- RunnerBox
After contacting RunnerBox on behalf of the 100 Half Marathons Club they offered to send me a complimentary box to see what it's all about. In addition RunnerBox has offered club members an exclusive discount. My opinions in this review are my own. I was not paid for a review nor was the club discount contingent upon providing a review.
RunnerBox is a bi-monthly subscription to receive really cool goodies. They also offer one time gift boxes and limited edition specialty boxes. I highly recommend you go buy one for a friend right now.. GIFT A BOX!!! They will be thrilled to receive their box filled with a variety of high quality products.
Now let me explain that I've seen and heard of most every product out there for runners. With over 400 races of varying distance under my belt which includes many expos it is rare to come across something new. Oh and I should mention a large part of my job with the 100 Half Marathons Club is working with vendors. Why is this important to this review you ask? Well because RunnerBox got me. There were SIX things in the box that I either never heard of or never considered looking into as a runner product. You're off to a good start RunnerBox, great job!
Let's take a look at what I received from RunnerBox
The box measures 7 3/4 X 3 1/4 X 5 1/4. I did get one item on the side that didn't fit in the box.
Some literature was nicely wrapped in their tissue paper that I intentionally tossed off to the side to excited to see what was underneath. Surprises are always fun.
All this is what I found inside the box. It is a nice mix or products.
Remember that literature I tossed to the side, well it had my favorite thing of the entire box in it. This super awesome 13.1 coloring page. It's a page from the book "COLOR MY RUN".
Also included is a very detailed list of each item inside the box. That's going above and beyond and I'm sure takes plenty of time to put together.
Now that we've looked inside the box the real question everyone wants answered.
IS IT WORTH IT?
Well that depends on you. Are you willing to be experimental? Do you like finding about new products? In this particular box I would use or try about 3/4 of the contents. In order to really make a better assessment I'd probably need to receive a few more boxes. A great idea would be to swap the items you won't use with your running bodies. Then you'd really be getting some great value from it.
I really enjoyed receiving RunnerBox and think it makes an awesome gift for any athlete.
- WIN High Performance Sports Detergent
When you just can't get that smell out turn to WIN!
You finally found the perfect running attire. Yippe!!! After many trials your sports bra finally doesn't chafe. The performance top lays perfectly across your body. The running shorts don't ride up. So you wear them over and over. They are your tried and trued "go to" pieces of apparel. They go the distance and you can count on them not giving you any problems during your run. As you prepare for your next big race and pull these magical pieces of attire onto your body something hits you.
The STENCH of built up sweat...ewwwwh
It's repulsive and you think now what? Maybe you put your fingers to work on Google and start frantically looking to replace them only to find out they no longer make this product. Oh the travesty! So next you start washing them in everything imaginable. Vinegar and baking soda will surely do the trick won't it? How about I soak them in scent crystals? I can leave them outside for days the fresh air cures everything. Oh I heard the dishwasher gets so hot it will kill all the bacteria therefore eliminating that smell.
Go ahead try those options if you must but what does that do to your fancy "tech" gear? Here is a much better solution for you.
After using WIN for many washes over two months I can tell you it works! I was constantly throwing out my sports bras and spending a fortune replacing them, No matter what I did I couldn't get the smell out of that elastic band around the bottom. After 4 or 5 half marathons they were headed to the trash. With WIN High Performance Sports Detergent I can get many more wears out of them.
Win Sports Detergent leaves the laundry feeling very clean and smelling great. It doesn't take much just that small cap fill so these bottles last a long time.
* My opinions on this product are my own. I have not been paid for a review. WIN provided me with sample product to try.
- Pacebands
I got my groove back thanks to Pacebands!
This year was to be a year of pushing limits and seeing how far I could go. The goal was to run further than ever before. After that I wanted to see how many half marathon races I could complete in 2015. At the onset of training I knew I'd have to stop making the clock the priority. If I was to complete a 53k I'd have to make it about the miles. If I was to run one or two half marathons every weekend there surely would be times I'd have to slow it down.
I reset my mind, changed my thinking and completed that 53k. A few months later my feet crossed a 50k finish line and on the day I got my groove back at my 50th half marathon of 2015 Pacebands was on my wrist.
I contacted Pacebands for a partnership with the 100 Half Marathons Club. They gratuitously worked with me to provide the club's members with an exclusive discount and suggested they send me a band to try and review. I was a bit reluctant because I haven't worried much about my pace since I started training for that ultra over a year ago. I decided to go with the 2:15 half marathon band, a number I haven't seen in some time but hopefully achievable. From the minute I placed that order the mental gears switched.
My opinions on this product are my own. I have not been paid for a review.
My Paceband arrived and things got real. I wore it for the next couple races to see how it felt and if it was easy to read. It gave me a sense of accountability. Right there on my wrist I couldn't escape those splits. Try to look away and ignore it if you want but even this mentally tough runner couldn't forget that those numbers were there waiting for me match them.
The silicone band is light weight and felt comfortable on my wrist. If not for those darn numbers I'd forget I was even wearing it. I placed it just above my watch. It held up perfect even during a rainy half marathon.
Pacebands offers several colors and has an abundant amount of times for the 5k, 10k, half marathon and marathon distance. I think it'd be great to add a few bands with different goal times to my gear pile. Hilly course...pull out the 2:40 or hot and humid...pull out the 2:30. Maybe I'm just out there to enjoy myself and go for the 3:00 band.
So how did I do when I tried to hit that 2:15 goal? I have to tell you I tried my best to hit that number exactly so I could provide the perfect review. Each mile I was off just a bit..well like about a minute or so.
This was the result
See I told you Pacebands helped me get my groove back. It gave me a reason to think about the clock again. Should I have held back a bit to match the band's numbers? Maybe but you have to know yourself and the course. This was my 90th lifetime half marathon. I trusted myself to stay with the slightly higher pace. This is a superior product worth the price. Really can you put a price tag on meeting and surpassing your goal?
Thank you Gretchen at Pacebands for sending me a band to try. Also thank you to the Pacebands company for supporting the 100 Half Marathons Club and being a part of our journey.
- ChafeX
I first stumbled upon ChafeX at a race expo when I saw it was recommended by Ultra Marathoners. At that time I had just started to dabble in the idea of running past the 26.2 distance. Seeking knowledge from runners experienced in the ultra distance I joined some groups and discussion forums. Quietly I read comments quickly realizing that any product recommended by someone who runs 100 miles is probably a good one. If it works that long it can get you through anything.
So I let the sales rep explain the product to me. Then applied some to the back of my hand. Didn't really feel like much of anything at that time. That is good thing! Do you really want to "feel" the product when it's on your skin or do you want it to just work as it's suppose to?
Somewhat convinced I bought one however I was reluctant to replace my go to anti-chafing product. We runners sure can be creatures of habit and difficult to sway from anything we've been using.
Now I must admit that product set in my drawer untouched for awhile. The fear of a painful shower after a run because it may not work caused some apprehension about trying it. You all know what I'm talking about!
Eventually I registered for my first ultra marathon and decided it was time to test anything I may use or need while I was out there. First I ran just a few miles with it applied to my trouble spots then a few more.
NO BLISTERS!
&
NO CHAFING!
I went on to complete that 53k with ChafeX as the only anit-chafing product in my pack!
Disclaimer: These opinions are my own. ChafeX has not paid me for a review. I reached out to ChafeX after using their product for partnership with the 100 Half Marathons Club. They now offer it's members an exclusive discount.
- KinEsys Performance Sunscreen
This product has been my secret for the past 2 years. I had tried bottle after bottle of heavy, oily, poor clogging sunscreens that just weren't working when I was running. Most made me feel like I was wearing a plastic bag holding in all my sweat and suffocating my skin. Others would just wore off leaving my exposed to the chance of sunburn. Then there was also the ones that every particle of dust would stick to.
The search is over!
KinEsys performance sunscreen goes on easily with a pump spray, you don't even need to rub it in. Give it just a minute to dry and you a have a nice layer of sun protection that you forget you have on. None of that sticky, oily or heavy feel. Don't worry about sitting down in your car and leaving greasy stains.
It smells great too!
They have stepped away form that traditional coconut smell with scents like mango and my favorite vanilla- green tea. The option of unscented is also available.
I have run in the sun for 8 hours with the Girl 30 and didn't get so much as a tan line. Woohoo for no runner tan lines. Okay well I do have some funny lines from the days I forgot to apply. If you like less protection choose the 15. That picture there is my personal stock pile. My entire family uses it now. I keep one in the car, one in my running bag, one with my beauty products and a couple in a basket for friends who come to hang out poolside on the deck.
Protect your skin!
I loved the product so much I reached out to KinEsys to become a partner of the http://www.100halfmarathonsclub.com. They offer the club member's an exclusive
discount. Thank you KinEsys.
Disclaimer: These opinions are my own. Kinesys has not paid me for my review nor have they supplies with free products.
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