Product Review: Lululemon Athletica-Ultra Run Short IIG

Ultra Run Short provided by http://lululemon.com

The verdict is in. Even short, muscular legs look good in these shorts. Until now, I have never worn running shorts to workout because of their bubble-butt causing cut. For you long-legged women, they will look great on your legs, too! (Although, I’m sure you look great in most shorts anyway.)

These shorts feature 4-way stretch, so they’ll always be comfy and return to its natural shape, mesh Coolmax liner to keep you held in and dry, drawstring waist to keep them sitting where you want, a card & key keeper pocket to keep your hands free, and the Lululemon quality.

For those of you who know me, I love all things Lululemon. However, the biggest shocker for me was to find that I did not feel bashful in these shorts. Typically, I will avoid running shorts for the reason in my intro. I am very pleasantly surprised that I felt covered, cool, and chafe-free when I went on a 12.5 mile run and in my cardio playground class (which includes jumping, skipping, hopping, squatting, and crawling).

The Lululemon Athletica price tag tends to run a bit spendier than most people think to invest in workout clothing. However, I have been converted and find them worth every penny in timeless style, quality, durability (they can be machine washed and dried on any setting). The apparel will become your favorite piece of exercise clothing for years to come.

Bonus-check out your local store’s schedule of free fitness classes.

Product Review – Asics Kayano 14

Photo courtesy of Asics America, at www.asicsamerica.com/products/.

As a runner and coach, I am always in search of a great shoe for myself, and to recommend to my clients and friends. We all have differing gait mechanics, like we have unique fingerprints. We can fall into varying categories according to how much support, cushion, or room our feet require. Each shoemaker has unique specialties to suit different feet. One person may prefer the support and narrow footbed of a Nike shoe, but her running partner may need more cushioned support and wider footbed that New Balance offers.

I have been fitted by running shoe experts at Fleet Feet Sports and at Front Runners. At both places, they have recommended a high mileage-moderate stability shoe for me. With prescribed orthotics, a motion control (maximum stability) shoe would be too aggressive for my running mechanics. After being guided by my shoe fit experts, I have been running in Asics Kayanos and Mizuno Wave-Nirvanas for the last three years. Therefore, I want to review the Asics Kayano and compare the generational differences. I have run in the Asics Kayano generations 10, 11, 13, and 14. After running in the much more stylish 14, and switching back to the 11, I am finding that the super cushioned gel ride on the 14 has compromised the mileage and durability that I was able to get out of previous generations. Typically, with the mileage that I put in training for myself and running and walking with clients, my running shoes last about five to six months. The three months I was able to get out of the 14s ended with me suffering with a sore knee. 11s to the rescue, sore knee is gone. After doing some research, I discovered that Asics made the gel pad larger, allowing a more cushioned run, but for those of you who put on more miles on your shoes and run more than once per day, look to purchase the earlier generations.

Tip to extend the life of your running shoes: Use them only for your runs. Swap shoes immediately after running, and take out any orthotics to allow the shoe to air dry most efficiently. For those of you who run more than once per day, use a different pair of shoes.