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Dec 9, 2010

Road ID - the most useful thing you could buy

I'm sure it's likely that most of you carry ID when you run, right?  Many might even use Road ID.  I wanted to comment that I really think this is the best thing a runner could buy and the best decision I have made.  For $20, it could seriously save your life.  If you don't carry ID, then you should start and Road ID makes it easy since it's so comfortable to wear. 

This past summer, I used to carry my ID in my water bottle.  That seemed to work great until the day I did this, I forgot it in there and got pulled over by a state trooper.  Unfortunately, I did not have my ID with me.  Fortunately, the trooper was really nice about it.  He did not give me a ticket for doing 17 over the speed limit(I know, slow down) but he did give me a ticket for not having my ID.  Fortunately the ticket can be erased with no fee by showing a police station your ID later and they scrap the ticket.

Anyway, had I owned the Road ID at the time, I would not have had this happen to me.  More importantly though, if I had been hit by a car when running, my bottle would have likely been thrown 50 feet and the EMS(or coroner) would be wondering who I was.  Unfortunately for me, I need to run when it's dark out since I'm up a 5am to run each morning.  I don't know about you but there have been several times when drivers are just not paying attention in the morning because they are usually still half asleep - and I run with reflective gear, a flashing red light(also from Road ID) and a headlamp!  I even had a close call with a car turning left when I was trying to cross the street.  Fortunately, I am very cautious and pay extra attention to cars in the morning.

So, hopefully you have learned something from my story - buy a Road ID to help potentially save your life.  Here's a couple pictures of mine.  Of course, I moved the ID part so it could not be seen in the picture but you can see what it looks like on their website(you can click the little Road ID icon on my site).  I have NEVER run without it since I received this and never will no matter where I'm running.







Now, onto the really important stuff ----

The stupid running question of the day(and I know I already did one today but had time tonight so I figured, what the heck, I'll live dangerously)

Given the fact that many people are living in cold climates(and really even if you are not - use hot weather for your answer), what's your bottom line temperature that you would move to the treadmill instead of being outside?

For me, I think I found that temperature out today - 15 degrees.  Perhaps I would go another 10 degrees lower but I need to purchase a Balaclava first to see if I'm willing to go lower.

Have a great night and.......Keep Running!

13 comments:

  1. Macikinac Island sounds great. I love running near water and it sounds like you are by it most of the time.

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  2. I have a Road ID too. I wear it on every run AND I wear it at the gym in case something happens to me. For me, it's usually not the cold that stops me from running outside, it's the darkness. It's usually only feasible for me to get runs in outside on the weekend and sometimes on Tuesdays. I will run around 15 as well. Last year I got a "chapped" face until I started putting Aquaphor on my face. It worked like a charm. Definitely want to invest in a Balaclava this year!

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  3. Hey, thanks for the comment!

    Bottom line temp for me thus far is -5 degrees. I've never tried anything colder. Not sure that I want to:)

    Boston-SUPER expensive trip when you have a 3 kids with a $15 grand/year hockey habit. I would love to have gone but I'm reserving the spendy trips for PR seeking races! Maybe doesn't make sense but I didn't WANT to run it just for fun at this point. When the youngen's are gone I'll probably run it every year that I can qualify! Great race!

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  4. I understand Jenn. Although I doubt I will be fast enough to ever run it or at least not until I'm old enough.

    Mallory - I may need to try Aquaphor.

    ajh - being in Michigan, it's hard not to be around water!

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  5. Thanks for stopping by!

    I'm still figuring this out. I have no treadmill though, so if I run, it's outside. I don't mind the cold, unless it's windy. That wind kicks my butt.

    I'm with you on the balaclava...

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  6. I run in the dark too, but at night. With reflective gear and all the lights. I had always thought that Road ID wouldn't really save my life, just tell people who I was if I did die.

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  7. I love my Road ID! Thanks for reminding people of the importance of having them.

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  8. I love my Road ID, although I need to update it with current contact people now that I live in Michigan.

    As to your question, it didn't matter how hot it was outside in Florida I'd NEVER hit the dreadmill BUT with as cold as it's been getting here in Michigan I might consider...CONSIDER hitting it soon more so from snow then anything else... so far so good right now but I've yet to have a run that's below the teens or had a ton of snow.

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  9. Thanks so much for stopping by!

    I so agree with you about Road ID - I love it, simple and effective!

    I'm still trying to figure out how low a temp I can stand - today was pretty tough at 22...but I'm not a fan of the 'mill so we'll see :)

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  10. Chris K - Yes, you are right, maybe not save your life unless you have something unusual that perhaps the EMT's need to know. Thanks everyone for your comments. I'm trying to get out to comment to all your blogs but boy there sure are a lot of them!

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  11. Not a silly question at all. My bottom line temperature...well, I'm not sure what it is yet. I'm driven inside once it gets icy. I wiped out this summer (got into a fight with a pothole, it was dark and really early in the am)...and it won. I didn't have a cell phone with me, so had to hobble home on a messed up knee. Every since then, wiping out while running (either caused by potholes or ice) isn't appealing.

    And, coincidentally, it was the same day I decided I needed to get a RoadID. My ID was in the pocket on my water bottle...and when I crashed and burned, my water bottle went flying. If I had hit my head, and been knocked out, no one would have known who the crazy lazy passed out in the middle of the street was. :-)

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