Scott Racer Rocker – Unboxing

Posted on March 20, 2012 by jsoldo

Scott Racer Rocker

Well look what just arrived in the mail today!  :-)

Our past guest, Joseph Gray, was kind enough to hook me up with a pair Scott Race Rockers.  These are the same shoes he used to win his 4th national championship!

Joseph ran 50K (31.07 miles) in these at a blistering 5:41 pace for the win!  So maybe these will speed me up a bit!

This is just a simple unboxing and a full review will be coming, but here are my initial thoughts:

  • Man these things are light!
  • The construction of the shoe is excellent.
  • The color scheme is “dope”.
  • The treads on the bottom look like they would help a lot.

Thanks again to Joseph Gray and his sponsor, Scott Sports!

That’s all for now until the formal review, so enjoy the pictures!

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Interview – Joseph Gray

Posted on March 12, 2012 by jsoldo
Joseph Gray Wins The 50K
Joseph Gray Wins The 50K

My last road race was the Caumsett Park 50K and 25K Races.  This event served as the 2012 USA 50 km Road Championships and USATF Long Island Association 25 km Championships.  This is a big event and athletes come from all over the county to compete for the national title.

I am currently in the middle of marathon training, so I simply used the 25K (15.53 miles) as a training run.  I wasn’t “racing” per se.  Although, I did mange to take second place in my age group!  :-)

After the race, I was warming up in the tent and starting chatting with a guy named Joseph.  After speaking with him for a while, I found out he was the winner of the 50K (that’s 31.07 miles!) and that he ran it at a 5:41 pace!  Also, this was his 4th national championship!

After learning what a skilled runner he is, I had many questions about training, nutrition, pacing, sponsorship, etc… Joseph is a really nice guy and was kind enough to agree to an interview for Running Dummy.  So without further ado, here is my conversation with Joseph Gray:

I would also like to mention Joseph’s sponsor, Scott Sports.  He won the Caumsett 50K wearing a pair of their “Race Rockers” and was kind enough to hook me up with a pair!  So a review of their shoes is upcoming here on Running Dummy!

Big thanks again to Joseph Gray and congratulations to him on his 4th national title! Also, be sure to follow Joseph on Twitter (@joegeezi).

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Convert Garmin GPS Activities to Nike+

Posted on February 16, 2012 by jsoldo
Convert Garmin to Nike+
Convert Garmin to Nike+

Here is a quick, but extremely useful, tip for all you “gadget” runners out there.

As many of you know, I have two GPS watches in my rotation: the Garmin Forerunner 610 and the Nike+ SportWatch GPS.  Both watches have their pros and cons…

The Garmin 610 is my “go to” watch and is with me on every run.  I even have the foot pod so I can use it on the treadmill.  It is fast to acquire satellites and is extremely accurate with distance.

The Nike+ SportWatch GPS is “cool” and “slick”, but it just hasn’t proved to be as reliable as my Garmins.  So recently I haven’t been wearing this watch much.  That being said, the Nike+ website / online community is awesome!  Nike does cool things like Nike+ Active, Challenges, Trophies, Goals, Coaching, etc…

I was wearing both watches for a while, but I felt silly and didn’t want to look like The Modern Marathoner.  So lately I’ve been running with only my Garmin, but I felt bad that all those miles weren’t being counted towards my Nike+ Account.  After all… I’m a Nike+ Black Level user with 4,982 miles at the moment!  :-)

Basically, I love the Garmin watch and also love the Nike+ online community.  Well now I can have the best of both worlds.  While wearing only one watch!

I give you Tcx2NikePlus!  This cool little tool lets you convert your Garmin runs and uploads them right to your Nike+ account!  Technically… you can use the entire Nike+ website without owning any Nike+ gear.  Awesome!

Thanks to Lorn from Lorn Pearson Trains… for the tip!

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Wireless Headphones for Treadmills

Posted on February 4, 2012 by jsoldo
Wireless Digital Audio Device

It’s treadmill season here in The Northeast.  That means many hours spent indoors, running in place, in front of a television.  :-(

The problem is that the TV volume has to be loud enough to hear over the treadmill noise.  Unfortunately, that is usually too loud for everyone else in the house.  Especially if you run early in the morning or late at night!

The best solution is wireless headphones, but the problem with most wireless headphones is that they aren’t designed for sports / running.  They won’t stay in place and can’t handle all the sweat.

When running outside I use the Sony MDR-AS20J Active Style Headphones and they are awesome!  So I wanted to find a something that could receive audio wirelessly from my TV and I could mount to the treadmill.  Then just plug in my existing headphones at the treadmill and I’m all set.  Similar to how most gym treadmills are hooked up to their televisions.

After some research, I stumbled upon the Aerielle i2i Wireless Digital Audio Device.  It was exactly what I was looking for!  This very eloquent solution comes with two very small devices (check out the pictures on Amazon).  One gets hooked up at the TV and the other one gets mounted on the treadmill.  Then I just plug in my headphones.  Done!

The system is extremely flexible and can be used in many different applications.  I am actually thinking about getting another set to wirelessly stream Pandora from my computer to outdoor speakers in the backyard.  Oh the possibilities!

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Nike Zoom Vomero+ 6 – Unboxing

Posted on January 6, 2012 by jsoldo
Nike Zoom Vomero+ 6

I bring you Nike’s latest installment of the Vomero line!  I’ve been running in Vomero’s since version 2 and they are my long distance shoe of choice.

If I am doing marathon / high mileage training, it’s in Nike Vomero’s!

First things first, these shoes are smokin hot!  Look at those color combinations!  I say it a lot, but Nike really understands both runners and style.

Now for the real details… the main change that Nike is boosting is the fit:

Unlike the Nike Zoom Vomero+ 5, the latest version of this running shoe features a men’s-specific midfoot with elastic mesh panels that lock the foot down and create an adaptable fit, stretching and flexing with the foot for comfort and support through all phases of your run. This update also boasts a mesh inner sleeve that wraps around the entire foot for a plush, comfortable fit and easy on and off.

You can head over Nike’s site for the official specs (if that’s your thing).

My first run in this pair was a 7 miler and they felt like butter right out of the box!  How many shoes can you say that about?

All in all, Nike did a great job on the update.  The shoe feels different but the same.  Familiar… but better.  :-)

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