I Love Triathlon for the Gear ...

Sure, the healthy lifestyle has its advantages.  Pushing myself to get better at not one, but three completely different sports has certain intrinsic rewards.  Even looking fit enough to wear head-to-toe lycra in public has a certain redeeming quality.  BUT, for me, the Gear is what really gets me excited!

 Yep the new Garmin 310XT arrived yesterday at 6:50PM.  I had it out of the box, did the run start up programming, paired the HR monitor, and even found 10 minutes to have it 27% charged for a 7:30PM run.  It was awesome!

Now the run wasn't very fun.  It was 96 degrees with dangerous humidity and the 4.33 miles were more trudged than ran.  But the Garmin 310XT performed like a champ.  Unlike most geeks, I am pretty coordinated!  I can usually do a few things at once without looking like a total goober and I used this skill during the run.  I switched from screen to screen and tried out each and every option on the 310XT.  The functionality of it is just so slick and easy. I am going to love this Garmin.

Now I could go and write a review but that has been done like a million times already so I will just say that I am sorry to all the people who I recommended buy the Garmin 305.  Yes, the 305 is a good device and serves it's purpose.  However, the 305 is sort of like using public transportation whereas the 310 is like being driven in a Bentley by Morgan Freeman with a bunch of playboy bunnies in the back .  Both will get you to your final destination but the Bentley, the Bunnies, and Morgan are sooooo much more fun!

After work today I did all the software downloads and hooked up the wireless +ANT sync.  This is all very cool too.  I setup all my HR zones and customized views for the swim, bike, and run.  I also purchased the 310XT Quick Release Kit..  This is a wrist strap and a bike mount kit.  It allows for the quick and painless transfer of the 310XT.  The bike mount is solid and easily mounted on my aero bars and the wrist strap seems a little flimsy but the connection is very ridged and I imagine it will hold up while racing.

Okay, enough with the gushing about the new toy!  Let's get to the Carrot State of the Union Address:

Overall my conditioning is feeling very strong right now.  This lesser volume week has given my legs the burst they were missing towards the end of last week.

Swim:
My swim conditioning and speed is just getting better and better.  Joining the Master's swim class has been one of the smartest things I have done since starting this crazy sport.  I have met some great people in the class but more importantly these people are pushing me to work harder to improve.  Four weeks ago I would never have considered doing a half ironman swim (let alone a full IM) sans wetsuit.  Now I could careless because I know I can do the distance and do it strong.

Bike:
As pleased as I am about my swim I am even more pleased with the bike.  Just my overall handling and understanding of my bike has increased tremendously. I used to appreciate a good ride but now I absolutely love it. This is becoming my favorite of the three sports.  By incorporating riding hills into my training this has made me stronger on the flats.  I have been doing at least one bike-to-run brick every week and this has been paying off in terms of learning bike pacing and what my legs need.  Very cool.  Now I still have a lot of work on the bike to do and the only way to do that is to put my butt in that saddle and ride.


Run:
My run is about 80% to where I want to be.  I have struggled with some of the outdoor runs in the the heat but have excelled when the run workouts are on the treadmill.  Now I do believe the tough, humid runs are making me stronger and the results are showing when I come indoors but, WOW, does it suck trying to run in Houston during the peak of Summer.  I sometimes want to run more than my training plan recommends but I have decided to trust the plan because I can slowly feel my running legs coming back to me each and every run!

That is all I got!  Will report back after my first Century Ride on Sunday.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff