Light as Air

November 24, 2017November 24, 2017 Fallon @ Slacker Runner8 Comments

Disclaimer: I received a pair of Aftershokz Trekz Air 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 love listening to music on the run. Partly because it covers the sounds of my own huffing and puffing and partly because music helps gives me that extra kick in the pants I need some times. Plus it’s fun to randomly throw in a horribly offbeat dance move while running. 😛

That said, I never felt comfortable with regular earphones. Completely blocking both ears from outside noises just never worked for me. I always ran with one in and one out… and would usually end up tangled in the cords. So when I first discovered Aftershokz last year with the Trekz Titanium, I was in love. Wireless and safe- where have you been all my life???

hen I heard about the Trekz Air and wondered- can something that was already awesome be better? Spoiler alert- yes.

The concept is the same- same bone conduction technology. So instead of shoving an earbud uncomfortably into your ear, the Trekz Air rests just outside the ears on your cheekbones. This way you can safely enjoy your music or your podcast but still be aware of the sounds and environment around you. Actually, the tech is still mind boggling to me but I know it works from personal experience and I love it. I can have my music cranked up but still hear the leaves scratching the pavement as they blow across the path.

From the website-

Bone conduction technology delivers music through your cheekbones, ensuring ears remain completely open to hear ambient sounds

A 20% lighter build than its counterpart
A new organic design delivers increased comfort
Complete wraparound titanium design provides a flexible fit for unnoticeable all-day comfort and stability
OpenFit™ design ensures maximum situational awareness and comfort during long-term wear
PremiumPitch+™ guarantees a premium audio experience, including wide dynamic range and rich bass
Bluetooth® v4.2 connectivity and convenient multipoint pairing
LeakSlayer™ technology significantly reduces natural sound leakage
IP55 certified to repel sweat, dust and moisture, from workouts to wicked weather
Enjoy six hours of continuous music + calls on a single charge
EQ presets boost bass and reduce vibration on the go
Dual noise canceling microphones exclude surrounding noise, effectively enhancing speech
Audrey Says™ voice prompts guide users through power, pair, play and talk
Hassle-free 2-year warranty

So why am I totally in love with the Trekz Air? Like love so much, they are always with me- kept charged and in my purse at all times. They are so much lighter. I know that spec wise, it says they are 20% lighter but I feel like that number should be much higher. I’ve mentioned before that I am prone to headaches and those headaches often turn into migraines. It doesn’t take much to set them off and sadly sometimes my previous pair would aggravate my head on long runs. Not the case with the Trekz Air!! Even after a 2 hour, sweaty mess run, I could barely feel them. If I hadn’t had the music playing in my ears I would have completely forgotten they were on. That made me want to jump up and down for joy. Which is why I now carry them everywhere with me. 😎 I can listen to music on my lunch breaks without worrying about anyone else hearing it, which is great because my music is not always break room appropriate. 😛

Want your own? Get a bonus BibRave trucker hat with your AfterShokz Trekz Air purchase with code “TRUCKER” at http://bibrave.aftershokz.com/

How do you listen to music on the run?

gear · Product Review

#AwareWithPink

August 31, 2016August 30, 2016 Fallon @ Slacker Runner5 Comments

Disclaimer: I received a pair of Aftershokz Trekz Titanium Pink 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 went from being a runner who could never run without headphones and music to one who really didn’t care either way. 21ish miles of the San Francisco Marathon was music free. Quite a few runs are music free. Part of that is because I realized I actually can run without background noise and partly because all my headphones drive me nuts. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been tangled up in cords or ripped them out of my ears. Ouch! My Bluetooth ones were still bulky and corded and I still managed to get into a tangled nightmare between the cord and my Camelbak one run. I was afraid to try the non corded type of wireless headphones because I only wear them in one ear and you can’t exactly do that with a band wrapped around your head. 😛

Enter Aftershokz. Wireless headphones that don’t fit in your ears. Say what now? The “ear pieces” sit on your cheekbones and you listen to the music via bone conduction. All right, I’ve now entered the world of Star Trek. But would it work?

It did! The headphones arrived and they were easy to charge and pair to my phone. They looked like they would be too small but once again I was overestimating my small head. I wore them first on my stationary bike while watching Netflix. They sounded great but there really wasn’t a lot of outside noise to distract me. Time to run in them. The website suggests putting the headphones on before your sunglasses and that is very good advice. I tried it both ways and nothing seemed to fit right putting the headphones on after my hat and glasses.

I could hear the cars around me, people talking and even the leaves blowing on the asphalt. Actually that last one scared the crap out of me. 😛 It seemed so loud! That said, I am having troubles with Siri recognizing my voice commands. It might just be me but I still have to stop to text. Also I believe I have maxed the volume out. When I across the bridge, I can’t hear the music past the traffic noise. But the bridge is a tiny portion of my long runs so that’s not really a big deal. I also have yet to kill the battery- woo hoo! And the oddball in me finds it amusing to listen how the sound changes when I yawn or pop my jaw. I’m weird, I know. 😛😛

Why pink-

The sad truth is that you will know someone with breast cancer in your lifetime. Actually, it’s more likely that you’ll know more than a few. While typing this I can name at least 2 people fighting right now and I do not have a large social circle.

Aftershokz is teaming up with Bright Pink to both raise awareness and funds to fight breast cancer and ovarian cancer. They are offering the Bright Pink limited edition version of their open ear Trekz Titanium Pink headphones- 25% of each headphones purchased from September 1 to October 31, 2016 will go to Bright Pink. Going further, Aftershokz will donate an additional 25 cents to Bright Pink every time #AwareWithPink is used on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram from September 1 to October 31, 2016. We hashtag everything these days, let’s make it useful. You can read more about the campaign here.

I am going to keep wearing my Trekz and I will using the hashtag come September 1. It may not be much but it’s something and every little bit counts.

No questions today- share your thoughts and go hug someone you care about.

oops! · Run! · Slacker

Should Have Said No

May 21, 2014 Fallon @ Slacker Runner8 Comments

Happy Wednesday!

I finally completed my larger paper and turned it in on Monday. I usually run on Mondays and rest on Tuesdays but I swapped that this week due to the paper deadline. On Tuesday morning I left for work with my gear, totally planning on running after work. By the end of the day though, I had absolutely no desire to run. I don’t know if it was because it was my usual rest day, if I was finally unwinding from the paper drama or what. I told myself to get over it and just go. I changed at work and headed to the lake for the 4 miles that were on my schedule.

You know that saying about how you never regret a workout? That’s a lie. A big, fat lie. I should have just gone home. I kept telling myself that I have a 10K race in a week and a half in 6 weeks. I had already had a hit and miss week (more miss than hit) last week due to my Slacker-ness, so I needed to get out there. And it was only 4 miles, I could do that, right?

My lack of eagerness had not improved by the time that I reached the lake park. I parked, put in my headphones and put on my belt then started my Garmin and headed out. I made it 30 feet before I noticed that nothing was coming from the headphones. I tried to fix them while walking, also trying to dodge the construction that was suddenly cutting across the path. Couple hundred yards later after crossing one of the little bridges, I came to a complete halt. I could not get the headphones out of the headphone jack. And all my attempts to correct the problem just turned my headphone cords into a giant knot. I finally ripped the headphones out of the extender but still could not get the extender out of the phone, it was completely jammed. I managed to snap the back cover off but still no luck. By now I had been standing there for almost 10 minutes. 2 guys had run past but either chivalry really is dead or I looked scary mad. 😦 I shoved the tangled headphones into my belt and started walking, I figured I might as well move while fighting with my phone. ¼ of a mile later, I gave up. I shoved my phone and the case pieces in the belt and started running. By now I was super cranky and irritated and just wanted to quit. I told myself 1 lap was sad (only 1.2 miles) and I should at least do 2. I was already frustrated about potentially breaking my phone so why not?

So I dodged the construction again and kept running. Half way through the second lap around I had to backtrack because my pepper spray decided to leap from my belt. It was like it hopped and skidded away from me in slow motion. I was done, so very very done. Normally, I try to stop on .5 or full miles but I hit 2.25 and shut everything off and walked to my car. I then did a girl move and went crying to my daddy about my phone. This run did nothing but tick me off. I don’t know what it is was, but it was not my night. It put me so off, that I decided not to do my speed work tonight. I brought my stuff to work again but this time I am going with the nope.

It wasn’t my running, nothing hurt, I just wasn’t feeling it. I wanted to post this last night but I held off since I was so stinkin’ cranky. I figured I needed to sit on it a bit. I didn’t want that irritation to spill over to my next run, so I headed home after work tonight. My gear can stay in my car for another day.

I submitted my final paper tonight, so life and running and blogging should return to it’s regular schedule. 🙂 Today wasn’t an exercise free day though. After submitting my paper, I randomly decided to do some late night yoga. Well, Jillian Michaels style yoga anyways. I only fell on my face a couple of times. 🙂

Has anyone else ever had one of those moments that led into a rough run?

How has your week been?

Who has a Memorial Day weekend Race?