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-

Why I Run

Running is simple. All you need to run is your health, your legs, some shoes (debatable), and some gumption. It's waking up and getting moving. Today I ran intervals-talk about a progressive manifestation of gumption. I remember sitting on the bed after waking up pondering if getting older really does have an effect on the difficulty of getting moving in the morning. I knew today was an interval day and I was excited about it. I briefly considered doing the workout outside-checked the weather and decided that intervals in 21 degrees F wasn't my bag-off to the gym I went.

I like to ease into my interval workouts-safer for the muscles that way and it allows me to set up my music listening gear. I haven't upgraded to blue tooth headphones yet so I've got to plug in my headphones and select my audio. For intervals I usually choose something that gets an emotional response-today it was classic metal. Metallica is perfect for running intervals.

Running gives me a sense of accomplishment. I'm not the best at my job. I'm not the most effective, not the most efficient, and not the most knowledgeable. But I sure do care a lot, a try hard, and certainly put in more hours than my share (I'm salaried and don't do it for the cash). After hours or days at work feeling less than satisfied with the guy in the mirror it feels good to be able to do something right! I understand that running is simple to do right but I still feel a bit accomplished. Physical exercise does that for me. Yep, that's the endorphins that all the docs talk about I'm sure. Anyway, I'm thankful to have a healthy body that allows me to run five miles without much difficulty.

Running enables me to do other great sports and hobbies like snowboarding, triathlon, hiking with my kids and scouts, and scuba diving. I love doing all of those things and love going to triathlon races. I'm a lower middle of pack guy but love being out there with other like minded folks. I love going to running races also. I aspire to one day participate in European sky racing competitions-those look like soooo much fun! Being in amazing country and traversing by foot through it. One day I'll be able to go do that.

Anyone can run and the benefits are well researched and documented. So just go out there and do it. If you want to race and get competitive there are tons of resources out there for you. Start listening to podcast are connecting via social media. Anyone can do it anywhere, even in big cities, I've done that too. Take care ya'll and hope you keep getting faster and going further.

Multisport Product News-Running Shoes and Triathlon Watches

So they've put "guide rails" on the Brooks GTS 19. I've been wearing the Brooks GTS running shoe for about 13 years now I think and hope this isn't a big change. Every time I buy a new pair it feels like I'm coming home, I love buying new running shoes. But as I went to their site I was curious what these limited edition runners would be. I'm not impressed by the pictured design, it looks like a digital camouflage which I don't have the palette for. I'll likely buy another pair or two of the 18s and stick with those until a respectable new design comes out. But I may go try on a pair of these new 19s to see what's up w/ that guide rail. Gotta make sure my feet aren't going to get lost in there I guess.

Suunto is having a fairly hefty sale. I've never seen the scale to which they are discounting their products right now. I currently wear an original Suunto Ambit. I love it but I'm a pretty simple guy. The thing is over 6 years old and ran for 13 hours straight once during my Ironman distance race in 2014. It does all I need for triathlon-tracks swim distance, running and biking stats of course, and I synch it with a wire (old fashioned I know) to Suunto's online workout tracker-Movescount which feeds to my Map My Run account. I've often thought it will be nice to upgrade to blue tooth synching capability and with this big sale it may be the right time.

Suunto's website shows the Spartan Ultra at a 45% discount, $411.95 from $749! That being said the webpage as of right now also notes it is out of stock. The Spartan Sport model, however, appears to be in stock and priced at a 30% discount at $349.30 from $499. Their site touts a current sale from 20-70% off. I'm not a staunch Suunto page stalker but the discount seems large and makes me a bit suspicious I hate to say. Perhaps DC Rainmaker can shed some light on the situation and let us know whether or not Suunto is gearing up to release a whole new line. Regardless of my suspicions I've loved using my Ambit for triathlon, hiking, running, cycling, swimming, and just as an all-around tough watch that certainly takes all I can dish out. So I wouldn't mind upgrading to a new Suunto complete with a color touch screen, wrist heart rate monitor, and blue tooth synchronization capabilities.

Back in the Saddle

Alright, I've been out of the blogging business for a spell but I'm coming back on now. I'll try and follow in the footsteps of a great one and entertain my energies despite the less than perfect outcomes. She does the same and low and behold much of her efforts turn out pretty darn good. We'll call it practice in multiple fields.

No races are on my radar at this point in time but they will be coming. There's a relocation in my future that I'm particularly excited about and I believe there will be many available venues for me to choose from, one of which has been on the radar for years. I've got a triathlon in mind and probably at least one fall run that draws a pretty big crowd and sounds amazing. More to follow (MTF) on that.

I've also got a web tool in mind for future build out. Not necessarily a unique idea but a new way of doing things that will prove a useful tool to at least me and perhaps one or two other blokes nearby.

Here's a picture from Earligh Heights, they've got a bike stop pit stop which I think is great. I'm going to miss good ideas and public action results like that when we move. Cheers all-