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| Some of the products in the men's ViZiPRO lineup |
I've been an early-morning runner ever since I became a runner. This quality was definitely instilled by my parents, who were always up exercising before work. During the "dark" months we always had some of those dorky-but-effective safety vests by the door; whoever was headed out for a run would throw one on. My Dad was also really big on wearing blaze orange while out running - another trait he passed on to me. Bright orange has become one of my favorite colors to wear, and with Andrea being a Tennessee Volunteer, that also scores me some boyfriend points!
Its really no surprise that I am a HUGE fan of the
Saucony ViZiPRO product line. I do 95% of my running in the dark in the winter, I never run indoors on a treadmill, I'm paranoid about being seen by cars, and I love wearing bright orange. Its a no-brainer!
Saucony combined a really cool color scheme with the best running attire and outerwear I've ever worn. My standard morning/evening running attire this time of year consists of a ViZiPRO headband/
beanie, an older version of the EPIC jacket, and the Ulti-Mitt mittens. I combine that with 2 of the USB lights that I
previously reviewed (I like to wear one on the glove and one on my jacket's chest pocket), and I look like a blinking, flashing traffic cone when I'm out on the roads. It may look ridiculous - but it's also a
ridiculously effective combination.
For someone like me who has chronically cold hands, the
Ulti-Mitt has been a nice addition for cold but not
absolutely bone-chilling freezing mornings. The "pullover mitten" provides enough warmth so I don't have to resort to ski mittens unless its
really cold outside. I can wear them when its in the 20s and Andrea usually wears them when it's warmer than 30 degrees. The Ulti-Mitt comes with a USB light that attaches to it, and its location helps for visibility to cars as well as being able to see what's in front of you.
The
EPIC jacket does the job in every condition I've encountered. When its cool out, I'll just wear a t-shirt underneath. As the thermometer plunges I'll add layers underneath, but the jacket itself is a perfect breathable shell. While not 100% waterproof, I still wear it during periods of lighter rain, and I wear it when its snowing with no complaints at all. Its actually a relatively thin jacket that moves well with your upper body. An added bonus is that the sleeves are long enough to pull over the bottom of your gloves.
The last product I want to specifically mention is the
Omni LX tight. I'm not always the biggest fan of running tights, because they never seem to fit
just right. And often times I find that I get colder wearing tight-tights than when I wear running pants. But these ones are obviously made to a higher standard that what I've worn in the past. The Omni LX tights are made of a slightly thicker Drylete material, which keeps me from freezing even when its cold and windy. They are also articulated well - no pulling or seams - they don't restrict natural movement at all. Finally, the bottom part (around the ankle) is actually made long enough and with a zipper that stays shut, thus preventing your ankle area from being exposed to the cold air (which I hate!). I've been alternating these tights with the Drylete XPT and Boston pants.
We are fortunate to live in an era of excellent winter running gear, and if you have it, there really aren't any good excuses you can make to
not get outside and run in the winter. As someone who runs twice a day all winter, investing in good outerwear is worth every single penny, in my opinion.
I'd say that the products would make great Christmas presents as well. If you know someone who is a runner, they'll find some bright, reflective clothing very useful. And if you're trying to drop a hint to someone that they need to start pounding the pavement a little more without coming off as a jerk, this is the best way to
give them the gift of no more excuses! :-)
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| This graphic from Saucony's website shows that ViZiPRO orange is scientifically proven to be the BEST COLOR EVER! |
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| Women's ViZiPRO Pink lineup - yeah, Andrea has all of this stuff and more! |
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| I even have a pair of these ViZiPRO Kinvaras |
Now, some personal highlights, starting again with running - this was quite a freaking year! I didn't expect to accomplish even a fraction of what I did, but as the year went on I just kept setting my sights higher and higher, and ended up having the best year of running of my life! In total, I ran 17 races (full list) and notched personal bests in every distance from 5K (15:04) to the marathon (2:21:47, which was my debut at the distance). A pair of half-marathons (1:05:40 at Top of Utah and 1:05:45 at Long Beach) were probably my best performances of the year. Halfway through 2011, Andrea and I started running for Saucony, which has been an awesome relationship to date. We love the company and representing them out on the roads and in the running community. 
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