Airdrives Review!

Since I've been back to running lately I've been using my iPod Shuffle and the little white ear-buds that came with it when I go out for a run. And while the ear-buds are perfectly fine for general use they're not the most secure things in my ears and there is the issue of being a bit cut off from environmental noise that we all know can be isolating and unsafe.

So, I was intrigued when I was asked to review a new type of ear-phone called Airdrives

If you don't want to go clicking the link (tho you should because the demos are pretty cool) I'll give you the lowdown: The premise for these particular headphones was to create a unit that would stay securely on the ear but not block the ear-canal like a typical in-ear bud so you can still be aware of environmental noises (like that delivery truck pulling up behind you to turn right as you prepare to cross the street it's heading for).

The speaker portion of the ear bud sits on your tragus (that little bump of flesh on the inner-front aspect of your ear) and projects the sound both through your mandible and back into the auricle (the big stickey-outey part of your ear... what you'd call your "ear").

Ok... the concept is cool, right? But what do I think of these new fangled devices? Well, overall I'm pretty pleased with the Airdrives. They do exactly what they say they're designed to do. They stay put comfortably with the adjustable over-ear hook, and they make me feel a lot safer when I'm road-running because I can hear everything going on around me, in addition to my music. I can even say, "good-morning" to my neighbors as we walk/jog past each other without having to wonder if I've just yelled at them. The sound quality is good on the upper and mid-range, but even with my bass-boost turned all the way up on my iPod I found the bass to be lacking. That said, I don't know that I've had a single pair of earbuds that performed adequately in the bass range... there's just not a lot you can do with a speaker that small.

Volume can be adjusted both on the music player and on the cord, which is a neat feature, but when you turn the volume way up (like when you're feelin' like Rocky and want to really jam out!) people around you will be able to hear your music much more clearly than if you did the same thing with in-ear buds. These are not necessarily the headphones you want to use at the gym (the dude squatting 450 in the cage might not want to hear your Michael Bolton), but when you're outside, if you want to be able to hear the world around you (before it runs over you) these DEFINITELY fit the bill.

I think these would make a fantastic Christmas gift for the runner in your life.

Oh yeah...

Forgot to mention:

I cut my hair!

Running!

I've run 3 times now... only a couple of miles at a time, and just slowly working up to running the whole time, but alternating a little walking here and there for now... and can I tell you that my feet have NEVER FELT BETTER???

Seriously, I don't know why I didn't get the stupid fascia release done sooner than this. UGH! I am glad I did finally get it done tho, because I finally feel like a human fucking being... who can get out of bed in the morning and not hobble around like I'm fucking 90 years old because of the fucking pain in my fucking feet!!!

Uh.

Yeah, so sorry about the profanity. ;)

In any case, I have been running with these new headphones that a marketing dude over at AIRDRIVES sent me. I'll do a full review in a separate entry, but I will say that I feel a LOT safer running with these headphones than I do with traditional "In-Ear" headphones. These sit on the outside of the tragus (the little pointey bit of flesh on the inner aspect of your ear (mine is pierced)) and project the sound toward your ear leaving your ear canal unobstructed which means you can hear the ambient sounds of the world around you and your music at the same time. I can hear traffic approaching me from behind and say hello to my neighbors as we pass on the sidewalk without having to read-lips which is really pretty cool... but I'll go into that more in my next entry.

For now I'm just excited to be back in the shoes and back on the road.

School is going well and I finish my third class of the term today. I have a final and a paper to turn in and I'm done for five whole days. This is my first real break of the term (since October 1) and I'm READY for it. We're doing about a credit hour per week and its an INSANE pace, so the break is HIGHLY anticipated by the whole cohort.

Hope everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving (in the US) and a nifty rest of the week everywhere else.

Not Dead Yet

In fact... I bought a pair of running shoes yesterday and the doc has cleared me to begin training again! HELLS YEAH!!! To that end I have picked a couple of events: The Valentine's day 5k in DePere, WI on (duh) Feb 14, 2008, and on April 12, 2008 - Oshkosh Half Marathon and 5k (I'll be doing the 5k, but if things look good, I may bump it up to the half... you never know... it is 5 months)

Yes... its next year... but this is WISCONSIN, people... you don't hold running events in -30 degrees. You just don't. In fact, if its too cold in February I may have to skip it and just run 5k on the TM at the YMCA. I don't do well with cold, people.

In addition, by this time next year I will be trained up for the Fox Valley half-marathon that is held every September.

For some fun news, I've been asked to review some new headphones for runners that are supposed to allow you to continue to be aware of your surroundings while enjoying your favorite tunes. When they get here I'll let y'all know.

School is going well. I just finished Nursing Research Methods (2 credit course in 2 weeks) tonight, and tomorrow I start Adult Health Assessment I (another 2 credits in 2 weeks). My first break will be for Thanksgiving and I'll have completed 7 credits by that time. I'm doing really well so far... A's across the boards (95% on the research final) but I'm seriously getting burned out on the pace and volume of reading and information being covered. Its good... but accelerated does NOT mean abridged. Its still ALL the same info you'd get in a regular 4 year BSN, which is why employers LOVE accelerated graduates... we have all of the knowledge of a typical new RN, but with the benefit of 780 hours of ONE-ON-ONE clinical experience with our Nurse Preceptors.

Its a good thing. You're gonna notice some link updates on the left soon... more leaning toward nursing, midwifery and the like... check 'em out if you're interested... otherwise, tune 'em out, it won't hurt my feelings either way.

Cheers!