H20 Audio STREAM MP3 + SURGE Custom Earphone Review

I don’t know about you, but I get so bored when I swim laps.  My brain seems to run on overdrive, thinking about the most random things or continually counting laps.  It really makes a one hour swim hard to take at times.  I ran across an ad on Facebook for waterproof mp3 players and headphones last year and loved the idea of listing to music while swimming.  There are studies that show that listening to music while swimming laps has some serious benefits, but more on that later.

I recently ran across an article “5 Reasons Swimmers Should Listen to Music During Practice” by Bri Groves, a Swimming World College Intern.  Bri stated some of the benefits of swimming with music. (1)

Upbeat melodies can increase motivation – That doesn’t mean that you should listen to any music, but shoot for songs that range with a BPM (beats per minute) of 125 to 140.  You can find the BPM for a song by doing a google search. (1)

In several studies (2), scientists concluded that as the BPM’s of music increased, the power output of the athletes’ increased as well.  This could result in a greater distance per stroke in swimmers.  (1)

As you swim in sync with the rhythm or beat of the music, your stroke rate will increase as you listen to faster music. (1)

In another study (3), they concluded that athletes who listen to music while exercising had a lower rating of perceived exertion (RPE) than athletes who worked out in silence.  Basically, it states that music is a subconscious motivator and stress reducer. (1)

Athletes who train with music regularly had 15% more endurance than athletes that don’t listen to music.  More endurance leads to a more sustained competition performance. (1)

H20 Audio was founded in 2003 in San Diego by Kristian Rauhala.  He has worked for Nokia and then co-founded a few companies.  In 2003, these new things called MP3 players were just coming around, which gave people great quality sound from music files you could download.  These products weren’t made for use in pools or oceans though.  H20 Audio filled this void and hasn’t stopped coming up with great products in this field.  They make everything from cases, mp3 players, and headphones that are all waterproof.  I am testing their SURGE Custom Earphones and STREAM Waterproof MP3 Player. 

The STREAM Waterproof MP3 Player is an 8GB mp3 player that is extremely simple to use and is relatively compact.  It has one port for the headphones (standard headphone jack) and five buttons.  There are back/volume down, play/pause, and a forward/volume up buttons.  There is also a button to shuffle the playlist and another to turn on Bluetooth (more on that in a little).  The unit is easy to use.  To turn it on, simple hold the play button for a few seconds.  To skip to the next song, touch the forward button once or to turn up the volume, hold the forward button down.  The same process is followed for going to a previous song or turning the volume down, by using the back button.  The player also makes shuffling the playlist easier than other players I have tested. 

The STREAM Waterproof MP3 Player is built to withstand submersion of up to 12 feet of water and the rechargeable battery lasts up to 10 hours.  It even allows you to stream music from your phone as long as you are within about 30 feet of it.  This is great if you want to listen to music or podcasts on your phone.  I tried to place my phone next to the pool’s edge about halfway down and had enough signal to work the whole length of the 25-yard pool.

The headphone jack is where you charge the unit, which only takes about an hour to fully charge.  You also connect the USB to headphone cord here to download your mp3s from your computer.  Simply drop them on the device like it is a flash drive.  My favorite feature of all though is that with every push of a button, it will tell you “Power On” or “Pause” which makes it easy when you are in the water and are not able to see the buttons you are pushing (because you have the MP3 player clipped to the back of your head).

I was also able to test out another awesome product from H20 Audio.  The SURGE Custom Earphones.  I have tested other waterproof earphones and while they worked, the sound quality left a lot to be desired.  It often sounded tinny.  Don’t get me wrong, even the other headphones were a huge improvement over no music at all, but I was left wanting more. 

I first read about how H20 Audio was making custom fitted earphones that were more comfortable and sounded better than the competition.  I knew I had to test them out.  While I only spend about an hour a week in the pool, my old earphones hurt my ears and like I said earlier didn’t sound very high-end.

I was asked to go to an Audiologist to get a mold of my ears.  I ended up going to a local guy who was amazing.  He gave me a free hearing test while I was there.  He injected some material into my ear canal and after a few minutes, it hardened and was removed.  The whole process only took 15 minutes.

The molded ear impressions get sent into Westone, who manufactures the custom silicone earplugs that go on the headphones.  The fitting process costs about $50 and is not included in the cost of the custom earphones. 

After about 2 week, I had my new earphones.  I wanted to get out and test them right away, but unfortunately the heater in my public pool wend down and I had to wait a few weeks (because they closed the pool).  When I was able to test them for the first time, I was completely blown away by a few things.

The fit and feel of the SURGE Custom Earphones was amazing.  There was no discomfort and they felt like they were made specifically for my ears.  Oh wait… they were!

The sound was leaps and bounds better than the other waterproof earphones that I have tested.  When I talked to Kristian, he emphasized how proud he was of the sound quality and how he designed the earphones.  The difficult part of waterproof headphones is that the speaker itself has to be protected and that usually makes the sound worse, but I would put these headphones up against any of my non-waterproof headphones for a sound test.  They are that good!

H2O Audio’s Social Media Links:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

The fact that I can not only listen to music when I swim, but the sound is great and the earphones are comfortable.  That is priceless.  With that being said, the STREAM Waterproof MP3 Player runs for $79.99 and the SURGE Custom Earphones cost $159.99 (not including the ear impressions) at the H20 Audio website.  The reality is that if you spend a lot of time in the pool or ocean, this would be a great investment of your money.  I would not hesitate to buy or recommend these.

References:

(1) https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/5-reasons-swimmers-should-listen-to-music-during-practice/

(2) https://www.acefitness.org/certifiednewsarticle/805/

(3) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254615001313

Note:  I received this product in exchange for a review.  The review is my personal opinion of the product and I was not required to give a particular opinion of it.  I am not a doctor, so please use all of the products that I review at your own risk.

Run Gum Review and Q&A with Olympian Nick Symmonds

I have been using pre-workout drinks before runs and cross training for almost a decade now.  They are usually filled with artificial flavors and ingredients that sometimes don’t agree with your body.  One of the first products that I was using was called Superpump250, but we used to call it “Superdump” because it was almost guaranteed that within 15 minutes, you would end up in the bathroom.  I believe it is because of the high levels of magnesium, but I could be wrong.  I’m sorry for putting that image in your head, but I promise there is a reason for sharing that with you.

There are a lot of supplements out there, some are all natural, some are not.  I recently ran the American River 50 Mile Endurance Run.  It was my first real trail ultra of that distance and because of my Plantar Fasciitis, I had to reduce my training before the race.  I went into the race undertrained and the weather did not help the situation.  My energy level was great until I reached mile 25 where it started to dip.  The reality is that caffeine could have helped me, so a few aid stations later I drank half of a Red Bull.  While I did get a boost of energy that really helped me, the extra ingredients and liquid made for a little sloshing in my stomach.    Later in the race, I popped some Run Gum into my mouth around mile 41 and got a boost of energy without all of the extra junk that they throw into energy drinks.  It was great to have the energy without the sloshing stomach.

Run Gum was developed by Nick Symmonds and his Coach, Sam Lapray.  Nick won 7 Division III NCAA Titles and 6 USATF Outdoor National Titles while he was studding at Willamette University in Oregon.  Nick also made the Beijing (2008) and London (2012) Olympic teams.   Nick studied Biochemistry in college and used this background and experience in training to figure out what chemicals the human body needed to perform at its best. 

What Nick and Sam found out is that most methods of delivering stimulants to the body required drinking large quantities of liquids.  In order to achieve optimal performance, they needed to eliminate water, acid, and slow down absorption.  During a track workout, they came up with the idea of using gum as a delivery vehicle for the caffeine. 

Run Gum has caffeine, b-vitamins, and taurine.  With Run Gum, the stimulants absorb 5 times faster than if you were taking in a liquid form.  It will give you energy fast, without bloating that can often happen with drinking energy drinks. 

Run Gum is sugar-free and has zero calories.  Each pack of Run Gum contains two pieces of gum.  Each piece of gum consists of 50mg of caffeine (roughly half a cup of coffee).  It is recommended that you take one piece for moderate energy or two pieces for maximum energy.  I consume caffeine on a regular basis and had no issues with taking two pieces of the gum.  If you are sensitive to caffeine, you could always take half of a piece of gum at first.  Run Gum comes in Cinnamon, Fruit, and Mint flavors.  They even have a Kickstarter for an Extra Strength Run Gum that has double the amount of caffeine.  Check it out if you have a chance.

I have tested Run Gum during runs and even during the day when I am exhausted.  Most of my long training runs are at 3:30AM, meaning I am waking up at 3:00AM.  I usually get really tired around 6:00PM and Run Gum has really helped me stay awake to spend time with my wife after the kids go to bed.  It is the one time of the day that we get some peace and quiet, so giving up that quality time with her is not an option.  I will say that it does have little different consistency than regular gum.  It really isn’t too much different, but just something to know.   The taste is good with all three varieties, but the fruit is my favorite.

I had a chance to do a Q&A with Nick.  Here it is:

Q: What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment both in your running career as well as outside of running and why?

A: My biggest accomplishment in running, in my opinion, was running a personal best at the 2012 Olympic Finals. I didn't win a medal there (finished 5th), but I was able to perform my best at the highest level of competition. That's all you can really ask of yourself as an athlete.

Off the track, I am extremely proud of Run Gum. It takes a lot to bring a new product to market and Sam Lapray (my coach and business partner) and I were able to do so during the peak of my pro running career. That was back in 2014. Since then we have been able to fuel and inspire millions of people!  

Q: What was your primary reason for developing Run Gum?

A: I used to drink a lot of energy drinks. I loved the way they made me feel from an energy standpoint, but they really hurt my stomach. All that carbonated water, sugar, calories, etc. I didn't want any of it, I just wanted the stimulants. So, I dehydrated an energy drink, took the stimulants out of it and infused them into a piece of chewing gum. The chewing gum delivers the stimulants to the lining of the mouth which offers much faster absorption times. Try it for yourself, if really wakes you up quickly! 

Q: Where do you see Run Gum going in the next year, 5 years, and beyond?

A: We are growing so fast it's hard to say. We just launched nationwide with Vitamin Shoppe and will be announcing another major retailer this summer. Run Gum competes directly with energy drinks and energy shots, so really we fit in almost any grocery or convenience store. In the near future you will see Run Gum at every checkout stand in America.

Q: What is your next big goals, both in sports and in your personal life?

A: I think most of my athletic goals for the next few years will be more mountain focused. In terms of my personal life I'd like to continue growing Run Gum and one day start a family. 

Q: What things do you do that make you the happiest (where do you find your happy place)?

A: Being active outdoors! I honestly love anything that gets me outside: hunting, fishing, surfing, hiking, fishing, running, biking, you name it. 

Q: Who is the most inspiring person (dead or alive) to you and why?

A: My business partner (and former coach) Sam Lapray inspires me. He works so hard and deserves all the success that has come his way. I've known him for nearly two decades and during that time he has been coach, business partner, mentor, and best friend to me.

Q: If you could give a new runner one piece of advice, what would it be?

A: Don't take everything so darn seriously! Runners are some of the most neurotic people I have ever met. I say that having been one myself. I started running best when I didn't worry about everything so much. It's ok to have a cheeseburger, its ok to have dessert every day, its ok to drink a beer. 

Q: What do you think the key to running longevity is?

A: Having fun! Running should be something you look forward to each day. My morning run is one of my favorite parts of each day.

Q: Do you have any pieces of running gear that make a huge difference in your running (favorite shoes, clothes, watch, etc.)?

A: To be honest, no. One of the things I love most about running is that it requires very little gear. I do start every workout with a pack of Run Gum!

Pros:

2 pieces = one energy drink or cup of coffee

Caffeine, taurine, an B-vitamins without excess fluids

Convenient packs that you can take in your pocket

Can use during activity or throughout the day

Shouldn’t make you jittery (caffeine sensitivity people excluded)

Stimulant effect happens extremely fast

Run Gum’s Social Media Links:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Youtube

The thing I really love about Run Gum is the simplicity of it.  You can just take it before your workout or throw it in your pocket for a mid-activity pick-me-up.  The amount of caffeine is perfect for most people and you can pick your serving sizes with one piece or two.  You can get Run Gum in 12-packs for $22.49 on their website or at a location near you (click here for locations) including REI, The Vitamin Shoppe, and local run stores.  Nick is working on making Run Gum available elsewhere as well.  It is a great product and has helped me out, both during my activities and during my daily life.  Have you tried Run Gum yet?  I would love to hear what you think.  I am thrilled to have a chance to work with Nick Symmonds on the Q&A and hope you like it.  He is a really cool guy and I loved learning more about him.

Note:  I received this product in exchange for a review.  The review is my personal opinion of the product and I was not required to give a particular opinion of it.  I am not a doctor, so please use all of the products that I review at your own risk.