Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 58, May 2014

Reviews TRIED & TESTED adidas miCoach Smart Run watch As ﬁrst tries go, this new ‘smart watch’ from adidas is worth writing home about. It has a built in heart rate monitor (no need for a chest strap, as it reads off your wrist), offers GPS tracking to measure speed and distance, plus has a 4GB memory for music and data, with the music playing via bluetooth to wireless earpieces (which are not supplied with the unit and must be bought separately). The watch charges via a microUSB powered dock that connects to the back of the device. The unit is relatively big and boxy, but remarkably light and comfortable to wear, and in my opinion, quite sexy, but I would have preferred larger ventilation slits in the strap, to reduce sweat build-up. The Smart Run is relatively easy to use via touchscreen controls (swiping and tapping) and a single button below the screen. It has four primary menus: Clock/stopwatch/timer, miCoach, music and settings, and the button acts as the power control and quick jump back to the main miCoach/training screen, as well as the split, pause and stop button. During Bos Sport Iced Tea The taste of Rooibos tea always brings back memories of childhood holidays by the sea for me, so I was thinking happy thoughts when I tasted this new sports drink from Bos Brands, the company known for its Iced Tea drinks. The new range comes in three ﬂavours: Lemon Lime, Mandarin Orange and Red Berry, and all are free of colourants, preservatives and caffeine. Rooibos is naturally high in anti-oxidants, antiinﬂammatories, essential minerals and electrolytes, and the sports drink has added potassium, magnesium and sodium, which all play a role in sports performance, rehydration and recovery. Also, the drink uses complex carbohydrates for fast, medium and slow release of energy for sustained performance. But best of all, the drink is tasty and refreshing, and made for a great post-run drink – my favourite was the lemon lime. Cheers! – Lauren van der Vyver GET IT: Available nationwide in 500ml bottles at a RRP of R13.95. More info at: www.bossport.co.za. Great new gear, products and other bits and bobs put to the test by the Modern Athlete team. a workout, the screen displays your heart rate, pace, distance, time and calories burned, and the screen is easy to read in most lighting conditions. If installed, virtual (mi)coaches will remind you to speed up or slow down during a run to reach your ideal heart rate or pace. Your virtual coach also lets you know when you have passed each mile or kilometre and your run time up to that point. The miCoach website provides a wealth of training data, graphical visualisations, and a multitude of training programmes, and the watch wirelessly uploads your data to the miCoach website for easier viewing. As with several other GPS running units I have tested over the years, I found that when starting a run on tree lined trails or amongst taller buildings, the watch took some time to lock onto enough satellites to begin tracking my speed and distance – which meant I had to literally wait, since you cannot begin timing your run until the watch has a GPS lock and a solid heart rate. On the up side, the HR monitor worked accurately, despite sometimes taking a bit of time to register my pulse. However, on the down side, the battery drained relatively quickly, so this is unfortunately not a watch for ultra-marathons. That said, I really enjoyed running with it. – Sean Falconer GET IT: R4999 at adidas Performance Stores. More info at www.adidasrunning.co.za Source Dune 1.5L Hydration Pack When I strap on a hydration pack and go for a run, I look for several things: Overall comfort and ease of use are important, but most of all I check for bounce, because with the water already jiggling around in the bladder on my back, I don’t want the pack itself jiggling as well! That’s why the lower front strap is so important, because it eliminates this bounce, and on this pack, I found the strap did the job perfectly. Even better, it features handy pockets that are easy to reach and use without having to take the pack off your back, so reaching for a gel was so much easier than on other packs I have used. All the other tech features were great, but my most important check boxes had been ticked! – Sean Falconer GET IT: Available from Cape Union Mart stores at R1499. More info at www.capeunionmart.co.za. 33

Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 58, May 2014 | Page 33