Currently Loving

It's time for another installment of my running favorites - I hope you'll enjoy checking these out too! If you missed it, check out my first Currently Loving post from the fall.

Note: These are all my opinions, and I was not compensated for promoting any of the items in this post.

Oiselle and Headsweats Hats
I'm sure everyone else in the world already knows how great running hats can be, but I'm late to the party on this one. The SF Marathon sent us Headsweats Ambassador hats and Oiselle recently came out with the Superfly Cap, and both have become my new favorite running head gear (especially with my shorter haircut). The Oiselle hats won't be available again until the end of April, but definitely check them out if you get the opportunity.

Highlights of each? The Headsweats hat has the soft terry cloth around the rim, which feels great against the head. The Oiselle hat is super flattering and cools the head with mesh in the back. I can't say which I like better, I love both!

Oiselle Superfly cap in Slate Blue

Legs Up The Wall

After hearing talk of legs up the wall on Twitter and in the run community, I had to try it. I didn't even know what I was trying, but when the legs need recovery I'll try anything (reasonable)! I first read the details in this Yoga for Dummy (Runners) blog post, and I later chatted with runners who like it. The general idea is that having your legs up the wall prevents the blood from pooling and helps recovery and/or soreness. What I know is, it feels good after a hard workout.

I like to mix it with a little ProCompression

Experia Socks by Thorlo

For the last couple of years, my go to running socks have been the Experia socks made by Thorlo. They are expensive, but I always find them at race expos for buy x, get x types of deals and pick them up then. They are worth the cost - I love how they are thicker in all the right places but thin enough to feel good in shoes. They take a beating and last a long time, plus they come in fun colors like neon pink.

Experia Socks in Electric Pink (Photo Credit: Thorlo website)

Lux Layer and Winona

A highlight of the Oiselle Spring '13 collection is the new and absolutely amazing fabric called Lux. I'm in love, as is everyone I know who has tried it on. The fabric feels super soft on the skin and wicks moisture like a pro. The Lux Layer is the long sleeve option and Winona is the tank, and both use this new fabric. I wore the Lux Layer for last week's 800m repeats, which involved tons of sweat, and I didn't feel chilled at all in the cool evening temperatures like I often do. Even better? The heathered colors, especially the Heather Poppy, really pop.

Winona in Heather Poppy (Photo Credit: Oiselle Website)

Heather Graphite close-up, looking awesome with the Bright Pink (Rhody)

Lock Laces

In my last gear post, I mentioned falling in love with elastic shoelaces. Well, I'm still loving them but I've now found a brand that I plan to stick with! When I returned to Sports Basement for shoelaces, they no longer had the old brand and instead had Lock Laces. Although the same idea, this brand has two features I love: they are long and much easier to lace (you cut off the excess later) and the adjustment button is much, much more user friendly. There is a plastic piece that fits over the lace ends after it is cut off to prevent fraying, but that can be removed and replaced if you need to make them shorter in the future. I'd highly recommend this brand if you decide to try elastic shoelaces.

Black Lock Laces

That's it for now, let me know what you love or if you've tried any of these in the comments!