Knuckle Lights Review - Retiring My Headlamps

Darkness.

My most dependable training partner.  My morning companion shaking out the cobwebs.  My late-night compatriot when the workout needs to be done, but just wouldn’t fit into the day.  Hello darkness my old friend.

Simon, Garfunkel, and a garfunkload of hair

The unfortunate reality of the bulk of my training, especially during Fall and Winter, is that they are done without the benefit of sunlight.  Simple paths and familiar obstacles that we take for granted during the daytime have a whole different personality in the dark.  I’ve proven my ability to get injured on a perfectly flat, straight surface at high noon.  Adding darkness to the mix is like a cruel joke … a standing invite to the orthopedist.  Now that Daylight Savings is upon us, I’m plunged even farther into the early-morning darkness.  I think all this running is slowly turning me into a vampire, but not a shiny, whiny one from Twilight.  Hopefully something closer to True Blood.  Or maybe Dracula, or Count Chocula.  Mmmmm ….. Count Chocula.

Vampires from when I was a kid .... the good old days

Although most of my training routes have the benefit of some degree of streetlight illumination, even these runs have the occasional pothole, uneven sidewalk edge, puddles and/or ice patches, or surprises left by pets or other critters.  Among my favorite places to run are the cart paths at a nearby country club.  I can’t afford to golf there, but thankfully running there is free – although it has to be very early or late to avoid a Titleist to the noggin.  Trying to run these paths in the dark is definitely a risky proposition.  The obvious solution is to bring along a light.  Finding one that I like, however, has proven elusive.

I’ve tried two different headlamps, neither of which have done the trick for me.  Too much bounce, not really directed where I want on the path in front of me, and I don’t really like wearing anything on my head when I run.  I’m not even a fan of wearing hats when I run.  If I’m going to wear a spotlight on my forehead I’d like to reserve that for spelunking, performing brain surgery, or hillbilly handfishing.

Noodling ... Navy Seal style

With training ramping up for Spring races, and a 200-mile overnight relay coming up in April where I’ll need some sort of lighting, it was time to find something that worked.  Enter the good people at Knuckle Lights with the answer to my problems.

It seems so obvious, but those are often the best inventions.  The name says it all – lights that you wear on your knuckles.  With my running tights, and calf sleeves, and Fuel (utility) belt, my dressing like a superhero is nearly complete.  Now I can add illuminated knuckles to the mix.  If only they were Brass Knuckle Lights.  That's going in the suggestion box.

These things are very bright and very comfortable.  They form nicely to your fingers, and still leave your hands free if you need to carry something.  They cast a very wide beam, and I’ve not noticed any issues with the light bouncing.  Since they’re attached to your hands there will be some side-to-side movement of the beam as your arms move, unless you run like Frankenstein or are, in fact, Frankenstein.  Because they cast such a nice wide beam, when you run with both of the lights even the side-to-side motion is barely noticeable.

I’ve gotten to where I only run with one of them since it’s plenty bright, and then I’ll slip it into my Fuel Belt when the sun finally shows up and keep right on moving.

I’ve run up to 14 miles with these on my hands, and after a few miles, aside from the obvious illumination, I really forgot they were on my hands.  The switch sits on the top of the light, and can easily be turned on/off with the thumb on the same hand where the light is being worn.  So far they seem pretty sturdy, although I haven’t dropped one … yet.  Only a matter of time based on my history.  I’ve worn them over gloves, which works fine, and I wear it over my wedding ring without any issues.  For the ladies out there with wedding rings with big stones, you will likely need to turn the stone around to wear these since they’re intentionally pretty snug to your fingers.

The Verdict:  Personally I find these to be a MUCH better alternative to a headlamp, and I would HIGHLY recommend them to anyone logging any serious activity time outside of daylight hours.  I haven’t tried them while biking since I have a headlamp for my bike that works like a champ, but I suspect these would work well while riding as well.  I’m looking forward to using these in my upcoming overnight relay.  I suspect I’ll find some new converts once they get a chance to see these in action.  Check them out for yourself at http://www.knucklelights.com.

Disclaimer – I was provided these Knucklelights free of charge to try and review.  Fortunately, I really like them and think you will too.  If I didn’t like them, however, I would have made that abundantly clear – most likely with a full helping of sarcasm, and some snark on the side.

PureFit Nutrition Bar Review - Healthapalooza

I am not a health-focused eater.  I am health-conscious, but not health-focused.

Feels good to get that off my chest.  The truth shall set you free.

That’s not to say that I don’t try to stick to healthy options when they’re presented, but if I’m choosing between a bowl of oatmeal and sneaking a bowl of my kids’ sugar cereal in the morning, then the Froot Loops better be nervous.

Also, I’ve never really subscribed to any particular style of diet like vegan, or gluten-free, or vegetarian.  Always like to keep my bacon options open.

I am, however, constantly searching for new or better ways to fuel for training.  Long runs, long rides, etc.  I used to bring along a Balance Bar for any run of at least 14 miles, and would eat the bar around mile 10.  Worked great for a while, but after enough long runs I got to the point where I couldn’t stand the sight of Balance Bars.  They never messed with my stomach, but I just couldn't bear trying to force another one down my throat.  Since then I’ve gone through a variety of options, most recently settling on Marathon bars.

I don’t typically struggle with any stomach issues when training, which is ironic since my stomach can be very touchy any time I’m doing anything but training, but my stomach trainwreck during my last marathon has left me a bit gun-shy when it comes to fueling.  When the good folks at PureFit offered to let me try out their nutrition bars I figured I’d give it a shot.  Perhaps they were the magic fuel for which I had been searching.

They sent along 5 flavors to try, all of which sounded promising:  Chocolate Brownie, Almond Crunch, Berry Almond Crunch, Granola Crunch, and Peanut Butter Crunch.  Whole lotta crunchin’ going on.

When they say all-natural they aren’t kidding.  These things are gluten-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, vegan, and kosher.  Basically all the things that I am not.  I was mildly afraid that my body might freeze-up completely from the shock of so much healthy.  Perhaps these bars could finally erase the recent nutritional armageddon commonly referred to as the Christmas holiday season.

I started with the Peanut Butter Crunch flavor, eating half a bar about 30 minutes before a morning 6-mile run.  Half to say it was actually pretty good – admittedly much better than I expected.  With all the ‘free’ labels it wasn’t exactly packed with flavor, but for someone looking for a seriously healthy fueling option, this is not a bad way to go.  I had no stomach issues on the run, and ate the other half once I finished running before moving back to my regularly scheduled questionable eating habits the rest of the day.  Each bar packs 18g of Protein, so it’s a nice recovery option as well as a fueling option.  Here’s the full nutrition info for the Almond Crunch flavor:

Over the course of the next couple weeks I went through all the bars, highlighted by eating one at the 15-mile mark of a 30-mile bike ride, and eating another at the 10-mile mark of a 14-mile run.  I didn’t find any of them to have a great deal of flavor, but that wasn’t a big consideration for me, as long as they didn’t taste like I was eating my shoe.  If I had to pick a favorite I’d go with Almond Crunch.  My least favorite, in terms of expectations based on the named flavor would be Chocolate Brownie.  It didn’t taste bad, but I’ve known a lot of Chocolate Brownies in my day, and there wasn’t a lot of Chocolate or Brownie going on with that bar.  Admittedly I ate that one at mile 15 of the 30-mile ride, and not even Willy Wonka could have picked out something that would have made me happy at that particular moment.  I’ve got a long way to go before anyone will confuse me with a cyclist.

Bottom line - these seem like a highly healthy and stomach-friendly option for fueling before, during, or after training.  One thing to consider is that they are all pretty dry, so it's a good idea to have some water along to wash them down if you're eating while training.  I find that to be true of most any of the nutrition bars I've tried while running, so that's not unique to PureFit.  Hopefully my body hasn't gotten too used to this healthy-eating.  May need to give it a shock to snap it back to reality.  Is that Taco Bell I smell?

"My Run" - My Thoughts

Met up with an old work friend and his wife last night for dinner and to watch the one-night event screening of the movie ‘My Run’.  For those not familiar with the story, it focuses on Terry Hitchcock who loses his wife to breast cancer, raises his 3 kids as a single father, and decides to run from St. Paul to Atlanta just prior to the Atlanta Olympic games to raise awareness of the issues that single parents face.  To accomplish this he sets out to run 75 marathons on 75 consecutive days covering 2,000+ miles.  An ambitious plan to say the least, but even more ambitious considering he is over 50, out-of-shape, has high blood pressure, and is not a runner.

This was a very emotional, remarkable film.  Although the marathon of marathons is the central point of the story, I wouldn’t call this a ‘running movie’.  I’ve watched ‘Running the Sahara’ and ‘Spirit of the Marathon’, which are definitely running movies and left me feeling inspired to get out and keep training and running.  This movie is definitely inspirational, but not about running – more about life.  The running is shown for what it is – a way to create a platform for Terry to get his message out about single parent families.  He says several times during the movie and the Q&A afterwards that there was nothing fun about the running.  He wasn’t properly trained and he makes no pretense otherwise.  The run takes a massive toll on him physically, nearly killing him and leaving his body broken in several places.  They don’t glamorize the mega-marathon, and that’s not the intent.  This movie is about setting a goal, sometimes one that folks would call ‘crazy’, and giving every ounce of what you have to achieve it.  This man pushed himself to a place that few would even consider going, achieved his goal, spread the message he wanted to teach, and recaptured a bit of his life and his relationship with his family along the way.

The movie itself is extremely well done, and very compelling.  There are touching points throughout, both in terms of crushing sorrow and uplifting human connection.   The first 10-15 minutes are heart-wrenching.  Since most of the movies I see are ones to which I take my kids, the first part of the movie that deals with the loss of his wife reminded me a little of the opening sequence from Pixar’s ‘Up’.  By no means do I mean to trivialize the loss his family endured by trying to equate it with a cartoon, but the emotion it invokes is very similar.  When Terry’s wife passes away, there wasn’t a dry eye in the theater, mine included.  However, it is that sorrow, and the manner in which it is conveyed, that makes the rest of the movie so inspiring.

Just as impressive as what Terry accomplishes is the dedication that his oldest son shows by staying with him throughout the entire run, through difficulties both physical and emotional.  I don’t think there are many 20-year-olds that would have done what he did.  Heroes  aren’t always those most visible.

I would highly recommend seeing this movie if the chance presents itself.  You certainly don’t need to be a runner to be touched by this story.  We’ve all been touched by cancer, dealt with tremendous loss, felt helpless or hopeless at some point, and this is a story that shows how one man worked through all these things to do something extraordinary in the spirit of helping others.  Hopefully it inspires others to find their own personal marathon.

Evolving Review: Ryders Eyewear VTX Sunglasses

I think it would be fair to say that I can get stubbornly attached to a pair of sunglasses.  I can recall ordering a pair of sunglasses from J. Crew the summer before I went to college, and wearing them all through college, and several years after college until my wife finally staged an intervention and begged that I get a new pair that had at least been stylish within the current decade.  I complied with the request, as any wise husband would, but rest assured those glasses are in a box in my closet waiting patiently for the day they come back in style.  That assumes that they ever were in style, which is a risky assumption at best.

I’m slightly more stubborn with regards to workout eyewear, since they have high potential to fall off, rub, squeeze, irritate, or fail to properly block the sun, which is not something you want to be dealing with multiple hours into a long run.  I’ve tried several cheaper versions of athletic sunglasses, with poor results, and for the last 2 years or so have been running with a pair of Oakleys that I’ve generally been happy with.  Don’t recall the model name, but thanks to Quicken I do recall the price tag.  Ouch.

My new best friend Devon from Outside PR was kind enough to set me up with a pair of Ryders Eyewear VTX sunglasses to put through my Marathon 2 training cycle, and see if they could unseat the aging Oakleys as my go-to shades for training and races.  Admittedly I was a bit skeptical, but in the interest of continuing the spirit of trying new things during this training cycle, I gave them a go.

My Oakleys are black, with black lenses.  Pretty par for the course in terms of my history of very little color variety in my attire.  When I opened the box for the Ryders I was greeted with metallic red frames with brown lenses.  Not something I would have ordered, but immediately I liked the splash of color in my workout gear.  Baby steps …. Baby steps.  They also come in a gloss black frame color, and a metallic white frame color which I covet in a big way.

Unfortunately I’m not a sunglasses terminology expert, so I’m not sure of the proper terms here, but the things that sit on the bridge of your nose, and the tips of the frames that extend beyond your ears are both adjustable, which allows for a nice custom fit to your particular melon shape.  This is a nice advantage over the Oakleys, where nothing is adjustable, other than a major adjustment in your credit card balance after making the purchase.  They also come with three sets of interchangeable lenses, with the lens colors varying based on the frame color.  These came with the brown lenses, a set of orange lenses, and a set of clear lenses, in case you find yourself needing to operate a table saw after crossing the finish line.  In fairness, I can envision using the clear lenses while running in the winter to shield my eyes from the wind, snow, etc. on early-morning runs before the sun comes up.  Although I may wear my sunglasses at night … so I can …. So I can … keep track of the visions in my eyes, I typically don’t wear them in the morning.  Minor gripe regarding the interchangeable lenses in that they don’t include instructions with the glasses on how to change them out.  A simple search of the website shows the easy 3-step process, but if the product is not by definition associated with computer or internet usage, there shouldn’t be an expectation that the buyer has to go online for further instructions.  As I’ve mentioned before, I’m all about customer service and user experience.

So how do they perform?  In a word …. Great.  Once I adjusted the adjustable parts to fit my face the fit was great, and they really never moved during a run, despite some brutally sweaty affairs in the peak of the summer.  They look great, even getting a compliment from a cyclist in a parking lot at the end of a run, and they do their job well in terms of blocking the sun, wind, etc.  I haven’t been particularly hard on them, but they show no signs of wear on either the lenses or the frames after a few month of use.  Admittedly, much of my training happens before the sun comes up, so most of the wear these have gotten have been on the longer training runs, but that’s really the best testing grounds.  They didn’t feel like they were squeezing my head, and didn’t bounce at all.  In fact, I mostly forgot they were there after a couple of miles, which is exactly what I’m after in sunglasses when I’m running.  One potential downside to the adjustability of the ends of the frames.  My longer runs typically start while it’s still dark, so I’ll usually rest the glasses on the brim of my hat, still wrapped around my head, and then take them off my hat once the sun comes out and wear them the rest of the way.  On one run I did end up inadvertently adjusting the arms when I took them off my hat and put them on my head.  It was a minor tweak, and more a function of me flailing with them while I had a handheld bottle in one hand, but in the interest of full disclosure I thought I’d mention it.  They’re pretty rigid despite being adjustable, and I didn’t have this issue on any of my other runs.

I would definitely recommend these glasses as a stylish, highly functional, well constructed, and MUCH less expensive alternative to the more well known big names in performance eyewear.  These have officially replaced my Oakleys in my marathon gear, and I’ll be wearing these in 3 weeks in the Outer Banks Marathon.  In fact …. I like them so much that I want to spread the love and give some away to my fellow bloggers/runners to enjoy.  Not quite ready for the giveaway yet, but stay tuned …. it’s coming soon and involves some of this:

and a whole lot of this:

Last, but certainly not least, I subjected them to the most important test of all, the Kelsey test.  If it’s something I wear, it has to get the daughter’s seal of approval considering her authority on all things fashionable and/or socially acceptable.  The verdict….

What more can I say?

(Disclaimer:  Outside PR provided these glasses for me to review free of charge.  Muchas Gracias Devon.)

We (Mostly) Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Smart-Assery

Bad stuff happens. It follows no rules, and plays no favorites. It often gives no warning, and when it does it often goes unheeded. We’ll all be dealt our share of bad. We may not be able to prevent it, but often we can be better prepared. Sometimes very small things can stop the bad stuff from being really bad stuff. Things like RoadID.

The kind folks at Outside PR, astutely recognizing that I am an imminent danger to myself, were kind enough to allow me to choose one of the RoadID products to get my feedback. As one who is drawn to irony like a moth to a flame, I chose the Wrist ID Elite. Fortunately one is not required to submit to any physical or mental challenge to qualify as ‘Elite’.

The concept behind RoadID and their products is quite basic, and exceedingly important. Sometimes the bad stuff is bad enough that you can’t speak for yourself to try and get or direct help. RoadID products provide critical information clearly and quickly in the event of an emergency. Information that can literally be the difference between life and death. I’ve had some close calls with cars over the years while training, and generally speaking the man-vs-car battle is a pretty easy wager. There are countless situations beyond a motor vehicle run-in where you could be rendered uncommunicative. RoadID is designed to increase the odds in any of these situations. As someone who has never carried ID while training, I’m really fairly embarrassed to not have ordered one of these long ago. I came to the realization long ago that I am not bulletproof. I’m finally starting to behave that way as well. Doesn’t mean I can’t still run around in tights and a cape. More of a lifestyle choice than a functional decision.

My Wrist ID Elite arrived in a spiffy shiny box, ready for action.

After trimming the strap down to size it was ready for a run.  I opted for the blue version, but there are 8 different color bands to choose from.  I also went with the Original version rather than the Interactive version.

BandAid = Man vs. 500-degree rotisserie.  Sadly they do not yet make a GrillID

Before wearing it out of the house, I had to subject it to the ultimate test. My 8 year-old-daughter. The final word on all things cool and/or fashionable. The verdict…

Money in the bank.

I’ve worn it on every run since I got it, and have had no issues with chafing, rubbing, etc. I hardly even notice it’s there. It’s made of rubber and metal, so there’s nothing to soak up sweat. This is one of those things that you really hope you never actually need. Like airbags, or a backup parachute. Fortunately I’ve not ‘needed’ it yet, so maybe it brings the wearer good luck as well. I can’t recommend this product, or any of the RoadID products highly enough. It just makes so much sense, and is one of the few things you can control when the situation is completely out of your control. As the daylight hours continue to get shorter, and more of my training is done in the dark, I feel better every day that I have this on my wrist when I head out.

Be safe, and be prepared.