Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Tuesday Tidbits

Tights!

It seems that my mysterious red & green tights from Sunday have aroused some curiosity.



The truth is, they came like this - one leg red and one leg green - in an elf costume that I picked up years ago. I had too much fun wearing these and I'm already seeking out another opportunity to wear them.

Winner!


I'm the lucky winner of Chocolate Agave # 9 gels from Her Name is Rio & She Runs.



Can't wait to try them!

Virtual Race!


It's that time again! RunningLaur is hosting another virtual race: The Winter Misery One Miler!



I think it's ironic that I will actually be in CUBA for the first day of winter and this virtual event. I'll be sure to think of my northern friends while I'm running along the beach. :)

New Handheld!


Yesterday I introduced my new Nathan Thermal Quickdraw Handheld which I used for the first time on Sunday's run.



Nathan boasts:


-Insulated carrier keeps fluids warm or cool
-Wall Mesh moisture-wicking hand strap with adjustable-tension buckle
-Zippered pocket with Key Clip
-22 oz. Hydration Bottle with Clipless Cap


I've been a big fan of the 10-oz Sprint Handheld for some time now and was excited to try out the larger version to hopefully carry me through longer distances without needing my Fuel Belt (which I hate).

At first, the bottle felt insanely heavy and was a real nuisance to carry. When it was about 2/3 full, it became much more manageable. I do believe that in time I will get used to carrying the full bottle without it being a bother. Even when it did feel heavy, it was far less annoying than my Fuel Belt.

Other than the weight, it felt pretty comfortable. I was able to secure the strap (without making it too tight) so that I didn't have to actually grib the bottle. It was also easy to transfer back and forth from left to right - which I did often.

The pocket is a nice perk, although it doesn't hold much. I'm not sure I could even squish two gels in there.

I decided to spend the extra $10 for the thermal feature, although I was skeptical as to how well it would work. I hate it when my water gets too warm in the summer, but even worse when it becomes freezing cold (or even frozen) in the winter. I was pleased to discover on Sunday that my water remained pretty close to room temperature for the duration of the run. I will truly put it to the test when it gets really cold out, but for now I'm satisfied.

36 comments:

Pining for Pinterest said...

I love that water bottle. You are right, it took some getting used to during the run, but it was worth it for me. I am one of the runners who likes to drink every 10 minutes :-)

H-woman said...

Those tights are cute! Very festive.

I agree...if that bottle can keep water from freezing during a frigid Canadian winter run, I'm game. But I hate holding things when I run--I feel lopsided.

H =)

Gotta Run..... said...

I LUV all of my Nathan products. They really know what they are doing.

So glad you WON! that is called some GEL LOVE :)

Jen Feeny said...

I'm so behind on my blog reading but those tights are hilarious! I would rock them every holiday season for sure!

So jealous you're going to be in Cuba soon!

We gotta start planning Disney meet up!!!

Heather said...

I put a handheld on my Christmas list - hope I get one! I think I would like that thermal feature too, I hate freezing cold water.

J said...

I want one of those water bottles! Recently I have been drinking while exercising and I dont mind it so i may try to drink while running!

Anonymous said...

since most of the water fountains around DC are turned "off" now (or, I'm assuming? don't they do that in the winter?) ...I definitely need to look into handheld h20 bottles. I (not-so) secretly refuse to wear a fuel belt. ha, I just can't get behind the idea. It would *Definitely* drive me crazy.....

RunToTheFinish said...

hmm hadn't considered this thermal effect, my water is always luke warm by the time i try to drink it and it's really not all that refreshing... oh SANTA

Anonymous said...

i use an old, old fuel belt, which i dont actually hate but i dont love.

ur handheld bottle looks comfy. might try it out!

Anonymous said...

Cute tights! Perfect timing to review your handheld. I have been seriously wanting one, as my fuel belt and I have reached our breaking point. I'll have to check this one out. Thanks!

Shellyrm ~ just a country runner said...

Those tights still rock!

The handheld. I was all excited about the same one...then I tried it. Way to big for me. I am not sure I could run enough to get used to it! The smaller one is doable.

Jess said...

I do love the tights. I'm sure you could invent many occassions to wear them again!

No Longer Using said...

wow thanks for the great waterbottle review. i have a couple of handhelds, and none of them are insulated/temp regulating. very cool feature!!! esp in winter. i don't mind if my water gets warm in the summer, i'm just thankful it is liquid. but i def wouldn't want it too cold in the winter.

CUBA!!! you lucky two-colored legged duck
!!!! hehehe.

what is on the cuba agenda???

Jill said...

omg, those tights are to die for! Hahaha. I wish I were doing a jingle bell run or something so I could wear those things! Yea for the thermal water bottle feature - hope it works well for you! I hate warm water, too! Happy miles!

Lindsay said...

those tights are still funky, but i am glad to hear you didn't sit around and sew them! lol. not sure anything i sewed would hold up on a run of any length... yikes ;)

blah blah blah. my "miserable" winter mile is going to be in cuba. oh how miserable. :-p

Bethany + Ryan said...

Ahh yes I was wondering about those tights! I love them! So festive!

Mel -Tall Mom on the Run said...

Love the Tuesday Tidbits.. YOu better have the fastest mile around being that you will be WARM..

FYI my CRazy day went well, I should be back to normal SOON..

Jamie said...

I'm behind... love those tights! And thanks for the review. I absolutely hate too warm water or frozen solid drinks!

Melanie Tait said...

Marlene! I love the guts out of those tights - they're terrific!

I'm not sure how you can handle a hand held water. I can't bare to have anything in my hands - sometimes I feel like my garmin is to heavy.

Different strokes make the world go around though, hey? :)

Erika said...

I'd love the thermal part of that handheld, but I can barely stand my 10 oz bottle that I run with.

Enjoy that run in Cuba. We won't be sitting here feeling jealous or anything...

MCM Mama

macnic said...

You always take the opportunity to have fun! Great tights.

Have a great vacation!

RunningLaur said...

yes, those tights are amazing!

I'm just waiting for the day that i can upgrade to a nathan handheld from my fuel belt one.

Anonymous said...

Wow, that's a cool hand held! I didn't know there were any thermal handhelds. I also hate warm fluids during hot weather- yicky!

Mel-2nd Chances said...

i wanted to ask about the tights, but didn't want to feel like a dork asking! LOL I don't like running with anything in my hands... but looks like a great option! Countdown is ON!!

Aron said...

love the tights!

those big handhelds CAN be so nice, but sometimes they are just so heavy! once you get used to it its not bad. i still like having my hands free for races though :)

Unknown said...

phew! now we know how you pulled off the one green, one red leg look.

EndorphinBuzz said...

I like the 22 oz but am curious to see if the nozzle freezes in long (>1hr) runs. I've been thinking about a camelback that I would wear between my layers so it doesn't freeze on the 20 and 30k runs this winter.

Laura said...

I used my handheld for the first time last night (10oz bottle). I didn't bother me at all so I think I will keep using it for our shorter runs. I still hate my fuel belt but have psychologic need to have it on the longer runs.

Anonymous said...

I'm really glad you reviewed that bottle! I'm wound too tight and it would drive me crazy to have a heavy bottle in hand while running. I will forward this on to my sister, though, who seems to not mind carrying a water bottle but would definitely enjoy something like this!

Ali said...

I was reading and then I got to the word CUBA ... instantly jealous.

Denise said...

Interesting about the bottle...I didn't know they had that. Might have to give it a try.

TNTcoach Ken said...

Gotta get me some tights!

Vickie said...

Nice tights! How many ounces does that bottle hold, and I wonder if my smaller Nathan carrier will fit around it??

Unknown said...

I need to get that handheld. My regular one works fine, but I hate that in the summer the liquid inside gets SO warm so the insulated one would be perfect.

Oz Runner said...

handhelds are great, you'll get used to it in no time...funny tights too...

Laura said...

Nice tights! I really want to try a handheld.