Five things Friday, ep. 8.

1. Back on track after all the holidays. I love the holidays as much as the next gal but I also like getting back to "regular" life.
   
2. Casey over at Running After Violet (nee Green Girl Runs) is hosting a virtual 10K on January 23. Check it out!
3. I posted a sunglasses review and the winner of the Smartwool socks giveaway over here.
4. Good luck to everyone running the Disney Marathon -- and the Goofy Challenge. Have fun! Those cool temps should actually be good for you. (Go, Marlene!!!)
   
5. I think the folks at Champion are pretty cool. I received some info from them about what they are doing at the aforementioned Disney Marathon. They have this Innovation Lab that (according to the Champion material):

"underscores the brand’s heritage in competitive sports while bringing to life its "How You Play" mantra through the experiences of real, everyday athletes. This year, the 2010 Innovation Lab works with nearly half of the "Perfect 17," those who have participated in the Disney Marathon Weekend since its inception 17 years ago, as well as runners, race-walkers and wheelchair athletes from all skill levels, to test Champion Athleticwear."

Through this program, Champion says it is able to develop great performance apparel by getting real feedback from everyday athletes who participate in the Innovation Lab. Participants were given a variety of Champion performance apparel and, starting in September 2009, asked to catalog their experiences in a Training Log and share real-time insights with the Champion New York Design Team and Champion Athleticwear Consumer Research. The runners received apparel from the brand’s popular Double Dry® line featuring wicking technology, compression tanks and briefs and athleticwear from the Seamless product line. Questions include pace, weather, route (e.g., trail, street, treadmill), comfort, fit and washing machine care.

It was interesting to learn about this program and see that the company tries to have regular runners use their products to ensure that they work for them, in everyday running situations. I would imagine that regular runners are, after all, the bulk of the runners out there, no?

Well, that's it for Friday. Speaking of which . . . WOO HOO! It's Friday!!! Have a great weekend, everyone!

~ Felice