Thursday, July 15, 2010

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

17 comments:

  1. Sweet new toy. I'm diggin' on the orange/gray color scheme on the 310. Enjoy!

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  2. Have fun on your Century ride! With the amount of fitness that you have, its just gonna be all about the TITS (time in the saddle), and getting enough calories and liquids in.

    Try a 1 mile run for shits and giggles afterwards and let us know how it goes. I'm curious!

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  3. Hi Jeff,
    Woo hoo for getting a fancy new Garmin! I have the 305 and I still don't know how everything works...I just use the basics:) Have fun with your new toy! Happy weekend!

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  4. Are you sure it didn't turn up at 6:49?

    Stoked on your progress man.

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  5. Yay for getting your new Garmin. I still have the 305, and love it, but was a little jealous of your 310 reading your post!

    Woohoo on all your training progress! It sounds like things are going great for you! :)

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  6. Congrats on the new toy! That's one top-shelf piece of gear!

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  7. I have gear envy! I have a 305 :( battery life is not long enough to last through an entire Ironman

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  8. Okay, I am seriously jealous now of you and the 310xt. I guess I need to "lose" my 305!

    Great job on the training! I am so glad to hear that masters swim actually works. Now if I could just get my scaredy-cat butt to the masters swim near my house!

    Have a great time on your century!

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  9. You will love it more and more each day :) You will get used to the flimsy wrist band... you haven't used it for a month with the sturdy one first haha!

    Awesome gains on all three levels. I agree that I feel like a triathlete now... took a few months to feel comfortable on all three levels!

    Running in the humidity has hidden bonuses. In the end you will be stronger for having done it!

    Keep up the good work man!

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  10. I KNEW I should have written my post on "who wants to trade me a 305 for a 310?" I am the loser runner who has a 310xt. who prob will NEVER set a drop of pool, sea, lake, ocean water on it. Why did I have to have it? Becuase like you said [fine, I said] why roll in a Yugo if I can have a Bentley??

    I'm a sad, sad, sad individual. ;)

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  11. Congratulations on your new toy, Jeff! I've been admiring the 310xt for awhile now but it's hard for me to justify the purchase when I have a perfect good 405 - in green, too!

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  12. I'm with you on this one Jeff. If it wasn't for the gear, I'd have to fins a new sport (s). I'm planning on getting the 310, but I'm not sure where I'll keep the Bunnies, maybe in the Pain Cave?

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  13. Now I want to trade Emz my 305 for her xt. I don't want to miss out on the Bently ride with Morgan Freeman!

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  14. Gotta love how the 310 does the multisport functions and handling t1 and t2!

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  15. Congrats on your new toy! I have a 405 and have no reason to change. But I hear the new one is excellent. I use all the on-line aids as well and love the fact that Garmin gives so many options for the athlete to work with. Have fun and good job on the training!

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  16. well you have made it very clear what I need to do....start dropping my garmin 305 to justify the purchase of the 310 :)

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  17. Nice, new gear is always fun!

    Have fun on your century ride! The running will come, you are battling some tough heat!

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