I was ready to love these, but I didn't. I've been wearing these shoes for the past 5 weeks on muddy, wet, sloppy spring trails. While the waterproof lives up, I agree with the reviews here that state that these are just not good for long miles because of the lack of any real cushion in the toe. The balls of my feet get incredibly, almost unbearably achey. The truth is, in the Wasatch, even wet trails have rocks, and the pain has been so acute with these shoes that I have to be careful and tentative with each footfall. This is definitely not what I want in a trail shoe. I need my shoes to be bomber, so I can lean into my runs and be aggressive. I can't do that with the XA Pro. I am going to retire these for now and keep them for snowy months only, when the trails are softer and there are no rocks to make my feet scream.

I am in search of the perfect training partner watch/HRM/GPS unit. I am testing and trying and WANTING to find my match. As an autobio, I'm a multisport endurance athlete. This is closer to what I need than the Garmin 405 (see my review of that one, if you're interested) but it's still not "the one." First of all, the positives. The GPS tracks well, though I do lose the signal in very heavily wooded areas or deep in canyons. I have not tested the altitude feature extensively because my training is not centered on this factor. The computer interface and data reporting is exceptional and can even be addicting. I love the auto multisport features and the display screen can be adjusted to report to you the information that you need to know. One frustration is that you can set the screen displays for both running and biking, but those screens are not the default screens when the watch is in multisport mode. You have to hit the buttons to get to the screen that you want to see. (If you're not in auto multisport mode, you don't have to do this.) But the biggest let-down of the 305 is that again, similar to the 405, the battery life is just too short for long endurance athletes. Ten hours tops, but most of the time, I got 8-9 hours worth of tracking. So even though I don't wear it during the Ironman swim (it is not waterproof and is not intended for use in the water), I can't even get all the way through the run without a dead battery. And that's when I most want to know how I'm doing. It's hopeless on long training days and adventures too. So while I would definitely recommend this watch for any single- or multisport athlete who needs tracking only up to 8-9 hours, I cannot give the thumbs up for the rest of us. I'm still looking for my dream tracker. I'll let you know when I find it.

I travel to races - Ironman and 70.3-distance triathlons. I need to haul gear. Lots of it. And safely. The Juggernaut is the best piece of luggage that I've ever used. The frame and heavy-duty nylon give the bag shape and stability so you don't have to deal with floppy sidewalls while packing and it stands substantial on its own. It's super durable, well designed with thoughtful considerations (removeable zip-in mesh bags; well-placed, durable zippers; a comfortable handle; bottom bumpers for stability and protection; and cross-purposed strap/handles that clip across the top of the bag for extra reinforcement and easy carrying). I can fit all my tri gear (but the bike) and all the extras I need in it and still easily manage wheeling it around while I lug my cumbersome bike case behind me as well. I highly recommend it. Highly. I love it.

HEED is a pure concoction of electrolytes and long chain aminos, but it is sweetened by stevia, which is in fact, quite sweet and has a very unique taste. Note that it is sweet, not sugary. There is a difference. Some people love it, some don't. I don't. I have a super sensitive stomach and dislike sweet drinks while training and racing, so it doesn't work well for me. I have friends who swear by it. I would test it out by buying a small package from a local bike or running shop (since Backcountry doesn't sell single servings) before going for broke and buying a jug. As alternatives for electrolyte replenishment, you may want to also try nuun or Elete.

I love ProBar. I love Koka Moka. But note that there are 20g of fat per serving/bar. Twenty grams is approximately 1/3 the "daily allowance." That is a lot. On long tours or all-day excursions in the mountains, the high fat content could be a perfect addition to all the healthy, organic ingredients that are packed into each bar - or it could just be irrelevant. But the fat content is something worth noting if you're just looking for a healthy mid-afternoon snack. If you don't give a damn about a few grams of fat, try the ProBar sweet and savories as well. With tasty little numbers like Sesame Goji, Cocoa Pistachio, Maple Pecan, Kettle Corn, and Cherry Pretzel, you may never count fat grams again.

I would not eat these for racing, but for long, long runs or rides or skis in the mountains, these are perfect. They're real food. You know what I mean. After hours and hours of sucking down gels or gnawing on "energy bars" or drinking paste as nutrition, there's nothing better or more welcome than a delicious bite of something that is real and simple and...good. The ingredient list will impress you, with no fancy science words and nothing you can't pronounce. And all those ingredients that you can pronounce? Yep, they're organic.

I'm a triathlete and I go out for open water swims with my lab, Frank. I love it when she swims right beside me, but I found that when we'd get out a good distance from the shore, even though she's a born waterdog, she'd panic a little bit and try to crawl up on me. It wasn't a huge problem, but it disrupted my stroke and her nails put holes in my wetsuit. So I bought her her own "wetsuit" to give her a little extra confidence in the water. It's very adjustable so it fits well around her little body and there's a great pocket in the back for her ball. Now I can swim for miles and not have to worry about her or my wetsuit.

I've known about nuun for a long time now, but because sports drinks have always upset my stomach while training and racing, I never tried them. Until I was stuck in the Where's Karl? RV with Karl Meltzer, Matt Hart and Senior during Karl's Appalachian Trail speed record attempt this summer. Karl and Matt drank nuun instead of plain water always. The standard dialogue at each crew stop was: "How much water do you want in your pack? How many tabs of nuun?" I decided to give it a try. Besides being super convenient and easy to manage (you don't have to deal with mixing messy powders or diluting syrupy drinks), they're not too sweet and they are absolutely great for electrolyte dosage. Plus, they don't upset my stomach. For the first time ever, I'm able to get the electrolytes that I need in a drink. That's huge. I'm a big fan of the tri-berry. It's my first choice and I rarely drink anything else. Lemon+Lime and Citrus Fruit are good too. But Cola? Can't do it. Won't do it.

I'm choosy when it comes to socks. Dry, blister-free feet are happy feet. And happy feet make a happy runner. I like the thinness and the low profile of the Ultralight. I like the softness of the sock. I like that even when I run through mud puddles, water puddles, or snow puddles (I know that snow doesn't come in puddles, but I like the sounds of it), the wool does it's wicking and fast-drying wool thing and takes care of my toes. Plus, Teko is a great Eco brand.

Teko is my new go-to running and cycling sock of choice. I alternate between the Teko Ultralight and the Teko Light Mini, depending on what I'm up to. I wear the Ultralight on road running days, but I opt for the Light Mini when trail running, mountain or road biking. I appreciate the snug fit of the thin sock. And the EcoMerino provides better-than-anything-else wicking and faster-than-anything-else drying, and that translates into warm, dry, blister-free feet.

I wear this shirt on every run on every unwarm day in the fall/winter/spring. It's great alone on cool mornings or under a fleece and jacket on cold ones. I love the longer sleeves that pull over my hands, which, because of Reynaud's, turn to iced-up clubs at any given temp below 55 degrees. The thumb hole allows me to pull the sleeves down and over my liner/running gloves for added warmth. I've found over the years, that if my wrists are cold, my hands are cold. This shirt does the trick. I love the neck zip for temperature regulation. It's soft as your favorite blanket and because of the merino, stays odor free use after use. I know. Like I said, I wear it every day (and I don't do laundry every day). But, just so you know, if it ever gets to the point where I can't imagine wearing it one more day without washing, I plan ahead to get it ready to go in time for the next morning run. Because I'm not going out there without it. I treat this shirt well, washing in cold water and hanging it to dry. I'm not sure if that's necessary, but I want it to live for a long, long time.

I'd used the Garmin 301 for years for tri training and loved it. I wore the thing smooth and mourned its premature (and violent) death when I drove off with it still on the roof of my car on a mountain biking and running trip to Moab. So after I dried my tears and pulled myself together, I decided to upgrade to the best of the Garmin line. I figured they'd rightfully earned my loyalty. But unfortunately, I have never in my life been so disappointed in something that I was so looking forward to. First of all, the 405 does not have multisport capabilities. I should have known this because I actually did do research on the thing before I bought it. But I wrongfully assumed that since it was "higher end" than the 301/305 versions, it would have tri-compatible functionality. Nope. One sport at a time, with a hell of a lot of bezel taps and turns in between to get it to track another sport. Second, the design that initially seemed cool, the bezel touch system, soon became nothing but a nuisance. The slightest touch of the bezel would change the settings. Even when I locked the bezel, I always hit the unlockable two button controls on the side of the head, which would start or stop the timer. (Imagine a too-big watch on your wrist. Imagine where that watch falls when riding a bike. Imagine it hitting the top of your hand.) Third, the life of this battery is only 8 hours. Eight hours! On any given day, any endurance athlete could be out there getting after it for more than eight hours. It is simply not enough. I'll even go so far as to say that it is useless for the go-long set. The tools that this Forerunner features are bigtime tools. Why not pair them with a battery that's worth a damn? So here's the story: I wore the 405 religiously every day for 3 months. Finally I got so frustrated with it that I cleaned the thing up, repackaged it and sold it on eBay for half of what I paid for it. I'm not totally down on Garmin, just mostly. And I'm not sure yet what I'm going to replace this with. So if you have any great suggestions, please let me know.

I broke these in on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia and Tennessee in a week of back-to-back 20-mile runs. I had problems at all with them right out of the box. I like their stability, their traction and their fit. I use a Powerstep Pinnacle insole for more cushioning, especially for the balls of my feet. Great shoe. Highly recommended for narrow footed, neutral striders.

This is one of the Nathan Packs that Karl used on the Appalachian Trail during his speed record attempt this fall. I borrowed our friend Billy's Zone 2.0 on the days I accompanied Karl on the trail and I am not exaggerating when I say that I absolutely fell in love. L-O-V-E. I've always used Camelbak, but after running with Nathan, I'm a convert. The reservoir is marked in ounces, so you can gauge how much water you take with you for a set distance; the fit is snug so you don't get chaffed; and the pockets and bungees are thoughtfully placed. It's good.

K. So I'm a girl that likes the pink. I like long hard triathlons, I like fast muddy cross races, I like sweat, I like blood, I like grass stains and I like pink. I don't ever choose color over performance, but if I can have both, I'm happy. Thanks to Oakley, my pink Radars match my pink racing bike, my pink racing helmet and my pink kit. What's cool about this affinity for the blush is that at every race, little girls on the route cheer for me like crazy. And if I can inspire them to be badasses by wearing pink, then that's a hell of a good reason to wear pink.

Hammer is my fuel of choice but I can't stomach countless gels over the course of long hours. My endurance fuel of choice is to mix a thick cake-battery paste of Hammer Perpetuem with Hammer Gel and a little water. I go for plain or vanilla on the gel because I can't handle too-sweet flavors on long, long days. (If you do go for the mix option, try using a food processor to get a nice smooth consistency.) Now Backcountry needs to start selling Perpetuem.