We're having a January heat wave down here in Southern California. If you have read my Race Reviews, you might already know that heat is my enemy, particularly when it comes to running in it. But even getting into a hot car with a somewhat non-working air conditioning system is enough to disgust me.
Prior to the last few days, though, it was cold -- at least in relation to normal conditions in these parts. This means running in sub-40-degree weather sometimes. East-coasters and foreigners, yes, I will cry you a river.
Yes, I've kept up with running... blogging about it, not so much. My average weekly mileage has jumped from 4 to a "whopping" 25-26. Admittedly, this is "only" about 3-4 days of running per week, but it has so far worked for me in terms of not burning out or injuring myself. *knocks on wood*
Anyway, on some of my "cold" weather runs lately, I've been able to try out a couple of products from the Incrediwear website. First up is this arm/calf sleeve:
I thought it was definitely interesting to use a common sleeve for both your calf and arm. I haven't really had a lot of fun wearing arm sleeves, particularly because I tend to fiddle with them a lot when I run. However, there are times when the weather is half cold and half warm that I particularly want to wear them... especially because I'm paranoid about unnecessary sun exposure. At any rate, I have generally used this Incrediwear sleeve on my calves because I like having something to guard my shins from when I accidentally kick myself while running (you know you've done it!) or when I worry about random dogs or plants near the ground maiming me. These aren't really something I'd wear for compression or cramp prevention because they aren't supportive in the same way as other ones I've tried, but I would totally wear them for the sake of protecting my legs during shorter runs, recovery, pre-run, or just because they do give the illusion of warmth when I want to wear shorts.
I also tried their Incredisocks. These are probably the only "manly-looking" running socks I've tried, but I actually like them a lot. I'm not sure if they actually kept my feet warm during runs in the cold, but I did notice a lack of rubbing/blistering, along with sweat and odor control. These socks are on the thin side, which I consider a good thing.
As I am running more, I am starting to remember how fun and useful it is for me to try and review different products, and admittedly, I'm still quite far behind in posting all of them. Since I've been out of the "training a long way" game for a bit, I have stupidly caused myself painful chafing and bonking due to forgetting to bring enough fuel for the duration. I'm sure I'll get back into the swing of things soon... sometimes, the right gear helps.
Why is it that everyone wants to move to CA for the great weather, but everyone there complains about it. lol. Great job on getting in some running there. Cool products there as well.
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