ZWIFT RUN - GO ZWIFT POD REVIEW

Disclaimer:  I received the ZWIFT RUNPOD to use and review as part of being a BibRave Pro. 

Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), 

and check out BibRave to review, find and write race reviews.

Minnesota winters can be brutally cold, so as an avid runner, it's imperative to have a treadmill when the weather gets chilly.  I do have amazing running gear to brave the cold, but rain and fresh snow and sub-zero temperatures just are not safe.  Consequently, my treadmill has been a life-saver!  However, it can be challenging to train on a treadmill effectively and it can get quite boring.  

Recently, I was given the to opportunity to try the ZWIFT RUN POD.  I first learned of ZWIFT because I was able to attend the TRE Running Event in Austin Texas.  As influencers, we were treated like royalty and were greeted when we arrived with a private ZWIFT party!   Here we all our as a group!  This is such a great photo I just had to share! THANK YOU ZWIFT! 

The private ZWIFT experience was such a unique opportunity because a few fellow bibrave pros were even able to run on the treadmill as we cheered them on.  It was very cool to watch them run a virtual course on the big screen!  The people of ZWIFT were so accommodating and made sure that our every question was answered!  

Cheering on fellow pros as they ran their virtual course! 

So what exactly does the ZWIFT RUN POD do?  The pod attaches securely to your shoe laces to instantly connect you with a virtual running community from all over the world!  Anyone who has a pod can sync up and run on the same course!   Just tap the pod and GO!  It will automatically turn off with inactivity. 

Here is the pod attached to my laces; it fits securely 

At first, right out of the box, I was a bit confused as to how to insert the battery.  But, with a quick youtube search I found that with a strong grip and a click to the right, the top came off and the battery slid right in!  When you tap on the pod, a green light will appear and you are ready to run!  The pod syncs with compatible devices with bluetooth to transmit directly to the app!  I was able to pair my Apple Watch AND my Under Armour HOVR shoes with ease.  Make sure you download the ZWIFT app!  In addition, the ZWIFT COMPANION app is very helpful too! 

Over the past month, I've had a great time following along with my avatar and watching her run the different courses provided!  You can even run the course in New York City!   One of the functions I really enjoyed was the virtual trainer.  During the run, you are prompted with speed increases and bursts of speed as well as how to properly recover or drop your speed during tempo runs, for example.  This function is great because it's not always easy to know if you're training hard/well enough.  This pod will take that guess work out for you!   Just look at how beautiful this virtual scenery is! 

Recently, many of us from Bibrave joined up in a virtual run!  We were able to schedule a group run during a time when many of us would be available to join.  VOILA!  At the start time, we were all synced up and running together!  *Remember to calibrate your running speed or the pod will not be as accurate, however.   It truly was so fun to see the names of my friends running alongside me; all virtually from all across the country! 

I have already used this RUN POD a lot!  I use it regularly as a supplement to my training as I have found it comes in handy!  Plus, it definitely makes my runs more fun!   And, at $29.99 it's an inexpensive investment that will surely liven up your same-old boring treadmill runs! 

TRE - RUNNING EXPERIENCE!

I was given the opportunity to attend the TRE INFLUENCER DAY at the running event in Austin, Texas as part of being a BibRave Pro.  I was also given a travel stipend and other running related items for my participation. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), 

and check out BibRave to review, find and write race reviews.

Part of the BibRave Pro team at the State Capitol.  Photo Credit: Larry Castillo Photography

This past weekend was an absolute BLAST!  Not only did this Minnesota girl escape the cold "BOLD NORTH" to a warmer climate, she got to experience a runners paradise!  But, don't worry!  A snow storm awaited me as I stepped off the plane when I returned home!   The TRE event was a nice break from the frigid temperatures and it was even more fun to meet fellow bibrave peeps whom most I've not met in person and only in our little corner of the internet. 

So, what is TRE?  It is a premier conference and trade show for running specialty stores.  It is not open to the public and is just for vendors to browse up and coming trends and products in running.  But this year,  I was able to attend as special guest influencer.  I was beyond excited!! 

This event took place at the Austin Convention Center and was full of running related gear.  Was it heaven?  Close to it for sure!   This was the inaugural event and is a 3-day expo featuring many amazing brands showcasing gear!  Picture a race expo, only far less people and full attention from the brands! *I will be reviewing each item I have received so look for those reviews coming soon! 

ZWIFT RUNNING EVENT

After arriving in Austin, Thursday around lunch time, I quickly met up with some of the other bibrave pros attending the conference.  We had lunch and explored the city!  I am a sucker for murals and fun photos, so we walked about the city to explore some of what it had to offer!  As you can see, we had some fun shenanigans with photos!  

Thursday evening kicked off our first meet and greet with ZWIFT.  This was so much fun because it was the first time all of the bibrave pros were brought together to meet one another.  It was there, that we were presented with our epic SWAG bag full of amazing goodies for us to enjoy!  See below for a pic of the amazing goods.    

The purpose of this event was, first and foremost, to come together to cheer on some fellow pros as they ran a virtual 5K with the ZWIFT run pod.  Are you a treadmill runner?  You will LOVE the zwift running pod.  Are you an outdoor runner, but the winter has you blue?  You will LOVE the zwift pod.  Do you just want to run a virtual run with friends and compete online?  You will LOVE the zwift pod.    It attaches to your shoe so you can run virtually with anyone on the internet that also has the pod!  How cool is that? 

We were treated like royalty from the start form the representatives at Zwift.  They are an amazing company and I will say I have loved running with the pod so far.   A thorough review of this product will be following in the weeks to come on my blog as well.  

BROOKS VIP EXPERIENCE

Thursday evening was a night I won't soon forget!  We were so blessed to be invited to the biggest running party of the year at the BROOKS VIP EXPERIENCE.  This was a private VIP party to celebrate the running event.  We had an incredible band to listen to and all of the libations you can imagine.  We danced our feet right off and made lasting friendships laughing and dancing the night away! 

Plus - every serious runner's dream - meeting THE Des Linden.  I had to snap a picture of her and she graciously accepted!    

As influencers, we received a pair of Brooks Ghost 11's and an amazing reflective jacket as well.  This is just what I need for my early am runs in the dark so I am stoked to be able to represent Brooks just like the real running pros!   This jacket is so COOL! 

TRE INFLUENCER DAY  - MORNING RUN

The next morning, bright and early and fueling on about 4 hours of sleep, we met in the streets of Austin to do our first ever Bibrave group run!  This was such a fun run!  How cool for me, especially being from MN, to run the streets of Austin in late November, in a tank top and shorts.  I was sweating in no time and loved running with my fellow pros.  We ran through the streets of Austin like we owned it and had so much fun!  Most of us even were sporting some of our new gear given to us the night before!  

Here is a great pic on the street with a few of my friends!

TRE INFLUENCER DAY AT THE CONVENTION CENTER

After our run, we quickly got ready to attend the expo where we had private presentations from the vendors.  It was so much fun talking with them and making new friends along the way.  I, unfortunately, did not get any pictures at the expo itself.  I was too busy documenting my journey at the expo on my instagram stories!  Whoops!  Make sure to tune into my instagram page runningaroundtheboyz for more FUN there! 

We walked around the convention center until about 1:00pm and then had the rest of the afternoon to ourselves.  I really wanted to explore more of the city, and since I was leaving very early Saturday morning, I jumped on a scooter and toured the city on my own!  I did some shopping, saw some of the famous Austin murals and had an all around great time!  it's amazing what you can discover when there is no timeline!  I had a blast!  Here's me on my scooter.  If you haven't used on - you MUST! 

A trip to Austin would NOT be complete without the famous Austin postcard!  It was a beautiful day and I was so happy to have ventured off the beaten path to see this!  

This trip was an incredible adventure and I had so much fun!  I will cherish the memories forever and it has strengthened my bond with so many people!  I only hope that TRE will bring us back as influencers next year!