Beer in cans?

Beer in Cans? Just the way Dad used to drink it.

On a Friday night a few years ago I was talking with the manager of Kappy’s in Medford. I was looking for Wachusett Green Monsta IPA. He found some 12-packs of their other varieties but no 12’s of #GreenMonsta. We started talking about beer. Imagine that!

He said he brings the canned beer in carefully, he’s not sold on it yet. Some breweries do a better job with the cans than others. I’m sure I looked like an un-educated fool as the look on my face probably said “whadda ya mean?”

I got the impression he felt that quality ale and beer in cans was a bit of a fad. Eventually connoisseurs would go back to drinking craft beers from bottles and quit buying anything in cans.

At the time I thought he may be right. In 2014 craft brewers were just starting to use cans.

I drank crappy beer out of cans for years and was perfectly happy. I was all of 22 when I discovered Bass Ale in bottles.

So many breweries are putting their fine ales in aluminum cans now. Even Sam Adams is canning beer. A few years ago the Mega Breweries used cans, but the craft breweries only used bottles or kegs. Aluminum was blasphemous. Bite your bottle opener! I love all of the fine craft ales. The past twenty years have been a great time to be a “beer” drinker.

Love life, love Harpoon!,beer

I never really cared about the argument over green glass versus brown glass. My beer never hung around long enough to notice any difference. Good beer in glass bottles was good beer.

I drank my first Sam Adams Boston Lager in 1986 at a cast party at the Huntington Theatre. It was in a bottle. I had my first Harpoon IPA at a bar in Kenmore Square that same summer. At the time Harpoon was only available on tap, or so I was told.

When that first Sam Adams Boston Lager hit my palate I felt like I had finally tasted beer. This was what beer was supposed to taste like. Much like finishing a marathon, my life was changed for ever by that experience. The Revolution was on.

I had always been searching for flavor in beer. Bud, PBR, Michelob were all variations on American light. My friends and I started drinking Bass Ale and Newcastle in the bars when we could find it. It wasn’t until I came to Boston in the Summer of ’86 that I had my first American Craft Beers. It’s been 35 years of mostly joyful drinking with a few nasty hang overs sprinkled in over the years.

About ten years ago I began to see craft brews in cans at the local package stores. I looked them over, but for the most part I wasn’t familiar with the brewers. I like to try new brews but felt I wouldn’t get the true flavor in a can.

At about the same time a friend of mine brought some fantastic cans of beer to the Lone Gull 10K in Gloucester. As we sat on the grass and had a few post race cold ones, I began to realize that delicious nectar can come from a can. I was coming around.

ale, IPA, beer in cans

Last summer I bought a few 12-packs of Cisco Brewers of Nantucket ales. I like to sit in my hot tub and have a beer or two. Wrestling with a bottle opener can be a pain, and there’s always the chance of dropping a bottle on the patio. Wet hands and all.

The idea of taking a can or two out to the hot tub seemed like a good solution. Cisco makes some great ale and the cans didn’t seem to affect the flavor at all. Sitting in the hot tub, I drank the beers from the can. Only a dummy takes a pint glass out to the hot tub.

Since those initial experiments with beer in cans, I’ve tried different breweries canned offerings. Except for a cheap 12-pack from a brewer I had never heard of before (Lion’s Head), they have all been quite enjoyable.

What do you think about beer in cans?

I’m sure that you have tried craft beer and ale from a can. They are everywhere now. All of the breweries use cans and it seems to be the favorite container for the newest breweries.

Do you always pour these into a glass or do you drink from the can? What’s your favorite canned offering?

Knickerbocker – old school

Narragansett

XTRA Pale Ale

bottoms up – Whale’s Tale

Mick and the boys

Fresh, single serving size

Since those first craft ales in cans a few years ago I’ve come to appreciate them.

What ever they have done, the can doesn’t seem to effect the flavor.

Cans are also easier to deal with. You don’t need an opener and they rarely break.

Drink well my friends, and be smart.

Andy

Fig Newtons and the Glycemic Index

Fig Newtons for Running

Many of us grew up eating Fig Newtons. Maybe our parents thought they were better because they had figs instead of frosting in the middle!

It turns out that Fig Newtons, and similar “fig loaf” cookies are loaded with sugar.

For runners and other endurance athletes this turns out to be a good thing.

These cookies are less inexpensive than gels and are a great way to fuel during training and competition.

Fig Newtons and Running Nutrition

I’ve been running for more than 18 years and like to experiment with training plans, shoes, clothes and nutrition. I’m always looking for something that works better or solves a problem that I have.

I’ve tried most of the gels on the market. I’ve tried pure honey and even ran a marathon with Snickers Bars! Not only were the candy bars tasty, they didn’t bother my stomach and provided the energy I needed.

A few years ago we had Fig Newtons in the house when I was getting ready for a marathon. I took a package with me to the race. I ate a few before the race, instead of a power bar, and took some with me instead of gels.

I had a good experience with the Fig Newtons so I decided to find out what they are made of and how they compare to gels and power bars.

Runners can burn 125 to 150 calories per mile, and during a marathon an athlete can burn around 4,000 calories. Runners need convenient high energy foods.

What is the Glycemic Index?

The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating.

Foods with a high GI (over 55) are those which are rapidly digested and absorbed and result in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels.

Low-GI foods (under 55), by virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, and have proven benefits for health.

The University of Sydney’s Sydney University Glycemic Index Research Service has done extensive research and testing of many common foods. Their website hosts their research results, information on the glycemic index (GI) and the International GI database.

The above GI definition is paraphrased from their web site.

You can find information on many foods that you commonly eat on their web site. Understanding the GI of the foods you eat can help you make better choices.

For runners and other endurance athletes, understanding the GI of foods helps us make better choices when we prepare for an event. Using the University’s free database you can look up the Glycemic Index (GI) of just about any food. The database does not have every American brand but you can find equivalents for most items.

Fig Newtons and the Glycemic Index

Fig Newtons and all varieties and brands of “fruit bars” are cookies. They should not be considered a health food just because they contain fruit and or whole grain.

Nutritional data for President’s Choice Fig Bars

Serving – 2 bars	40g
	% DV
Vitamin A	0%
Carbohydrate 31 g	10%
Sugars 14 g	*
Fibre 1 g	4%
Sodium 110 mg	5%
Vitamin C	0%
Calcium	2%
Iron	6%
Trans 0 g	*
Saturates + Trans g	0%
Calories 130 Cal	*
Protein 1 g	*
Fat 0 g	0%
Saturates 0 g	*
Cholesterol 0 mg	*

The University of Sydney analyzed President’s Choice Blue Menu Fig Fruit Bars (PC Bars) a few years ago.

It appears that the manufacturer, Loblaw Company, doesn’t make these cookies anymore. The nutritional information listed here was taken from their site when the product was still available.

Unfortunately, I do not have an ingredient list.

The University has not analyzed Newtons, so this is a rough comparison that assumes that the ingredients are similar.

The University of Sydney GI database shows that the President’s Choice Bars had a GI of 70 and contained 30g of carbohydrates.

President’s Choice listed 31g of carbohydrates of which 14g were sugar. Since we are primarily interested in the carbohydrates from sugar, the difference in total carbohydrates is not important. Sydney did not analyze for sugar content.

Newtons with a variety of fillings are widely available in the US. There is a flavor for everyone and hopefully this comparison will be helpful to you.

Newtons are now made by Mondelez International and the table below is from the Mondelez website.

Nutritional data for Fig Newtons from Mondelez.

Serving – 2 bars	32g
	%DV
Total Fat 2g	3%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Trans Fat 0g	0%
Monounsaturated Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 110mg	5%
Potassium 95mg	3%
Total Carbohydrate 22g	7%
Dietary Fiber 2g	8%
Sugars 12g	*
Protein 1g	*
Vitamin A	0%
Vitamin C	0%
Calcium	2%
Iron	4%

The University of Sydney analysis showed a GI of 70 for the PC Bars with 30g of carbohydrates and 14g of sugar.

The Newtons have 22g of carbohydrates and 12g of sugar from a 20% smaller serving (32G vs 40g)

The Newtons have fewer total carbohydrates (22g vs 30), but the ingredient we are interested is sugar.

Newtons have 12 grams of sugar out of a total serving size of 32 grams.

PC Bars had 14 grams of sugar out of a total serving size of 40 grams.

While Newtons have fewer calories and grams of sugar, their serving size is also 20% smaller than the PC Bars.

Comparing sugar content to total serving size it would appear that the Newtons with figs should have a higher GI than the PC Bars.

Newtons are 37.5% sugar and PC Bars were 34% sugar. If PC Bars had a GI of 70 and were 34% sugar, than Newtons should have a higher GI as they contain approximately 10% more sugar.

	Newton	PC Bar	% Diff
Serving	32g	40g	+20%
Carbs	22g	31g	+29%
Sugar	12g	14g	+14%
% Sugar	37.5%	34%	-10%

Using simple math, if the GI of PC Bars was 70 and Newtons contain 10% more sugar by volume, than the GI of Newtons with figs should be around 77.

Here is information published by the Harvard Medical School on The Glycemic Load of 100+ common foods. The glycemic load of a food is effected by a number of factors such as other nutrients in the food. An interesting chart to take a look at.

In Glucose and the Endurance Athlete I give a laymen’s explanation of how your body uses glucose and one of my running experiments.

Live well my Friends.

Andy

How to Make Yogurt (The Easy Way)

Most of us buy yogurt in those little plastic cups and have no idea how to make yogurt. It must be complicated, right?

The Easy Way to Make Yogurt

Recently I received a complimentary yogurt making kit from Probiotic Maker in exchange for my review.

It turns out that making great yogurt is very easy. The folks at Probiotic Maker send you everything you need.

The kit contains an automatic temperature control sleeve that fits over a gallon or half gallon of milk and automatically maintains the correct temperature to make yogurt.

The kit also came with six yogurt starter packs. While the automatic temperature control sleeve takes the guess work out of making yogurt, the real magic is in the starter packs.

All yogurt needs a culture to turn milk into yogurt or kefir. Most commercial yogurts and kefirs have one or two strains of ProBiotic bacteria.

The starter packs from Probiotic Maker contain eleven strains of probiotic bacteria:

• Lactobacillus acidophilus
• Lactobacillus rhamnosus
• Bifidobacterium lactis
• Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus
• Lactobacillus casei
• Streptococcus thermophilus
• Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris
• Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis
• Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis
• Leuconostoc mesenteroides ssp. cremoris
• Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis

This list contains bacteria that thrive in medium heat (mesophilic) and bacteria that thrive in higher heat (hermaphilic).

The automatic temperature control sleeve maintains the milk at a constant 98.6° F to maximize growth of all eleven strains.

This gives you the best of yogurt and kefir. Commercial products give you one or two stains of either mesophilic or hermaphilic bacteria, not a combination of eleven strains.

A wider variety of probiotics provides greater health benefits.

I’ve mentioned kefir a few times. If you are not familiar, it is a drinkable form of yogurt with different cultures (mesophilic) than those found in yogurt (hermaphilic). You should be able to find kefir in the milk cooler at your store.

I’ve only seen flavored kefir. It’s a great drink for breakfast or to make smoothies. But it costs more than milk and comes pre-sweetened.

When you make your own yogurt or kefir, you control all of the ingredients.

How to Make Yogurt at Home

The instructions are very simple.

Start with a fresh gallon of milk

Add a complete starter pack

Replace the cap and shake to mix in the starter culture
Slip on the automatic temperature control sleeve, plug it in

And leave it alone!

The automatic temperature control sleeve maintains the temperature for you. You don’t have to worry about it over heating and killing your cultures. And you don’t have to worry about it not getting warm enough to get the cultures to grow.

Leave it alone for eight or nine hours and let nature take it’s course.

My test and review

I used gallons of 2% milk to make two batches of yogurt.

It really was as easy as I described above. The toughest part was starting it at the right time of day.

It takes at least eight hours to make. I made one batch over night and another on a Saturday afternoon.

The longer you let it process the thicker the yogurt. Ten hours is about as long as you want to let it set.

When using gallon jugs to make yogurt you don’t want a thick yogurt or you’d have to cut the top off to get the yogurt out.

Also as the bacteria consume all of the sugar in the milk they will die off. To get the probiotic benefits of yogurt you want live and active cultures.

The other thing to remember is not to shake the milk. Leave it alone while the bacteria do their job. Then carefully place the jug in the fridge to cool.

If you use fat free milk you will get a layer of whey at the top of the jug.

Here is a video to explain the process and learn more about Probiotics.

My batches of Yogurt

I let the first batch sit for about eight hours. Since I used 2% milk I didn’t have any whey to pour off.

I removed the automatic temperature control sleeve and placed the jug in the fridge for a few hours.

After just eight hours the yogurt was pretty thick and chugged out of the bottle.

That first taste of pure, fresh yogurt was a little tart.

I took a pint glass, added some vanilla extract and a teaspoon of sugar and mixed it up. That was really good!

I let my second batch go for nine hours. The directions say it should be more sour the longer you let it set, but my second batch seemed less tart.

The thickness was about the same as the eight hour batch. I need to try a ten hour batch this weekend.

I found that a pint of yogurt with a little vanilla and teaspoon of sugar made a great desert or breakfast drink.

One Sunday after a long run I made a smoothie with a banana, chia seeds and vanilla. It was filling and very satisfying.

Good for you and the Environment

A gallon of yogurt is the equivalent of 32 cups of yogurt. It seems that the average price for a yogurt at the grocery store is $1.00 with many well above that.

A gallon of milk costs about $3.00 right now and you get a package of six starter packs for $19.00 or about $3.15 each. Call it $7.00 even for everything.

That is the equivalent of paying less than 22 cents per cup of yogurt! A 75% savings over commercial yogurt.

Not only are you saving money but you control how much sugar goes into your yogurt and there are no preservatives.

Instead of throwing away 32 yogurt cups and tops, you have one recyclable milk jug.

Quite often milk is sourced fairly local while yogurt may be shipped from half-way across the country.

Most other yogurt makers look like a crock pot. One more item to have on your counter or stuffed into the closet or draw.

The Probiotic Maker is easy to store and wipes clean.

If you made it this far, I have a discount code for you. Use this link to ProbioticMaker and use discount code OMNIRUNNER1 to get a 50% discount on a Probiotic Maker kit!

This offer is limited to the first three people to place their order. You don’t get a 50% discount very often so they have to place limits.

The kit comes with the automatic temperature control sleeve and two starter packs. Additional packages of six starters are $19.00.

Let me know what you think after you make your first batch at info at omnirunning.com.

Run well my Friends!

Andy

Body Helix Compression Wraps Review

I received a complimentary Body Helix Compression Full Knee sleeve in exchange for writing this review.

Body Helix makes a full line of compression products for just about any part of the body that may experience inflammation from a sports injury or arthritis.

Applying compression for shoulder or piriformis pain can be a challenge. Body Helix has compression wraps for these areas plus thigh, calf, bicep, ankle and lower back.

As a runner, I frequently deal with inflammation in my knees. Often this inflammation is experienced as the pain most runners are familiar with.

Over my seventeen years of running, I’ve been in physical therapy several times. In addition to stretching and strengthening exercises, my PT always recommends R.I.C.E.

I’ve read many articles on sports injury and they usually recommend R.I.C.E also.

So what is R.I.C.E. ? It stands for: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.

Body Helix explains how compression aids in recovery as part of R.I.C.E.

Rest, ice and elevation are fairly easy to do, but applying compression can be a challenge.

In the past I’ve used an ace bandage. But it’s easy to wrap them too tightly, and they are intended to immobilize a joint. If wrapped too thickly, ice may not be able to penetrate through to your joint.

A compression sleeve is a better option and I own another brand sleeve. It works pretty well but I can’t wear it under pants and I never run in it. It’s a good solution when I’m hanging around the house and don’t plan to do much. It does work well with ice.

When I had the opportunity to try a Body Helix full knee compression wrap, I checked them out on line and agreed to give it a try.

About Body Helix Compression

Body Helix was founded in 2008 by world-ranked senior tennis player Fred Robinson and physician, Thomas E. Parker, MD.

At the time, Fred observed that most compression gear was uncomfortable, ineffective and did not use the latest materials available.

Fred and Dr. Parker searched for a material that would stretch, rebound and stay in place. And most importantly, provide effective compression.

They developed a product that provides a uniform medical-grade compression in the range of 20-30 millimeters of mercury (or mmHg in the scientific community.) The higher the number, the more pressure we feel.

Twenty to 30 mmHg is the first range of medical grade compression and has scientific evidence documenting increased blood flow and the benefits of compression.

Body Helix has four main differentiating factors that set them apart from the competition:

FORM-FIT TECHNOLOGY

A Helix consists of comfortable, uniform medical-grade compression in the range of 20-30 millimeters of mercury (or mmHg in the scientific community.) As mentioned above, the higher the number, the more pressure we feel.

Twenty to 30 mmHg is the first range of medical grade compression.

Below I’ll discuss how the Body Helix wrap feels.

MOISTURE ACTIVATED ADHERENCE

You’ve seen the person at the gym or on the court stop to pull up their knee sleeve or adjust their thigh wrap. That won’t happen with a Helix.

Thanks to their fabric’s Moisture Activated Adherence, their sleeves utilize the heat/sweat from your body and allow the fabric to act like an adherent between your skin and the product. It won’t slip or move during activities.

The wrap didn’t slip during my 10K run.

CLOSED-CELL FABRIC SCIENCE

Other wraps soak up sweat and take forever to dry, which often leads to unpleasant odors from bacteria becoming trapped within the fabric.

Because a Helix features Closed-Cell Fabric Science technology, it won’t hold sweat or water and you’ll never have to worry about odors or health issues from trapped bacteria.

The wrap is easy to rinse and the smooth fabric makes it easy to wear under clothing.

INFINITE MOTION

Many other products will only stretch up to 50%, which often restricts joint movement while being active. Body Helix compression sleeves (created by professional athletes, by the way, so they literally feel your pain) is made of the highest quality compression material available and will stretch more than the human body.

What this means for you is simple: you won’t need to alter your mechanics of motion when you serve, swing, bend, or run. You can continue to play your game, your way, without limits.

The sleeve was easy to run in and allowed me to bend my knee comfortably while driving.

Body Helix Compression Review

I tested the Body Helix full knee compression sleeve under daily conditions and during a 5 mile race and 10K training run.

The Body Helix compression sleeve has a smooth surface and the material does allow for a full range of motion.

l was able to wear it comfortably under a pair of jeans, drive my car and run errands.

This isn’t the greatest photo, but you can barely tell which knee has the sleeve on.

The comfort of the sleeve makes it possible to go about your day and not be stuck laying on the couch.

Road Race Testing

At the Super Sunday 5 mile race I tested the Body Helix compression sleeve. I’ve never worn anything on my knees before and wondered what it would be like.

My knees are not bothering me, but I knew this would be a great test.

It was February 2nd, so I had to wear tights. I think this is a real world situation that most runners can relate to.

The sleeve easily slipped over the tights material and was firmly in place.

As you can see, it blends in well with the tights and no one even noticed.

I ran the five-mile race in 41 minutes which is about my regular pace.

During the race I forgot I even had it on. It didn’t bind or pinch and I never felt like it was slipping off. This allowed me to focus on the race and enjoy my self. What more could you ask for?

When I got home I rinsed it in the sink and it looked and smelled like brand new the next day.

Comparison Run

For my next outside run I wore the Body Helix compression sleeve and a sleeve I already own.

I’ve never worn anything on my knees while running except for the Super Sunday race. This time I didn’t wear tights.

As I headed out I wondered if both sleeves would end up causing problems. The last thing I wanted to do was mess up a nice run by stopping to pull up a compression sleeve.

On bare skin, both sleeves were more noticeable. The other brand sleeve was rougher on my skin and covered more of my leg. The Body Helix sleeve was smooth and clung to my skin like a bandage.

About three miles into my run the other sleeve felt like it was slipping off of my thigh. When I reached down I found that it had barely moved, so I left it alone and never broke stride.

Neither sleeve felt like it was hindering my run. They both felt pretty comfortable and for most of my run I didn’t really notice them.

When I finished my run I took this photo. I’m not a professional, but this is what they looked like shortly after finishing my 10K run.

The top of the other sleeve had slipped a bit as you can see.

If I was running a half or full marathon, the other sleeve could have become an issue.

I’m not sure that I’d run a marathon if I felt that I needed to use a compression sleeve.

In my opinion, compression sleeves should be used as part of the R.I.C.E. recovery protocol. And if you are dealing with knee pain you should stick to shorter runs anyway.

A look at other Body Helix compression sleeves

I have shoulder pain currently and have experienced piriformis issues in the past. One of these items would have been great to have.

The web site does say that the shoulder sleeve may not work for everyone and they suggest using it after surgery and not for general pain relief and recovery. I’d give it a try any way.

The compression on my knee felt good and it’s near impossible to apply compression to a shoulder.

I’m not sure that there is a good way to apply pressure to the piriformis or a groin pull.

Check out the Body Helix web site for all of their products. You will probably find a compression sleeve to meet your recovery needs.

You can use promo code BH10RUN to get 10% off any item.

If you try one of their products let me know how it worked for you.

Run well my Friends,

Andy

Epic Wipes Product Review

No time for a shower after your workout?
Epic Wipes are a great way to get cleaned up when you don’t have time or access to a shower. Made from bamboo with plenty of natural cleaning moisture, #EpicWipes are the green clean.

Epic Wipes Clean Up!

I’ve tried several brands of wipes over the years. Recently Epic Wipes sent four packets of their wipes to try.

As a parent I’m familiar with the baby wipes many of you have probably also used. When my kids were little we bought wipes in dispenser boxes which looked like large Lego blocks. Some of those boxes are still around full of Crayons and markers.

We also bought them in little packages we could throw in a diaper bag or backpack.

They were handy for cleaning babies, young children and messes in the car.

As the kids got older the wipes disappeared from our house and cars.

As a runner, I often find my self wet and stinky. I run about three times a week and hit the gym a few days a week also. As a result, I take a lot of showers!

When I run 10K or longer during the day at work I don’t have time to take a shower. I always do, but when I run long my time away from my desk runs long also.

An Epic Solution to an Epic Problem

When I first heard of Epic Wipes I thought, well here’s another wipe like others I’ve used. But I like to try new things so I gladly accepted the offer to try a few wipes.

I received two large and two XL wipe packets.

The first time I tried a wipe was after one of those work day runs.

I decided to start with a large wipe which is 25.6 x 11.8 inches. An odd size but sized to work.

I’ve used athletic wipes before and there are a few rules you should follow.

First of all, don’t unfold the wipe completely. I usually unfold the wipe to the size of a wash cloth. That way I have a handy size for my face and neck area and I can use both sides before further unfolding.

Rule number two is to start at the top. You want to wipe your face, neck and torso before heading for the pits and points further south.

Your face may be sweaty and a little dirty but it doesn’t stink or harbor vast amounts of bacteria.

By strategically unfolding and folding over a wipe you can clean your entire body with a large Epic Wipe.

Epic Wipe XL

The next time I tried an Epic Wipe was at home after a Tuesday Night Club Run.

The XL wipe is 31.5 x 19.7 inches.

With the larger wipe I wanted to try it on my hair. If my hair smelled funny or I looked like a punk rocker, home was the place to find out.

Following wipe rule number one I started with my face and then unfolded the wipe by one more fold. This gave me more of a hand towel sized wipe to work with.

I rubbed the wipe all over my head and hair then used the flip side for another pass.

Epic Wipes are extremely moisture rich and I was able to get my hair wet with the wipe. By using both sides, the first pass got the sweat and smell and the second pass got anything left behind.

With additional “strategic folds” I had plenty of towel to completely clean my body.

Durable and Reusable Epic Wipes

Initially I had concerns with the durability of the wipes.

The first time I used one I was careful not to apply pressure with a single finger. As I went along it became apparent that Epic Wipes were almost as durable as a wash cloth.

At home I gave the wipe a more rigorous test. If I ran into problems I could just jump into the shower.

Both times I used an Epic Wipe there was plenty of life left in the wipes when I was finished. In fact it seemed like a shame to throw them away even though they had a body’s worth of sweat and BO in them.

Later while reading the Epic Wipe web site I found out that they can be re-used. Some people rinse them out and one person even has a mix that they use to re-infuse the wipes with cleaning moisture.

How cool is that?

I don’t think you can get a wipe back into the packet after you unfold and use it. If you want to re-use your wipes I would advise bringing a plastic bag to store them in.

I hate to use more plastic to re-use something. Seems to defeat the purpose. I might try wrapping the wipe in a towel.

The wipes have enough moisture in them that you should have some sort of towel with you to dry your skin.

My one issue is that perhaps there is too much moisture in each towel. I’d hate to wring any of it out before using it and risk ending up with not enough to finish the job. Maybe after a few more uses I’ll have this figured out.

Good for you and the Environment

Re-using Epic Wipes keeps them out of the waste stream and allows you to get multiple uses out of a durable product.

If you do throw your Epic Wipe away after each use, not to worry. They are biodegradable and made from a re-new able resource – bamboo!

I have some t-shirts made from bamboo and they are incredibly soft. So don’t worry about a scratchy towel chafing your tender spots.

Use omnirunner15 discount code when ordering for a 15% discount. You also get free shipping on orders over $40. Not bad.

Check out this video with a “how-to” section and information on how earth friendly the wipes are.

Run well my Friends and keep it clean!

Andy

I Tried Race Bib Tape

Have you ever had a race bib that wasn’t crooked?

I have, maybe twice!

It takes a lot of finagling to get a bib pinned to a shirt strait. I’ve been proud of my handy work only to put on my shirt to realize I had the shirt slightly off, and now my bib was slightly off.

Have you ever wanted to wear your favorite race shirt for a race but didn’t want to put pin holes in it?

I’ve tried the bib magnets and they work well. I used them for the Honolulu Marathon and my bib never moved.

The problem is that the magnets are so strong. This makes it challenging to make adjustments and the magnets love to stick to each other.

Race Bib Tape to the Rescue

Race Bib Tape is a simple solution that even I can use. I received a sample of six pieces of tape to try out and review.

I ran the Super Sunday 5 Miler on February 3rd in Cambridge and used the tape for my bib.

It was so simple. I put my bib on the table, took the backing off of two pieces of tape and placed them on each side of my bib. Then I took the back side off of the double-sided tape and carefully placed the bib on my shirt.

I got the bib on strait on my first try! No re-pinning or fooling around with un-cooperative magnets.

Check out this photo. What do you think?

I’m a little off center but the bib is on strait. And it only took one try!

I thought about adding a safety pin for, well safety. What if the tape didn’t hold in the cold or if I bumped into someone or got a thumb under my bib?

I have ripped a corner of a bib before. It happened about a mile into a half marathon and I was worried the rest of the day would be down-hill from there.

If I pulled this bib off, would the tape re-attach to my shirt?

Fortunately I didn’t have to put Race Bib Tape to that test. It held the entire race and I never worried about it falling off. I was so confident that it would hold that I never thought about it the entire race.

This is not a photo shopped photo. The bib is attached with just tape and it stayed there until I got home and took it off. And no residue on my shirt!

I’m not getting a commission or anything for saying this. I recommend Rave Bib Tape as a product that works.

Race Bib Tape is available through amazon in 36 count for $12.00 or 500 count packages for $47.60. For details on the product check out their web site.

If you are a race director you should consider offering this at your next race. It’s hard to find something unique to offer your runners and everyone is sure to love this idea.

Run well my Friends,

Andy