As runners or gym rats, we all sweat no matter what we do. Specially for distance runners, the sweat is from head to toe and after a 10 mile run you’re probably tired, hungry, and ready to change.

Since I just bought a Honda CRZ, our cloth seats love to absorb sweat and any type of liquid that comes in contact. Don’t get me wrong, every car with cloth seats will attract sweat.

Pet Owners: Look Familiar? (No worries this didn’t stain my seats)

Back on Topic

Let’s get the Seat Shield Review before you guys start sweating! I purchased the “EliteSport Seat Shield” for $34.95 on their web site.

And I quote from their site:

The EliteSport is made one inch wider and 4 inches longer than the UltraSport to provide more coverage of the seat. The EliteSport also adds a urethane coating to the underside of the SeatShield which may reduce sliding as you get in and out of the car depending on how the seat was made or treated. The urethane is clear so there is no transfer to leather seats in hot weather.

The EliteSport provides our best protection for dogs and pets.

- Completely Waterproof
- Odorproof & Sweatproof
- Machine Washable
- Soft and Comfortable
- Lighter weight to stay
cooler in hot weather

Installing it is very self explanatory

It will wrap around the whole seat because it’s a cover!

Before Seat Shield is installed in a Honda CRZ

After Seat Shield is installed in a Honda CRZ

Sizing of the Cover :

As you can see, the size of the seat cover is very small. I used my hat as a reference point. It is NOT a thick seat cover.

HOW TO USE:

It can easily be stored in the glove compartment of your car for easy access. Please also note that, this is ONLY to be used when you’re drenched in sweat. Using this as an everyday cover is a big no-no. It will slip right off your seats because there’s nothing to hold it in one place. (although it says it on their site “reduce sliding”)

In action:

It does the job pretty well! No matter how sweaty you are, the cover will not leak out to hit your seats. BUT this seat will NOT absorb sweat. Think of this as sitting on plastic.

I sat down after a 15 mile run and when I got out of my car there was nothing on the seat cover and when I pulled it off, there was not a drop of sweat.

Washable?

Yes this product is washable but I personally have not washed it yet because after a few times, it still doesn’t have an odor.

Mud Runs?

This will definitely work with mud runs like the Spartan Race or Tough Mudder. Take caution because the mud on these mud runs will get on everything in your car that is not covered and this cover is limited to only your seats.

Final Words:

It’s worth the buy if you’re always going to use it. The price is a little steep for the Elite. I bought only 1 since I didn’t like the fact that it will cost me around $70 for a pair. Seriously!? But other than the pricing of this seat cover, I like it a lot and there has not been a run when I have not used it.

The company was quick to ship it out and their customer service was responsive.

*Star Rating: 8/10

Copyrighted by Getty Images

Copyrighted by Getty Images

So it’s really a fun race that everyone can do. Although you may be passed out by the end of the race from all the beers you may have drank!

If you can’t do an obstacle, you have to do 30 BURPEES

Spartan Races have 3 categories:

Spartan Sprint 3+ Miles with about 15+ Obstacles.

Super Spartan 10+ Miles at 20+ Obstacles.

Spartan Beast 13+ Miles and 25+ Obstacles.

They have special ones that are really hardcore called the “Death Race”. Its invite only and a 48 hour race that accepts only 200 people. I personally wouldn’t go this far but if you’re willing to do it, be my guest and I’d like to give you an interview here.

Main website: www.youmaydie.com

They are also known internationally so it’s not just a US thing.

Spartan Race’s 2012 trailer here :

Quick Tip: You can’t be a gym rat because the distance will kill you. If you’re a runner you will pass the distance but the obstacles will push you down. You need to be in between both worlds.

My Spartan Beast Experience:

We got to the race just before 10am along with our group of 100+ and had no idea who was who. I only knew the people that were actively providing support on our Facebook Group.

JOIN ME : https://www.facebook.com/groups/179870395483380/

Coming from the SF Bay Area, was already a 2 hour commute.

Our heat was supposed to be at 1:30pm but being a Spartan, but instead did 11am. Unfortunately my Garmin GPS Watch somehow was shut off at 0.53 Miles which really made me angry and I had no idea until the end when I took it out of my Camelbak.

We started running when the gun went off. To make things even tougher, mother nature thought it would be great if she made a storm.

Weather Condition:

Imagine the rain pouring with high winds and you’re doing a 13+Mile Mud run. That’s pretty tough!

Pretty much it was raining for about 3hours straight with the wind piercing through my tech shirts. On your face, it felt like someone was throwing tiny needles.

The atmosphere was nice and humbling since all around, people were just talking to everyone. I didn’t encounter anyone who was being snobby and did not want to talk to you.

If you went alone, you’re finishing with new friends

I wish I had data to track but I was pretty much lost on pace/tracking.

+RACE INJURY Mile 7+:

My left leg cramped up again like what happened to me in the US Half Marathon back on Nov 4th, 2012 in San Francisco,CA. This time it wasn’t as painful because I drank pickle juice a whole week before.

Wrapped my leg with athletic tape and went on my way.

**Bought the waterproof ones to ensure it will stick and I put it on too tight that I had scars from the wrapping.

We noticed a lot of people had leg cramps too.

How to prevent leg cramps :

http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update0105a.shtml

NIGHTFALL:

I didn’t think I would need my headlamp but I ended up using it, remember that we started around 11am and the sun goes down at 5pm.

A headlamp will be required gear to continue on the course starting as

early as 4:00pm. YOU WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE COURSE IF YOU DON’T HAVE A HEADLAMP

AT ONE OF OUR CHECKPOINTS.

It took us about 7 hours but we waited a lot (I MEAN A LOT!) and helped out a lot of people. Besides, this isn’t a race to be whose faster. Be my guest pass me up, I could care less, all I wanted to do was to finish.

Sacramento Spartan Beast Obstacle:

I’m only going to highlight some of the ones I have comments on.

This is in no particular order of the race and this is NOT all of it!

Note: All photography credit goes to Nuvision Action. They collaborated with Spartan Race for 2012 to get our images for free. HIGH respect for them for not being a money hungry company. If there’s a donation box, I’d put my share in.

Originals can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151097530821861.431139.251061411860&type=3

High Wall

Everyone helps each other out and not a lot of people did Burpees. If you did, that’s fine I don’t judge

Vertical Rope Climb

Personally for me, this was my biggest fear. I wanted to ring the bell so bad, but I just did not have enough training and I was penalized with 30 Burpees. But that’s OK, I need to learn how to climb and I’ll make sure I beat this one next time.

Sandbag Hill

Before the end you had to carry this sandbag up this hill and back. It was around 50lbs+ and I did not want to admit defeat. It took me at least 10+ minutes because the hill was so muddy I couldn’t even stand up without slipping. I dropped the sandbag at least 5 times since my shoes barley had any tread and it was dark!

Spartan Barbwire Crawl

The first few were fun but they surprise you with a very long one.

Do a barrel roll and you’ll get there faster vs if you crawl.

No really, ROLL!

Spartan Firepit

It was already nightfall by the time we got to this part. We met up with some other Spartans and stayed for a good 5 mins to dry/warm ourselves up.

COUNTDOWN: ONE..TWO..THREE.. GO!!

The ladies actually had a few steps ahead start since I wasn’t exactly paying attention and ran a second late. Guess who took the beating from the Gladiators with the Q Tips? 3x on the head.

Rope Climb up a hill

This was my all time favorite obstacle! We spent about 30 extra mins here since our team was dedicated so everyone can get up. I must have helped at least 10 people to pull them up. You see the guy in the black shirt almost to the top?

That’s the hardest part because you couldn’t reach the next knot.

Mud pits

One of the few pits and believe me, there was a lot! But these ones are easy since all you do is swim. Don’t worry its waist deep only.

Slippery Wall

This was near the end and I hated it so much! It was slippery so I used my upper-body to propel me up.

Unfortunately I’m not in the video since we all got separated. But this is what had to face, notice the weather. For those of you training or trying to figure out what you will do, this is a great video to watch.

Before Spartan Race

Wooo I’m still clean!

Barbwire Picture

I’m pretty stoked from crawling in the mud. I felt alive!

FINISHED!

That’s the smile of success after not being able to believe yourself, after you did something dumb

Final from @RunningMileCom Jason

I would do it again! I felt very proud of the team and I personally did not think I could do it. Thank you everyone for the support. I’d also like to thank one of my friends who dragged me into this horrible mess. It took that MUCH to get me to join but it was well worth it!

DESIGN

For obvious reasons, you know exactly what it says. This shirt comes in a few colors such as Green on Gray or Blue on White, you can find it here -> Nike Running Sucks Shirt . The cool thing about the shirt is, that the lettering on the front is actually “Reflective“. So when you’re running in the dark, it can be seen when light it shined on it.

MATERIAL

Very important thing to know about running shirts is the type of material the manufacturer is using. Cotton is NEVER EVER a good idea because it holds in moisture and your nipples can also stimulate chafing aka Bloody Nipples. It’s broken down by a blend of 50% Cotton, 25% Polyester 25% Rayon. This is a good thing!

FITTING / SIZING

It fits snug around your upper body which gives it pull on top of your nipples. I like how it’s tight up there because it will prevent chaffing. Around the arms, its a little tight so it gives you that muscular look. The length is long and unlike my Pearl Izumi shirt, it’s longer. There’s nothing wrong with a longer length or a shorter length, its by your own preference. I’m 5’8″ so it lands right below my jean pockets.

It gets loose around your lower body which is great so you can hide your love handles

PRICING

Came out to be $30. Nike Dry-fit shirts aren’t cheap. The price is normal for a quality running shirt.

OVERALL FROM RUNNINGMILECOM:

The shirt is great for everyone. Althought the text on the shirt might be an issue. If you’re like me who can take some funny jokes and able to give a smile when someone looks at you funny, then by all means buy it!

Who might get offended:

I have not worn the shirt much since I just bought it. From what I read, people in the gym will look at you funny and give blind stares. I don’t see why a fellow running would get mad, its a joke get over it and live life. Wearing the shirt might give an impression that you’re a douchbag, but I think its hilarious. Don’t you see the sarcasm?

Personally, I’d say something if I saw you running in this same shirt next to me.

STAR RATING: 9/10

Gadget Uses : Tracks Time,Mileage, Pace, Chronograph, Calories. Data uploads to either Nike+ or a 3rd party which will sync it via Nike+.

Recommended for : Basic running data keeping and for people who do not want to use the iphone App

Costs : $60 USD

This is the Nike+ sensor which will be on your shoe. Nike has made it so that you need shoes with Nike+ built in (has a hole inside the sole with a “+” on the side). However not everyone has a pair of Nikes and you can purchase accessories to stick the sensor on top of your shoe. I’m using a small pouch that is on top of my shoe to sync with the sportband. There is a small battery inside and is expected to last over 1000 “active” hours. Source : support.apple.com

Wearing the Nike SportBand

Nike+ Sportband with Sensor

The band is very comfortable and adjustable. I have the special LIVE STRONG version Also as you can see there are 2 buttons on the receiver. The bottom button under the 0.26 is a menu and all that does is show your last run (miles,chron, pace, time, and calories) or your total week.

The round top button is your start and go which takes 3 secs to activate then one more push to start running. The only thing I don’t like about it is how there is a hole right under the receiver and if you’re sweating water accumulates.

If you’re running in the rain, I would highly recommend wrapping it with plastic or have a long sleeve. The device can get a little bit of water on it and will not break but it’s better to be safe than sorry. I ran the turkey trot in San Jose, CA (sprinkling) and my nike sportband was wet but it was still working.
I DON’T HAVE A NIKE+ SHOE!!

No worries! There are a lot of techniques that people use and I found a pouch on Amazon for about $5 and that solved my problem. It just attaches to your shoelaces and the sensor is being held. Fair warning, you will have to calibrate it for sure right after you wear it!

The treadmill is a really great way to start running. It has the most minimal impact on your knees since each step is being absorbed through the equipment. Designed to create the perfect running condition with no wind resistance or anything to trip over. Remember that running outside can get you killed if you get hit by a car or trip over crack. The treadmill can prevent all these things since you’re probably at home or in the gym with a smaller chance of having external factors against you.

Personal Safety is #1

Most treadmills have an incline option

Put on the incline to stimulate running uphill! When it’s raining, you can also stay indoors and not get yourself soaking wet to catching a cold (it’s a myth).

For women, you’re less likely to find that creeper waiting for you everyday when you run outdoors.

I bet you can’t do this while running!

You can also watch TV and stop running anytime you want without worrying about going too far Sharing is caring and if you have other runners in the family, you may all use it! I personally like the treadmill because when it’s very late out you can always run within your home if you own one.

There are Cons to every story! Read about it on our later posts!