Snowday!

Work called it a snow day and it looked
completely dry until about 0900.

Suunto Ambit

Today was a great day off! I love it when it's easy to hit the gym in the morning for some tri training.  The plan was to get the workout in and then head to work even though we'd closed-the roads were dry, I wasn't keen on losing a day of work. When I came out of the gym though-I was pleased to see heavy snow rolling in.  Plenty of businesses were closed to include my Local Smoothie Shop (LSS).  My future home, however, got 8 inches of snow and didn't even have the standard two-hour delay we've become so accustomed to here in MD, I can't wait to get there and enjoy the snowboarding!! 

Enjoying the slopes in PA @7Springs

While it was good to get to the gym my workout sucked.  I did ~25 minutes of strength training on the weights-chest and tris, to include some pushups and sit-ups.  After that, I hit the treadmill for what was going to be a hard quarter mile interval workout but energy levels were lowly and I just overall felt lousy.  I bailed before I got too light headed.  Can't believe how crummy it is trying to get back in shape.  Last year I didn't do any triathlons and we're coming up to March already, I've got to get in shape now! 

Using Used Gear

Posting a picture of the little cubby hole I use for riding here inside my house. I love riding on the trainer when the weather outside isn't comfy for training. Don't get me wrong, I can be as robust as the next guy but let's face it, one needs some decent gear to survive a decent ride in the cold weather. The reality is that I've got to put my money in other places than against great riding gear right now. Sooo, I enjoy riding indoors for now. Luckily I've got some workouts saved from my Ironman training days and so I just rely on those to start getting myself in shape for the triathlon season. It's not a smart trainer, that's for sure, so I'm not able to use the great new apps like Zwift. Alas, all I have is my Suunto Ambit which is no longer in production! That may be but it still gives me my HR.

So that brings us to my conundrum-the band on my Ambit is tearing again. I've owned the watch for over 5 years and this is the second time that the band is tearing. I haven't looked but could probably find a replacement. The last time I did that it cost me $60, that will buy me almost two simple Timex Ironman watches (which also have a band issue...but I digress). So I started looking to used gear available because I'd love to upgrade vice buying a new set of bands.

Where does everyone else shop for lightly used triathlon, multi-sport, or outdoor gear? I've used Backcountry which isn't a site for used gear but they've got good gear for all things outdoors at decent prices. But I then went to Geartrade who had a Garmin Fenix 3 for $216. I thought that was a pretty good price. They also had a Suunto Spartan Ultra for $231. I then read DC Rainmaker's review and steered clear. At the end of the day, I really just want something that's going to do its job when I swim, bike, or run and I honestly can't handle a device just inexplicably not working. Call me a snob but when a device was built for a single purpose, like tracking workouts, I really just want it to do that. That may be a gross oversimplification, I understand there are many complexities that go into building these computer watches, but when I have one that's over 5 years old and does the job solidly, I think I can place my expectations for the same on current gear.

Triathlon can be an expensive sport when you're buying new gear. So I'd encourage all to look to buy used if possible. I bought my original Ambit used and it's been a solid performer all these years. Heaven knows all us triathletes love to see the data when we swim, bike, and run, so let me know which ones you like best and why and how you got a bargain price on it.

Cheers-

Snowboarding is Multisport

This last week I got to experience the best multisport activity there is-snowboarding. So it would have been better if I would have been able to hike more (like at Silverton, Colorado-some day I'll go). But hey, I'll take what I can get. I mapped a couple runs out on my Suunto Ambit, which I'm trying to add the snowboard sport but can't figure out how to synch it.

I spent a little over a day supervising a group of Boy Scouts and getting a few turns in between monitoring kids. Friday night was quite icy as they'd had 50 degree temperatures with rain during the week and then temperatures dropped on Friday. They groomed and blew snow all night so conditions on Saturday were much better. In the afternoon a friend and I found some great runs and had a blast.

Well it wasn't a triathlon but it was activity on the snow board, which is not the easiest to find out east. Check out my Suunto feed for some details on the runs. It was in hike mode so not ideal stats but the map is a little fun to look at.

Got a good cycling work out in this evening on the trainer, trying to keep the training sturdy so I can get somewhat prepped for the tri season, we'll see how it goes. Stay tuned.

Life Sport Balance

To carry out life as a triathlete you have to maintain balance. Triathlon is three sports in one-swim, bike, run. This is no surprise but life is the same way, and for a middle-aged man with kids and a wife at home balance is a must. And it's not easy. This week my life was not in balance.

Work and studies swallowed my life this week. Being up until 2 a.m. on two occasions resulted in a late wake up on Friday and a rush to get out the door to our camping weekend on Friday. That's where the snowball fight picture came from. I loved the time with my son this weekend but wish I wasn't so rushed and wished I could have planned better. Lack of that resulted in the degradation of my spirituality. Just how that happened is another discussion for another venue, but the point is-balance matters. Spend too much time in the pool when training for a triathlon and your bike time degrades resulting in a slower overall time in an Ironman. Spend too much time at work and your family, spirituality or physical health degrades and results in a weakened overall self. We should all try to avoid that.

Over time I've come to the realization that my best self REQUIRES physical exercise and movement. It's kept my self alive in austere environments and during extended periods of time away from my family. During hard times when life seemed so difficult and lacking in meaning, triathlon and physical exercises have made the most sense in my life. Conducting such activity allows me to clear my mind and make sense of the other things in life that are important but not the center of my normal best fitting self.

I was glad to conduct some exercise after getting back from the camping-it felt great and was mind clearing. I did about 40 minutes on the bike trainer and it felt great. Helps me get stoked for the coming triathlon season!

Hope ya'll are doing well and we'll see you out there.

Cheers-