Ironman Arizona; kit list

A couple of people have asked so here it is, I think this is everything;

Dinner the night before;

• Orecciette pasta from Green’s Vegan Restaurant in Tempe; “Grandmas’ favorite pasta (little earlobes) with your choice of mock meatballs in our homemade tomato sauce with fresh vegetables”

Breakfast the morning of;

• Bowl of Granola – homemade but see this link for an idea, coconut milk
• Coffee
• Tea
• Sipped on water
• S!CAP

Race Kit;

• Hammer Nutrition Tri Shorts and Top made by Voler

Morning Clothes; over my Race Kit;

• Orca Fleece
• Adidas run leggings
• Saucony Kinvara shoes (flip-flops are an accident waiting to happen)
• Headtorch
• Took my track pump to top up tires

Swim;

• Synergy Hybrid wetsuit
• Yellow “Have a Nice Day” TYR swim cap, race cap over this
• AquaSphere Kayanne goggles with smoked lenses
• Garmin 910XT and HR strap, worn for entire race and down to last bar of battery by the end

Bike;

• Lazar Tardiz aero helmet with fitted smoked visor
• Time Ulteam Tri shoes, with SpeedPlayZero pedals/cleats
• FuelBelt Race belt with race number
• 2011 Cannondale Slice, you can see the modifications to it in this post
• ISM Adamo Breakaway saddle 
• XLab TT frame mounted bottle
• XLab Rocket Pocket
• XLab Turbo Wing with 2 Gorilla Cages
• Torhans Aero 30
• Mavic Cosmic Carbone 80 wheels
• Profile Design Universal Computer Mount (Long)
• Garmin Edge 500
• Two Hutchinson Fast’ Air canisters; my tubular tire are glued on, if I flatted this would have been my only hope!

Tre sexy, no?

Run;

• Newton socks
• Newton Distance shoes with Garmin Footpod
• Yankx Laces
• CEP Calf sleeves
• Headsweats/Hammer Visor
• Oakley Flak Jacket XLJ with Ice Iridium Lenses

Hydration/nutrition;

• TT bottle had 20 ounces of water and 4 scoops Gu Roctane (approx. 1000 calories), goal was to drink this all on the bike primarily during the second half
• Torhans bottle was filled with 30 ounces of water, goal drink one bottle an hour, I probably drank around 4.5 bottles in total
• S!Caps, kept in a baggie and stuffed up my shorts leg, goal was to take one an hour every hour on the bike and run
• Gu Roctance Gel/Bonk Bar these were handed out on the bike I grabbed 2-3 each hour and had one every 30 minutes
• Power Bars I had one in my T1 bag and one in my Special Needs bag, I ate them both, I find them to be easier to chew than more “grainy” bars, but they are a bitch to unwrap!
• Cliff Shot Bloks two packs of these in my T1 bag, less messy than gels
• Note, the PowerBars and Shotblocks were pre opened, that is I cut the ends to make the unwrapping easier

Special Needs;

• Bike; Power Bar, Single Serving of DZ Nuts, very welcome at mile 65, I should have put this in my T1 bag and applied earlier
• Run; Long sleeve running shirt, gloves, spare Headsweats/Hammer Visor. I wasn’t sure how cold I would get and how annoying a sweaty visor would be

Not used;

• My T2 bag also had a FuelBelt R20, this was not taken on the run

Should have packed;

• BodyGlide, I “Glided” myself pre swim, (ankles, wrists, neck) could have done with some in T2 for the run
• DZ Nuts into T1 bag for the start of the ride; prevention is better than a cure
• There should have been a carton of coconut juice in each bag and spare S!Caps , these were forgotten and left in the hotel fridge in the morning…oops!

Looks like a lot right! Well it is kinda and I prided myself in keeping it simple! Pretty much everything was well used and practiced, the only exceptions to this were;

• My helmet, it only arrived the week before and I had only ridden 30 minutes in it 2 days before the race
• The Hutchinson Fast Air; never needed in training so never used!

Finally here is the race day video from Ironman.com, the swim looks way worse that it was or maybe I just got off lightly?

psst wanna buy some Oakley sunglasses?

Alternative titles “Shady Shades”, “Fakebook” or “Jokelys”!

Like a billion other people I have a Facebook account, I don’t use it that much, I was a fairly early adopter, my account was born October 2007, a mere 13 months after it was launched public wide…it seemed so quaint back then!

But I digress, as many of you are pretty internet savvy I am sure you have seen those Sponsored ads on the side of your Facebook feed and wondered “hmm really Oakleys for $29…scam…or not?!?!”.

Well I did too and now I have in my hand a pair of Oakley glasses! But first I did some homework…

I looked around the vendors website…looks legit right I highlighted the suspect things… I especially  like the Hotmail account, I mean who uses Hotmail these days!

Then I did a search for the “parent company”…again this all seems kosher!

Just to double check I did some research on the acquisition of Oakley, this seems like a bona fide claim!

So I had a look through their catalog and I hit the button and purchased a pair…through PayPal, I mean who else would a multi billion dollar company use for merchant services…no offence PayPal!

And lo and behold about 10 days later I got a box of genuine made in America Oakley Jawbones from…China!

I’ll be honest and say my expectations were pretty very low and they were met, trust me had these been real I would have been writing all about that! The quality is shocking and as anyone who has a pair of Jawbones knows they open to accommodate different lenses etc., these are solid framed, this is the real Oakley website; 

The list goes on and suffice to say they are not Oakley Sunglasses…YEAH SHOCKA!!!.

As a follow up I reached out to Facebook, Oakley, Luxottica and NPR’s Planet Money…I’ll keep you posted!

Lube-a-Palooza!

They won’t make you look younger or remove your crow’s feet, they won’t make you glow or radiate, they will however, stop you from burning, chaffing, spiking or aching! Here are four things that I liberally and frequently smear over various body parts!

Mission Sun Cream – designed by athletes for athletes, doesn’t make you smell you have just been delivered by 1800 Flowers, doesn’t sting like a mutha, when it runs into your eyes, goes on evenly so you don’t look like a pink and white Twizzler and a company that gives money to charities, isn't too expensive and really, really works! About $8 a tube.

Buh-Bump – if, like me, you’re obsessed with Heart Rate data this is essential, just like you need a good connection to get a good picture when you’re doing an ultra sound you need a good connection when you strap on that heart rate strap. This gets it right about 90% of the time and you won’t have to look like a nutcase licking your strap before you put it on! Cheap, fragrance free and it washes straight out of your shirt no problem! About $7 a tube.

Flex Power – yeah we’ve all got those aches and pains and we all wish we could leap out bed and hit the roads with an 8 minute mile…well now you can at least get rid of the pain and get some blood flowing at the same time. Rub this on and feel your muscles slowly warm up and those aches ease off. Not oily or greasy it has a pleasant nasal clearing smell but it doesn’t take the top of you head off like Tiger Balm etc. About $15 for a big tube.

Body Glide – what’s to say that’s not been said! Any athletes essential, got two bits of your body that rub together rub some Body Glide in between and you’re good to go, zero chaffing, zero smell and zero left on your clothes. Also good around the collar of your wetsuit, when trying to get a stuck wedding ring off or for sliding out your kids head from between the railings! Kids will be kids right!! About $7 a tube.

I have added links to these in the Amazon widget in the right hand border and if you buy through that I get about 12c back towards my new bike fund! Thanks in advance!

BTW these all make excellent stocking fillers; there’s only 94 shopping days to Christmas!

So there you go, four things I have in my running bag…what’s in yours?

PS only three more days to sign up for the Mix1 contest!

Review; Injinji Performance Glove

I picked up my Injinji Gloves at the LA Marathon last year and therefore it’s only been during the last 3-4 months I have actually had cause to use them. I have used gloves on and off during the winter months in previous years but have found that they are usually a little excessive in fabric and there really is little or no “fit”. Injinji address this with an anatomical design that conforms to natural curve of your hand that you create when running added to which they have added a pimply, grippy surface “Grip-Rite” to the palm and fingers. On the back there are some reflective strips. One big difference is that they are cuffless and end at the base of you palm rather than extending over your wrist. Warmth wise; afterall that’s why you wearing them right, they are made from wicking Tetra-Fleece; shiny on the outside, fluffy on the inside

So what’s the conclusion: well firstly they run a little small so try them on first, they are very snug and almost like a second skin, the anatomical fit does work and is mildly supportive. The inner fluffiness is very nice and the wicking seems to work but then I have never been a clammy hand sufferer. The Grip-Rite works but after one Winter is starting to wear off (or wash off) on the ends of the fingers. I liked the short cuffs but on cold days you may want to cover those exposed wrists.

All in all they work, however they are a lightweight glove, I wore them at Twin Peaks last year and I was cold, although I was cold all over by the end. So for SoCal on a normal winter’s morning/evening they’re great for somewhere colder they would be great for Fall or Spring.

'tis the Season!

Well it’s that time of year and in an attempt to at least appear to be organized, trust me I will fail miserably and given that all of my family is overseas this is always an expensive mistake! and look at some Christmas shopping! Now unfortunately, other than my wife; who is erring over to the darkside of triathlons there are no more runners in my immediate family so the Christmas shopping can fall between socks and sweaters, I like to think of it as an incentive for them to take up a sport!

Unfortunately the economic times we find ourselves mandate that we try to get the biggest bang for a buck (pound/euro/yen delete where applicable) so here are a couple of suggestions that might want to add your list or get for the runner in your family or hell you could just go out and get it today and blow off waiting the 43 shopping days left!

Costco is now stocking Garmin Forerunner 305s for $199, now I thought this was a good price until I checked Amazon where you can get one for $190 (free shipping) and you can bundle in a Cadence Monitor and Bike/Wrist QR strap for an extra $50.

Hammer Nutrition is having an end of year blowout on everything. Up to 50% off. I snagged a new cycling jersey, bib shorts and two pair of socks all in for $60. The clothing is made by Voler here in SoCal and it’s top quality stuff, they also carry Tri suits and have a ladies specific range. I also grabbed a Patagonia Capilene shirt ($18) and Headsweat Visor ($10) and a couple of extra water bottles ($2.50 each), you can never have enough water bottles, right!

On the nutrition front I threw in my basket a replen of Perpetuem, and Raspberry Gel; 26 serving jug. Perpetuem is my drink of choice for the long run (2hours plus) it has a mild taste and is easy on stomach, here’s the blurb from the Hammer website:

...Perpetuem - This product, introduced in early 2003, takes the concept of long-distance fueling to the max. Though many athletes use Perpetuem for shorter distance events (which is perfectly acceptable), we designed it primarily for extreme endurance events lasting several hours to many days. Perpetuem contains 75% carbohydrates (from long-chain maltodextrins - no added simple sugars), 13% fatty acids from a specially made long-chain lyso-lecithin, and nearly 10% soy protein. A small portion of fat seems to cue your body to more liberally release its fatty acids stores, which account for up to two-thirds of one's energy requirements in long bouts of exercise. A little fat in the fuel also slightly slows the rate of digestion and thus promotes caloric satisfaction, another attractive plus during primarily aerobic ultra distance events...

Suffice to say, it works!

The gels are water soluble (read; wash out of clothes easily) Raspberry and Vanilla are my favorite and you can mix them together to get RaspNilla or VanBerry?!? Espresso has a high caffeine punch for when you're at mile 28 so you could have a RaspPresso or EspreNilla or go wild and have a RaspVanSo! You’ll need a bottle to mix them in but, hey, they’re on sale too!

There’s a bunch of other Hammer products I take; Endorolytes, Premium Insurance Caps, Mito Caps, Race Day Boost, Race Caps Supreme which I have been using for the past year and will be reviewed at the end of the year.

So charge up you Credit Card and go wild!

Tom & Amy are you stalking me?

After posting a picture of my little pigies complete with wonky toe and distinct lack of subungual hematoma, black toe to you and me, last week and having recently received a new copy of John Vonhof’s book Fixing you Feet the order of which was prompted after listening to an interview with him on Endurance Planet, it seems quite fitting and a little spooky that Runner’s Lounge Take it and Run Thursday this week is all about feet and their care. Tom, Amy are you stalking me?

Now while I am not going to repeat what is in John’s book or on his website; I am not for one really qualified and for two I have been pretty fortunate with my feet, note that I did not call them my pretty feet. I have as mentioned broken a toe, (my only broken bone!) and have a mild case of Morton’s toe (the second one in from the largest being slightly longer than the largest itself). I have my parents to thank for forcing me to wear sensible (read ugly) shoes as a kid growing up and this allowed my feet to develop normally, and while I pronate, use custom orthotics; a result of ITB issues from last year and get the occasional blister on a bad day my feet have held up over the miles; not just running but also a stint in the military reserves wearing boots over many a mile.

So this post addresses the equipment side of the footwear equation; shoes, socks and gaiters (for the trails). It’s actually more of an aggregate of posts that I hope you’ll find useful and with a bit tacked on the end. I posted a 100 mile review of my road shoe the Asics Gel Kayano 14s last month and earlier this year wrote about my search for new trail shoes which resulted in the discovery of my Salomon XT Wings which will have a 100 mile review coming up next week. I also put fingers to keys with the gripping, on the edge of the seat, account of my quest and discovery of trail socks, the appropriately names: DarnTough’s and their comparison to Injinjis! I haven’t been forced to write about my road socks as they are the ubiquitous white Coolmax variety, however if I run out of ideas I may have to resort to this!

The final piece of the puzzle, specifically from a trail perspective, which is where most of my running is these days, is the Gaiter. Functionally designed to create a seal between the outside world and your feet. Anyone who has found themselves with some crud floating around in their shoe will know how much this aggravation this can give you, ranging from a quick thump of your toe/shoe on a rock or tree to move it around or the need to stop remove your shoes and tip it out; so the reality here can range from a minor nuisance that my manifest itself into a blister down the road or the need to stop and fiddle with you shoes, thereby loosing valuable time and momentum!

There is a great quote in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance that is along the lines of

…"if you enjoy what you’re doing you can endure no end of discomfort”…

How true this is until it involves some crud in your shoe. Now while I have joked about my quiet and reserved nature and the color of the products that I choose based on that fact this is a crucial piece of kit. There are several manufacturers and resellers of gaiters from the multi million dollar industry that is North Face to the cottage industry that is DirtGirlGaiters, my preference in case you haven’t gathered is for the latter. From a consumer point of view; they’re well made, Xy Weiss makes each one individually, robust; wear-wash-wear; a bargain; c’mon at $13 inc s&h - they've got to be the cheapest thing you're wearing, fashionable; they will match anything you own and they’re fun; but hey, that’s why we’re here right!