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Runner’s World Subscription Box Review – May 2018

Runner's World Box
2.2 overall rating
5 Ratings | 1 Reviews

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Runner's World Box is a monthly subscription box from the magazine of the same name. They send gear, snacks, and accessories curated by Runner's World editors.

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My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).

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About Runner's World Box

The Subscription Box: Runner's World Box

The Cost: $29.99/month (Save 20% with a 6-month subscription)

The Products: Gear, snacks, and accessories from the editors of Runner's World Magazine

Ships to: United States for $8; maybe more in some areas. Extra shipping costs to Hawaii.

Runner's World Box May 2018 Review

Runner’s World Box focuses on sending you the best running products picked by the editors of Runner’s World Magazine. The items usually span multiple categories, including gear, snacks, and other running related items:

5 - RW - May - Insert 6 - RW - May - Insert

This month’s box is focused on summer training – with the intent of making your outdoor workout “easier, more comfortable, and more refreshing.” The back of the insert details the items included, their retail cost, and the reason they were included.

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Tiger Balm Pain Relieving Patch – Buy 15 for $16.95

Active Ingredients: Menthol (24 mg/patch), Camphor (80 mg/patch), and Capsicum Extract (16 mg/patch)

I'm a big believer in tiger balm, and my husband and I regularly apply it to our sore muscles before bed. This patch can be used on your knee, wrist, back, or shoulder. I also love the mentholated smell but understand that some people probably don't. This ventilated patch wasn't greasy or messy at all. I decided to use it on my shoulder. After you peel off the clear plastic cover, you simply stick the medicated side onto your skin. I thought it would slide around, but it stays put nicely! It's dry to the touch, so you can instantly put your clothing on without worrying about staining or wet spots.

Within about 2 minutes I started to feel a warm numbing sensation spreading throughout my shoulder as the medication started seeping into my skin. The directions indicate that this patch will last for several hours, and that you should change it 1-2 times per day as symptoms persist. I’m definitely going to order some of these to keep in my medicine cabinet!

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Tiger Balm Extra Strength Ointment, 2 – 2g Foil Packets – Buy a 1.7 oz. jar for $9.59

Active Ingredients: Camphor (11%) and Menthol (10%)

I am always happy to get tiger balm, as mentioned above, I’m a believer in it and often use it on sore muscles – but I am a little bummed that so far we're 2 for 2 on basically one-time use samples. Each of these foil packets contains about 2 g of ointment, which is plenty for one application. Since you can't really reseal the package, you're probably going to end up wasting some, unless you're applying to a really large area. I think I’ll toss these in my gym bag to have on hand if I ever need them!

14 - RW - May - Flaxmilk 15 - RW - May - Flaxmilk 16 - RW - May - Flaxmilk 17 - RW - May - Flaxmilk 18 - RW - May - Flaxmilk 19 - RW - May - Flaxmilk

Good Karma Flaxmilk in Vanilla and Chocolate – Retail Value $2.00 (Buy 12 here for $30.00)

Ranging between 130-150 calories per 10 oz. bottle, and including 10 g of plant protein plus a slew of other vitamins and minerals, I wanted to love this drink on its own. For me, the vanilla wasn’t sweet enough – so I blended it with a few strawberries which made all of the difference! The chocolate was OK on its own – not sweet, but flavorful enough that I sipped it without having to doctor it up.  It was nice getting to try both flavors, but I don’t think I’ll be incorporating these into my nutrition routine in the near term.

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OS1st FS4+ Compression Bracing Socks – Retail Value $49.99

Finally, an item of value! I was beginning to wonder what was going on with this box. I admit, at first, I thought these were a simple pair of running socks but as I started to look into it a bit more realized what a cool item this actually is! These socks are designed as an all-in-one running and recovery sock, to provide relief for many conditions like ankle swelling, varicose veins, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, heel and arch pain, and shin splints. They are very well thought out, including anti-microbial properties and blister protection!

I wear a size 7.5 in running shoes, and the medium sock fit me really well, although I did have to adjust the heel down a bit (it says that it would work for up to a women's size 10.5). These socks took a minute to get on because they are compression socks, they had to be worked slowly up my leg. They ended up hitting right below my knee and I found them to be very comfortable. I suffer from tendinitis and am excited to see if these $50 socks might help alleviate some of my pain related to that condition!

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Stainless Steel Water Bottle – Retail Value $24.95

I love these types of insulated steel water bottles for on the go hydration! They keep your water cold all day (they can also be used for hot liquids). I was glad to receive this in a gender neutral color, at 16 oz this is the perfect size for me to use to tote liquids around for my toddler son as well!

The insert also indicated that this was a bonus product from the runner’s world partner, Aftershokz, and included a coupon code for their wireless bone conduction headphones.

Verdict: This was my first box from Runner’s World Box and I was a bit surprised with the curation. I don’t really get how some of these items map back to the “summer running” theme, and I felt like the tiger balm products and the flax milk items were more of samples or bonus items. When I include the water bottle (although it says that it’s a bonus) the listed price of the items comes in at around $84.00, and I paid $37.99 ($29.99 + $8 shipping) for the box. All the items are usable and I really like the socks - and even though the value is there, I'm just not that excited about the box as a whole.

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, if you sign up by June 30th, your first box will be the July box.

Monthly boxes are generally delivered by the last week of each month. If you signed up for a subscription at the end of the month then your first box will be shipped the following month.

Value Breakdown: For the $37.99 price of the box (including $8 shipping), here’s what you’re paying for each item:

  • Tiger Balm Patch: $0.90
  • Tiger Balm Ointment: $0.90
  • Flaxmilk: $2.26
  • Compression Socks: $22.61
  • Water Bottle: $11.31

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

Check out all of our Runner's World Box reviews and more boxes for runners in our Fitness Subscription Box Directory!

What do you think about Runner's World Box?

What do you think about the items we received this month? Tell us what you think in the comments!

Starting at $29.99
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This monthly box from Runner's World magazine features a mix of "gear, accessories, nutritious snacks, and other cool stuff... that will feed your running passion!"

Runner's World also has a "Best Food for Runners" box specifically for running meals, snacks, and beverages for $14.99.
Colette Christian
Colette Christian
Colette's subscription addiction started innocently enough with a few beauty boxes in 2013. As her life has evolved, so have her subscriptions - and some of her favorites now include boxes that cater towards lifestyle (Popsugar Must Have), pets (BarkBox), and children (Gap Outfit Box and Mac & Mia).

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2 comments

Tamara

This used to be my favorite box. Curation, who cares, it’s all about value for me. But then in …idk, Jan/feb/march they just had a string of stinker boxes that didn’t do much for me. I think there was 5 lbs of oatmeal in one of them, lol. I’m a *runner* I want *gear* and I want delicious snacks. So…it’s a very hit-or-miss box. I sometimes think fondly in nostalgia for this box, but I don’t miss it enough to resubscribe.

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Colette

This was my first one – but agree, hope to get better gear in the future! I did like the bottle tho. I had water and ice in it overnight on a hot day and the ice was still there the next morning!

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