ZippEarz Headphones (Product Review & Giveaway)

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Coco

When I lost my iPod nano after the GW Parkway Classic, I also lost my favorite set of headphones. Luckily, ZippEarz was promoting its ear buds on Twitter, and offered to send me a set.

I checked out their website, and their product looked pretty cool. They highlight these features:

High end  10mm speakers
Ergonomic design for ear comfort
Zippearz “zip up” wire for less tangling
Patent Pending adjustable ear loop for high activity listening

I was excited to get my set to try out.

It came with a storage pouch, instructions for using the detachable ear loops, and different sized  “ear cones” to customize the fit.

I didn’t want to wait for a run to try them out, so I selected one of the smaller sized ear cones and plugged it into my (old) iPod Nano. I immediately noticed a difference in sound quality. The sound was much richer than usual–very nice.

When I took them on a test run, it was a humid morning, so I put their stay-put-ability to the test. Other earbuds often fall out, but these stayed put. And, even though they fit snugly, I was still able to hear ambient sounds–very important when running outside!

A few days later I tried them on a treadmill run. I tried to use the ear loops, but didn’t really like them.  I wear glasses, and it was just too much going on around my ears! Since the ear buds stay in place on their own, I don’t need them anyway.

I’ve been using the ZippEarz ear buds ever since I got them, and really have no complaints. The sound quality remains high through my sweaty runs, and they don’t fall out! They were the only piece of gear that I didn’t have to fumble with during the Zooma Annapolis Half Marathon.

I haven’t seen them in stores, but you can order from their website ($24.95), or you might get lucky and win this ***GIVEAWAY***

This giveaway has ended!

That’s right, the generous people at ZippEarz have offered to give one set of ZippEars to one lucky person resident in the continental United States (with a non-P.O. box address) whom I shall select at random from the entries* received by midnight eastern time on Friday, July 1, 2011. This giveaway is void where prohibited and if not redeemed by Friday, July 8, 2011.

Entry is simple:

  • Leave a comment on this post telling me a song that always puts you in a good mood.
  • Follow ZippEarz on Facebook and leave a comment here that you did. 
  • Follow @ZippEarZ on Twiter and Tweet about this giveaway:
    Check out the @ZippEarz giveaway by @Got2Run4Me at http://wp.me/p131gw-tY 
    and leave a comment here that you did.

*one comment = one entry, maximum three entries per person.

Now, I just need a new iPod Nano . . . .

**FTC Notice: ZippEarz sent me the product that I reviewed with no obligation to tweet, blog or make a YouTube video about the product. The review provided here is my honest opinion of the product. Since I liked the product so much, I reached out to ZippEarz about a giveaway.

Posted in Fitness, Product Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 49 Comments

Lending a Hand To The Body Of Christ

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Coco

This week in church we celebrated Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down upon the disciples like a mighty wind with tongues of fire, filling the disciples and preparing them for their mission in the world.

(source)

Pentecost also is celebrated as the church’s birthday, when the work of the Gospel moved from Jesus to his disciples out into the rest of the world.

A few months ago I wrote about “Being Immanuel,” and I want to revisit this concept again, focusing on what it means to be a member of the Body of Christ.

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
~ 1 Corinthians 12:27

I had heard this passage many times, but it took on new meaning for me when I couldn’t be where I wanted to be.

A friend was competing in her first figure competition, and I was disappointed that I couldn’t be there to cheer her on. A mutual friend was going to be there, and I had to rely on her to pass on my support. When I was texting, “Give T a hug for me!” it struck me how I was counting on her to really be “me” for my friend.

And then it hit me. That’s what it means to be the body of Christ. God counts on us to do His work in the world, to be the hands that help, the ears that listen, the shoulders that share burdens.

 

We can act as the body of Christ by loving our neighbor and helping those who can’t help themselves. Although Jesus commissioned his disciples to walk in His footsteps and forgive sins, it doesn’t take miraculous powers to spread God’s love–a friendly smile, a simple act of kindness, or a few encouraging words can make God real for others, just like my friend could make my support real when I couldn’t be there.

Posted in My Faith | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Tuesday Tunes: Annotated Lawyers Have Heart Playlist

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Coco

I really liked the playlist I made for the Zooma Annapolis Half Marathon. and timing new songs to tough parts of the course really helped me push through. Since the Lawyers Have Heart 10K is always seems harder than it should be, I decided to make a new playlist to get me out and back accross the Whitehurst Freeway. I started with my Zooma playlist, kept most of the new songs, and added enough others to have an hour-long playlist. This is what I came up with:

My (Annotated) Lawyers Have Heart Playlist

Lininig up at the start, getting through the crowd
Can’t Run But–Paul Simon 

First mile accross Whitehurst Freeway
Good Thing–Fine Young Cannnibals
Best Friend–The Beat/The English Beat
Girlfriend–Avril Lavigne 

Sunny stretch past Georgetown University
Too Bad About Your Girl–The Donnas
I Can Do Better–Avril Lavigne 
E.T.–Katy Perry 

Partial shade to the turn-around
Pain–Three Days Grace 
Feel Good Inc–Gorillaz 
Rain–Mika 

Turn-around after mile 3
Brown Eyed Girl–Boyz Nite Out 
I Ran (So Far Away)–Bowling For Soup 
Gone Daddy Gone/I Just Want To Make Love To You–Gnarls Barkley 

Back in the sun to the freeway
Higher–Taio Cruz 
Boom Boom Pow–Black Eyed Peas

Last mile accross Whitehurst freeway 
Price Tag–Jessie J 
Runaway Baby–Bruno Mars 
Walking On Sunshine–Aly & AJ 
Move Ya Baby–Various Artists Funky Step

It would have been great–if the course had been a 10K! Because of the heat and humidity, they cut it down to a 5K! “Pain” wasn’t the best song for the second pass across the Freeway, but it amused me. “Feel Good Inc.” was a good song for the push to the end.

I have a (planned!) 5K on June 24–maybe I will make one more playlist, although this 5K is so informal (part of a conference) I don’t even know if there is a course map.

Posted in Fitness | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Shifting Gears For Summer

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Coco

My work is pretty much non-stop year round. Sometimes it lightens up in August and late December when many of my clients go on vacation, but often they cross off their to-do lists by sending the work my way. Still, I manage to switch gears in the summer in at least a few small ways.

  • With my son out of school, I am no longer tied to his morning schedule. Although he has been driving himself to school, I like to be around to see him in the morning, even if he doesn’t really appreciate my cheerful greetings. Now that he is sleeping in, I am free to leave the house as early as I want to, although I haven’t really taken advantage of that yet.
  • Since my son is out of school, he no longer has sports practice until 7:00 pm (or later). His school sports schedule fits pretty well with my work schedule, because I can leave the office at 6:30 (after the worst of traffic is over), be home before 7:00, and have dinner on the table by the time he’s showered. Now that he’s home, he likes to eat dinner earlier.

Ideally, I would put these two changes together and get in to work early and leave early, but it’s never that simple. I often need the last hour of my day to tie up loose ends, and traffic is so much worse before 6:30. Unless I can leave by 5:00 the added frustration is barely worth it.

  • Summer weekends mean lacrosse tournaments. This is my son’s big year for college recruiting, so he is doing tournaments (which are basically showcases for college recruiters) almost every weekend. Literally. I think we have one weekend “off” in late July, but there is still one more tournament team he is trying out for . . . .
  • Summer lacrosse tournaments means lots of down time (between games) away from home. That means less Facebook/Twitter/blogging time and more reading time. I’m probably going to go through withdrawal, but my iPhone battery just doesn’t last through a full day of Tweetdeck use. Plus, I have all those new running books to read.
  • I hate running in hot weather, so I usually run less in the summer and/or do shorter runs on the treadmill. With my son’s lacrosse schedule, I think I will switch my routine from running Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday to running Monday/Wednesday/Friday. That pretty much means giving up my long runs, but my body needs a bit of a break anyway.

How does your schedule change in the summer?

Do you spend more time outside, or do you try to beat the heat in the air-conditioning?

Posted in Fitness, Life, Work | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Race Recap: Lawyers Have Heart *5*K

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Coco

I’m glad I didn’t train specifically for this event or have any significant running-related goals. Steena (@AHappyPace) laughed at my goal of avoiding “heat stroke” but apparently the race organizers were even more concerned. At 6:00 am this morning they sent out this email:

IMPORTANT INFORMATION–TODAY’S LHH RACE IS BEING CHANGED TO A TIMED 5K

Good morning runners and walkers in the 21st Lawyers Have Heart Race and Fun Walk.

This morning at 5 am, we determined that because of the combination of high heat and humidity and for YOUR SAFETY today’s LHH 10K race is being changed to a 5K race.  We will be running the first half of today’s planned course.  The 5K race will still be timed.  This determination has been made in partnership with our medical advisors and the DC government for your safety.  We thank you for your understanding.I

I already was at the race, getting ready for my Comcast interview about why I was running and fundraising for the American Heart Association this year. I was bummed for about 30 seconds, but knew that they probably were making the right decision. Personally, I knew the shorter distance would be better for me. I still wasn’t sure about my knee, and the sore throat that snuck up on me on Thursday took a firm hold last night.

Since it was an out-and-back-course, they just cut it in half –That means the race consisted mostly of the darn Whitehurst Freeway!

I met up with a friend, and we jogged for a few minutes to warm-up. We lined up towards the back of the 8:00–9:00 min/mile group, because she didn’t want to be ahead of her pace group, and wouldn’t believe me when I told her that it didn’t really matter. (She runs regularly, but doesn’t race very often.)

Although the announcer kept telling us that the start would be promptly at 7:30, that was just when he started the official program announcements. After a very nice rendition of the National Anthem, there was a wheelchair start for the one wheelchair athlete, and then the “first wave” start for “elite” runners and those lined up for an under 8:00 min/mile pace. Even though I wasn’t that far back from the front of the “second wave” group, we started out walking. And, even though I had been checking my Garmin to make sure it stayed “awake,” when I looked at it to hit “start” when I crossed the starting line, it had gone into “sleep” mode.  It took longer than usual to get it started again because it had a hard time “locating satellites” under the Freeway. So, my Garmin was not going to be useful for my total race time, but I still used it to monitor my pace.

Even with the two wave start, it stayed really crowded for a while. I made it up K Street, around the hairpin turn onto the Whitehurst Freeway and even along the Freeway for a while before I could run at my own pace without weaving around people. Clearly, there were many runners who were not as considerate as my friend when they decided where to line up !

My Garmin pace for the first almost-mile it was working (from when I got it started to mile 1 of the course) was 13:25.  Now that is a crowded start! My other (full mile) split times were 8:20 and 8:11. (This is one reason I don’t like 5Ks–there’s not enough time/distance to make up for a crowded start.)

I was running hard, but held back a bit in view of the heat–not to mention my sore throat. By the end of the freeway, I realized that my knee was not going to be an issue-yay!  

I didn’t need the water stop that came after mile 1 since I had my own Gatorade, but I gratefully took a sponge soaked in icy water, squeezed some on my hat, and squeezed the rest down my back. Last year was the first year they had the sponges, and I think it’s a great idea. I grabbed another sponge and did the same thing on the way back.

Crossing the Whitehurst Freeway for the second time is much easier at mile 2-3 than it is at mile 5-6! I kept my pace solid, but held back until I could see the traffic light that marks the end of the Freeway. I tried to find a clear route for the hairpin turn, but there was a guy walking right in the middle of the lane. Argh! I don’t think I cussed at him out loud . . . .

Once I was back on K Street and heading for the finish, I kicked it up a notch. Still, those last three blocks seemed to take a long time. As I was sprinting, I had to dodge a woman who was running with a dog. Seriously? I did say something out loud to her, but not the profanity I was thinking. (I don’t think she ran the race with the dog, but maybe she was running along to finish with a friend?)

Since I knew that both the race clock and my Garmin time weren’t going to be accurate, I didn’t really worry about my finish time. I kept walking for a while after the finish area to cool down, and then made my way back through the crowds to find my husband.

According to the LHH website, my chip time was 25:49–not bad for a hot, crowded 5K!

20110611-112930.jpg

Do we need to add a 5K disclaimer to the finisher medal?

20110611-112951.jpg

I like how the woman is ahead in the t-shirt logo!

Have you ever had to adopt to a last-minute race course change?

What is your favorite race distance?

Posted in Fitness, Race Recaps | Tagged , , , | 22 Comments