Posts Tagged ‘gear’

Last week I hinted at some new shoes coming in the mail – a pair of Saucony Mirage. They arrived from Holabird Sports over the weekend and I finally got to run in them yesterday.

Saucony Mirage

I will never judge a shoe by one run, but I really liked the way they felt. The lightness of the shoe was much nicer than I expected.

I got these shoes because I am a huge fan of trying something new without going too extreme. I am pretty sure I won’t get a pair of Vibram’s or anything less of a shoe than the Mirage any time soon. Notice that I’m not saying “never.”

If I can transition to this shoe quickly I will, but for now I’m not going to force the issue. I’ll have one or two runs a week in them before anything high mileage. That said, I would love to wear these awesomely green shoes for the Shamrock Half.

I also have another new product in my hands … or on my wrist – a Soleus GPS 1.0. It’s a long story about how I got this watch, but I want to thank Soleus for the opportunity to wear this.

Soleus came onto the scene recently with an affordable GPS option with a watch that is just that – a normal looking watch with GPS features. Unlike Garmin or other similar companies, you cannot download the data to a computer.

After a few runs with the watch, I like it a lot. The connection to a GPS is quick and the various screen options are nice. I do miss the data that my Garmin 205 provides, however, I never really started using those features until last year. I still don’t download my data often, but I do like looking at elevation profiles and maps on crazy runs.

I have done some comparison with the Garmin – the first run it was just .06 more on a 5.3 mile run; with a co-worker it was .15 more on a 3-mile run. I know that GPS watches read differently and aren’t 100% accurate, but I will continue to compare the two as I decide on which one I like better.

How I handle not having quick access to elevation or maps is yet to be seen. The question is, do I really need it? The quick answer is no. I did fine without it for years. Perhaps I’ll keep my Garmin for those crazier runs, although it seems ridiculous to leave it sitting around when I can easily sell it. My Garmin, though, is old and I don’t know how long it will last.

On the health side of things, I am finally feeling better. I’d say I’m about 90% now – still a little ways to go, but I’ll definitely be ready for 10 miles this weekend.

Christmas seemed to come and go so fast last month and I completely forgot to post about some great running gifts I received.

It all started with the Daily Mile Secret Santa when I received a very cool and reversible New Balance skull cap.

It turns out that Daily Mile co-founder Kelly Korevec drew my name. I put my new cap to use the very next day and have already worn it several times.

On Christmas morning I posted a fuzzy photo to Twitter with a pile of my running-related gifts.

Pictured below are Swiftwick arm sleeves, Brooks shorts, Brooks Nightlift Arm/Leg Bands and Brooks gloves from my mom; and a Brooks Nightlife Infiniti jacket from my mother-in-law:

In addition to some great family time and my son being disappointed that Santa was not sitting in the living room that morning, Christmas was topped off with a nice, quiet 4-mile run. I believe that Christmas Day is the perfect day to run — it’s a great gift to give myself a simple run with no pressure on time, distance or pace.

Only 356 days until the next Christmas!

I’ll admit that I used to be difficult to shop for when it comes to Christmas. I’ve realized in the past couple of years, though, that I am in fact VERY EASY to shop for.

Simply put, I’ll like pretty much anything to do with running. Fortunately, through my various races that give out moisture-wicking shirts and my bargain shopping with shoes, my “need” for things may be at an all-time low. That said, there’s nothing wrong with having a wish list, right?

I got a head start a few weeks ago through the Brooks website to create a wish-list of Brooks products. I did it to initially enter a chance to win a shopping spree, but once I was on the site I actually found things I could use. You can click here to check it out.

I have several things on there I don’t own — arm warmers and nightlife bands to name a couple of things — and some other bigger wish items, such as shoes. Anything else on there would be fine with me, too. That’s really about it except for a Garmin.

One of these years my Garmin 205 will die and I’ll be on the prowl for a new one. These days, I think a Garmin Forerunner 210 would be the perfect fit for me.

Nothing too complicated — just push the button and go. (As a side note, the link I used is to Holabird, which has the best deal with a bonus gift card.)

Otherwise, I’m not going to spend time putting together anything else. Brooks makes it simple, as does the Garmin love fest.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Earlier this summer I was introduced to Tommie Copper compression gear via Twitter. I was asked if I would be interested in testing the product out for a review. I’ve been curious about compression gear for a long time, but never invested in anything — I choose the word investment because as with many things with running, spending money on something can often be a win/lose situation.

I had the calf sleeves for a couple of weeks before putting them to the full test. After I experienced some calf soreness on a couple of runs in my neutral shoes (Ghost 3), I tried out two calf sleeves after a few runs. On a couple of double days, I wore the sleeves between runs and after the second run. And after every long run since late July, I’ve worn the sleeves for at least an hour or so.

I have been very impressed with how refreshed my legs feel after wearing them. After most every race and long run, I feel like I am having less and less soreness. While some of that might be attributed to being in better overall shape, I have to give credit to Tommie Copper.

In addition to the calf sleeves, I also have been wearing the knee compression sleeve for my left knee — the one I injured — after long runs for at least an hour. After this past weekend’s 20-miler, I wore it about an hour prior to going to bed as well. The next day, and now two days later, those 20 miles are already a good memory. While I haven’t had problems with my ITB, it’s nice to have the knee compression. It just feels like it’s giving me a boost to my recovery.

I have given these the full test — in addition to wearing them a few times a week, I have also washed them twice. Besides a small hole in one of the calf sleeves — due to my own hard pulling — they have held up well with a similar fit after washing.

The only drawback I have found is that the calf sleeve does not come in pairs — at a retail of $24.95 for one sleeve, the price doesn’t set Tommie Copper apart in the compression market. With this being my first pair of compression sleeves, I don’t have a solid comparison to other brands as far as comfort and recovery go, so when it comes to cost I won’t pass judgment as to whether it’s worth the investment.

I will, however, recommend them. You can’t go wrong with a 100 percent money-back guarantee.

For more information on Tommie Copper, visit their website, “like” them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. You can also check out some videos on YouTube, including an endorsement from Montel Williams. 

It’s not often that I sit down for a blog post and struggle to come up with something. In the past few days, though, that’s the case. Today I turned to Twitter to get people to ask me running-related questions to spur my mind a bit. There were some great questions that I’ll answer below, a few that I can use for a future #runchat session and some that I just can’t answer (sorry @TedWeismann, I don’t know anything about maintaining glucose levels on a run).

Q: @teacherswhorun: How can you use a half marathon time to find expected full marathon time?
A: The timing of this is great since I’m going to run a half marathon this weekend. While both of my marathons haven’t produced results I was hoping for, I have found that the McMillan Running Calculator is fairly accurate with predicting times. I actually used that calculator, among other things, when coming up with my Baltimore Marathon goal a few posts ago.

Otherwise, take your pace on a comfortable long run and take anywhere between 30-60 seconds per mile off that to come up with a goal. Some say your long runs should be even slower than that — simply put, there are no simple answers out there. I’d love to hear other ideas in the comments section.

Q: @thetk42one: Socks or no socks? Discuss.
A: Socks. Preferably Injinji. How about you?

Q: @FitNotFried: I  joined a running club, but as a new runner my pacing is too slow, and I get left behind. How can I improve?
A: About 5 years ago I joined a training group for my first long-distance race and was terrified. Fortunately the group was big and was pretty much divided up into 3 groups — fast, slow and everyone else in between. My suggestion would be to talk to whoever leads the club and tell them about your concerns. My bet would be that there will be others in the group who are at or near your pace. Together you’ll all get faster and stronger.

Q: @trumpdabeast: What has been your favorite race that you ran, and what is your dream race to run?
A:  I LOVE the Shamrock Half Marathon in Virginia Beach in March. I’ve done this race 4 times, but unfortunately missed it this year coming back from my injury. Oddly enough, I don’t have a dream race. I just want to get through a marathon uninjured.

Running the Shamrock at Virginia Beach will produce scenes like this.

Q: @notdiyheather: When wanting to increase mileage, is it better to run longer or run more often?
A: I think some of this is a personal preference and it depends on what you’re training for. I like to gradually increase my mileage by some sort of combination of running longer and more often. Honestly, I think the answer to this question is one I’m constantly seeking — both approaches have worked at various times for me in my running. I’d love to hear some advice in the comments section.

Q: @TheHeldawg: How do you effectively use BodyGlide? How much? When?
A:  I use BodyGlide or Mission whenever I’m going to be running for more than an hour or for races 10k or longer. The more humid it is, the more I put on.  Put it in between your legs if they rub, your nipples, your feet and, yes, even your butt. It’s probably impossible to put on too much.

Q: @runforsushi: What are your rules for running when sick? 
A: If you have a fever, DON’T RUN. It’ll only make you worse. If I have a cold, I’ll run — in fact, I think it helps clear me out. Otherwise, if I feel bad — fever or not — I opt not to run and rest up. This question reminds me of one of my second ever blog entry when I woke up with a fever on race day. Check it out here.

Thanks to everyone who responded to my tweet this afternoon. This was a lot of fun. If you have any answers to these questions that you’d like to share, please leave a comment! I hope you’ll join me and Scott for #runchat at 8 p.m. ET this Sunday!

A while back I mentioned trying on a pair of Brooks Ghost 3, but I never had a true follow-up.

Sometime soon after my post, Holabird Sports had a “Deal of the Day” featuring, you guessed it, the Ghost 3. With a coupon in hand, I snatched up a great deal. I’ve had several runs in the shoes now and really like them.

While it’s too early to tell how they’ll impact my overall training, it’s been awesome so far having them in my rotation of two Brooks Ravenna.

I am very content with my shoe situation right now and continue to strongly urge people to rotate shoes. Mileage wise my two Ravennas are at 287 miles and 206 miles; my Ghost in their young life have 24 miles. With the rotation, I didn’t plan to get two pairs of shoes over 200 miles at the same time, but they’re both in good shape. I’ll probably get 350 miles or so out of each pair while I mix in a third pair of Ravennas in another month or so.

I’m also always keeping my eye open for good deals as it’s closeout season on many shoes.

* * *

A few weeks ago I was running along with Duke when all of a sudden my Garmin fell off. The band, which was starting to show a lot of wear, had completely broke.

It’s an old watch that’s been a lot of miles with me — I’ve had it close to 4 years, I think, and it was used before that. The band breaking was not a big deal, but it was two days before a race.

I would have been fine not racing with it and would have patiently waited for a new band to show up in the mail. After discussing this on Twitter, though, someone sent me this link that made perfect sense — use my Road ID as a band.

Well, duh! It works great and is one less thing to have to keep up with day to day. My only concern is having the pins exposed, but after a few weeks of running with it like this that worry is less and less with each run.

Today is my 33rd birthday and I’ve had a variety of blog posts in my mind this week on marking this occasion. My birthday, though, is not something I tout too much. I’ve even taken my birth date off Facebook because I HATE to see Walls filled up with generic “Happy Birthday” posts.

So to mark today, which is just another day closer to a new age bracket in races, I thought I’d share 33 random thoughts about running – from lessons learned, to favorite moments, to pieces of advice, to some very random things, I feel like this is a good way to mark the beginning of a new year in my life.

1. If I ever stop calling running fun, I’m quitting. From sights and sounds, to pushing myself, to a new level, to running with my dog, there’s an element of fun in even bad runs.

2. I want to break 1:40 in the half marathon. Part of me doesn’t want to train for another marathon and instead focus on that distance.

3. With No. 2 being said, I want to run a marathon and not be injured afterward. Thus the reason for my drive and desire to run the Baltimore Marathon in October.

4. I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I once ran 5:45 in the mile in high school, good enough for next to last place – the only track meet in which I wasn’t last in the mile.

5. For no real reason, Guns ‘n’ Roses “November Rain” is my favorite song to run to, on the rare occasion I listen to music.

6. When hydrating for a race, you shouldn’t really do anything different than you did while training.

7. When doing a long-distance race, see what type of gels they’ll hand out. Don’t be surprised. Try it out on a couple of long runs to see if it settles well with you; otherwise bring your own. And don’t complain if you don’t like them.

8. If you need to stop to walk in a race or slow down, MOVE OUT OF THE WAY. Or you may get a slight elbow from me.

9. A year and a half later, I still look at an adventure I took in the mountains as a game-changer.

10. Don’t wear the event shirt until you earn it.

11. Injinji socks are the best. And if anyone gives me birthday money, I’m buying more to wear every day.

12. Wear sunscreen if you’re going to be running in the sun for a while.

13. While I’ve been blogging for four years about running, there’s about 3½ years worth of stories before the blog that I’ve only mentioned a few times. I’ve thought about doing retroactive race reports, but I don’t know how much I remember about those early races.

14. This photo from last summer is my most favorite picture that I’ve taken on a run:

15. And this photo is my most favorite from after a run:

16. And, quite sadly, I don’t have a favorite race photo.

17. Fitz at Strength Running has a great post this week about seven things that changed his running forever. I suggest checking it out HERE.

18. My 5k next weekend in Ohio is just my third out-of-Virginia race. The other two were also in Ohio and were two-mile Turkey Trots.

19. I’ll have a separate blog post on this, but I did buy the Brooks Ghost 3 that I wrote about a month ago. I’ve had four good runs in them so far.

20. I think there are a lot people out there who get caught up in thinking/saying “my favorite weather is now,” but I will forever say “bring on the cold.” Perfect conditions for me would be in the low 40s and cloudy. Still warm enough for shorts. I can certainly handle colder. BRING IT.

21. I’ve never publicly questioned the 10 percent rule – in fact I have embraced it many times – but this old article confirms what I’ve said many times: different things work for different people. Here’s an even newer article on the topic. It’s another subject for another blog post.

March 2003

22. Whenever someone asks me why I run, I talk about how I needed to lose weight. I do have a “before” photo of me on my About Me page, but the inset photo tells an even better story.

23. The next #runchat is this Sunday on Twitter. Head over to iRunnerBlog to read about this week’s great giveaway.

24. My post after my first marathon is still my favorite post ever. I am a marathoner and no one can ever take that title away from me.

25. My Stung in the eye post still picks up a lot of page views. People enjoy it when other people suffer.

26. I never knew how the Yasso 800s worked until recently. Now I just need easier access to a track to do them.

27. If someone tells you their product is “scientifically proven,” that doesn’t mean it will actually work for you.

28. If you’re looking for an alternative to ice, use a bag of frozen peas.

29. I really want to have a 40-mile week this summer. That’s a distance that still eludes me.

30. The best thing I’ve ever done to help my running: buying all non-cotton gear.

31. My son wore his race medal for nearly an hour after his race the other day. That makes me proud in many ways:

32. I want to run an ultramarathon one day. In particular, one of these.

33. Did I mention to make sure you have fun? No matter how far you go, or how fast your are … HAVE FUN!

My birthday is coming up in less than 2 weeks, so I thought I’d take this month’s installment of 11 things to give you a list of things you can buy me for my birthday.

1. Lottery tickets. I love scratch-off tickets and haven’t had any since Christmas.

2. Magic Hat #9. To me, it’s the best beer out there. I haven’t had any of that in a while either.

3. A new or slightly used Honda Accord. I can’t afford one, so just buy me one. It’s that simple.

4. A vacation to Colorado. I hear it’s nice out there all the time. I need summer relief already.

5. Shorts. I haven’t bought a new pair of shorts in a few years. My wife thinks it’s funny how old some of my clothes are; I think it’s testament to how I’ve stayed the same size for a long time. Either way, I could seriously use a couple of new pairs of shorts.

6. Camping gear. I haven’t been in the woods in a long time and sometime in the next year I’d like to take my son camping. New sleeping bags would be nice.

7. Trail shoes. That would be a bonus with camping gear.

8. Injinji socks. I love them for running, but I’d like more for regular everyday use. I’m trying to keep 11 things non-running related, so if I wear them every day when I don’t run, it makes it non-running related, right?

9. Japanese dinner. I love Japanese food and I’m starting to wonder why it’s been so long since I’ve had any.

10. Good pizza. I guess typing Japanese food made me hungry. Now I want a good pizza.

11. A donation to the charity of your choice. My recent posts about Relay for Life are making me passionate about doing the right thing and helping others. While most of these other things are just jokes, take $5 and donate it to cause that benefits other people. You’ll feel better because of it.

• Check out my previous “11 things” posts HERE.

Another fun round of #runchat is planned for 8 p.m. ET Sunday on Twitter with me and Scott. This week’s #runchat is sponsored by Zephyr Technology, a global leader in real-time physiological and biomechanical monitoring or “Physiological Status Monitoring” (PSM) solutions for Connected Health, Fitness and the Academic Research markets. We’ll be giving away a ZephyrFit.  Read more about this product at www.zephyrfit.com.

For full details about this week’s awesome giveaway, check out Scott’s blog entry. To be entered all you have to do is take part in #runchat. His blog details even more ways to enter.

If you’ve never taken part in #runchat, here are a few pointers:

• #runchat is simply a chat about running. Questions will come from me (@RunningBecause) and Scott (@iRunnerBlog). You then answer the questions, respond to other questions, retweet answers you like, etc. It’s really that easy.
• The fun gets under way at 8 p.m. ET with introductions for about 5 minutes. We then ask questions every 5-10 minutes depending on the nature of the conversation. We’ll often ask follow-up questions depending on answers.
• The easiest way to follow along is to use third-party Twitter clients such as TweetDeck, HootSuite or Seesmic. Create a #runchat column and then follow along. If you have trouble finding the question, you can follow the #runchat moderator list HERE and then add us as a separate column.
• ALL runners are welcome. Whether you’re just starting out or just run for fun or you enter every community race or whether you’re a seasoned marathoner, everyone is invited. Fast or slow, it doesn’t matter. There’s a wealth of information that everyone can learn from in that hour. If you’re curious and want to watch the conversation, you’re welcome to do that, too.
• For additional information visit my #runchat page. As always, we’re looking for question suggestions. Feel free to leave them in the comments below!