Polar F1 Review

I took my watch off the other day read the back.It says www.polar.f1 There reason no link precedes this is because it doesnt exist. I love my HR and Stopwatch bottom of the line polar, I just wish they wouldnt print a website on the back of it that doesnt exist.

Oh were you looking for a review. Ok here it is. It tells you the time and when you wear the HR strap it comes with it tells you your HR and time. At the end of the session you can get your average HR. I have trained with it for two years and love it. I will be soon upgrading to a Garmin. But if you are on a budget and just starting out. Buy a F1 and train off your HR. forget the really expensive gadgets until you have committed to actually moving your arse off the couch more than once a year.

Skins Review – Feels Good!

First up lets not beat around the bush. Skins are expensive. So I think the question that most people considering spending the hard earned bucks is:

Question: “do they really work?”

Answer: yes

That said you need to consider when and where. For example, a mate of mine must did the Gold Coast half and commented that very few people wore skins. Why? Too bloody hot for such a long run. However, I also note that a great running blogger Dave used to refer to putting the skins on after a run to aid with recovery.  Personally, the first time I ran in skins I did notice a real difference. The temp in the legs was consistent througout the run and I did feel much better running with them on.

For a while I actually refused to run without them. However, the washing machine was getting a daily workout and I couldnt really afford another pair so I changed tactic. Over the last six months I have used the Skins to help me with my performance runs. Any time I am going out to try and run a PB or even just a little harder slap on the ultra tights.

I think the bottom line is really about what works for you and what doesnt. But if you run. Then I highly recommend a pair of skins in the arsenal.

ASICS Gel 1110 Review

I actually own 3 pairs of these shoes. I have owned a lot of shoes over the years but didnt really think about just how important they are until the miles started to build up. Readers of my old blog site will remember all the trouble I had with my knees when I trained unsuccesfully for the Sydney Marathon before being told “you’ll never be a marathon runner with bow legs like that”.  I am still hoping. But back to the shoes. They are actaully the best shoes I have ever owned. They are not the best shoes for me but the best I can afford. I actually think the Brooks Beast would be better for me and they will be my next purchase and I will review them shortly.

I roll in a lot because I am “faulty” as my wife likes to put it. However, When I put the ASICS 1110 on it they really do control the amount of rotation in my legs.  Because of the stablity in the shoe I can consistenly run 5ks no problem at all without pain. Its only the longer runs (10k +) that cause me real distress. But I dont think that there is any shoe or orthotic any where in the world that fix you when you are born so faulty.

The cushioning is great. But like all shoes you will need to watch the number of miles you do. There is a very big difference cushiniong wise between my first pair (now walking around shoes) to my current training pair. Dont fall into the trap of keeping shoes too long.

In relation to newer models its all bollocks. They change the colour scheme and say they are new. They are not. They just have new number or new colours. Dont be fooled. Look for bargains. Never pay full price.

In the words of great man. “concentrate on lifting you knees. The legs will follow.”