Gear Review: Perfectly Simple by ZonePerfect Nutrition Bars

One of my mom's favorite nutrition bars are ZonePerfect bars. Since this means she almost always has a box or two lying around the house, I've eaten quite a few of these bars (and let's face it, their Fudge Graham (previously reviewed), Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Peanut Butter Cookie Dough bars are like crack...and I do keep meaning to review the cookie dough ones, but I usually eat them before I remember I'm supposed to take pictures). One of the cool things about ZonePerfect bars is that they're all-natural. The new line of ZonePerfect bars, called Perfectly Simple by ZonePerfect, goes one step further, limiting the number of ingredients to between six and ten, all of which are recognizable and pronounceable.

Gear Review: PowerBar Performance Energy Bar

There are a ton of nutrition bars available today. There are energy bars, protein bars, low-carb bars, meal replacement bars, snack bars, et cetera. In fact, not that long ago, I reviewed a snack bar, the Zone Perfect All-Natural Nutrition Bars. And I really do enjoy Zone Bars (as well as several other kinds of nutrition bars) and eat them fairly frequently, but they're not my bar of choice when it comes to pre-race or pre-workout fueling. When it comes to eating before hard efforts, I've tried a lot of energy bars, and I keep coming back to one: the PowerBar Performance Energy.

Gear Review: Newton Distance

Newton's third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. That's a law of physics and occurs no matter what shoe you're using. But what if there was a way to maximize that equal and opposite reaction, such that less of the ground reaction force is wasted, and is instead maximized to propel you into your next stride? The first time I heard of this concept was in 2001, when one of my high school XC teammates announced that she had heard of Nike producing a shoe that was supposed to bounce you into your next stride (for perspective, this girl grew up to be a cyclist and and engineer, so she probably loves gear and technology, but in high school, none of us knew anything about shoes). Unfortunately, the Nike Shox turned out to just have some stupid spring shaped heel made out of EVA and not even be a real running shoe (nothing wrong with EVA, as most shoes use it, but this shoe didn't do what my friend had hoped it would). The next time I heard about it was the infamous Spira shoes, which put actual springs in the forefoot and ignited way more controversy on LetsRun than...well, actually everything ignites controversy on LetsRun, so nevermind. Then a few of my friends started wearing Newton. These were real runners who needed real running shoes; runners who weren't about to settle for gimmicky nonsense. Runners who wanted to do everything to maximize their performance, but weren't about to resort to banned technology (I still have no idea whether those Spiras were actually banned or not). Well, after hearing enough of them rave about these shoes and getting several emails from readers asking if I had tried Newtons, I figured it was time to try out the Newton Distance.

Gear Review: Brooks Mach 13 Spikeless

I miss spikes. So. Much. Don't get me wrong, I love racing flats too, but there is something unmistakably awesome about slipping on a pair of low-slung racers that hug your foot like a glove. Maybe it's nostalgia for NCAA cross-country and track. Or maybe it's the fact that every time I walk into the National Running Center, I'm greeted by a wall of spikes and a pair of Nike Zoom Victory track spikes that stare at me and beg me to bring them home. But seeing as I don't race track anymore, I really can't justify buying a pair of $110 spikes for track workouts...especially when you consider that would mean I'd be doing workouts in spikes that weigh half as much as my racing flats (3.2oz WTF?). Enter the Speed Dragon...aka the Brooks Mach 13 Spikeless!

Guest Blog: Gear Review: Merrell Lithe Glove

Today's post is another guest blog from my minimalist friend Julie, who you may remember as the trail runner who wrote the Saucony Grid Type A4 review. This time, she's got a review of the Merrell Lithe Glove, which is the women's companion to the men's Merrell Sonic Glove. Both shoes are part of the Merrell Barefoot Collection. So this one is for you minimalists who might wish my reviews came from the perspective of someone with a barefoot background!

Guest Blog: How to Stretch Your Hamstrings

Today's guest post comes courtesy of Michelle Zehr of Running Shoe Guru. Running Shoe Guru has some great shoe reviews, and since they have a whole bunch of reviewers with different biomechanics (and probably more money to spend on shoes than I do), they're able to offer a wider variety of reviews than I can alone, so if you're curious about a shoe you don't see on my blog (or if you want another person's opinion of a shoe that is here), check them out! So a big thanks to Michelle for providing this article!

One note before we get started: The stretches described in the article are static stretches, so I wouldn't recommend doing them prior to running. If you do choose to stretch before running, go with something dynamic, like leg swings, since static stretching before running is believed to decrease performance. However, static stretching after running is very good for muscle elongation, which can be useful for preventing imbalances if you are tight in certain areas. Additionally, since your muscles are warm from running, stretching after running makes you less likely to tear something while stretching. Never stretch to the point of pain...you want to feel a gentle stretch, something that you could hold all day if you absolutely had to.

New pro runner blog for you all to read

Oh hey, look who has a blog! Click the picture to check it out!