Energy Drinks-Destroying the metabolism of millions

Posted on February 16, 2011 by sarah@nutsaboutgranola.com

Energy drinks have been growing in popularity over the past five years with the latest adoption spike in children under the age of 18. Children are overworked, over-scheduled and expected to preform at greater lengths than ever before. Often the solution to their problem is an energy drink. Popping open a can of the latest caffeine laced, sugary soft drink seems harmless enough, but severe health risks hide within its contents.

From Ellen Coleman, MA, MPH, RD, CSSD, Sports dietitian:

Energy drinks can be dangerous for teens, report says potential risks include heart palpitations, seizures, strokes or sudden death.

Source: Pediatrics. More.

Caffeine is caffeine whether it comes in an energy drink, cola, or cup of java. Caffeine is also caffeine whether it is synthetic or comes from coffee, tea or another plant (kola nut, guarana, mate).

The word energy refers the conversion of food into fuel for the body. “Energy” drinks are misleading as their source of energy is caffeine and other stimulants. Thus not really energy at all just a drug induced chemical reaction.

Once again it comes back to the same theme I will always return to; there is no magic pill, diet or equipment that can cure your dietary or energy level concerns. Consuming a well balanced diet (including a good breakfast), exercising regularly and getting enough rest will give you far more energy without the crash.

-Momma Granola

Bob Pott’s Marathon official sponsor

Posted on January 3, 2011 by sarah@nutsaboutgranola.com

We are pleased to announce that we are an official sponsor of the Bob Pott’s Marathon to be held on May 15, 2011 on the York Heritage Rail Trail.

For more information please check out the race website.

As part of the race sponsorship we are manning a water station. We are looking for 6 volunteers to help out with the table. If you are interested, please contact Sarah at sarah @ nutsaboutgranola.com. Free granola may be in the cards.

Virginia Beach Rock and Roll Half Marathon

Posted on September 7, 2010 by sarah@nutsaboutgranola.com

I ran the Virginia Beach Rock and Roll Half Marathon on Sunday, September 5th. I went down with one of my best friends and her husband for a weekend getaway with a little side of running.I thought my beach curse was going to strike again when hurricane Earl came up the East Coast, but to my surprise it turned out to be a dud and left us nothing but spectacular weather perfectly fit for a spectacular weekend.

We arrived mid afternoon on Friday, check into our hotel, scoped out our new terrain and hit the streets in search of a grocery store. I don’t mess around when traveling, especially before a race. I have A LOT of food intolerances and prefer to eat in. It felt good to walk the 1.5 miles to the store and back after a long day in the car.

Saturday morning I awoke to the sounds of the beach: seagulls, wind, waves and people hustling about. I hit the boardwalk for an easy 4 mile warm-up run followed by a refreshing dip in the pool. We made our way to the expo, aka running heaven, got all of our stuff and spent the rest of the day at the beach. I called it an early night after laying out all of my stuff for the race.

Sunday, race day. Can I say PERFECT running weather!? My pre-race ritual went off without a hitch: the gun went off and I was ready.

The course was undoubtedly the flattest course I have ever done. Give me rolling hills over that any day! My pace was right on until about mile 9 when my hips went “I hate you Sarah” and decided the no longer wanted to run. I faded to a less than desirable pace and finished into a headwind down what seamed to be an endless stretch of board to finish in 1:44. I wanted to break 1:40 but we will have to save that for Philly in two months.

I was very happy with my performance and look forward to racing the Hands on Half on October 2nd!

Josh Mottin Memorial 5k Memorial Run

Posted on April 29, 2010 by sarah@nutsaboutgranola.com

The intern and I were at it again on Saturday, April 24th at John Rudy Park for the 6th annual Josh Mottin 5k Memorial Run

: Intern Flori, Me, Joe

. The course was my former high school cross country course so needless to say I could run it in my sleep. My mom was out of town for the weekend so I had to work the stand in the AM. Thanks to my best soap neighbor friend, I was able to sneak away for the race.

The weather was pretty much perfect for running. Not to hot, not to cold, a little breezy but nothing alarming. It has been a while since I raced a true cross country course and was super excited to break out my old spikes for the event. The intern and I did our usual warm-up and then I laced up the old Brooks for another go.

The course starts out with a pretty decent hill so you have to be conservative or you will be in serious pain come mile two. I felt pretty good off the gun but Thursday’s killer track workout set in after I crested the second hill. I didn’t have the turnover I was looking for but was happy with my performance.

The intern grabbed 1st overall women!!! and I snagged 4th. We were both pleased and ridiculously sore from running on grass. Our market friend from Roburritos joined us along with two others to make for a really fun afternoon.

Next on the calendar pending market coverage… Spring Grove 5k, May 15th

Doylestown Duathlon

Posted on April 13, 2010 by sarah@nutsaboutgranola.com

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Last Saturday, my “intern” and I headed up to Doylestown for their annual Duathlon. Now, neither of us had been training for a Duathlon. Our race entries were waived as a sponsor, so we thought what the heck, we have been training for running so what harm will a 30k bike do?

The trip started out with a series of granola delivers on the way to Elizbethtown to pick up the intern. Her parents were meeting us there with her bike… good thing because the granola mobile was stuffed to the max with my gear and the sponsorship goodies. It took us forever to get to the race Friday night because 1) there was a lot of traffic and 2) we have no navigational skills. We finally arrived an hour after we were suppose to, handed out a few samples and then got back into the car for another wild win adventure to find a place to eat. We called it an early night; a 5:00am wake up call would prove difficult otherwise.

We woke to chilly temperatures and strong winds… joy. We loaded up the car and headed for the race. After I got my transition set up I decided to race in all of the clothes I brought plus some of the interns’. It was cold, really, really cold. The gun went off and my strategy was to run the first 5k conservatively, hold a steady pace on the 30k and then give it all I had on the last 5k.

The first 5k went really well… a little slow but not by much. T1 went off without a hitch. Right out of transition there was this very steep hill leading out of the park. I felt strong on the hill but things quickly turned south as I exited the park into a very strong headwind. That pretty much sums up the bike: super windy, super cold and very slow. It was also 22 miles… not 18.6 as advertised.

I was so happy to get off the bike and back on two feet. My feet were completely numb from the bike. My legs were bricks. Now, I have not done a brick workout since last September so it is no surprise that I granny shuffled the last 5k. All in all, I met a lot of great people, had a blast with the intern and would do it again in a heart beat.

USAT Age Group Nationals

Posted on August 25, 2009 by sarah@nutsaboutgranola.com

I competed in the 2009 USAT Age Group Nationals on Saturday, August 22nd in Tuscaloosa, AL. With my coach Ray by my side, we made the epic journey from PA to Tuscaloosa via my mom’s tiny commuter. The drive there and back was long, very, very long. Ray captained the voyage and I navigated… and slept and ate while he drove for a total of 35 hours round trip!!!
Now for the race… we previewed the course on Friday and me being my clumsy self tried to hop over a garden hose on my bike and ended up wiping out. My leg got stuck in my aero bars creating a nasty, painful bruise. Luckily the golf cart EMT came to my rescue, patched me up, and sent me on my merry way. I was not affected at all come race morning.
The swim in a nutshell was “ridiculous”. The water temp was 85 degrees. That is warmer than my shower! A tropical storm came through Wednesday through Friday causing massive flooding. There is a dam up river that the city promised to keep closed until after the race but had no choice with all the rain… they had to open it up… right before the race. Needless to say there was a strong current in which we had to swim AGAINST. I consider myself a good swimmer but this swim took me out of the race. Lots of work to do for next season!
The bike= super fast course. An advantage to myself since it is by far my weakest leg. It is a two loop, rolling course with some seriously fast down hills and not so hard up hills. It was over in a blink of an eye!
Off to the run… this is a strange course. It is pretty much dead flat with the exception of three really steep hills they make you run up and turn around as soon as you get to the top. They are real leg burners and shake up the field a bit. It was also hot, really hot with no shade and heat reflecting blacktop. I knew I would have to keep a nice relaxed pace through the whole thing if I wanted to finish strong. My run has been going really well this season and this race was no exception. I was very happy with my run leg and look forward to my half marathon on September 20th.
All in all it was a good race. I placed 16th in my age group… wanted to crack the top 10 but need to do a little more work. I want to give a HUGE thank you to Ray, my coach for joining me on this little adventure I signed us up for. I would have never made it without him!
That’s all folks… anyone else reading do the race?

Diamond in the Rough Triathlon

Posted on July 14, 2009 by sarah@nutsaboutgranola.com

I competed in the Diamond in the Rough Triathlon in Perryville, Maryland last Saturday, July 11th. I had a great time at the race and was proud to wear our team colors. I have competed in the race for the past 4 years and really enjoy it. The adventure began on Friday with trek down to Perryville during rush hour. Good thing I wasn’t driving and could take a well needed nap after a world win trip to 4 PA farmer’s markets and specialty stores. If anyone shops at Dayton Coffee in the West Shore Farmer’s Market, Nude Food in the Broad St. Market or Hatcher’s Bagel and Coffee Nook in the Lebanon Farmers Market, tell them how much you love our granola for me

We pulled up at the hotel around 6:00, just in time to eat dinner and watch the end of the tour. I love staying at business travel oriented hotels with all the amenities. It makes life so much easier.

Race morning arrives uneventfully and for once in my life I have extra time to spare before the race. I wish all races started at 8:00 am! That extra hour is so nice. The swim was a little choppy and warm but I have yet to meet a swim I can’t handle. (Thank you 5 hour workouts over Christmas break). The bike is a 28 mile loop with a couple of good climbs, fun downhills and fast rollers. I really like the bike course.By the time I hit the run the sun had heated things up and it was hot. My stomach was a little queezy coming out of the swim and didn’t settle much on the bike so I didn’t take in as much fluid as I wanted. I knew the run was going to be a challenge and well… it was. I got into a nice rythm and was able to maintain a decent pace through the end. I came so close to catching the 1st place 20-24 year old but came up 8 seconds short. I gave it my all but ran out of room. Next time.

Next up… New York City!!!! I can’t wait. This is the best race ever!

York YWCA Women’s Triathlon

Posted on June 28, 2009 by sarah@nutsaboutgranola.com

What a fantastic day for racing and womanly bonding. A special thanks to all of the volunteers who made it happen and Tara for putting such a great race. I am proud to say I took the overall win. Nuts About Granola once again sponsored the event for another great day of meeting new people and handing out samples. The Central Market of York Vendors also put together a fabulous gift basket for the grandmasters winner. I received an extra luxurious basket from Kimman’s Gifts located on Beaver St. in York. It included a Vera Bradly hand bag!!!! I am so excited. That is the best thing I have ever won in a race.

We are looking for a vendor to carry our granola in the Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill and Harrisburg areas. I am going to try to contact the Healthy Grocer but if anyone knows of a locally owned health food store, specialty shop of coffee shop, please refer them to me. We have a lot of fans in the Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill and Harrisburg areas but need more retailers.

Thanks for reading!

Harrisburg Triathlon

Posted on June 22, 2009 by sarah@nutsaboutgranola.com

Congratulations racers!

I competed in the 2009 Harrisburg Triathlon held in Harrisburg, PA this past Sunday. Nuts About Granola was also a sponsor of the event so I was doing double duties. I had a blast! I love doing the local races because I know 50 out of the 200 people that are racing. YBR had a strong showing taking the overall female and male titles. I accomplished my goal of qualifying for USAT Age Group Nationals by taking the win for the women 20-24 category. I was super psyched that the prize for winning was an Eco friendly aluminum water bottle because I was about to break down and buy one but now I don’t need to!

The directors of the race did a fantastic job. The course was well marked and marshaled. There was a slight glitch in the swim start because the current was so strong people were floating downstream so we just had to let go of the rope and enjoy the ride. The bike course is on a major freeway so there was some traffic but plenty of police to ensure the racers were safe. The run was a simple out and back along the river… flat and fast! All in all I was pleased with my personal results and the interest that was generated around our products from being a sponsor. My mom set up a table at the end of the race and handed out free samples. It was a great way to meet the racers and get the word out about our yummy granola. I was very pleased with the response and positive comments we received. I just hope people can find us again!

Next up… the York YWCA Women’s Triathlon!