I love traveling and I love gizmos. I want bazillions of dollars - mostly so I can afford to go to exotic places and try out all kinds of cool gear. Sadly, my squillions of greenbacks have not yet arrived. I'm sure it's just a temporary glitch in the universe's delivery system. But until the uni gets the kinks worked out - I'm stuck drooling over travelogues for pictures and combing through training/race reports for hints about the best deals on the most necessary training gear. Thought I'd turn to my peeps for some help because you guys keep coming up with things I hadn't considered. (Thanks for all the suggestions but especially to SWTri gal for the thought that my pain the other day might be an ovarian cyst. I had those when I was a teenager but I wasn't remotely athletic then. Definitely something I'll ask about!)
So. Gear. Next up on the "must have" list is a wetsuit. The water in Pacific Grove is cold. Any thoughts on renting vs buying? Any tips on what to consider? Any advice at all? My only experience with wetsuits is for scuba and that's a whole different world from tri! I've always had trouble though with scuba wetsuits that zip up the back because they press against my throat and make me miserable if I'm the least bit queasy - which is most of the time I dive. Also I can't tell from websites which ones are less likely to make me look like a black rubber beach ball. The models are all skinny girls! Anyone love theirs? Hate theirs? Notice which brand seems to be sported by the curvier gals like myself? Any tidbits thrown to me will help my rising panic over this issue.
Second solicitation - gotta have a Garmin? (Less panic on this one, more drool.) I hear about these buggers all the time! I want one. Oh how I LONG for one. But it would be easier if I knew enough about them to decide specifically which one I should pine for! The options seem to be a series for runners or a series designed for cyclists. Which one do triathletes use the most?? I know some of you have them - what do you like best? Why? Anything you don't like? Any features you'd skip?
Happy training! I'm enjoying my recovery day and surprisingly looking forward to my "long" workouts with an hour and a half ride on the docket for Saturday and a half hour run for Sunday. Good luck to all y'all racing this weekend!
Friday, April 11, 2008
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7 comments:
Thank You for your comment! You made my day.
I wish I was more into cycling. I'm debating on whether I should get a bike and give it a try! I just have to figure out this "clumsy" factor I see to always have! ;-)
Good Luck with your training!
Okay, so I'm a whore for gear, too. So I have to answer this. Here's the short answer, but write if you want even more of my lavish wisdom. (jk)
Wetsuit. Buy one. I'm usually a frugal lady when it comes to investing in the big items, mainly because I"m often broke. But last year I invested in an xl AR ultrafull wetsuit. It fits my body well, but it's a little long in the legs. But honestly, it's never been a problem and I've heard that you can actually cut the legs to make them shorter. I probably could have gone one size smaller, but it works. I've had some issues with the zipper (unless someone is paying attention who zips me, it easily goes off line and busts when I get in the water), but otherwise it was $200 well invested. Now I never have to worry about whether or not I have it. It's just there, waiting for my next race. No rental hassle or anything.
Okay.
Garmin. I love mine. I use it for every bike and run. Since the Elf has me training based on heart rate, I use it to track my zones. Also, I'm constantly using it to track elevations, feet climbed, how steep a certain grade was, average pace, etc. The only thing mine doesn't do is cadence for my bike. If it did, it would be perfect. But with the HR and GPS, it's pretty darn close. I asked for mine for the "big" christmas gift from Dad, so thankfully it wasn't a hit on my wallet. I think there is a rebate offer out there for $50 off. Oh, and if I could get the new one out that actually LOOKS like a watch (but still had HR/GPS), I would.
Whew.
Sorry, that's QR wetsuit...not AR
I'm not a swimmer, so can't comment on the wetsuit. But the Garmin - I LOVE MY GARMIN. I can't run without it. I have the most basic one - the 101 - but it does all that I need it to do ($80 on ebay) - tracks my mileage, speed, calories burned, etc. There's probably a bunch of other features on there that I haven't figured out yet. But my suggestion would be to get one. You will wonder how you ran without it. :)
I have my wetsuit from Team in Training so I don't have much advice there. The only wetsuits I have rented were for diving as well.
Garmin, I have the 305 (w/HR monitor) I LOVE it. Amazon has some really good prices on it. I saved over $100 on mine. The 305 is multisport and you can buy a quick release that lets you use it on the bike and wrist top. I highly recommend it.
Garmin and I have been together for about a year now and we are the perfect couple. She is the best running friend I have. The 305 has the heart monitor option but I have the 205 and it does everything I need. It has totally replaced my training log.
She tells me when I run too slow or too fast, she tells me when I have run far enough and tells me how far I have left to run. If I'm tired I can tell her to be quiet and she never resents it. She is always there for me and I never have to talk her into running.
You can also program workouts in advance and then just select that day on the watch and do the workout. This is nice for me when I travel. I can program up a month's worth of workouts and just take the watch with me. I never have to remember what I'm supposed to run that day. I turn on Garmin select today's workout and start running. It's great.
If the universe gets it's stuff together and you can afford it, look into the 405 which just came out. It has all the same features as the 205/305 but has wireless sync and a Ipod-like control system. It's also much smaller. I haven't heard a price but I'm sure it's expensive. If your really feeling good, can I have one too???
Good luck and keep up the training. Sorry I haven't posted much lately, I'm really busy. I do read your posts daily though.
Thank, thank, thank you all!! That helps a LOT! I'd thought buying a wet suit would be the best way to go, but it's good to have that affirmed. And the Garmin suggestions were great! Y'all are the best.
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