Jon's Jibber-jabber

Celsius, Inc. is a Boca Raton, Florida-based maker of the energy drink, Celsius.  My wife got a case of them from somewhere and I was interested in trying it out.  It is labeled as a no sugar, gluten-free, kosher, non-GMO energy drink that claims also no high fructose corn syrup, no aspartame, no preservatives, and no artificial colors or flavors.  The marketing seems to be to a body-building and fitness market, which is probably why I never heard of it before.  The company was founded by a GNC executive so it follows the path of GNC nutritional products. Celsius comes in a few different flavors and varieties.  Celsius Originals flavors are Orange, Grape Rush, Watermelon, Wild Berry, Cola, Peach Mango Green Tea (non-carbonated), and Rasberry Acai (non-carbonated).   So far, I sampled Peach Mango Green Tea, Cola, and Grape.  Celsius also has a Naturals line, that is naturally sweetened and caffeinated.  The company just introduced ...

This year we decided to do a destination race to the "Big Easy" of New Orleans.  It is only a little less than 10 hours to drive or about an hour flight up to NOLA.  Best Damn Race is a (mainly) Florida road race series and this is the 2nd annual event in New Orleans.  There are other events in areas such as Orlando, Jacksonville, and Safety Harbor (10 minutes from my house). This race comes just a few weeks after Rock N Roll New Orleans but is much less expensive and without the corporate splash that comes with RNR races.  We gathered a group of friends and planned our destination race experience.  In the season plan, this was a B race backup to Gasparilla in case of a blown race there. Since Gasparilla was a sufferfest of heat, this now would be elevated.  No fun run for me.  Race Week Well, race week did not go as planned.  I was recovering from a head cold during the prior week. Wednesday, I started having major issues at work in wh...