Pre and Post Race Clothing

• Sandals
• Shorts/Pants
• Shirt
• Jacket
• Socks

Race Wear

• Wetsuit or Speed Suit
• Goggles
• Swim Cap
• Speedo (if that’s your style)
• Tri-Suit or Separate Tri-Top & Tri-Bottom
• Bike Shorts (longer events)
• Bike Jersey (longer events)
• Lightweight/Rain Jacket (depending on weather)
• Running Shoes
• Bike Shoes
• Socks

Equipment

• Bike
• Helmet
• Water Cages (on bike)
• Bento Box (on bike)
• Air Pump
• Spare Tube
• Spare Tires
• Tool Pack
• CO2 Cartridges & Inflator

Electronics

• Heart rate monitor
• GPS tracking monitor
• Bike Power Meter
• Bike Computer
• Race Watch
• Cell phone (for before or after race only)

*some of these items may be integrated

Acessories

• Sunglasses
• Extra Goggles (in case of breakage or to help those friends that don’t use checklists)
• Ear Plugs
• Extra shoelaces
• Extra Socks (T2 or drop bags)
• Transition Towel or Mat (bring 2 if transition areas are separate)
• Extra safety pins for your bib number
• Support Bra
• Race Belt (for bib number)
• Running Hat
• Sweat Bands
• Bike Gloves
• Motivational Item (a small picture or motivational item to get you through a long race)

Medical

• Chap-stick
• Joint Supports and Braces
• Kenesio tape
• Kleenex
• Medication
• Sunscreen
• Foot Powder
• Body Glide
• Blister Kit
• Band-Aids

Hydration and Nutrition

• Pre Race Nutrition
• Gel Packs, Shot Blocks, or Similar
• Nutrition Drink
• Water
• Electrolyte Caps
• Race Food (if needed)
• Water Bottles / Aero Bottle
• Running Fuel Belt or Pack

*I’m not recommending quantities of nutrition in the checklist because it can vary for each individual but make sure you carefully calculate what you need to carry and what goes in your drop bag and transition area so you don’t run out of fuel.

Identification

• Personal ID (if checking in on race day)
• Timing Chip & Strap
• Bib Number
• Bike Number
• Helmet Number
• Paperwork For Check In (if checking in on race day)
• USAT Card or Organization Card

Good luck in your event and please comment if you notice that I have left something off the list.

For runners see my Marathon and Half-Marathon Race Day Gear Checklist

WooHoo! Free bike transport.

In celebration of the 2011 Tour de France Jet Blue Airline is waiving it’s bike transport fee for all of July 2011. This is great news for triathletes and cyclists because we know just getting our bikes to and from the race can easily tack on an extra $100 or more to the cost of travel.

The normal price for Jet Blue bike transport is $50 each way making it one of the lower cost options for flying with your bike compared to other airlines. Unfortunately, I don’t have any races in the month of July, but I hope some our readers can take advantage of this offer.

Jet Blue Press Release

Entering the Conference

The NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association) conference takes place every year to provide a venue for trainers to hear about the latest research and modalities for fitness training. I took the opportunity to attend this year’s conference in Las Vegas.

All three days were packed with with quality information, and I know some of the topics discussed will help lay the foundation for future articles on this site. Of course, it will take me some time to sort through my notes and determine how to organize my new found knowledge into a sensible message that will improve, and not confuse, your training.

Here were just a few of the topics and pics from this years conference.

Topics:

• What AND When: The Importance of Timing to Optimize Athletes’ Nutrition by Dan Benardot, PhD, RD, LD, FACSM and Susan Kundrat, MS
• Keynote Address by Coach Bobby Bowden
• Vibration Applications for Sports by Matthew Rhea, PhD, CSCS *D
• Complete Core Training: From Research to Real-World Results by Mike Robertson, CSCS
• Intensity vs. Volume and The Role of Training to Failure by Chad Kersick, PhD, ATC, CSCS *D, NSCA-CPT *D and Colin Wilborn, PhD, ATC, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
• Powerful Coaching: Theory and Practice of Motivation and Leadership by Brian Gearity, CSCS

Human Kinetics Book Stand has the Latest Research

Move Strong All-In-One Functional Gym Endless Number of Exercises

Testing My Body Fat on the In-Body 520 Scale by Biospace

Use Tiger Tail for Self Massage and Myofacial Release

The Omnivores Dilemma is a must read

What a strange title. That’s what I thought when I first received this book as a gift, but after the first chapter I was hooked.

What is the Omnivore’s Dilemma?

As omnivores we are faced with a plethora of food choices everyday. Unlike the cow, which is meant to only eat grass, we can turn a wide variety of foods into fuel.  Therein lies the problem.  How do you decide which foods to eat when in reality you might be eating the exact same food packaged in a different way. In the past we relied on culture and history to help make food choices, but in today’s fast paced world, especially in America, that culture is broken.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma explores the complicated food choices in today’s modern world from a very unique perspective. The author, Michael Pollan, takes himself on a journey of selecting four different meals and tracing the ingredients of each meal back to their root source.

Through his journey Michael Pollan uncovers what ingredients make up the typical fast food meal.  He explores the organic industry complex compared to the small, private farm. Finally he experiences the joy and frustration of hunting and gathering his own meal from the forest.

I like this book because Michael does not preach at us to eat in a particular way or follow a particular diet.  This book, rather, teaches us the true source of the foods we consume and leaves it up to us to decide what to put in our mouth. If you want to truly become more educated about nutrition then this book deserves your attention.

Be warned, however, after reading this book your eyes will be open. Ignorance, though unhealthy, can be bliss.  I look forward to reading more books by Michael Pollan.

Other books by Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food an Eater’s Manifesto

celebrate the 4th with a workout

Happy Fourth of 4th of July! In addition to spending the day with family, friends, and your favorite napping spot, I want you to enjoy the freedom of getting outside the gym for a workout. Here is a special military-style workout that requires no weights and no fancy equipment. This simple, yet effective workout can be done in your backyard or a nearby park. Even though it’s not specifically designed for triathlon or endurance training you could use it as a quick, conditioning workout. Have fun!

These four exercises will target most of your major muscle groups and give you quick hard workout. You only need access to a pull-up bar and some space to run. If you have a hard time finding a place to do pull-ups or chin-ups you could instead do a bent-over rowing movement with dumbbells.

Do all four exercises with no rest in between sets.

Start:

• Pull Ups or Chin Ups – 1 set of 1-10 reps depending on your strength. (Use a spot if needed)
• Sit-ups or Crunches – 1 set of 15-30 reps
• Push Ups – 1 set of 10-15 reps
• Shuttle Run – Sprint 40-50 yards out and back. This should be enough distance for you get up to full running speed.

It should take about 2-3 minutes to complete one circuit. Now rest for 1 to 2 minutes.

You can repeat this circuit anywhere from 3-10 times depending on your level of conditioning.

Let’s not never forget those who are currently fighting for the freedoms we enjoy everyday. Bring them home safe.

times to qualify become more stringent

Qualifying for the Boston Marathon tops the bucket list for many endurance athletes, and I’ve made qualifying one of my goals for 2011. The Boston Marathon remains one of the few large races that requires runners to qualify. This means that you must run another certified marathon under the time allotment for your age group in order to register. The bad news or good news, depending on your point of view, is that the qualifying times are becoming more stringent.

Registration for Boston typically occurs in September of each year. This means in order to qualify for next years race in April you must complete your certified race by the September registration date of the preceding year.

Not all marathons are Boston qualifiers. In order to count as a qualifying race the race course must be certified. Many of the larger race coursed are certified, but double check the race website before you register. Here is a list of some of the most popular Boston qualifier races. You can also visit the USA Track & Field website to verify course certification.

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) sets the required qualifying times based on age group. (see chart) In the past years marathoning has grown in popularity and the number of qualifying registrants is growing beyond the capacity of the race. For the April 2012 race the qualifying times remain unchanged, but those with a faster qualifying times earn the privlige of early registration to help guarantee race entry.

For the April 2013 marathon B.A.A will continue to follow an early registration protocol for faster runners, but they are also implementing faster qualifying times. So whereas I needed a 3:15:59 to qualify for Boston in 2012 in 2013 I will need to run under a 3:10:00. That’s right, they are also doing away with the 59 second grace advantage.

I think overall this is a testament to the fact that more people are excited about marathoning and thus raising the bar for performance. I’m excited to see where the qualifying times will drop to in future years. I also believe that in addition to the sheer number of increased participants we are seeing people become more aware of training protocols, injury avoidance, and race nutrition. In essence, people are becoming better athletes and this is a positive change.

B.A.A is the official governing body of the Boston Marathon. Please check the B.A.A. website for more race specifics as recent changes may not be reflected in this article.

Curvyman by Niteize

On long workouts I like to listen to music, but when gearing up to start the workout I’ve often found myself standing in the driveway impatiently trying to untangle my headphones. However, over the past few months, Curvyman has helped to solve this problem.

Whether I’m running or just taking the dog around the block the Curvyman allows me to unwind just the right amount of cord to reach from my iPhone to my ears.

Curvyman, made by Niteize, is a semi-ridgid piece of plastic that resembles the shape of a man. The curve in the middle provides a place to wrap your headphones and the holes on each end allow you clip or unclip either end of your ear buds. Curvyman sells on the Niteize.com website, Amazon, and other retailers for just over $3 and it also comes in a variety of colors.

Curvyman attached to my bag

One of the nice features of the curvy man is the build in caribeaner clip which allows you to creatively attach it to your belt, bag, or clothing. For day to day use I like to attach it to one of the external Zippers on my backpack so I can have my headphones easily accessible.

The Curvyman works great with the standard apple headphones and similar earbuds from other manufacturers.

I was initially afraid the Curvyman would cause wear and damage to my headphone cord from popping it in and out of the retaining holes, but after 6 months of daily use I’ve had no problems. I might, however, be reluctant to use Curveyman with high end, more expensive earbuds. Many of these higher end models come with their own cases anyway, or my not be suitable to take on the riggers of a sweaty exercise session. Also if the rubber casing of your headphone cord is extra think or oddly shaped it may not work as well but for just $3 it’s worth a try.

Goodbye tangled headphones; hello Curvyman.

Curvyman with Sennheiser workout headphones

on target to reach my goal for 2011

Have you ever shared a goal with someone only to have them make fun of you if didn’t reach it or, worse, tell you that you couldn’t achieve it? It hurts enough that we promise ourselves not to ever again share our goal with another soul, short of our lovable and faithful dog (or other pet). However, before you give up completely on goal sharing, realize that there’s not a single person that hasn’t experienced some type of failure in life. If someone is trying to hold you back then the underlying reason may be that they are afraid to try and accomplish something for themselves.

So I say, go ahead and share your goal with as many people as possible. The additional motivation and accountability that comes from a shared goal far outweighs the cost of someone trying to highlight any of your shortcomings. Furthermore, opening up means there is a likely chance of finding someone who will help you reach your goal.

Who could you tell? A friend, spouse, co-worker, your training group, all of these are good choices. Generally, the more people you tell the greater your motivation and accountability. If this idea still makes you nervous then choose just one person that you know will offer unconditional support.

Another way to tell a lot of people is to put it up on your blog…so here goes. My goal for 2011 is to complete a marathon in under three hours.

Why? It’s just my goal darn it, I don’t have to give a reason! Just kidding. My primary motivation is that a marathon at this pace would qualify me for the Boston Marathon. I actually have to run a 3:15 to qualify for Boston, but it’s reasonably close enough, that with my current level of conditioning, I think I can break the 3 hour mark. In addition I’ve become somewhat fixated on achieving this goal which means it’s something I really want. I know in the past I’ve set some goals that just sounded good without first deciding if it’s something I really desired.

In the end remember that these are your goals. There is no right or wrong so go for it and if you need a little added motivation don’t be afraid to share your goal in the comments below.

I’ll keep you updated in September when I race for my sub 3 hour marathon.

Since getting rid of our cable subscription last year, it has become harder for me to watch live coverage of some of my favorite sports. Fortunately, the internet offers some good alternatives, and following the pros helps me stay motivated for my workout.

Here are three ways you can see coverage of the Amgen Tour of California.

For those of you that still have cable you can watch it on Versus each day at 5pm EST.

Another option is to purchase the The Shack Tour Tracker iPhone or iPad app for $.99 or $3.99 respectively. I bought the iPhone version and I am lovin’ this little app. It gives provides a text news feed of the race, stage information, and rider standings. It also provides a live video feed each day for the last 2 hours of racing. The video quality is surprisingly good, and I was able to watch the live feed using only my 3G connection.

A final option is a subscription to livecyclingchannel.com. Since I haven’t tried this service, I can’t comment on the site but maybe I’ll try it for the Tour de France 2011 starting Saturday July 2nd.

I volunteered for this race and was able to snap some beautiful pictures at sunrise before the racers reached my aid station.