Body Glide (for her)

With some long swimming events and triathlons coming up in the next few months, it was time to buy some Body Glide. I came across this new "for her" version on Wiggle. I couldn't imagine any possible reason why such a product required a female-specific version, but it was about a pound cheaper than the regular stuff, so I ordered it.

When it arrived, I couldn't help but notice it was considerably smaller than the normal one. Suddenly that discount made sense. On the positive side, no longer would I have to suffer the humiliation of asking my big man friends to carry it for me in their larger, masculine bags. It would fit so easily into my handbag, which - naturally - is my preferred choice of carry-on for races and the like. It would also make the application effortless as I would be able to hold onto the container more easily with my feeble lady grip.

Obviously, a bright pink lid is exactly what I wanted as a female consumer. I can't imagine the shame of buying a feminine product in a dull, grey hue.

Running on Ice

When I think back to the last time I was in Alpe d’Huez, my favourite activities – in order of preference – were:

1. Drinking cocktails
2. Drinking shots
3. Eating enormous sandwiches whilst drunk
4. Dancing on tables
5. Gaining extensive knowledge of French confectionery and biscuits
6. Socialising
7. Eating enormous sandwiches whilst sober
8. Skiing/snowboarding

Now I won’t pretend that this time around, I didn’t do any of numbers 1-7. However, what is different was that priority number one was getting in big days on the mountain, closely followed by priority number two: testing out my Yak Trax.

Garmin Swim Review

The box had arrived when I got home from work. I did a tiny squeal of excitement and frantically went about pulling the package apart. Then I sat there for what was probably a good ten minutes, ogling my brand new swimming watch. Whilst I had been scouting out the swim watch market for a little while, I had bought this on somewhat of a whim and I admit, it was a purchase made in the heat of the moment without too much consideration. Nonetheless, it looked like instinct had prevailed.. based on the fact that it was pretty and it fitted my (very small) wrist.

Rocket Fuel

In my opinion, there is nothing that gets you going better than the first hot, caffeinated beverage of the day. I however, do truly hate waiting for anything, so when I first wake up and want my caffeine fix I can’t be doing with the faff of a tea bag or the long wait for a coffee filter to do its thing. Coffee connoisseurs may curse me, but I’m an instant girl and I don’t care who knows it!

There are so many good instant coffees available now that actually some can be just as tasty as ‘proper coffee’ anyway. This one caught my eye though, because I did not find it in the tea/coffee aisle in the supermarket (although apparently it is now being stocked in Tesco and Sainsbury) but in the sports nutrition section of my local health food shop, nestled in amongst carb gels and electrolyte tablets. Any coffee that doubles up as sports nutrition gets my vote.

Finis Tempo Trainer

I bought this little gizmo a couple of months ago as a last ditch attempt to motivate me to get in the pool and do some training. You can set it so it beeps after so many seconds, allowing you to swim up and down whilst keeping to a certain pace. I was a convert the first time I used it as it suddenly dawned on me that regulating my erratic pace made the whole thing so much easier. Unfortunately it doesn't make you magically swim faster.. at least I didn't think it did until yesterday..

Ride Plus Chamois Salve Review

Chafe is a bit of a cyclist taboo. It's like talking to men about menstruation, as soon as the topic rears it's head everyone has a sharp intake of breath whilst grimacing and the subject changes very quickly.


I got handed two tubs of freebies whilst on the way to registration at the Jurassic Sportive. The tubs were identical in size and shape. In one tub was a deep heat muscle rub and in the other tub was a 'chamois salve'.. or for the less articulate amongst us, chafe cream. I was too scared to try either of these on the day just in case a freak accident or mislabelling catastrophe caused any sort of mix up with the two products leaving me with either a very well lubricated neck and shoulder area or.. well.. I'll leave that to your imagination.

Schwalbe Ultremo R.1 Review

I am not a girly girl. I don't care if my hair is a mess, I am not excited by things that sparkle and I wouldn't have a clue what belt to wear to match my shoes. In fact I don't even own any shoes.. except for the cycling variety. Imagine then my surprise when somewhere from deep within my feminine subconscious came a squeal of sheer delight as I realised I'd found a road/race tyre that not only came in different colours, but came in a shade that was a perfect match to my bar tape. Now THAT is accessorising!


However, apart from coming in a spectacular array of fun colours, these tyres do have some other pluses..