Mud, Sweat, and Gear: Run Oregon is gross this week, but these 2 products will help you out!

Run Oregon sometimes receives products to review. We recently received one product to both make ourselves filthy (and recover quicker),one to keep ourselves from getting filthy, and one to keep ourselves out on the road.  Here are our impressions of:

Primal Sport Mud
Mandabees Headbands
StrengthTape

Primal Sport Mud is a pure, all natural, water-soluble, black gel derived from ancient plant matter that is applied to sore areas of your body. You apply to the skin, then the mud works to aid your body’s natural ability to heal and recover. The product states that it has powerful plant-based extracts contain antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and electrolytes to work together to ease your aching muscles or even pinpoint pain from injuries.

The company states ““When heat is applied to Primal Sport Mud, its jet black color and molecular structure absorb and convert the heat into beneficial infrared energy – which stimulates micro circulation. Improved circulation removes toxins and speeds up recovery so you can spend less time being sore and more time doing what moves you! ”

A little goes a long way with primal mud. I found this out rather quickly. The product was smooth and viscous and went on easily. It is mud, and therefore messy. I found myself getting mud not just on my hands, but countertops, the bottle as I re-applied more, and the sink handles. After applied, you apply Saran wrap.

I tried it on a small area and my whole leg after a half marathon. I wanted to know if it truly did work to reduce pain and soreness in the leg I reacted. I found this product is not really meant for larger areas. It is very hard to heat a whole leg. They recommend heated towels or a heat wrap, but I had nothing that large for my leg. I just ended up with several towels I heated with hot water from the bath and wrapping. Another time I wrapped my left calf (a common ‘tweak’ place for me). Both times, the very same day, the treated areas felt better and the swelling was visibly reduced. In addition, in the case of my one leg, the pain difference the next day was noticeably different.

Pros:
Product works
Smooth application
Product goes a long way
Price is reasonable for the product you get.
Washes away easily
No noticeable scent nor skin staining
Very generous return policy

Cons:
Product is messy
Must apply heat in some form – which is difficult for larger areas
Can stain fabrics (remove white socks before putting this on!)

This product works. I can attest to that, ….but….it is messy. It is also takes extra time. It is not as easy putting on a muscle cream and going. You must apply, wrap, heat (10-15 minutes) and clean up. If doing a larger area as I did, I had to get in the bath to rinse it off. The product works, and I love that it is natural. If you have the time to give your body the time it needs, the recovery of his product is amazing!

 

Mandabees is a simple American company who makes simple fitness headbands. Their headbands may not be specifically tailored towards running, but the definitely can be, and are stylish in doing so.

Their best seller is the Flawless Headband, which is made of spandex and comes in a myriad of designs and colors. It is a lightweight (.4 ounces) 3.5 inchwide, single layer headband . It is super stretchy and can be worn over the top of your hairline – half on your forehead, half on your hair.  It is not heavy-duty, but can be a great piece to wear before and after (and potentially during) events. If you need it a little tighter or looser, let them know and they will fix it up for you before sending! It is guaranteed to be no slip and costs only about $5.50-$7.00!

Mandabees even did a giveaway in our newsletter a month back, so if you missed out make sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram (@mandacrystal) for coupon codes and giveaways!

 

StrengthTape – “Hi, my name is Marilyn, and I’m a kinesiology tape  addict.” Yes, ladies and germs, it’s true, I just love buying fresh new colorful rolls of the stuff. I love comparing brands. I love pondering the pros and cons and pre-cut strips versus an uncut roll. But do I even really know what kinesio tape does? No. I’m in it for the looks and feel, bay-beeeeee.

Let’s backtrack just a bit. Kinesiology tape (aka “kinesio tape” aka “KT tape” [side note:”KT Tape” is actually a brand,  just like “Band-Aid” is a brand of bandage]) is an elastic strip of fabric with adhesive on one side. Typical claims are that it prevents or treats injuries, provides support for muscles and joints, and increases blood flow, but is less restrictive than typical athletic tape, and also can be worn for multiple days. I recently was sent a roll of StrengthTape brand kinesio tape to test out and review for Run Oregon (so grateful that they feed my KT tape desires).

StrengthTape is perfect for everyone from hard charging athletes to weekend warriors. It provides support & stability for muscles, joints, and tendons without limiting range of motion like a traditional brace. Featuring our exclusive AllSport™ adhesive, StrengthTape can be worn for up to 5 days in nearly any condition, including water. StrengthTape goes beyond the benefits of common athletic tape by infusing our IonTech™.

In general, I think kinesio tape makes my muscles and joints feel better (either prevention or treatment), and I like it better than regular athletic tape. I find that kinesio tape is easier to apply, it’s less bulky, it allows greater mobility, it lasts longer, it’s less irritating to my skin, and it looks cool. While kinesio tape is also kind of expensive (one application can basically cost you a few bucks), I personally consider it a must have because it prevents blisters on my feet. During the hot sweaty summer months, not even Band-Aids or BodyGlide keeps my feet blister-free, so I’m definitely willing to shell out the moolah for kinesio tape.

In my opinion, StrengthTape brand tape is one of the better, higher quality versions of kinesio tape. It comes in rolls of 20 pre-cut strips for $19.99, which is average to high for pre-cut kinesio tape, and it also comes in “kits” designed for particular body parts or injuries. StrengthTape comes in nine solid colors, and looks the same as other brands of tape, but I think that their “exclusive AllSport™ adhesive” is better than other brands, because it completely stays put even after the sweatiest run.