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Monday, December 31, 2018

2019 Goals Continued...



So if you read my last post you may be wondering which race schedule (options 1 and 2 below) I opted for in 2019. When it came down to making a decision, the cost played a role in my decision. I just couldn’t justify paying the $200 entry fee for a 48 hour race that consists of a one mile loop with a single aid station (sorry NJ Trail Series). When compared to the $160 fee for a beautifully scenic and nonrepetitive 62 mile course with aid stations conveniently spaced the entire distance, Worlds End 100k seems to me to be the better value. Although earlier I was planning on going full Triple Crown series route or going with option 2, I’m now considering a third option: running the first two races of the series and then opting for the August Last Man Standing Ultramarathon in Maine rather than Eastern States. Eastern States registration doesn’t open until January, so I guess I’ve still some time to finalize this decision. I’m still undecided, but have narrowed it down to option 1 or 3.


Sunday, December 30, 2018

Giving The Gift of Aftershokz This Christmas


Disclaimer: I received Aftershokz Trekz Air wireless bone conduction headphones to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!


This holiday season I was treated to the opportunity to test out a pair of Aftershokz Trekz Air wireless bone conduction headphones. What the heck are bone conduction headphones you may ask? I asked the same thing when I first heard of them. The Aftershokz development team has created what is in my opinion an entirely new category of sound delivery by sending mini vibrations via the cheekbones to the inner ears. By doing so, the patented design of Aftershokz bone conduction headphones are able to deliver high quality sound without covering or blocking the ears. What does this mean? Greater comfort and situational awareness! If you’ve worn earbuds for a long period of time you’re familiar with how uncomfortable they can become. Aftershokz solves this issue by not requiring anything to be inserted into the ear; the headphones rest comfortably over the ear and on the cheekbone. This also allows the user to still hear what’s going on around them increasing their awareness of their surroundings and quite possibly their safety. These are two huge benefits of the Aftershokz bone conduction sound delivery system and basically resolve my two complaints I have with anyone who wears headphones in public. I know, now I must come clean with my complaints:
  1. People who run, walk, or hike trails with headphones on playing at a level that they cannot hear others announce themselves to pass. I try my best to be civil, but if I’m shouting asking to pass on a narrow trail and I get no sign of recognition please do not be surprised that you are surprised when I hop around you. I did not do it to intentionally startle you. I simply wanted to get around you. 
  2. People who play their music through a speaker for all to enjoy. If you like running or hiking with music that’s fine, but please do not subject the rest of us to your preferences. You are not that important. 

Now that I probably sound like a grumpy old curmudgeon (my apologies), it’s time to talk about the #GiveGoodVibes campaign that Aftershokz ran this holiday season. Starting on black Friday and continuing while supplies lasted, Aftershokz sent an open box pair of wireless Trekz Titanium headphones to anyone who ordered a pair of Trekz Air headphones free of charge. The free pair of Trekz Titanium headphones was provided to allow the buyer the opportunity to pay forward the good will and gift them to someone special. The sentiment of the #GiveGoodVibes campaign is enough to grow any grinch’s heart! And I must say that trying out these headphones and then being able to share them with someone special was one of the highlights of my holiday season. Receiving the gift of having a gift to share brought me more pleasure than many other gifts I’ve received. And knowing that the pair of Trekz Titanium headphones that I gifted are enjoyed and improve my lovely wife’s running experiences makes me even happier than using them myself!


Because all this may sound like I’m blowing smoke up someone’s ass, you may be questioning how great can a pair of headphones that you wear on your cheek bones sound. I was skeptical of the sound quality as well until I used my Aftershokz Trekz Air headphones. Let’s just say that all of my doubts vanished as soon as I had Andrew WK’s “She Is Beautiful” flowing through my cheek bones to my ear drums in perfectly clear sound with full and deep bass as well. The fact that this sound delivery system works so well truly amazes me. Not only is the sound quality great and honestly better than I expected, but everything else with the headphones works flawlessly as well. Even with my older, lower end LG android phone the bluetooth connectivity worked flawlessly. And the range is pretty impressive as well. I wanted to test it out so I left my phone at one end of the house and walked towards the opposite end of the house wearing the Trekz Air headphones. I nearly made it to the opposite end of the house (about 50 feet away with walls between) until they began to cut out. The headphones also offer all of the control options you would need to adjust volume, skip tracks, receive calls, and much more without having to use your phone. Even though I tend to lean more towards being a bit of a minimalist runner, I do enjoy running with music under certain conditions. And after experiencing the Aftershokz Trekz Air headphones, I can safely say that they will be my go to and top recommendation for anyone who enjoys listening to music during their outdoor activities.


Wednesday, December 12, 2018

WIN Sports Detergent








Disclaimer: I received WIN Sports Detergent to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!


If your household is anything like mine, you’re told somewhat frequently by your wife that your feet are gross and that you stink. And I’m talking stink in a literal sense here. Well, there’s not much I can do about my feet being gross. I have every intention to continue to run ultras which will most likely mean that I’m going to continue to have missing toenails and black blood blisters under some of the toenails that remain. Which, in my wife’s opinion, is gross. In an effort to compromise, I could going forward quit making videos of my kids pulling off my toenails, but they just seem to enjoy it so much that I would feel terrible to deprive them of that! So the gross feet thing is probably here to stay. Thankfully I now have the option to do something about the stank I bring to the table with the help of WIN Sports Detergent!

I’m not going to lie, I like to run and I like to run far. That means getting in long runs in hot weather. This tends to lead to sweating. Sweating for hours on end in some cases. I can speak from experience that after a certain amount of time of running and sweating the effectiveness of deodorant tends to decrease. I don’t mind it so much as I’m usually running by myself outdoors where no one else has to smell me and I become acclimated to my BO as it gets worse over the course of a long run. However, my family is not so fortunate. I get home exhausted and happy only to be yelled at by my four year old son “Daddy! You stink! Go take a shower!” My wife complains of how she has to wash my running clothes separately from all the other laundry to avoid contaminating the rest of the wash with my stench. What is one to do about the rank odor of ultrarunning? Well, I’ve been lucky enough to be provided the opportunity to test out WIN Sports Detergent as BibRave Pro and thus far I’m very pleased by the results.

                                         
See how happy it makes my wife?!

WIN Sports Detergent removes sweat, oils, bacteria, and salts from active clothing and in the process also removes the unattractive smells as well. WIN was designed to separate oils from the synthetic materials that activewear is made from while standard everyday use detergents are more generalized for cleaning a variety of fabric types. WIN was also designed to restore elasticity to activewear materials. I can’t say I’ve noticed a rebound in the elasticity of my activewear, but the improvement in scent is quite noticeable. I’m happy about it, but I’d say that my wife’s happiness about it is far greater!

You can try WIN Sports Detergent out for yourself and use “RAVE4WIN” to get 20% off any WIN purchase (individual bottle, 2-pack, or 4-pack). Offer is good through 1/15/19. Limit one use per household. Also, if you’re feeling lucky you can win yourself a bottle of WIN (normal or fragrance free). Just go to my Instagram or Twitter sweepstakes posts. Like the post and tag a friend in the comments to enter. Hit both to double your chances! The winner’s shipping address must be in the lower 48 of the United States to be eligible. Entries accepted through 12/30/18.