Gear Reviews!

I've purchased and used these items over the past year or so. I'll try to keep this brief.


Garmin Forerunner 405 CX
Price: $200 (Amazon)

I bought this three years ago in an attempt to get fit from hiking. I injured myself shortly after this and did not use it again until a year ago. I find it to be accurate and functional. My only concern is, if you have a smart phone, and you don't like to waste your money, there are several inexpensive apps which can do most of the same functions. If I had a do-over I would try those apps before I bought this watch.

Overall rating: 8/10



Amphipod RunLite 4 Hydration Belt
Price: $43 (Amazon)

I bought this 6 months ago for my distance runs and my hikes. The bottles do not leak, the padding is comfortable, and the overall design is excellent. I only had one problem, which might have been user error. When re-holstering a bottle, I often managed to get one side to click, but not the other. Assuming it was secure, I continued to run, only to have the bottle drop from the holster. I ended up never using this, but only because I'd rather carry a bottle in my hand, than have one bouncing on my hip.

Overall Rating: 7/10






Asics Nimbus 12's
Price: $80 (Amazon)

I bought this in February and  I have logged over 300 running miles, 150 walking miles, and even some occasional casual wear. They are dirty, but still in excellent condition. They are heavy, but I have no doubt every extra bit of weight is spent on comfort. For a heavier runner, I absolutely recommend this shoe. My only complaint is the 2E width only comes in the ugly blue/white color.

Overall Rating: 9/10






Nike Dri-FIT Compression Shorts 
Price: $25 (Nike Store or Amazon)

 I always wear compression shorts. I started with UA's compression shorts, but I gave these a try about a year ago. They quickly became my go-to underwear for runs. I find them to be lighter and springier than UA's version. They do however, have a fatal flaw. There is a very annoying tag on the inside, which itches. I cut it out of a pair, but the remaining uncut part continued to itch. I tore a tag out of a different pair, which resulted in tearing the shorts themselves. After a good bit more effort on removing the tags correctly, I managed to remove it completely without tearing the shorts. In the end, I found the shorts to be much less durable than UA's version. I got a medium in UA (As opposed to a large in Nike) and found the UA's to feel just as comfortable as the Nike's. I think I'll be sticking with the more durable UA's from now on.

Overall Rating: 6/10



UA Compression Shorts
Price: $25 (UA Store or Amazon)

As stated above, this is my favorite underwear for running. They're thicker than ideal race day underwear but the thickness seems to add durability, so it's worth it.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10



Zensah Ultra Calf and Shin Sleeves
Price: $20 (Amazon)

 

I bought these because I had terrible shin splints. After a week of wearing these on every run and for a couple hours after my runs, my shin splints were completely gone. I haven't needed them since, but I found them to do everything I could have hoped for and more. They were a lifesaver.

Overall Rating: 10/10

Zensah Knee Sleeves 

Price: $20 (Amazon)

 I bought these after my great success with the shin splint sleeves, hoping they could help my knee pain. They did not help anything, because they would not stay on my legs while walking, let alone running. The lower leg part was so tight, it cut off circulation, while the part above the knee would easily fall down. A smaller size would have made the lower leg part even tighter. I could not use these at all.

Overall Rating: 1/10

UA Evo ColdGear Compression Leggings 

Price: $50 (UA Store or Amazon)

 As the seasons started to change, I started looking for ways to keep warm. I have also been very interested in compression clothing, given the success I had with the shin splint sleeves. I am happy with the warmth and the comfort of these leggings. The new waist band reminds me of yoga pants, and is just perfect. Super comfortable, durable and fairly warm. The compression was however, decent but sort of lacking even being a medium on a size 34 waist 6' tall man.

Overall Rating: 8/10

UA ColdGear Game Day Compression Mock Top 

Price: $50 (UA Store or Amazon) 

Coupled with the leggings when it is cold, I basically felt the exact same way about these. It's comfortable, durable and fairly warm. I especially love the bottom of the shirt. They added a rubber strip around the inside, so that it doesn't roll up when you move. It works very well to that end as well. It has never rolled up.

Overall Rating: 8/10

2XU Elite Graduated Performance Compression Tights

Price: $88 (Amazon)

As I continued my search for excellent leg compression, I stumbled across these. This is the only pair of leggings which I was actually impressed with the level of compression. They are so tight, if you are sitting with your legs at a 90 degree angle, your feet will go numb. Luckily, I do not bend my legs that far while running. I am exceptionally pleased with the compression, which is only reason I bought these. My only complaint is the white details on the leggings are being rubbed off after only one week of wear. I'd rather they just left the pants plain black, but oh well, I didn't buy tights for their style.

Overall Rating: 9/10

New Training Plan

Welcome to my first blog! I'm totally ninja'ing this idea from my friend Mike on dailymile.

Next summer, my father, brother and I all plan to do an Ironman 70.3 Triathlon Relay together. I of course, get to do the run; And to that end, the training begins!

I've decided to do two, 14 week training plans from Runner's World. Both the Beginner and the Intermediate plans for the Half Marathon. I could possibly start with the intermediate but I'll do it this way to avoid injury. At the end of each training, I'll benchmark myself with a 13.1 mile distance around town or at a nearby race (If I can find one). By the end of the intermediate training, it will be mid-April, and I'll have ran 775 miles. I'll talk more about this later, but here's some graphs!