WIN Sport Detergent Review

If you are a new runner or have been around the block a few times, you probably know that running brings out some smells that you never thought would come out of your body.  I have been cycling and working out at the gym for over a decade and my clothes have never smelled like they do after a run.  My wife and I call it the homeless smell.  

The smell doesn’t actually come from the sweat itself but from the bacterium that breaks down the sweat (a process called bromhidrosis).  Performance or technical running gear is made to wick moisture and dry quickly, but those same properties trap the oils and bacteria that smell so bad.  Cotton tends to not trap those oils as easily, but is terrible at moisture wicking and breathability.  

I used to just wash my running gear with my normal laundry.  The problem is that most detergents don’t remove the oils and bacteria that care causing the smells.  These oils reduce the effectiveness of your expensive running clothes.  There are a few

sport washes out there that can help.  Nathan Sport Wash and WIN detergent are two of those washes.  Today I will review the WIN detergent.

WIN detergent is formulated to break the bond between the oils and the fabric so they come out smelling great.  Not only will your clothes smell fresh, but by removing that residue from your clothing, your clothes will breathe and wick moisture better.  They recommend washing in warm water and tumble drying on low.  I always wash my gear in cold water because I don’t want them to shrink but had no issues.

I received two bottles from WIN.  The blue bottle is their original high-performance sport wash and the green is the fragrance-free dye-free version.  Both versions worked great and what I really liked about the original version is that my clothes smelled good and weren’t overly fragrant like after I washed my clothes with Nathan’s Sport Wash.  I feel that the WIN detergents are a superior product.  

The bottles each have enough for 21 loads.  If you like to run in clothes that don’t smell like death, than pick up your bottle of WIN detergent at Amazon or your local running store.  The 32 ounce (21 wash) bottle sells for about $10.95 on Amazon.  Not a bad price for great smelling clothes. To find out more information go to www.windetergent.com.  

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.

Setting Goals For The New Year

I recently set my goals for 2015, but after talking with a few of my running friends I wanted to provide some information that might help you set your goals.  

I read about setting race goals a while back that said that you should not just have one goal.  If you are doing your first half marathon, you should have a goal that you would be happy with and an ambitious goal that might be a little outside of your current abilities, but will push you.  An example might be to finish the half marathon as your initial goal.  Your ambitious goal could be a specific time, pace, or running the whole race without stopping.  By doing this, you can still feel accomplished even if you don’t reach your ambitious goal.

A great resource for people who are going to run their first race, or at least the first race at a new distance, is to follow a training plan.  It is vital to not progress too quickly in mileage or increasing your pace because that will usually end up in being injured.  Hal Higdon offers free training plans for almost all race distances.  Each distance is broken down into several different intensities (novice, intermediate, and advanced).  I have used the Hal Higdon plan on two of my three half marathon last year and got a PR each time.  All of Hal’s training plans are free.  

Another good training source if you are just starting out is to do the Couch 2 5K.  You can get an app on your phone for free (at least for android phones).  It will lead you through intervals of running and walking until you are able to run a 5k without stopping.  Once you complete that, they also have ha Couch 2 10K.  

Don’t just say you want to do a race.  It is too easy to never fully commit.  Pick a race or races (that will allow the proper amount of training time) and purchase your registration.  That way you are committed and can start to plan your training.  It is easier to follow though when you have a solid goal in mind.  If your goal is to run your first half marathon, you might want to pick a 5k in the spring, 10k in the summer and the half marathon in the fall.  That way you can progress and finishing races will energize you for the next race.  I love the feeling of crossing the finish line.

Better yet, set a goal with a friend.  If you know another person who would like to run a race with you, pick the race together.  You can do your training runs together, which will keep you motivated.  Training partners can help keep you accountable and help give you that much needed push when you want to give up.

It doesn’t matter if you want to lose weight, get a new PR, or finish a new race distance; having a solid plan and sticking to it will be the key to reaching those goals.  Stay positive and I hope you all have a great start to 2015.  It is going to be a great year!!!

A New Year Means New Goals

It’s that time of year again.  We take a look back on the previous year and set goals for the year to come.  We might want to tackle a new race distance, break a specific PR time, or lose weight.  In the next year I plan on tackling all three of these.  I am putting my goals in writing so you all can keep me accountable.

I ran 3 half marathons and a marathon relay in 2014.  My best half marathon time was 1:55:00. My goal for 2015 is to cut my half marathon time to 1:47:00 which would be an 8:10 average.   This is an attainable goal as long as I can remain injury free.  I plan on tackling 5 half marathons in 2015.

In addition to the 5 half marathons, I will run in my first full marathon on December 6, 2015 (the California International Marathon.  I am really excited to tackle this distance and have a group of coworkers who will keep me on track.  My main goal is to complete the race.  I would be completely happy with that accomplishment alone.  My ambitious goal is to finish in 4:00:00, which is a 9:10 pace.

Thanks to having no will power and my love for holiday sweets, I will also be trying to get back down to a good race weight.  I plan on losing about 10 pounds in the next 2 months.  I plan on trying to clean eat and continue to exercise 6 days a week. 

If you are looking for motivation, you can always join a diet bet.  “What is that?” you ask.  A diet bet is where you pay a certain amount of money.  You have to lose 4% of your weight in one month and you will at least win your money back.  If other people do not get to their goal weight, the winners split that money.  If you would like to join my wife’s diet bet that starts January 1^st, follow this link Nichole’s Diet Bet.  It costs $25 and there is no better motivator than money (at least for me).  

I am going to break some PR’s and lose some weight for 2015, who’s with me?  What are some of your goals for 2015?

Suunto Ambit3 GPS Watch Review

I have been using a Garmin Forerunner 610 for the past year.  I was curious how some of the other GPS watches compared.  I was excited when I got the Suunto Ambit3 Sport to try out.

The first thing that I will have to say is that I love the blue color.  Usually I like to have black gear and don’t go for the more flashy colors, but it looks good without being too crazy.  The watch is a little bulky (thicker) compared to some of the newer watches out there, including my Forerunner 610.  That is probably because it needs the extra space for its GPS components. 

The first thing that you do is go through the setup page.  It asks you some basic questions and then you are on your way.  The data that you see on the watch is customizable, but you will have to connect the watch to your computer to do that, which is not the case for the Garmin watches.  The Ambit3 is made to not only work for running, but bicycle riding and swimming too.  I did test out the watch on my bike, but not in the pool.  I will only review the running portion of the watch in this review though.

It comes with a Bluetooth heart rate strap, which pairs with the Ambit3, but you can also pair it with most of the newer smart phones as well.  This is a feature that I really like.  The heart rate strap is more comfortable in my opinion than the Garmin HR strap.

Another area where the Ambit3 excels is their charging cable.  I have always had problems with my Garmin charging cable that came with my Forerunner 610 (maybe they made changes with the newer Forerunner 620).  The Ambit3 cable is kind of like an alligator clip, but it keeps a good connection and charges quickly. 

I ran with the watch for quite a while (most of the time with my Garmin on the other wrist) and there are some definite advantages in comparison to the Forerunner 610.  The biggest advantage is that the Ambit3 is probably one of the most accurate GPS watches out there.  For more serious runners, this is going to vital.  It will give you better readings on your pace, distance, and other measurables.   I also found that the battery life on the Ambit3 was superior to the Forerunner 610.  I really like that the Ambit3 can suggest the amount of recovery time you will need after a workout as well.

The areas where I found the Garmin to be superior was the ease of use compared to the Ambit3.  Garmin had a touch screen and customizable data pages that you could change mid run, or right before a race.  The Ambit3 is all controlled by the buttons on the side of the watch.  I personally like the touch screen.

There really isn’t a perfect watch for everyone.  Both the Forerunner 610 and the Ambit3 are great watches, but are not for the runner who only runs once in a while, mainly because of the price.  The Ambit3 costs about $400.  The Forerunner is significantly less, but is an older model and does not offer swimming or a decent bicycle mode.

In my opinion, the Ambit3 is a great watch for someone who will be using it for multiple sports or are preparing for a triathlon.  It will also be beneficial for the more serious runner who is looking for extremely accurate data from their workouts.  I would recommend the Ambit3 as long as it would be a good fit for you. 

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.