Product: New Balance MR790
Price: $80.00
Shoe Type: Lightweight Trail / Racing
Fit: Half a size small
Weight: 7.9 oz
Pronation Factor: Neutral
Best for: Lighter runners with access to softer surfaces
Many trails near my home in northern Utah are steep, rocky, and foreboding, requiring heavy tank-like trail running shoes that can withstand the punishment of the terrain — and protect my feet as well. Many of these dedicated trail running shoes weigh up to a pound apiece in order to offer high levels of support and protection.
However, there are times in my trail running when I don’t quite need that level of stability and “armor”, but rather, I want speed and agility. In other words, I want a lightweight trail shoe, the trail equivalent to a road racing flat.
Fortunately, New Balance has come through with this wish, with their MR790 model trail shoe. At a feather-light 7.9 ounces, this trail shoe is lighter than my road-racing flats! But how will they perform on a trail?
I was pretty excited when I got the 3rd-generation iPod nano; the possibilities for running were great. However, I lacked one critical accessory: a good protective case and armband.
I soon found that the DLO Action Jacket solved my problems. The neoprene case is designed specifically for the 3rd generation (4GB/8GB) iPod nano, and comes with a 180-degree rotating belt clip and an adjustable armband. The Action Jacket retails for $30, but I was able to find it for as low as $18 (plus free shipping!) on Amazon.com. Colors are available in black, white, or pink. I personally like the black.
To me, a mark of a good armband is that it makes no impression on me. In other words, I won’t know it’s there, leaving me free to think about my run and enjoy the music! The Action Jacket succeeds in this with its simple design. The neoprene case with clear viewing window protects the iPod from the elements, and a “cut-out” in the case allows me easy access to the nano’s Click Wheel. I actually ran with it during a snow storm, and it did its job.
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When I made the jump to running with an mp3 player, I quickly noticed two things:
As a result, one of the first accessories I purchased were nicer, more comfortable, more stable ear clip headphones. Even these never quite fit my ears right and tended to jiggle around. Perhaps I should have first looked at a pair of Nike sport headphones.
I recently had the pleasure of testing the Nike Flight and the Nike Vapor sport headphones. I enjoyed both models, and each offered a unique set of pro’s and con’s.
The Nike Flight headphones (Pictured above) feature a behind-the-head design, and retail for $20. The aspects I immediately noticed about this model is that they are extremely lightweight and simple.
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It seems that in the world of hydration systems, there is always give-and-take and compromise. The small, light packs may not carry enough water. The bottle-based belt systems require use of hands and often make you stop in your activity during use. The hands-free, bladder-based systems tend to bounce around too much and cause discomfort.
Personally, I tend to gravitate toward the bladder-based hydration systems, such as those made by Camelbak or Ultimate Direction, because I can use them in full stride during my runs. I hate having to stop, pull out a bottle, and then put it back before resuming my run. However, all of the bladder-based hydration systems I had used in the past tended to have a heavy weight, poor center of gravity, and a tendency bounce around. Over the duration of a long road or trail run, this not only proves to be annoying, but can also cause chaffing, discomfort, and alteration of my stride.
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I am imbued with pride to have this brightly hued, clear as blue sky rubber wristband, embedded with the words Choose Living dangling from my wrist. This little circle of hope looms large - in spirit, courage, inspirations and realizations. It emotionally, powerfully, figuratively and literally represents the circle of life – as truthfully as the geometric shape it holds. Wearing it - and believing in it - helps support the foundation that touches the world: The Choose Living Foundation.
The foundation’s spokesperson and founder, Jim MacLaren, has come full-circle in his aspirations, accomplishments and never-ending optimism – with a dash of wisdom added to the mix (and what a mixture of circumstances he’s encountered). Jim does it all with a smile and indefatigable love of life and the simple things we all take for granted.
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I have long been intrigued and inspired by those runners who compose the elite category. What is it they possess? What is their training like? What is their motivation? And what happens when these top athletes compete in one grueling race?
In his new film, “Showdown: Five Elite Distance Runners, One Dream,” creator Peter Han uncovers some of these mysteries as he takes viewers on a journey from the living rooms and training runs of 5 elite distance runners to the finish line of the 2007 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Boulder, Colorado.
“Showdown” is a documentary-style film with cinematic appeal. Through personal interviews, race clips, photos, and commentaries, it narrates the preparations of 5 elite men of differing backgrounds: 2-time Olympian Abdi Abdirahman, 2-time Olympian Alan Culpepper, Olympic silver-medalist Meb Keflezighi, high school and university level champion Dathan Ritzenhein, and 10,000 meter champion Jorge Torres.
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Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story is a motivational documentary about the success of a young runner from Coos Bay, Oregon. Prefontaine’s story, told through live footage, photographs, and accounts from his competitors, friends, and family, greatly assisted in understanding the awe and inspiration that was Steve Prefontaine’s ; also known by his loyal fans as “Pre.”
At a young age Steve stuck out for his energy towards life. He appeared born to be an athlete, but in junior high he was told that he was too small for contact sports. So instead of heading down the wrong path, he found a sport that he could participate in, running. When Prefontaine began running his goals were mighty for a boy from Coos Bay, stating that one day he was going to go to the Olympics. His mother recalled missing many games due to her busy work schedule, until one day a woman approached her and said, “you really need to go to those meets, your son is Olympic stuff.”
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I am often surprised at just how flimsy and breakable many of my expensive sports watches turn out to be. Too often these gadgets, which are high-tech in functionality, literally fall apart (usually from the band breaking). And if the body of the watch actually withstands the punishment I dish out, the battery inevitably dies a premature death. These past experiences have made me - admittedly - a bit cynical when it comes to sports watches.
However, this all changed when I had the opportunity to try the GW-800 1V model of Casio’s G-Shock watch series.
At first glance it appears to be a normal sports watch, and it many ways - it is. Its core modes include date/time, world time, stopwatch, countdown timer, back-light, and alarm. But there are several “special” features that separate it from it’s peers:
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