Product Review: Jawbone UP MOVE

There's been a little drama. Strictly, a #firstworldproblem but aggravating nonetheless.

My Jawbone UP 24 is dead.

That's the second one in less then a year. 

This time, instead of waiting 6-8 weeks for a 24 that would probably die within a few months, I opted for the Jawbone UP MOVE.

Initially, I was skeptical about the clip but I have found that it stays put and is very convenient to wear during a run. I wear a GPS watch while running, so I had to put my bracelet in a pocket and I was always worried that I was going to lose it.

The MOVE has a few less features then the 24. There's no idle alert, smart alarm, or power nap feature. It does, however, have an LED display that lets you know how close you are to your step goal as well as the time of day. The battery life is reported to be about 6 months and then you replace it with a new battery purchased at any big box store.  

You can also wear the MOVE as a bracelet, which is cool unless you have one hand like I do, which then makes the bracelet pretty useless. I almost started crying to the poor Jawbone customer service lady (it had been a long day) who handled it very gracefully. Thankfully, I have a wonderful husband who puts it on for me when I ask.    

Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with the MOVE. It does everything that I need it do and I am still enamored with the Jawbone App. Though, I will admit that I miss the power nap feature and had actually initiated the idle alert the day the bracelet died, so that's a bummer.

I was debating whether or not to upgrade to the UP2 or UP3 but will probably just stick to the MOVE until it meets its demise. 

previous post: Product Review: Injinji toesocks

Product Review: Injinji Toesocks

Happy National Running Day!

I hope you take the time today to get out there and enjoy a run. Ditch the watch, forgo the music, and just enjoy the sound of your feet hitting the pavement or trail. You won't regret it!

On this day celebrating the wonderfulness that is running, I have a product review for you!

Injinji Toesocks!

To be fair, I didn't actually test these out myself. I bought these for my husband as an early Father's Day present because A. he is awesome and B. his feet are funky.

I tried to get him to try these socks out when he first started running but that was before he learned the golden rule of running: COTTON KILLS and was too cheap to invest in quality running accouterments.

Needless to say, when I saw a coupon in my virtual goody bag from the Pittsburgh Marathon, I knew the time had come.

Since I do the laundry around here I know that he's been wearing them, so I asked him to sum up the socks in a few words...

These socks serve well as compression socks: they fit well and snuggly and don’t slip.  So far, they have have done a great job of wicking away moisture.  I haven’t run in the rain with them yet, but they have kept my feet sweat-free in this humid, Georgia summer.

Perhaps the greatest thing about these socks, however, is their blister control. Recently, I have begun to get blisters between several of my toes.  By separating my toes into separate compartments, wicking away moisture, and preventing my toes from rubbing against each other, these socks have eliminated my toe blisters.  I have wore these socks on four runs of 10-miles or more and haven’t had a single blister.

The only negative thing I can say regarding these socks so far is that they do not provide much padding or cushioning. My feet have been sore after each of my runs with these socks.  To be fair, the pair I have are the “lightweight” version – it is entirely possible that other types provide more in this area.  Also, I have begun to use these socks on my longer runs (10+ miles), so it is only natural that my feet would be sore afterwards.

He's so cute.

Personally, I'm all about socks the keep him blister free so I don't have to cringe when he asks me to rub his feet. 

So, not only will these socks make your significant other WANT to rub your feet but because you took the time to read this review you can get them at a discount too!

Visit Injinji's website and use the code : runningslowly15 for 15% off a pair of your very own Injinji toesocks! 

Let me know what you think!

previous post: on Dean Potter and living life

Product Review: NoxGear Tracer 360 Visibility Vest

This morning, I ran into a dead armadillo on the side of the road.

It took me a good three minutes to stop feeling gross.

I was so busy writing this blog post in my head that I completely forgot it was there.

The things I do for you people.

O.K. enough about roadkill ... I'm here to talk about this...

noxgear's Tracer 360 Visibility Vest

This is the coolest thing I have seen in a very long time.

I'm terrible about visibility. All my winter running clothes are black. From head to toe. Truthfully, it's surprising that I haven't been plowed into by now.

I know this is going to sound crazy but stay with me here: I don't like to draw attention to myself while running. Which is insane because when you run in the dark you SHOULD want people to notice you, so that you know, don't get hit by a car.

I've tried those little blinking lights you attach to your clothing but I was always worried they were going to fall off. I thought about trying a regular reflective vest but seeing them on other runners made me think they're not very comfortable and fit poorly.

Basically, I wanted something that would make me visible in the dark, that was comfortable to wear and fit well.

Enter the Tracer 360.

It combines 360 degree visibility with comfort and functionality. This baby is light, coming in at a paltry 6.5 oz. You hardly even know you're wearing it. The adjustable reflective belt sits right underneath your chest and does not shift or move while running. The flexible fiber optic cables are also adjustable and barely noticeable when not illuminated. The battery pack is padded and shaped perfectly to sit between your shoulders blades. The whole thing is ridiculously comfortable to wear.

The vest and its always cool to the touch cables boast a full color spectrum. You can have solid color or blinking or blinking mutli color. The options are kind of endless. I stuck with boring solid red this morning, primarily because blinking lights freak me out and with the previously mentioned issue with being noticed, I figured red would make me visible but not put me in the "is that an alien?" category.

Seriously, if you run in the dark you NEED this vest. There's no discussion, no questioning - just go and buy it. NOW.

and guess what? The wonderful people at noxgear are offering you, my loyal readers, a discount!

visit www.noxgear.com and use the code RSWK20 (expires 9/30/15) to receive 20% off the Tracer 360 and Tracer 360+!

You have no excuses! Go get illuminated!


previous post: I ran a marathon and then spent a lot of money


Birthday/anniversary/Father's Day/graduation coming up? Read my other reviews here!
Montrail Trail Shoes
UltrAspire Hydration Vest
Altra Zero Drop Shoes
Huma Chia Energy Gel
Simple Hydration bottle
OVERDRIVE Compression Sock + Ice Kit
Jawbone UP (edited to include UP 24)

I ran a marathon and then spent a lot of money

Over the years, I have discovered that the days following a marathon can be dangerous. You feel invincible. Triumphant. You look around and try to figure out how to act like a normal human being but you can't because you just ran FREAKING 26.2 miles! 

You do crazy things. Wear your medal to bed. Wear flip flops to your daughter's soccer game because your feet still hurt but you're really just looking for a way to tell someone why your feet hurt in the first place. Sign up for another race before you can even walk down the stairs like a normal person. Or if you already have too many races to run, you go shopping! Smart phones are really wonderful little things. Not only do they keep you connected to the world but they allow you to buy running gear from the comfort of your car during an 11 hour drive home. It would probably be a lot cheaper if I just stopped running.  

In a haze of post marathon madness, I bought this..

    

and these...

and then these...

In my defense, the vest was an early birthday present from my Dad (Thanks Dad!), the socks are an early Father's Day gift for my husband, and the sandals are my Mother's Day gift. I CAN NOT wait for UPS to show its face!

I am ridiculously excited to review these goodies for you! It's going to be a fun couple of weeks around here and then training for Outrageous October* begins! 

*Outrageous October is going to be my attempt at running 2 marathons 2 weeks apart.

previous post: Race Report: Pittsburgh Marathon