Tag Archives: Nike

Nike+ SportBand Giveaway

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As promised, here is a giveaway to thank everyone for their continued support, in addition to providing a special welcome the all new people! 

I have one Nike+SportBand in Black/Cool Grey/Silver.  This item retails for $59.

Nike Sportband   Nike Sportband2

According to the Nike website, this is a way to simplify your run, please read the details below. 

The Nike+SportBand: Simple run-tracking on your wrist

Like the freedom of running without a media player? If so, the Nike+ SportBand could be your new favorite running partner. It tracks your time, distance, pace and calories burned in an easy-to-read display, plus it links to Nikeplus.com where you can join challenges, map your routes and connect with friends – all without an iPod ®.

Benefits

  • Tracks distance, pace, time elapsed and calories burned
  • Memory captures and stores 30 hours of running data
  • Removable Nike+ Link for quick connection to Nikeplus.com
  • Pre-curved band for lightweight comfort
  • Water resistance for running in the rain and rinsing off without worry
  • Nike+ sensor included

How it Works

The Nike+ SportBand is easy to use. Just put it on your wrist, place the sensor under the sockliner of your left Nike+ ready shoe, and start running. The sensor measures your pace, distance, time elapsed and calories burned. This information is transmitted wirelessly to the Nike+ SportBand for real-time feedback while you train.

 

I thought this might be a good giveaway for this time of year after so many of you just crushed the Chicago Marathon (or other amazing races!) and are now looking to get back to nature and spend some time just doing what you love ….. RUNNING.  Remember why you run.   Remember that it doesn’t have to be so technical all the time.  Remember to stop staring at your watch and look around to take in your surroundings.  Remember that there is an entire community of people out there just waiting to connect with you and share your passion for running.  

If you want to enter to win the Nike+SportBand, comment below and tell me your favorite thing about running.  That’s it.   Simple, right?  I’ll use a random number generator and pick a winner on Monday at 9am.  Good luck!

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And as always,

** Happy Running **  Amanda – TooTallFritz ** amanda@tootallfritz.com

Saucony Guide – 4 vs 5 – 8mm Drop

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After running a full cycle in the “new” Saucony Guide 5‘s with the 8 mm heel to toe drop, I feel like I can give an accurate and honest review of the changes of this shoe.  First off, the new Guide’s LOOK really cool, although this is the last thing we are supposed to consider when buying a shoe, let’s be honest, it kinda matters.

I have been running in Saucony exclusively other than short 5K type races since 2006/2007.  Due to my size and forefoot strike, I have to change out my shoes approximately every 300 miles or 3 months.  I really like to get 3 months out of a pair of shoes if possible but that is usually pushing past the 300 mile mark.  So let it suffice to say that I am familiar with the Saucony line, particularly the Ride (Pre-Michael) and the Guide (Post-Michael – Don’t ask how my foot changed so much from having a baby but that’s not the only thing that changed so C’est la vie).

The Guide 5 is by far the most attractive pair of Saucony’s I have ever owned.  It’s actually nice to be sporting a pair of “cool” shoes for once.  🙂  This new version with the 8 mm heel to toe drop is also 1.5 oz lighter.  I know that doesn’t sound like a lot but it is a noticeable difference.  I notice it when they are on my feet and I had both pair in my hands last night and the Guide 5s were considerably lighter than the 4s.

The Guide 5s also fit like a glove.  It was love at first fit for me when I slipped these on my feet.  They are soft, much softer than the previous versions and they feel more airy like the Nike’s that I just love.  Great fit in the store, great fit on the run!

Although I was initially impressed with all the new changes, these shoes broke down quickly.  And I mean very quickly.  I ran the bottom off these shoes by the time I broke 200 miles and that’s just not cool.  I ordered a new pair from Running For Kicks once I hit 220 miles because my body was telling me it was time to switch them out; however, since the shoe has won so many awards and has a massive ad campaign in progress, it seems the shoe’s popularity has soared!  Therefore, I had to wait 3 weeks for these shoes to come off the backorder and be delivered to the store.  In the interim, I panicked ordered a limited edition of the Guide 5 from another source but have yet to receive those either.  However, here is a peek at these beauty’s which I will be sporting with my girls at 13.1 Miami Beach!  We decided to coordinate with pink & black and these babies will look pretty cool with our color scheme. 

So just this week my ankle, feet and hips started aching backordered Guide 5’s arrived at Running For Kicks.  I immediately picked them up and got to hit the trail with them last night.  I certainly didn’t go far as I have some nagging aches that I need to kick in the ass evict before the Miami race; however, I was able to catch up with my F’N Runners for a bit.  Good looking group showed up in the rain, if I do say so myself!    From Left Back:  Susan, Cathie, Wayne (newbie!!), Dawn, Kathy, & April.  Left Bottom:  Nicole C, Jeni – Sparkalish Roar, Meg & Nicole W (April’s Daughter!).  Not pictured:  MagMileRunner, Diane & myself.

I ran 4 miles with this crew before bowing out to go home to Amstel Light Motrin & the last remaining sample of the Arctic Ease wrap.  Although the Arctic Ease is not as cold as ice, it is certainly more convenient than icing when you have a toddler don’t have time to sit down.  They are temporary though, I had a larger covering that I had purchased at the Chicago Marathon expo and when I went to pull it out, it was moldy.  This has happened with other wraps I have had too.  They don’t last real long but are certainly handy. 

As I was self medicating making dinner, I started to think about the difference between the Guide 4’s and 5’s, knowing darn well that the fact that I ran too long in the current pair of Guide 5’s was the reason for my new aches/pains.  This prompted me to dig out my old shoes which I have been using to commute back and forth to work.  Since the Plantar Fasciitis issue, I haven’t worn a real pair of non-running shoes for quite some time, so I live in my Saucony’s.    The Guide 5’s are on the left, the Guide 4’s on the right.  You can see the wear is so much worse on the 5’s with 285 miles verses the 4’s with 330 miles.

Forefoot of the Guide 5’s:

Forefoot of Guide 4’s: 

In my opinion, it is conclusive that the Guide 4 wore much better than the Guide 5.  That being said, I still think the Guide 5 is a better shoe in all aspects but I find it unfortunate that I will be getting even less wear out of the new version that I did previously.  Is it worth it, probably yes but still not good for my bank account. 

Do you buy the same shoe each time and know exactly how the updates affect your body? Any shoe you can tell us about that specifically made noticable changes to the good or bad?

Happy Running,                                                                                                             Amanda – TooTallFritz

 

SWAG vs the Cool Clothes…..

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I was preparing for a bike session last night in my dining room gym and was looking thru my closet for something to wear.  Now I know my hubby is laughing over this because my closet is full and I want to move him out of the second master closet and put his clothes in the spare room would like more space.  I am pretty set up at this point and don’t really “need” much so am able to pick and choose the new “cool” clothes that I want to buy.  Since I don’t have a “need” for workout attire I can occasionally grab a few things off internet sales which I normally wouldn’t buy due to their original price tag but once they hit the sale rack it’s fair game!  Like I’m waiting for this new piece from Athleta to hit the sale rack….and since it’s new, it will be a long wait.  This limeish, bright green is my absolute favorite color and I love the fit of their Accelerate Tee. 

So last night as I was browsing my closet, I was noticing the race shirts that I  have kept vs. my “cool” clothes.  I normally wear race shirts for lounging, sleeping and my dining room gym workouts.  It is highly unlikely you will see me on the trail with a race shirt.  Why?  Usually race shirts don’t fit me well.  Most of the time I won’t even keep them.  I may let them lounge in my closet for a couple of months or even a year but then they get donated.  Or Aby takes them for bedtime attire.  Or if you have run with me for a long time, I have probably showed up for a run with a bag of cast-a-ways that I offer up to whoever wants them. 

I do keep a very select few pieces of SWAG (stuff we all get) and if it’s hanging in my closet AND it gets wear time then that makes it a really great piece of SWAG.  The race shirts in my closet include those I receive from the Shamrock Shuffle, not because it’s my favorite race of the year but because they give Nike Tech shirts that are gender specific.  I also keep the Chicago Marathon shirts for the same reason.  I just pulled the tags of my 2011 Chicago Marathon shirt last night.  I love this shirt.  I haven’t worn it before now because I didn’t want it to get toddler funk on it for various reasons but it’s a cool shirt in the way it looks and it also has a good fit. 

In fact, I love this shirt so much that I bought a skirt to match it from RunningSkirts.com.  So there is a possibility you might see this one on the trail.

I have also kept one Southwest Bank 1/2 Marathon shirt that was a women’s specific Mizuno shirt.  I keep a handful of long sleeve tech shirts.  I love the new A-4 brand women’s shirts that I have just started to see come thru some low-budget races.   These A-4 shirts feel like butter and just are prefect for running when I am lucky enough to get a gender specific shirt.  I also have kept my Hot Chocolate windbreaker and have used it multiple times.  Other than those items, not much stays in the closet and if it does, then I normally wear it around the house or for cross training workouts.  I just feel awkward wearing race shirts, like it bragging.  And I like to encourage newbies to be out there on the trail WITH me, not behind me.  No need to kill their confidence by showing up in a 70.3 or marathon shirt.  If they want to talk about my races, great, I’m happy to oblige but I don’t want to intimidate them into not coming back because they think I’m more experienced or stronger or bragging about what has been.  So know that if you see me in a race shirt that I REALLY love that shirt or it would have never hit the trail with me. 

How do you feel about race SWAG?  Do you wear it proudly, donate it, keep it but push it to the back of the closet or just use it for pajamas? 

SWAG Patrol,                                                                                                                  Amanda – TooTallFritz

Is Winter REALLY Coming?

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I feel as if the entire winter we, here in the midwest, have just been banking our miles, saying our thanks for good weather and waiting.  We know the snow is coming.  We know this means slippery or impassable trails that will slow and/or hamper our runs.  We know that road running is in our VERY near future.  The weather people say that winter is coming tomorrow, in the form of snow.  Supposedly, we will be getting real snow in the form of 1 to 10 inches.  Way to narrow it down, thanks, I’ll just schedule my snow day now NOT.

In preparation for the possible 10 inches of snow, hubby gassed up the snowmobiles and made sure that they would start easily for Ms. TooTall.  My personal preparations were to make sure I got groceries in a good run.  I certainly don’t want to be snowed in wondering when I’ll get to run next, so while all of you were duking it out at Jewel, I hit the trail.  I wanted my first 4 miles to be 8:30-8:45 so needed to get to the trail early to ensure that could happen.  And once again, it was daylight.  This makes me super happy!  I actually grabbed my music today too, which is very unusual for me but I wanted to push and thought it would be a good distraction.  Sorry about the ear buds coming out of my bra.

Then I hit the trail for some fastish miles with photos squeezed in between, and 2 phone calls, and some txt messages.  So my mile splits were all over the place due to the above:  Mile 1:  8:35, Mile 2:  9:19, Mile 3:  9:07, and Mile 4:  8:51.  I know this looks like a pacing fail but the following pics were taken, in addition to the phone calls, etc. 

As you can see the light is diminishing, which means it is almost time to meet my F’N Running Club!  Whooooop!  So I busted it back to Frankfort with my ipod blaring camera tucked away.

We had another AWESOME group show up for a Wednesday night run because they too were afraid of the impending snow storm.  The F’N Running Club Ladies, Top:  Maggie, Dawn, April, Michelle, Kathy, Aurelia, Susan, & Cathie.  Middle:  Kate LF, Megan, Jeni.  Bottom:  Me & Diane.We had one guy tonight, and here is the proof.  Brian F. posed with us in the front and I bet he can’t wait til Brian P. is fixed up and ready to run again. 

In light of recent events, on a different trail far away, we took a few seconds to remind everyone to be safe, be aware of their surroundings, run with a partner, or pepper spray, etc.  My favorite pepper spray comes from personalsavers.com, I like the wrist saver.  I know I have posted about this before but I like it cuz it fits right next to my watch and is very accessible, not tucked away in a pocket somewhere.  Please be AWARE and SAFE!

And then we were off to run.  As you saw, we had a great sized group tonight!  The group ranged from run/walkers at 3 miles to 9:00 min milers at the 4-6 mile mark.  Lots of in between too!  It was so nice seeing so many of our group on the trail, supporting each other.  Lots of fun and we are really becoming more of a team, trying to help and push each other, rather than just a group who shows up to run.  Nice, I’m proud of all of you!

In total, I had 10 miles in 1:32 today.  Good Wednesday Pre-Snow run!

What do you do before a “possible” snow storm? Do you run, get groceries, gas up the snowmobiles, or put the plow on the truck?  For the record, I did stop on the way home to gas up my car, just in case the snow really does come.

Cheers!                                                                                                                            Amanda – TooTallFritz

Run with Me Later?

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Yesterday when I came home from Christmas with the Fritz Clan, my Nike+ GPS Sportwatch was jealous had apparently not received the memo that I need to am taking some time off running. 

Makes a girl feel guilty!  If you don’t run much and are just into “toys”, I wouldn’t recommend the Nike+ GPS cuz you just might throw it out the window.  If you don’t run within 3 or 4 days the damn thing starts goading encouraging you to get your ass out the door.

Christmas with the Fritz Clan was awesome.  As soon as we finished with Christmas Morning here, we headed to Grandma’s for more fun.  To Grandmother’s house we go…….Lots of food….like every baked cookie/candy you can imagine.  YUMMY!  And more presents.  Aby & Mick.  

The Fritz Brothers…..Jim & Dad.

The Grandkids:  Aby, Michael & LexiMick helping Michael with presents.

I hope all of you had a great Christmas holiday and are looking forward to the New Year!  Hope to see all of you at the Dash into the New Year in Matteson on NYE morning….including a new friend, Rose, who I met at the Cheesecake Factory yesterday!  Rose, I’ll be looking for YOU!

Cheers and Many Blessings to all of you!                                                                      Amanda – TooTallFritz

Halloween Hangover

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I must say that I enjoy Halloween but am happy to say good-bye to it for another year.  Each year it is a fight with the kiddos as to how much candy they can stuff into their faces before I notice convince me to let them eat.  And I must say that it is also a struggle for me in an attempt to not stuff my own face limit my consumption.  I think we did pretty well last night with the kiddos not getting too out of control and I had 3 fun size Almond Joys.  Now, we still have a GROCERY BAG of candy left in the house so we will see how it goes from here on out.

Prior to the Trick or Treat extravaganza, I made a last-ditch effort to pad my mileage close out the month properly.  I decided on a Midlothian Reservoir/Yankee Woods run that would be about 6 miles.  The Reservoir, with a connect to Yankee for 1 loop, plus return is slightly under 6  so I parked my car a bit further from the trailhead becasue I’m OCD so that I got in a few extra steps to make it a full 6.  The intent was for a quicker pace, speedy turnover type running without wearing myself out. 

Since these trails are somewhat secluded in parts, I grabbed my Wrist Saver pepper spray and I was off.  If you need a pepper spray, this one is AWESOME.  It velcros onto the wrist and doesn’t move!  I love it and also attach it to the jogging stroller and/or Aby’s bike when we are running/hiking as a family.  The watch is the Nike+ Sportwatch GPS, another great product for a very reasonable price.  I am of the opinion that all technology is somewhat disposable due to the constant updates and changes.  I refuse to pay a lot for something that will be obsolete before the end of the month.  One of my favorite things about the Nike+ watch is that they frequently update it thru the net.  You plug-in for a charge, or to upload a run, and get a message that a new upgrade is available.  I purchased the watch on the pre-order before it even hit the stores so got an “original”.   They have made SEVERAL updates via the net to add features that were requested by consumers.  I really appreciate this rather than them just putting out a newer and better model that turns my original into a dinosaur.

Midlothian Reservoir:

The Midlothian Reservoir section is pretty short, about a mile, then you need to run a path by Central Ave for about a 1/2 mile to get into Yankee.  Once you hit the Yankee sign, one loop is 3 miles and  you can fly right back to the Reservoir to your car!  Yankee  Woods:

6 miles – 52:15 –  several photo stops and a road crossing x2

“Run”way Fashion – Freebie Alert:  RunGirl shirt from Women’s Running Magazine.  Great Magazine!!  And they give a free shirt with a 2 year subscription.  I don’t wear a lot of freebies but this one fits perfectly!

CWX Compression 3/4 tights.  Yep still wearing them and love them EVEN more today but I need more pink shirts!   Frogger –  I looked and they do have 3/4 for men.  You might want to talk to Mel; I picked these up at Running for Kicks.

Cheers & TRY not to eat too much Halloween candy!                                                  Amanda – TooTallFritz