In the past year of training for various events there is certain gear and products I have become very attached to. The reason my mind drifted to this topic is because I am in the market for new cycling shoes. Now finding the right gear is very difficult for me, especially when it comes to shoes! This is what I have learned...
Body Glide is a definite must! Anything over 10 miles I will have chafing issues, and so to avoid the scream of pain in the post-run shower I use this product. I find I can wear almost any combination of clothing if I apply body glide first. For cycling, I often need a bit thicker of assistance with chafing so I use various chamois butters. The most common brands I use are beljum budder and chamois butt'r.
I am a huge fan of arm warmers, and my favorite brand so far is shiela moon. These are perfect for spring and fall days where the morning starts off cold, but warms up quickly. I recently lost one arm warmer so I'm trying out sugoi warmers with fleece inside, I'll let you know how they work.
Personally, I hate wearing leg warmers so I often try to wear capris or just bare the cold, but right now I'm sporting sugoi midzero leg warmers because it is just too cold outside. I really like the fleece in this brand, hence why I'm trying out their arm warmers.
The I-Fitness carrying case is great as an I-pod touch holder. I used to always run with my I-Pod on my arm, but it is a bit heavy and I sometimes have some chafing issues. However, the I-Fitness holder stays in place and holds other items I may need while out on a run.
No these are not leg-warmers, but post run compression sleeves. I occasionally wear Recovery Sock compression socks, but I've become a bigger fan of compression sleeves. I find socks are a bit thick on warmer days, and I can opt to wear sandals while sporting my Zensah compression sleeves. You can wear these during activities, but I use them more for recovery.
In terms of headware in these cold winter months, I love the lululemon running hat. Not only does it keep my head the right temperature, but it has a convenient pony tail hole in the back. My hair will drive me crazy if I have to wear it down or in pig tails so I prefer a pony tail. I also am a huge fan of visors, I don't do sunglasses when I run so I've started sporting visors on a regular basis. Since the running tri/club I belong to (Forward Motion Race Club) has Avia visors (all my visors until Surf City were FOMO visors) I tend to prefer this brand, but I also like my new HALO visor.
For shoewear, I've been cursed with awful feet. They have gotten me a long way, but they do have lots of problems. I don't have a whole lot of choices when it comes to footwear since I have flat feet and narrow heels but I have settled on a few brands. For the run I'm a huge fan of ASICS, I have loved both the gel evolutions and the foundation 9s. They offer strong support and aren't as hideous as many motion control shoes.
To be honest I don't have good cycling shoes, but I've decided to try out a new pair, the shimano tr31tri shoe. Since I haven't actually tried the shoe I can't say I'm attached yet, but I really like how comfortable and light they feel so far. In the past I used the forte mountain biking shoe, which is great for spin, but a bit heavy and a heel slipper for the road bike.
This is not all my gear by far, but I like slowly adapting to new bits and pieces, but all these items have a different story to tell on my triathlon journey.
Body Glide is a definite must! Anything over 10 miles I will have chafing issues, and so to avoid the scream of pain in the post-run shower I use this product. I find I can wear almost any combination of clothing if I apply body glide first. For cycling, I often need a bit thicker of assistance with chafing so I use various chamois butters. The most common brands I use are beljum budder and chamois butt'r.
I am a huge fan of arm warmers, and my favorite brand so far is shiela moon. These are perfect for spring and fall days where the morning starts off cold, but warms up quickly. I recently lost one arm warmer so I'm trying out sugoi warmers with fleece inside, I'll let you know how they work.
Personally, I hate wearing leg warmers so I often try to wear capris or just bare the cold, but right now I'm sporting sugoi midzero leg warmers because it is just too cold outside. I really like the fleece in this brand, hence why I'm trying out their arm warmers.
No these are not leg-warmers, but post run compression sleeves. I occasionally wear Recovery Sock compression socks, but I've become a bigger fan of compression sleeves. I find socks are a bit thick on warmer days, and I can opt to wear sandals while sporting my Zensah compression sleeves. You can wear these during activities, but I use them more for recovery.
In terms of headware in these cold winter months, I love the lululemon running hat. Not only does it keep my head the right temperature, but it has a convenient pony tail hole in the back. My hair will drive me crazy if I have to wear it down or in pig tails so I prefer a pony tail. I also am a huge fan of visors, I don't do sunglasses when I run so I've started sporting visors on a regular basis. Since the running tri/club I belong to (Forward Motion Race Club) has Avia visors (all my visors until Surf City were FOMO visors) I tend to prefer this brand, but I also like my new HALO visor.
For shoewear, I've been cursed with awful feet. They have gotten me a long way, but they do have lots of problems. I don't have a whole lot of choices when it comes to footwear since I have flat feet and narrow heels but I have settled on a few brands. For the run I'm a huge fan of ASICS, I have loved both the gel evolutions and the foundation 9s. They offer strong support and aren't as hideous as many motion control shoes.
To be honest I don't have good cycling shoes, but I've decided to try out a new pair, the shimano tr31tri shoe. Since I haven't actually tried the shoe I can't say I'm attached yet, but I really like how comfortable and light they feel so far. In the past I used the forte mountain biking shoe, which is great for spin, but a bit heavy and a heel slipper for the road bike. This is not all my gear by far, but I like slowly adapting to new bits and pieces, but all these items have a different story to tell on my triathlon journey.
