Review: TLC Sport

I was recently sent a couple of items from ladies sportswear brand TLC Sport. Currently celebrating its 20th year, TLC Sport has a huge range of clothing all designed and made here in the UK. One of my favourite things is how personal everything is - this is a family run business which really puts the customer first. For example, you can request plus-size items at no extra charge. Now that's service!

Sport Pursuit Pop-Up Sales

I'm guessing that, seeing as you're here on Running Bunn, you're into sports. As such, it would be safe to assume you like sports clothing and equipment. Me too! That's why I was so excited when I found out about Sport Pursuit. It's sort of like Brand Alley - pop-up sales where you get big brand stuff at tiny prices.

I was gutted to have missed the Shock Absorber sale, totally need a new sports bra, but there's some great other stuff on there too. You need to join in order to see the sales, but it's free so don't panic. Also, if you get friends to join you receive money off your orders.

So sign up to Sport Pursuit and bag yourself some bargains like these!

Review: Zombies, Run!

Coming to the end of a short, intense run I'm flagging. I'm thinking about slowing down, perhaps even walking for a bit. Then comes Sam's voice in my headphones. There's an unusually fast zombie right behind me, she's gaining on me, I've got to run!

Review: Karrimor Phone Arm Wallet

Since the weather got a bit warmer I've done away with my jacket and capris with their handy little bum pocket in favour of skimpier lycra. This has left me with a slight deficit in the phone storage department. I've seen loads of people with arm wallets so thought I'd try out a cheapie - the Karrimor wallet is currently just £3 on Amazon - a bargain not to be missed!

The Blurb: The wallet is designed just to fit your mobile phone and is big enough for most models. The clear panel enables you to use the touch-screen without taking the phone out and it has an adjustable strap for a secure fit.It's available in Black with a choice of either yellow or pink trimmings.

The Trial: My phone (HTC WIldfire) fits snugly into the pocket from the top (no fear of it slipping out mid stride!) as does my husband's iPhone, so I think most phones would be OK unless they're a really bizarre shape. If you really needed to you could shove a key and emergency fiver in there too. The material is slightly stretchy which allows it to move with your arm without feeling too loose or too tight. If you've got really big or really small arms the strap could be a bit of a problem but for most it will be fine. It fits both my husband and I easily. There's a little opening at the top for your headphones to poke through and you can stuff any excess wires in there too which is handy. The wallet stayed put throughout the run and most importantly it was comfortable too.

The Verdict: Does exactly what it needs to! The Karrimor Arm Wallet might not be as stylish as some other makes, but it's cheap, unisex and functional. Thumbs up from Running Bunn!

Review: New Balance 565 Ladies

You might remember last year when I first started running all I had was a pair of Converse High Tops... special edition (Product) RED ones though! Not the best for my feet or legs though. I hot footed it down to a running shop and picked up these bad boys - New Balance 565 Ladies running shoes.

The Blurb: the description for these shoes contains a bit of gobbledigoop jargon - N-Ergy technology, Abzorb® DTS Dynamic Transition System, N-Durance rubber. Basically, they're supposedly cushioned, breathable and have a long lasting sole. You can get them in pink (as I did) or blue.

The Trial: I've done just under 100 miles in these shoes so I think it's safe to say they've been worn in. I normally wear a size 5 or 6 in my everyday shoes but got these in a 7 to avoid getting runner's toe. I noticed from the very first run a marked improvement. I get a smooth running experience, my feet and joints feel cushioned against the force of running on pavements and in this hot weather the mesh upper allows my feet to breathe. There's still a good 300 miles left on these shoes but there's no visible wear on the sole and the rest of the shoe cleans up pretty well, when I can be bothered! They aren't particularly stylish but I'm not hugely bothered about how I look when I'm out running anyway.

The Verdict: These have been a perfect pair of beginner running shoes for me. They're really reasonably priced (just £31.99 on Amazon and at Sports Direct) comfortable and hard wearing. I'd definitely recommend these to anyone who wants to start jogging for weight loss, fitness or fun.

Review: Jabra Rhythm

I've become a bit of an audio-book junkie recently - on the bus, out running, at work... when the boss isn't looking. Up until now i only had the headphones which came with my HTC and they're really uncomfortable.

Recently I was sent a set of Jabra Rhythm headphones to review. I've never heard of the make before, but a look around the website shows they do a pretty big range of headsets.

The earphones fit really well in my ears (something I've struggled with before) and stay put through a 4 mile run - although there is an over-the-ear sports version if you want something solely for that. The sound quality is brilliant and as they have sound isolating ear buds (in three different sizes) even running round the ring road or sitting next to the screaming kid on the bus doesn't interrupt my Potter-a-thon. I do have to be careful crossing the road though - can't hear cars coming either. Another point of note is that, even at full volume, other people can't hear much of the music you're listening to so you're not going to bug the rest of the world with your 90's brit pop anthems.

All I need now is to get me an iPhone so I can start playing Zombies Run!

Review: Timex Ironman Sleek

So, I've wanted a running watch for ages. As much as Map My Run is brilliant, it's also a bit rubbish. For some reason the GPS tends to cut out quite regularly so I'm never sure what sort of pace I'm doing. Now I have a few regular routes I know roughly where the mile markers are and having a watch with a lap timer is just awesome for that.

I picked the Timex Ironman Sleek partly because it looked nice and partly because it was half price on Amazon. It's waterproof so if you're a swimmer it's perfect. And it lights up too. I love that.

The best feature though, hands down, is the TapScreen technology. So, when you get to the end of a lap (or mile, or km, or whatever you're timing) you don't have to look around for the right button, you just whack the watch and it starts the next lap. Plus, it works as a chronometer telling you whether you've done your lap quicker or slower than your target time for the event. Of course the manual is essential for figuring out that part.

For those of you who want to run a bit further you can set food and drink reminders to keep your energy levels up too. And it stores up to 150 laps worth of workout data too so you can look back at your progress.

Of course it's not as good as a Garmin, but I'm building up to one of those!

Review: Karrimor Running Kit

As you can see, I look pretty awesome in my Karrimor running kit. The outfit was available in the black/pink which I chose, but also comes in black/yellow and plain black if you're not such a girly girl.

Review: Converse

I'm not going to pretend that running in Converse is ever a good idea but, for those of you who are considering it I want you to be prepared.