34
growing up, my dad rode bikes. he rode a bike to work, he rode in local competitions, and he even did big races like the death ride. it was always cool knowing that he preferred riding his bike over driving a car, but that was sometimes a worrisome thing when it was hours after work had ended and he still wasn't home. bikes and cars don't always get along on the streets, and my mom and i would sit around worried as the sun went down, wondering if he was in a hospital somewhere and they had no way to contact us. we were lucky; he would always end up biking in to the driveway, sweaty and smiling from the extra miles he put in.
as i realized my switch from indoor runner to outdoor runner was just around the corner, i couldn't help but think back to those nights my mom and i sat in the kitchen together, checking out the blinds for any sight of my dad. i don't want my loved ones to worry, and if something were to ever happen to me running around in the city, i want to get the best, fastest care i can.
the road id is a small plate of information attached to either a bracelet, anklet, dogtag, or shoe tag. they even have tags for your pet's collar (i considered getting one, but i have a feeling my cat wouldn't be very happy with me). the plate can hold anywhere from 5 to 6 lines of information, depending on the style you go with. you can either customize the information all on the plate, or you can sign up for their interactive account, which will link emergency responders to all of your information via telephone (there is an extra fee for this service, but it's not too pricey).
please excuse the janky, privacy edit.
i decided to go with the custom road id slim, since it is the daintiest option, and to me, that equated to
the one that causes the least amount of wrist sweat. they have a bunch of colors, and i considered buying a few extra bands because i couldn't choose which one i liked the best (you can switch out the bands easily, so different colors are always an option), but i decided to just go with teal to start. i also spent the extra five bucks to get a little decorative plate that says "run"; hey, if something happens to me out there, i want the paramedics to know what i was doing when it happened!
for the information i put down, i followed most of their recommendations: full name, year of birth, city i live in, and two emergency contacts. some people use the last line for a fun inspirational saying, but i decided to put down my medication allergies and blood type, because those are a wee bit more important.
some people think this might be an unneccesary product, or that the wearer is overly cautious, but the unexpected happens all the time, and i just want to be prepared. additionally, when i talked to my emergency contacts about it, they definitely agreed that it was a good purchase. in fact, when i explained what the road id was to my boyfriend, his exact words were, "oh yes, get that."
there are other companies out there that offer a similar product, but i just love the road id company. first and foremost, they offer a lifetime guarantee for their information plates. so, if i fall and land straight on my road id and scrape up the plate, they'll replace it for me so the wording is always legible. additionally, i like that i can personalize it beyond just my emergency information. i went for the "run" badge, like i mentioned, but they offer others as well, and understated colors too, for those who aren't going for the cutest option like i was. lastly, they offer the chance to donate a part of your purchase money to a charity. notice that i didn't say in addition to your purchase; they'll actually take a part of your final order amount and donate it to one of ten charities of your choice (i chose the aspca). how cool is that?
whew, that's a long post. have a sold you on the road id yet? i hope so. obviously i'm passionate about the product, but i honestly do think it's a worthwhile investment.
do you have a road id? do you also think it's one of the best things ever?
-b
disclaimer: i bought the road id on my own and was not compensated in any way. that being said, if you use the links here, i will get road id credit for future purchases.
