PEARL IZUMI Product Review - FANTABULOUS!!

My Mailman is probably not loving me too much these days.  It seems that I’m getting packages daily – and they are all related to running – in some shape or form. 

Last week, I found a mysterious gray package on my doormat.  I don’t have a local bomb squad and since it said Outside PR on the package, I felt that it was safe enough to bring into the house!

You would’ve thought it was Christmas – for me!  You know, the kind of Christmas where you actually get what you want!  It was an amazing Pearl Izumi running tech shirt. Specifically, their W's Fly Top (I need help flying).   First of all...  

see the "GLOW SPOTS" from my shirt!  It makes me look so angelic :)!!  

But really, they were created for safety!  As a night runner, these could save my life! Not only will it let drivers know I'm on the road, but it'll scare those herd of angry deer that seem to be every where I run!  Being reflective on night runs make this shirt my new night run fave.  And they are not only on the front...

They are on the back as well!

(You may also admire those amazing guns!)

Another benefit of this amazing reflective shirt - all my hunter friends have asked me to help them spotlight deer at night! 

So whether I'm running forwards or backwards (I have a friend who runs backwards although she tends to break body parts), I'm REFLECTIVE!!  

Okay - I gotta mention the material.  Because quite frankly, with all my fave running gear, material is key for me.  I'm a textile buyer (if it is soft, it is probably coming home with me).  But this material, is more then soft...

It is lightweight (so much so that it didn't register on the postal scale)

and uber soft (significantly so that I had to peel it away from my husband).

The tag specifically says - P.R.O. Transfer Fabric with In-R-Cooltm.  Translation: wicks like crazy.  

It has optimal ventilation and is amazingly tailored (so I don't look like a box).  

I took off for a 6 mile run to test this little goodie and came back in love.  It is black with this intense red pin strip on the sides, that highlight these super cool sublimated grey graphics.  Its a pretty intense shirt.  It is safe to say that this Pearl Izumi Fly Top will be my "go to night run" shirt this summer.  

(This is me getting ready to kick some road butt).  Shining!!

My husband wants to know if they make this kind in a man's style.  Hmmm....I'll have to look into that.
And the last details of the shirt:  It is a size Small and normally retails for $55.  To sum up how I truly feel about this shirt..."If Athletic gear makes me stronger, then this Pearl Izumi Fly Top will definately make me faster". 

Noteworthy: Outside PR provided this product for an honest review.  I was not paid for my opinion.  

ROAD ID Product Review & GIVE AWAY!!

The other night I ran 10 miles in a tornado warning.  But I can do that.  Because I always run with Road ID.  If I had gotten swept away, officials would have known who to  call.  (The practice of running in tornados is not endorsed by the Road ID company). 

I love my Road ID.  It’s pink and has my favorite mantra – Run Til You Puke…(that’s all I need to know because the last part is engraved on my brain …then run some more).  It has my name, my date of birth and an emergency contact (in my case, my hubby).  It also has any illness/disease I might have (hypoglycemia) and lists that I’m an organ donor.  Have I mentioned that I love my Road ID?

I love it because when I’m out on the road running, I know that if I get injured, trampled by deer, or keel over from low blood sugar, that someone will know the best way to take care of me.  I love it because my firemen friends think it is one of the coolest things on the market for safety and they have told me it will help them when they are assisting me from a brutal deer trampling incident.  I love it because I find my mind not as sharp as it once was and if I forget who I am, or my husbands phone number, I have it at the ready.

I love it so much, that I featured it in my "must have gear" blog last month!

My husband owns one in black and has his favorite mantra as well (Pain is temporary) (these make great gifts by the way). And for Easter, we gave our son a black one also (he has a deadly sulfa allergy and we found this a better alternative to the medical bracelets). 

The bracelets are lightweight with a Velcro clasp and come in a variety of colors (your choice).  They are able to get wet (which is good, since we begin triathlon training this summer), and they come standard with two 3M reflective stripes to enhance your visibility when training in the dark. The Wrist ID Sport is available in six colors and both Original and Interactive versions.

                                   

I am excited about their newest addition to the family – the Elite and Slim line (it's the purple one below).  I’m a little person (not really, but people think so) and so a Slim line is going to look amazing on my wrist!!  These all come in the 6 color choices as well.  The Original (which I own) is only $19.99 with the stainless steel finish (no green wrists) and comes in a variety of wrist sizes.  The Elite runs at $29.99 and the new Slim line comes in at only $15.99!  Seems like an insanely small price to pay for safety.

Not only is it about the safety of us athletes (runners, cyclists, swimmers, and all others) but it is about the peace that our loved ones get from knowing that we wear the Road Id.  I travel a lot for my ministry and I wear it everywhere I go.  I recently wore it tubing behind a boat.  Tubing accidents do happen!  I have worn it on ski trips; I have worn it to the grocery store.  In fact, I simply don’t leave the house without my Road ID.  I no longer wear a watch – I grab my Road ID first and foremost.  My Road ID is more important to me in an accident then clean underwear!  Sorry mom.

Road ID does not only cover Wrist IDs, but they have a full line of great ID apparel – shoe ID, Anklet ID, an updateable ID tag to replace your current tag, apparel, flashing lights for night running (or biking, or spelunking!).  Road ID is about safety first for the athlete and I definitely recommend that you check them out.  If you still aren’t sold on the safety need for one, you should read the founder’s story and his encounter with a big truck.  And think about it, how many times have you had near misses, had to run into a ditch to avoid a car or fallen off your bike?  While you may not think you’ll ever run in a tornado, or get chased down by a herd of angry deer, do you really want to be caught without your Road ID?

Okay, now for the giveaway! As if my own personal love I have for my RoadID wasn't enough, they are willing to give one away!!  (I think I'm going to want that red one below)!

ROAD ID  is giving away one Wrist ID to one reader. To enter, simply:

o   Visit www.roadid.com and tell me what you like (color, style, etc) and why + 1 entry

o   Tell me where you’d be rocking RoadID this summer +1 entry

o   “Like” Road ID on their Facebook page  + 1 entry

o   Follow Road ID on twitter & tweet this giveaway +1 entry

o   Become a follower of this here blog if you are not already + 1 entry

I did not receive any compensation in exchange for this review. 

Outside PR is providing the ROAD ID giveaway!  The winner will be announced on June 3, 2011 at noon, Texas time!  Good luck!