Reviews

So these aren't official product reviews or anything...at least no one gave me free sh*t to do them, and I got no money.  I just thought I would share what "stuff" this Damn Slow Runner likes.

Starting from the bottom of the bod and working my way up...

Shoes
I have run in Saucony, Nike, Newtons, Brooks and New Balance.
LOVE  the Saucony Kinvara!  I am currently training in these about 50% of the time, and I am pretty sure I will run the road marathon in them.  I also bought them in black to help ease me into the whole "running skirt" drama.  I wear black compressions socks (I will rate them next) and the black sneaks blend right in.
LOVE the Saucony Fast Twitch.  These are my short distance racing shoes, but I also wore them for a few short trail runs before I got trail shoes.  They are super light weight and the ones I have are in a really wicked lime green that is totally kick a**.  Sometimes I even wear these sneaks for fun.
LIKED the Saucony Xodus.  Last years was black and had hot pink accents.  With my leg swelling issues, they were a little too heavy.  I keep meaning to sell them on ebay or something. 
LIKED the Saucony ProGrid Guide.  They are the Stability sneaker.  When I was a little heavier I think I pronated a little more, and these were recommended as good shoes.  They did end my knee pain and for a while they were my "go to" training shoe.  I wore 4 pairs of them over time.  The reason they aren't in the LOVE category is simply that they are too heavy.  Given my leg condition, I need to give my already heavy legs any break I can, and every ounce counts.  If you don't have that issue, and need a stability shoe...they are great.
LIKED the Brooks Unisex Racer.  I had the white ones with the red and black accents, but TOTALLY should have gotten the white with canary yellow.  What the he** was I thinking, they were SO fun.  Anyway.  When I was still needing a stability shoe, I wanted something a little lighter for longer distance races.  My Fast Twitches were a little too light on stability for a half marathon, so I tried the Racers since they offered more support but were still pretty light.  I found them to be super comfy, and I ran 3 half marathons in them, and trained a bunch of long runs of 8-12 miles in them.  Other than the fact that they were Unisex and therefore really boring, they were good sneaks.  They are in the LIKE category because now that I have a lightweight shoe for training and racing, I don't really need them.  Plus the white upper makes for a dirty shoe all the time.  I have OCD people...it makes me a little nutty.
HATE Nike sneaks of all kinds.  They hurt my feet, don't offer enough support, they are weird shapes, cause blisters in weird places, they discontinue shoes every 5 seconds and generally they just get on my nerves.
LOVE New Balance Minimus.  These come in black so they fit in with the whole "blend with the knee sock thing".  LOVE LOVE LOVE them.  They are wicked comfy, cause NO blisters even after over 3 hours of running in the rain and through mud puddles.  I have run short trail runs, a trail half marathon, and a few short distance road training runs to break them in.  The hubby just bought himself a pair too.  They actually fit orthotics.  He has been coveting mine since I got them :-)  They are minimilist though, so you feel the rocks under your feet so it forces you to step lightly.  It all depends on if you like this.  I love it.
LIKE Newton Distancia.  The husband SWORE by these.  He ran in nothing but Newton's for almost all of 2011 and the latter part of 2010 I think.  He felt like they made him faster and a mid-foot striker.  So I tried them.  The result...I like them.  I don't like to wear them every day...the thing on the bottom of the mid foot is a little weird.  I have never run farther than about 8 miles in them, and don't think I would like to.  They were also VERY pricey.  I train in them and work them into the rotation with my Kinvara's.  I feel like they give my calves a workout and that doesn't suck...I just don't want it everyday.  They are a screaming hot pink which is fun.

OK...I think that is all my sneakers.

Moving up.
Socks
So I have to wear compression socks.  That isn't an option.  So here are my thoughts on the few I have worn.
LIKE VITALSOCKS.  These were the first ones I bought at the Pittsburgh marathon expo.  I had never run in compression socks before and wanted to give them a shot.  I had also never run a 5k faster than 38 minutes, so I wanted to see what they did for me.  Well...they made my legs not hurt and throb so bad, and they allowed me to get my 5k time down to 29 minutes in a few months with no additional training.  The only reason they are a LIKE is that I found something better.  Honestly if you want compression just for recovery purposes, these are probably fine.  I have a medical issue that requires additional pressure which is the only reason they aren't good enough.
LOVE CEP.  Bought my first pair of these at the Philadelphia marathon expo.  Since I only had 2 pairs of the VitalSocks and had to keep washing and drying them (compression socks are freaking expensive) I finally was breaking down and buying more.  VitalSocks wasn't at the expo, and CEP said that the compression on theirs was even tighter and therefore better.  So I bought 2 pairs.  Instantly felt even better in these and was washing these 2 pairs over and over because I no longer wanted to wear my VitalSocks.  I just bought 4 more pairs (holy sh*t was that expensive) so I don't have to keep washing them in the sink and hanging them to dry.
I have been told now that I need to get hot pink ones, and have also been told that I should get white ones, a plaid running skirt and wear just a sports bra so I can be the Brittany Spears of the running world.  If I look like "Slutty Runner Girl", noone will notice my wide legs!!!  (Hsin-Hua is obsessed with "helping", so she LOVES to help me grunt and groan while I struggle to get these suckers on.  She says "here Mommy, I help you" and grunts and groans with me.  They are SO tight they are really hard to get on).

Speaking of legs...on up to "The Skirt".  So I just jumped off the deep end into showing my legs in public and I have opted for the skirt over shorts.  Shorts tend to ride up and chafe on a girl with thicker thighs.  Just saying.  So here are the ones I have worn.  I am also going to throw in my favorite pants since I wore a lot of those...I'll spare you the ones I didn't like.

LOVED ADIDAS pants.  I ran in a lot of different pants through 20 degree weather, rain and 100 degree weather.  I'm pretty sure that noone else has tested a pants comfort level for running quite like I have.  Adidas duodry type pants were the best.  They had a wide but not baggy leg, drawstring waist (why would anyone want pants without the ability to adjust the size) and long enough but not too long legs.
LIKE ATHLETA running skirts.  I bought one that has little pleats on the side, and has pink accents.  Super cute.  It is longer so has coverage, but it feels a little big despite the fact it fits.  I can't explain.  It is fine for training runs, but I probably wouldn't wear it for a race (watch me wear it this weekend).
LOVE Nike Pacer running skirt.  It has a full split on the side for extra mobility, but it overlaps pretty far for full coverage.  It fits secure without feeling tight, restrictive or too small.  It breaths really well, has the little bike shorts underneath for extra coverage and to help with chafing.  I think it looks cute and "athletic".  I just bought 2 more to round out the running clothes drawer.  I'm pretty sure this is becoming my "go to" skirt.  I guess I need to see if they have it in plaid though :-)

Shirts.  I need to throw out a lot of my shirts because the long sleeved ones have lived through 3 seasons and the armpits are pee yellow.  The tank tops and short sleeved shirts from last year are too big since I was WAY fatter then.  So I get to go out now and buy more of the ones I like and chuck the ones I have decided I don't like.  Or I could chuck all of them and be "that girl" who runs in  nothing but a sports bra.  Hey, I may have wide legs...but I do have a pretty kick a** stomach!  One of the upsides to adopting a kid is no stretch marks :-)

DO NOT LIKE Under Armour regular stuff.  It says it is moisture wicking, but I don't believe them.  These are also the shirts that turned yellow in the armpits like I peed on them, but none of my other shirts have done that...so NO it isn't that I sweat pee.  Good thing these shirts are too big on my anyway...time to toss them and start over.
LOVE Nike long sleeve lightweight shirts.  Wicking material is good and I feel like they are well ventilated.  I do sweat a bit, so that is a good thing.
LOVE Ink N Burn stuff.  I am a bit bummed they don't have long sleeved stuff (they do have short sleeves and then the arm sleeves...but I'm not really a fan of that look).  I have 2 tank tops of theirs and here is what I love about them.  First, they are cool.  One is gray with  orange Koi swimming around on it, and the other is light blue with cherry blossoms.  They also have actual crew necks vs the highly annoying scoop necks that most women's shirts have....I HATE those.
LOVE Champion stuff.  I have gotten it at the Champion outlet for pennies, and they also sell it at Target.  For the money, the quality is really good, and the stuff is cute.  I just bought an awesome white windbreaker with reflective stuff all over it at the outlet for like $16.  Can't beat that.  No it doesn't have the cool "name" on it like North Face, or whatever...but it works...so deal with it.
LOVE North Face.  To be honest though, I only have 1 running shirt from them and it is a really thick winter wear one that has the "loop over your thumb" feature.  I wore this shirt to run all my winter, trail 10K's last winter and LOVED it.  Paul got it for me for Christmas, but I am assuming it wasn't cheap.  My vote...worth the money even if you only own one like I do.

The rest of my stuff I don't have a ton of, so I'll give a summary of each...
Sunglasses - have Oakleys and love them.  Don't slide off my head, aren't too tight, and make me look cool as he**.  Had Red Star that I got as a sponsor gift, and the nose guards fell off after I sweat on them.  I'm running people...I'm gonna sweat.  If your gonna use glue to hold somehting on, it kinda needs to be sweatproof.  Just saying.
Hats - Winter hats, I have a Nike one with the ponytail hole and love it.  Its comfy, warm, sweat wicking and it lets my ponytail bounce in the wind.  Win Win for everyone.  Baseball type hats and visors.  I have a Nike visor and I dig it.  It keeps sun and sweat out of my eyes.  Its comfy...so it works.  I have an Adidas brand baseball hat that Pauly got me at the Boston Marathon.  Love that too if I want full coverage on the head, like when it rains.  It also makes me feel really cool to wear something with Boston Marathon on it.  Our general rule in the house is "if you didn't run it, you can't wear something from it", but since Boston is kinda a BIG F-ing DEAL...we agreed I could wear the hat out of "pride for Pauly" and therefore it didn't break the rule.  You will never catch us wearing a 5K shirt even to bed if we didn't run that race.  We take this sh*t seriously people.
Water bottles - currently have the Amphipod bright a** yellow handhelds with the black hand strap.  Freaking love them.  They are snug so you don't have to grip the bottle, ergonomical to your hand so its comfy, and the handle even has a pocket that will fit like 2 Gu's, or your key and chapstick.  BONUS.
Water backpacks - we have a few brands and I feel pretty strongly about each.  I'll start with the hate.  HATE the Camelbak one.  It is uncomfortable to wear, and the bladder is dificult to fill and close.  NOT A FAN.  Nathan, we have owned two, and I love both.  Its my fav.  I have even used a bladder I liked better in that backpack because I like it that much.  It fits in a way I barely know its there, the pockets are just enough for all my sh*t, it clips snuggly right under my boobs, so I feel like they considered the fact that chicks might wear it (others want to clip right ON them).  They even redesigned the bladder to be the fold over kind which is WAY easier to dry and clean.  YEAH!  We also have a North Face one.  It is bigger, holds more water and has a waste strap with additional pockets.  It also has the fold over closure for easy cleaning and drying.  I would never use it for a shorter run, but for an ultra, or multiple hour trail run, it has the added space for things like spare socks, toilet paper, food, etc.  It is good to have in the rotation, and Paul used it for his 50 miler, and for longer training runs.  We're fans.
Watch - Pauly has a Garmin something or other and loves it.  For a guy who needs to know all his "stats" its great.  I on the other hand have a $9 watch with a stop watch feature from KMart.  I love it and it works fine for me.  It even lights up in the dark as an added bonus.  Hey, whatever works.
Road ID - We both have one, I tell everyone I run with to get one...if you run alone without one you are stupid.  That is all I have to say.  All I know is if I get hit by a car, I want Pauly to know and I want the EMT to know how old I am and if I have any allergies or medical condidtions.  They are like $15...so buy one if you don't have it.
Reflector vests - again...if you don't have one, you are stupid.  Even in dim light, drivers will see you better with one.  I do not run at night, dusk, severely overcast days or in snow without one.  They are lightweight and cause no harm, so what excuse is there to NOT wear one.  I've had a few over time but really like my current which is the Brooks vest.  It is black and yellow with reflective strips.  It is form fitting and the size small seems to be built for a woman.  I hated some older ones I've had because they were too baggy and bounced around when I ran.  LOVE the Brooks one, but get ANYTHING if you don't have one already.  My running partners know I am pretty strict about this one...I won't run with them if they aren't wearing one...I don't need to see someone squashed by a car.  C'mon now!

Well, I think that is all my sh*t.  For anyone who gives a cr*p :-)

Labor Pains 12 hour Ultra is this weekend and don't forget...I'm aiming for at least a marathon, and hoping for a 50K.  Let's hope the weather holds up!!!