Frosting and Rambling, Part 3 (With a Secret Giveaway Inside!)

As I mentioned previously, the primary theme of this post is Christmas-related. In particular, it has something to do with these:

(Click to enlarge any of these photos)

Christmas cookies that my wife makes and the entire family decorates as one of our Advent traditions. It’s a subject I’ve described here a couple of times before, and one that’s typically reliable for some fun responses.

However, the topic of Christmas cookies doesn’t really have anything to do with running – at least, so I thought until earlier this week. That’s because it wasn’t more than a day after putting the finishing touches on our family’s batch of goodies that I received a package in the mail from VIVOBAREFOOT. Here’s what I found inside:

A thin book, a small goodie-shaped box, and a note of some kind either wishing me a Merry Christmas or thanking me for my support this year or something along those lines … honestly, I was a little distracted by wondering what the heck was inside the box.

I’ll get to that in a second, but first, about the book: it’s a glossy version of VIVOBAREFOOT’s very informative eBook about minimalist running. I downloaded and printed this when it was first released online this summer, and found it to be a nice overview of the benefits of barefoot running and the philosophy of minimalist footwear. It also has some drills and stretches that I found quite helpful and that I continue to practice today.

However, since I already have a copy of this book, and since we’re ostensibly talking about holiday cheer, I’ve decided to conduct my own little flash giveaway right now. If you’d like my copy of the book for yourself, leave a comment below this post and I’ll pick a winner on Saturday night. I figure I may as well pay this one forward.

On the other hand, I’m not offering the contents of the box, because, well … they’ve already been taken care of, so to speak. Imagine my delight when I found these cool little VIVOBAREFOOT cookies waiting for me. They lasted just long enough for this photo session to wrap up before getting consumed by my “product testing crew”; when the subject is cookies, it’s amazing how quickly my family steps up to offer assistance.

In their defense, my family could have very well been experiencing cookie-separation anxiety at the time, because of all those cookies in the top photo, only a small portion ever make it into our own bellies. Most of them are given away to friends and neighbors, which is the Christmas-y thing to do and all that, but it does require a little more restraint than most of us (well, OK … mostly me) are comfortable with.

Instead, the joy in our cookie tradition is in the decorating, which different members of our family approach in different ways. For example, my wife excels at classic beauty – I dare say it comes naturally for her – although she’s experimenting with swirls and twirls and expanding her skilled repertoire with each passing year.

My 8-year-old daughter is still growing into her own artistic identity; a couple of years ago her works had a prominent Jackson Pollack feel to them, but I’d now say she has more of a cubism-era Picasso vibe going on.

My son follows in his mother’s cookie-styling footsteps quite closely, which fits his own personality as well; he’s a straightforward, no-nonsense kid who does things pretty much by the book. Not that there’s anything wrong with that … and I suppose if he had to pick one parent to emulate, he certainly made the responsible choice.

His 10-year-old sister apparently would make the opposite decision, in that when it comes to cookie designs, she and I are kindred spirits – so much, in fact, that it’s become hard to distinguish her own works from mine.

For example, here’s a small sampling of our creations. Some of them are hers, others are mine – and it’s honestly hard for me to tell which ones are which. They’re all kind of fun, however …

… such as this pair: Elwood Blues on the left, and Fozzie Bear on the right.  One's on a mission from God, and the other's wearing fart shoes.  (Yes, we saw The Muppets this year; and no, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.)

Here we have SpongeBob’s friend Patrick on the left, and a tie-dye hippie angel on the right. This is Northern California, after all.

This pair needs some explanation. On the right is my attempt at Perry the Platypus. On the left is a Christmas tree with an identity crisis. If anyone ever claims that a Christmas cookie can’t be introspective, send them my way.

And with that, we’ll call it a wrap on the 2011 cookie report, but not on the holiday cheer. If you want in on the VIVOBAREFOOT book giveaway, drop a comment in the box below, and I’ll announce the winner on Saturday night. Happy Holidays and good luck to everybody!



Get updates as soon as they're posted! Click here to subscribe to Running and Rambling.

Check out the Running Life book for a collection of our most popular columns.

Read more...

Huge VIVOBAREFOOT Discount Sale at PlanetGear.com

It’s funny the way some of these post topics intersect sometimes.

I had planned a Christmas-themed post for tomorrow night, which then became a Christmas-and-VIVOBAREFOOT-themed post, which is still on deck as scheduled. However, in the midst of all this I received an e-mail from PlanetGear.com regarding a massive VIVOBAREFOOT sale going on this week, and it seemed significant enough to interrupt regular programming (or non-programming, as the case may be) to fill everyone in.

Here’s the deal: VIVOBAREFOOT’s outstanding minimalist running shoes, the Evo and Neo, are currently on sale for ridiculous discounts at PlanetGear.com. As in Evos for $55 ridiculous. Neos for $45 ridiculous. There are a couple other models thrown in the mix for good measure, but basically it’s a minimalist runner’s bonanza.

(Feel free to check out my Evo review here or my Neo review here if you need refreshers on either one.)

Obviously, selection is limited to stock on hand, and right now there are quite a few more women’s colors and sizes available, although men can still find something pretty cool as of this writing. Go check out the sale, and grab yourself or a loved one an early and very affordable Christmas gift.

And since this isn’t a regular post and the whole thing is pretty self-explanatory, I guess that’s all I need to say until tomorrow night.



Get updates as soon as they're posted! Click here to subscribe to Running and Rambling.

Check out the Running Life book for a collection of our most popular columns.

Read more...

kigo drive Review and Coupon Code

In contrast to the number of companies who have moved into the minimalist arena recently, it’s worth noting that kigo is already on their third generation of minimalist athletic shoes.

That’s not to say that they’ve perfected their craft, though – in fact, when I reviewed their second generation edge* shoe, I came away fairly disappointed, in that there wasn’t really much to distinguish the newer version from the previous one; more specifically, a lot of the deficiencies I identified in the first-generation shel shoe went largely unaddressed. Not that I expected the company to jump through hoops for me, but it’s always a cool thing to see a company respond to user feedback.

(*in case you’re wondering about the convention here: all kigo shoe models, just like the company name, are written entirely in lower-case. I explained why in my edge review.)

kigo drive

That’s why I’m happy to report that this time around, kigo has indeed made some significant changes to their flagship athletic shoe, and that the new drive is very close to what I was hoping the shoe would be more than two years ago. It’s not 100% perfect, but it’s a significant upgrade to a shoe that already had a lot of attractive features to begin with.

One of the things I appreciate about kigo is their commitment to responsible shoe construction, and everything about the drive is true to that mission. Material construction of the outsoles and insoles utilizes PLUSfoam, a compound created from various combinations of reclaimed consumer products.

The uppers are constructed of a CYCLEPET compound made from recycled plastic bottles. All dyes, glues, and water- or stain-resistant elements are certified non-toxic. And when you’re done with the shoes, you can send them to the company’s recycling center so the materials can be reconstructed for the next pair.

Like its predecessors, the drive has outstanding minimalist specs as well: it’s a completely flexible, pure zero-drop shoe on a 2mm outsole, weighing roughly 4.5 oz. This is approximately a half-ounce less than the edge, which is impressive considering how light it was to begin with. If you want to leave the removable 2mm insole in place, your standing height is 4mm, otherwise there’s a mere 2mm of thickness between your foot and the ground.

drive on top, edge on bottom; the edge is my son's everyday school shoe, thus explaining the heel wear

Now for the improvements. Previous kigo shoes were uncomfortably narrow through the entire foot, particularly in the toebox area. Even though the CYCLEPET upper material is somewhat flexible, it wasn’t enough to make up for the narrow last which restricted natural toe splaying.  kigo fixed that with the drive, creating a wider footprint front-to-back, most notably in the toebox, which now allows plenty of room for all your toes to do their thing.

The upper has also been revamped, and now features a speed lacing system for ease of entry and for custom tightness around the midfoot. This is a huge improvement over the previous versions, but there’s still one aspect I’d like kigo to tinker with: when you tighten the laces, the fit improves around the midfoot, but remains somewhat loose around the heel. It would be great to see a strap or some other means of construction that incorporates the ankle collar into the midfoot area for more uniform tightening.

kigo’s outsole was one of its strengths from the start, and I still give it fairly high marks for traction on roads and dirt, in dry and mild-to-moderately wet conditions. The problem here is that while kigo has stayed the same, other brands have made remarkable advances in minimalist outsole traction for off-road use (in particular, a 2012 Vibram model that I’m not allowed to talk about yet), so now this fingerprint pattern is just a “solid but not outstanding” feature of the drive.

Sizing was also an issue with previous iterations of kigo shoes, but the drive runs true to size. However, it’s (somewhat oddly) only available in half sizes, so if your size happens to be an even number, you’ll have to wear something a little bit roomy or a little bit snug. Sizing is still unisex, which might be an issue if you’re a male with excessively wide feet or a female with unusually narrow feet.

Last year I expressed some concern to the kigo owners that their window to get established in the minimalist athletic shoe conversation was closing, thanks to the influx of so many new companies coming to market. With the drive, kigo appears to have raised their game sufficiently well to remain near the forefront of this category - and they offer a relatively unique product in terms of design and material construction that makes it distinctively attractive and sets it apart from most other minimalist shoes on the market today.

The drive retails for $91, which is a less fortunate upgrade compared to the edge*. However, from now through the end of the year, you can use coupon code SHIPKIGO to get them with free shipping here from the kigo website. The offer ends on December 31st, so take advantage of it for a late Christmas or early New Years gift.

(*See the comments section for a brief exchange with one of kigo's owners regarding the price point.)

*Product provided by kigo
**See other product reviews on sidebar at right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at info@runningandrambling.com.



Get updates as soon as they're posted! Click here to subscribe to Running and Rambling.

Check out the Running Life book for a collection of our most popular columns.

Read more...

Honey Stinger Contest Winners; Random Shots of Christmas

Before today’s Random Shots of Christmas (as I’ve decided to call the weekend posts this month), let’s wrap up the Honey Stinger contest from earlier this week. Thanks very much to everyone who responded, especially those who already use Honey Stinger products and provided positive feedback; I had no idea that so many people were already so crazy about the waffles.

So let’s get to the winners: Derrick, Mary Shannon Johnstone, and Maggie Wolff: e-mail me your addresses – you’ve got a sample pack of Honey Stinger stuff headed your way. To everyone else who wants to get their hands on the new strawberry waffles, here’s the link to purchase them from Amazon.com.

**
On to the customary weekend RSOB, er … RSOC. The first comes from my own Carmel Valley neighborhood, on the road that brings me back home after every morning’s run:

As it happens, my house is only about two-thirds of a mile from this sign, so I haven’t really seen any red-nosed reindeer crossings further out in the valley. But it’s getting close to the right time of year, so I’m definitely keeping my eyes peeled.

The other is from Salinas, from the same chocolate shop that went into patriotic mode on September 11th:

So apparently the shop has a muralist on the payroll. As for what I’m doing at a chocolate shop so frequently in recent months, that’s none of your business; it’s still my offseason. That is, at least for a couple more weeks.



Get updates as soon as they're posted! Click here to subscribe to Running and Rambling.

Check out the Running Life book for a collection of our most popular columns.

Read more...

Soleus GPS 1.0 Review

I typically shy away from GPS reviews, partially because the whole prospect seems entirely overwhelming, but also because I have very simple tastes.

The only piece of information I really care about getting from a GPS device is “How far have I run today?” I don’t care about vertical gain or compass direction or barometric conditions. I don’t care about my heart rate zones or calories burned. I don’t care to upload, map, or otherwise analyze any data after the run. I don’t care to maintain a digital training log or join yet another online community. Just tell me how far I’ve run.

Although it’s a simple premise, it’s also an important one, for reasons that might have more to do with my own neuroses than any physiological rationale. When I’ve got an ultra in my sights, 30 miles is kind of my standard benchmark when it comes to completing a good long training run. 30.5 miles is a legitimate long run, but 29.8 is woefully inadequate. (OK, yes … it’s not the physiology; the problem is me.) Therefore, it’s also crucial for the device to be accurate, so I’m not always wondering if the distance it says I ran was the distance I really ran. Honestly, I can drive myself crazy with this stuff.

Finally, from a practical standpoint, I’m absolutely terrified of taking on in-depth GPS reviews. There are too many technological considerations than I can legitimately understand, and too many features and components that I don’t adequately utilize; consequently, it’s hard for me to deliver an authoritative opinion on whether a device is worth the (normally very hefty) cost. Especially when my friend DC Rainmaker has become such a guru on GPS devices, there’s no way I can pretend to match that kind of expertise.

So why am I reviewing a GPS watch today? Because the product in question is almost revolutionary, in all the ways that are most important to me. It’s basic. It’s affordable. It’s eco-friendly and low-profile. Best of all, it’s highly accurate, and tells me exactly how far I’ve run.

Soleus GPS 1.0; photo from Soleus website

The Soleus GPS 1.0 has the potential to be a game changer. It retails for $99 (actually, even less than that – see the end of this post), a price point that is less than half of the lowest-cost wrist-mounted GPS from Garmin. It offers the basic features you need – plus a few others – without needing a software program or tech support to figure out how to use the darn thing. For technophobic runners who appreciate simplicity, accuracy, and affordability, the Soleus GPS gives you exactly what you’re looking for.

Continuing the theme of simplicity, my review is going to be somewhat stripped down as well, for reasons I explained earlier. However, I’d be negligent to not refer you to DC Rainmaker’s full in-depth review of this same device, which he breaks down in his typical “all the information you ever wanted plus a lot of information you didn’t realize you needed” fashion.

Timex sleek Ironman on L, SOleus GPS on R

Here’s what you get with the Soleus GPS 1.0: a GPS watch that is roughly the size of the Garmin 401 and Garmin FR610. It’s marginally bigger than my customary Timex Sleek Ironman watch, but with a weight of only 2.0 oz, it’s not much of an extra burden on my long runs. It has an alarm, chronograph, lap/split tracking, 100-lap memory, 12-second backlight, and a USB rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The casing is water resistant to 30 meters so it’s fine to wear in the rain.

Additional features that are nice (but which I don’t really utilize) are calories burned – calculated by an algorithm using body weight and distance run – and your current pace or speed in metric or English notation. Like I said, I’m not so much into those things; I mainly want to know how it works in measuring distance.

First and most importantly, the Soleus GPS is super accurate. I did my first test runs at the track, where the readings were spot-on. While running with training partners, I did comparisons to their various Garmin units, and distance measurements were usually within a few hundredths of a mile for runs in the 10- to 12-mile range. On trail runs, it appears to hold its satellite signal quite well in canyons and under tree cover. The signal also holds steady when the device is underneath a jacket sleeve, which is pretty much every day at this time of year.

Top to bottom: chrono, distance, time of day

While running, you can choose from a few different displays; the one I use most frequently is stopwatch / distance / time of day, which are the only three things I’m concerned about when I’m on a long training day. You can take split times or create lap markers at regular intervals, but I don’t even do either of those things. Like I said, I’m basic.

There are a few minor drawbacks that I’ve encountered in daily use, the first of which is a slow satellite acquisition time. It often takes up to a couple of minutes to lock into a signal, which is significantly slower than my friends pick up signals with their Garmins. I’ve also had some difficulty with the size of the “stop/save” button, in that it’s small in relation to the others, and it’s sometimes difficult to keep pressed down for long enough to save your data. When I’m wearing gloves – which again, is almost every day this time of year – the button is even trickier to push firmly.

Finally, the size of the display numbers is fairly small in comparison to most other watches or GPS devices I’m familiar with. If you have difficulty with small readouts, this might be problematic, but luckily for me it’s just a minor inconvenience.

Aside from those issues, the Soleus 1.0 is everything I want in a GPS – and more importantly, it doesn’t bother with the things I don’t want. I suspect that I’m not the only one who appreciates a simple, straightforward GPS, and there could potentially be a big market for something like this - a highly accurate device that tells you how far and fast you’re running, for a price that won’t set you too far back.

The Soleus GPS 1.0 normally retails for $99, but you can currently find them on sale for $87 from Amazon.com.

*Product provided by Soleus
**See other product reviews on sidebar at right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at info@runningandrambling.com.



Get updates as soon as they're posted! Click here to subscribe to Running and Rambling.

Check out the Running Life book for a collection of our most popular columns.

Read more...

Honey Stinger Waffles, Energy Bars, Energy Chews and Gels: Product Review and Giveaway

Without going too far out on a limb, I predict that the winners of today’s contest will be at least 75% satisfied.

That’s because the prizes in question come from Honey Stinger, and of the four products I had the opportunity to sample, three of them were delightful; the fourth one, not so much. Then again, your tastes may vary from mine, and you could get 100% enjoyment out of them - but we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves here. First let’s get to the review.

Honey Stinger is a sports nutrition company based in Steamboat Springs, Colo, that has developed a fairly diverse line of honey-based products using all-natural and organic ingredients. Since their inception they’ve sponsored cyclists, runners, and triathletes, and in early 2010, they turned quite a few heads by welcoming Lance Armstrong to their ownership team.

Armstrong’s influence is evident in Honey Stinger’s most distinctive product: an organic energy waffle inspired by a traditional Dutch pastry enjoyed by cyclists throughout Europe for many years. The stroopwafel originated in the Netherlands over 200 years ago, and consists of two thin layers of baked batter with a syrup filling. They’re sold by sidewalk vendors and are a longtime favorite of touring cyclists looking for a quick boost of energy.

Honey Stinger’s version comes in three flavors: original, vanilla, and a new strawberry flavor released this fall. I received a batch of vanilla and strawberry waffles for family sampling during a couple of long geocache hikes, and my kids absolutely went wild for them. I really like the taste as well; they remind me of a softer, sweeter Pop Tart, which used to be one of my favorite cheap breakfasts back in college (I liked the unfrosted kind, and didn’t bother to heat them). They make a nice diversion from traditional energy bars – and if that isn’t enough to impress you, rumor has it that Lance rides with these in his back pocket. In case that matters.

I was also impressed with Honey Stinger’s Rocket Chocolate energy bars, which are made with 30% honey and contain 10g of protein each, along with 22 vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and calcium. These are great for the middle of a long bike ride, but I also used them as a post-run snack. They have a nice chewy texture and a very pleasant chocolate taste – certainly more than I expected from a honey-based product. I suspect my kids would have agreed also … except that I didn’t share these items with them. Being the blog owner has its privileges.

Before you feel too sorry for them, the family also got to sample two varieties of organic energy chews, in lime-ade and pink lemonade flavors. These are the Honey Stinger equivalent of CLIF Bloks or GU Chomps, but they are slightly smaller and their texture is much softer, making them easier to chew than those other brands. Our family’s consensus was that the lime-ade flavor is decent, but the real star is the pink lemonade. It’s a unique variety among any other energy chews we’ve tried – Honey Stinger also has other unusual flavors like fruit smoothie and pomegranate passion fruit - and the taste is a nice balance of tart and sweet. They were voted a close second behind the strawberry waffles as our favorite Honey Stinger product.

The only disappointment in the group was Honey Stinger energy gels, but that may be partially due to the fact that I only tested one flavor. I sampled the ginseng flavor, and found it to have a strongly bitter aftertaste that was very unpalatable. I first tested these on a long run with my wife, and just to confirm my initial reaction, I asked her to taste the same pack I had just opened. She hated it as well; honestly, the taste was so bad that we squirted the rest of the gel pack onto the ground.

Honey Stinger gels come in five flavors, and I suspect that the banana or strawberry flavors might not have as strong an aftertaste as the ginseng ones we tested, but that’s just a hypothesis. These honey-based gels have a thinner consistency than regular energy gels, so they would be easy to dissolve in a bottle of water as some runners and cyclists like to do – that would probably dilute the aftertaste as well.

So there’s the lineup, and here’s the contest: in conjunction with this review, Honey Stinger will provide three winners with a sample pack of the products I’ve described here. Quantities and flavors may vary depending on availability, but you’ll get a good cross-section of what the company has to offer – and obviously, I highly recommend the waffles. Leave a comment below this post to enter, and three winners will be chosen at random and announced on Saturday.

If you can’t wait that long, here are product links for purchase from Amazon.com:

Honey Stinger organic strawberry energy waffle - 16-pack for $22.50.

Honey Stinger Rocket Chocolate energy bars - 15-pack for $20.

Honey Stinger pink lemonade organic energy chews - 12-pack for $17.

Honey Stinger energy gel assortment pack - 24-pack for $27.

Big thanks to Honey Stinger for sponsoring this contest, and good luck to everybody!

*Products provided by Honey Stinger. Affiliate sales support Running and Rambling.
**See other product reviews on sidebar at right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at info@runningandrambling.com.




Get updates as soon as they're posted! Click here to subscribe to Running and Rambling.

Check out the Running Life book for a collection of our most popular columns.

Read more...

13.1 Los Angeles Giveaway Winner; GU Roctane Drink Mix Giveaway Winner; Random Shots of Beauty

I’ve got a slightly extended Random Shot of Beauty post for today – but first, it’s time to announce the winners of two separate contests that took place this week.

As you’ll recall, the 13.1 Marathon Los Angeles road race drawing was conducted in my typically random fashion – but as it turns out, the winner ended up being in the same neighborhood as the race. Lauren L: e-mail me – you’re the winner, and I’ve got a free registration code for you.

On the other hand, the GU Roctane drink mix contest was completely subjective, and I had no ground rules other than to do something to make me choose you. This one was decided pretty early in the game, when RD Jim dropped his comment in the box. I mean … the dude made a video for me; after that, everyone else was pretty much competing for second place. (Although Anthony’s comment and link to the mobile app page certainly piqued my interest – this is something I need to investigate a bit further.)

Anyway, congrats to the winners, and as always, thanks to everyone else for playing. Stay tuned for another giveaway contest next week.

**

With the holiday season in full swing, I’ve decided that for the rest of the month I’ll change these weekend posts to Random Shots of Christmas instead of the customary RSOB. (Besides, there’s beauty in Christmas, so I’m not breaking form too dramatically here.) On that note, I had my camera with me this morning …

… while hanging out with practically everyone else in town at a dilapidated airstrip in the middle of Carmel Valley Village …

…. where everyone awaited two special passengers arriving by air ...

Santa and Mrs Claus, making their customary appearance at the annual Santa’s Fly-In event that has everything you could ever ask when it comes to quaint small-town traditions. After Santa mingles with all the kids, the fly-in is followed by a parade through the village …

… where Santa’s sleigh gets towed by a tractor. It’s just another of those distinctly Carmel Valley scenes that makes me happy to live here.

One unfortunate but unrelated postscript to the story is that while all this Christmas cheer was taking place, I was being left out of the Western States 2012 lottery. Now it’s on to Plan B for next year, which is, um … actually, I don’t really have a Plan B. So I guess my new Plan A is to come up with a Plan B. As soon as I figure something out, I’ll be sure to let you know.





Get updates as soon as they're posted! Click here to subscribe to Running and Rambling.

Check out the Running Life book for a collection of our most popular columns.

Read more...