim).

However, I've had the BIGGEST results as of lately with my long bike rides. I sweat massive amounts of salt. So much that I typically take 2x thermolytes (like 2-3 times the sodium as endurolytes) per hour on my bike rides. I get massive headaches in the heat and often just down a packet of salt from a gas station. I've added up my sodium intake on long rides before and it's insane…but it's the only thing that would calm my headaches and allows me to keep taking in food. And, as a side note endurolytes do nothing for me…I took them on accident before when Shane bought those and I didn't know it and I was sick and felt horrible on my long ride.

Ok, back to my point. I've been doing 3-4hr long bike rides, and most recently a 5hr ride. I started taking 2xe21 recovery pills every hour. I've had NO headache, I'm not bloating as much after the rides, can take in as much food on the bike as I need leaving me stronger for my T-runs and I'm waking up the next day just a little tired, but not trashed from the ride. Yesterday I didn't feel great starting the ride (got a little sick from the lake water swim on Friday), but started taking the e21 every hour and actually got stronger from miles 3-5 and had the best T-run yet! I finished the workout like it was a walk in the park and was able to go out like a big kid for the night. Today I'm tired, but legs feel great!

As for the joint product… I can't say I have as much feedback because it's something I take with my regular back of supplements, but I will say that my knees feel GREAT even with weekly big ring hill repeats and my elbows and shoulders are going strong with 3x per week 3200-3700meter swims! I would normally be feeling this? I think I'll know more as my training continues and I know how my body usually breaks down and will share that feedback with you!

While I wish I had some special connections or offers for ALL these wonderful products to share, I'm afraid I'm not that blessed! I of course have my wonderful team sponsorship discount of 20% to share on e21 products by clicking HERE and using dogmom as a discount code. OR, they also have a great deal going on right now where you can by 1 and get 3 free! It's a fantastic deal! Use this link as well!