Alameda Runners – Get After It!

This post is a list of things on my desk as I clean up.  First thing on my desk is my cool Vineman 70.3 medal.  Since I am so proud of it, I had Jasmin at Brazen Racing engrave the medal.

It took a lot of work to complete a half ironman triathlon.  I am proud of that medal.  Brazen racing charges $10 to engrave a medal at the race and $15 to engrave a special medal.  The price difference is because the machine is set up to engrave all of the race medals on race day.  Different medals require a different machine setup.  It also cost about $2 to mail the medal out.

Most of my medals wind up in a drawer.  Special medals make it to the wall.  Really special medals get engraved.

Strutz Sole Angel arch wrap with cushion support.  I am not reviewing these for an article but I love them.  I have high arches that can be protected with orthotics but it is really hard to get something for the metatarsal area up by the ball of the foot.  These things wrap around the foot and stay where you put them.  There is something about the feet that can cause the whole leg to ache.  These supports help alleviate that pain a little.

Arctic Ease.  Another one of those cool gadgets that work.  It is basically a gauze pad that you wrap around a sore part of the body and it magically cools it off.  I don’t know how it works but I know that it does.

When the wrap starts to dry out, you add a teaspoon of water and return it to service.  I don’t use it very often but it is nice to have in my work locker for when I get sore during my morning or lunch time workouts.  If you use seran wrap to hold it in place, your clothes won’t get wet.

Earbuds.  I had enough ear buds on my desk to fill up a zip lock bag and have some left over.  I only write about the stuff I like.  If I’m not a big fan, I simply tell the company and move on with life.  Mike’s Note:  I have some neat earbuds and audio products that should get some attention sometime here in the near future (hopefully).

Chap Stick Classic.  All people who spend a lot of time outdoors should protect their skin.  Soft lips and soft skin are important if you want to get a hug and a kiss.

The more stuff I get to review, the more niches I find for stuff.  I recently received a couple pair of SockGuy socks for review.

The low cut socks with a 3-inch cuff seemed to be best suited for cycling so I took them out for a 60-mile bike ride followed by a 6-mile run and thought they made my feet numb.

Hmmm, blame it on the socks.

I tried the same socks on a 7-mile run with no problems.  I then took them out for the ultimate running test:  I ran about seven miles in the rain with no slipping or bunching.  They are very comfortable in uncomfortable situations.

I have a pair of crew style socks that are so good I wear them with casual clothes, such as jeans and a casual shirt.  I love the socks but I am afraid that I have become exercise fashion conscious.

Quality socks usually cost from 5 to 15 dollars.  SockGuy socks are usually 5-10 dollars.  They are very comfortable and competitively priced.  I love my SockGuy socks and would buy them off the rack of my local running store without a second thought.

Buy quality socks and your feet will thank you by not complaining.

The Good:

• Comfort, the packaging and the web site give you a lot of technical reasons for comfort but they just feel good on my feet.
• They are stylish.  Now that I am fashion conscious, I like style.
• The price.

The Bad

• You have to wash them a few times before they become really comfortable.
• They can’t mold my bike shoes to my feet for me.

I like my SockGuy socks for both athletics and casual wear.  They are very comfortable and well worth the price.

Mike’s Thoughts:  I wear mine for riding and casual wear, as I’ve found I replaced most of my casual regular socks with tech clothing.