Category Archives: Product Review

Ready for some Gainz?

I’ve been a fan of boxed collections since back in 2013 when StrideBox launched as the go to boxed collection for runners. I wrote about my experiences with StrideBox here and on their 1st and 2nd Birthdays. During the time I got them it was a great value and I got some cool gizmos. It was really nutrition (gels, energy drink tablets, etc) focused so when I got injured I stopped getting it.

Then I found Cairn, which is more broadly focused on “outdoor adventures.” They had lot of cool gizmos and gadgets for an outdoor lifestyle – camping, backpacking, etc. Some of the items were things I would never have bought because I don’t see the value in them – but sometimes it was amazing and worth every penny!! I had to end this box set to help ease the family budget last year!

My wife gets MightyNest which is kitchen gadgets. And my dog gets a BarkBox. You get the idea right… we like getting boxes of goodness each month!!

I’m kind of all over the place with fitness lately – running, road biking, mountain biking, CrossFit, Cyclocross, skiing, bouldering, etc… I had looked at several different boxes related to CrossFit things but none of them really caught my eye or seemed like a good value. I’ve heard about Gainz Boxes for awhile, but it wasn’t until CrossFit Athlete Cole Sager posted about them with a discount code that I decided to pull the trigger and get one.

It arrived this past week and I finally opened it up. It happened to be the Emily Bridgers box with lots of cool stuff. From FitAid was a hat, shirt, can of LifeAid, and socks! It also included some Roasted Broad Bean Crisps from Enlightened and some wristbands from Victory Grips. Plus some kind of discount code or coupon for all the companies mentioned.

Not a bad deal overall.

Happy 2nd Birthday Stridebox!

CAM06258I was only a subscriber to Stridebox for a short time in their inaugural year, but they continue to impress and go the extra mile.  For the 2nd year in a row, I got a Happy Birthday box from them.  No, not my birthday… their birthday!  I wrote about their birthday box last year and one of the boxes I got in their inaugural year.

Stridebox was at the forefront of the monthly subscriber revolution.  At least in my eyes, now there are a lot of them from snack food to men’s clothing.  I originally signed up in early 2013 and enjoyed getting boxes for almost a year.  The boxes contained a variety of sample nutritional products and as time went on more actual products that were just starting out.  And it seems more Stridebox branded products as well.

CAM06256 The Stridebox box is a great size for organizing and having around the house. Every box also comes with nice tissue paper wrapping, although not usually gold! And the handwritten (really?) cards are a nice touch!  This year’s birthday box had less nutrition and more products!

From the top, clockwise:

  • Bandana thing
  • Shoe mileage counter
  • Stride lights that flash when they shake (so with every footstep of your shoe)
  • Nuun Energy tablets
  • Stickers
  • Stridebox training log (nicely done, but who uses paper and pencil?)
  • PR Bar
    CAM06257

It is probably safe to say that this box is worth $15.  The question is more about is it $15 worth of stuff I would have bought on a monthly basis?  When I was running consistently and training for longer races I easily used all the nutrition products and some of  the other random ones.  Now that my mileage is way down I don’t go through nutrition products at the same rate.

I would still recommend signing up for Stridebox.  If you haven’t why not?

Events at Mill City Running in Northeast

If you haven’t been to Mill City Running what are you waiting for?

The newest running store in Minneapolis has everything you need and is located in Northeast right across the Mississippi River from downtown.  They are super-engaged with social media and probably have one of the busiest calenders of any running store in the area.  But it isn’t just your normal group runs or chats with a podiatrist.

They have flap-jack Friday runs (the 6:30am start is too late in the morning for me), Roga (running and yoga) next one on March 22, and a chat about Crossfit for Runners on March 18.  They’ve also got plenty of group runs and group run challenges for all levels of runner!

My daughter and I popped in one afternoon to pick up a gift certificate and they have toys for your little one to play with while you are getting fitted for shoes!

I will be buying my next pair of shoes from them and I hope to be able to make it out to some of their events.

Happy Birthday Stridebox!!

Stridebox is celebrating their 1st birthday!

From their Facebook page:

I first signed up for Stridebox after seeing a post on Running is Funny.  Who wouldn’t want a box of running related stuff sent to them each month?

It was a great deal and I got lots of good sample products in the mail.  But late last year I needed to cancel my subscriber as we were trying to cut costs.  So imagine my surprise/confusion a few weeks ago when I got a box in the mail with Stridebox on the side.

As a birthday present to themselves they sent anyone who had been a subscriber a free box!!

For their birthday they sent me Clean Bottle’s The Runner,  About Time Whey Protein Isolate – Birthday Cake flavored, a reflective snap bracelet, and a nice birthday card!

CAM03549

 

You should check out Stridebox!!

Getting Traction on Ice and Snow

What do you wear to gain traction while running in icy or snowy conditions? I personally wear YakTrax when I want extra traction and sure footing.  I know of people who drill small sheet metal screws into their shoes, and I’m sure people use other brand traction devices.  What is your preferred device?

There are a few factors I consider before adding my YakTrax to my shoes.

1) Where am I going?

We live by a hospital so if I run that direction I’m guaranteed that a large part of my run will be on plowed the majority of my run. Running the Lakes? They will be plowed, but not to the ground.  Downtown – plowed to the sidewalk.

2) What are the conditions of the trail/sidewalk?

This depends on where you go.  Most actual off-road trails won’t have been plowed and I often will wear the YakTrax on them just to be safe.

3) Is there fresh snow/ice?

If the snow/ice is fresh or falling then I’d probably wear them just to be safe.

I’ve worn my YakTrax a few times this year for runs. A lot of my runs from home end up having a fair amount of the run being on sidewalks that are well taken-care of (hospital or downtown) so I don’t wear them a lot.

The YakTrax basically use a coil of wire to form an X on the ball and heel of your shoe.  They pull over the sole of your shoe and have a strap that helps hold them on.  They make a very distinctive mark in the snow!  When running on clear pavement these coils add a little bit of spring to your step and if worn for long stretches can mess up your shins.  For shorter periods of clear pavement you can survive or run in a snow bank to prevent the shin pain.

In the past when I’ve known I’ll want them for running around a park I’ve crossed the street or even run in the street instead of running on the hospital’s clear sidewalk.

I’ve been wearing YakTrax since we moved to Minnesota 6 years ago.  I wore my first pair out mid-winter last year and bought a new pair of YakTrax Pro.  I did receive a free pair of YakTrax Pro to review this winter (and some hand warmers).

My YakTrax wore out similar to how the heel of my shoe wore down.  The rubber and coils on the back of the heel eventually broke due to my running form.  I didn’t keep track of how many miles it took for this to occur, but having them for almost 5 years seems like a pretty good amount of time for them to last.

Another benefit of YakTrax over sheet metal screws is that you can wear them on virtually any shoe (mine won’t fit onto my winter boots, but do on my every day winter shoes).  This also allows you to rotate through your running shoes instead of only wearing (and ruining) one pair of shoes!

Have you enjoyed your YakTrax or other traction method?  What works for you?

Enhanced by Zemanta