On the Trail to Marathon Recovery + LÄRABAR Giveaway

October 23, 2014

Today’s post is sponsored by LÄRABAR. I’ve been eating LÄRABARs for years, and I’m excited to join LÄRABAR for National Take a Hike Day. Everything I write about LÄRABAR and their products are my own, unbiased opinions.

Marathon recovery is like a double-edged sword. It’s wonderful and horrible all at the same time. The things that make it great – like taking a temporary break from physical activity and indulging in carb-filled temptations – are what also make it depressing and challenging. For the past 2 weeks since the Chicago Marathon, I’ve only run twice, and I’ve eaten what I want, when I want (trust me, that hasn’t been such a good thing). As much as I’ve enjoyed celebrating my big marathon victory, it’s time to get back on track.

This past weekend, I was ready to get outside and start eating clean again. My friends at LÄRABAR gave me the kick in the butt I needed inspired me by sending me a LÄRAbag filled with wholesome snacks like LÄRABARs and RENOLA (gluten-free granola) and hiking socks.

LÄRABAR Love on runladylike.com

With pockets full of LÄRABARs and happy hearts, Mr. rUnladylike and I headed up to North Carolina to spend time hiking in the mountains and to drive along the famous Blue Ridge Parkway to see the fiery hues of the changing leaves.

LÄRABAR love on runladylike.com
Hiking in North Carolina with LÄRABAR on runladylike.com
Hiking in North Carolina on runladylike.com
Hiking in North Carolina on runladylike.com
Hiking in North Carolina on runladylike.com

There’s something remarkable about being outside, surrounded by nature, for no purpose other than to enjoy how blessed we are to have the ability to explore. Nearly every one of my workouts has a purpose – to get faster, to get stronger, to build endurance, to recover. Simplicity is not a word I typically consider when I think about my training, but it’s something I certainly aspire to. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons I love LÄRABAR so much. The company’s founder Lara Merriken (who actually came up with the idea for LÄRABAR while on a hike) created the company because she was looking for something simple in life. She believes we’re filled with so many distractions, and oftentimes we just need to be surrounded by things that are easy to understand – simple ingredients, simple beauty.

That’s what this past weekend in North Carolina was all about. Recapturing my love of the outdoors. Refilling my spiritual running tank. And finding more simplicity in my life.

Hiking in North Carolina on runladylike.com
Hiking in North Carolina on runladylike.com

And speaking of simplicity, LÄRABAR is at the very top of my list of go-to snacks that have real, simple ingredients (that you understand and can pronounce!) – nuts, unsweetened fruits and spices. They are gluten-free, non-GMO and Kosher, with the majority of the products being soy-free, dairy-free and vegan as well. Every single weekly trip I make to the grocery store includes a purchase of about 6 to 7 LÄRABARs. Mr. rUnladylike eats them religiously, and I typically enjoy one as an afternoon snack between lunch and dinner. We both like the Banana Bread flavor the best. I also love Cherry Pie and Carrot Cake (my newest favorite).

LARABAR love on runladylike.com

Given my love for LÄRABARs, you can imagine my excitement when I found out they also have a new grain-free granola called  RENOLA. This was my first time trying it, and it didn’t disappoint. It comes in single-serve packets to eat on-the-go in 3 flavors – Cinnamon Nut, Cocoa Coconut and Berry. I like this most on top of a cup of Siggi’s vanilla yogurt.

RENOLA love on runladylike.com
RENOLA love on runladylike.com

Win a LÄRABAR Prize Pack

With all this talk of LÄRABARs and RENOLA, you’re probably getting hungry, right?

Here’s your chance to win an awesome prize pack from LÄRABAR, including 16 assorted bars and RENOLA.

Win LARABARs on runladylike.com

All you have to do is leave a comment below sharing which flavor of LÄRABAR or RENOLA is your favorite, or, if you haven’t tried many (or any) of the flavors, which one do you most want to try and why. Visit larabar.com to see all the flavors to make your pick before commenting. Leave your comment by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, October 28, 2014, to be entered to win.

I’d also love to hear your stories about how you will #eatclean and #getoutside this month!

Contest rules: No purchase necessary to win. Must be 18 or older to enter and a resident of the United States. The sweepstakes is open from Thursday, October 23, 2014, at 12 a.m. Eastern time until Tuesday, October 28, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time. The retail value of the prize pack is less than $50. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. The winner will be selected and notified on Wednesday, October 29, 2014, via email. Winner will have one week to respond to claim their prize. The LÄRABAR prize pack will be mailed to the winner directly from LÄRABAR. The winner and all sweepstakes entrants hold rUnladylike, LLC harmless in the event that the prize or sweepstakes in some way negatively impacts the winner, and the winner agrees to use the prizes at his or her own risk. Void where prohibited by law.

Coupon to Save on Your Next LÄRABAR Purchase

As a special offer for you, LÄRABAR is giving runladylike.com readers $0.50 off the purchase of any LÄRABAR. Get your coupon here.

Celebrate National Take a Hike Day on November 17

November 17 is National Take a Hike Day. Join me and LÄRABAR by getting outside and enjoying the fall weather. You can share your stories and join the conversation by using the hashtags #getoutside and #eatclean. I’m planning to hit up one of the mountains near Atlanta for a morning hike with Mr. rUnladylike.

***

Which LÄRABAR or RENOLA flavor is your favorite, or, if you haven’t tried many (or any) of the flavors, which one do you most want to try and why? Visit larabar.com to see all the flavors to make your pick.

How will you #getoutside and #eatclean to stay healthy this fall?

Comments

Kristin

My favorite is coconut cream pie!

Alexis Teevens

I love peanut butter cookie. But they’re all great!

Allie

Larabars are definitely in my big jar of bars! I dig into it everyday so I have plenty of on-the-go snacks. My fav is peanut butter chocolate chip but now I want to try banana bread. And granola??? That is awesome. You already know I’m a huge Siggi’s yogurt fan so I have to try that combo!
Your pictures are beautiful. I need to take the kids hiking asap!

Lindsay

love it! i’m coming to hike with you next!!

Tina Muir

Glad you are listening to your body (and mind) and resting up. It makes me sad when people do not take enough time off, and then end up taking it off later down the road. Its funny you went hiking, that is what Steve and I did last weekend too, what a beautiful time of year for it!

I would love to try Lara bars, I have bought them before, and I encourage Steve to get them a lot for his athletes.

I am starting back up today, My body is itching to go, but still gonna build up slow

Nicole

I really want to try the Chocolate Chip Brownie. Or Pumpkin Pie?! And the Granola…… so hungry right now…….

Lesli

I haven’t tried many of the flavors but I would love to try the pumpkin because you can’t go wrong with pumpkin!

Allison M

The cherry pie is my favorite larabar and bananas foster is my favorite uber bar!

Lisa Samani

My favorites are Lemon and Key Lime Pie. Just packed a couple for a hiking trip to NC this weekend….the perfect snack for the backpack since they don’t melt like chocolate bars do.

Christina

I just tried Chocolate Coconut Chew for the first time yesterday and it is now my new favorite! Larabars help me avoid getting “hangry” on those afternoons when lunch and dinner are further apart than I would like. I also like to bring them along in my opera rehearsal bag. Sometimes when you are working hard in rehearsal you need something to keep you going for another couple of hours. Those are my fave!!

Katie

I love peanut butter chocolate chip! Larabars Are my new favorite bars! They are my morning snack everyday!

Kathleen

I really love the peanut butter cookie flavor!

Stephanie

Love the blueberry muffin one.

Jess

Cashew Cookie is one of my favorites 🙂

Laura

I haven’t tried too many Lara bars but I want to try the blueberry muffin one!

Neil

What kind of pants was your husband wearing in the hiking pics? I need a good pair of hiking pants that don’t look like sweats.

rUnladylike

Hi Neil! They are REI brand. REI makes some really good hiking tops and bottoms for men and women. My hubby is pretty particular and he LOVES these. I believe they also zip off at the knee for when it gets warmer on the trail. We also like Columbia’s hiking pants (which is typically what I wear when I’m not hiking in running capris). You can get really good deals at the Columbia Outlet, which is where I try to buy all my Columbia stuff. Have fun hiking! xo

Neil

Thanks!

Lucinda

I love the Chocolate Peanut Butter, but I would love to try the Banana Bread. Thanks!

Jaclyn

I love LARABARS! My favorite flavor is peanut butter and jelly. I also really like the fall seasonal pumpkin pie flavored one. Your journey from signing up for the Chicago marathon to crossing the finish line has been inspiring to watch. I hope I can be as fast as you one day 🙂

rUnladylike

Thank you for your kind words Jaclyn! I promise you you can do amazing things when it comes to running. Never in my life did I think I could run a marathon an hour faster than my first one back in 2010. With hard work. the right plan/support and big dreams, we are all capable of doing amazing things and being stronger than we think. Good luck with your running journey! And thanks for sharing your favorite LARABAR flavors. I haven’t tried the seasonal pumpkin yet but am looking forward to it!!!

Holly

Its a tie between coconut cream pie and chocolate chip cookie dough!! So Yummy!!

Heather @Fit n Cookies

Oh I want to try the Cookie Dough! I can never find it in stores around here.

Audrey

i’d love to try the gingerbread!! 🙂

Jennifer

Chocolate Chip Brownie! So good. Congrats on the marathon. I really enjoyed reading your recap.

rUnladylike

Thank you for reading my Chicago Marathon recap, Jennifer! I’m glad you liked it. It was a great day and one I’ll remember for quite some time. Happy running and eating 🙂 xo

Bari

Beautiful pictures of the hike!!

I’m also addicted to Lara Bars. The Coconut Cream Pie is my favorite 🙂

Steph

I love the Cherry Pie flavor! I can’t wait to take a real off-season from triathlon this fall and hike and ride my bike up in the mountains!!

Alison

Carrot Cake and Banana Bread sound amazing. I haven’t really tried Larabar, but I’m hiking in North Georgia this weekend, so they will be added to the grocery list:)

rUnladylike

They are delicious, Alison. You will love them. Let me know what you think when you try them! Have fun on your hike! Love North Georgia hiking, especially this time of year! xo

Elizabeth

My fave is the cherry pie – nice and tart!

Lauren

I love the cherry pie and chocolate chip cookie dough ones. I really want to try those Renola bars though!

rUnladylike

Cherry Pie is so delish! The RENOLA are actually little single serve packets of loose grain-free granola. They are really good and great for putting on yogurt, eating in milk like cereal or just munching on straight out of the bag. xo

Kim

Lemon and Pumpkin Pie!

Laurie

I recently tried the lemon and loved it. I’d totally like to try the coconut chocolate chip. That hike looks beautiful!

Morgan

The lemon bar sounds amazing!

Amanda N

I love Larabars and have been eating them ever since getting a free sample at a race a few years ago. Banana Bread is my favorite!

Anya B

I really like their cashew cookie flavor, though I just glanced through their website and I’m intrigued by the cappuccino and pumpkin pie flavor! The uber Dark Chocolate Peanut bar is really good too and now I’ll have to try their granola.

Laura @ This Runner's Recipes

I’ve never tried Larabars but they look so good! I want to try the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip – that’s such a great flavor combination!
Your hike looks so fun! Last week my husband and I took our puggle hiking up some sand dunes on Lake Michigan. It’s the best time of year for hiking!

Kelly

I haven’t tried these but the chocolate chip cherry torte sounds delicious.

Becky

I haven’t tried these before but have seen them at the store. Cherry pie sounds pretty delicious to me 🙂

When it comes to my lunches for work, I always try to make something healthy that will last me for the week. When I’m rushed in the morning, it’s nice to have something that’s healthy and easy to pack. If I didn’t have anything prepared ahead of time, you’d probably find a lot of chips and chocolate in my lunch box…. 🙂

Heather H

Peanutbutter cookie Lara Bar is my favorite. I’d love to try any flavor of Renola. I’ll keep an eye out for it!

Becca F

I love the cherry pie bars.

Lindsay

I think there’s a pb&j bar which I’m obsessed with!!

Laura W

The carrot cake Larabar is my favorite – it tastes just like a piece of carrot cake, love it!

Debbie @ Live from La Quinta

I love Larabars! My favorite is Pecan pie :-). Not sure if I can win because I’m on the campaign too, but I clicked the link!

Lydia L

My faves are Lemon pie, Apple pie and Cherry pie.

brynne

I love Larabars so much! It makes me feel so good to look at the ingredients and read “dates, peanuts, salt” and that’s it! Ever since I started eating them, now I look at the ingredients of every other bar I consider buying and go “oof” to the ingredients list, haha.
My favorites are Peanut Butter Cookie, Apple Pie, and Lemon Pie! Carrot Cake and Banana Bread sound amazing too.

theresa J

Chocolate chip cookie dough is awesome

Amber S.

Banana bread for the win! Congrats again on Chicago!

Courtney H

I LOVE Larabars! I have one almost every day. If I had to pick a favorite I’d have to say the Coconut Cream Pie or the Chocolate Cherry Torte! I’ve been wanting to try the Renola for a while, but it’s so expensive here…

Samantha

I first tried Larabars because they are Whole30 compliant (I know Whole30 discourages snacking between meals but I’m a teacher who has to eat lunch at 11:15am…I definitely need an afternoon snack to hold me over until dinner). I have tried Cashew Cookie, Apple Pie and Cherry Pie so far. Apple Pie is my favorite!

Donna F.

I love the chocolate coconut chew…two great flavors together! I really want to try the new gingerbread flavor too!

Adele

My favorite is the classic cherry pie. So simple and delicious.

Kelly rothwell

The blueberry muffin is hands down my favorite, but I also love coconut cream pie a lot. Those renolas look good. I’m going to have to try those.

Julie

My favorite is peanut butter chocolate chip. I just introduced my husband to Larabars and he is obsessed now. They are so great!

Abby

I love the new pumpkin pie flavor! And I’m in the same boat…just finished my full marathon last week and have spent the past seven days indulging like crazy. Time to get back to training!

Amie

I’d love to try the chocolate chip cookie dough! It sounds delicious!

meredith

I would love to try the peanut butter chocolate chip larabar

Alaine

I’d love to try Lemon.

Jere

Coconut cream pie! I always come back to it. We are getting healthy by getting ready for the Turkey Trot!

kaitlyn

Cashew cookie is my go-to pre long run fuel!

Teal

Cherry pies is one of my favorites, too, but –looking the site now– how have I not tried chocolate chip cookie dough?!

rUnladylike

Teal, it is delicious. I recently tried peanut butter chocolate chip cookie and it is to DIE FOR! xo

Teal

Whoops, cherry pie*! (Although having multiple is good too, hah!)

Jada H

I love apple pie. I also like cherry pie and lemon bar.

Malia

I <3 Larabars! So many good ones to choose from but if I had to pick just one, I'd say Blueberry Muffin/Coconut Chocolate Chip (of course I couldn't pick just one!). I bake my own granola but would be really excited to try Renola. I know it would be healthy and wholesome like my own and not over-processed and sugar-loaded like other store bought brands can be. Thank for the opportunity and keep the blog posts coming!

Ashley

I love coconut cream pie, and would love to try pumpkin! These things got me through a paleo challenge, so good!

Lacy @ Running Limitless

I haven’t tried that brand yet but really want to especially since I am about to run out of my KIND Bars. I think I would probably really love the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip. Not sure how you can go wrong there.

Charlotte

I am a big fan of blueberry muffin larabars, but would love to try the Renola!

Tatiana

I found Cherry Pie a year ago, when training for my first 50K. It is my go-to energy bar when I need “empowerment” 🙂

Tessa

I would love to try the lemon bar. Looks great!

Tracy Currie

Well reading this it sounds like Lara bar might be a great go to snack for my sugar filled afternoon snacks! I’m going to try the Cherry Pie and Banana Bread on your favorite picks! Key lime and lemon are also ones that I’d like to try most as I like lemon and lime flavored food! They have so many great sounding flavors, thanks for sharing! 🙂

Amy L.

I love chocolate chip cookie dough – but just checked out all the flavors and I’m totally craving, needing to try pumpkin pie and pecan pie – yum and perfect for fall. Must try!!!

Dandi D

I would really like to try the Cashew Cookie flavor. It looks so yummy!

Rachel

Chocolate chip cookie dough for sure!!!!

Maile

I haven’t tried any of either bars but definitely would love to try the Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Birdiebee

I have not tried these yet but would love to try the Pumpkin Pie first.

keara

My favorite is the peanut butter chocolate but the cocoa coconut renola is awesome too!!

Michelle

I have a lot of favorites… I don’t even know where to start. We always keep Banana Bread, Carrot Cake, Blueberry Muffin, and Chocolate Coconut Chew in the house. I am really excited to try the Pumpkin Pie and Gingerbread!

Wendy Jones

I want to try Pumpkin Pie, since my current favorite is Snickerdoodle. I also want to try Lemon Bar, because it is my favorite real dessert! Mmm that powdered sugar and lemon!

brooke

I love love love love love love Blueberry. My 4yr old would agree.
but with the holidays approaching, I would love to try Pumpkin Pie (we dont have all the flavors easily available to us on the Island).

Melissa

I have a few favorites: apple pie, blueberry muffin and banana bread!

Lindsay @ Fit & Awesome

Great post! You live in such a beautiful area. I have forgotten what Fall looks like since I live in Southern California.

My favorite Larabar flavor is Coconut Cream Pie. I always have a stash of them in my car, my purse, my desk, and my cupboards. Love them! Such a good, clean snack.