My Buds Your Buds by: Kevin Souter

For Valentines Day, my wonderful wife Calea brought me home as (part of) my gift a pair of Ironman Yurbuds Headphones. Talk about love!! Many runners may be able to attest, that a good pair of headphones are hard to come by. At least that is what I tell myself....truth is my "big ears" I had as a kid, now look fairly normal and in proportion as my head caught up! Yet I always seem to have trouble finding a pair of headphones that either 1) fit my earlobe, or 2) stay in my ear without constant adjustment.

It seems so simple when you see the magazines, or watch those athlete endorsed commercials, or even the 'every day' exerciser can make the headphone experience seem so joyous, easy and effortless.

Here is my dilemma - What is the etiquette in trying before buying headphones? I often buy on a whim with my fingers tightly crossed. Oftentimes I've had to engineer ways to maximize the experience. I've wore a toque in the summer (keeps them in place), I've wore earmuffs, borrowed one of Calea's lululemon headbands, I've even wore headphones upside down and considered duct tape!!! All the while I curse that I continue to spend money on headphones that never fit.

Those of you who work out regularly, and those who cover miles upon miles (kilometres in Canada eh!) per week might subscribe to the power of audio. There is only so long I can run on the sounds of nature and cadence of my breath despite how gratifying it can be!!

One day while skimming an issue of Triathlete Magazine I saw a pair of headphones that guaranteed never to fall out even during vigorous exercise. The lure was a patented Twist-Lock Technology. That was enough for me.

Valentines Day came and the Ironman Yurbuds were in my hands....then quickly into my ears.
This was the moment of truth. In they went, the 'sound tunnel' slipped into my ear canal and I twisted the backing in order to securely 'lock'. Then began the series of head banging, jumping up and down, running on the spot....awkwardly it would have looked something like a routine from Flashdance but less attractive! Good enough for me....now time to test run.

I got a couple training runs in but the big test of the week was my 13 mile Sunday run. The Ironman Yurbuds stayed snug and comfortable. The sound was great and it was a relief to never have to concern myself with constant adjustments. Some may take this for granted however, if like me, this was a revelation I'd been searching for for what seems like such a long time.

In the past I have tried Phillips in-ear headphones, Skull Candy in-ear headphones, a pair that goes over the head, another that goes around the ears (which I wore upside down for a better fit!?) and of course all of the complimentary Apple pairs that come with the iPhone and iPod.

Finally I can rest easy with my new in-ear soulmate - the Ironman Yurbuds Sport Earphones

FEATURES:
Straight from the back of the box....

Ultra Soft: Comfort Fit Never Hurts
Sweat and Water Resistant
Twist Lock Technology
Ergonomic Design
Allows Ambient Sound
4ft Tangle Resistant Cloth Cords

COMES WITH:
2 Sizes of Earbud Enhancers
Cord Clip
Sport Carry Pouch
Angled Plug

"Developed By Athletes For Athletes"

My name is Kevin Souter and after years of searching and yearning, I finally found my long term running companion. Anything is possible! :)

It Runs In The Family

This is the moment many of us have been waiting for. The age-old question..."Is it a boy or girl to be?". Well that answer is coming.

This evening Kevin, Kaiser and I went for a special evening run. Why was it special you might ask... It's all in the route. The route we took tonight tells the story of what is in our future.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/273634940#.UR7TFvED19M.facebook

Tuesday Track Day!

Where do you find yourself on a Tuesday?

Back in University it was Taco Tuesday for most of us that attended Graceland University and now you can find me most Tuesday Evenings at York University with the Personal Best team doing speed work.

I was actually debating to go yesterday evening due to a nagging left achilles  tendon after my long run Sunday. It felt a bit better yesterday and I knew even if I couldn't do too much I'd enjoy the great company of all those there.

What I love about training at York and with this group are the following things:

-THE PEOPLE...This is key for me, and what can make or break what I do!

- The atmosphere...At York your surrounded by such talented athletes at every corner and its easy to stay motivated with all this energy in a space.

- Indoors... You already know I'm not the biggest fan of the winter and cold, I love training inside once a week where the environment is set and I don't have to worry about what to wear to keep my body temp happy.

-Yoga...Personal Best does a great job of always ending with a 30min yoga session after to stretch out and strengthen balance and core. I truly believe that this is vital to prevent injuries and a great practice for more runners to use post training.

-Tips from Tri Guru Hans( hopefully Hans doesn't mind me sharing tips on his behalf)...Hans is a great runner and athlete who always comes to train at 100% with a wide smile and infectious personality. Hailing from Germany I love listening to him talk and share his wisdom. Most recently I learned some unique insider tidbits to gain a personal competitive edge on competition. This includes heavy breathing behind your opponent and or breathing opposite to the runner your close to, this can throw them off their cycle mentally.

-Sean Bechtel...He's our coach for these evenings and puts us through our paces. Last night he had us doing 4 or 5x pending how quick you finished (1 lap fast, 3 laps steady, 1 recovery). My pace for the fast lap has increased from 40sec to 50sec and my steady laps I tried to stay between 1min4sec to 1min5. By the third set my first steady lap after my fast went up to 1m12...and I noticed my breath recovery took longer. I really zoned into my breathing tonight just making sure I wasn't over doing it with the baby and or my achilles. To be honest it felt better during my fast laps than my slow recovery...That's when I felt my Achilles more.

All is good now since I have the rest of the week to rest it till my next long run. Till then I'll place my focus on my weight training and yoga.

Lastly here is a photo I took right before I left. Unfortunately I waited late in the game to take it, so majority of the group was gone. More will be coming your way in the next few weeks.

Two Way Taper

Now that I am 3 weeks away from the 'Chilly Half Marathon' I decided to make this my last long run prior to race day. Today we added an additional 4km loop onto last week's 19km route, for those that think in miles that's just over 14. I love adding mileage on when it means running somewhere new, that I've yet to discover. I feel like I'm out on an adventure and I always want to go further. Today actually felt a lot further due to the snowstorm we had on Friday, which has yet to be properly scraped off the roads and sidewalks. Anytime our group tried to run on the sidewalk we'd have to stop due to a snow pile up too high to climb... Back to the road we went. Running on the road as you know can be quite dangerous, so I was happy to be running with a large group that constantly let everyone know when a car was coming either way.

Today's run started off around -10 and chilly; toes took a while to warm up. 30 minutes into the run and I was warm and experienced no water freezing thanks to the great new tactics and tips I took advantage of this run. The one tip that I found difficult to do while running but worked great was blowing the water back into the bladder. I didn't find this an issue at the start of my run, but as I grew tired and ran out of breath, this was harder to achieve.

The other taper that is now happening for me is the baby countdown. I am officially past my halfway point and the countdown is on. Baby is making itself much more known the further I go. Not sure if it was the snow that way harder on my joints, the baby or a combination of both, but I felt my Achilles, my knees and body much more today. I am experiencing shortening of breath quicker when climbing hills and I've slowed my pace during these challenges. It's frustrating a little bit to see my run group climb on ahead of me at this time, and I know it's all for good cause... Baby and I always catch up on the flat course... The lights turning red also contribute to this ;).

During the 10 and 1's I felt it harder to start back up the higher mileage because my joints would stiffen up and I felt like I needed to oil up my body like the tin man before going again. The walking is nice though for drinking water and having my gels - not sure I'll be able to keep them in my routine after having the baby. I still find them more mentally challenging than continuing on. I unfortunately can't compare them to my training prior because it was a whole different ball game.

Here is today's mileage pace:

Mile 1= 11:15
Mile 2= 9:23
Mile 3= 9:38
Mile 4= 9:39
Mile 5= 10:45
Mile 6= 9:33
Mile 7= 11:14
Mile 8= 9:24
Mile 9= 9:34
Mile 10= 9:28
Mile 11= 9:04
Mile 12= 9:58
Mile 13= 9:40
Mile 14= 10:32
Mile 15 (797m)= 9:33

Overall Time: 2hr:21min:55sec
Overall Distance: 23.02km
Overall Mile Pace: 9:55/mile....6:09km average
Calories: 1375

Baby Picture Update:

FROZEN Hydration Vest

I know last week I broached the subject of 'cold weather' and what is it good for. This week I experienced a new challenge that the frigid 'cold weather' hurled my way - how to hydrate myself properly in the freeze.

Ever have problems keeping your hydration pak from freezing on cold days? I sure did!

On Sunday's 19k I went out with similar gear and accessories as the week prior. The only switch up being my run tights, I wore a larger pair that was more comfortable on the blossoming baby belly.

Weather was -12 degrees again when we started running and by Mile 2 my hydration vest bite valve was frozen. This is something I've been experiencing the past three weeks. Solution...I bit on the bite valve for a while to warm it up prior to drinking. I did this and was able to get some water. During my next drinking break around Mile 4, I again warmed up the bite valve only to find that this time it wouldn't work and no water was coming my way. I then put the valve under my jacket to warm it up further thinking it must still be iced and when I attempted to drink...no water!!!

Luckily my run buddy Lisa had her hydration belt on with several bottles. A few were frozen for her but she had two still good, and hooked me up whenever I needed.

Once the run finally finished I took my hydration pak off to find that part of the hose was showing without it's thermal padding and had frozen solid! No wonder no water was coming through. I realized that I need to figure out a way prior to my next long run on how to keep my hose, and bite valve ice free so I'm not relying on someone else's water, and that I can drink out of mine whenever I need.

After asking others with camelbak's and hydration pak's I got the following advice:

• Lose the bite valve and use a mechanical valve (this prevents or permits flow)
• Put warm water in the bladder (warm water doesn't freeze as fast)
• Blow a bit of air back into the hose after each drink so the water is back in the bladder (so there is no water in the hose/valve that will freeze)
• Drink or swallow more often
• Reroute the hose closer to the body (under the arm or under the chest where there is more heat)
• Wear the hydration pak/vest under your coat

Step 1 from all this advice my first step during my long run will be to add warm water rather than the freezing cold water I love prior to running. 

Step 2 will be to cover the hose as much as possible with the sleeve

Step 3 will be to blow the air back into the hose after I take a drink 

That's all the steps I will be taking to start because my jacket is getting tighter on my body and there is no way my vest will be sliding underneath my jacket.