H2O Audio. Best. Invention. EVER!

As most of you other swimmers out there can sympathize, swimming can be just dreadfully boring.  Its lonely.  Only a black line to stare at (or worse, muddy water if you’re in a lake), and the sound of your exhaled bubbles to keep you company.  It doesn’t even console me to do swim workouts with other people because you can’t talk and swim simultaneously…duh!!! 

I have been intrigued by H2O Audio products for some time now.  A few weeks ago, I received and email asking if I would like to try out and review their Interval 4G for an iPod shuffle 4g….um, HECK yeah!!!!  I was so eager in fact, I went out and bought a shuffle the next day!

Although I don’t normally run with music, the thoughts of being able to swim with music made as giddy as the day I thought miniature giraffes really did exist! (yes, I am that gullible!)

Opulence….I has it!

I did have my doubts.  Would it actually work, would I be able to hear it over my roaring exhalations, would they stay in my ears, would I be electrocuted, would by iPod get waterlogged???  I tested out the water seal prior to putting my precious new shuffle into the case.  I submerged it for 30 minutes, as per the instructions.  I opened it cautiously……great….no water….time to go into your case little iPod…stay dry!

I couldn’t get to the Y fast enough.  I was so excited!  I got in the water with my iPod safely strapped to my head and put my earphones in.  Pearl Jam was blasting in my ears and I was so excited to get started that I forgot to put the actual goggles over my eyes and I started down the lane without my goggles on.  Embarrassing, what a tool!!

I was shocked at how clear the music was!  I could still hear a little bit of my bubbling down the lane, but I didn’t mind that.  I think it would be a little too surreal to not hear some of the bubbles. Music + swimming = Heaven!  I do have to do a little work on my swim playlist.  Most of my songs are better suited for a run cadence, and it got me a little too amped and off my rhythm.  I was probably going a little faster than normal.   

The earbuds fit surprisingly well.  And I can’t imagine that they wouldn’t fit in EVERYONE’s ears.  The case itself comes with 4 different sizes of earbuds, surely there’s a size for everybody!  I (ahem) had to go with XL, for my GInormous ear holes.  But I was also sent the Pro Fit Kit to try which comes with 9 sets of different size and shape earbuds.  Once they are in and you get a good seal, you are good to go. OH!!!!  And another plus….the earbuds keep the water out of your ears by default.  BONUS!!!!

As for the overall fit, I was worried that the unit on the back of my head would drive me crazy or slide down.  NOPE, neither of those happened.  I actually couldn’t feel it at all.  And the cords to the earbuds are so short that they easily tuck under your cap and are completely out of the way. 

The lifeguard was eyeballing me curiously.  I’m not sure what he thought of me, I tried to keep my new goodies as inconspicuous as possible.  I’m just hoping that he didn’t call and put in bug in the aquatics director’s ear about electronics in the pool. 

H2O Audio also sells other waterproof cases for various electronics, iPhones, iPod Touch, nano, other MP3 players, waterproof armbands for running.  I will definitely be getting a case for my iPhone, it will sure beat the ziploc bag it resides in while cycling! 

The only negative I can think of is how boring swimming will be in circumstances that I can’t carry music i.e., races.  That will be a bummer!  This is honest to goodness one of the best pieces of gear that I have.  I literally can’t wait to go swimming again.  I swear, I never thought those words would come out of my mouth!

And for your viewing entertainment, a short clip of me swimming in my pool at home. Feel free to critique my stroke LOL!

I give H2O Audio Interval 4G a 5+ enthusiastic parachute jacket seal of approval!

So, pop on over to H2O Audio and pick yourself up an Interval 4G or a waterproof armband case.  You will NOT be disappointed!!

Gel-Bot Review

I recently received a Gel-Bot from Hydrapak to try out. I was honestly a little nervous about testing this product at first due to my previous history with Gu during a half-marathon. But being the budding triathlete that I am, I’m really confused about how to fuel and the logistics of fueling while on a bike during a race. I’m not comfortable enough to casually eat my Chomps or Fig Newtons, or suck down a pack of gel while whizzing down the road on my bike. The Gel-Bot helps ease some of my fueling anxiety, if I can manage to drink from a bottle on a bike, I can eat Gu too!

When I first opened up the package, I noticed the bottle seemed HUGE. This is a 24oz bottle (they also have a 20oz) and I had my doubts that I could carry it. But once I put it side by side to another hand held, its not so big. My next worry was, how do I carry it? I asked the folks at Outside PR if there was a carrier, and well….yes there is!!!! And was promptly sent one!!!! It also fits very nicely in a regular ol’ bottle holder on a bike and it will make fueling mid ride much easier (and safer!!!) for me! YAY!!! The gel vial holds enough for 2 pack of Gu.

The bottle is simple enough to use. Put 1 or 2 packs of Gu in the gel chamber, push up the bottom of the chamber like a push pop to get excess air out, push the chamber onto the lid, and screw the lid onto the bottle. Voila!!!! To drink water you pull the nozzle up all the way, to get gel push it down. Sucking the gel out of a bottle is a TON easier than fiddling with foil packets, awkwardly sucking the gel out of the packet, then having to worry about where to put the empty packet. (OOOO, it burns me up to see athletes toss empty Gu packets on the ground!!!!) This bottle is all-inclusive, no mess, no fussing, all. in. one! I have both run and ridden with it and it worked like a charm. And I dare say, I actually tolerated the Gu. Instead of having to gulp down an entire packet at one time, you can take small sips of it giving my body a steady stream of glucose and electrolytes instead of dumping it into my fragile stomach all at one time!!!! Thank you Gel-Bot for helping me tolerate Gu again!!!!

I have heard some people complain about it being difficult to clean, but I found its easier if you disassemble the gel vial completely and put the small pieces in the utensil part of your dishwasher. Then turn the top of the bottle upside down (so the nozzle is pointing down) with the nozzle open to the gel setting, the little bit of remaining gel in the nozzle will simply ooze out. If you have kids and still have your baby bottle brushes, that would work well too.

One thing I would like to see in possible future models…..I wish the gel tube actually screwed into the top of the bottle. As it is now, it just pushes into the top. I am always a little paranoid that I won’t push it all the way in and the vial of gel will fall off into my water making a weird gel slurry. Other than that its great.

I give the Gel-Bot 4 1/2 parachute jackets!

Pearl iZumi Infinity Shorts Review

I was sent a pair of Pearl iZumi shorts to test and review a few weeks ago.  Honestly, when I opened the box and saw shorts, I was a little nervous.  Me no like-y shorts.  Unless you have twiggy legs or just happen to be gifted in a way that I don’t quite understand, shorts have never been comfortable for my (ahem…) ample thighs.  I have been a skirt girl for over a year now and have never been more happy or comfortable.  Ladies, you know what I’m talking about…..the hungry crotch syndrome where your shorts will inevitably creep up your inner thighs until they are in a chafe producing wad.  If it doesn’t happen to you, well it just simply defies the laws of physics, please tell me your secret!!!!!

Anyhow, I digress…..yes, Pearl iZUMi shorts…..that is what I was meaning to talk about.

Shameless opportunity to feature my boy, Rhett Butler

So I reluctantly tested the shorts on a short 3 miler.  When first putting them on, my initial impression…..”WOW!  They are comfy…..and cute!!!!”  They are light and breezy and fit very well!  NOTE: order a size LARGER than you typically wear….it hurts the pride but you will thank me!  And FINALLY a split leg short that doesn’t show off all your goodies.  PI managed to make a discreet split leg short!!!

See…..discreet!

They have some cute little embellishments that hint at feminine without being blatantly girly.  They also have a small pocket on the back that you could fit your keys and maybe a Gu into.

So how did they fare on the run????  Well, I have mixed emotions.  They did ride a little, but I did not have high expectations from the get go.  BUT, that being said, they did not ride up the crotcheral region quite as badly as most shorts do on me.  I did not spend the entire run with my shorts in the shape of an inverted V, nor was I constantly pulling at the shorts to put them back into the proper place.  I could be that I have not run in shorts in such a LONG time that I was just super aware of the extra fabric betweenst the legs. 

I have read RAVE reviews on these shorts and while I’m only 90% sold on them, they are still pretty great little shorts.  If you love shorts in general, then you will LOVE these.  I will certainly be wearing them on shorter runs and during other athletic activities.  So if you LOVE shorts….go get you some!!!!  Also, check out some of the other products by Pearl Izumi.  They have some really great cycling, running and TRI gear!!!!!

I give Pearl iZUMi Infinity Shorts 4 parachute jackets!

disclaimer: i was sent these shorts by outside pr for free, the review is my very own.  peace out!

The New Gu. Tabs, Gel, and Chomps Review

Some of you may recall that I used to be a Gu gel girl, but Gu gel and I had a falling out during my one and only half marathon experience. At mile 11ish, feeling particularly low and desperate, I slurped a vanilla Gu gel in hopes of a pick-me-up. Instead, my parched throat hesitated with the swallowing of the miracle gel, gag reflex activated, and I began to dry heave. Thank goodness no actual vomiting occurred. Ever since then, I have been afraid to Gu. Totally NOT Gu’s fault, I take the blame.

So, when I was sent some of the new Gu flavors to review, I was a little weary. Flashbacks of dry heaving in the woods started racing through my mind. But in the name of research….I decided to give Gu gel a go. I’m such a martyr!!!!

The flavors I tested were Blueberry Pomegranate, Cherry Lime, Vanilla Orange, and Pineapple. All of which are the Roctane gels. Which will pump you up with a jolt of caffeine. Love this stuff!!!!!

Of all the 4 flavors, I like Blueberry Pomegranate the best. In an effort to make this as fun an experience for me (and to provide entertaining pics!) I decided to do a blind taste test to see if i could identify the flavors without looking at them. It was pretty easy to figure out, they are pretty distinct flavors haha!

Skeptical and scared

Bottoms Up! I really only tasted it, didn’t eat the whole thing!

Hmmmm, gotta think about this for a second

Thumbs Up! I survived!!!

They are all pretty good but Cherry Lime I will have to give some more thought. I’m not huge cherry flavor person, but it has more of a lime-y flavored so I can deal with it. I give the new Gu gel flavors 4 LB parachute jackets! ( would have given them five but I’m still a little leery about gel in general!)

Also, Gu is now making their fabulous Gu Brew in tablet form. I absolutely LOVE Gu Brew, so when it came out in easy to transport tabs, I was SOOOO excited!!!! I tested Lemon-Lime, Peach Tea, and Orange. All of them are grrrrreat!!! I do notice that the flavors aren’t quite as strong as the Brew powder, but I think this is a GOOD thing!. When I am overly hot and dehydrated, an overwhelming flavor can push me over the edge. There is a slightly carbonated feel to the drink, but not overly so. Simply plop the tabs in water and go….easy peasy! I give Gu Brew Tabs 5+ LB parachute jackets!

And finally I tested some Gu Chomps. Again, I am very familiar with Chomps, have used them on many, many occasions and they never disappoint. I tried Strawberry and Peach Tea flavor. The chomps themselves are great, less chewy and don’t stick in your teeth quite as bad as other brands of chews. I really like both of the flavors. I really don’t have a bad word to say about the Chomps…..for reals!!! I don’t even bother trying out any other brand of chew anymore because Gu Chomps are really my go-to solid fuel during a run. I give Gu Chomps 5+ LB parachute jackets!

Sports Science T-Shirt Review

I had the pleasure of bumping into a couple of great gals at the Sport Science booth at the Cooper River Bridge Run Expo a few weeks ago. Sport Science is a locally owned company in the Carolinas…..I love to support local business when I can! Their cool vintage t-shirts immediately drew us in and we spent far too much time perusing through all their super cool shirts. And my friend Ashley won the raffle for 3 shirts…..AWESOME!!!!

Sport Science shirts have the feel of cotton but the performance of technical fabric. Made with dri-release® fabric, they are sure to wick away moisture and keep you cool. The fabric is also treated with FreshGuard® to help control the odor us sweaty beast runners produce. I tested one of their fabulous shirts on a pretty toasty day last week and happy to say that I was comfy and cool. And anyone who knows me, knows that staying cool is a major concern for me. The seams of the shirt are soft and not scratchy, no rubbing or chafing anywhere.

See…..happy sweaty beast!

One very appealing thing about these shirts is they perform well enough to run in, but cool looking enough to hang out in. I mean really, look at most of your “running” shirts. Are you really going to hang out in public in those??? Sport Science shirts are way cool and you can wear them anywhere and not feel like a total runnerd.

Cool enough to hang out with your dog too!!!

Some of the shirts I bought at the Sport Science booth aren’t available yet online….but don’t worry kids….they will be soon, check them out {here}. These are quite possibly my favorites. Not a running shirt per se, but could be used as such. Most definitely a hanging out with friends type of shirt.

Two of the vintage print shirts I LOVE. Random, sure, but cool just the same

Rhett was demanding more camera time today

I would also like to introduce a new review system for the My Reason to Run blog…..a star rating if you will. It seems that I will forever be known for the hilarious race picture from my first tri. I happily mock myself and proclaim the “parachute jacket” as my seal of approval!

1 parachute jacket: Not worth your time or money….avoid at ALL costs!

2 parachute jackets: Use only as a last resort when no other options are available

3 parachute jackets: Meh…..I could take it or leave it

4 parachute jackets: Pretty good, I would probably buy it and may recommend it to a friend, but not the best eva!!!!

5 parachute jackets: OMG…you’ve gotta freakin’ try this. Quite possibly the best eva!!!!

I give Sport Science T’s 5 parachute jackets! Stay tuned kiddos….I just MIGHT be bringing giveaways back……..In the meantime…go visit Sport Science!!!!

disclaimer…..i paid for these AWESOME shirts myself, this review is totally my own opinion….just in case you were wondering……

My Thoughts on “Runmeter” for iPhone

I wrote an article recently for examiner.com about why runners should track mileage. I have a friend who runs with little regard to her weekly mileage and is oblivious to her stats. I don’t know why, but it irritates me. It goes against every fiber of my runner’s being….what runner does not keep up with their stats??? It bothers me to no end!!!! I digress. I was contacted by Lori at abvio.com about trying out their app “Runmeter”. At the time I didn’t have an iPhone, but luckily, my BlackBerry Storm died and I hopped on the Verizon iPhone train 3 seconds later.

Runmeter 5.0 was just released a few weeks ago and is available at iTunes for $4.99. I have used other phone based tracking software such as Bones in Motion in the past, pre Garmin days. Run Meter automatically syncs to multiple places like Daily Mile, Facebook, and Twitter without having to connect a device and download to your computer. Like other software, Runmeter tracks distance, time, pace, elevation, GPS map, calories, etc.

Example of Runmeter screen:

Photo: iTunes Store; Runmeter

I have taken it out on 3 test runs. I will be honest and say that it will never replace my Garmin. For one, I paid too much for that thing to ditch it, and two Runmeter does not track heart rate or sync to my cadence sensor on my bike. Also, I do not run with music and carrying a phone is cumbersome to me….all 4.8 ounces of it! I will however use this for races. Like I said earlier, it syncs automatically to DailyMile and Facebook. If you have the settings to post when you start your run, it will magically put up a little post on Facebook and DailyMile alerting your friends that you have started your run. They can then track your real time progress during your run by refreshing the page every so often. I have an out of town 10K coming up, so now my family and friends can track my progress live and know my results probably before I do. Imagine your family cheering you on live during a race without even being there. Speaking of cheering you on, there is an additional app you can buy (for .99) that gives spoken replies left on your workout post. (I did not buy this app, what can I say I’m just that cheap!) How cool is that!!?? You can actually hear what people are saying about your run while you are running. Now, depending on how your run is going, you may or may not want this feature. I can only imagine hearing….gee, you're running pretty slow today, or you SUCK during a difficult run.

I have not used all of the features as of yet, I really have only hit start and stop and let it run. But I think it can do some other cool little things as well, more experimentation is needed. One of the problems I have had with the app is GPS accuracy and I can not blame that on the app itself, I blame it on phone and user error. You have to carry your iPhone in just the right way to get the GPS to record accurately. First run, I carried it in a SpiBelt and it was roughly a quarter mile off. Next run, I carried it in my jacket pocket and it was nearly a HALF mile off. The last run, I carried it in an armband and it was pretty much dead on, less and .05 off. So, that being said, the app itself if accurate, but you may have issues if you carry the phone incorrectly. I guess the jostling around in my pocket made the GPS go haywire. This is what my run looked like that day on the map…..I really don’t run that erratically….unless a few cold ones are involved.

My only other complaint is how your workout is posted on Daily Mile and Facebook. When you start your run, it says “Laura ran for 1 sec” why can’t it just say, Laura started running. It makes you look like a total idiot….I ran for one second….who does that??? If your friends don’t know to refresh they might think you’re a little weird.

View of how your workout is actually posted on Facebook:

and this is the response I got from a “less athletic” friend

All in all, this is a pretty handy little app and an economical alternative to a Garmin. If I did not have a Garmin, I would definitely use this for every run. Thanks to Abvio.com for the app! I will definitely be using this on race days!