MyFitnessPal app

MyFitnessPal app (free)

This has got to be my favourite app ever. After a luxurious Christmas break sitting there for 2 weeks eating and watching Tv, I jump on the scales.... 16.5 STONES!!! Noooooooo! How depressing something needs to be done, decision made to control the calories and get a bit more active. The active part was covered by use of the Nike+ running app reviewed on the blog, and a colleague at work put me onto MyFitnessPal.

The app is really easy to use and set up. Initally you need to add your weight, height and age, and set yourself a target weight. The app then gives you an allowance of calories per day and a target percentage of protein, fat and carbohydrate.

The best thing about this app is how easy it is to add your food to the diary, simply point the camera at the barcode and its all done for you. If you dont have the barcode you can still search for the item which takes a little longer. All foods are then saved in a nice easy to read diary, regular foods can be saved for easy adding at later dates, and multiples foods can be saved as meals.

Regularly updating your weight gives you a handy progress check which can be listed or seen in graph form. 

Friends can also be added to this app, where you can recieve updates on their activities, such as exercise completed, or completion of the days calorie target, if they forget to use the app you can also send them messages of encouragement. Adding exercise activity to the also deducts the amounts of calories from the total giving you a pretty accurate daily amount.

VERDICT

Its free.

Its easy to use.

It great as a motivational tool for you and your friends.

It works!

I lost 4.5 stones in 7 months it really does work!

Nike+ Running App

Nike+ running app £1.49 itunes

Okay I have been using this app for 2 years now, and its the one I keep coming back to, why? Its Nike and I like the brand and it works for me, so what does it do?

The first screen gives you a nice break down of your running so far as you can see, total mileage, how many runs, and the average pace over all their runs, as well ad nikes points system of nikefuel. Nice and easy to read a d easy to understand, nice n simple. Within the settings you get the option to set your personal details such as weight and height to get accurate calorie usage. You can also see a complete list of all your previous runs, including route maps, handy for discussing or bragging to your mates. Theres also a records section which I will mention later.

So now your ready to run, the options your given are basic run - just click and go until you have had enough, timed run - set the time you are wanting to run for, distance run - set the distance you are aiming to cover, and speed run where you are aiming to beat one of your records. All very useful but mainly I use the basic run easy to click n go. Feedback in the run is customisable, male and female options as well as choosing when you get the feedback, by time or by distance, very useful, but can be a pain if you have poor gps thanks to erratic distance recording.

GPS signal is usually quite good, but there have been times it has taken way too long to find a signal, and on one run I had to turn the app off through inaccurate readings, and my feedback telling me I was completing 4 minute miles? Im not Mo Farah!! Generally though GPS is not a problem and only the odd occassion when going through tunnels or through thick forrests do you get an incorrect distance, no problem as this can be calibrated when you complete your run. GPS signals can cause a problem though with records and this is my major moan at the app, poor GPS leads to incorrect record runs which you can see below

Im not that quick, and when theyre on the system theyre not removable so for me the speed run option is completely unusable, this needs sorting Nike if your reading.

New optionson the recent upgrade offer you training plans to help improve your running, and challenges where you can race your friends to set distances all very good. But one feature I do like is the trophies achievements, giving you an added incentive to get out and run.

VERDICT

This is my app of choice, backed by a big name. Its easy to use, easy to read and easy to set up, you can race friends and customise the feedback you get in your runs, and you get achievements for getting out running. Music is integrated well and controllable from your run screen, linking with your iphone playlists well. Let down only by the odd gps problem and records system. 

Score 4/5

Fitsip hands free hydration

Fitsip hands free hydration rrp £21.99 

Www.fitsip.com

One of the biggest problems I have found when running is that of keeping hydrated. Carrying water bottles just doesnt agree with me, especially when running with a half full bottle, with water swishing around just generally feeling awkward and uncomfortable. Then theres the runs when you dont take any with you, you wait for the water stations, take a few sips and then discard the bottle, leaving you waiting for that next station which could be 3 or 4 miles away in the half marathons.

Whilst not carrying a great deal of water, it has a 200ml capacity, this still proves to be plenty up to distances of 10k, and even during longer runs, it can be used to fill in between stations, save carrying the bottles! The fitsip is easy to fill by removing the water carrier, and simply filling at the tap or from the bottle, quickly and easily, then just screw on the cap, zip back into the holder and your ready to go.

As you can see the fitsip fits nicely on the forearm and is extremely comfortable, with adjustable velcro fastening on the rear, and my favourite, a reflective band around the zip. The water is taken by use of the "bite valve" which allows you to take sips easily and gives no spillage as this snaps shut as soon as you have finished drinking. I have also found that the water in the pack keeps your arm nice and cool too.

The fact that the sleeve is adjustable is a bonus too, the fitsip is even wearable over your favourite jacket or jumper, and theres also a small keyholder on the back.

Not sure how long the bite valve will last but the makers estimate 6 months, with replacements available on the website 2 for £5.99 not too bad, suppose it just depends how often you use it!

VERDICT 

An extremely useful product which certainly does the job it sets out to do. Much cheaper than a camelpak, and much more convenient than carrying bottles, ideal for runs upto 10k or exercise sessions upto 1 hour, and a great backup for emergency hydration in longer runs, well worth a try!

Compressport R2 calf guards

Compressport R2 race & recovery calf guards rrp£30

www.compressport.uk.com

Ok so following my half marathon conquests in Wales, scaling the Great Orme, I appeared to have damaged something around the calfs, seeking advice I was pointed in the direction of the R2 calf guards. 

First impression before opening the box, was that this was a quality item, great looking product, I CANT WAIT TO OPEN THE BOX!!! I wasnt disappointed, they immediately feel like a quality, strong, rigid well constructed product.

The first thing I noticed when trying them was the support they offered to calfs, they really do absorb the shock and prevent the vibration within, keeping the calfs fresher for longer.

I initially wore these throughout the day in my job as a PE teacher, and they also worked a treat here, my legs were much less tired after a day on my feet on the sports field. 

VERDICT

The R2 has become a vital piece of kit for me now, no run is complete without them, and with a few extra hours post run wearing them, the legs seem to recover quicker. 

Really cant fault these guards, I recommend purchasing in person to ensure you get the right size, have your calfs measured, and they feel like a custom made product. I bought black but they are available including pink, blue, purple and many more.

If your seriously into running or any sport for that matter, I can recomend these to you they can only help with your performance and recovery.

As well as calf guards compressport offer other items for parts of the body, would be interesting to see if the other items meet the same standards as these do.

Brooks Infiniti Jacket III

Look what Santa brought me for Christmas a new running Brooks Infiniti III jacket rrp £85.

I have been wanting one of these for a while and certainly wasnt disappointed. As soon as I opened it, it was on and I was out of the door, conditions were perfect for testing, windy, wet and cold. 

The jacket is made of a waterproof and windproof fabric which certainly does the trick, throughout the run I was comfortably warm, whilst not getting too warm and even managed to stay dry underneath, well done Brooks giving me an alternative to my Nike Flash vest when its too cold out.

As a safety feature the jacket comes with lots of reflective areas, but I particularly like the drop down reflective flaps on the jacket when increased visibility is needed, I like reflecting!!! As you can see from the photos the pockets are zipped allowing you to keep your valuables safe, theres even a moisture-proof media pocket, which I cant do without since dumping the uncomfortable arm band. 

A great feature of the jacket are what Brooks call the "cozy cuff" which are elasticated cuffs with thumb holes to help keep your hands warm, and for when its biting cold theres alson included flip mits which save you from wearing your gloves and are easily removable when you warm up (they dont need carrying like your gloves!)

VERDICT I really do think that this is a well designed jacket which has excellent features, keeps you warm, dry and visible without being too bulky and protects your valuables well, just goes to show again in the running world especially from Brooks you get what you pay for. Well done Brooks a great jacket!!!

Brooks Glycerin version 9 and 10

Brooks Glycerin training shoes (£110)

When I first started running seriously, I followed the crowd after my first event and noticed everyone was wearing asics, but then I was attracted by the great looking Glycerin by Brooks.

As somewhat of vain runner, I have high standards on how my shoes actually look as well as feel, and these really do look the business, eyecatching and look a well shaped, well constructed shoe.

So I took the plunge and am I glad I did, in the store I laced up and jumped on the treadmill - first impression WOW!!!

 What a comfortable shoe better than any asics I had used before (cumulus 13, and kayano 17). The shoe fit like a glove and was extremely soft and luxurious inside so much so it felt like a sock liner akin to the nike shox nz fit. Weight issues were not a problem to me as was identified by the store assistant, the shoes being very similar in weight to the kayano, I can however, see in comparison that this is a heavy shoe with others available in the same store. I was so impressed by the feel, that I also bought the previous version Glycerin 9 which was on sale as end of range and put those away for later in the year.

Both shoes were fantastic and extremely rugged and hardy in relation to build quality, sole and uppers, my concern however, was with the mesh toe box. Both version managed just over 200 miles before the big toe began to rub a hole into the mesh, this was disappointing as my kayano lasted well beyond 400 miles with no issue. This can be seen on the photo below, but the shoe suffered wear nowhere else, whereas the asics rubbed away behind the heels.

Cushion and support was superb, making running a delight, with Brooks version of the gel (adaptable DNA) giving great variable cushioning related to different surfaces and running techniques. Comfort is also enhanced by the medium width shoe giving the foot plenty of room especially on those foot swelling half marathons.

VERDICT - a fantastic shoe which offers great comfort and cushioning and support, looks great and the build quality can take a fair bit of punishment, weight could be an issue for racers but highly recomended for the casual runner looking after your joints. The only downpoint being wear issue in the toebox. Looks 10/10  Comfort 10/10 Lifespan 7/10 OVERALL 8/10 A great shoe, cant wait to try the 11!

Event clips race number clips

Event clips - £2.99 for 4 clips

One thing that really bugged me about running in events was the holes in my fave running vests and shirts caused by pins holding my number. I tried running belts withe the number held by a spring clip, but didnt like the way the numbers flapped around, so went back to pins, then I discovered event clips!

The clips simply use a snap clip design that holds your race number in place without using pins. The number is held safely in place, keeping the number nice and flat and causes less distraction as the number isnt loose and flapping around.

The clips can be a bit of a fiddle initially to get the number straight and in the correct position suitable for you, but they are well worth the extra bit of hassle and you very quickly get used to them.

The clips are very lightweight for those concsious of weight issues, I have had no irritation from the clips thanks to the minimal thickness and beveled back. I dont think they would be suitable for thick running jackets and jumpers but have used them with my shirts/vests/thin waterproof jacket and my under armour compression shirt.

VERDICT - I love em! Worth every penny if you dont like holes in your tops, or you get annoyed by loose flapping numbers. A great idea - get them from eventclip.net