This weekends long run was taken by the coast on a gloriously sunny interlude. Every run prep for the last 6 weeks or so has involved an emergency raincoat but this weekend I had to switch it for sunglasses.
I wasn’t well prepared for the run at all, I had a tiny water bottle and a new armband to try out and 7 miles of a hot dehydrating run ahead of me. I didn’t have much room for my usual long distance supplies and quickly found myself wilting in the sun.
There are a number of loo stops along the coast but there isn’t much provision for topping up water supplies – the sinks have been replaced by municipal contraptions that shower the hands with a mist of soapy water. I did attempt to decant the mist into my water bottle but fortunately one of the cleaners was around and he let me use his private source of tap water.
I wasn’t so lucky at the next stop, no cleaners and no water flow to the soapy misters. I considered the toilet cistern but that was sealed too.
I was trying out the Armpocket Sport armband. This is the 4th armband I’ve had to review and its hard to believe they can be so different. This one is massive and I struggled to find things to fill it with. I started with my iPhone obviously but as its not iPhone specific, the gadget felt a bit floppy on its own. I followed it up with some emergency cash and keys and then found myself at a bit of a loss – the pouch was pretty much empty but what else does a runner want to carry on their arm? It wasn’t big enough for a water bottle, rain coat or a banana. In the end I shoved a bag of boiled sweets in there, pretty much just as a filler.
It proved to be the most comfortable armband I’ve tried out, the arm strap is nicely padded and it will work with a range of arm sizes. Unfortunately I found it a bit disappointing out on the run. I had to slide my iPhone in upside down as the headphone jack is on the bottom, this coupled with the slightly loose, non-iPhone specific housing, made the phone quite tricky to use behind the plastic window.
Having forgotten to charge my Garmin I was using quite a number of apps on the run, I had the now obligatory Zombies, Run! app on the go and was substituting the Garmin with the rather impressive Runmeter GPS app. I struggled and grumbled as I tried to use them with the phone still ensconced in the armband. I couldn’t get the voice control function to translate my breathless instructions so also had to access the phone to make a mid run call and to take a photo of the scenery. It wasn’t easy, the headphone cable is held in a vice like grip and I was worried that if I accidentally disconnected it while I tried to retrieve my phone then my Zombie voice over might be disturbed.
I want to like the armband, it’s comfortable, has a really rugged, good quality construction but it’s just a bit too big and doesn’t suit the iPhone well enough. I’d prefer my phone to be held tighter against the plastic, preferably the right way up and with a full piece of fabric behind it so it doesn’t risk being scratched by the other trammel being carried.
If you want to run with a full sized wallet on your arm and don’t mind bumping into door frames as you pass through, this could be just what you need. It comes in a more subtle black version if you don’t need to draw attention to an expensive piece of kit hanging from your arm.
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