flipbelt review

12.09.14 Update: Flipbelt is sponsoring #BibChat on Tuesday, December 9 at 8pm Central Time. One lucky winner will win a Flipbelt, while everyone else can buy them at a 20% discount - use code BIBCHAT20. Offer only good for the week, so hurry up and purchase. It would make a great gift for a fellow runner :)

You all should know by now that I'm a BibRave Pro (I talk about it ALL the time :) ). With this great ambassadorship comes great (and awesome) responsibilities... like testing out products and reviewing them, for your benefit, of course. BibRave partnered with Flipbelt, who generously gave every BibRave Pro a special code to order a Flipbelt to test out and review. Free of charge. Thanks for being awesome, you guys! Did I mention how much I LOVE being a BibRave Pro?

We each received an individual code to use when purchasing our Flipbelt, which made the Flipbelt free, including shipping (yay!). It was tough deciding on a color – so many options! I was thinking about aqua, neon green, hot pink, and navy blue. I'm someone that prefers bright, so narrowed it down a bit, and then decided on Aqua. 

Color options.

I immediately received a purchase confirmation email (October 21). About 30 minutes after making my 'purchase', I received an email confirming shipment! Whoa - that was fast. The Flipbelt was then scheduled for delivery on the 25th. Low and behold, I received it a day early, on the 24th! What service. 

I loved the color when I opened it, and was happy with my choice. I was a little worried about what size to order, but ended up going with a size that worked perfectly. 

I tested the Flipbelt out first at the gym on the treadmill. I put my inhaler, Kleenex, and phone in there. I used my Jabra Sport Wireless+ earphones for music. The verdict for its first trial? Worked great! Since I knew I'd be going in to use Kleenex and possibly grab my phone for whatever reason, I just left the Flipbelt with the openings on the outside to easily access my items, rather than flip it. I noticed my inhaler had moved to an opening, but it didn't fall out at all. Another bonus was that it never bounced and I barely even noticed that it was on. It stayed in place, which is always a concern with running belts.

Gym essentials.

I tried it a few times on the treadmill and it was the same verdict - no bounce or movement. Awesome. Next it needed a try on the trails. I wore it on my 20 mile run (longest run to date), and again - no problems! I added some Clif Shot Bloks into the belt for the longer run, and they were easy to access and nothing ever fell out, even though I left the openings on the outside again. 

After my 20 mile training run - Flipbelt stayed in place!

One downside I noticed is that my phone often came out a little wet. I am a sweaty gal when I run, so I think the sweat was just getting through my pants and Flipbelt to get at my phone. Wah wah. They do have waterproof plastic bags for sale on their site, so if you're like me (a sweaty beast), I would suggest buying those or using a ziplock bag. 

Other than that, I loved the Flipbelt. It even came with me to Florida for Wine and Dine weekend. I wore it for the Jingle Jungle 5k. The half marathon was scheduled to be rained on (saying it rained the entire race is an understatement), so I used my Fitletic belt, which is a little more water resistant and would protect my phone and keep things drier a little longer (which ended up being not long at all... Haha). 

Mickey's Jingle Jungle 5k outfit ready to go.

Something else great about this belt is the clip inside to hold your keys. I didn't need to use it at all yet, but I think it'll come in handy in the spring time. 

For wear, you just step into the belt and pull it up around your waist. Easy peasy. It's all one piece, so no clipping around like most belts. The cost for each belt is $28.99, which I think is very reasonable. 

Some more information from their website:

Gone are the days of baggy sweat pants with bulky pockets. Active wear is sleeker and more stylish than ever before. The only problem is there’s nowhere to hold your phone, music and keys. That’s where FlipBelt comes in. Who would have thought a singular tubular waistband could solve one of the biggest nuisances that athletes face—where to tuck must-have items while exercising.

Every bit as flattering and contoured as the rest of today’s athletic wear, FlipBelt is designed to carry your on-the-go essentials without tying up your hands. Made of a moisture-wicking, spandex-lycra blend, FlipBelt slides right on and sits snug on your hip. No bulk. No bounce. FlipBelt is also machine washable and machine dryable.

To keep items secure, all you have to do is flip the belt inward. Now, everything you need while exercising fits right around your waist. Have a great workout!

Connect with Flipbelt: Website • Twitter • Instagram • Facebook

Read what the other Pros have to say:

Amy 
Angie

Jenn

Sarah

week in review: october 27–november 2

Dopey Challenge Training: Week 18

Monday, October 27: rest day

Tuesday, October 28: 2.96 miles (treadmill; 2 incline; 60/60 run/walk intervals)

Wednesday, October 29: rest day

Thursday, October 30: 3.17 miles (treadmill; 1.5 incline; 60/60 intervals, then 120/60)

Friday, October 21: 30 minute walk

Saturday, November 1: 8.5 miles (treadmill; 1.5 incline; 30/120 intervals)

Sunday, November 2: 20.05 miles

Weekly mileage:  34.68 miles

Total mileage for Dopey Challenge Training: 298.38 miles

This week in training went well. I ended up with only one day of cross training, but had four days of running. I ran after work, so hit up the gym on Tuesday and Thursday. My right knee hurt a little bit on Tuesday, but has been fine since then. 

Wednesday I went to my cousin's house for our annual pumpkin carving and pizza night. That was a lot of fun catching up, since it's been a while. Friday after work traffic was horrible, so I walked to the train station rather than the bus, since I figured it would be quicker to walk anyway. It was in the low 40s and had winds of up to 38 MPH. Whoa. The wind was literally pushing me around, it was crazy. There were also some snow flurries that day, I felt bad for the kids having to trick-or-treat in that weather. 

Friday evening my husband and I went met some friends at a brewery which was hosting a Halloween Party – it was a lot of fun. They had a costume contest and some special tappings and Halloween cocktails; deliciousness. Then came a tough weekend.

Great snack to hold me over until lunch.

Treadmill workout done!

On Saturday I did a lot of house cleaning, laundry, and went to the gym, which was fairly empty and I loved, to do an 8.5 mile easy/slow run. Luckily, I had a treadmill with a working TV, so I was able to watch Spiderman and an episode of "Friends". Even though I listened to music, it was nice to have something to watch to help keep me entertained. Since I had 20 miles the next day, and the 17 miles was a bit rough because I took the 7 miles a bit too fast two weeks prior, I took those 8.5 miles as slow as I could stand. At one point I was just thinking that I just wanted to be done, but I tried to stay on the slow end (and I'm slow anyway, so you can imagine just how slow I had to go haha). I did 2 minutes of walking and 30 seconds of running on a 1.5 incline. I brought some Nuun to drink and had two Clif Shot Bloks. Afterwards, I ate a Lemon Vanilla LUNA protein bar. Yum.

Gym essentials.

Luckily, I had no plans for Saturday, so the rest of the day was lounging on the couch, making dinner, resting/recovering, and gathering my gear for Sunday's run. I went to bed fairly early, so happy to know that the time change would be happening while I slept. Loved. Waking up at 7 wasn't so bad when my body felt like it was 8. However, I wasn't too thrilled to see the temperature outside was 'feels like' 25. Woof.

I ended up not getting to the trail until about 9, since I dragged my feet a bit leaving the house hoping the weather would warm up a bit. Then, when I got there, I had to drive around a bit to find a parking space – it was much more crowded than I was expecting, which turned out to be because there was a group of 20+ hikers that all drove separately taking up most of the spaces. 

Fueling my very long run.

I wore my Patagonia long sleeve light-weight top, a dry-tech short sleeve, Saucony jacket (I love the jacket because there are zip pockets so I can store a bunch of stuff like Kleenex and such), Athleta capris, Zensah compressions sleeves, Features socks, my Brooks trail shoes, Orangemud Double Barrel HydraQuiver with Nuun, and my Flipbelt filled with my ENERGYbits, Clif Shot Bloks Orange flavor with caffeine, and a Picky Bar. 

I started with 30 seconds running and two minutes walking. I took two shot books every two miles, and took 15 ENERGYbits before starting, along with another 10 at mile 9. The first 5 miles went great. I was feeling good and thinking optimistically. Unfortunately, around mile 5.5 I started having horrible shin pains on my left leg. Sometimes it hurt when I walked, other times when I ran. I couldn't quite figure out why it was hurting, and couldn't stop the pain. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to finish the miles. I managed to walk/run the same intervals till I got back to the start. 

20 miles complete!

Lucky for me, my husband agreed to meet me for the final 10 miles. When I got back to the start, I swapped out my empty bottle of Nuun for the extra one I put in my car in a cooler. After the swap, my husband and I started the final half of the run. Unfortunately, I had to do a lot more walking – my shin was not having it when I tried to run. My arches started to really hurt towards the end as well, but I managed to finish, albeit with a very slow time. Sometimes the pain would subside, and sometimes it was constant, while other times it was more of a sharp quick pain. I haven't had pain so bad in quite a long time, and if my husband wasn't there with me helping to keep me motivated and keeping my mind off of it all with some chatter and jokes, I probably would have quit before I hit 20. I am very thankful for that. I made sure to take it slow, so I didn't injure myself more; I'm smart enough to listen to my body and not push too hard.

When I got home, I drank some chocolate milk with extra protein and tossed my legs up the wall. After a shower, I put my Dr. Cool Wrap around my shin to help alleviate the pain and possible swelling. Family came over for dinner, and during that time my right calf started hurting. Oh boy. The joys of marathon training. I went to bed around 9:30... I was exhausted! Luckily, when I woke up, my right leg felt better, and my shin, though still in pain, was better than last night. I'm hoping another day of elevation, ice, compression, and no running helps it heal. I've never had shin splints, so not sure if that's what it was. Anyone ever deal with shin splints or the pain I described? Any tips?

Anyway, I'm really happy that I finished all the miles that were in my training plan for the week. Though it was really tough, I'm proud that I completed it all :) Training with the Flipbelt (thanks BibRave) this week has gone well and you can expect a review later this week.
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As a side note, ENERGYbits is running a promotion right now called BITS for BIBS. Do this soon – the offer is only for a few weeks: 

To celebrate your success and commitment to a lifestyle of running and working hard to achieve your fitness goals, the ENERGYbits team would like to congratulate you with some fun swag and a chance to brag!

All you need to do is:

1. Email Emily Pettengill epettengill at energybits.com a photo of one or more of your 2014 race bibs and your twitter handle.

2. In the subject line of the email put “BITS for BIBS”.

3. Immediately (or within 48 hours of emailing Emily), place your next order on www.energybits.com. Remember to use code HeatherRuns for a 25% discount!!

4. The ENERGYbits team will include a SWAG Bag (value $50.00) when they receive your order.

5. They will post your bib photo on a promotion card and Tweet it!

Don’t delay! This promotion will only run for a few weeks!
[Please Note: they can only send one SWAG Bag per person. Thanks!]

Look What’s in Your BITS for BIBS SWAG Bag!

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How was your week/end? Did training go well? Hope you all had a great Halloween! Welcome to November. 

P.S. Make sure to review your race(s) on BibRave.com, and join us for #BibChat tomorrow night at 8pm CT.