Product Reviews

New PAGE I added to the top of my blog:

Before I buy something new I read a ton of reviews.  I really like to hear from real people using stuff that I want.  I'm not an elite runner so reviews from professionals don't always mean a lot to me.

I have been asked to review a few things and other stuff I just want to share my opinion.  Some of these reviews are mixed in with my posts so I am going to link them here, that way if you really care what I have to say about this stuff you can find it easily:

Feetures! Socks

These are by far my favorite socks.  I have worn these socks in cold weather and hot weather and they hold up really well.  I also wore these socks during my 12 hour Ultra run and all five of my marathons and never had a single blister.  I like the Feetures! Light Low Cut socks for running and the Feetures! Original Low Cut socks for boot camp workouts.

  

I was recently sent their newest creation "Feetures! Elite!" and I wore them on a rainy ten mile long run.  I loved them!  

We believe it to be the first truly anatomical sock. Until this point, anatomical socks by other brands have used anatomical cushioning. Instead, Feetures! Elite uses anatomical compression positioned in the inside of the arch, where the foot needs the most support. The compression is intensified and isolated. The result is a sock that fits and feels like no other.

They felt good from the minute I put them on.  I love the extra support and the wicking material that kept my feet dry.  Plus, I love the way they look!  These have moved up to my new racing socks.

Garmin 405

I can not live without my Garmin 405.  I use it on all my runs and my track workouts.  If you don't have one you should put it on you Christmas, Valentine's, Birthday, Father's Day, Mother's Day, or Grandparent's Day wish list!

CPrime

The demonstration was cool, but it just did not make any difference to me when running.

Flexitol Blistop

This was sent to me by the manufacturer.  I decided the only way to really try it out was to wear cotton socks on a ten mile run.

It sprays on a little cold and feels wet for only a few seconds.  After it dries it's not sticky at all.  I really could not feel it on my feet.  There was a slight smell when I sprayed it on, but not after it dried.  I checked my feet after the run and they were fine.  No blisters and no red spots.  I don't really like to wear cotton socks, but if you do I would definitely recommend Blistop before you run.

Gift Ideas for Runners

This is a post I wrote with gift ideas for your runner.

Garmin Breakdown! What Do You Mean - Run By Feel???

Run by feel?  Are you kidding me?  I depend on my Garmin 405 to tell me everything!  My pace, my distance, how much further I have to go, how close I am, how awesome I am running :)

Okay, that's what I was thinking a few days ago when my Garmin decided it needed a break from all the running I had been doing.

When I made my Facebook status "Garmin running watch not working = crappy day" I received some sympathetic feedback, but some people actually thought it would be a good idea to run without a watch!  What?

Well, they may be on to something...

I have noticed on some runs that I begin to concentrate on my watch more than my running (which seems hard to do when you are running, but it happens).

During my twelve hour race, my watch stopped at seven hours and I really felt naked for about half an hour.  I eventually stopped thinking about it and enjoyed the rest of the race ("enjoyed" may be a little strong, but you know what I mean).  Plus, I literately skipped a run on Monday because my watch was not working!  How sad is that?

I actually have been working on running more by feel, but I was still wearing my Garmin so I could check it at the end of my run.  It bothered me a little at first, but I got used to not looking at it until I finished.  But running without the watch at all just seemed wrong...

I joke with people that if my Garmin did not record the miles then I can't count them as part of my weekly total (I guess I should say I half joked about that).  Anyway, with my Garmin freaking out and having no other watch to use I went to the track.  Now, I am sure when people were saying run by feel they were not suggesting I go to the track for a workout with out a watch (but, that's what I did).  It worked out okay because there were clocks everywhere, but it really drove home the point of how much I rely on that watch and how much more I need to work on running by feel.

With all that said, here is the deal with my watch.  It locked up and when I tried to reset it (by holding in the two buttons) it started beeping.  The beeping would not stop!  I was in my office and ended up putting it in my desk so it would not bother anyone...

I took it home that day and let it run out of power (had to put it in the kitchen cabinet so it would not drive my wife nuts).  I was really bummed and was hoping that I could fix it somehow.  I checked it the next morning,  reset it again and it worked!

Believe me, I am leaving out several hours worth of me trying to fix the watch (and checking the Garmin web site about warranties, and how long it would take to get it fixed, and would they replace it, and could they ship it overnight) - you get the point...