Category Archives: Gear + Gadgets

Shopping for new Vibram’s this summer? Here’s a look at their new Summer Collection…

Take your pick…

Click VFF Spring-Summer COLLECTION 2011 to download full product details and price list.

Then, head off to the mall with the coupon below for both a discount and a special gift. You may see the same discount coupon offered by other parties. BUT, the special gift is exclusive to The Bull Runner readers! Just print out this coupon and present it to store personnel. * Discount is valid until May 31, 2011. Special gift until supplies last.

Nike Frees. Aaah. Just thinking of them makes my heart skip a beat. I’ve been in love with this shoe from day one. They can change its color and modify a few elements with every update, but I never ever tire of them.  My various pairs (and I have over five—teehee) have been with me everywhere from malls to marathons.

Nike Frees are meant for running, really.  But, I’ll tell you a little secret.  I’ve only used mine less than a handful of times for training. While I would love to practice minimalist running more often, I prefer to use my tried-and-tested training shoes and I have little time for any experimentation with my feet.  My training sched is pretty much consistent: mile repeats on Tuesday, hills or tempo on Thursday, 10k run on Saturday, long slow run on Sundays.  I can’t figure out how to squeeze a 3 to 5k barefoot/minimalist run in the mix.

I use my Nike Frees regularly though.  These are my walking/ shopping/ travel/ chase-after-the-kids shoe of choice.  If there was a Favorite Running Shoe Even When You’re Not Running Award, the Nike Free would win it for me hands down. They’re light, comfortable, soft, and super easy to wear. I wear barely seen socks (although good friend Drew Arellano said I shouldn’t ever wear any!), slip into them quickly, and leave the house in no time.

I found this little piece in my Inbox today.  New models of Nike Free Run+2 are out this summer!  Turning cartwheels already.

– Nike Free Run+ 2 for Men –

– Nike Free Run+ 2 for Women. Love! –

Nike Free Run+ 2 is available in Nike stores now.

Weight:
8.9 ounces in a men’s size 10
7.2 ounces in a women’s size 8

SRP: P4,795

(more…)

I’m quite picky when it comes to my running gear.  It’s either I love the product, use it, and tell every running soul about it, or it gets stuck in a storage bin to never see the light of day.  This new piece of equipment, sent to me by Chris Sports, has found its rightful place in my bedroom, right beside another one of my faves, the foam roller and I was compelled to tell you about it, especially you ITBS sufferers!

WHAT IS IT?

Tiger Tail is a rolling muscle massager, a hand-held foam roller if you will.  In it’s brochure, they say the Tiger Tail will “turn sore muscles into happy muscles by helping relieve muscle knots, aches, cramping, spasms, and stiffness.”

I’ll be the first to admit that I knew of a similar and more popular product called The Stick.  In fact, I was pining for one for the longest time, especially after seeing people use it along the course of NYC Marathon, but never got around to actually purchasing one.  In New York, since my ITBS had acted up on race day, right after the race, I asked relatives for a rolling pin instead and used this daily to release the tight muscles.

Tiger Tail works the same way but—take it from me—it’s much more comfortable than a wooden rolling pin.  Using the Tiger Tail, you just apply pressure with both hands and roll gently over tight areas.  You should feel slight discomfort and occasional bumps which are those tiny muscle knots that you have to release. I personally try not to release this all in one rolling, especially if I know I’m going to run the following day.  I just make sure to massage daily as maintenance for my leg muscles.

Tiger Tail can be used, not just for the ITB, but for all the other tight muscles in a runner’s body, such as calves, hamstrings, glutes, quads, and feet.  Of course, you can use it for other tight areas such as the back, shoulders, arms and neck.

Click HERE to download the PDF brochure

TBR REVIEW

The past few weeks, I’ve been focused on training for Run United 21k on March 6.  So, I’ve had a lot of speedwork at the track, tempo runs at BGC, and long runs on weekends.  This automatically leads to a tight ITB for me, which if not managed well, will eventually lead to my left knee going sore.

It’s been a habit for me to foam roll almost everyday, especially after a workout.  But, now that I’ve got the Tiger Tail I use it instead on my ITB, quads, hamstrings, and VMO (inner thighs).  I’m almost embarrassed to admit that it really does lead to “happy muscles”!   As a side note, my foam roller has found a new role as my platform when I do my crunches.  Resourceful eh?!

PROS
– super useful
– smooth rolling, consistent pressure all throughout
– easy to use, no need to roll on the floor
– portable (it fits in my gym bag)
– washable
– value for money (equivalent to 1 deep tissue massage)

CONS
– none

WHERE TO BUY

Tiger Tail is available at all Chris Sports Outlets. Click HERE to view website.

HOW MUCH

18 inches: Php 1,089
22 inches: Php 1,289

To TBR Dream Marathoners, we asked Chris Sports to provide us with Tiger Tail for our race.  So we’ll have Tiger Tail in medical aid stations along the course!  Wooohooo!  Thanks to Chris Sports!

I’ve been on a mad hunt for a new pair of running shoes. With my favorite Nike Lunar Glides upgraded to the Nike Lunar Glide 2 which my feet disagreed with, I was like an orphan jumping from home to home. I would test a new shoe almost every weekend and I would end up with blisters, dead toe nails (four to be exact), or worse, a minor injury. It was completely frustrating and tiring. Well, I am pleased to report that the search is over.  Finally, I’ve found a pair that fits me to a tee. A bonus: it looks great, too.

KSWISS KWICKY BLADE LIGHT

The Kwicky Blade-Light is K-Swiss’ top-of-the-range super-light, super-cushioned, training shoe and, need I say, it’s one of my favorite shoes now!  Yes, it’s super-light. Yes, it’s super-cushioned. And, yes, it’s a training shoe that feels as light as racing flats. How KSwiss managed to pull off a multi-tasking shoe as good as this one amazes me.

Since I received my Kwicky Blade-Light more than a month ago—shipped straight from KSwiss Singapore (thanks Steve!)—I haven’t used any other shoe for any of my runs.  I’ve racked up close to 100km in them, plus a handful of oohs and aahs from running friends. Aack, I am in love—and it’s not even Valentine’s yet.

TBR REVIEW

The name alone says it all: It’s quick and super light. The men’s shoe weighs in at 9 oz. It actually reminded me of my Mizuno Wave Precision, Asics Gel Trainer, or New Balance 801 which I reserve for only short runs, but I took a risk with the Kwicky Blade-Light and used it for runs from 5k to 21k, including my recent Condura Skyway Half Marathon.

The shoe provides superb stability and ample cushioning. Remember that I’m a flat footed overpronator so my feet are very choosy with shoes. This shoe felt close to the ground while keeping my feet extremely comfortable. I can imagine some runners being unhappy with how soft it is, but this is exactly how soft I like my shoes.

The toe box fit perfectly: not too tight nor too lose. The heel tab hugged my foot comfortably even if I was wearing low-cut socks; I had none of those painful blisters that come from ill-fitting shoes.

On the first day of use, it was pure luck for me that it rained. I got to test the ion-mask technology that was applied to this shoe. KSwiss put an invisible protective polymer layer to make the shoe practically water proof and almost dirt proof. Yup, my socks sure didn’t get wet, but I did feel terrible about seeing my brand spankin’ new shoes littered with dark spots all over.

Two little features that I loved that simply cannot go unnoticed were the 1) slip-free laces and 2) the heel grip, tongue at the heel that you can tug on for easy wearing. (Robocop triathlete Javy said its for easy transitions for triathletes. Well, this runner didn’t figure that out!)

– Laces that don’t slip and slide –

– Heel grip is a nice little feature –

The bonus: I love the color! I never pick out shoes because of aesthetics, but when you do find a shoe that fits perfectly well and looks great too, it’s almost like meeting your soulmate! (I know, strike 2 for cheezy Valentine’s line. Forgive me.) For men, the shoe is predominantly in gray and yellow. See HERE.

SUMMARY

Pros
– super light
– very stable
– ample cushioning
– water proof
– extremely comfortable
– slip-free shoelaces
– attractive colors

Cons
– ion-mask technology didn’t guard against stains

Price: P6,995
Available in Manila by first week of March in KSwiss Glorietta, Planet Sports, Runnr & Secondwind

To all flat footed runners out there, repeat after me:  “I am flat footed and I am proud of it!”

I read an article on New York times today that ends this way:

“Dr. Nigg says he always wondered what was wrong with having flat feet. Arches, he explains, are an evolutionary remnant, needed by primates that gripped trees with their feet.

“Since we don’t do that anymore, we don’t really need an arch,” he wrote in an e-mail. “Why would we? For landing — no need. For the stance phase — no need. For the takeoff phase — no need. Thus a flat foot is not something that is bad per se.”

You said it, Dr. Nigg!

As for the rest of the article, it reveals that scientists know that orthotics work, but they don’t exactly know how. It actually raises more questions than it provides answers.  I’ve been a user of Spenco insoles for years now and I cannot live without it.  No doubt in my mind that it has helped me cope with my runner’s knee and ITBS.  Now, the big question is: Should I start weaning myself away from it?  Hmmm….

Click HERE to read the full article.