Gear of the Year: Fitness {Giveaway}

As 2015 wraps up, I’m here to announce my final gear guide and giveaway of the year. With that, here are my favorite fitness products {and one hell of a giveaway below!}

Tailwind Nutrition

During last year’s training, I was struggling to find nutrition that didn’t screw up my breathing while running. I’m not sure where I first heard of Tailwind, but this stuff is the jam. Founded by an ultra runner who was sick of the same ol’ food during long runs, Tailwind meets your caloric needs for the entire day. Seriously, the magical powder has so many calories and electrolytes that you don’t need to consume any other food if you don’t want. For people with stomach issues, it’s practically a godsend since they can consume all of their nutritional needs.

It comes in varieties with caffeine and without caffeine, as well as a “no-taste” flavor for those of you who want the goods without the taste. And if you have food preferences, know this: Tailwind is free of gluten, soy and dairy. It is also vegan.

Tailwind Nutrition; $37.99 for a 50-serving bag of the caffeinated flavor

crossFIXE Hands Creme

If your hand take a beating on the daily, give this stuff a shot. You can thank me later!

I’d seen ClimbOn! products all over the internet, largely in thanks to my huge number of climbing friends. But, I don’t climb so I truthfully didn’t pay much attention. But then Will, the Chief Digital Officer of SkiNourishment {the parent company}, sent me a care package of crossFixe products, another line under the SkiNourishment umbrella.

And I love this stuff.

My hands are pretty awful thanks to the time I spent in a CrossFit gym. Between pull-ups and barbells and gymnastics rings, I’m always ripping or cracking or cutting off wicked calluses. But I’m not one of those CrossFitters that flaunts my wounds with pride– those tears HURT and I would much rather heal them immediately! After one particularly nasty tear, I used crossFixe on my hands before bedtime, and I was pleasantly surprise to find it mainly healed–and much more comfortable–by morning. Apparently the secret ingredient is the MUSCLE rub which helps heal sore and torn hands.

That aside, the best part about crossFixe is their motto: If you can’t eat it, don’t put it on your skin.

crossFixe; $14.95 for a 1.3 oz container of hands creme

InknBurn Wildflower Capris

All non-stock photos by Will Rochfort

I live in capris or workout tights and quite frankly, am sick of the SAME OL’ BORING BLACK. So when I started to see InknBurn’s stuff show up on my social media channels, I was intrigued. Hands down, they make the most unique-looking workout gear on the market!

Their team sent me the Wildflower capris and I freaking love them. They’re so cute and so different and without fail, I receive dozens of compliments every time I wear them. The catch with InknBurn is that you have to grab a design you like before it sells out. Because they are a small company, they focus on innovation over mass production. Everything is designed in small batch, so once they run out, that design is gone. {I actually wanted the Wildflower tights but alas, they were gone!} The prices are a bit on the higher side, but nothing you don’t see in other high-end workout apparel. And did I mention how spectacularly cool they look?!

InknBurn; $84.95 for the Wildflower Capris

Clif Organic Energy Food Pouches

I met with Clif at OR last year and was happy to discover that not only was I meeting with a PR rep, but I was also having a one-on-one sit-down meeting with ultra runner extraordinaire, Scott Jurek! Jurek designed Clif’s line of organic energy food pouches with both his vegan and long distance needs in mind. This mindset resulted in four organic pouches: banana mango with coconut, banana beet with ginger, sweet potato with salt, and pizza margherita. They’re similar to the baby food-style pouches you can find on the market, with two main differences: flavor and calories.

Pre-Clif pouches, most pouches take up a lot of space in your pack for what? Maybe 85 calories. Not exactly a lot of bang-for-your-buck! But these Clif products are different. Not only are they tasty flavors, but the savory pouches have 160 calories per pack. That’s a lot better. Plus, the pizza margherita is a welcome taste after a day of sipping on sugary drinks and foods!

Clif Organic Energy Food Pouches; $18 for a box of six

Ultimate Direction Ultra Jacket

I knew it would be love when I set my eyes on this jacket at OR last January! Ultimate Direction has long been a favorite running brand of mine {see: last year’s gear guide}, and I had high hopes for this jacket. It’s incredibly light–5.3 oz–so I don’t mind carrying it in my pack. It’s also very waterproof and wind resistant, as I recently learned while running during a Colorado blizzard. I even took it out one day when we had wind gusts as high as 50 mph hour. Now, I’ll own that my running pace was merely a crawl, but I was shocked at how comfy it was inside the coat!

All the tech stats aside, my favorite features of this coat are the little add-ons that make it comfortable. The sleeves unroll into little mittens, so you can roll or unroll them as needed while running. The hood cinches tightly around your head, complete with a small brim that keep moisture out of your face. And of course, you gotta love the built-in underarm vents that allow body heat to escape while on the move. In a word, this jacket is awesome.

Ultimate Direction Ultra Jacket; $179.95

Altra Lone Peak 2.5 Trail Shoes

Me and shoes. Me and my shoes.

Over the past few years, I’ve discovered that my feet change from year to year. It’s kinda annoying. After Antelope Canyon last year, I realized that my previously-favorite shoes no longer worked for my feet. In fact, they were downright uncomfortable. Fortunately, a rogue package of Altra trail running shoes showed up at my door and I figured I’d give them a shot. I’m glad I did.

The Lone Peak 2.5 has a roomy foot-shaped toe box that I’m in love with; in fact, I think it’s my favorite part of the shoe. No matter how long I’m on my feet, they never swell beyond the size of this shoe! A word of note to those of you looking for trail shoes: Altra’s shoes are all zero drop. This means there is no height difference between the heel and the toe of the shoe; it is 25mm of cushioning across the entire thing. If you’re not used to this style, it may take an adjustment period– particularly in the calves!

Altra Lone Peak 2.5; $120

HumanX Competition X4 Speed Rope

Jump rope. JUMP ROPE. Before CrossFit, the last time I had picked up a rope was elementary school. And double unders? Forget about it. But these days, I jump rope a lot. We frequently do double unders in CrossFit workouts and they’re always a favorite of mine. Why? Because I can do them! That said, it’s nice to have your own rope. You get used to how it feels, the way it turns, and how heavy the handles are in your hands. I’ve found a favorite in the Competition X4 Speed Rope. The X4 has six-inch handles that are easy to grip, and the triple axis dual bearing spinning mechanism-thing means the rope turns easily. I keep it in my gym bag so it’s always there when our workouts require a rope!

HumanX Competition X4; $25

Ultimate Direction Fastpack 20

In last year’s guide, I professed my undying love for the UD Jenny Vest. That hasn’t changed, but my needs have. With my upcoming R2R2R attempt, I knew I would need a pack that carried just bit more food and gear. Enter: the Fastpack 20.

Just like the Jenny, the Fastpack fits like a vest with two chest straps that are easy to adjust around your chest {or lack thereof as the case may be!} The top of the pack cinches via a roll-top design, making it easy to accommodate as little or as much gear as you’re carrying. The two pockets on the shoulder straps can hold water bottles, and the side stretch pockets fit just about anything. Sure, it jostles a bit more than the Jenny vest, but it’s also a lot bigger. I fully plan to use this as a lightweight day pack for this summer’s hikes too!

Ultimate Direction Fastpack 20; $149.95

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Now, want to win a HUGE fitness prize pack?! One lucky winner will win the following:

(1) crossFixe gift card for $30

(20) Clif Organic Food Pouches {5 of each flavor}

(1) InknBurn gift card for $25

(1) Tailwind Assortment Pack

(1) Pair of Altra Lone Peak 2.5 trail shoes

(1) HumanX Competition X4 Speed Rope

(1) Ultimate Direction Fastpack 20

Remember to use the Rafflecopter widget below for all entries. Good luck!

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