180s Quantum Cool Training Visor Winners

Posted on August 30, 2012 by tootallfritz

We have winners! I drew one ladies name and one men’s name from the list of entrants who “liked” 180s on Facebook. Even if you didn’t enter today, you might want to go now and like 180s on Facebook because they give away cool stuff all the time! If you are REALLY, REALLY interested in winning 180s gear, then I would recommend also going HERE to fill out the form to be on their mailing list and you, like me, may just get an email that you won a free visor too! Super cool, right?

WINNERS:

Ladies – #5 – April Weber

Men’s – #6 – Brian Parker

April & Brian – please email your addresses to me at amanda@tootallfritz.com.

If you didn’t win, don’t forget that you can get 25% off the training visors between now and September 7th by using the coupon code: TOOTALL

Men’s 180s Quantum Cool Training Visor

Women’s 180s Quantum Cool Training Visor

** Stay Cool ** Amanda – TooTallFritz ** amanda@tootallfritz.com

Still Trying to Keep Cool…..180s Quantum Cool Giveaway

Posted on August 29, 2012 by tootallfritz

I wish I had a new story to tell but it’s the same thing over and over again, the runners in Chicago, and throughout the Midwest, are melting! I’m still in shock over how hot and sticky this summer has been and I haven’t ran near the miles as most of you.

As your may remember in this post HERE, Aby has found a few innovative ways to keep cool while running this summer, one of which was using a 180s Quantum Cool headband.

Days after Aby ~~made me buy~~ got this headband, I received an email from the company that I had won a FREE QuantumCool Training Visor in their weekly Facebook drawing. I was super psyched and anxious for it to arrive. I’m not sure I even had the visor for 24 hours before it hit the trail with me for a run.

I only own one other visor and to be honest, I have never worn it. I normally only wear “hats” when it rains and a visor is what, half of a hat? I prefer to run in the woods or shaded areas and haven’t found a real pull toward visors for the purpose of keep the sun out of my eyes. However, I get hot. Like really hot. I melt. I get headaches in the sun and the idea of a cooling visor, well now THAT appeals to me in a really big way.

The visor is adjustable but holds tightly to the head. The cooling element is located in the sweatband and the technology is activated with sweat or water. According to the 180s.com website:

QuantumCool moisture activated cooling technology begins to work as soon as sweating occurs. Cooling your skin is 180s answer to overheating, overexposure to the sun and decreased performance. Experience the active cooling and increased comfort of QuantumCool and stay out there longer.

I usually just get it wet myself because by the time my body starts sweating, I’m near death, so I just skip ahead and get it wet for my own safety and it is like holding a cool cloth to my forehead. I don’t notice it being “cold” when I run but I notice it not working when I take it off. I even used it on the boat one day when it was coolish (mid 80s) and I had to take it off because I was chilled between the breeze and the visor.

The specific details on the visor:

QuantumCool is located in the sweatband and actively cools as soon as you begin to sweat, cooling skin. The stretch waffle knit fabric quickly absorbs sweat, naturally increasing the cooling effect. Designed to solve many weather-related challenges that outdoor athletes encounter, the QuantumCool Training Visor offers these additional features:

Hook and Loop Elastic Back Closure: Allows for one-handed adjustment to keep the hat comfortable and in place during activity.
Lightweight: Protection without impacting performance.
Pulse Point Cooling: The cooling element in the sweatband is located on pulse points at the temples, increasing the cooling rate of the body.
Technical Stretch: Increases comfort and improves fit.
QuantumCool Technology: Moisture Activated Cooling Technology
UPF 30+ Protection: Provides added protection from the harmful rays of the sun.

I don’t pretend to be scientific but I like having it when its hot and I keep pulling it out again and again to fight the heat.

The QuantumCool Training Visor made its rounds thru the city with me last week and the temps were in the high 80s.

Although, I still thought I would pass out before I returned to the office, my forehead and pulse points were cool when I took the visor off. If you run in sunny areas or get hot ~~and then feel crappy like me~~, then this might become a new favorite for you as well. 180s Quantum Cooling has generously agreed to give away a QuantumCool Training Visor, a $25 value, to one female and one male reader! The catch? Go like them on Facebook HERE. After you like them on Facebook, then leave a comment below telling me that you did so and I will enter you in the drawing. I will draw one female and one male winner on Thursday, August 30th so that you have a chance to get a hold of this before the weekend’s long run! Good luck!

For those of you who do not win and want one of these babies, order the ladies visor HERE or the men’s visor HERE before September 7, 2012 using the 25% off coupon code: TOOTALL

Please note that although they have a lot of awesome products on the website, the coupon code is only good for the training visors, which are available in white or black and are gender specific:

** Stay Cool ** Amanda – TooTallFritz ** amanda@tootallfritz.com

Middle of the Road….. & Quick Giveaway

Posted on July 24, 2012 by tootallfritz

The great thing about living in the ~~middle of nowhere~~ country is that at 4am, traffic is non-existent and it’s just me and the ~~coyotes~~ open road. Since I am bouncing back from the torn tendon in my foot, I am slightly cautious about footing. This morning, I took the flattest/smoothest section and ran down the middle of the road with my Knuckle Lights shining a bright path in the darkness. Here is the road I ran this morning but in the light, at 5:45 am. Still not “too” busy.I know all of you have been battling the heat and humidity for marathon training while I have been rehabbing my injury. Inside. In an air conditioned, zero humidity environment. Today was my first hot run and let’s just say, I need to adjust quickly. It was 83 degrees at 4:30 am with a feels like temp of 87. It was not only warm but very humid as the rainstorms were still miles away. I only ran 2 miles, at a very relaxed 9:19 pace but it was stifling.

Aby, my soon to be 11 year old, has been running in the heat all summer. She has raced several 5Ks, is running 2x a week at Cross Country Camp and basically suffering thru the miserable heat & humidity just like all of you. She may be young but has figured out a few great ways to stay cool while running.

1) She freezes her water bottles and takes them to Cross Country Camp frozen so that they will still be cold when she needs them. In fact, we just picked up this Nathan Thermal QuickShot Handheld for her at the Sports Authority booth of the Rock N Roll expo. We paid $11 but Running Warehouse looks about the cheapest online for $16.95. ~~I hope she’ll let me borrow this sometime.~~

2) She also found a 180s Quantum Cooling headband ($15 online, $12 expo) that is activated by sweat and/or water to continuously cool her head. It also has a slot for ponytails, which made her squeal with delight.

3) She has also ~~stolen~~ borrowed my new Mission Athletecare EnduraCool Towel. The towel that Mission just sent me last week. The towel that I only have used one time. The towel that stayed cool for hours, even hanging on the chair to dry. The towel that I should have had on my run this morning. The towel that is hidden away in her Cross Country bag. I’m going to get this one back ~~unlike my gps watch which she has commandeered. Is it over-the-top to give a gps watch as a birthday present to an 11 year old?~~

I hope all of you have also figured out a few unconventional ways to keep cool during these sweltering summer runs! In case you haven’t I’m going to do a fast giveaway to get one EnduraCool Towel into somebody’s hands in time for this weekend’s long run. So if you want an EnduraCool Towel, then put on your creative hat! This needs to stay PG because I’m going to let Aby pick the winner at 8pm tonight (winner to be announced tomorrow morning).

Please make a suggestion for Aby (age 11 – 6th grade) of a crazy/funny way to stay cool this summer. Ideas can relate to being “on the run”, cooling off post run, or dealing with the heat in “real life”. In order to respect the laws of creativity, it does not have to be something which is actually feasible or even something which we could implement. We just want to make her giggle. Think/Create an idea & comment below! Good luck!

Info on EnduraCool Towel from Mission’s Website:

Mission’s™ Enduracool™ is made from a proprietary performance fabric that instantly cools when wet with water or sweat, wrung out and snapped in the air to activate the sustained cooling properties. Use during or after competition to provide sustained cooling on your neck, head or other hot zones.

How It Works: A revolution in cooling, this performance fabric absorbs and retains sweat and water, circulating the molecules while regulating the rate of evaporation to ensure an instant cooling effect against the skin for hours, without feeling wet.

Towel Dimensions: 12.25″ x 33″