The Garmin 910 watch

The Garmin 910
About a month ago I got the new Garmin 910 watch. I love it!! I have been using and testing a lot of various watches over the years; I have a Timex Global Trainer, the Nike Sport watch, the Motoactv, I’ve used other Garmins as well. All good watches but nothing ranks as high in my book as the Garmin 910.

The Garmin 910 is the ultimate watch for a Triathlete, as it computes open water swim or pool swim workouts. It calculates your cycling data and run data. It has a heart rate monitor and is ant plus capable so downloading your data into the garminconnect.com website is a piece of cake.
Last weekend at Ironman 70.3 Kansas I tested the multisport function for the first time. It’s so simple set the watch to “multisport” mode check include transitions (as the watch allows you to record 5 things; swim, T1, Bike, T2, Run) once it’s set it is ready to kick off with open water swim and from there as you transition to a new sport you just hit the lap button and it moves to recording data in that fashion. At the end of the race you hit the stop button and bam you have all your data saved from that event or workout. Then plug in the any device into your USB port on the computer the watch talks to it uploads the data automatically and then you can log into garminconnect.com and study your data from that event.
The open water swim function is very cool how it calculates, stroke count, time, pace per 100 yards etc…
The bike function calculates whatever you want it to on the screen and then of course afterwards you have it all. The only thing it won’t pick up is cadence unless you have a Trek or some kind of bike with a built in “ant” device that then you can sync the watch to can get cadence going. But it calculates distance, speed, elevation etc…. The watch will beep/vibrate every 5 miles as that is what counts as 1 lap in the cycle mode.

The run function is as great as all the old Garmin watches I have used. Very user friendly syncs and grabs satellites quickly etc… You can set the screen to read whatever you want and up to 4 screens at once on the watch. It has features like, current pace, heart rate, distance, overall time, overall pace average and so on.
The watch has style as well and is small and light which makes for a great feature!! My Timex Global trainer I have it a nice watch with good functions but it’s big and bulky and the buttons are in a place that I accidently bump them at times during a workout and then lose all my workout data. None of that going on with the Garmin 910! Other watches like the Motoactv which I do really like and thinks works as a great cycling computer you can’t get wet and swim with so I find myself using it less and less as I’m more of a Triathlete and like having a watch that can do it all. Now if you like to run to music and your heading out for just a run then the Motoactv is your watch.

The Garmin 910 does carry a hefty price tag being in the $500 range but trust me it’s well worth it!! And you will love this watch so much!! It really has made training fun and it’s making me better the way I can calculate everything I do and how simple and easy it is to use.
If you’re shopping for a new watch look no further than the Garmin 910 I guarantee you will not be disappointed.
If you’re a Life Time Fitness member check in with a metabolic specialist about the Garmin 910 they sell them and if you get a new metabolic test which you should about every 6-8 months to see how your fitness is progressing I’m sure they can sell you one and get you a bit of a discount. So ask!

Happy Training and hope you love (wait I know you will) love the Garmin 910 as much as I do.

Cheers
MB
Saturday I raced the Lake Minnetonka Triathlon; finished 7th overall with a time of 1:08:01
Had the 2nd fastest run of the day, averaging 5:39 pace for the 3 mile run, I had the 5th fastest bike of the day averaging 24.1 mph (in the rain) but my T1 was a disaster and my swim was pretty average. So I learned some things to work on and will. I had fun I think? All though my head was not in the race that day and truly I did not have that much excitement on the course or really felt like racing. So I pushed hard but maybe not as hard and aggressive as I could have been? I think I’m just wore out right now and am lacking a lot of sleep, also I was only 5 days after a brutally hard 70.3 race so my body was still a bit tired. All in all not a bad race or day just not one I’m excited about.

2012 fashion….

Endurance sports and fashion….

Two things I love and go hand in hand. Fashion and sports like running, cycling, and swimming.
Hot colors for 2012 get ready as bright is in!! Orange, bright green, yellow, and violet shades of blue; styles will vary depending on who makes it and if it’s athletic apparel or just looking good apparel.

Here are a few designers and hot pieces that I like.

Running shoes:
Nike just came out with a limited edition shoe called the Lunar Montreal the shoe is bright green and is one of the best running shoes I have ever put on my feet. A lightweight racing shoe or trainer as my size 13’s weigh 7.8 ounces and feel like nothing more than socks on my feet.

Pearl Izumi iso-transition they have 3 color styles and get this going with my hot colors of 2012, color choices are; Orange, Blue or Green how hot is that! I have a pair on right now as I will be testing them tomorrow. I better like them because Pearl Izumi became a sponsor of mine this year. The shoes run small so think about sizing up when trying them or ordering them. This is a Triathlon shoes with special quick laces and vented for water to flow out and very comfortable sockless.

Cycling shoes:

Pearl Izumi just launched the “Tri-Fly 4” a very light weight cycling shoe geared for Triathlon and quick on and off. Color Bright orange they are hot! So not only is it a great race shoe but it’s very fashionable.

Clothing:
All manufactures of athletic clothing make some pretty cool color schemes.

Lulu Lemon is some very nice stylish stuff almost too stylish and nice to stink up and sweat in. However the gear is solid and feels good to run in. Love their running socks and shorts, and woman always look great in about anything they make. I do find LuLu is more of a ladies thing but dudes I own some of this stuff and its quality!

Pearl Izumi has a line of some race suits, and shorts etc… using bright green and Orange which look very cool! And then you can never go wrong with a classic white design for their inercool triathlon line.

Nike has some great running shorts in plaid designs for the ladies this season using the bright colors like greens, blues, and oranges.

There is a lot of stuff out there to choose from these just happen to be a few of my favorites in the athletic line.

Other fashion for just going out and looking good;
I’m a huge fan of Hugo Boss they have a few lines the “Orange” line gives high quality at more of a value and typically more hip casual styles. The beauty of “Boss” clothing for a guy like me is it’s slim fit and cut very well so for you larger dudes sorry but Hugo Boss is not going to look so good on you or fit so well.
Ben Sherman is another one of my favorites. Again they make more slim cut fitted shirts and track jackets. They use some great colorful plaid designs or just a classic solid color scheme with bright blues etc….

AG has a great line of slim fit jeans out called “protégé” they come in various colors to give a little life to your wardrobe. White is always a great spring/summer look and they have shades of green and tan etc…
Of course lines like Citizens of Humanity or Seven are hard to beat for style and fit but these AG jeans have been very nice and stylish.

Sunglasses; Burberry sport makes some stylish shades, Prada has a hot pair of white with red trim glasses and the aviator style certainly has made a huge comeback in the last year. If you really want to drop some coin the hottest pair of shades I’ve seen is some Tag Huer’s that actually are made with some rubber from high end racing tires.

As we roll into the spring and summer fashion of 2012 is ready for color and bright color is ready to change things up and go for a new look and spice it up. 80’s fashion is coming around again I’ve seen trends of this within some designs that designers have been going with. Of course the classic looks will always stand the test of time and always be safe bets but maybe for a little fun this season mix things up and try some loud color schemes and some new designs.

Whatever you go with, feel good, be comfortable and look hot!

Cheers
MB

Today’s workout:
2100 meters in the pool felt great just got out and went after it.
Then 8 miles of running on the awful treadmill in my new Nike Lunar Montreal shoes which running in those shoes was the highlight of the run as those things are great!! Thank goodness I can run fast cause I knocked out the 8 miles in 48 minutes and it felt easy and relaxed never pushed out of zone 3.

Commitment = Results and some Gear talk

Commitment = Results And Gear

It’s been a long week work is busy, teaching a lot of classes at Life Time Fitness trying to get my own workouts in and trying to sleep. So I have great ideas for some good blogs but have not had the time to sit down and write them and fully process them. I will soon so stay tuned.

One thing I will mention quick was a heading I used to the group of runners I coach titled
“Commitment = Results” think about that if you stay committed to your plan if you follow what your coach or boss or whoever is telling you as they guide you down the path to meet your goals you will see results. If a person wants’ to lose weight they must commit to the diet they must follow it, they must exercise etc… or they won’t see any results and they will stay fat. Same goes for an athlete with goals or even a business person maybe a sales person who has certain goals they want to reach. In marathon running you lay out a plan and you follow it and if you stay true to that plan and if you stay committed to the workouts and all that goes with it you will see positive results. But if you stray from that then look out it could become a train wreck? So keep your focus don’t think you know more than others all the time and if you have a plan stay true to it and stay committed to see it through. I promise you if you do you will get results.

Gear; I felt like giving a quick talk about gear things I like and use. As a Triathlete and runner I have some gear and I love gear!
Let’s take swimming; I wear mostly Blue Seventy swim jammers for workouts, I race in a Blue Seventy one piece Tri-suit, I like Blue Seventy goggles and I have a Blue Seventy wet suit.

Cycling; I have two bikes I use for training and one for racing. I do most of my training on my road bike a Velo Vie full carbon bike 56cm with full Shimano Ultegra components. It’s a very light bike and a great ride! Climbs hills very well.
I also train on and do all my Triathlon racing on the bike that I just love!! Trek speed concept 9.9 with full Sram Red and Bontrager aero wheels. This bike is so fast, so comfortable and handles amazing! It truly is the best ride I’ve ever been on. Last season when I bought it I owned it maybe a week and rode it for maybe 25 miles then took it to Ironman 70.3 Steelhead and raced it I averaged 25.5 MPH for 56 miles and it was the most fun riding a bike I’ve ever had. I truly think Trek has killed it with this machine.

Running; I love shoes and own a lot of them!! My favorite shoe is one Sacouny quit making the Fasttwitch 4 (yellow and black model) but I also love the Kinvara that Sacouny makes as well. I do a lot of running in K-Swiss and have been very happy with the Kwicky Blade lights and the Blade light run I think both of those shoes are excellent and I will train and race in them both this year. For my trail running I go right to Salomon these shoes are the best!! The speedcross 3 and Xmission are the two pairs I own and love. As for clothing I like Saucony stuff, Nike and LuLu Lemon. K-Swiss is also making some very nice apparel I run in.

Nutrition; I love Nuun hydration tablets drop one of these in your water bottle to get the electrolytes you need with no extra calories and no sugar! I also like Power Gels the best Green apple is tasty and Vanilla works as well. Stinger Waffles are a great treat pre or post workout.

Those are a few items that are key to my training and racing. I could go on for hours about gear I like it so much and have a lot of it. But I won’t bore you with that. Having the right gear is very important so don’t cut corners when buying shoes or bikes or whatever get something good something that fits you and your body well and enjoy it!

Swim, Bike, Run!! and have some fun!

Cheers!
MB

Today workout: teach a 60 minute cycle class some hard intervals mix of hills and speed. then I hit the streets for a little run was only 5.5 miles but was doing 60/60’s so after a warm-up I busted into 60 seconds pushing the pace like sub 5minute or right at 5:05ish then I would back down to 7:10 range for 60 seconds recovery and then right back into another hard effort interval all in all it was only 5.5 miles of running that avg. a 6:24 pace. Feeling good and getting ready for an 18-19 mile run in the morning.

Cold Weather running

Cold Weather running;

Today was the first day in Minnesota when the temperatures really made me say damn it’s cold and this is tough running outside. 7am run with the group and 3 degrees with wind burr! But we all bundled up got outside and logged those miles. And when we got done had frozen faces, numb butts, and tired legs it felt great to get it done! Running outdoors is one of my many joys in life sure 50 degrees would be a lot better but I look at any day I’m able to get outdoors and run as a blessing and when I share those miles with friends even better.

The key to cold weather running is gear a person must have the proper attire and then you can manage it. Also the key is to layer so if you get hot you can shed a layer but be careful of this as then you may get cold again so I say sweat it up!

What does my winter running gear consist of you ask? Well today’s gear (thanks for my favorite store TC Running) was:
CWX compression shorts
Pearl Izumi insulated running tights
CEP compression calf sleeves
Smart wool socks
Salomon Trail shoes today’s model the Transmission 3 I also run in Speed cross 3
Sacouny mock turtle neck base layer
Nike Pro base layer
REI running fleece
Kswiss/Life Time Run wind running jacket
Brooks mittens
Columbia (Iowa Hawkeye) running hat

That gives you an idea of the amount of layers needed sometimes on cold days. I always suggest to start with a really nice base layer long sleeve shirt, then move to a warmer fleece type piece and then always top it off with a wind breaker style running jacket. Bottoms depends on how cold but I always like to wear compression shorts under my tights and in this cold of weather prefer insulated style and I must say the Pearl Izumi ones are great! The next key piece is good socks I have found smart wool to make about the best winter running socks but I have also started trying out a pair of Experia ones that I really like.

The shoes; a good trail shoe is key to winter running something that protects the feet and does not allow wind to blow through also something with good traction and grip in case you have some snow on the trails. I have found this year that I really love the Salomon trail shoes they are light, have nice grip, keep my feet toasty and have great cushion. There is a lot of trail shoes out there and for the most part many of them are good. Pearl Izumi makes a great trail shoe, the Brooks Cascadia I hear is a nice shoe (I’ve never run in it), Nike makes a good trail shoe and the Kswiss Blade Trail is a nice winter weather shoe but does not have really great grip for the trails or snow so it’s better when it’s cold and trails are dry.

For safety I suggest running with a partner or group in winter as you never know out there and carry a few bucks in case you need to call for a ride.

So don’t let the frigid temps of winter get you down and make you go inside. Just layer up and brave the cold and log those miles out in Mother Nature’s beauty. Winter running can be a really pretty time of year to run when the sun shines bright and fresh snow hangs in the trees. Just be careful of footing and slow things down a bit.

Happy Running!
Coach MB