This series is a fictional podcast show in which writer Hagiwara (who met three people, Nishioka, Yoshida, and Haruka, on #WednesdayBudouzakaRen) delves into various topics related to milestones.

As September draws to a close, the heat is finally starting to subside. Autumn is just around the corner, and we've already released some items that will be perfect for the upcoming season.

 

・Gloves 2.0

Hagiwara (hereinafter, Hagi): So, what will you be teaching us today? 

Nishioka (hereinafter, Nishi): Today I would like to introduce a glove, the Fast Trail Glove 2.0.

Nishi: Did you use 1.0?

Hagi: Of course! It was a standard winter run.

Nishi: That's right. What's great about it is that it's a 2-in-1. It has mittens attached, so it can serve two purposes in one, which is its greatest feature. And the Polartec material is thin and stretchy. It fits really well, but conversely, the threads don't keep up with the stretch of the fabric, so sometimes they break and cause flats.

Omori (hereinafter Haruka): Where did you get the most flat tires? 

Yoshida (hereinafter Yoshi): It's the base of the thumb. There were requests for repairs for the first batch, but it was reinforced and improved in the second season.

Haruka: So if you pull too hard when taking it off, the threads will break and it will tear?

Yoshi: That's right. As I mentioned in the previous articles ( parts 10 and 21 ) , there is a correct way to take off gloves.

Yoshi: But when you actually use it, it's easy to accidentally pull on your fingers.

Nishi: So we updated to version 2.0 and changed the fabric. We use Polartec Power Grid. This is a standard fabric, so other companies also use it, and it provides stability.

Yoshi: There are some companies that do it independently, but Milestone is the only one that currently makes a 2-in-1 with Power Grid. Compared to other apparel, gloves require less fabric (the amount of fabric needed to make one). If you dye them in your own colors, even the minimum lot size ends up being huge. 

Nishi: Originally, we wanted to offer a range of colors, but the batch size was too large, so we couldn't. By switching to the 2.0 fabric, we were able to offer the three colors we had hoped for. The first impression was great.

Yoshi: We're receiving a lot of orders from specialty stores all over the country.

Haruka: What is the actual fabric of 2.0 like?

Yoshi: Actually, we used a sample of the 2.0 last season, and first of all, it's stronger. The 1.0 was soft and comfortable to wear, but it was prone to holes when rubbed against rocks or something, and the fabric wasn't strong enough to withstand intense friction.

Hagi: I thought it would be a waste to use it for mountain climbing (laughs) - in places with ropes, for example. 

Yoshi: It's strong enough to grip branches and do all sorts of movements without worry. The warmth doesn't change dramatically, but the air space between the grids creates a layer of warmth, so you might feel a little warmer. It's only 2g heavier.

Hagi: The fabric certainly feels sturdy. 

Haruka: By the way, how did you decide on the name?

Yoshi: The Fast Trail Glove was created so that it could be used for fastpacking as well. This isn't limited to music, so I wondered what would happen. Nishioka-san didn't have to stick to music, so it was fine. Of course, it's not just for fastpacking, but it also has all the functions you'd need as a glove for trail running.

Hagi: I remember naming the 10th episode "If you want to move 'fast' in the mountains" because it can be used when moving fast, and because you can stick out your fingers, it allows for quick movements. Since they're gloves, they could have been just black, but I think updating them to come in three colors is very milestone-like.

Nishi: Basically, my style is to first make something good, and if it's well-received, then spread it out. It's a style I've been using for a long time, from Natty Shorts and the Onion Hoody to the Cloud Hoody. Everyone loves black, after all. But it's not fun to stick to just black, and coordinating and matching colors is fun, and it's weird to end up wearing the same thing as someone else. I hope people will enjoy thinking about color combinations. 

Yoshi: I think that people who have been using the first batch for a while are probably looking to replace their old ones, so having a choice of colors will make them feel better.

Nishi: I think three colors is the standard. Rain is like that too. It's the three colors theory (laughs).

Hagi: With three colors, it's likely there will be one that resonates with you.

Haruka: Actually, I've never used these gloves before, so I'd like to know, do you actually use mittens?

Yoshi: I use it a lot! 

Haruka: If you wear mittens you can't use your fingers.

Yoshi: So you don't need to expose your fingers while running? You can just take it off when you need to refuel. And you can expose your thumb and index finger when you want to use your smartphone.

Haruka: Is it something you put on when it's cold and you want to avoid the wind?

Hagi: You look a bit confused (laughs).

Yoshi: Mittens make a huge difference. It's like running in just a T-shirt or wearing a wind shell over it.

Haruka: Wow.

Hagi: For example, during a marathon, the theory is to take off your gloves when you get to the water stations because they get cold when they get wet. But with these, even if your gloves get wet, you can keep them covered with mittens and they'll keep you warm by absorbing moisture.

Haruka: I see.

Hagi: Before the water stations, you drink a gel, right? So it's great that you can stick out your thumb and index finger while wearing the gloves. Also, I've always thought this, but I think the placement of the logo is great. It's reflective, so it reflects the headlights of cars coming towards you.

Nishi: Of course, we were conscious of that when we made it (laughs). By the way, the logo on the inside is also reflective. It's a small detail, but we actually changed the color of the logo on the mitten and inside.

Hagi: That's true. 

Nishi: Until now, we've connected it with a carabiner, but since we've made the name tag smaller, we won't be including a carabiner this time.

Yoshi: Come to think of it, when you first made it, you went all the way to the factory in Shikoku with great enthusiasm.

Nishi: We even shot a video. The glove manufacturer said they wanted to make a video like that too.

 

-New cloud colors

 

Nishi: Like the gloves, the Cloud Hoody is now in its third season. We've added two new colors. The first year, we had two colors: Crow Black and Peacock Green. We went off the three-color theory straight away (laughs). The reason is that we were worried about the high unit price. This is also because we're now venturing into autumn/winter products for the first time. If it were onion, it would be available all year round. But this is an item that's only available for a limited time, so we started with two colors, wondering if it would be okay.

Yoshi: In the second year, we added sparrow brown. It was a popular color. 

Nishi: And now we have Cardinal Red and Swallow Blue. These are also part of the bird name series.

Yoshi: Cloud is fluffy and feather-like. But Red was in trouble (laughs).

Nishi: I was wondering if there was anything red bird like that, so I chose the baseball team.

Yoshi: It's a cardinal from the St. Louis Cardinals in the MLB. What's that bird called in Japanese?

Nishi: I already think of Cardinal as just Cardinal (laughs). 

Haruka: If you search it, you'll find that it's a bird called a cardinal (laughs). It's a name that isn't very familiar to most people.

Hagi: I wonder if it's a bird that doesn't exist in Japan.

Haruka: It is said to live in the tropics of the Americas.

Nishi: And then there's Swallow Blue, the color of the swallow. It's the first time in the brand's history that it's available in five colors!

Yoshi: What? Onions come in five colors too.

Haruka: Doo-Bop Sleeveless also comes in five colors.

Nishi: Sorry (laughs). It's the 5 color theory (laughs). 

Hagi: We talked in detail about the features and development process of the cloud in episode 12, "Giving Shape to the Cloud."

Haruka: It's what's known as active insulation. It keeps you warm while also allowing you to run.

Hagi: It's become indispensable for winter running.

Yoshi: It's weak against the wind, so in those cases it's a good idea to layer onions. 

Nishi: In terms of shape, the Cloud is longer.

Hagi: Maybe it's because the Onion has a double zipper that allows you to open the bottom, so that's not really a problem.

Nishi: Have you ever done it the other way around? You could wear Cloud on top of Onion.

Haruka: It's like wearing a belay jacket over a hard shell.

Nishi: I don't think Cardinal Red will be available that much.

Yoshi: I don't know.

Nishi: At first glance, it might seem like a color for women, but I would definitely like men to wear it too.

Hagi: I think the new onion color that came out this season would go well with cardinal red. 

Nishi: When we're shipping, there are times when we think, "This color and this color are definitely a perfect match!" (laughs).

Haruka: I was like, "Oh, so that's how it is."

Nishi: That's the joy of having a wide range of colors. I myself would like to wear a variety of colors.

・3 new colors for shorts

Nishi: Natty Shorts PLUS currently comes in three colors, but we're adding three more to make a total of six. It's another departure from theory though (laughs).

Haruka: The new color is stone gray.

West: Coconut brown and

Yoshi: And turquoise.

Nishi: Yoshida Blue (turquoise) was the most bold choice this time. It's a color that milestone hasn't had before. You have to go off the rails sometimes. I don't know how it will turn out though.

Yoshi: The navy in Onion and Cloud can be combined with blue.

Hagi: You can match it with a cap, or if you wear running shoes with blue in them, it might actually go well with the outfit.

Yoshi: I was wearing a sample of this color at "Treanic World in Saitama" this spring, and a customer asked me, "Aren't you going to make that color into a product?"

Hagi: I think I heard it on the podcast "Weekly Milestone.com."

Haruka: At the time I answered that it was the color of the sample, but it actually came out.

Nishi: I think this stone gray goes well with Cloud's cardinal red. I'd love to see you post a photo of your outfit tagged with #milestone81. I'd love to have a milestone coordination competition (laughs).

Yoshi: The items introduced today will be available at the end of September.

・Craft beer pop-up



Haruka: Do you know a restaurant called VALL SAGRADO?

Hagi: Of course! It's Maejun's shop.

Haruka: This is a craft beer specialty shop in Sannomiya, Kobe. The owner, Jun Maeda, is also a trail runner, ran in the second BAMBI100, and last year he also organized the after-party. Mae Jun, as he's known, will be coming to milestone TERADACHO for a pop-up on Sunday, September 28th. This time, he will have two types of beer on tap that are perfect for running.

Hagi: By the way, what language is Valle Sagrado?

Haruka: Apparently it means "sacred valley" in Spanish.

Nishi: Apparently he got married the other day and will be coming with his wife. He also did a podcast. I wonder if he's still doing it?

Haruka: It's been a while since the last update, in August. It's a podcast called "Mountains, Beer, and Etc." hosted by Yamane-san, the owner of Rock Steppers, and Maejun. In the latest episode, they talked about their honeymoon, visiting breweries in Europe and America. Apparently they even participated in a trail running race during the trip. They'll be bringing a selection of canned beers from Japan and abroad on the day. They'll also be bringing snacks like sausages that go well with the beer.

Nishi: I'm looking forward to it. We'll have to wait on customers, so we'll probably just have one drink.

Yoshi: "Lots" from lots of people? The Shinetsu Five Mountains is over now, so I'd like to talk about what happened. I'd like people to come and talk about the race. It would also be good if they came to talk about their plans for autumn and beyond.

Hagi: Speaking of Shinetsu, where were you two going at the time?

Haruka: I'm the one who's been strict about that!

Nishi: Well, that's all for today. Goodbye. 

Yoshi: Goodbye. 

Haruka/Hagi: Goodbye.

This time, we were introduced to some cold weather gear, including updated gloves and new colors for the Cloud. It seems like it will be a while before we actually get to use them.

When the Shinetsu race ended, it felt like summer was over. This year's completion rate was 40.6% for the 110km and 47.4% for the 100-mile race. Whether it's hot or not, it's a difficult race that doesn't let you finish easily. Some runners don't complete it in one go, but instead spend several years aiming for the finish line. The great thing about running is that if you're the one who starts, you're the one who decides when to finish. You can try again and again, and when you're satisfied with your progress, that's the end of your journey. Only you can decide when to end it.

For now, it might be a good idea to change your mood by running a marathon.

See you next month.

Text and composition: Ken Hagiwara