My Running Gear

Over the course of the past few years I have accumulated several pieces of running gear. Some I have liked better then others. Below I have listed the different types of running gear that I use, and where applicable, the brands that I prefer. Some would argue that you can run in anything (and I'm sure that you can), but having comfortable and useful gear can sure make things easier and more enjoyable.

Running Shoes
Probably the single most important piece of gear when it comes to running. Good running shoes are not just important for comfort, but the proper style and fit can also be the difference between getting injured or not. I was lucky to find shoes that worked for me early on, and even better, they aren't very expensive. I am currently on my 4th and 5th pair of New Balance 610 Trail Runners. I limit each pair of shoes to 400 miles and I try to start breaking in a new pair every 200 miles so that I always have 2 pairs going.

Compression Shorts
If shoes are the most important piece of gear, these are a close second, especially for me as a "larger individual" who would otherwise chafe like crazy. I own and use several brands, but one has stood out above the rest just because they fit me better. Adidas Techfit are my compression short of choice because they form to my legs the best and have a nice wide waist band that does not roll when I run. I also wear Adidas running tights in the colder months.

Running Shorts
I like longer shorts that have a bit of stretch to them. I also prefer to have actual pockets to hold my keys and energy gels in while I run. Nike Challenger are my shorts of choice

Running Shirts
I started out running in just standard cotton t-shirts, but quickly found value in performance material running shirts. For starters, they don't absorb water like cotton and dry more quickly. Also, they tend to not hold the nasty body odor smell that come from the copious amounts of sweat that I produce. Recently, with my triathlon training, I have switched to sleeveless shirts and have found this very helpful when trying to beat the heat during the summer months (plus, everyone enjoys seeing my ripped biceps and triceps). Champion is my brand of choice for a straight running shirt, but I use Pearl Izumi for my tri tops.

Hats
Again, I started out with standard ball caps, but quickly switched to a Nike running hat. The material is lighter, wicks away sweat, and can be washed in the washing machine. This year I have actually started using a visor (which requires that I put sunscreen on my mostly bald head). The visor helps a lot with dispersing heat during the summer months as well.

Socks
A good way to ruin your feet quickly is to wear cotton socks. I don't have a huge preference here other then making sure they aren't cut too low. I have a couple pairs of socks that will cause blisters on my heal from rubbing on the back of my shoe if I'm not careful. I am currently running in either Saucony or Adidas brand socks.

GPS Watch
I started out 3 years ago by using my cell phone with the MapMyRun app. This worked ok, but it quickly became a pain to run with my phone. As a reward for completing my first 8 week training program that year, I bought a Garmin Forerunner 10 and began using the free GarminConnect website to track all of my running activities. I have since added in all of my other training activities as well as weight loss tracking on the website. It is great to be able to track personal records as well as run progress reports on the data.

Nutrition
So far I have been using GU energy gels during longer races and training runs, as well as Gatorade G2 drinks between training legs or after a run. I recently ordered some Gatorade Endurance chews for use during the triathlon, as I'm hoping these will be less messy to consume then the gels. I am also working with a former coaching colleague to beginning using Advocare products to supplement my training.

Other Running Gear

• Original IPod Nano - although I don't run with headphones/music anymore, this is what I used for the first 2 years. Load it up with music and go
• Headphones - I used to prefer headphones that included a thin strap to go over my head (so they held in place), but have since switched to an over the ear model from Amazon. Again, I don't listen to music while I run anymore, so this is no longer something I use
• Armband - I used to use this for holding my nano, but now it is only used when I take my cellphone along on a run. I prefer the compression sleeve style over the strap style and I own a couple of different brands
• Nipple tape - again, something I couldn't live with out. I used to buy NipEaze brand, but now I just buy roles of 3M transpore first aid tape which saves A LOT of money
• Sunscreen - a must for the number of hours that I spend out in the sun. I use either Coppertone or Banana Boat sport sunscreen
• Race bib strap - a must for triathlons, so I don't have to mess with safety pins during a race
• Reflective vest - to help keep me visible during training runs in the early morning or late at night

Going into this off season, I plan on investing in some better cold weather running gear including some Yaktrax that are designed for running. 

Looking back on this post, I guess that I didn't realize how much gear that I had accumulated. Of course, I would say to not be intimidated by this list if you happen to think of starting a running program. The only thing that I would say is an absolute necessity (and that you wouldn't have already) is good running shoes. Keep in mind that "good" does not necessarily equate to more expensive, but it does mean they need to fit you properly and match your gait. I would highly suggest having a professional help you with that. 

Long Overdue

So the past few weeks have been CRAZY around here, so I haven't been able to update my blog in a couple of weeks. Between swim lessons, the girls starting at a new daycare and the school year starting for both Erin and Abigail (who started kindergarten this week!!!!), I have barely been able to keep my head on straight. So here is what you have missed the past couple of weeks.

• I managed to get in A LOT of good training and am feeling well prepared for my race. 
• My pace run on Saturday 2 weeks ago was my best training run of the year as I ran 3 consecutive miles under 9:00 minutes
• After breaking 2 spokes in 2 weeks on the same wheel, I decided to invest in a new set of wheels for my road bike. They have been working well so far
• Speaking of broken spokes, I have to mention out awesome Bike World has been. I have needed service done on my bicycle 3 times this summer and each time they have had me in and out in the same day!
• My brick workouts have progressed very well as I completed a 21 mile bicycle ride followed by a 5 mile run this past Tuesday
• I was surprised to find out that the pool would be closed for 2 weeks for maintenance, but it has turned out to be a blessing as I have spent a lot more time in the open water. My speed and sighting have gradually improved
• Due to a scheduling conflict, I had to swim, bike, and run after work today. I ended up doing a 100% swim (1,500 meters), 75% bike (18.15 miles), and 50% run (3.05 miles). It went extremely well and now I'm even more excited for the race
• Speaking of the race, IT IS ONLY 10 DAYS AWAY!!!!

I'm sure I missed a few things, but you should be caught up now. Next time I won't wait so long to post. 

Updates and Adversity

It was an interesting week of training for me as my training schedule shifted and I ran into some unexpected hurdles. Although I am mostly focused on my triathlon at the beginning of September, it was important to start increasing my running mileage as I will be running a half marathon with my wife at the end of September. Along with that, I also needed to make sure that my schedule would work with the school year about to start and my work hours shifting to allow for dropping the girls at daycare in the morning. My new schedule is as follows:

Monday: long pool swim, medium distance bike, core strength training
Tuesday: brick (bike/run combo), upper body strength training
Wednesday: intervals or tempo run, long open water swim, lower body strength training
Thursday: short recovery run, interval pool swim, interval or short bike, core strength training
Friday: REST
Saturday: pace run, long bike, upper body strength training
Sunday: long run, lower body strength training

The first week of my new schedule brought along some adversity. On Monday morning I arrived at the pool to a sign that said the pool would be drained and closed from August 15 - 28 (2 of the 3 weeks prior to my race). I guess I will be spending more time in the open water then originally planned. On Monday evening I managed to break a spoke on the rear wheel of my bicycle about 2/3 of the way through my ride. Luckily, I was able to call one of my co-workers to give me a lift home and I was also able to get it in for repair the next day.

On Thursday morning at work, my upper back really started to bother me. It bothered me enough to leave work early and skip my remaining workouts for the day. Luckily, an afternoon of laying down and a good night sleep seemed to help. I haven't quite been able to figure out what caused my back to hurt, but I'm very glad that it stopped.

Lastly, I wanted to write a little bit about how my swimming has been progressing. I'm just going to come out and say it, I suck at swimming. Luckily, at this point, I don't really care. I started swimming a mere 8 months ago, and at that time I could barely make it a single length of the pool before having to take a break. My endurance is no longer an issue as I can easily swim the distance required for the race, I just do it VERY slowly. I'm not quite sure what I'm missing, as I know so little about swimming, but it has to be something.

On a positive note, I have gotten much better at sighting while swimming in the open water. I can now spot the next bouy without stopping and am feeling much more comfortable in the open water.

The Bix 7 2016

This past Saturday I ran the 42nd annual Bix 7 road race in the quad cities. The best part about this race was getting to run with my wife, Erin. With full time jobs and 2 young children at home, it is rare that we get the opportunity to run together, but thanks to my father-in-law watching the girls, we were able to run together on Saturday.

Erin and I ready to run

Since the Bix falls at the end of July each year, it is typically hot and humid, but we lucked out with cool temps and cloud cover for nearly the whole race (although the humidity was still high). Although this was not a "major" race on my schedule this year, and I didn't directly train for it, it ended up being a fantastic race. Both Erin and I ran lights out (although she is still a bit faster then me and could have pulled away if she wanted to), but that wasn't even the best part. This is the first race that I have run over the past 3 years that I finished and felt great afterwords. Usually I finish a race and don't want to even think about moving or running for a couple of days afterwords. After the Bix this year, I walked with my girls to the park to play and even got up at 5:30 on Sunday morning for a 3 mile recovery run.

So now for a little about the race. The Bix is known for a couple of grueling hills, especially the Brady Street hill to start the race. Both Erin and I agreed that running together this year made the hills seem shorter and easier. We ran the race together the whole way (well almost...Erin will tell you that I sprinted away from her at the end, but at least I waited until under 1/8th of a mile to go) and I really enjoyed having Erin's company. This was the first race that I have completed Ipod/music free, which is a big deal for me, and I hardly even noticed the difference. My official time was 1:11:48, beating my previous best time of 1:43:46 (set in 2006) by over 30 minutes!

Garmin snapshot of the race

The even better surprise came at home when I uploaded my run to Garmin Connect. It turns out that I set a new PR for the 1K, 1 Mile, and 10K distances!

New PRs waiting to be confirmed

Erin, Mary (mother-in-law), Lisa (aunt-in-law) and I after the race