I had never heard of MANTRA Labs when I was sent their hydration product to test, but after learning about the company background and values, I’m impressed by their mission. MANTRA Labs was founded in Austin, TX in 2020. The company works to raise mental health awareness, and partners with organizations to create funding for better mental health services. In their own words, “there are two sides to health: physical and mental”. And so, every…
Gaiters are funny. The word alone sounds like something only fishermen would understand, and does not seem like the thing runners would need. And yet, for those of us who have ever run in sand, loose dirt, dusty, dry loam, or any surface that might want to creep deeply into one’s socks, gaiters are a necessity. A couple years ago I tried out my first pair of gaiters before embarking on my first assault of…
This was my first experience using Bollé sunglasses and I have to admit I was unsure of what to think of them at first as I’ve never worn a pair of “sport” sunglasses. Sure I wear shades, but nothing as fancy as these before. My first impression during the unboxing was the noticeably higher quality of both the lens and frames. I currently run in cheap $5-$25 sunglasses – and they “work” for the most…
When I started running, it was through a slightly uncomfortable trial and error process that I learned what sustenance I could take in before and during a workout and what hit the spot after. Centered around my first marathons and the goals of longer workouts in the interest of getting stronger and gaining weight, it included simplistic offerings such as watermelon, gummy bears, m&ms, peanut butter toast and other random snacks. A few years have…
FITS is a premium sock brand resulting from the collaboration of third and fourth generation textile manufacturers to create the absolute best fitting sock in the marketplace as a response to an industry-wide epidemic of ill-fitting socks. Utilizing only the best raw materials available, FITS incorporates innovative, proprietary engineering and technology to create the most comfortable, best-fitting sock in the world. The result: a product line that embodies the crucial connection between fit and performance. Drew: I…
Balega has announced a new sock that is sure to garner quite a bit of interest called the UltraGlide. Balega is certainly not new to the running community by any means and they’re dedication to keep us on our feet (quite literally) is showcased with the UltraGlide. The UltraGlide has created a solution to common running issues by using a mix of friction free yarn and their Drynamix® yarn to keep your feet dry and…
My trusty Garmin Forerunner 220, a birthday gift from my wife six years ago, went totally haywire a few days ago, at first claiming that my easy running pace was around 14 min/mile, and then later changing its mind and deciding that, no, I was running at a sub-7:00 pace. Restarting the GPS didn’t solve the problem. Fortunately, this happened on day 2 of Amazon’s Prime Day, and it just happened that the Garmin Forerunner…
We’re not new to running Naked…er, running with Naked, that is. We reviewed their running band last year (brush up on those posts here and here) and had a chance to try out their headband recently as well. You’re probably wondering why, now that the cold running months are behind us, we’re talking about headbands? And indeed, it’s a basic headband at first glance, with the ‘Naked’ brand printed across the front of the grey, hexagonal-patterened…
We all have that little twang of dread when the weather turns and the road beckoning our feet to pound the pavement is taken over by that voice saying “it is cold, this bed is warm”. Yet, the fate of the “fair-weather runner” is not something I want to experience, thus finding ways to tamper those winter weather woes is particularly important. Most of the time the recipe for motivation in spite of the chill…
Every time I think that I have all the running clothing I will ever need, along comes another company to remind me that I am wrong. Runners often are creatures of habit and will stick with certain brands for a very long time based on fit, feel, function and performance. With so many clothing options to choose from, there can also be great benefit for those who are willing to try lesser known brands, especially…
