Sony Run Your Way | Our City Lights Run with Time Out London

Last month we found out we were going to be one of the three official bloggers for the Time Out London and Sony Xperia #SonyRunYourWay events! Not only did we get to take part in the runs, we also had the opportunity to test out the Sony SmartBand Talk SWR30 and Xperia Z3 Smartphone!

Our City Lights Run

We initially joined Time Out London and Sony Xperia for their first #SonyRunYourWay experience in Shoreditch. Running from ‘Icon to Icon’ – we took in the very best of London on a beautiful 10km route, giving us a taster of what was to come for our epic City Lights Run. We were super excited to be joining Run Dem Crew and 70 other runners last Sunday for the epic finale City Lights run in East London.

Kicking things off in Trinity Buoy Wharf, we had our pre-run pep talk with Run Dem Crew’s leader, Charlie Dark, where he hyped up all the runners and introduced us to our pacers.  Our 6km run followed swiftly after along the Thames Path to the Greenwich Foot Tunnel, past the Cutty Sark, through Greenwich Park and up – yes, UP that very hilly hill - to the Royal Observatory Greenwich. Our leisurely run had lots of picturesque pit-stops, where we had plenty of opportunities to take running selfies (obvs).

We ran at dusk and watched the city light up as we chased down the miles, ending our run with the breath taking views of London.

As if exploring this new route wasn’t enough for us, we also had after-hours access to the Royal Observatory Greenwich! Drinks, nibbles and a guided tour of the Time & Longitude gallery, plus a live soul session from the super talented Louis Hall were provided as a perfect post-run treat!

Our Experience of the Sony SmartBand Talk SWR30 and Xperia Z3 Smartphone

When we first got the phone we have to admit we were a bit lost! So many amazing functions, we didn’t even know which one to start experimenting with! First things first, we made sure we downloaded Instagram and VSCO. Standard procedure nowadays for our social media!

We then discovered Lifelog with the SmartBand. Lifelog is the sony app that keeps track of everything you do in your day to day life. Whether you're walking, running, cycling or sleeping this app will record it all in time, steps and calories burnt. Now only does it record your fitness moments, it also tracks your daily entertainment journey and allows you to set and monitor goals. The Smartband is quite fun to use paired with the phone once you understand the main the functions.

The camera on the Sony XPERIA Z3 is very easy to use and takes bright and clear images in low-light condition even without the flash. A massive bonus for us as we took on the dusk run! We managed to get some great shots of London's Skyline from our epic vantage point. We were also pleasantly shocked by the battery life on the phone - don’t we all wish to had a phone with a 500% battery life! Well, the Sony XPERIA Z3 doesn’t haha, but it does last a lot longer than any other phones. One feature we didn't get to play with is using it underwater - yes, a waterproof SmartPhone! You can take pictures while swimming in fresh water for up to 30 minutes. And, you can dive down to 1.5 metres with it. Hello holiday phone and under water pictures - we will report back, stay posted on our Instagram!

On our 6k run we also donned the slick SmartBand Talk SWR30. The SmartBand has a super dope call function, which means you can answer calls without even touching your phone. Imagine answering calls and talking to your wrist, because that is exactly what happened on the run! This phone made me feel like James bond on a secret mission! Running and talking on the phone has never be so easy. You also get notifications straight from the SmartBand, another added bonus on long runs for us.

The Sony XPERIA Z3 paired with the SmartBand Talk SWR30 are actually quite easy to used once you get used to it. Being new to Android, we did find it a bit difficult at first but with a little a bit of patience and a few tutorials later and we were ready to go - can't wait to try out the waterproof functionalities now!