Triathletes are funny characters. Like other athletes, they all have their secret formulas, weapons of choice and a good, trusty steed to carry them through the second stage of the race. Here are mine:
The Cervelo, Sarah Lee. She’s a hand me down from my mate, Marc, who recently bought a Felt. He named her. She was by his side for his first two IronMan finishes and now she’s mine. I vow to treat her with the same respect that Marc gave her and hope that she will help me do my best.
Asics for the run. On Marc’s advice, I bought my first pair of Asics to train for my first 10k race. They’ve never failed 
me. They are always a perfect fit. I’m hoping I can save enough to buy a top of the line pair for my second marathon (this summer).
Update – July 2009: Now discovered Mizuno - light as air and used them on a 15k race without wearing them prior and no blisters.
Addidas for the bike. I’ve never used clipless pedals before, never mind worn bike shoes so we’ll see how these pan out but so far they’re comfortable and easy to get on and off.
Fuel Belt for long runs. Forgot about this little dandy invention! I am a camel but really, it isn’t safe to go long distances without hydration. I have two Fuel Belts – one holds two bottles and one holds four – the latter for anything over 20 k. It also stores my keys, BlackBerry, and two extra pouches for Carb Boom gels and salt tablets.
Gels and Electrolyte Tablets. Right now my favorite “energy on the go” are the gels by Carb Boom. I like the vanilla-orange the best – tastes like melted Creamsicle. However, they have a new raspberry flavor that I really like but it’s hard to find. I also use NUUN tablets in my water bottle. These tasty tablets give a little bit of flavor to the water (orange-ginger, lime and tri-berry are my favorites), increase hydration uptake and supply you with much needed electrolytes.
Update – July 2009: Carb Boom now has berry flavored chewies like the Sharkies or Cliff’s Shot Blocks. Yummy!!
More to come soon
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