Adirondack Sports November 2020

RUN, WALK & SNOWSHOE
NOVEMBER 2020 19
Best Bets
for Winter Running
By John Williams-Searle
TRIGGER POINT MASSAGE
BALLS, FOAM ROLLERS,
PERCUSSION MASSAGER,
ROLL RECOVERY R8, AND
ADDADAY C STICK ROLLER.
MUSTAFA ABDULHUSIN WEARS
SAUCONY’S DRIZZLE JACKET.
It’s important this winter to head outdoors
to exercise, and when you’re
properly outfitted, it’s safer and more
enjoyable! This is a great time to acquire the
gear you need to navigate the cold-weather
conditions, and with the holidays coming
up they’re great holiday gifts that support
our locally-owned businesses – especially
those that advertise in Adirondack Sports! If
you are new to the sport of running, or even
if you have been doing it for years, there are
several considerations to keep in mind to
make yourself more comfortable while running,
walking or snowshoeing.
CRAFT FUSEKNIT AND MIZUNO
BREATH THERMO BASE LAYERS.
First, you’ll need a comfortable base
layer that fits snugly and wicks moisture to
keep you dry. The Fleet Feet stores in Albany
and Malta have several technical base layers
to keep you comfortable. The Craft Fuseknit
Comfort layer is seamless for superior comfort
and is body mapped to provide warmth
and breathability where you need it. Mizuno
makes a base layer that incorporates their
Breath Thermo technology for increased
comfort. Breath Thermo uses a fiber that
captures vapor molecules and converts
them to heat. This means that you’ll stay
warm, rather than get chilled as you sweat
in colder conditions.
CRAFT’S CORE GAIN MID-
LAYER, SAUCONY RAMBLE
LONG-SLEEVE, AND NEW
BALANCE IMPACT RUN
GRID HALF-ZIP.
ERIC YOUNG IN THE SUGOI
FIREWALL 180 JACKET.
Zip features NB Heat grid fleece that helps
warm captured air between layers and effectively
wicks moisture. Saucony uses an ideal
blend of 91% recycled polyester and 9% soft
merino wool in their versatile Ramble longsleeve
shirt. The Jacquard fabric allows this
shirt to function as a base layer, as well as
a fashionable wear around town shirt. Craft
provides an 80/20 blend of poly to wool in
their SUBZ long-sleeve if you require a bit
more warmth.
When the weather gets wet, windy and
even colder, it’s time for a great running
jacket. Saucony has released their Drizzle
Jacket which is waterproof, yet breathable.
Saucony is all about useful details, such as
taped zipper seams and waterproof front
pockets. If you need more warmth, check out
Craft’s SUBZ Jacket, which dispenses with
stitching in favor of heat bonding to preserve
warmth. Do you foresee even colder
conditions? Sugoi makes a premium jacket,
the Firewall 180, which incorporates a lightweight
thermal knit laminate for maximum
wind and rain protection. It also looks great.
MIZUNO RUNNING
HATS, CRAFT
HEADBANDS
AND SAUCONY
ULTI-MITT GLOVES.
tight. Look for
soft fleece interiors for more warmth.
Remember, when dressing for cold
weather, make sure that you dress for 10-20
degrees warmer than what the outside thermometer
reads. Why this discrepancy? As
you run, you will warm up. If you feel comfortable
when you start, you might overheat,
get sweaty, and experience some chilling (as
this excess moisture gets cold or freezes) that
could lead to hypothermia. By starting out
slightly cooler, you shouldn’t warm up too
much, and will avoid overheating and generating
excess moisture. It’s all about staying
dry. Luckily, by dressing in layers and using
technical materials designed to wick moisture,
you will stay dry and comfortable.
Great gifts for runners and walkers are
hats and gloves. Saucony makes a wonderful
glove-mitten hybrid called the Ulti-Mitt
that allows you to convert to a glove when
your fingers get warm as you run. Craft has
a similar design, but they ramp up the visibility
by making the mitt element extremely
reflective. As it gets colder it also gets darker.
Nathan has you covered with an entire line
of visibility products, including gloves.
quads, hamstrings, calves, shins, gluteus,
arms and more, and it self-adjusts for different
body sizes. This is a compact and powerful
massager that you can take anywhere.
We also have traditional foam rollers and
Trigger Point balls for rolling out persistent
adhesions. If you want to take your massage
up to the next level this season and are looking
for a fantastic gift, check out the new
percussion massagers. These do all the work
for you and get deep into muscle tissue for
wonderful relief. We carry the Trigger Point
Percussion Massager, as well as Hyperice’s
Hypervolt.
AFTERSHOKZ
HEADPHONES.
Technology for runners and walkers
always makes a great gift. We have entry level
Garmin watches, such as the Forerunner 45,
that will provide information on pace, distance
and time. If you want more features,
try the feature-packed Garmin Forerunner
245. All of these watches have wrist-based
heart rate monitors to help keep you in your
“zones.” Finally, if you are looking for a safe
way to listen to music as you run, look no further
than headphones by Aftershoks. These
allow you to be aware of your surroundings
by using bone-conduction technology
– there is nothing actually in your ear – to
convey sound. They are also impervious to
moisture so you can confidently wear them
in all types of conditions.
This is a great time of year to make a trip
to Fleet Feet. We have the necessary gear to
keep you safe and comfortable as you tackle
more adverse outside conditions – and holiday
gift ideas for the runners and walkers
in your life. Remember, as well, that if you
buy a pair of footwear, you receive 15% off of
any regularly-priced piece of apparel. If the
brand of apparel is the same as the footwear
you can take 20% off the apparel price. We
want you, your family and friends to be wellequipped
this winter!
The next layer, depending on the conditions,
should be a long-sleeve technical
running shirt or quarter-zip. These apparel
items are some of the most versatile pieces
that you can have in your wardrobe. They
perform in the outdoors, look great for
casual wear, and make fantastic gifts. They
fit more loosely to provide a layer of air that
will insulate you from colder conditions.
Craft’s Core Gain mid layer has brushed
fleece inside to keep you comfortable.
New Balance’s Impact Run Grid Back Half
RUNNING TIGHTS
BY SAUCONY,
NEW BALANCE,
NIKE AND SUGOI.
We have your torso covered, but remember
bottoms. Nylon wind pants and sweats
are pretty much a thing of the past. Now,
running in the cold is all about tights on
your legs. Every apparel brand makes a great
NATHAN CLIP-ON LIGHTS
AND ZEPHYR TRAIL
RUNNERS’ FLASHLIGHT.
Safety accessories such as rechargeable
clip-on lights (new to Fleet Feet this year),
reflective vests, and headlamps make useful
gifts for the runners and walkers in your life.
It’s important to keep flexible and limber
to avoid injury when it gets cold. We have
all types of massage products to help you
address sore muscles. The Roll Recovery
R8 deep tissue massager targets IT-bands,
John Williams-Searle is the marketing
director and assistant manager at the
Albany location of Fleet Feet Albany &
Malta. He misses non-virtual racing, but
has reacquainted himself over the past
months with the joy of just running.
PERFORMANCE SOCKS FROM
BALEGA, FEETURES, SAUCONY,
INJINJI AND SMARTWOOL.