Tag Archives: running apparel

See my vest: A RoadNoise road test

Posted on September 13, 2012 | 11 comments

Guest post alert! Loyal long-time readers (you rock, by the way) will have noticed Hubby’s influence on this blog, especially in the shopping department. I let him loose this week for his second guest post…

There have been a few times when my shopping has been the inspiration for posts at Stride & Joy: Bunny Bars; Bai; Mamma Chia.

Most of these products we continue to buy in bulk. This must concern the delivery man when he is lugging up heavy boxes of beverages from Amazon and wondering why the hell these two can’t just order T-shirts! A few months back, he got his wish – something light, something filled with music, something that is making me run to a different tune.

I had tried a number of options for headphones during runs, but the wires would always get tangled, or the headphones would slide out of my ears because of the water I douse myself with. Sometimes I think the folks at the water stops must feel they are encountering Ted Striker when I throw another cup of water over my noggin’ . Well, if those folks are of an Airplane-appreciating age …

It became more frustrating on longer runs, and there are only so many runs with bands along the route. Something had to be done. So instead of resorting to running with a boom box, or backup vocalists, I was fortunate enough to find salvation from a group of fellow frustrated runners with some product savvy.

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Posted in Fitness, Reviews, Running, Sports

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Shirts so good: part three

Posted on August 29, 2012 | 21 comments

It’s that time again, otherwise known as “I keep forgetting to take photos of all the race shirts, so now I have enough to make another gallery.” The collection keeps growing. I like the shirts from the Shipyard Old Port Half Marathon & 5K, the Stowe 8 Miler and the Providence Rock ’n’ Roll Half Marathon for an obvious reason: they fit! Also, the Marcia Lemkin 5K, even though it doesn’t look too flash, is a yellow fluorescent tee from Brooks; night running, here I come. Maybe.

But my absolute favorite from this stash, which could well turn out to be my all-time favorite, is the Shark Weekend tank top. Why don’t more summer runs give these out?

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Posted in Fitness, Humor, Running, The shirt collection

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Shirts so good

Posted on March 11, 2012 | 29 comments

When I started running, the shirts were great motivators. Never having participated in a sport of any kind, I was thrilled at every race to get a new tee proclaiming my new-found athleticism (or at least proclaiming that I pre-registered and made it to the pick-up point without getting lost).

More than 20 runs later, the shirts still give me joy, although they may have been replaced by beer as my primary motivating factor. Many of them are too big on me, and the majority will never see the outdoors again, but each symbolizes a run conquered and a challenge met. I’ll eventually donate them, but for now, they take pride of place on my shelf, and here …

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Posted in Fitness, Running, Sports, The shirt collection

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Running the numbers: My story so far. In pictures

Posted on February 6, 2012 | 24 comments

I’ve reached a milestone. In the past seven months, I’ve somehow managed to run 20 5K races. I’m wheezing even thinking about it. I know this is a jog around the block for serious runners. But for me, who previously collapsed in a heap after two minutes on the treadmill, it’s huge.

It hasn’t been pretty (my redder-than-the-sun face is testament to that). But I thought it deserved a little (graphical) round-up. Why not! …

Stride and Joy. The story so far

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Posted in Fitness, Humor, Running

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My tootsies roll. Apparently there’s a cure for that

Posted on January 30, 2012 | 24 comments

I can count on one hand the pairs of sneakers I’ve owned in the past 15 years. Actually, half a hand. Up until a few years ago, my athletic shoes rarely did anything remotely athletic. (In fact, I’m not even sure why I had sneakers in the Before Time – pre-running – other than to have something to wear with yoga pants during my brief and tragic flirtation with Pilates in 2004. But that’s another story.)

Running shoes

I have owned three pairs of sneakers in the past 15 years. This is one of them. Scroll up to see the third pair, bought late last year after I started running.

There’s no denying that runners need great shoes. Expert types say sneakers should be replaced every 350-400 miles, depending on how hard you run. Considering my rate, current achievable distance, and tendency to walk when things get tough, that’s good news for my footwear budget!

But I have never had a proper sneaker fitting. And I figured if I am going to continue to masquerade as a runner, I should at least do it in appropriate trainers. I have a hunch that my old method of shoe selection – “I’ll take the pink ones” – was slightly flawed.

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