Product Review: Fuel Belt

Hi!

My long run was all the more exciting today because I got to use a new addition to my running kit. I recently purchased a Fuel Belt brand bottle belt. It is the four bottle version in red. I know that many people have already used this product, but I have not. As described a few blog posts back, up until now I have used a North Face belt that holds a single 20 ounce bottle. I have only used it in training since I had been using Gu. For races I had been carrying the Gu in Race Ready shorts and drinking the water provided by the race. Recently, I have switched to using Perpetuem by Hammer. Although it is possible to mix this into a sort of a paste, this option doesn't sound too appealing to me. So, I will need to carry the mixed fluid with me through the race. While the North Face bottle belt has worked for many a long run so far, it is a bit difficult to get the bottle in and out of the holster. So, last week I went to my local Fleet Feet and purchased the aforementioned Fuel Belt.Obviously, I haven't had a lot of experience with this belt, but so far I really like it. The bottles are secure, but still fairly easy to remove and replace. The belt doesn't jostle or move around much and it is very light. Although each bottle is smaller than my single bottle, I have 12 more ounces than with the single 20 ounce bottle. This allowed me to do my entire 18 miler today without refilling. I also think the smaller bottles were easier to drink from while on the run. So far, I have no complaints except that I was a bit between sizes and I think the belt size I ended up with is just the tiniest bit too big. Oh well. I had heard a few people complain that their arms hit the bottles when they swung, but where the bottles end up around my waist this wasn't a problem at all. There is also a small pouch on the belt that I didn't use today, but that I could see being useful for items that I occasionally carry like lip balm and cough drops.

Verdict: Love it and look forward to many beautiful long runs together.

Happy Running!

Jen

Product Review: YakTrax

Hello!

After my attempted long run that ended in a head injury last week, I decided that I needed to do something. So I headed to my local running store to pick up some YakTrax. I had heard about them, but had never tried them. For those who don't know, YakTrax are cleats made of rubber and metal coils that you stretch over the bottom of your shoes. They give you extra traction on snow and ice.

My opinion of these is mixed, although my expectations were probably a bit too high. They do work great on packed snow and "crunchy" ice, which is basically what they are made for. Unfortunately, they do not work well on the very, very slick ice that caused my fall. In reality, it was probably unreasonable for me to expect this. I have used them on a few walks and a few runs so far. On dry pavement portions of the route, they don't cause any problem. It just sounds like you are walking/running on gravel. During the walks, I didn't notice any foot pains or difference in how my feet felt at all. During the runs, several miles in my feet seemed to get a bit sore/tired. It was nothing too significant though, so when the conditions warrant, I won't hesitate to use them. I would probably avoid using them during long runs because the foot pain would probably get much worse. I also thought that wearing them caused me to heel strike a bit more than usual (I'm typically more of a mid-foot striker).

Another cool thing is that the YakTrax are made of ~70% (I don't have the package anymore and I can't remember the exact number) recycled materials. I love to see this because what's the use recycling if no one is using the recycled material?

Bottom line: A good product, but don't expect miracles.

Happy Running!

Jen