Stuff I Like Right Now

I have a running (pun!) mental list of things I want to blog about, and particularly, about STUFF I want to write about. By stuff, I mean things that I love that help me run or make me happier when I run (or after!) There's a ton of things I want to share, and the list in my head is starting to get really long because I haven't had a chance to sit down and write about it all. Just when I thought I might mentally explode, a blogger I really enjoy and follow (Shut Up and Run) did a "favorite things of the month" blog and I loved it. Once a month-ish, she makes a list and shares things. I write about things I love all the time, I just haven't been cool enough up until now to organize them all into one monthly feature. So, in the interest of not ripping SUAR off completely, I am going to call this "Stuff I Like Right Now." Really, I become maniacally crazy about new things all the time, and who knows when I'll be organized enough again to do a whole post on them. In fact, I have so many darn things in my "Stuff I Like Right Now" I'll probably have to break them into two entries.
New things I'm crazy about:

1. Zico Pure Coconut Water in Chocolate flavor. When you put this in the freezer, it becomes a chocolaty slush of goodness. Oh. My. Gosh. Coconut water is supposed to be really good for rapid hydration because it's extremely high in potassium and other electrolytes. I'll be honest, I've tried plain coconut water and fruit flavored coconut water and I'm not a huge fan. To me it has a weird kind of salty-ish aftertaste to it, but in the chocolate flavor that doesn't seem to be so noticeable. Frozen into a slushy, it's especially awesome on a hot day.

2. Vitalsox recovery socks. I had been wanting to try compression socks to find out what all the hoopla was about. Ever since Shalane Flanagan rocked them in NYC, it seems like everyone's been jumping on the bandwagon and going gaga. I wasn't convinced they really could possible make that much of a difference, but when I won a pair of hot pink Vitalsox recovery socks, my opinion changed. If I pull them on immediately after a long run or hard workout, they feel so good I don't want to take them off. It's like a calf massage the whole time I'm wearing them. The packaging claims that they stimulate blood circulation, improve oxygen delivery to muscles, reduce lactic acid, and relieve cramps. All I can say is, after my first drills and sprints workout, I did not have these socks and I felt like I could barely walk the next day. The second workout, I put these on right after my shower and wore them for several hours. The reduction in muscle cramps and soreness was at  least 75%. I haven't graduated to wearing them during an actual run yet, but I love them enough that I just might try it.

3. Bic Band sparkles in silver. First of all, I was already a huge fan of Bic Bands. I have superfine hair, and nothing stays in. I have to buy special ponytail holders with little grippy things on them, because regular nylon bands pop off my ponytail like a rubber band gun. Run of the mill headbands just cannot cut it for me, but Bic Bands really do not slip. I recently lost my favorite black one and decided to order one in a sparkly silver, just for fun. It has pretty much not left my head since it arrived at my house. My boring pulled back ponytail (it's really my signature style these days!) has been magically transformed into something fun and sparkly. I feel like I'm wearing a tiara all day. Yes, sometimes I fixate on being the Queen of Everything, and maybe feeling like I'm wearing a tiara doesn't help. But I don't care. I love it. The Queen of Everything has spoken.   http://www.bicbands.com/product/silver-skinny-sparkle

4. Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken recipe from SUAR. Something else I sort of stole from her Favorites of the Month post. This amazine recipe for barbecue chicken has only five ingredients and you just throw it all in the crockpot. Super easy, super yummy. It is a new staple in my house. Thank you, SUAR!!  http://allrecipes.com/recipe/zesty-slow-cooker-chicken-barbecue/detail.aspx

There are more things on the list, but for now I'll leave you in suspense. Part two, coming soon. Meanwhile, what's on your "can't live without" list?? Tell!