Nathan has a few different options (touted for being lightweight and bounce-free). Here are the main standout features with the model I picked (btw, it was awesome to have the dude at the running store break down the major differences for me!):

• 8 ounce bottles: You can choose from 8 or 10 ounce bottles. I wanted to go smaller; less weight to carry.
• High-flow race cap: just squirt and go. Other Nathan belts have bottles with spouts you have to open but I figure, why bother with that?
• Velcro belt: The other option is an adjustable buckle. The velcro seemed easier to me.

One other noticeable difference between the 8 and 10 ounce belts is that the 10 ounce belt had a bigger (zippered, if I recall) pocket, perhaps more convenient for carrying your phone. This was definitely something I wrestled with because when I run races I like having the option of carrying my phone so I can snap pictures. However, given that it’s going to be hot for my weekend 10K, I’m just going to forego the phone. I’ll probably be too sweaty to handle it anyway!

I’ve done a few trial runs with this belt and it’s worked great; easy to gear up and the bottles are easy to take out and put back in while running. I highly recommend if you’re looking for a lightweight hydration system!

Melody (pictured above) loves her running headband and hates to get on the road without it. But since the morning of the MCFunRun she couldn’t find it, she is also modeling the basic mid-ponytail below.

Here are your choices:

a.  Grand Rapids Kids Melody (also pictured above) has a sleek and high ponytail.

b. Make and Takes Marie is wearing her small clippy to keep her hair back.

c. Boston Mamas Christine keeps her hair back with a stretchy headband.

d.  Musings of a Housewife Jo-Lynne Shane has my go-to look: the ponytail with running cap is easy to do and keeps the hair, sweat, and sunshine out of my face.

e. Something else entirely. Not pictured are your other creative ideas. Do you fashion a bun or braid? Go free and flowing?

So, what’s your favorite running hairstyle? And is it different on race days?

Congrats to #133 Catie S. Wahoo! We’ll email you for details.

Thanks to everyone who entered. Head over to Albion Fit for all your sport gear. You’ll be happy you did.

Happy running!

• Heather: Love the fun color, bright orange. It matches my shoes. The bright fun colors wake me up from my boring black exercise uniform. We all have one or two of those, right? I also like the side runching that camouflages the three-baby-belly, we all want to camo that area! And it works well as a bottom layer to a running outfit or it can be a running shirt all by itself.

• Marie: My favorite part about these tanks are the built in sport bra. It’s one less restrictive item I don’t need to wear, keeping me free to breath! Again, cute colors, great shape, and long length. Just call me the silver bullet when I run in my hot new tank. Or maybe it’s giving me ninja running powers, there’s something a little extra special about this tank! Although, I guess I should have picked out the fabulous orange color to match my teammates below!

• Christine: I am neither chesty (as evident from this photo!) or tall, but two things that I love about Albion’s love racer tank are the support and length. The built in sports bra is supportive but not painfully restrictive, and the length elongates visually while keeping me free of, er, ride-up drafts. Added bonus? I know you’re supposed to keep this puppy out of the drying machine (and I will try to do that in the future to lengthen the life of the garment), but I’ve run it through the dryer a few times already and the tank has held up beautifully. Yay for low maintenance, cute, and functional fitness gear!

See, lots of love for these sweet tanks! Now it’s your turn. Enter below to win one for your next running adventure. You can also visit them at their new shop located in Salt Lake City, Utah, located on the upper level of City Creek Center! They have a great line of swimwear and darling tops. Have fun gettin’ sporty this year!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tell us about your inspiration for and what you cover at 100 Routes Across America – I want to hear more about the intersection between family travel and personal growth!

I’ve always loved to travel. In September 2011 my family took a road trip from Chicago to New Jersey. That road trip was an epiphany for me. We stayed off the interstates as much as possible, opting for the scenic routes and exploring as many historical places as time allowed. I discovered my passion for American history, and decided I wanted explore every state this way.

Since then I’ve road-tripped quite a bit and with every trip comes some learning. I learn about the kind of person I am, about what motivates me, about my fears. One time I planned to visit a place in the middle of nowhere, Tennessee, that claimed to have the World’s Largest Treehouse. I was alone, and as I followed the directions down a dirt road past a corn field, I was scared. I almost turned around. But then this amazing treehouse appeared. There were families with little children exploring the house with wide eyes, teenagers pushing each other on the huge tree swing, senior citizens taking photos. It was inspiring.

So the blog is about my travels, with and without my family, and how we all learn and grow together. I love being exposed to new places and new cultures and I hope to encourage others to do the same. I’d love to run a 1/2 marathon in every state, but since I’m 43 years old, I’m just not sure that’s possible!

You have a half marathon coming up in March; do you have any recommendations for those considering their first half? (I have a selfish interest here!)

My recommendation for anyone considering a 1/2 marathon is this: Don’t worry about time and just do it. Anyone who is even a little bit fit can walk a half marathon within the time frame (most give you four hours). Once you’ve done a 1/2, you will be hooked and motivated to get stronger and faster. My second piece of advice is to get fitted for proper running shoes. I ran for a YEAR without knowing you’re supposed to buy running shoes a half to full size bigger. And I wondered why my toes would get numb on long runs. Duh.

We here at EBR like food. What are your favorite pre and post race snacks/meals?

I’m rather unimaginative when it comes to food. I go with pasta, bagels, raisins and KIND bars before a race. Post-race, my first choice would be a big chef salad and some french fries. But I’ll pretty much eat whatever is in front of me!

What are you essentials when it comes to running gear?

I live in New Jersey (and loathe the dreadmill), so for cold weather runs I am absolutely in love with my Columbia base layer tights and shirt with Omni-Heat. They are super comfy and warm.  Sweatybands to hold my hair back. My iPhone and the Run Training Pro app.

Are you inspired by any running bloggers? If so, who?

Dorothy from Mile Posts inspires me – she’s amazing. I also love Jenn from Girl Heroes – not a “running” blogger, but I adore her attitude and commitment to fitness. The Hungry Runner Girl is fun to read, but her blog makes me hungry, and I don’t need help in that category.

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Shannon Entin is a travel writer and homeschooling mom on a quest to drive through all 50 states in America. She’s hoping to run through quite a few, too! Read more at 100 Routes Across America.  

Tell us about your blog and why everyone should click on over after reading this interview!

I think I’m someone a lot of women can relate to. I am a mom of two who works full-time and is trying to balance work, family, motherhood and  living a healthy lifestyle.  On Keeping Mommy Sane, I write about my attempts to juggle it all, as well the things, like running, that keep me sane — including fashion, vegetarian cooking and pop culture.

I see that you’re a speed demon! Can you share a bit about your running journey? Have you always been speedy or is this something you’ve been working on?

It’s funny, I’ve never considered myself a “speed demon,” but I guess I am a sprinter at heart. Maybe it’s because the sports I played growing up – tennis and softball – required short bursts of speed.  I only started running seriously in 2010, but by that fall I discovered I was pregnant with my daughter, so running took a bit of a a hiatus. I jumped back into it again in October 2011, when she was 3 months old, with a goal of finishing a 10K in April 2012, followed by a few 5Ks. I ended up competing in six races in 2012 and set a PR in every single one, which was pretty crazy, and in my last race I missed my first sub-25 5K by 2 seconds. Even though I’m looking forward to crossing that goal off my list this year, 2013 will mostly be focused on increasing my endurance … I have two half marathons (my first) coming up!

You’re doing two races as part of Winter Dash (go you!) as tune ups for the Boston Run to Remember Half Marathon. How have you been training with the brutally cold weather this winter?

Honestly,  I am a wuss about the cold, and I’m a born and bred New England girl! Lucky for me, I don’t mind treadmill running, mostly because I have to do many of my runs at 5am. To help me get through tedious treadmill runs, I set the incline at Level 1 to mimic the road and try to alternate between speed work and hills for my shorter runs. I also use my music as the inspiration: when the chorus kicks in, I either sprint or crank up the incline. It makes it more like a game, which keeps me engaged.

We here at EBR like food. What are your favorite pre and post race snacks/meals?

I am a total creature of habit. Before races, I always have coffee and wheat toast with almond butter and sliced banana. It’s not very exciting, but it does the trick. Afterwards, depending on the distance, I like Gatorade G2, bagels and any type of granola bar. Oh, and it never hurts when they’re serving post-race beer!

What are you essentials when it comes to running gear?

As far as sneakers go, I am a Brooks Glycerin girl all the way, and last year, I discovered an unexpected love of running skirts (especially lululemon’s Pacesetter skirt). I am a bit fanatic about my hair falling into my face when I run (so distracting!) so I alternate between SparklySoul headbands and a visor for longer runs. I am also in love with Yurbuds, which have to be the best headphones ever. I swear, those suckers do not budge, which is key because I have to run to music.

Are you inspired by any running bloggers? If so, who?

I am inspired by all my fellow running mamas who have to squeeze in their runs and training in between work and carpool and field trips and soccer practice.  And some of these gals are marathoners – I don’t know how they do it! Some ladies  I follow include Jessica from 30something Mother Runner, Laura from Mommy Run Fast, Dorothy from Mile Posts, Jill Conyers from Fitness, Health & Happiness … the list goes on and on!

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Jessica Grimes is a freelance writer, PR gal and the blogger behind Keeping Mommy Sane. She’s still getting used to calling herself a runner, even though she is training for her first half marathon in May. Jessica lives in the Boston suburbs with her husband, 6-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram at @SaneMommy and on Facebook.

MapMyRide/MapMyRun offers me a cumulative view of how far and fast I’ve been running. I shudder to think about turning it off because I have 348 miles collecting in its virtual memory. It makes me proud. Other features I like about MapMyRun? The little lady inside will whisper splits and pace in my ear or just tell me to turn around because it’s been 15 minutes. There are many other bells and whistles I have not explored and don’t use such as goal setting or calorie input.

My profile screen, check out that total!

The details for my recent workout

My stats for the last few workouts

Recent running routes

Strava is a new love of mine, and she’s been with me for about 78 miles. The little app brain doesn’t speak to me but she makes me go faster because she tracks my personal-records for each segment of my morning jog. She shows me pace and elevation over the course too. If I had more friends on Strava, I could also compare my stats with theirs. Instead, I run with a friend and my husband can see that she ran just a little bit further than me the other day because she took it to the end of the turnaround, and I stopped at the car. Busted. Nerdy good fun, just the same.

Strava profile screen with my highlights

Strava screen showing my route and pace

Ok, if you’re a true numbers geek, it might bug you to see that for the exact same run, my two beloved apps gave me different scores for nearly every dimension. To this, I shrug and say, “I can’t obsess about every detail.”

Strava cheers me on for my personal bests

Each morning before I set out, I activate these two apps because I like to get credit for my effort. Do you run with any apps that you love?

photo from milestone pod

Fellow blogger, Wendy Scherer, tipped me off to the Milestone Pod and now I totally want it to get enough funding to exist. Let me back up first. Did you know that you should not wear running shoes past about 500 miles of use? Well, do you know how long it takes you to get that far? Is it weeks or years? Who can pay attention to that anyway?

The milestone pod is a tiny tracker that is laced into your shoe. This nugget provides mileage data so you know exactly when you cross into the danger zone and never run on shoes that are already worn out. I love it. True, I love tracking things like miles, minutes, and steps but I really love that my knees and body will be protected if I forget to pay attention to the details. And I also think it would be fun to throw myself a little party for each hundred miles I log.

See their video to learn more. Consider investing in their cause.

The fit is the opposite of flattering. Did I mention that I’ve run in it pregnant, multiple times? Do you see how I’m rocking the sparkle skirt below and bare legs and then ruining my whole look with the vest? Ugh.

So, dear community, please tell me what you wear to shelter you from the cold, that breathes a bit, that carries a bunch of stuff, that looks better than my husband’s running vest from last century! Thank you!