Just thought I'd throw a quick post out about some of the equipment I used for the
Ultimate Relay. I may not list every little thing, but ones that I think should be mentioned. The 'stuff' of that day was almost as important as my training. Bonk, get a blister, saddle sore = not a fun day! So here goes
Swim:
Sable goggles - yes these babies are pricey but I love them! I try to be extra careful with them and try to save them for open water only. They calm the sun and glare and their water clarity is amazing! I love letting friends try them to hear their reactions.
Xterra wetsuit - I used a old full sleeve (possibly a Vector Pro, but it's at least 6 years old, so not sure) on the first swim and my newer sleeveless Vortex on the last swim. I know and believe full sleeve to be faster, but I haven't found one yet that fits my bicep well, and I love the feel of the water, I am falling more and more in love with racing in sleeveless. Xterra makes good quality affordable wetsuits.
Bike:
QR CD0.1 Ultegra - Ya'll have seen my bike plenty, and I still like her, mostly now because of her trademark color that so many people recognize me by, the color I hated when first considering bikes. Funny eh? The only complaint I have with the bike is the difficulty in adjusting the rear brakes mostly because of their position.
GU bike flask mount - simple, cheap, effective. It's just nice having the gel securely in front of you within easy reach, especially when I wear a top that may not have great pockets. Saves me the few seconds it takes to put it in a pocket in T1 too ... terribly crucial, I know
;)
LG Trilite shoes - wider, comfortable, cool zebra print on the bottom, and lighter than their carbon shoe but less money
Garmin 105 - nothing new or fancy, and I really only used it for a 15 minute timer to remember my nutrition. Did not carry it on the run.
Pjur Original Body Glide - haha, you all will love me here. So while I also used regular saddle creams like Chamois Butter, I took this from, um, another room in our house and tried it out on the very top inside of my thighs (bikini area basically, where my legs meet the saddle) and nether regions. It's a liquid, not a cream, and it lasts a long time! Really keeps things friction free which I worried about being on and off the saddle so many times.
Run:
Altra Lone Peak - wore this trail shoe on the first and third runs and loved it. Zero drop, rock plate, fully cushioned, foot shaped (you don't know what that really means till you've tried Altra by the way). Not that heavy either. Wore it once without socks and once with, no rubbing.
Altra super secret prototype - yeah, that's all you get
:) But it was lighter and great and of course zero drop and foot shaped
Nathan 4 bottle belt - not sure which one as it's several years old, I'm guessing the Trail Series. Anyway, I like the flat back 10oz bottles and large rear pocket. Also stored my run sticker and pills in the small front zip pocket. I usually carried 2 bottles with me, 3 on the 3rd run.
Clothing:
CEP compression tri shorts - wore them for everything except the last run. No rubbing, no chafing, and based off of more recent races I have to wonder if their compression really did help me, I never really tightened up or got sore till the last run, just tired. The higher waistband in back is nice for aero and has a small pocket
Moving Comfort Juno bra - I've written a
review on this one, it's my go to bra when there's swimming involved since it's racer back and my Jubralee while equally supportive has traditional bra straps. Again, no rubbing, and I like it's padded straps. I just have black but they have some really fun colors!
CEP compression sleeves - I wore them until after the 3rd run and I'm sure they helped some. No noticeable drag at all while swimming in them sans wetsuit
Speedo swim suit - I debated what to wear to reduce drag on my non wetsuit swims as my bra and shorts let in a bit more water than I liked. Didn't want to take the time or effort to change, so I pulled my training suit up over my shorts and bra and I liked it. And these polyester, PBT, or Endurance fabric suits, I tell ya, they last forever! The one I wore is 3 years old and I train in it every week!
Headsweats visor - love the elastic back
Nutrition:
First Endurance EFS drink - love this brand.
Reviewed it here. LOTS of electrolytes in their products (way higher numbers than most products). Tropical punch and grape were my flavors of choice and they're great cold, so I had a new bottle prepared for each ride in the cooler. I concentrate my bottles with anywhere from 1.5-3 scoops/bottle. I usually do about 100cal/hr
First Endurance Liquid Shot 'gel' - it's not a gel at all though, but a thick liquid (which I usually water down just a little). I carried it on the bike and run in flasks and usually consumed 100cal/hr
Sportlegs and Metasalts - I usually go EFS and Liquid Shot as my only electrolytes because of their high levels, but it was a very long and hot day so took these as prescribed for extra electrolytes mostly as precaution.
Prolytes - love this stuff in all my water in the 3 days before a race.
Coke - drank about 6oz on the last 3 runs for flavor, a little caffeine, and to keep my stomach calm
Husband - my rock that day. What a guy! Best support crew ever!
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I don't have any complaints with this bra. Haven't had any chafing or rubbing, and the velcro has only slipped a few times, but not when I was actually running. I'll take it for the ease of nursing and adjustment access it gives me. The bra breathes great and has good shape. The traditional style straps don't bother my shoulders in back at all like I wondered if they would since it's not racerback style. I find the Jubralee being my go to bra lately because it's so easy to put on and supports great! Definately check it out. Moving comfort is priced similar to other high quality brands and is totally worth the money. I tell you ladies, you spend the $50 (they have some colors for $32 right now too - that's a deal!) on a bra like this and it will not only support you way better than your $15 Target bra, but it will be more comfortable because it breathes better and will surely last longer. I've given my Moving Comfort bras a beating this last 6 months running, biking, racing, and teaching in them all week and undoing and pulling them up and down all the time to nurse and they're holdilng up great! Like any other important piece of equiptment like running shoes, you really need to pay for quality. This bra and any Moving Comfort bra really (I have 3) are worth the money, worth the money, worth the money. I am not sponsored or paid at all by Moving Comfort, just a happy customer. Check em out!
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