Hi-viz clothing review and a giveaway

*** This raffle is now closed***

During my winter run-streak, shorter daylight hours meant there were quite a few times I ran my miles after sunset. I love running at night. Unfortunately, while I wear light colored clothing, and I carry a small flashlight, I am always a bit worried that drivers won't see me.

Fortunately SportsShoes.com sent me a reflective runner's pack to test.

Pros:
I've tried a variety of running belts over the years. I dislike the bouncing and chafing so much that most of my running belts sit in a basket collecting dust.

The reflective runner's pack was an exception to that rule. The thick, adjustable, and slightly stretchy elastic band fit snugly without being too tight.

Plus, with this belt on, I gleamed like a glow stick at a rave.

SportShoes.com writes:

Fluorescent colours react with the sun’s UV rays so that they appear very bright, the effect is stronger in poor daytime light conditions such as drizzle, fog or toward dusk. This means you will easily be spotted by drivers and cyclists and will stay safe.

Reflective materials work best at night when it is dark and there must be a light source, such as car headlights, so that they can bounce it back. Reflective materials can help drivers to see you three seconds sooner at night – which could save your life!

The pack also comes with an ID tag and a tab that could be used to attach a water bottle.


Cons:

The key pocket is big enough for keys, an ID, and maybe a couple of energy gels. No more.

For those of you who run with your cell phone, you'll need to find another carrying case. Trying to fit my Samsung into the pouch was laughable. An older-model flip-phone might fit, but even that seems doubtful.


Giveaway:

Thanks to a shipping and mailroom snafu, I wound up with two of these belts. Since there is only one of me, and I don't plan to wear two belts at once, I have a spare belt to give away to one lucky reader.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The drawing:

Use the Rafflecopter giveaway tool, above, to enter.

Entries close on January 19, 2013. I will draw a winner at random, and will post the results on January 20, 2012. To claim your prize, you must contact me within one week. If I do not receive a response by 11:59pm on January 27, 2013, I will choose another winner (also at random). There is (obviously) no cash redemption value for this prize.

The fine print:
I received a complimentary reflective runner pack, but received no other compensation for this post. All opinions expressed here are my own.

June's cross training challenge

It's the end of June, which means that by now I should have checked another month off of my New 2 U Cross Training Challenge list.

In May, I was down to the wire, squeaking a skipping drill in on the last day of the month. This month I planned better, but held off on posting.

To be honest, I was hoping to have something more exciting to report than another review of Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred.


But Ms. Michaels is compelling.

Without Kim's challenge motivating me to try new things, I would have thought all the JM hype was just that: hype.

Back in February, for Kim's challenge, I tried two cardio kickboxing videos. One was (quite honestly) awful. The other video was by Jillian Michaels. That comparison was my first indication that JM's workout videos might be better than average.

So, after months of reading 30 Day Shred hype, I decided to take the plunge and try one of the workouts. I started with Level 1. (What? No, I did not pay for the video series. I streamed it from Youtube like every cheap frugal blogger should.)

The verdict: This 20-minute workout packs quite a punch! (No cardio kickboxing pun intended...)

Michaels begins with a dynamic stretching warmup, and then rotates through a series of strength, cardio, and core exercises, moving quickly from one to the next. The exercises are basic (e.g. push ups, squat with overhead press, jumping jacks) but the combination, timing, and number of repetitions left me sweating and sore.

Quite frankly, I was shocked at how sore I was. While I might not be the slimmest reed in the pond, I lift weights three times a week. My guns... ahem... show. If you told me, beforehand, that a 20 minute exercise video would leave me noodle-armed and aching for two days, I'd have challenged you to an arm wrestling contest.

But sore I was.

Maybe I over-estimated the weight I should be using, not knowing how many reps we'd be doing? Either way, the workout kicked my butt.

I am not going to go through the entire 30 day series - running is still priority #1 - but I will re-do Level 1 when I need to mix up my lifting routine, and I'll be checking out Level 2 and Level 3 in the near future.

For a list of other cross training I've tried since January, scroll to the bottom of this post.

What cross training would you recommend I try in coming months?

Two, two giveaways! (and a review)

Yes, you read that right. I have two, TWO giveaways. Ha ha ha ha!

This blog post is brought to you by
Count von Count and the number 2.

The friendly people at INKnBURN provided me with a camisole and shorts to review. They also want to give away a couple of prizes.

The giveaway goodies:
1 - A pair of 4ARMS sleeves
2 - A complementary race entry into the Griffith Park Trail Half Marathon (November 17, 2012).

The review:
By now you have probably guessed that I choose my workout clothes for function, not form. I'm trying to win a race, not a fashion show.

But form and function are not always mutually exclusive.
I have to admit, when I opened the package from INKnBURN, I was skeptical. The clothing looks fantastic. Had they sacrificed wearability for cool designs?

The camisole.

I was pleasantly surprised when I tried the clothes on.

The shorts fit perfectly. They are built with a flat waistband - flattering, comfortable, and no ride-up or sagging. Why aren't more athletic shorts built like this? The shorts also meet Miss Zippy's pocket standard - two pockets big enough for an ID, credit card, cash, and/or keys. (Note, there is no zip at the top of the pockets, so keys might not be secure if you start doing cartwheels. Then again, I usually carry my keys in-hand when I do cartwheels run, so this isn't an issue for me.)

My only quibble: the shorts lining is white. I prefer darker colors for my running clothes since light colors can get worn-looking pretty quickly.

The cami is also very comfortable - close-fitting without being too tight, racer-back so the straps can't fall down, and with a built in (ahem) support system. My only critique is that the built-in bra does not provide nearly enough support for my girls. Hence, this will not be a running top for me. But the shirt stays in place during down-dogs and shoulder-stands, so it has already become my new favorite top for yoga and lifting.

I also appreciated all of the important little details in the clothing. The draw-string on the shorts is a snug little loop - which means no dangling ends tangling up other clothes in the wash or accidentally pulled out. (Have you ever had to re-string your running shorts? Major functional flaw corrected in these shorts!)

The cami has a logo sewn into the "support system" that could double as a pocket for cash and a house key. (Ok. Maybe stashing a $20 in your bra is not the classiest of acts, but let's be honest: sometimes a runner's gotta' do what a runner's gotta' do.)

The logo sewn into the cami makes a great
pocket to hide some cash or a house key!

Keep in mind, INKnBURN clothing sizes run small. I requested clothing one size larger than my usual, and they fit perfectly. A smaller size would have been too snug.

The drawing:
You get an entry into the drawing for each of the following (post a separate note in the comments section for each entry):

• Follow this blog (+1)
• Like INKnBURN on Facebook (+1)
• Like the Griffith Park Trail Half on Facebook (+1)
• Follow this blog on Facebook (+1)
• Re-post about this giveaway on your blog (include link with your comment) (+1)
• Go to the INKnBURN website, figure out which of their designs you like the most, leave a comment about it in the comments section of this post (+1)

Entries close at noon Pacific time on February 25th are now closed. I will draw a winner at random, and will post the results on Sunday (Feb 26th) posted the winners on Sunday, Feb 25. To claim your prize, you must contact me within one week. If I do not receive a response by 11:59pm on Sunday, March 4th, I will choose another winner (also at random). There is (obviously) no cash redemption value for this prize.

The fine print:
I received a complimentary camisole and shorts to review, but received no other compensation for this review. All opinions expressed here are my own. I will draw a winner, and prizes will be distributed directly by the staff at INKnBURN.