Spibelt Giveaway Winner and Swirlgear Love

Congratulations to Sarah of How my World Runs who is the Large Pocket Spibelt Giveaway Winner!!!!!

If you entered and didn’t win, don’t feel sad. I have another giveaway that I’ll be setting up soon.

Swirlgear

In the meanwhile, I wanted to talk about Swirlgear. I became a brand ambassador for Swirlgear around the end of 2013 and I’m excited to represent Swirlgear as I race in 2014. I currently own two pieces by Swirlgear – a capped sleeve pink camo and a black running jacket.

The Good

I love, love, love that the shirt is longer than the average shirt. As someone who is almost all torso*, I greatly appreciate having a shirt where I am not bothered by gaps created by shirts that are too short to stay tucked in.

I really like the fun spray pattern of the shirt (and on many items that Swirlgear sells). I knew that Swirlgear had something special when Ben spontaneously complimented the shirt just before I went out on one of my training runs. He doesn’t normally comment on what I wear, so it’s a big deal that he noticed the shirt.

The running jacket is very light and still keeps you warm. I ran with this jacket in my last race (Apple Chase 10K). After about a mile and half in, I got too warm and decided to take the jacket off. The jacket is light enough that I ran without being hampered by it tied around my waist.

I’m really excited about the new Spring 2014 line. When I joined Swirlgear last year, they only had a few items because they were a brand new company. Now they’re expanding what they are offering and there are many more pieces.

The Bad

The armholes in the jacket are a tad too snug for me. They’re not so small that I’m unable to wear the jacket and more importantly, not be able to run while wearing the jacket, but they are tighter than what I would like. I conveyed my concerns to Lacie Whyte, one of the owners and founder of Swirlgear. She immediately agreed and informed me that the next design of new items will address that issue.

I wish the jacket had side pockets. There’s a small back jacket pocket and a couple of zipper vents by the chest . These pockets are fine with holding small items, such as keys or some money, but they’re not good for holding larger items. The jacket is great when you’re just looking for a nice slim jacket and you don’t want any that could potentially burden you. If you’re a pack rat like me, you want more pockets.

The Ugly

None!

If you’d like to join in the Swirl fun, I have a discount code for you! Friends50 gets you 50% off your order if you order before April 7th. In full disclosure, if you use this code and let me know, I get free shipping in addition to the 50% off that I receive as ambassador. I’m unlikely to actually utilize the free shipping because I already put in my order for their new spring line.

*Seriously, I’m all torso. I’m of average height, but I buy petite pants and I have to get the pant legs shortened.