Running Commentary

photo credit: Sony Singapore   photo credit: Sony Singapore I’ve had the opportunity to use Sony’s Smart B-Trainer™ for over a week now and have clocked about 90km so far in the trainer as of this post. I’ve used Sony’s previous offerings of waterproof sports MP3 headphones so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect in terms of fit and sound quality. Nevertheless, the Smart-B Trainer™ appealed to me on several fronts. Firstly, I like that it is the only sports-targeted headphone on the market that has everything built into one device: GPS, Heart Rate sensor, step counter and timer. Secondly, it has Bluetooth® capability which allows immediate syncing of data to your smartphone for you to analyse your data via Sony’s “Smart-B Trainer™ for Running” app. Finally, the fit of the headphones has been further refined with more earbud options and even a tension adjustment silicone strap to ensure a more secure fit when running. All these things combine to ensure that the fit

For those of you who find it hard to navigate running shoe jargon or don't know how to choose the right running shoe, head on over to this link: http://secondwindmagazine.com/how-to-choose-a-pair-of-running-shoes/ I've written a basic article here on how to choose a pair of running shoes.

The Japan series of ASICS shoes enjoy the kind of loyal following unheard of among other sports brands, to the extent that everything underfoot (i.e. midsole and outsole) have remained largely unadulterated for over a decade. After all, you don’t fix what isn’t broken. The Japan series shoes are in fact made in Japan; everything from overlays to SpEVA foam production. This is in contrast to their mass market shoes which are mostly made in China. I was very excited to try out these two shoes because they were supposed to have a bouncier and more responsive feel compared to their non-Japan equivalents, i.e. Skysensor Glide and Tartherzeal.  The main thing that puts people off is probably the price. The MSRP of the Skysensor is S$399 and that of the Tarther Japan is S$369 a pair. That is exceedingly exorbitant for running shoes, by any stretch of the imagination, though it is rumoured that the retail price  might  be dropped to a more competitive price point in the near future.