On a Lighter Note

After a hard thought review yesterday I am going with something a little lighter. About a year ago at Ikea I came across this little gem. 

I don't like fussy coffee with frothed anything, but I thought it would work great to mix up recovery smoothies or other powdered drink concoctions. And guess what, it totally does. I hate when I mix a powdered drink mix and no matter how much I stir and stir I still end up with schmutz at the bottom of the glass, what a waste. I put about eight ounces of liquid in a large glass, add the powder and mix with the frother. Then I top off the liquid, give it a quick final stir with frother and enjoy. It takes two AA batteries, which have lasted a long time, but the best thing about the Ikea Produkt Milk-Frother - it's $1.99. I bought two.

GPS and So Much More

For my 40th birthday my mom bought me a Garmin Forerunner 405 with heart rate monitor. (Yes. I'm a momma's boy. You got a problem with that?) I wrote about my initial reactions here and here. Just recently, however, I received a request to write a review of this amazing wrist computer. Always aiming to please, (anyone who knows me, knows that is lie) I agreed. It is actually a good time to review this as I have had several months to use it and play around with many of the functions.

Amazing is an overstatement. It doesn't actually make me run faster and it does have some negatives, but overall it is pretty useful and I would say it is worth the money I didn't pay for it, but would have.

First, the things I like. The main thing is that I could actually wear it everyday. I have seen Rolex and Omega diving watches that are bigger than this. The numbers are good sized for just checking the time.  It gives us more accurate distance for all the routes we run. 

The touch bezel is nice, especially when setting up the watch and moving through menus. You can lock out the bezel so you don't inadvertently select something or turn on the battery draining back light. The battery does seem to last a good long time. Up to a few days of normal use - including workouts - before needing a recharge.

The free Garmin Connect service works well and has a very nice "share" function. (Although, lately it has been a little "buggy" as they are updating it.) There are two parts of the Garmin Connect site that really thrill me. First, your route is mapped out on Google Maps so you can see the route you took and save it. Second, the "player" function walks you through your run and shows you your heart rate, speed, distance, etc. as it follows your path on a Google map. It is a great way to determine where you really dropped off or sped up on a particular run.

The heart rate monitor works really well. The sensor (aka "chest strap") is comfortable and stays put. The watch picks up the sensor without fail. I had a previous HRM that was hit and miss at times and could be frustrating. 

Some of the functions are really convenient. I don't use it, but the "auto-pause" feature is nice. It will stop the timer if you fall below a pace specified by you (like a walking pace) or you can set it to stop the timer when you stop. It is pretty sensitive and I just stop the timer manually the one or two times I need to, but if there was a lot of starting and stopping or a track workout, it would be handy. 

The "auto-lap" feature is my favorite. It allows you to set a distance to automatically split-out a lap. You can set if for a specific distance - I have mine set for mile splits. Or you can set it for a specific point - we run around lakes here, I could set it to take a split every time I pass the point where we start around the lake. It's very slick and takes the guess work out of your splits.

"Virtual partner" is a function I haven't used. Basically, you run against your watch if you are running alone.

The display is customizable. In the training mode you can set up what information you want to display - running time, current pace, average pace, heart rate, etc. Up to three types of information can be displayed in any arrangement. You can also store up to three groups of information so you don't have to constantly reset the display if you run and bike and walk with your watch. 

The Ant+ Sport feature makes syncing to your computer a breeze. They finally got it figured out for the Mac so everyone can join the party. The Ant+ stick just goes in a USB port and the Garmin Ant+ software does the rest, uploading your information to the Garmin Connect site. 

I also find the recharging cord to be pretty clever and convenient.

Now for the negatives. It makes all the routes we have run shorter than what we were figuring. It goes into power save too soon. The touch-bezel is difficult to work when wet and cold. The touch bezel is also pretty sensitive even when set on the lowest sensitivity setting (which mine is all the time.) The watch itself is sensitive to the cold. On some really cold runs I have lost function. I would like two alarms (that's just me). When the timer is running and I am locking or unlocking the bezel, it is too easy to start or stop the timer. The lone two buttons are marked "start/stop" and "lap/reset" but many of the directions refer to "enter" and "quit." I get the two confused. ("start/stop" = "enter" and "lap/reset" = "quit".) Overall, it is a complicated and function laden watch. I don't imagine being able to, or needing to use all the functions that are available. The learning curve is steep.

My overall assessment of the Garmin Forerunner 405 is that it is a very capable GPS enabled HRM and watch. The functions are useful and varied. Garmin's website support is very good as are the manuals that come in the box. (You will have to use them to get started, believe me.) Garmin even offers video tutorials on YouTube that walks you through the functions. Now that I have spent some time with it, the 405 has mostly lived up to my expectations. Spring and summer are coming along with open water swimming and racing, so we will see how it holds up durning these events. I will periodically provide updates here as I learn new stuff about it. Although I personally didn't shell out the money, I am not at all disappointed that my mom did - the Forerunner 405 is definitely worth the money.

Back in the Saddle

There is something I have never understood; you spend a ton of money on a bike with a carbon frame and fork, lightweight components and decent wheels, but you get a crappy seat. You want your bike to be comfortable to ride for hours at a time and the bike manufactures sell you some cheap seat. The guy who sold me my bike (Helton at Penn Cycle - great guy) told me I would hate the stock seat, but I gave it a try anyway. "Why would they put such a crappy saddle on this bike? The rest of the set-up is pretty good." Well, he wasn't just trying to up-sell me - he knew what he was talking about. I rode on my stock saddle for the first year that I had my new bike, but this past winter I ditched the seat. That thing flat-out sucked. I upgraded to the Fizik Arione Flex Wing and it has made a huge difference. 

First, I must note that buying a saddle is a personal task. Everyone is built differently with different pressure points and riding positions. This seat works for me, it may not work for you. 

The biggest improvement is in the amount of cushioning. It has considerably less cushioning than my original saddle. This may seem counterintuitive to comfort, but it actually supports my "sits bones" (yoga term) better without cutting off the circulation to other "regions" or causing pressure points. The seat is also extremely flat. This is advantageous when in the aero bars and riding up on the horn of the saddle. I still have enough support without feeling like I brought my urologist along to do a prostate exam while I ride. This seat runs a little narrower than what my sits bones measured (yes, you can have how you sit measured and you should) but, again, it works for me. Fizik has a nice selection of saddles available. You can even get them custom sewn with team colors or something to match your bike. 

In my opinion - which is all this blog is, in case you didn't get it - bike manufactures should sell bikes of a certain level with no seats. If you are buying a high performance bike, you really should buy your seat separately and be fitted for it along with the rest of the bike. I think the initial satisfaction, along with long term satisfaction, would improve immensely if these bike were sold this way. My ass would have liked that first year a lot more if I would have taken the bike shop's advice.

What's More Entertaining?

Michellie Jones' first Kona Ironman win, Norman Stadler "un-drinking" everything he had on the bike, or Chrissie Wellington jetting past everyone after sitting with a flat for over ten minutes. I have had some time to contemplate just this question as I have been on my trainer this winter. I have watched IM Kona 2006, 2007 and 2008 multiple times and some of the races are better than others. Let me rephrase that - all the races are great - NBC's production is kind of up and down and the stories they choose to tell are hit and miss. Following are my thoughts on each video.

Kona 2006 - 

I just got this video from a friend and right now it is my least favorite. I do like the interviews before the swim start where they are talking about what it's like. NBC has some clunky transitions especially around the Hoyt's. The aerial swim shots of the main field is cool. The music is a little on the annoying side, too. I do not like the pro v. age-group wave start. Overall, too many interviews. Look for Michellie Jones "snot rocket" on the bike. We do get a good set up for the rivalry between Stadler and McCormack. People might think he's a dick, but Macca thoroughly punished himself to get that close. The John Blaise story is good, but I would have preferred it played out on the road rather than constant "talking head" interviews. The best part - Natasha Badmann sucking it up and trudging along for 10th.

The video is good for watching the men's run. The women's run is good, too. The editing is just very clunky. I like to watch more racing and more drama on the course rather than all the talky-talk.

Kona 2007 - 

Probably my favorite of the three. Good drama, good choice of age-grouper stories. The aerial shots of the island at the beginning are a great set up for the rest of the video. The melodramatic tone turns out to be well planned. They kind of make a big deal about the Stadler - Macca "war of words" which I think was overblown. "Trash talk" is not much of a story, in my opinion. I prefer the interviews voiced over the race footage instead of the talking heads from 2006. Much better music - if you like "The Exorcist" or "The Omen." Much more racing and less talking - the action speaks for itself. I love seeing Macca scream at his helmet - shows mortality in the pros. Tons of good bike footage. NBC did a great job of reporting on former champs and contenders. The crash of Natasha Badmann is heartbreaking/inspiring/heartbreaking. Michellie Jones going out gets kind of short shrift. Then Norman Stadler losing every liquid ingested on the bike. The fact he tried to keep going at all is a testament. They do a good job of surprising us with Chrissie Wellington. The suffering of all the competitors is well portrayed and inspirational especially when they show the mortality of the pros - they suffer like the age groupers, like pro Rutger Beke who walked the marathon. Talk about sportsmanship and respect for the age groupers. Good biking and running footage for both the men and women - important when peddling in place for hours.

Kona 2008 - 

My second favorite of the three. 30th Anniversary - love the brutal historical footage at the beginning. A good mix of race footage and talking head interviews. The way Chrissie Wellington gets in the other women's heads is interesting. Stadler really shows how much he has grown up over the years - continuing to go even when everything is falling apart - and finishing. The set up for the stories they are going to follow works well as people are getting marked. The start sequence is great - it's a nice build-up. Much better music. The underwater swimming shots at full speed are amazing. The sequence of the first swimmers coming out of the water is my favorite. Chrissie Wellington is THE story. Her unbelievable come from behind is one of the greatest things I have seen. Watching Craig Alexander calmly and methodically win is great. Again, good biking footage - important when you are spending hours on the trainer in the winter. I think the age group finishes are the best of the three. 

Bonus Video -

I love the imbedded video it's only about seven minutes long but the editing is good and the music is tight. Enjoy!

Chock Full O' Nuts

What athlete doesn't rely on caffeine to some extent? There have been all sorts of articles recently about how caffeine improves performance and recovery after a hard effort. Now, if you happen to be Mormon, Muslim, high-strung with high blood pressure or happen to dislike dark, bitter liquids don't leave quite yet. This is not about which coffee is the best, but it's about which coffee chain is better - at least as I see it. In Minneapolis, the two major chains are Starbucks (duh) and Caribou Coffee (the local boy gone somewhat national.) We also have a collection of local and regional coffee shops (as every area does), but the wider reading audience (yes, you, my father-in-law in Florida) wouldn't care about those, and truth be told, I really don't frequent those places only because Starbucks and Caribou are most convenient. Yes, I drink coffee and in fact love it quite a lot, but I am no connoisseur and I would only make myself sound like more of an ass if I tried to compare roasts and brewing methods and taste. I only drink the drip of the day and put way too much half-and-half and sugar (a lot of sugar) in each cup. Mostly what I want to compare is atmosphere and how it affects recovery after a long Saturday run.

**I must say at this point that what follows is only my opinion and if you have a militant, opposite opinion you are welcome to keep it to yourself or share it on your blog. Admittedly, I don't know nuthin' 'bout nuthin' so my ignorance should really absolve me of all credibility. In other words, I am making most of this crap up as I go along.**

Our preferred coffee shop is Caribou Coffee at 50th and France in Edina (in case one of you Starbucks baristas wants to hunt me down) or Caribou Coffee at Calhoun Commons. We are particularly fond of the 50th and France location as it is roomier and has three leather club chairs and a free standing stone fireplace that allows for easy rotation as we take turns warming our backs. We always seem to stay longer than planned and end up bemoaning the fact we need to leave. (It could be the Caribou Coffee Mystique or it could be the fact we all have grade school-aged kids waiting for us at home.) One major flaw, which MS only just figured out after going to this location for over a year, is that the fireplace is electric. There are no flames, gas or otherwise. The "flames" are pictures or illustrations of flames and are not at all convincing - MS may need glasses. Aside from that, the "hearthy" feel and heat is rather comforting. There is a fireplace at our alternative location which, if I recall correctly, is actually gas, but the seating is not nearly as convenient or comfortable and overall the space is much smaller and feels like it fills up too quickly. We tend to like the woodsy, cabiny feel at Caribou. One of the women in my running group actually found the color to paint her kitchen on the walls in this Caribou. Caribou also has trivia. I am pretty good at it, too, so I get to feel all smart and superior and get ten cents off. 

Caribou is not the be all, end all. I do have some complaints. First of all, they haven't had peppermint tea in like, a decade. The sign has been there for months and months - "No Peppermint Tea" - could you just take if off the menu or, better yet, get some fricking peppermint tea!? No one I know even drinks peppermint tea, but really, it is just so maddening. Secondly, can you please fix the soap dispenser in the men's room? I mean really! Finally, could you open just a little earlier on Thanksgiving Day so we don't have to go to Starbucks? 

So, we do go to Starbucks, but it just isn't the same. The Starbucks we go to is about the same size as our main Caribou, but it just doesn't feel as comforting. The leather sofas are nice, but the art and carpet is too irritating. (To the eye, I mean. You would not catch me dead lying on the carpet in that place. I am sure you would have to scrape my old, dead bones off of that rug with a spatula considering the amount of coffee that's been spilled.) I am also very easily confused by their menus. I understand the size "code" and can easily order a "venti" and know that it is a "large", but I can never tell what their drip of the day is. It almost feels like they never quite finished installing the signage. They don't have a fireplace or any place "hearthy". It feels more like a restaurant then a "home away from home." The baristas are nice and they can make change. But it just doesn't work for us. 

Now, if Peet's would show up, they might give Caribou a run for their money. And I am pretty sure they would have peppermint tea.

No! I am not Lactating!

It only appears that I am lactating because the product I have been using on my nipples to keep them from chafing has left a residue that does not come out in the wash. Now, there are two products that I have used to reduce chafing - well, three really, because right now I am a lazy cheap-ass. 

First, a little history. When I started running all I wanted to do was be able to run a decent 10K so I could do Olympic distance triathlons. At the time, the thought of running a marathon fell into the realm of ridiculous notions along with having a blog, getting a three-legged dog, being laid off and getting on Facebook. (I am still holding out on Facebook - it defines ridiculous for me.) There were two primary reasons I would never run a marathon - pooping my pants and bloody nipples. Two marathons down and training for a third, I am over my fear of pooping my pants as I have developed an iron sphincter. Bloody nipps continue to be a source of concern although the worst I have had to this point is "stingy nipples" from a ten mile run with no lube. I have also found other places that chafe and require lube so those tender areas kind of get lumped into "bloody nipples."

Standard procedure for any run ten miles or over - lube the nips. (Although lately, I haven't been and I haven't had a problem. To steal a line from Hannibal Lecter - "Toughened your nipples, didn't it?") My current lube of choice is Body Glide. I like its "stick-deodorant" type applicator. It fits easily in my kit bag and medicine cabinet and it's neat and easy to get in the right spot. There is no scent and I haven't felt the need to reapply, so it's pretty durable. I have also used their product with SPF25 during tris and tri training. It's a good combo product as well. They have a third product that warms when you put it on, but it smacks a little to much of "warming love lube" so I haven't tried it. The one drawback for me with Body Glide is when I feel like I need A LOT of lubrication - like in the tender regions when I am biking. I feel like I am stroking and stroking and stroking to get enough on and then when I wear the stick down to the edge of the plastic container - ouch, what a surprise.

Prior to Body Glide, I was using Brave Soldier Friction Zone. For the most part I like this product as well. It comes in a tube and has the consistency of whipped petroleum jelly. It has a scent - which I liked - but if you are "odor averse" you may want to give it a whiff first. BSFZ was the superior product when large amounts of lube were necessary - you know "the swim suit region." For nips and other areas I seemed to have a problem getting the right amount, always too much, and then needing to wipe my hands on something or someone. When I still had both products, I did a combo of Body Glide on nips, neck, pits and Brave Soldier on the "crotchal region." The biggest drawback for Brave Soldier was that I couldn't seem to get all of it out of the tube. It also seemed to separate a little bit. The local running store I got the BSFZ at no longer stocks it, being the lazy, cheap-ass I mentioned above I have been using product number three as a replacement - Eucerin Aquaphor. For some reason we have about a dozen tubes of the stuff lying around so I use that when I hop on the bike, but I think the big tub might work better. It's OK but I do kind of like the BSFZ better, it seems to cause less bumps and "stuff" after a ride.

Now, about my lactating. One of the two products leaves kind of oily stains on some of my shirts. On one of my white technical shirts the spots have kind of yellowed. I don't know which one is the culprit and I don't really want to ruin any more shirts to find out. Just be aware. If you see me out and notice, please stop looking at my breasts, my face is much more interesting.

Pearl Izumi Amfib Tights

There are two companies that have A LOT of my money - Patagonia and Pearl Izumi. Both have great gear that holds up to rough wear and changing fashion trends. Early this winter I picked up a pair of Pearl Izumi AmFIB tights. I was looking for a "two-fer" tight that I could run and bike in. Well, these tights are the shizzle and my favorite cold weather tights. I have run in them in weather ranging from 30 degrees (a little on the warm side) to -20 with -30 wind chills and they really do the trick. 

The AmFIB stretch windproof/waterproof fabric makes up the full front of the tights with an additional panel covering the center rear. The inside of the AmFIB fabric has a soft fleece for insulation. The back of the tights are made of unbacked fleece to help with insulation and allow for moisture dispersal. All in all it's a nicely thought out system. The stretch of the fabrics is just firm enough to provide support without feeling constricting. An 8" zipper offset at the ankle helps you get them on and off. 

The only thing lacking in these tights is sufficient insulation in the hind-quarters (in other words, my ass froze a couple of times). Even with windshorts and an additional pair of tights on the really cold and windy days I still found myself with "red monkey butt". However, in the larger scheme of things that was a minor inconvenience and easily remedied with a 20 minute hot shower. The other minor irritant is the "swish-swish-snow-pant" sound that they make when I walk or run. Maybe it's my massively muscular thighs or the way I like to run like I am walking on a tight rope (neither are accurate) but they do make a little noise so don't plan on using them for stealthy ninja attacks. And to be frankly honest, they kind of make my butt look good. (Do not tell me that there is not a man - straight or gay - who does not want his running tights to flatter his hiney. After I typed that I realized there are probably a few - but I am not one of them. I want my ass to look good, damn it!)

I have yet to use these while biking (too icy), but right now these tights are highly recommended for cold, windy and wet weather.

Next Winter I Will Use These

Came across an article in Outside Magazine about hobnails to give you better traction on the ice and snow. La Sportiva sells a kit with removable hobnails and a "hobnailing tool." I will be trying these next winter seeing as this winter is nearly over (although I complain like it will never end) and I have already put screws in the bottom of an old pair of trainers. Why go with the fancy versus DIY version? Well, as I have reported, the sheet metal screws I currently have installed have a limited range of usability. On very smooth ice, like we are encountering now, they are only marginally helpful and in heavy snow they are again don't help a whole lot. I think ideally you would install the screws with the points down, like track spikes, but that is unrealistic as you would feel the heads in the your shoes. What's nice about the hobnails is they twist securely into the lugs on the soles and have enough of a point to grip in snow or glare ice. Apparently, these are the same spikes they use to hand-spike rally-car tires, so they are tough and secure. They aren't inexpensive, but they are removable so I am planning to use them on my everyday trainers and remove them when the weather turns nice again. I almost can't wait for next winter now.

I Like Gear

My wife rolls her eyes every time I buy a new gadget or a new piece of technical wear. All of this stuff makes my training more enjoyable and productive. That being said, the last thing she wants to hear about is my gadgets and gear and, frankly, it could be pretty boring for most people. This blog allows me to get my gadgety thoughts out of my brain and maybe provide some interesting information to a reader.