Gear and Shopping - Recent Threads

Vibram five fingers stockists in lancashire

just_me — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:59:42 GMT

As per title, anyone know of a stockist as I'd like to try before I buy.

cheers.

Solomon SLAB compressions Shorts/Tights

Deep Down Man — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:16:07 GMT

Looking at getting a pair of these shorts / compression twin skin shorts, they are quite a lot of money, so before I commit, is any one using them? And are they as good as there say? Thanks DDM.

Compression Socks

Deep Down Man — Thu, 02 May 2013 04:46:57 GMT

I would like to ask the Bugs opinion weather or not to wear compression socks? And do they help. I'm running a ultra in July in Cyprus which will be in the mountains off road were temperatures can reach over 40 degrees. Would there be any advantages wearing them ? Thanks Bugs.

Newbie wants a GPS watch

Lozywillbefit — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 19:19:11 GMT

Hi all,

I am a newbie and after doing a few runs I would like to be able to map my miles and compare etc etc. I am not interested in HR monitors and would like something which does not look like a computer on my wrist either.

I have been looking at the Garming Forerunner 10 and wondered what your thoughts are.

All advice appreciated.

My wants are simple:

Tell me how far I have gone....Be able to upload to let me store my runs...Tell me the calories I have burned etc.

Thanks in advance.

Loz

*****Just to thank you all for your replies and that I am I now the proud owner of a Garmin Forerunner 10! ****

Buying online?- fantastic £ & service @ runonline.co.uk

LittleMissSmiley — Sat, 18 May 2013 05:44:03 GMT

http://www.runonline.co.uk/

I discovered this supplier after googling for a well-priced Garmin 210, and they stocked the dearer special edition in green white (bug colours! ha) which I loved, but much cheaper than I could find anywhere else. When I checked for hidden fees in p&p, there weren't any.. either free delivery, or £2.50 for next day. As I'd saved so much, and I was keen to get started, I paid for that.

Within 2 hours of my purchase I'd received an email confirming the order, and a 2nd email advising that it had already been shipped, providing me with the tracking details if I needed them. The following day the courier company emailed to state it would arrive between 9.51 and 10.51, and it did.

Both the purchase and delivery was cheap, fast and efficient. I am a very happy bug - and I am off out to see if I can work it on this morning's run!

It's nice to share good news, so I thought I would.

brooks trainers

soupy600 — Sat, 18 May 2013 22:07:30 GMT

HI fellow bugs, i'm currently running in a pair of brooks adrenaline gts 12's and i'm due a new pair. I've been thinking about a pair of brooks pure cadence anyboby recommend them? or any other trainer i should look at?

thanks bugs

New shoes for a flat footer....read the research and fancy inov-8 system?

just_me — Sat, 18 May 2013 16:05:10 GMT

Hi all,

fancy some new running shoes and fancy giving the inov-8 system a go. However, I do intend on getting into ultra's and running as I did my cycling...in all weathers, be that snow or ice.

so my question is, is it good idea to go down the minimalist route to be needing some chunky winter shoes in winter. Will this mixing and matching heel drops cause issues?

or would I be wiser sticking to something like the saloman range?

pcheers.

Can sports insoles beat buying those expensive running shoes?

hoppingrunner — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:43:48 GMT

I was looking to buy some insoles (after reading about them on packersmall) as a cheaper alternative to by buying some running shoes.. iv never had any running shoes specially designed for running so i don't know how much better they would be but would cheaper orthotic running insoles be just as good though? What do you reckon spend loads money on running shoes or a little less on insoles where i can just put them in any shoes i want? Are the principle basically the same?

Thanks guys! :D

can anyone recommend some sunglasses?

coldfeet — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:04:36 GMT

I'd like to get some new sunglasses that (a) don't fall off when I sweat, (b) don't cost an absolute fortune and (c) are polarised. Can anyone recommend a particular make that they've had success with?

Wet weather gear for ultra

aphonos — Wed, 01 May 2013 08:59:52 GMT

I'm planning on an October ultra race this year in Scotland but I need to be fully waterproofed! I suffered frost nip on my legs this winter and would very much like to avoid it again :(

I have Reynaulds and if my skin gets wet in the cold weather then my circulation shuts off but as long as I can stay dry it's fine. Has anyone found decent waterproofs for running long distances? I'm looking for both a jacket and trousers that would fit a quite petite woman (5'3" size 10).

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Running clothes + watches

Pete90 — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:31:06 GMT

Strange question, but is it better to have zipped pockets on shorts to keep things (keys), if not where do you put keys - seam pockets, wont keys just fall out?

Also, narrowed it down to 2 watches, but is it better to have a watch with a heart rate monitor or not?

Thanks

Garmin watch help (410)

soupy600 — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 08:13:25 GMT

I'm having trouble saving course to my watch. can you save more than one course to them?

I can only seem to save one course at a time on my garmin 410, i thought i had more than one saved on it but now every time i send a course to it it only saves the last course sent.

Does anyone know now to change this?

need new shoes - which brand??

bikergirl — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 19:59:17 GMT

I think its time to admit that my latest pair of running shoes needs to be replaced. I only started wearing them at the beginning of October, and had hoped they would do a year.... but they've now got holes on both feet above my big toes, and some down the side as well (they aren't too small, they are half a size bigger than normal). They are Saucony Lady ProGrid Ride 4 (I also have the Saucony Progrid Xodus trails).

I'm wondering if to try another brand this time - I'm a neutral shoe, so any suggestions?

Thanks

Nike lunaglide 4

Wayne74 — Sat, 11 May 2013 09:01:06 GMT

Do you wear these? Have you had any problems? I have took mine back to Nike and swapped for lunaglide 3. As I ran the sole off them in 3 month :) very comfortable shoe but no durability. Where as 3's are great very comfortable with great support. Just asking as Nike say there seen this but changed anyway. Great customer service shame about the product

Minimalist running shoes

Mini Mel — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 12:21:05 GMT

Hi all I'm a new bug and I've only been running for 9months. I quickly decided to take the plunge into running in minimalist shoes and got myself a pair of vivo barefoots. I should add that I did already spend most of my days either barefoot or in very flat shoes or sandals so I quickly fell in love with my vivo's and abandoned my conventional raised heel trainers a few months back. Now whist my technique has improved and my time over 5k continues to improve I still find further distances hard going. I would really love to be running regular 10k's in the not too distant future. So here is my question....Should I get myself a more cushioned trainer but still with a zero drop or is that just taking a short cut and should I concentrate on doing more drills and exercises to strengthen my feet, calves and Achilles' tendon ?

Nike plus sportband

rachsutch — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:46:10 GMT

I was thinking of getting a Nike plus sportband - has anyone else used them? Are they worth it?

Thanks

Do running insoles work?

runningdude — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:13:23 GMT

I was thinking of getting some running insoles to help me run.. :s but im a bit confused what they exactly do... can they make you run faster? or are they more for preventing foot pain and plantar fasciitis? Also is it considered cheating if your insoles give you a extra bounce or not lol?

currently i just wear plain old trainers that aren't designed for anything...

just got some of these running insoles and can say they now got rid of all pain in my foot while running yay!

help please

thank you :)

Just been ANALYSED!!!

Marzipan — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:58:40 GMT

It's getting serious now. As I am training for a half marathon and upping my mileage quite considerably, I decided to take the plunge and have a gait analysis done. My previous choice of trainer was probably more due to colour than anything else! So, as it's also pay day off I went.

In my mind I was thinking of getting a neutral shoe. I recently read Born to Run, so another convert to the idea that less is probably more. Of course that is not what I ended up buying!

The gait analysis was really interesting. First they took molds of my feet and it was no surprise to hear I had high arches. Then they gave me a pair of neutral trainers to wear and plonked me on the treadmill and filmed me as I ran.

The results were quite startling. My left foot especially was really crooked from my heel to my leg. It looked like my ankle would snap. The good news however, was that I am a mid-foot striker, which I believe is the aim?

From this analysis the guy in the shop summised that I needed stability trainers. They sounded worrying like remedial shoes to me, but I went along with him. He found a few different makes for me to try on. Some I found too snug round my arch, which I didn't like. I basically like the least amount of contact as possible, so the least amount of possibility of something chaffing or annoying me. I have quite wide feet. I don't like being conscious of my footwear as I run. To me a good trainer is like a good referee, the less you hear about them the better.

With each trainer I tried I again had my running gait analysed while wearing them. Wow, what a difference! No twisting inwards, a nice straight line from the heel up to my leg. Yet, they didn't feel as though they were "correcting" me, it just felt like normal running. I suspect it may be black magic.

So, £145 lighter and I have a new pair of silver and green Mizuno Wave 9s and a set of molded insoles (not sure about them personally).

The good thing is that I have a 30 day guarantee, so if I don't like them, back they'll go.

The proof of the pudding will of course be in the tasting. I'm taking part in a 10k tomorrow, but probably not a good idea to try them out then, so they shall be having an outing to the park on Monday evening. And they had better work, because at that price it looks like I'll be running everywhere for the foreseeable future!

Getting the right running shoe

H.Stabell — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 17:04:43 GMT

I'm just starting out and am wondering if the Dr. Scholles foot analizer (available at most walmarts) is accurate enough to determine which type of shoe is needed, or are they just trying to sell arch supports with their analysis?

Running book recommendations

sashasmith15 — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 21:00:08 GMT

Hi everyone :)

Im a new runner and doing my first 10k in two months and just wondered if there was a running book which you would recommend for training plans and nutrition etc

Thanks so much,

Sasha

Running Shoe Shops In London

wintervixen — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 13:13:54 GMT

Hi, I have a pair of Nike Free Runs 3+ which I love! But I've only been running about 12 weeks and everyone has advised me to go to one of those shops where they watch you run, and then recommend a pair of shoes. Where in London are these shops? I'm quite close to Westfield's in West London, so if anyone knows of one in there too, that'll be fab! Thank you

New Running Shoes? Opinions needed please

Mike Seedleton — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 14:16:06 GMT

Hi Guys

I'm looking for some new shoes for running and my friend sent me this video at work and I was thinking that some of them looked ok but I just wanted any opinion on the ones the feature and if anyone has any and can recommend?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CieYl9n9Sao

It would help me alot to make my mind up!

Marathon shoes

Handbrake — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:53:30 GMT

I normally race in Adidas Adios 2 shoes and am contemplating using them for my 1st marathon in October,been looking at other shoes and in particular Adizero Ace 3 or 4 which seem closer to the original Adios 1 shoes I love ;) Anyone got any thoughts / guidance

Trail Shoes

Making a Comeback — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 07:25:37 GMT

Maybe a stupid question but .....

I have never really ran on trails but was thinking of taking this up

So, shoes. My road shoes are Mizuno Inspire 8, a support shoe. Do trail shoes come this way ie support, cushioning, over pronator mild pronatoer stability etc or are trail shoes just trail shoes?

Watches

Pete90 — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 10:58:07 GMT

I am starting to train for my 1st half marathon in October, and i thinking what watch is ideal. I would prefer one with distance and a heart rate monitor fitted in it. I would like to keep the cost down as well, if can be done.

Thanks