Lace Locker, keep your laces from coming undone!

First off, I was offered a pair of Lace Lockers from the inventor herself, Carol “Stash” Stanley. I was not paid for this review, besides being given the product for free. 

It’s a simple yet very effective device for holding your shoe laces not only tied, but also from flopping around. With your laces placed inside the velcro attached device, your shoes can’t come untied. 

I use to use an elastic lace type in my running shoes, but have since switches to just the laces that come in with the shoes I wear. I get a better snug on my laces. 

I place the Lace Locker device, like the instructions show and explain, and it does what it says. 

From just walking around with the laces places inside, I don’t have to double knot my laces any longer, knowing that there is no way the laces will be able to undo themselves from the Lace Locker. 

I only ran the back of the Lace Locker through the top of the laces, as they sit on top of the shoe's tongue. I have since placed this stiff part of the back of the Lace Locker running down three laces. 

The initial set up, of placing the Lace Locker on each shoe, takes just a few more seconds than actually using them from then on. After they are installed, simply tie your shoes like normal, place the laces down through the Lace Locker and fold over the velcro top. DONE!  Very quick and easy. 

Check them out for yourself. 

They are sold in a few stores, but most definitely online at LACE LOCKER

Seven minutes !

I am pretty excited. This past weekend during my training trail run, I was able to shave off seven minutes from the previous weeks run. The same distance and all. I really focused this week hard to try and speed up my running on the course. I tried not to walk as much and really conserved my energy on the steep inclines. I am really satisfied with the shoe/sock/footbed insole I have been running in. My legs don’t feel beat up like they were in my older broken down zero drop running shoes. They weren’t trail running shoes to begin with so that had a little to do how I felt running. I glanced down at my Suunto Spartan every so often to check my heart rate. The majority of the 8.5 mile run, I was in my Zone 4. I didn’t feel my breathing was labored at all. 

The last three weeks I have followed up my training trail runs with a good “leg day” workout. The leg resistance bands are paying off to.  

This next weekend I plan on getting some good mountain bike trail miles in, as the mountain bike race I am doing is a week before my trail running race. 

Feeling strong out on the trail. I need to also in the next few weeks, before taking two weeks off for a family vacation, bump up my longest distance to 10 miles. 

ShoeCue, shoe inserts to help in run form efficiency

        

            

Wanting to become a better runner and work on improving my foot strike, I thought I would give ShoeCue, a shoe insert for helping correct ones stride, a try.  Totally impressed with them first off.  Replaced my insoles in my running shoes to slipped these in the first day I got them for a two mile run.  The insoles can be cut down to size to fit your shoe. With my feet being size 13 and my shoe size being 14, I didn’t have to cut anything off the ShoeCue insole. 

                                                               

So what makes these inserts so special and why will they be able to help correct my foot strike and stride? Theres a patent pending heel plate with raised bumps. Let me say also, that these are a training device. 

                                             

                                                           

So what happens if, while running, you do land on your heel, landing on these bumps? 

If you land on your heel, you will feel a little sensation in your heel, which is then the trigger to not do it again, on the next stride and so on. Over time of training with them, your muscle memory will kick in to avoid you from heal striking. Landing with the heel first is a very inefficient form of running. With wearing these training insoles, I have improved my stride to be shorter and smoother.  I can tell it will help develop some muscles in my leg that will keep my mid-foot striking and having a more fluid stride. About once a week, to keep myself from the bad habit of heel striking, slip the inserts in for a few miles.