Something New

Onward to some favorite running things I've discovered more recently!

Oiselle Running:  This is a fantastic runner-run company.  I talked about my awesome shimmel here.  I have since tried out their shorts (Lori and Roga) and some of their shirts.  All awesome, awesome products.  I know I said I'm a running skirt gal, but Oiselle has turned me back on to running shorts.  The cut of the shorts are very flattering and I love the colors.

Roga Short

The above is from their new Fall '09 collection (available in August).  I can't wait to get mine!

Pearl Izumi Syncroinfinity:  I currently have three different shoes in my shoe rotation.  I used to rotate different pairs of the same model.  Lately I've taken to the idea of rotating different pairs of different models.  This has led to an interesting discovery.  I found myself "saving" a certain pair of shoes for long runs.  A certain pair was my first choice for races.  This pair of shoes currently has 399 miles on them (and I'll keep running in them a little bit longer).  This is unheard of for me.  In the past I have been forced to retire shoes at 350 miles or sometimes even as low as 300.  Some shoe store guy once told me that, "you really beat up your shoes."  I am a fairly petite person so you'd think I could get more than 300 miles out of a shoe!  I have been very impressed and am sold on the PI Syncroinfinity.

Powerbar Gel Blasts:  I received a packet of these in a race goody bag.  A whole new world of fueling has been opened up to me!  As I mentioned previously I really love Shot Bloks.  But they have one downside.  When you chew them up they really stick to your teeth.  I sometimes have to swipe a finger on my gum line while running to dislodge Blok remnants.  These Gel Blasts are a totally different gummy consistency.  They don't stick to your teeth at all!  The cola ones taste just like gummy colas, too!  I then bought the lemon flavor.  It is good, but I can't shake the idea that at any time it is going to taste like soap.  Of course it doesn't taste like detergent, but is just the right lemon flavor to make you think you've shot some into your mouth.  But I would still recommend the lemon!

One thing to be careful of... Since they don't stick to your teeth I have more than once inhaled small chunks of these while running since I'm breathing through my mouth.  I have started running with a mix of Bloks and Gel Blasts.  I like the variety in the textures and flavors.

Hella Sound Running Music:  Another runner-run company, Hella Sound provides running music you can tailor to match your stride rate.  I bought the first song, "How to Turn Around a Bad Day."  My iTunes says I have played this song 29 times.  The song is over 30 minutes long.  That is a lot of time spent listening to Hella Sound (and the play count only counts the times I played the song in its entirety to the end)!  First off, I love running to the music.  It is almost impossible to not pick up the pace.  I made the mistake of taking this song out with me on recovery runs.  The music should come with a warning against doing such a foolish thing.  It is now the music of choice when I do my tempo runs.  Second, I just enjoy listening to the music!  Even when I'm not running I'll put this song on to play.  A third added bonus, Mario also seems to like the music, too!

Atalanta Commitment Skirt:  I originally gave this skirt a try because all of my fellow skirt-crazed runners at Disneyrunning.com gave it such high reviews.  In the recent months it has become my go-to running skirt.  The pockets on this skirt are amazing.  An engineering miracle!  I have run with a digital camera, cell phone, marathon's worth of Bloks in these pockets and the weight literally disappears.  The pockets are exactly the right depth for the new streamlined Blok packaging, too!  This company provides hands down the best customer service I have ever encountered.  There are a couple of new skirt colors not listed on the website so I'd recommend emailing in with your size to see what else is available.

My favorite commitment skirt, navy/pink (one of the unlisted colors)!

I bought my mom one of these skirts for Christmas.  She loved it so much she bought 3 more.  My of-retirement-age mother!  The socks were one thing, but that is quite the endorsement.  Atalanta is offering free shipping the month of July so definitely check these puppies out!

Runningwarehouse.com:  I only recently started ordering items from this website and have been very impressed!  They have very good prices and a vast selection (most of my favorite things can be found on this website).  They offer free two-day shipping (which for CA residents sometimes pans out as overnight shipping) and free return shipping as well.  I have had excellent experiences with their customer service.  My new source for running things!