Posts Tagged ‘Running’
Written by Peter Suciu on 10 August 2010
Montrail Sabino Trail Shoes
Over hill, over dale, I hit the dusty trail and the Sabino carried me along. After years of primarily being one to pound the pavement, I laced up with a pair on Montrail Sabino shoes and got off road. Now truth be told, given the state of many roads and even sidewalks in much of the country these days, finding “off road” isn’t as hard as it seems. But these performance running shoes are really designed for stability in true trail conditions.
The Sabinos are heavier than many of today’s lightweight running training shoes, but that’s because these need to stand up to harsher terrain. In other words you wouldn’t use a sports car where a SUV needs to go – then again, many SUVs probably couldn’t go where these shoes will take you. Made of synthetic leather and lylon mesh upper materials and thermoplastic midfoot shank, the Sabinos fit like a glove and were just right for the rather humid and warm day when I hit the trail. Whether we’ll be able to say if these were neither too hot nor too cold will have to determined at another time, but it is safe to say that these will do the job in a variety of weather conditions. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Montrail, off-road, Running, Sabino, Trail Shoes, trails, walking
Posted in Footwear, Hands On, Hiking, Running | No Comments »
Written by Peter Suciu on 04 August 2010
Earlier this year Adidas unveiled its miCoach system, which put sensors on a runner’s shoes as well as a device on the arm to measure distance, pace and even stride rate. Users could get a lot of information, and could even sync the data to a website. Now the company has taken the next step by introducing a miCoach application for the iPhone and BlackBerry that is meant to work as a virtual personal and real-time trainer.
As with the miCoach devices, this app utilizes GPS capabilities, where real-time pace-based coaching and tracking is provided. The app essentially transforms a smartphone into a personal guide complete with voice coaching, personalized and sports-specific training regimes, workout calendar and workout feedback. The app also monitors, manages and analyses progress over time. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Adidas, Adidas Sport Performance, App, Apple App Store, application, Bernd Wahler, Blackberry, BlackBerry World, GPS, iPhone, miCoach, Running, smartphone, virtual coach
Posted in Exercise, Mobile Phone, Running, Software | No Comments »
Written by Enid Burns on 26 July 2010
Rubberized coating on these shoes make them spashproof.
Seamless is the new stitching. A new trail running shoe from Hi-Tec was on show at the OutDoor show last week, the Infinity V-Lite. Layers of technology make for a streamlined shoe. A seamless upper reduces weight and tendency to develop blisters. Hi-Tec worked with Vibram to provide an exclusive sole with two rubber compounds that provide traction and durability. A rubberized coating provides permanent water repellence. There’s plenty more features to give the shoe a comfortable fit and support while on the trails. And it looks cool too. We hope to get our hands on a pair when they become more widely available.
Hi-Tec
Via: Outdoors Magic Gear Blog
Tags: OutDoor Show, Running, seamless shoes, trail running
Posted in Footwear, Running | No Comments »
Written by Peter Suciu on 15 July 2010
- Where running and cycling meet
Imagine being able to do the running and cycling parts of a triathlon at the same time? That’s sort of what the ElliptiGo can do. This outdoor elliptical bicycle essentially combines running with cycling, for what the manufacturer dubs a low-impact yet high-output cross-training form of exercise. The bike lacks any seat, but does utilize typical hand brake levers.
Developed by Bryan Plate, a former cyclist and Ironman competitor who suffered from hip and knee injuries, the ElliptiGo is a 18.1kg eight-speed trainer that is geared towards runners who want to avoid the impact of road work, but still want to remain “out of the saddle.” While the ElliptiGo is probably best for fairly flat terrain – and does require a reasonably smooth surface – the bike can reach some decent speeds, around 24 km/h, although the company maintains that strong riders/runners could reach up to 40 km/h.
The ElitptiGo retails for $2,200 and is available in blue, black and for the environmentally friendly, green.
ElliptiGo Official Site
[Via Asia Cnet: Taking the ElliptiGO bike for a spin]
Tags: bike, Bryan Plate, Cycling, ElliptiGo, Ironman, Running
Posted in Cycling, Equipment, Running | No Comments »
Written by Peter Suciu on 06 July 2010
These trail running shoes will eat it up
If running on the pavement just isn’t your speed, and you prefer to get down and dirty than Columbia Sportswear has you covered – and your feet too. For 2010 the company has released a shoe that will let you eat up the trails. The 2010 Ravenous is just 600 grams a pair, and these feature a cushioned underfoot to make the hard trails seem not so hard.
To ease additional pounding the Ravenous are using what Columbia is calling a 3D Techlite heel system to offer a conforming fit while helping runners maintain stability in really rough terrain. This further provides a cushion that will make you feel like you’re running on a cloud while working up some dust. The shoes further offer a mesh upper, which is ideal for those summer heatwaves. But to protect your feet from the trails there is also a front toe bumper for good measure. All this combined result is a lightweight shoe that take a beating, and still looks stylish on or off the trails.
Columbia Ravenous Trail Shoe
Tags: 3D Techlite, Columbia Ravenous, Running, Trail Shoe, trails
Posted in Footwear, Hiking, Running | No Comments »
Written by Peter Suciu on 10 June 2010
These are two companies that just go together so well, Polar and Nike. What’s not to like? So we’re quite pleased to note that Polar and Nike have introduced the Polar WearLink+ heart rate monitor, which will work with Nike+ SportBand and the Nike+ iPod Sport Kit.
The kit will improve the training experience of the Nike+, devices, such as Sportband or iPod. After training, runners can have their heart rate data transferred to the Nikeplus.com website, where it can be tracked to see how long they ran in their target range, and see how their heart rate progress over time. The WearLink+ is also compatible with most Polar training computers (those using 5kHz transmission technology), and this allows for monitoring from both Nike+ and Polar computers to be used at the same time.
The Polar WearLink+ will be available later this month in the United States, and in Canada and Europe in July through Polar retailers, Nike stores and even the Apple Store.
Polar website
Nike website
Tags: Heart Rate Monitors, Nike, Nike+ iPod Sport Kit, Nike+ Sportband, Polar, Running, WearLink+
Posted in Equipment, Gadget, Running | 1 Comment »
Written by Peter Suciu on 21 May 2010
Timex Ironman 150-Lap with Tapscreen
Whether you’re going the distance in an Ironman or just want to use the various logs while working out, the Timex Ironman Sleek 150-lap watch will allow you to see the results – and get through the various screens by just taping.
This TapScreen technology allows athletes to tap the face while swimming, cycling or running instead of having to locate and push buttons. This means you can spend more time looking at the results and less time trying to get there. This watch is also water resistant up to 100 meters – not that you’ll likely need to go to those depths, but as they say, “it takes a licking and keeps on ticking.” Or in this case it takes a licking and stills gives you the key facts in a digital readout, which includes large digits that offer information for 24-hour time, month, day and date display, and two time zones.
It offers a night-light with night-mode, target time pacer, dated training log with best lap, average lap and total time, 100-hour chronograph with lap and split times, 150-lap memory recall, 199-lap counter and on-the-fly lap or split recall. There are also alarms for hydration and nutrition so you don’t let those important details slip your mind. So next time you go for a training run, or are in a competition you can get all you need to know just by tapping away.
Timex Ironman Sleek 150-lap Watch
Tags: Races, Running, Swimming, Timex Ironman 150-Lap with Tapscreen, Training, Triathlon, Watch
Posted in Running, Swimming, Triathlon | No Comments »
Written by Peter Suciu on 12 April 2010
Remember those 1970s commercials for the Yellow Pages that said, “let your fingers do the walking?” Well, not it is years later and American waistlines have increased while finger strength has likely increased not from walking in phone book, but from typing, dialing and texting. What if you could walk instead all day? There actually is a way to let your legs do the walking as well – with a treadmill desk! This concept, which actually isn’t new, is a desktop built around a treadmill. So instead of sitting at a desk all day, you can instead spend the day walking.
The pace needs to be lower, since you can’t actually run for hours – nor can you exactly run and type. But at a steady pace of a mile or two an hour, you can actually talk on the phone, do some typing and best of all still tone up and possibly lose some weight. Of course, you might lose weight as you’ll have to skip lunch for a month to pay for the desk. But there are some options to build you own desk. Just make sure that it is sized appropriately.
We think this is an interesting concept, although it could be difficult to convince some employers let you bring in a treadmill. And obviously this is something that is better suited for those with a house office rather than a cubicle dweller. And if you can’t get on the treadmill during the office hours, might we recommend going for a walk at lunch, or consider walking around the office if possible during a morning conference call?
Built and Design Your Own Treadmill Desk
Tags: Desk, Running, Treadmill, Treadmill Desk, Yellow Pages
Posted in Home Fitness, Running | No Comments »
Written by Enid Burns on 29 March 2010
Garmin Forefunner 110 tracks progress on your workouts so you can keep your eye on pace.
When your feet hit the road, you have different demands on GPS than in your car. You don’t need turn-by-turn directions, you need data. Speed. Distance. Devices for runners are sometimes bulky, sometimes difficult to use. Garmin is about to release its Forerunner 110. This GPS device is a watch, and just about the size of an average sport watch or heart rate monitor. It’s packed with featuers.
Forerunner 110 has GPS and a heart rate monitor. Once you set it at the beginning of a run it tracks where you go on your run and your heart rate. From this data it calculates your pace, distance run, calories burned, and stores the information until you upload it to your profile on Garmin Connect. You can track your training progress, look back on a whole season of running, or just see where you’ve been by keeping data on your profile. This is one addition to the standard heart rate monitor we like.
Garmin Web site
Garmin Forerunner 110
Garmin Connect
Tags: Garmin Forerunner 110, GPS, heart rate monitor, Running
Posted in Equipment, Gadget, Outdoors, Running, Software | No Comments »
Written by Enid Burns on 25 March 2010
Adidas miCoach tracks progress during your run, and prompts you on your pace.
A heart rate monitor alone can only tell you so much about your run. It tracks your heart rate, and based on your age, calculates how many calories you burned, and some other data. Adidas adds to the monitor with miCoach. In addition to the chest strap to measure heart rate, it puts a sensor on a runner’s shoe, and an device on a runner’s arm. The shoe sensor adds more data by measuring distance, pace, and stride rate.
The device on the arm is the computer. It gathers and calculates data from the chest and shoe sensors. Then it tells you to speed up or slow down to get within four workout zones. Headphones plug into miCoach so you can hear its directions. The device is compatible with any MP3 player, so you can listen to music and also get prompts from miCoach.
At home miCoach syncs to an online profile at adidas.com/micoach, and tracks your workout. You can define your goals on the site whether it’s to get in shape or train for a marathon. Those goals then determine the direction you get while on your run. MiCoach costs about $69.99 for the arm piece, chest strap, and shoe sensor.
Adidas miCoach
Tags: Adidas, heart rate monitor, miCoach, Running, running trainer
Posted in Equipment, Exercise, Running, Software | No Comments »
