Top Ten Training or Racing Purchases and Why!
Just finished another great Coach Lesson on Zoom, and I thought it would be great to give all of you a chance to contribute your personal Lessons Learned from equipment shopping.
Here's how...
Sport / Focus / Item / Approx Cost / Benefits
For example:
Swimming / Training / Vasa Ergometer / $1799 / Allows me to swim when I want. Also gives me instant feedback on my cadence and power which have been super helpful to me.
Here's another:
Bike & Run / Training / Mpow Bluetooth headphones / $20 / I get all the audio I want When I swim bike and run with zero interference. They are pretty sweat resistance and I usually have two pairs on hand in case one needs a charge!
How about you?!!?
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(A) Criterion 1...Importance to race performance. For 17 years I raced on the same TT bike, a double diamond titanium 650c from Quintana Roo, fabricated by Merlin. 2017, I spent an arm + a leg for a QR PRSix. I was able to sustain faster speeds than the previous several years (a + @ my age), while spending fewer heartbeats. IMO, I bought free fitness. I estimate $36/hour raced biking amortized over 5 years.
(B) Criterion 2 ... Most important day-to-day, no matter what I'm doing. Tie between WKO4 and its data feeder, my Garmin Fenix 5. No matter what I'm doing (Swim, Bike, Run, Ski, Hike, Trek, Raft, SUP, etc, etc) I can grab all the metrics I might imagine from many different sensors via the Fenix, and review them at leisure via WKO4. Total cost for the two: $525, which amortizes to an estimated 50¢ a day, 20¢ a workout/activity.
I have an orange Continental trainer tire that I’ve used for 23 IMs worth of training. I think it was 35 dollars.
Aftershokz bone conducting headphones for trail running. I can enjoy music or podcasts but still hear and maintain situational awareness. These got me through dark times on just about every ultra in my signature below.
I've been thinking about the Coach Lesson presentation and I've come to the conclusion that @Coach Patrick has some things in common with Alton Brown. Alton Brown is opposed to unitaskers -- single use kitchen gadgets. I think @Coach Patrick wants us to avoid the hype and spend our triathon budget on stuff that we can use more generally (racing and training, bike and run, etc.) at least at first. Here is a video of Alton Brown discussing some unitaskers. I think the ultrarunners will appreciate the last review. 🤣
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgFeVlw2Ywg
Sport / Focus / Item / Approx Cost / Benefits
Bike/racing/wheelbuilder disk cover/$60 (amortized: about $1 per use)/ 10-20 mins saved in IM races
@Coach Patrick
Bike & Run / Training / Mpow Bluetooth headphones / $20 / I get all the audio I want When I swim bike and run with zero interference. They are pretty sweat resistance and I usually have two pairs on hand in case one needs a charge!
Can you send a link to the exact ones you like? I checked Amazon and there are like a dozen different ones... I'm in the market for a new set of Bluetooth headphones.
membership in Endurance Nation! best bang for the buck in on target training plans and access to a community that has made me a better athlete and person. For $ per month that I was grandfathered at in 2010, I gained a new perspective on life. I am about to turn 54, the age my father was when he had his bypass. I grew up in a house where High blood pressure was part of the conversation as long as I can remember, I now have a 106/60 BP and a resting HR in the low 40s. Benefit - priceless!
@John Withrow Here you go!!! https://amzn.to/2EbZSJ2
@Coach Patrick which Vasa trainer do you have? The SwimErg with power meter? Do we have a discount with Vasa by chance? I am really thinking that I need to get one as I am very limited in pool availability and was curious if I could benefit with using a Pulley system Total Gym as a "swim trainer" in the mean time?
@Jenniferlyn Kryvicky - most of us have the erg with the PM, go to the dashboard and go to the sponsors discount page, before you click on the link, check for the PW and find the Vasa discount. if you are good and spend some time in slowtwitch classifieds or craigslist, you may see one pop up here and there. I found two that were each an hour's drive for me, but I have one at my house and one at my GFs house.
I also found one in Denver (I am in NY) thinking i could have it shipped (you can't way too expensive) but I got Steph Stevens to grab that one...
My Switch prescription sunglasses with magnetic lens that I can change in 2 seconds.. nothing like being able to ride my bike/run and see what's ahead and what my watch/phone/garmin says.
I'm going with my softball which I use instead of the ever popular LAX ball to roll my glutes and calves.