1) Road ID: watching the Tour de France, you can’t help by hear about Road ID. I’ve “joked” here before about running on some remote single-track trails where if anything happened to me no one would fine me for weeks. Well, they still won’t find me for weeks, but at least they’ll be able to identify my decaying body by my Road ID. Seriously, for the amount of solo running I do, especially away from my neighborhood, it only makes sense to own one of these.
2) ExtremeMac Sportsband: I probably only run with an iPod about once a week. Typically I just make sure to wear a pair of shorts with a pocket, then throw the iPod in there. So when someone offered me a free sample if I reviewed their product, I jumped at the chance. PROS: It’s a great alternative to just using the pocket in my shorts – especially in the summer when shorts can become soaked. It’s sturdy, yet comfortable and I don’t even realize I’m wearing it. Even though there’s a see-through window, I’m still able to operate the control panel without taking it out of the sportsband. There’s a handy clip that allows you to wrap up the excess cord from the headphones. They have models that fit your iPod or your iPhone. CONS: The first time I used this product, there was some condensation around the window. Keep in mind that the dew point was about 60 that day. My second con has more to do with receiving the product than the actual product itself. Whoever contacted me was from Europe and it literally took 3 months to receive the product. It was so long, that I completely forgot about agreeing to review it. The good news is that you won’t have to wait as long, as their products are available at Amazon.com, Best Buy, Office Max, Staples, etc. For all my European readers, be sure to check out MobileFun.
3) Garmin 205: I bought one of these probably 2 years ago. After about 15 months, the face pulled apart from the watch and it wouldn’t stay on. I didn’t want to pay $75 to fix a $125 product, so I decided to live without it. Training for Grandma’s I did lots of tempo workouts. Although I had a ballpark idea of the pace I was running, I really didn’t know for sure. Not really a big deal for me. What really pushed me over the edge to buy another one was the 30K I did in May. The mile markers were all screwed up, so I had no idea what kind of pace I was running. That’s extremely frustrating when you’re trying to gauge things for an upcoming race.
4) The Clymb: This is probably the third time I’ve mentioned this site. It’s a private sale network that will give you access to insider pricing from an amazing group of outdoor brands. If you climb, hike, run, ride, paddle or ski, you’re gonna love this. Here’s how it works: you accept this invite and The Clymb will hook you up with deep discounts, usually 50-70% off retail, on gear from a different leading brand each week. Each brand’s product is available for 3 days only or until it’s sold out. Membership is free and by invite only. That’s why I’m inviting you – just follow this this link. So far I’ve purchased some Craft apparel, a Camelbak, and some Keen shoes. Although I’ve mentioned this site before, I forgot one key feature. As you spread the word to your friends, every time they purchase, you receive $10 off towards your future purchases. Here’s an example; the Keen shoes I just bought were on sale for $48. Shipping and handling is a flat rate of $10. The total was $58, but I had four $10 credits to my account, so I only had to pay $18. Can’t beat that!
We're heading to South Dakota next week, so there won’t be any updates to the blog – but you should be used to that by now.
Quote of the Day;
“What I earn on the roads is someday going to be considered laughable by the top athletes.” – Bill Rodgers
