The right equipment makes all the difference in how you perform. Listed below is a list of gear that I use as part of my training. It may not be the right product for you, but thinking about what products you use as part of your training is important.
Cycling
I bought my TT bike back in 2019 to up my game somewhat. I had been riding on a Cannondale aluminum frame road bike and wanted a bike specifically geared towards triathlons, and decided on the Cervelo. It’s been a fantastic bike both on and off the trainer. Fairly new to cycling and the sport, I wanted a reasonably priced bike that I could grow into. Having had the bike for nearly 6 years, I can tell you it was worth every penny.
Saris H3 Plus Direct Drive Indoor Trainer
Timing, as they say, is everything and I was fortunate enough to purchase my trainer in February of 2020 – just one month before Covid hit – and it was an absolute blessing in terms of being able to train indoors given that the idea of any outdoor group training had was very quickly put on pause. I’d had a ‘non-smart’ trainer before and, while it was great as a starter version, I needed to up my game as I had done with my bike. I very quickly saw the tremendous benefits of more formal cycling workouts. Paired with Zwift, the smart trainer helped increase my fitness level at a rate that wouldn’t have been possible on a non-smart trainer.
Running
In August of 2023, I underwent an ACL graft surgery as I’d completely blown my ACL and also torn my meniscus. Running was the last sport I was able to start again and I wanted to ensure I gave my body every bit of help possible. I’d been reading and hearing many positive things about Hoka running shoes and decided to give them a try for myself opting for the Mach 6 for ‘every day running’. The support and comfort has been tremendous allowing me a relatively easy return to running as well as continued improvement as my leg has healed over the last year and a half. The overall support and cushioning has been ideal.
Swimming
During my time learning to swim properly, I had a wonderful masters swimming coach who suggested Joyln swimwear to me. Since that time, I have invested in a number of pieces that are my go to swimsuits. I much prefer to swim in a two piece, but struggled to find something with appropriate coverage and that would stay put through long swims. Jolyn has a variety of options that meet this requirement.
Midl Bottom – these are defined as ‘full coverage’, but ‘full’ may be loosely defined. They are still a smaller bottom, but they do have a fairly decent butt coverage.
Kaylee Bikini Top – This is the best full coverage bikini top I’ve found through Jolyn. It’s a solid training suit top that provides excellent coverage and support – and stays put. Combined with the Midl bottom, this has become my go to suit.
I’ve tried several styles and brands of fins – this is my repeat purchase. The fin length is perfect and the sizing works well for my foot. I do find that the foot housing tears ever so slightly at the corners, but with the right sizing – the tear doesn’t progress and seems to stay put.
I only really learned to swim properly in the last 7 years. During that time, I’ve spend an incredible amount of time in the pool while training for my 70.3 races as well as the full Ironman. For a significant portion of that time, I swam with Masters programs. In the last couple of years, I’ve been swimming alone more and more. Honestly, it gets dull without the social interaction, support and camaraderie. I discovered a fairly decent solution through listening to music while swimming and have been doing so for over a year now with the Shokz Openswim Pro Headphones. Their MP3 mode allows you to download music and store it on the device itself for listening to while in the water. They are waterproof and use bone conducting technology for the sound. The sound is exceptional when swimming. They also provide a bluetooth capability that I use when running or on my bike. Because they don’t cover my ears, but instead emit the sound through bone conduction, the sound doesn’t enter your ears and your ears are not covered allowing you to hear sounds from around you while enjoying music, podcasts or audio books.
