sleep 1 & lean 1-- nutrtion53

so i know i have a lot to update on this blog.... highlights include:

1. far west championship: beth bikes! races the world champion...and loses. but i definitely win at the hokkaido all-you-can-eat seafood buffet.
   
2. FSA grand prix: jennie reed knows beth bikes! by name, evident by her saying: "good job, beth". also, some pretty awesome quad measuring occurs...
   
3. alpenrose velodrome challenge: beth bikes! nieces take to the kiddie kilo and i demonstrate how *not* to do a standing start.
4. testarosa veldrome challenge: really, am i that far behind???? shit.....
   

anyway, that is a lot of races to catch up and it all kind of overwhelms me at the moment. good thing i have a rest week, so i should have lots of time and energy to blog.

but, before all that, i want to write a small shout out and thank you to my sponsor nutrition53 for the products that helped me through this three crazy weekends of racing up and down the west coast. (portland to seattle to LA... oy vay!)

nutrition53 has a few products and if you have heard me talk about it, it has probably been about the really awesome recovery drink, lean1. (if you have seen me at some track races, i may have given you a sample packet to try....if i haven't, ask me and i might have one on me.)

i really like this recovery drink, primarily for two reasons: 1) it tastes good, 2) it mixes well. of course, a logical third reason would be: it works, as in it has 20 grams of protein and all that other recovery mumbo jumbo stuff... but really, those two things above are the reason i use it. lots of recovery drinks work... but most of them taste like crap so it is impossible to drink them. this one actually takes super super yummy! and it is really easily mixable, so it is great to transport.

just so you know this isn't a shameless plug....

yummy recovery drink

i started using the lean1 before i got sponsored by them. it was actually a cool coincidence i got sponsored. i was chatting on a ride to my friend about how i really like this recovery drink lean1 and she says: "i work there!" and low-and-behold she got me the hook-up. anyway, if you are looking for a recovery drink, i suggest you try it because, like i said, it tastes really yummy and it mixes well. you can just shake it in a normal water bottle and it all dissolves -- no chunks left at the top and no chunks at the bottom. it tastes super good, and i am not just saying that. if you got a sample from you, you can attest. my favorite flavor is cookies and cream, cause i like chocolate. second favorite is chocolate. and third favorite is the strawberry. the strawberry is really good and mild tasting if chocolate is too much for you. (they also have vanilla raspberry which is nice and mild and vanilla. vanilla is the only flavor i haven't tried, so i can't comment on it, but given the other flavors, i'm guessing it is good if you are a plain jane type of person and like vanilla ice cream best...). anyway if you want to try it-- you can get 40% off my using my code... that comes to $35.00 for a tub that is pretty big and lasts a long time. Here is the coupon-- the discount is taken after you go to the checkout...be sure bethbikes is in the coupon code. if you use that link, it should be there automatically....

sleep sleep sleep!

anyway, enough about lean1. the real reason i wanted to write this post was because of the other product they make called sleep1. like its name, it is a sleeping pill, duh! i have a pretty hard time falling asleep after night time bicycle races.... track racing at night is so much fun, and i get so excited... (...and i take too many caffeinated GUs....), that i have hard time falling asleep. or, when i do fall asleep, i wake up a few hours later and can't fall back asleep.

i tried sleep1 a few times after hellyer races, and found it put me to sleep pretty good. but the past few weekends, it was pretty invaluable... especially when we were racing late and then getting up very early for more racing... sometimes i fall asleep easily, then wake up and can't fall asleep for a few hours, and then feel like crap in the morning. but this sleeping pill helps me stay asleep-- but mostly, it doesn't make me feel groggy in the morning. i had tried using Tylenol PM once, and felt like crap the next morning... so definitely not ideal when you have to race in the morning! sleep1 is good because it doesn't have that morning-after affect on me. Anyway, i am not a dietician, so not really sure what the active ingredients are in there, except a small amount of melatonin-- but i put the backside label on the right so you can see, if you are more scientifically inclined than me. all i know, is it works.

anyway, if you are interested in trying it, again the 40% discount applies again, so that comes to $24, for 60 capsules. (discount comes after you go through the checkout). they say 2 capsules is recommended...but i usually just use 1 unless i am super hyper.

alright, that is all for now. but i just wanted to thank nutrition53 for the products this year! they have really helped me this season and i greatly appreciate the kind support they have extended to me. having the lean1 has definitely helped in my training and my recovery after races. i never used to take a regular recovery drink, but now i am, and think it is helping. well, i am faster and leaner, so maybe some of that is because of that. and sleep1 has helped me get some rest-- especially the past few weekends, when that was really important in multi-day races. thanks so much again for the kind support. please thank them for me by trying out their product!

thanks again nutrition53!