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Posts tagged ‘gear’

Aug 10

The good, the bad and the ugly of race shirts

A couple weeks ago I wrote about my dislike of the San Francisco Marathon’s half race shirts this year. I also mentioned that everyone has widely differing opinions on race shirts. Some people aren’t satisfied with any shirt they are given, others wear everyone with pride.

I think I fall somewhere in the middle. I have mixed feelings about race shirts in general. I get excited to potentially get a new workout shirt that screams “look what I did.” But I also, as evidenced in the photo above, have way to many race shirts. I’ve opted out of some shirts. Then when I get a really good one, I’m usually excited.

But I also have a lot of bad.

That’s discouraging because the shirt comes as part of the race admission. I pay to run. I pay for the supplies along the course and the use of portable toilets. I also pay for my shirt and my medal.

I know it’s not what running is all about, but when you want to show people your pride for running a specific event you can’t do it if you don’t like the shirt. So, I figured I’d share the good, bad and ugly of what makes a race shirt either worth it or not to me.

THE GOOD

I mentioned before that I like clean design and simple lines. I want a race shirt to say the name of the event, without throwing it in your face. I have two favorite examples of this, which happen to be from my first half marathon and marathon.

My California International Marathon one is about as basic as a shirt gets. No frills, no sponsors. Just a nice, functional shirt. And I love it. I love that I was given the option of a short or long sleeve, obviously I took the long sleeve. I love the basic color. It’s a great shirt. Because of that, I wear it all the time.

My 2011 Oakland Half Marathon shirt is also a great one. Again a basic, simple front design. The logo doesn’t look weird across my chest, which is wider than some women, I’ll admit. The sponsors are listed on the back, but aren’t huge either.

Funny thing about my Nike Women’s Half shirt is that a lot of people complained about the color. More people complained about the Safeway store logo being on the side. I loved the color, the plaid texture in the letters and the fit. Nike makes gender-specific shirts that are always the same size as other Nike apparel. So it was easy to pick the best shirt for me. I don’t mind the store logo either.

Brazen Racing makes a habit of having awesome race shirts. They also make a habit of putting on top-notch races, so this isn’t anything new. Between the company’s medal design, T-shirts and low price, Brazen puts on the best runs in the Bay Area.

Brazen also takes into account where and when the races are, including a St. Patrick’s Day run this year in Livermore, close to my house. The Badger Cove one is a perfect example of that. I only own two green race shirts and I love the color.

Brazen has a tendency to be repeat offenders when it comes to awesome shirts. Here are my past two shirts from the Coyote Hills run near Fremont. Same logo, different design. Both fit well. I’ve run other races in the 2011 shirt.

What makes these shirts good? They are cut specifically for women. All are a tech material. No cotton. All fit me the way I want a running shirt to fit, which is tight, but not too tight, and definitely not baggy around the mid section. That always just seems to add extra bulk to me.

THE BAD

A shirt can be nice, but not functional for me. Unfortunately most of the shirts I get fall into this category. I love them, but don’t wear them all that much.

I wish this shirt worked for me, but I find Brooks shirts to be inconsistent. I’ve bought mediums that fit me perfectly and larges that are too small. It’s kind of across the board, especially when they are made from different material. This one is more mesh and is too big in my mid section.

This one is WAY too big. It’s a unisex size and I drown in it. It also has a weird consistency to the fabric, which kind of feels funny when I wear it. I noticed a bunch of people cutting the sleeves and neckline on this shirt at the race. This has been in my “wear to stain furniture” pile for some time now.

Same issue with this shirt: Just too big. It’s a unisex size medium. I didn’t know Rock ‘n’ Roll races had a tendency to make unisex shirts when I signed up for this race. I was really disappointed. I literally swim in it. I love the color an design, but I’ve never worn it.

A shirt company sponsors Bay to Breakers, which would make you think that they’d have some wicked awesome shirts. Nope. Last year, it was a plain white shirt. Even the volunteers got better ones. Those ones were brown, with nice light brown screen printing. The runners got over-sized cotton T-shirts. Worse yet, this year Bay to Breakers charged a ridiculous amount of money for “plus” and “premium” registration with poorly-designed, cheaply made shirts again. Even the Adidas tech shirt was overwhelming and huge. Never again.

THE UGLY

And then there’s the shirts I just don’t wear because I’m not a fan. At all.

This year’s Oakland Running Festival took cues from local sports teams and made their shirts color-coded. The half was done after the Oakland Raiders. I’m not a Raiders fan. That’s not to say the Raiders aren’t a good team or anything, I just don’t watch a lot of football outside of following my California Golden Bears. I’m not in love with this shirt because I think the first thing people think of is Raiders and not a marathon. Marketing fail.

This was the first year of this half marathon and the shirt was just lackluster. It honestly felt like the back of a shirt to me and not the front. The back has another big design with a rose, a symbol of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, but it really just looks like they couldn’t decide which design should be front and which should be back.

Simulation mud? Really? Add in the Comic Sans type on this cotton shirts and it’s a race shirt disaster. It’s actually in a donate pile now. I won’t wear it. And to think, some people were worried about getting their shirts muddy after the race. I would have given them mine.

THE EXTRA ONES I BOUGHT

There are some races that despite the not-so-great race shirt, I still want a memory from the race. I’ve bought several “extra” race shirts, including spending a little too much at the Nike Women’s Half last October. Sometimes it’s worth it to spend a little extra for a shirt that I’ll wear a lot.

When I saw this shirt at the expo at CIM I told Thomas that if I finished the race and didn’t die, I wanted this shirt. I was true to my word too. Literally after I got myself put back together we went over to the booth to buy this one. It fits a little weird,  but I have a larger back than most people. I love the modern design and the prominence of “26.2.”

I didn’t realize I’d taken photos of two marathon shirts, but I think it’s fair that I bought both because I wanted a little something in addition to the race shirt from each marathon. I love this shirt. I have a one that’s nearly identical from the Pasadena Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon, which I bought in lieu of the race shirt I posted above. I love this shirt because it fits well and is a nice, smooth material.

I’m actually considering sending it a bunch of my shirts to get a quilt made. I’ve seen a couple companies that will make them for a relatively cheap rate. I like that I’d be able to use the shirts again. Right now, most of them aren’t getting much use sitting in a pile in my closet.

May 23

I really love my Run From Work Backpack

I’ve developed something of a Lululemon addiction in the past six or eight months. I’m a little bit crazy about my Lulu products, if only because they are incredibly high quality. Yes they are expensive, but I’ve never had an issue with anything I’ve purchased from Lululemon. So I’m in love. I don’t order too often from the website (the closest store is about 40 miles from me), but when I do I usually pick up a couple new items.

I did so as a birthday gift to myself recently. I grabbed up another pair of Run: In the Sun Crops and a new little backpack. I’ve only ever bought one bag from Lululemon and I use it all the time as an overnight accessory carrier. I love it to.

My husband, though, has been complaining in recent months that he hates carrying my gym bag. It’s pink. All pink. And it’s from last year’s Nike Women’s Marathon, where I ran the half. He hates it so much he often “forgets” it in the car when he comes to the finish line.

I have another backpack that’s also pink. I’m not in love with the color, but the bags worked for me, so I bought them.

When I saw the Run From Work Backpack, I knew I had to buy it.

It’s silver with girl accents, including the use of the Flash Lululemon color on the zippers, but also practical enough that my husband doesn’t have too much of a problem carrying it.

The workmanship in this backpack is amazing. It’s not a full-size, take it to high school type backpack. Not at all. I was tempted, though to use it when I had to go to school and do grades the other day.

The exterior is water repellent. I purchased the gray version, which has a beautiful pattern to it, but doesn’t look too frilly far away. (Hence the reason my husband will actually carry it.)

The material is soft, yet durable. There are two pockets on either side of the backpack, which a bottle of water will fit in nicely. I tested it out this weekend after Bay to Breakers. Thomas brought it to the finish line and I carried out of the park and up the highway after the race.

Then I hiked to our eclipse watching position at Upper Bidwell Park in Chico. I packed up quite a few things in the little bag, including several water bottles. It was incredibly hot. I had pockets upon pockets of space to keep things, including some credit cards and my identification.

There’s even a pocket where I can put a water bladder at some point should I choose to.

I may actually purchase something to put in there, if only so I can use it more while hiking or doing other recreational things. The pockets are durable too.

The biggest thing, though, is that the straps are incredibly comfortable. They have a mesh upper and there are also straps to put across the neck area and the abdomen to keep it secure.

The back also arches a little as to keep the pack away from a sweaty back. It keeps my back well ventilated too.

I wore it for about four hours off and on Sunday. It worked really, really well. Again, at $88 it wasn’t cheap, but I’ll be using it for after my runs and for other adventures. And I’m in love with it. It’s the perfect size and color. I’ll be finding more chances to wear it.

Jan 21

Staying warm and being cautious

It’s been a little crazy here with the weather in the past couple days.

I’ve been relegated to the treadmill as of last night and this morning. I don’t mind running in the rain, usually. However, the wind is a little annoying and I woke up this morning with a killer headache.

I went out for a five-mile run around Mountain House on Wednesday with Jennie. And I was cold. Really cold. I’m used to running at night. I tend to warm up a little later than I want, usually at about the end of my shorter runs. But on Wednesday, my body didn’t seem to want to warm up. I got to mile four of the run and was still a little cold.

I was wearing a pair of long Nike tech running tights and my newish Lululemon Run: Your Heart Out long sleeve pullover. I had a short-sleeve Nike Dri-Fit shirt on underneath the long sleeve.

None of the gear had a thermal layer.

I thought a lot about this, especially since I knew there would be bad weather this weekend.

On Wednesday, I also noticed that, despite the headlamp I wear, sometimes people driving ridiculously fast through Mountain House don’t see us. I saw lights before I saw the car on one intersection, but I knew to slow down. We had the right of way in the cross walk, but that never means I should trust that a car will stop.

In many cases they don’t.

So I ventured to my local Fleet Feet store in Stockton with some goals in mind: I needed better layering for the cold and I needed to find something to make me more visible to cars, other people, etc.

The worker at the store directed me to some standard Nike pants, but the first thing he grabbed was a pair of Mizuno Breath Thermo tights. I was looking around a little more. The store had all jackets on sale for the rain, but I have a couple nice running jackets for rainy conditions.

I came across a beautiful purple Nike pullover with a weave design on it. The worker came over and told me that was an excellent choice, especially considering the Nike pullover was made of wool. Wool is a natural insulator. It’s incredibly thin, but really warm. I’m wearing it right now as I type this, if only because it is really, really comfortable.

I bought a size medium, which will be great for runs because I like my clothes skin tight as to not get in my way.

Plus, did I mention it’s gorgeous? The purple is beautiful.

Here are product screen shots from online retailers. I wore the pants on my treadmill run this morning because my legs were feeling a little fatigued. The Mizuno Breath Thermo material responds to sweat (does that sound gross? Maybe a little?) and warm in return. By the end of my five-mile run my legs were feeling rather toasty.

I think these will be a nice combination when I run a trail 10K next week in Fremont. I’m hoping, though, that I get an outdoor run or two next week in Mountain House as well.

So warmth was taken care of. I nearly forgot about the safety aspect of my visit until I saw a gift basket behind the worker who was cashing me out. In it was a pair of Brooks Nightlife Arm and Leg Bands.

I hate that when people take pictures of florescent items, they always seem to leave a little something to be desired. These bands are bright. The reflective tape is awesome. I’m really looking forward to trying them out.

As I was trying to finish the one purchase, the worker asked me if I’d seen the flashing strobe lights they had for runners to. I hadn’t. He brought one over. For $7 it was a steal, so I picked one of those up too.

The regular lighted mode is really bright. But the strobes will make people notice us more as we run. I shot a quick video of the strobe types, which didn’t exactly show up very well, but you get the idea. (And I apologize for the background sound, I was watching an episode of Cheers on Netflix. Don’t ask me why, I just decided to turn it on.)

So now I’m cold weather and safety ready. I’m excited for more bad weather runs, just not the wind-prone type.

Jan 9

Meet me Monday: Gear freak

I’m one to trade one vice for another. This happens more than I’d like. And I’m not talking about bad vices.

I don’t smoke. I rarely drink. I’m not into drugs or anything like that.

Instead, I have a huge 13 by 9-foot walk in closet and more clothes than I need to fill it.

At the beginning of 2011, I was still relatively new to running. (To be fair, I still am. I’ve only been running regularly for two years.) But the biggest difference between now and then, outside of the fact I need to shed a couple of pounds, is  that I’m a lot more knowledgeable about the clothes I should be running in.

My greatest lesson? Cotton is bad. Very, very bad.

Except, in my case, if it’s Nike Dri-Fit Cotton t-shirts. I love those. I have a ton of those. They are really comfortable. I rarely worry about arm chafing. (I have fat little arms.)

Tangents aside, I’ve become a bit of a gear freak. I’m obsessed with trying new things out. I started out buying all Nike gear. My first running pants were Nike tech tights. I’ve realized I’m most comfortable running in tech capris.

I’m not a fan of tank tops.

My favorite socks are of the Nike Dri-Fit variety. Finding what I like to run in and what I’m most comfortable going the distance took some trial and error.

Over the summer I experimented with shorts (gasp!!!). If you knew me, you’d know I’m not big on shorts. But we had a rather warm summer. So I grabbed a pair of Nike running shorts at my local Fleet Feet store in Stockton.

Lately, though, I’ve been trying to be smarter about my gear. I notice a couple things in my pursuit.

I like items that can be multi-use. And I’d rather spent some money to find something great than buy cheap item after cheap item hoping that the shorts/shirt/socks will last until I can buy the next.

That brings me to some of my most recent purchases. Before the California International Marathon, I picked up a Nike thermal black long-sleeve to wear during the VERY cold morning run. It was cold enough for me to wear it for the first half of the marathon.

I love it. I’ve worn it as a base layer for long runs.

But I only had the option of buying it in black. This weekend, I found a pink one. It’s bright. Great for night running. The good news is that during the three months I’ve had the other one, the fleece inner (yes, warmth, yay!) hasn’t pilled at all.

I’ve also discovered Lululemon.

See the cute little pin stripes? They are the run: Speed short.

They aren’t adorable detail, even though they are. They are incredibly reflective in the dark when any sort of light hits them. I found a recommendation for these on a blog. Again on my quest to find items that are more reflective at night. I actually wore these while running the Big Sur Half Marathon on Monterey Bay in November.

I love them, but the length seems a little short on me. I still wear them, usually with another layer underneath.

Then I discovered the run: Turbo short.

These are a little longer. The pair pictured above are a special edition pair. The reflective detail is a ruffle. They aren’t all that special compared to a regular pair (to account for the more than $10 pay bump), but they are cute nonetheless.

I’ve ordered some more things from Lululemon lately. I even now own of the company’s gym essential bags. I’m planning to review that at some point here too.

In any case, I’m a gear freak. I feel kind of like a test dummy. I have some items that have worked. Others haven’t.

So I am still feeling my way a little bit. And it’s kind of burning  a hole in my wallet. Just a little.

Dec 30

A runner’s Christmas

I’m posting this five days later than I wanted to. That’s mainly because I’m tired. I’ve been swamped at work most of the week. And I have a 10K tomorrow morning I’ve been thinking about a little too much. (As in, am I ready for a 10K less than 30 days after a marathon? I’m crazy.)

Christmas was awesome, though.

Consider my presents started collecting earlier in the month with these beauties:

No, not running shoes. I do need a new pair of those, but that will have to wait. These are bicycle shoes. Score one that they match the bike. Score two that now I can clip in and get going.

I also got a wonderful trainer for the bicycle from my husband.

I didn’t think I needed this. I do. My butt hurts nearly immediately when I start riding. I can’t go for more than a couple minutes. This baby will be my cross-training device starting next week. Running every other day with an alternating swimming + biking day here and there. To accomplish this, I’m going to need a cadence sensor for the bicycle too.

My husband got it together for me and got it mounted. I think he may have enjoyed it too. Just a little.

And now I’m ready to go. This is good for several reasons.

I’m having a hard time getting going on the bicycle. I’m blaming fatigue and the fact that I’ve been overindulging on EVERYTHING food related lately. Why? I’m in a slump. I’ve come to the conclusion that there are a lot of things I’m not happy with about my life/professional/personal situations right now.

I’m making an effort to change those things in 2012.

I also am still experiencing some fear when it comes to the bicycle. It’s fast. Ridiculously fast. I’m scared of it. There, I said it.

So while I’m making changes to my life in 2012, I’m hoping to also be less afraid of my bicycle.

Maybe it I name it, we’ll develop a greater kinship? That helped with the uber-intimidating Garmin, who is now Gertrude II or Gert-II.

We’ll see.

I’m going through a bit of a frustrating patch with an injury from shooting video as well. I’m planning to blog more about that soon. I just don’t want to rehash it because it’s really bothering me. It’s a tendon strain in my right thumb. It hurts. A lot. I can’t even begin to describe how much pain something so small can be to someone.

Which brings me to another one of my favorite gifts:

Oh yeah, I’m a 27-year-old woman who got Legos from her husband and parents for Christmas. Why? Playing with them helps me increase dexterity in my bad thumb.

I don’t care if when I get better they won’t be nearly as useful. Legos are awesome.

Dec 22

I (heart) sweat

I’ve done some Christmas shopping for myself in addition to others this year. Why? Because not everyone understands my love of the sport. I didn’t want to make a “running wish list,” though I’ve had one for awhile.

So I’ve been dropping hints for myself lately and picking up some much wanted items.

One came today.

I read a great blog called Ali on the Run. The author is based in New York City and has Crohn’s disease. She ran a marathon earlier this year and raised money for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America while working toward her 26.2. She ended up raising more than $20,000.

Now I’m really bad at fundraising. I remember the typical elementary school walk-a-thon. I only asked my parents, grandparents, etc. And I raised just enough to earn a T-shirt. (Wooooo!)

Ali is impressive because she had a great idea. Insert shirt above.

She came up with the “I (heart) sweat” shirts. I started seeing them all over running blogs. I wanted one.

But they were nowhere to be found. I even Googled “I (heart) sweat” to track one down. I saw some generic knock offs of the shirt, but they definitely weren’t the Ali versions. AND, none of them were benefiting her awesome cause.

I got lucky then when I saw her blog mentioning she had more shirts. The post was several hours old. I saw comments that said “you’re already sold out!” and quickly went to the T-shirt website.

The site was out of a lot of colors. But they had a long-sleeve version in rouge red.

Score!

And she still had some larges in the Brooks shirt left.

It came today, like promised, before Christmas.

It’s actually the same feathered red color as my Brooks “Run Happy” shirt.

It came with a cute little “I (heart) sweat” label on the package too.

I’m excited to wear it for one of my next runs. It’s been cold here. Not as cold as the on the East Coast or anything, but it’s cold enough that I can see my breath more than 30 minutes into a run.

So I’ve been layering. And this is the perfect addition to my now many layers.

The shirt is pretty cool, if I can say so. I’m glad I locked one in before they all sold out.

 

Oct 20

New swag

I got a new shirt in the mail yesterday. It came to my parent’s house in Stockton, so I went and picked it up. I bought it from another runner who has a clothing site.

And I love it. I’m not sure if it’s because it literally took two months to get so I’ve been patiently waiting or because it’s unique and made specifically for me. But I love it.

When I took it out of the package I didn’t think it would fit. But I put it on and it’s awesome! I’m so excited to get to wear it at some point in the next week for a run. Probably not for the half marathon, but definitely for another run next week.

Speaking of running, I’ve been taking a couple days off. I ran the Nike Women’s Half Marathon last Sunday. I’m running another half marathon this Sunday. I’m trying not to burn out. So I’ve only done swimming for the past three days. Tonight the swim instructor worked me hard. I’m tired.

Of note: I also came home to a second orange long-sleeved running shirt from the San Francisco Marathon. I love the one I got at my half on July 31 so much that when I saw they were only charging $15 for another one, I ordered. That makes only two races I’ve scored second shirts at. I have a second one from Oakland too because I love that one so much too.

And I’m waiting for another shirt from Saucony as well. I probably don’t need a ton of running clothes anymore, but I love getting new running swag to sport. It gets me excited for the next run. Hopefully that’s a recovery 5-miler in between my two jobs on Friday.

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