10th Day of Christmas: Running Gloves

In February or March, cruise the glove aisle in the local discount store like Shopko for great deals on gloves. Find pairs suitable for different temperatures in the fall, winter, and spring. A couple years ago, I picked up ten pairs for an average price of $2.50 (no kidding!). Now I have gloves stashed in several different places and never have an excuse for not running because my hands might get cold. Same goes for hats, of course!

11th Day of Christmas - Swedish Goggles

 I love the simplicity of these goggles, and you can't beat the price! Never worry about losing a pair of goggles again....because it's not a huge monetary loss if it's these. I usually buy 4-6 every couple of years, in whatever color fancies me but usually a couple clear sets for indoor pools.  If you haven't worn them before and are wondering if you could ever wear a pair of goggles with no padding, have no fear. These will indeed work with absolutely no leaks; it will take a few workouts to get used to them, no doubt, but in the end you will prefer them. Also, these don't cause black-n-blue eyes like padded goggles sometimes do.

12th Day of Christmas = 12 sets of earplugs (20 for $16)

I’m going to go the “Twelve Days of Christmas” here, showing some of the gear I use and why I use it.

Please note that I don’t have any affiliate links to the supplies and equipment I’m listing. In other words, I’m not making any money off these links.




Twelve sets of ear plugs

3M Tri-Flange re-usable earplugs.

A lot of people will tell you that you should wear earplugs on the swim to prevent dizziness coming out of the water. That’s absolutely true when swimming in the open water. Another reason I like to wear earplugs is to keep the noise level down while swimming laps. Seriously, if you have never worn earplugs in the pool, go ahead and try it because it will be a night and day experience as far as the noise level goes. And once you swim laps with earplugs and the peace and quiet they bring you, you will always want the earplugs.
There is a difference between these and the foamies that are really cheap. These just go right into the ear with no rolling and such. They are quick and easy and effective. Don’t get the version with cords because the cords get in the way and they also conduct sound. These are a very flexible plastic that you won’t even know are there once they are in. They come in different sizes, so if you’ve never worn them before, start with a medium and large to see which fit the best and then order in bulk to accommodate several sets in different lockers/bags for swimming and also in the garage for lawn-mowing, sawing, and all the other power-tools.
The link above takes you to a five-pack for about $10. I like to order one pack of twenty from Grainger for $16.00 every two years or so because I tend to misplace them.



*Please note that I don’t have any affiliate links to the supplies and equipment I’m listing. In other words, I’m not making any money off these links.

Non-Standard Cross-Training Opportunities for triathletes in winter...

Winter is definitely here, although you wouldn’t know by the amount of snow on the ground here in town. But it’s cold! And there is snow in the mountains. I could actually ride my bike on the snow/ice-free streets!
But I like to mix it up a bit. Here a few of the different opportunities presenting themselves lately.

Johnny Jump-Up! We need an adult version of this. It wears out Noah after 20-30 minutes. Paul and Noah both absolutely loved this thing!

Annual Christmas Tree hike! 30 minute walk up a trail, cut the tree, back to the parking lot for recovery drinks. The weather was so AWESOME on Saturday when we did this. No Wind. 100% bluebird skies. About 15 degrees. One kid on your back + pulling one in the sled = SWEAT!

Starting out....BEAUTIFUL day!

Heading up the trail...

Tera found a good tree.

Back at the parking lot, enjoying hot chocolate and the sun.

And the last one for today……getting Kiddo #1 geared up!

Coming Soon!..... AmphibOps Triathlon

As the new year creeps up on us and I'm getting back into a good training mode, I'm finding new motivation for my triathlon writing.

One of my primary goals for 2012 is to get the "AmphibOps Triathlon" brand moving along. I've been posting to 20-60-40 Triathlon for a few years now, and I think it has run its course. I previously wrote that I wanted to be running the AmphibOps Triathlon website by October 1, coinciding with the beginning of my winter training season. Well, my winter training season is really just now getting started, and so is the motivation to get moving with AmphibOps Triathlon.

Soooo.....I sat down tonight and wrote out a plan of at least 30 post subjects for the months of January, February, and March that will lead a newbie or intermediate triathlete through a detailed planning process that will hopefully lead them to a successful execution of their goals at summer races.

The plan is to introduce very specific and detailed subjects for you to read and think about, and then add into a developing triathlon plan, with the growing template available for copy/paste via google docs. At the end of the two or three months, you'll have a good plan based on principles and processes I've learned in the Marine Corps.

The first post will go out this weekend some time, with the follow-ups in the series coming out every two or three days.

I hope I can help at least one newbie or intermediate triathlete learn something new and meet their goals in 2012!

The kinks are almost out....moving into a full-on training schedule

I've been stuck in a rut of definitely not enough training since August or so, each month declining further and further into the abyss. I gained 20 pounds. I lost the ability to run six miles every day for five days in  a row. I doubt I could swim 1,000 yards straight through right now. And I can't be on the bike trainer for more than hour, compared to high-intensity two hour rides last winter.

But now I have a couple of weeks under my belt of training. I finally cut down the wine drinking to about two glasses per week. I am watching what I eat again, although not necessarily stopping anything but more aware of what I'm doing.  My body clock is nearly completely changed to early morning wake-ups.  I've worked out all the kinks in my new gear and my routines early in the morning.  

I'm ready to start hitting it hard!

Here are a few quick tips for the first phase of training and those first 2-3 weeks of training when you're just starting out or getting back into it.

1. Consistency is the key! Consider cutting your workout in half for volume and intensity before you think you just can't even start a workout.

2. If you are really tired, start the workout with an absolute minimum effort in mind. You'll find after a few minutes that you get into a groove and pick it up a bit. Before you know, you have a good workout completed.

3. Don't start a new "diet" the same time you start a new training schedule. You'll probably find that you are absolutely starving many times during the day in the first couple of weeks. That's because your body is adapting to the new demands and needs energy. Feed the beast! The massive hunger "moments" should subside by week four or five back into something more natural for you.

4. Adjust your alcohol, tobacco, and soda intake right now (yes..in direct conflict with #3!). I'm not talking about drastic cuts or stopping cold-turkey. Adjust to 50% or so to keep the empty calories to a minimum, which will help you see initial results more quickly, which feeds the motivation monster just when you're starting to wonder if it's worth it.

5. Don't get discouraged when you have a hard time getting a workout started. This three weeks is about getting your body, schedule/routine, and gear ready for easy start-ups down the road. This is an investment period when you put things into place to make everything easy to maintain consistency and simply get workouts started in the next phase.

6. Write down some data points every three or four days. Include your weight, time for a standard run or bike route, and a 500 yard swim. Don't worry about improving your times right now. You are getting data points now to compare three or four months from now. It's incredibly motivating to see how much weight you lose and how much faster you get!

Xterra wetsuit sale.. GREAT DEAL!

https://www.xterrawetsuits.com/index.php/2011-ironman-arizona

Awesome deal....60% off.