or

Gear

Gear Review: Outdoor Research Winter Running Gloves

Running outside is feeling pretty chilly these days, especially on my hands.

Running outside is feeling pretty chilly these days, especially on my hands. I just picked up a pair of thin, lightweight running gloves that are perfect for keeping my fingers warm — the Women's PL 110 Gloves ($24) by Outdoor Research.

I love that these gloves have a thin fleece lining that's comfy and warm. When it's super cold out, I slide my fingers out of the finger holes and hold my hands in a fist. When my hands heat up, I slide my fingers in their respective slots and they cool off. The outside is similar to softshell material; it's smooth and contours to my hands. I also love that these gloves are tight all over, especially by my wrists, so no air can make its way into the glove to create a chilly draft. The only thing I don't like is that the fabric has started to pill on the palms of gloves. That's just cosmetic though, and I can deal since they do an excellent job keeping my hands toasty. If you don't want to spend a lot of dough, you can pick up a pair of the gloves in blue for only $10 at Gearx.com. What a deal!

Travel

Shop Spotlight: Portland's The Hip Hound

While my lil guy was off having a blast, I couldn't get him off my mind!

While my lil guy was off having a blast, I couldn't get him off my mind! So, when I was doing some shopping in Portland over the weekend, I was delighted to spot this sign.I totally fell for the puppy dog eyes and followed the arrow to an absolutely adoro shop! The Hip Hound stocks the cutest stuff for your pets from a kitty corner for the felines to a clothesline of gear for your pooches. The first thing that I noticed was the super selection of outdoorsy gear . . . I guess Oregon has some sporty pups who need things like hiking backpacks and life jackets for their own summertime fun.

I know if I called that place my home, I'd need to get North started on a super new cardio routine pronto 'cause he's got enough trouble with the hills of SF. Either way, I picked him up a special pressie right up his city life alley – stay tuned for a slideshow of my own doggie model later today! – 'til then, check out some shots of the store below.