Product Review – Slacker Runner

Cooling Off

June 26, 2019June 25, 2019 Fallon @ Slacker Runner

It’s summer in California and that means one thing- me being stupid and running in the heat of the day.

Disclaimer: I received a CoolNet UV+ Headband from Buff as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

Could you have guessed that by my track record?

Why I do this so consistently, I don’t know. Maybe I really am a glutton for punishment. However, knowing my proclivity for stupidity, I look for anything to keep me cool while showing off aforementioned stupidity.

Shade is never guaranteed where I run, neither is available water. Don’t get me started on my town’s lack of facilities. So I always run with my pack and water. I layer on sunscreen and wear a trucker hat as well. New to my arsenal is the CoolNet UV Headband from Buff. Dude, where have you been all my life???

I’ve had it for about a month and it’s rarely not on my head if I am running, even when it’s hidden under my hat. I don’t understand how adding an extra layer of material keeps my head cooler but it does. And well, science was never my best subject.😛 An added bonus is that is keeps the sweat from dripping down into my eyes. Yes! I’ve become such a sweater in the last year or so.

Ok, so how does it work?

I’m still not 100% sure what some of those words mean, I won’t lie. All I know is that it works. My head feels cooler and it stops the sweat. Bonus is that it fits my small head without sliding off! I can also verify that it resists odors as I maybe don’t wash mine as often as I should. Oops. But on the bright side, it handled the washing machine like a champ!

You can barely see it under my hat. And this post officially has too many selfies.😂

Plus, it’s super affordable compared to other headbands out there and they have various patterns and styles. But if that wasn’t enough, how about a discount? Go to this link and sign up for their newsletter to save 15%.

How do you stay cool?

animal encounter, BibRave, Discounts, Product Review

Never Really Alone

June 13, 2019June 12, 2019 Fallon @ Slacker Runner

Disclaimer: I received Sabre products to try as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

If you run alone, you’ve likely thought about your safety on the run. If not, how?

I’ve run with pepper spray since I was attacked by a dog 9 years ago. I still have the scars on my butt to prove it. Before then my biggest concern running was how stupid I looked doing it. Nothing slams me a halt now quite like a dog off leash.

Then I started running the lake path. Which seems to be home to all of my creepiest encounters. From cars that follow too close around the path or men who just stop and stare.

There’s also the random but not so infrequent wild life occurrences in town. From roaming mountain lions to bears in cul-de-sacs and let’s not forget the time a wolf hybrid escaped from the rehab facility. It’s a riot out here.

I started carrying pepper spray way back when and am ost never without it. I’ve gone through a variety of different styles and brands. Partly because of the expiration dates and partly because I have a tendency to break them. How? If I am carrying it in my hand, it will get thrown at some point. It’s one of the reasons I don’t carry a handheld all that often.

So now I carry Sabre. Small, compact and complete with a strap! No more throwing it! Although in a worst case throwing it might not be a bad idea.

Ok, so I don’t toss it around anymore but really makes Sabre rock?

How about- (from the Sabre website)

MAXIMUM STOPPING POWER: Maximum strength formula is backed by in-house high performance liquid chromatography laboratory which guarantees maximum stopping power, eliminating the 30% failure rate experienced with other pepper spray brands (University of Utah study); plus UV marking dye aids in suspect identification
#1 PEPPER SPRAY BRAND TRUSTED BY POLICE AND CONSUMERS WORLDWIDE: Including New York, Chicago PD, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s & U.S. Marshals; made in the U.S.A. and ISO 9001:2008 certified with a 4-year shelf life from the date of manufacture
ENHANCED SAFETY: Pepper gel virtually eliminates wind blow-back and only affects what it directly contacts, plus it offers a 20% greater range (12 feet/4 m) for protection at a safer distance
EASILY ACCESSIBLE WITH PROTECTION AGAINST MULTIPLE THREATS: Adjustable hand strap provides police-strength protection at your fingertips; contains 35 bursts (up to 5x other brands) plus a locking top safety mechanism to prevent accidental discharge
FREE TRAINING: Packaging includes link to free training video in addition to publicly available safety tips on blog

All the essentials- Gatorade and an alarm

Along with the pepper spray which I already felt comfortable with, Sabre offers personal alarms. Yes, there are a few apps that offer runner tracking and location information, however those seem less than productive to me. They tell someone where you were when there might have been a problem. Those people are usually never near you at the time and likely can’t get to you quickly. How safe is that? It’s not. It’s a road map for a worst case scenario. The Sabre personal alarm is there to alert those actually nearby that you need help. And/or maybe be a loud enough deterrent for whatever man or beast may be in front of you.

And it clips on anywhere. Seriously, I’ve it clipped to my pack, my pocket, a tank top strap, and my purse. I recently bought my first Coach purse and yes- I clipped the bright pink alarm to the outside pocket. Safety is always stylish, right?

Sabre is extremely low priced in my opinion for my peace of mind. But if you need more convincing- how about a discount? Use code SABRERUN to save 20%.

Everything’s safe until it isn’t and for that I have my Sabre. I can only hope I don’t have to use it.

Want to read more?

Meridith – Taushah –

BibRave, Product Review, Run!

Hurts So Good

March 9, 2019March 8, 2019 Fallon @ Slacker Runner

“Disclaimer: I received an Addaday Pro Roller to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!”

I fully admit I slack on recovery. Well, unless you count napping?

I know I should roll. I know I should do my PT exercises. Yet, I never do until I feel something more than a twinge. Bad Slacker. It’s not for lack of equipment. I have a regular old foam roller, a generic stick thing and a random, bumpy roller I picked up at Target one day. Yet none of them ever seemed to really do anything. Could be I wasn’t using them properly either.

Enter the Pro Massage Roller from Addaday.

First impressions was that it sure looked pretty. But did it work?

I always feel so awkward rolling, somehow it makes me feel uncoordinated. That said, I did notice that this roller can pinpoint soreness much better than my previous ones. Once I figured out the red roller was to pin point problem areas, I went to town on my shins. Not gonna lie, at first I was saying- ow, ow, ow! However after more use, it felt better each time.

I’ve used the roller on my calves, shins, hamstrings, knee, etc. Tried to use it on my feet but that’s a work in progress. I’ve even used the softer blue rollers to gently roll out my neck.

My only wish is that I could get it to dig a little deeper into my right hip/ butt area. It’s my weak spot. The roller is not a replacement for the PT exercises I should be doing on the daily but it makes a great add-on.

My calves are more often than not a little cranky but they’ve felt better since I started using the roller. And for clueless people like me, the Addaday website has a lovely page with links to tutorial videos. Score!

Also, something I discovered quite by accident is that you can move the little roller balls around. I never claimed to be gentle on things (my nickname should be Destructo Girl) so one day I tossed the roller and the handle came off. At first I freaked out a little but soon realized it just screwed on. Whew, but that means the rollers can move- sweet!

I love this little roller ( I’ve already given my other stick rollers to my mom for the tennis team) and hopefully I will continue to use it regularly and not be such a Slacker.

How do you recover?

BibRave, Product Review, Run!

Get Your Zwift On

January 1, 2019January 1, 2019 Fallon @ Slacker Runner

Disclaimer: I received an entry to Oakland Running Festival as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

Did you know I have a gym membership?

Yep, for the last 7 years or so. I’m the type of customer they love, I pay monthly but only show up 4 or 5 times a year. Luckily my membership is less than 20 bucks and work reimburses it so it makes it really easy to ignore it. But I hate the treadmill, only need it for emergencies i.e. weather above 105. At least that’s what I thought.

I received a Zwift foot pod to try out through Bibrave and it turns out I like the treadmill- I just hate the gym. Who wants to hook me up with a treadmill?

Zwift is an app built for cyclists and runners to liven up their time on the bike trainer or the treadmill while getting in training miles that they can’t do outside. The app creates virtual running routes where an avatar version of you goes for a run. You can go solo while others are out for rides and runs around you. You can join planned events. You can plan meetups with friends across the country. It’s like a video game where you are the main player.

Now here’s where it gets tricky- there are actually two apps. Zwift and the Zwift Companion. The main Zwift app shows the route and metrics as you run. You can use your phone, tablet or laptop. The Zwift Companion app shows all the upcoming events you can jump in on, runners/ cyclists you can follow and gives you ways to chat or cheer on other runners while they run. However that might require 2 devices.

I have run virtually around London, through a volcano in Zwift world of Watopia and around beaches and mountains in Watopia. Other famous cities are also available. I have run more on the treadmill in the last month even being sick than I have in the last 2 years.

I love the app. That being said, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing. My foot pod and I don’t always see eye to eye. On one run it will be fine and on the next run, it’s about a mile behind. I’m not using Zwift to track my overall mileage so it’s not a deal breaker it’s just kind of frustrating when your pace is right there in front of you and so off what the treadmill says. Sometimes my avatar just stops and chills for a bit. I may take photo breaks on outdoor runs but not treadmill runs! I did notice on my last run that my shoelaces bounce off the foot pod sometimes. It made me wonder if the pod was sensitive enough to be confused by my shoelaces. My run this week will have me lacing my shoes in a different way.

Another thing that didn’t really work for me was the timing of the group runs. There are a variety of group runs and workouts available but with me being on the West Coast and my work schedule, most of them happen when I am at work. The ones that don’t happen during work hours happen around 3:00 AM in the morning and I haven’t started liking the treadmill enough to give up sleep. I did try to jump in on a Zwift Academy Tri 5K race but I was 10 minutes late and no hope of catching up with the speedy folks. A few more later options would be nice.

I really do like using Zwift. I have big plans for this year so anything that gets me running more in the dark Winter months is a plus in my book.

Want to try out Zwift? Come run with me!
Use code BibRave15 for 15% off (valid on first 1000 pods only)

BibRave, Product Review

How to WIN Laundry Day

December 29, 2018December 29, 2018 Fallon @ Slacker Runner

Nobody likes to smell… Or at least I hope not.

There have been a few times I have finished a long run in the middle of summer and kind of scared myself. I only do laundry once a week so I always tried to plan my long runs around laundry day but sometimes life happens. As I only have space for one laundry hamper everything goes into the same one which then makes me wonder what kind of cross contamination is going on with my laundry.

Plus I have a tendency to only wear the clothes that are on the top of drawers so that means the same shirts, shorts and pants. Over and over and over again. Anyone else do that?

So yeah, sometimes I was concerned about how clean my clothes were. I always follow all the directions- wash on cool or cold, inside out, gentle cycle, line dry, etc. but still I wondered.

Enter WIN Detergent.

WIN is specifically designed for the materials found in active wear. Most laundry detergents are designed to be multipurpose. Which is great but sometimes our running gear could use a little help.

From the website-

The very properties that allow fabrics to wick moisture away cause them to attract oils.
As bacteria from your skin consume those oils, they create gases which give synthetics that telltale sweaty smell.
WIN has ingredients not found in most supermarket detergents that are optimized to remove oils from synthetics.
Not only do those oils cause odor, they impede performance. By removing them, WIN makes your apparel wick better and last longer.

I’ve been using WIN, the scented version, for about a month now. It has a very light scent- in fact I can barely smell it. But then my nose doesn’t always work so well. But I can say that my clothes have no lingering running funk smell on them! Woo hoo!

I really gave WIN a test when I left my race clothes from Holiday Half in a plastic bag for the next few days because I was still traveling. Oh boy. It passed the test!

Now the directions say to use half a cap for regular loads and a full cap for large loads. I tend to use more than directions call for. That’s more due to my brand new piece of crap washing machine than anything about WIN.

And WIN is available on Amazon and you can ship it with Amazon Prime! Sorry, joined the Prime crowd this past month and may love it a little too much. 😛

Use discount code RAVE4WIN to save 20% off any WIN purchase through January 15, 2019.

Do you wash your gear right away or let it wait?