Best Watch Strap for Triathletes?

Athletes tend to carry an impressive amount of tech on their wrists.  Too bad what holds it on is often badly designed and poorly manufactured.  Even expensive smartwatches can come with straps that unsuited for outdoor sports, especially if you are living the Triathlon Lifestyle ™.

In the case of triathletes, we need our electronics to stay put and take a beating under a wide variety of conditions, including salt water, sand and sun, not to mention rapid changes in transition.  This places many demands on the watch strap for comfort, strength and longevity.  Relatively few straps meet all these demands.

Let's examine the watch strap in detail, starting where it meets the watch.

Strap Attachment:

The vast majority of straps connect to the watch using a spring-loaded bar that fits through the ends of the strap and into lugs (holes) on the watch body.  The "size" of such straps is simply the separation between the lugs, which for most sports watches is either 20mm or 22mm.  Some bars have a tiny side knob which makes them easier to manipulate without tools.

Some smartwatches use custom attachment methods.  My Fitbit Charge 3 uses an ingenious, simple, secure and reliable latch.  Apple and others have similar-but-different attachment methods.  However, most watches use the spring-bar and lugs style, which means there are more of that type of strap on the market, so that's what we'll be looking at going forward.

Strap Material:

Next comes the strap itself.  There are many strap materials available, including:

• Leather
• Woven nylon
• Fabric
• Silicone and/or TPU
• Metal links or mesh
• Elastic

Which strap material is best for sports use?  We want something that will stand up to lots of abuse (sun, water, sand, sweat) yet be both comfortable and durable.  If we look at what sport watch manufacturers use, it's pretty much always silicone (better) or TPU (worse).

Why use silicone?  It is slightly stretchy yet strong, flexible and comfortable, and extremely durable.  While silicone itself is far from the cheapest material in the above list, it's popularity makes it low-cost.  Going forward, we'll assume our ideal strap will be made of silicone.

TPU isn't as durable as silicone, it isn't as stretchy, and it can become brittle or change color over time.

Strap Closure:

There are several ways to join the two halves of a watch strap at the back of your wrist:

• Buckle with Tang (tongue)
• Velcro
• Button
• Metal folding hinge
• Latch (mechanical or magnetic)
• Elastic strap (no fastener)

From a sports perspective, we want a closure that is adjustable, secure (stays closed), and doesn't snag.  Why adjustable?  We may want to wear our watch over clothing, such as a jacket or wetsuit, so adjustability is needed, also to allow for changes in wrist diameter due to muscle use and hydration.  Why secure?  We are active, and having a watch strap come undone is the easiest way to lose an expensive bit of kit.  Why no snag?  We move our arms hard and fast, meaning the watch can brush against the sides of our body, impacting skin, clothing or wetsuit: The watch closure shouldn't harm us or our other gear!

Of the above closure types, "buckle and tang" has a metal tongue always exposed, meaning it can easily lead to snags as arms move rapidly.  Most metal closures, including latches and hinges, can also cause snags.

Elastic straps can have a problem holding the watch snug and stationary against the wrist to permit an optical sensor (heartrate, oxygenation, etc.) to work properly.  And their stretchiness tends to fade quickly with use and exposure to the elements.

Velcro may seem ideal, but it wears out quickly, and can let go without being noticed.  (I've lost two swim watches that had Velcro straps.)

That leaves us with the button closure being best for sports use.  It can't snag, it is secure, and it is easy to use.

Strap Keeper:

Some closure types (folding hinge, elastic) permit there to be no excess strap.  Unfortunately, they either aren't easily adjustable, or are so adjustable they can't do the job.  So our strap will have a tail.  How best to deal with it?

The vast majority of strap designs have the tail directed to the outside of the strap, to be held in place by one or more small loops called "keepers".  If the keepers aren't properly positioned and held in place, the tail will come loose, leading to snags and even to the strap coming undone.

The alternative is to route the tail to the inside of the strap, against the wrist.  This has the advantages of needing no separate keepers and being inherently snag-proof.  This has the disadvantage that it requires the other half of the strap have a hole in it through which the tail will pass.  This hole can weaken the strap, and is easily the greatest cause of failure for poorly made straps of this type.

The Strap System:

Now that we've identified the watch strap components, let's look at how they may best be combined to make a strap that will withstand the abuse an athlete will apply.

One strap requirement not previously mentioned is ventilation: We don't want the strap to trap sweat or sand against our skin.  One way to ensure this is to have a loose strap, but that won't work because it will prevent the optical sensors from functioning, not to mention letting the watch get spun to the wrong side of the wrist making it impossible to read.

The strap must be snug, which means any trapped water or sand must be able to pass through the strap itself, meaning the strap material must either have an open weave or be perforated.  Since silicone is already our chosen material, this means we want perforated silicone.

But won't punching holes in the strap make it weaker?  Sure, but remember the keeper?  A perforated strap must use stronger materials, which means the hole needed to route the strap tail through to be against the wrist will also be strong, and be less likely to cause a problem.

Conclusion:

The ideal watch strap for athletes (IMHO) is shown below, and is the kind of strap I've been using for over two years.  I recommend getting this kind of strap immediately after getting a new watch.  Keep the factory strap as a backup, though you'll likely use that strap only when selling the watch.

This particular style is available for every attachment type and size.  To ensure you get a compatible strap, search for your particular watch brand and model.  Unfortunately, you may have trouble finding this kind of strap on Amazon: The Amazon search engine seems to actively hide them!  Fortunately, this strap and many like it are easy to find on eBay, and at half the Amazon price.

This strap costs only three bucks, delivered!  Please let me know if the link is stale.

Some details to note:

• The button clasp is machined from stainless steel.  Avoid buttons made from other metals or are chrome-plated, as they may wear or corrode over time.
• Two strap materials are used.  Both are silicone, though the black is more firm (and may be stronger) than the yellow which is soft and comfortable against the skin.
• The 2 mm holes are placed 5 mm apart.  They are large enough to let sand and sweat out, yet are not so large or so close together that they remove too much material from the strap.
• There is no perforation on the ends next to the watch.  This part of the strap gets the most stress and needs to be strongest, especially when the watch itself gets snagged on something (such as when taking off a wetsuit).

The above strap may not be optimal for all sports.  For example, mountain bikers often prefer woven nylon straps with Velcro closures that will open when snagged on a branch during a fall, rather than risk dislocating a wrist or shoulder.  Divers tend to use buckle-and-tang fasteners because they are the strongest.  YMMV!

So, I got an ebike...

I've been slacking on my tri training since doing Oceanside 70.3 in April of 2017.  I'm still fit enough, but my endurance has faded badly.  I need to get time on the bike, and commuting to work on my tri bike isn't practical, despite work being only 8 miles away (with some hills).  A good hard 30 minute ride if the lights work in my favor, 45 minutes if they don't and traffic is heavy.

I often need to run errands (mainly shopping) on my way home from work, and I can't carry any payload on my tri bike.  I'm looking at something that has a rear rack, and/or lets me ride vertical enough to wear a backpack.

I looked at commuter bikes, but I decided I wanted to be able to get to work without needing to take a shower upon arrival, simply because bike time plus shower time would take too large a chunk out of my day.  The hills between home and work would guarantee lots of sweat, even when taking it easy in low gears.

So I decided to get an ebike.  I could use higher power assist on the way in to work to limit sweating, then back off the assist and get a workout on the way home.  And carry any amount of payload.  And the power assist would flatten the hills, letting my effort be level and continuous (aside from stop signs and lights).

But which ebike?  I went to a few local shops, but anything that wasn't a toy started at $3000 and went stratospheric from there.  I wanted to be in the $1500-$2000 range.  But the shop visits did give me a great education on the wide array of ebike types, and the various technologies available.

The first choice was between a mid-motor and a hub-motor.  Mid-motors apply power at the crank, meaning the chain, chainring, and rear sprockets take a beating.  Even upgraded and hardened components can wear quickly.  I decided a hub-motor was the way to go, even though mid motors are truly tiny and efficient (going through the bike's drivetrain permits a narrower motor speed range).

Then there are different types of hub-motors: Direct drive and geared.  The direct drive motors are big and heavy, but they are very quiet and can even offer regenerative braking.  Geared motors have higher starting torque (useful to get away from a stop), but always have their gears turning, even though the motor has a clutch, meaning they are slightly tougher to pedal with the motor off.

I decided I wanted a gear motor mainly for the reduced weight, higher torque, and better looks.

Then comes wheel diameter and tire width.  I wanted larger wheels to more easily ride over bumps and potholes, and with the choice being either 26" or 29"/700C, that decision was easy, but I was willing to change my mind if there was a great deal to be had on an ebike with 26" wheels.

A major (huge, massive, enormous) consideration is the battery capacity (in Watt-hours).  I wanted to have more than enough power to use the motor both ways on my commute (if necessary), which meant around a 600 Wh battery, preferably closer to 1 KWh to completely avoid range anxiety when carrying any significant payload.

Next comes how the power is controlled.  There are three main ways: A throttle lever, a cadence sensor, and a torque/power sensor.  I decided I should get a bike with all three, just to ensure I will have no regrets.

And, of course, there are a zillion other items to have on an ebike wish-list:

• As many cogs on the rear cassette as possible, with as wide a range as possible (7 minimum, 9 or more desired, 11-32 or better - pretty much everyone has 52 in front)
• Fenders
• Rear rack, preferably with pannier mounts
• Rear bag with fold-out panniers (always an add-on, but this is a wish-list)
• Adjustable stem, so fit won't be an issue
• Pedals with Power Grips or straps, but not toe clips (no need for bike shoes)
• Puncture-resistant tires (ebikes are heavy)
• Kickstand (ebikes are heavy)
• Front suspension (ebikes go faster on average, so the bumps are rougher)
• Rear or seatpost suspension (to help protect and isolate my failing back)
• Mirrors (again, everything happens faster when you go faster, so situational awareness is vital)
• Headlight powered by the ebike's battery, 1000 lumens preferred
• A bright tail light with multiple modes (at least blink and steady)
• Wheel reflectors, preferably also in the tire sidewalls (side visibility)
• Wheel blinky-lights, for extra visibility in dim/dark conditions (add-on, of course)
• Disk brakes front and rear, preferably hydraulic, for better performance when wet
• An informative display (text, not just LEDs)
• Good control over the power assist modes, preferably via a configurable computer
• Reputable name-brand components
• A useful warranty
• Local service/support

Whew!  Of course, no single ebike on the market meets my every wish, so I added the cost of after-market options to my shopping list, to get the total price for each bike on an equivalent basis, independent of the manufacturer's specific feature list.

This quickly priced all name-brand ebikes right off my list, along with all local showroom retailers.  I immediately knew I would be going into the online market.

My searches revealed an enormous number of online ebike retailers, each touting the unique features of their product, but in reality most were rebranding the same generic Chinese ebikes.  The ebikes were of decent enough quality once you passed $1200, but the detailed shopping quickly became overwhelming.

So I decided to restrict myself to US-based companies in business for at least 5 years, to ensure a focus on value, quality and support.  This made my search almost trivial!

I found only two companies with extremely competitive products in my $1500-$2000 price range: Rad Power Bikes out of Seattle, and San Diego's own Juiced Bikes.  Specifically, the RadCity and the CrossCurrent models, respectively.

The RadCity offered a slightly better value proposition, but during my search Juiced Bikes started a clearance sale on the CrossCurrent S to make room for the new CrossCurrent X.  The RadCity and the CrossCurrent S both were now priced at $1500.

After considering the relative merits of each bike, I decided the CrossCurrent S squeaked ahead for the win.  With Juiced Bikes being local, I set up an appointment to get a test ride: Juiced has no showroom and no retailers, but during working hours they do offer appointments to locals (no weekend hours).

I arrived at Juiced Bikes only to immediately learn that their entire stock of CrossCurrent S bikes in my size had already sold out.  There weren't even any return, demo or dinged bikes available.

But there was a single CrossCurrent X in my size that couldn't be sold as new due to some scratches on the frame.  They were initially asking full price minus only a $100 ding discount, and a $100 rebate of the shipping costs.  This was still beyond my budget, but as we were talking a manager walked by and mentioned the Father's Day Sale had launched on the website literally just an hour before, and that last discount let me squeak within my budget.

Go ahead and take a look at the specs for the CrossCurrent X.  It's truly a beast of an ebike, a great value even at full retail price.  As an added bonus, compared to both the RadCity and CrossCurrent S, the CrossCurrent X ticked off a few more items on my wish-list, meaning my total Amazon shopping trip was under $200.

No, I didn't wait for the Amazon stuff to arrive.  The next morning I went on a 30 mile ride to familiarize myself with the ebike in its "as built" state.  To say I was "pleasantly surprised" would be an understatement.

I was blown away.  First, the pedal assist didn't change the power I put into the pedals: That was still all up to me and my legs.  What pedal assist changed was how fast I went for my effort.  Sure, if I minimized my effort I'd still get where I was going, but if I put in a normal workout-level effort for the same duration, I'd simply go faster and further.

Riding on my tri bike in aero on a straight flat road with no wind, my normal 200 watt endurance output would let me ride at 21 mph, sustained.  On a heavy commuter bike sitting vertically, that same 200 watts would get me maybe 14 mph, likely less.  With pedal assist on the third level (of 7), I'm back at 21 mph and still doing 200 watts through my legs!

Only now I'm sitting with my torso nearly vertical, on a cushy saddle, wearing street clothes.  I don't care about drag: That's the battery's job, to make drag "go away" while I'm working hard.  And when I want to kick back and cruise, the motor can output 200 watts more, and I can stay at 20 mph without having to peddle.

Suh-weet!  First, it means I no longer care if I over-do it and bonk: No suffering on the rest of the ride.  This is important when I need to get somewhere on time after a ride.  Plus it lets me immediately start recovering, instead of going deeper into the bonk.

Perhaps the most astounding thing the ebike provides is that, so far as my legs are concerned, it let's me put the hills where I want them!  More like a CompuTrainer class or Peloton session that actually goes somewhere, except with downhills (though I suppose I could ride the brakes to "flatten" them).  Between the gear selection and the assist level, I can exercise me legs almost independently of the terrain.

What this really means is I'm selling my mag-trainer.  I despise time on the trainer, though I do tolerate it.  Once in a while.  OK, rarely.  This is despite having a great trainer and a separate trainer rear wheel.  My ebike is my trainer that goes somewhere.

More importantly, I feel much safer sitting vertically, where seeing everything around me gets easier, as does drinking water or having a gel.  Another safety aspect is my increased speed keeps me closer to traffic speed, especially when climbing hills, reducing the risk of getting hit from behind (and cut-off in front).

My test ride took me to work and back, and to visit friends, so I have a feel for the roads on my commute, though not yet during morning rush hour, nor in the evening during dusk or after sunset.  That ride will happen after my Amazon order arrives and I get the bike the way I want it.

I did 200 watts only during the first 10 miles, using the next 20 to exercise the bike's higher assist modes.  Despite heavy use, that ride consumed less than 1/4 of the battery capacity.  That equates to over a 100 mile range!  Assuming, of course, those little battery bars are linear.

Comments, questions?  Ask away!

How and When a Keto-Enhancing Diet can Help Triathletes

This post was prompted by Julia Belluz' excellent article on Vox entitled: "The keto diet, explained: Is eating a lot of fat really the best way to lose weight?"

First, I want to be clear that while I am on a keto-enhancing nutrition regimen, I prefer to avoid avoid fads and the word "diet", so instead I say I'm on "carb restriction".  (The title above is so Google will like me more.)

Though I have no need for weight loss, I eat this way for a different reason; to avoid "bonking".

When I started in triathlon a decade ago at age 52, I kept hitting a wall 60-90 minutes into my longer workouts. In triathlon, this wall is called the bonk.

I sought advice from coaches, doctors, fellow athletes, and online. I decided to try pretty much everything anyone suggested that didn't sound harmful.  At worst, I figured I'd just bonk again.

What I first learned is that bonking is most likely due to the exhaustion of stored glycogen, leading to a sharp drop in blood ("serum") glucose levels.  The standard advice was to consume simple carbs during long activities, especially things like gels.

Didn't work for me. I still bonked, even when I ramped up active carb intake to nauseating levels.  I also attacked the issue of "gastric distress", and while some products did better in my stomach than others, none did much for my bonking.

Then it was mentioned that moderate carb-loading 24-48 hours before endurance activities, though "old school", could help. Which for me meant eating more carbs all the time, due to my workout schedule. Tried it several times, and I still bonked.

Others suggested I was simply pushing too hard, or I had inefficient form.  I tried modifying both.  Going slower did help, but I had to go much slower, barely above a jogging pace.  No way I would ever call that "race pace".  Technique changes also helped, though while they make me slightly faster, they didn't affect my bonking; I was just a bit further down the road when I bonked.

I finally started doing my own investigation, starting with the fuel sources of endurance athletes (this article provides a brief overview). It turns out most endurance athletes get about 65% of their endurance muscle energy from carb metabolism (glycogen -> glucose) and the remaining 35% from fat metabolism (triglycerides-> fatty acids). This ratio can shift during activity, with fat dependency increasing with time to 50% or more.

But fatty acids can't be used by the brain or nervous system, so another fat metabolic path in the liver activates to generate "Ketone Bodies" when glucose becomes scarce.  Ketones can replace glucose nearly everywhere.

My working theory for my bonking wasn't just the exhaustion of stored glycogen, but also a simultaneous failure of both of my fat energy systems. While fatty acid metabolism and carb metabolism can work fine together, it is well documented that ketone production shuts down in the presence of glucose or carbs, even when the carbs were just eaten and not yet digested (the stomach sends "carbs coming!" signals).

Perhaps the main problem wasn't my glucose dropping during workouts (a normal effect), but rather my ketones failing to rise to meet demand.

To me, this meant I needed my glucose levels to taper more gradually, to give ketones more time to ramp up.  I also needed my base ketone production level to be a bit higher.  And, ideally, I'd like my peak ketone production rate to also increase.

I studied "ketone boosting", which required I gradually reduced my carb intake while increasing protein and fat to meet my calorie needs (no net calorie change in my diet).  It is important to note that I didn't even try to get to "zero" carbs: That's both impractical and potentially harmful (insert Atkins Diet horror stories here).

I simply banned all simple carbs: Potatoes, rice, and all milled grain (bread, pasta, etc.).  I could have all the dark green veggies I wanted.  I increased my egg intake for protein, and kept my meat consumption relatively low, averaging under an ounce per day.  My fat needs were met by vegetable fats and occasionally a little pork with breakfast (bacon or sausage).

It took several months for my digestion to get the message, but eventually my gut bacteria adapted to the lack of carbs in my meals. Which precisely matched the duration of my carb cravings. As the carb cravings faded, so did my bonking.

A small level of carb metabolism is needed to make fat metabolism more effective (faster and more efficient).  This meant I would still need a trickle of carbs during a race or long/hard workout, but no carbs before.  So I created my own electrolyte + simple carbs + caffeine race "gel" to meet those minimal needs with only abundant water needed otherwise.

With these changes in place, I was finally ready to train at higher levels.  I found I could comfortably handle an 8-minute mile pace, an 8:30 5K pace, a 9:00 10K pace, and a 9:30 half-marathon pace.  These were my "comfortable" limits, with relatively little emphasis on speed work. Still, they were fast enough to ensure PRs in my future races.

A year ago, at age 60, I did my first 70.3 mile "half-Ironman" triathlon. While I had lots and lots of problems during the 7+ hours of that race, bonking wasn't one of them.

I have found no studies or research covering my specific experience, but the logic seems unassailable.  So I can contribute only one anecdotal datum, to be filed under: "It works for me!"

Since my half-IM I've been experimenting with how much of what I can eat how soon before endurance exercise.  I've found I don't need to be quite as strict as I was before.  First, absolutely no carbs in the 4 hours prior to any workout of 60 minutes or more (instead of a near-total ban).  No meals in the 3 hours prior to a hard workout (mainly to keep my GI tract happy).

Given my exercise schedule, these restrictions still interfered with my eating habits.  So I next tried daily "light" fasting, where my biggest meal of the day was immediately after my last workout (and well before bed).  During the day I could have tiny snacks of nuts as desired, and some fruit (bananas, dried fruit),  I could have a glass of OJ on mornings without a workout.

On days with one or no workouts, I could eat pretty much anything I wanted, so long as I kept my total carbs restricted and met the pre-workout eating exclusions.  I also found that simple carbs were the main issues, allowing me to occasionally have super-dense carbs such as tortillas and bagels.

To make things practical, and to limit temptation, I've banished all simple carbs from my house, so my carb restriction gets attention only during shopping.  This lets me eat anything in the house, whenever desired.  For the few meals I eat away from home each week, I can have whatever everyone else is having.

A rather long multi-year path to what turned out to be a relatively straightforward solution.  My continuing investigation indicates my diet may also be a good aging diet, potentially reducing (or at least not aggravating) the risk and/or severity of  several age-related conditions and illnesses.

When Adding a Glide to the Swim Stroke is Good!

This post is in response to the recent SwimSmooth blog post entitled "Blinded By Aesthetics: The Definitive Guide To Why You Shouldn't Be Trying To Pause And Glide When You Swim"

I have a vital caveat to the "No Glide Ever" philosophy: I believe it is dead wrong and even counter-productive for absolute beginner open-water swimmers.  Giving these folks a glide greatly hastens their initial progress, which soon supports elimination of the glide.  And by "soon" I mean after 4-12 sessions, and certainly after their first couple of Sprint-distance triathlons.

By "absolute beginner" I mean someone who has no open water swim experience, and who can barely survive swimming one length of a pool.  While this is most often due to a simple lack of technique, it can also be due to poor muscle and cardio conditioning and/or poor oxygen update (e.g., asthma).  I have found getting such folks into a triathlon wetsuit as early as possible makes a massive and immediate improvement, greatly encouraging that initial drive to overcome open water fears and weaknesses, and to become a true swimmer.

The largest issue is simply raising the body up so breathing becomes simpler and easier.  That's it.  Hundreds of times I've seen the joy on the faces of previously struggling swimmers (and non-swimmers) when they get their first few strokes while wearing a wetsuit.  That joy often triggers an enthusiasm for learning to swim better that makes my task much easier.

Such folks, who are true triathlon beginners in every sense of the word, are often unready (or unwilling) to add the fourth triathlon training regimen: Strength Training.  So I combine technique and conditioning.  For me, this means making every stroke powerful, to build both "feel for the water" as well as stressing the body just hard enough to encourage rapid conditioning

Few, if any, absolute beginner swimmers can crank out 25m of powerful strokes.  Many coaches advise letting the athlete "back off" to focus on form (a smooth, continuous stroke) and distance/endurance.  I have found this to be counter-productive.  It's like teaching them a "useless" slow stroke, and reinforcing all the associated "useless" muscle memory, rather than taking the shortest path connecting the starting point to the desired beginner end point (typically the first two sprint triathlons).

But even absolute beginners can do a few powerful strokes, even with poor conditioning.  I have found it FAR more productive and effective to simply add some recovery time (a glide) between powerful strokes, even over relatively short drill distances.  That is, I try to bring standard muscle conditioning techniques (load, reps, recovery) into the open water.

A powerful stroke with a glide also helps ensure proper rotation.  A weak stroke often leads to flailing and wriggling to get a breath, or breaking the stroke to add a side thrust.  Successful open-water breathing comes primarily from two sources: Height in the water and a solid extension for good rotation.  That's another reason to teach a strong stroke first, with a glide on one's side for easy breathing.  To emphasize this, we also teach "no neck rotation" to enforce body rotation, with the initial motivation being to avoid painful and unsightly "wetsuit hickies".  Later on, we refer to full rotation as "swimming skinny", which makes it easier to get through dense packs.

Note: To be clear, we tell beginners to stay wide of packs and turn buoys.  But shit happens, so beginners must cope with it, rather than become startled, afraid or confused.  The goal is to complete the swim course no matter what happens, and no matter how slow their progress, always to "just keep on swimming".  (To emphasize this, in later drills instructors will bump into them, swim over them, and even get tangled up with them.  We call it "sharking the drill".  We also do nasty things like go off course during later drafting drills.)

Once their stroke looks good, with however much glide is needed to cover a significant distance (say, 100m), I then add two drills: "Form to Fatigue", where I have them select their own initial glide duration, then go as far as they can while maintaining stroke power, rate and glide.  Being caught in a form break is the ultimate no-no: They must stop when their form suffers, which means becoming very aware of what a good stroke feels like, both in the body and in the water.  Any stop before the finish means adding more glide during the next attempt (not backing off on the force of each stroke).

Remember, the initial goal is to simultaneously build strong swim muscles and cardio, as well as develop a stroke that will be ready to make instant and full use of their rapidly improving conditioning.  Nothing but the "final" stroke is taught, with glides initially present only while the body develops.

The second drill is "Glide Reduction".  Once they are able to do "Form to Failure" over a Sprint distance swim, subsequent drills focus on maintaining that power, form and distance while gradually reducing the glide across subsequent workouts (not within individual drills or workouts).

I do not time their drills (though they are free to time themselves).  I only monitor their form, see where/if they stop, and check how they feel after each drill.  The ONLY exceptions to this are occasional Time Trials, where we record their time over a Super-Sprint distance, and give silly prizes only for "Most Improved" by percentage gain from their prior TT, never for place or time.

Teaching absolute beginners to vary glide instead of backing off on stroke effort has several benefits, especially in the Sprint distance.  First, it gives beginners a usable burst stroke, such as to get through a slow pack or catch a draft, simply by temporarily eliminating their glide and changing nothing else.  If they overdo it, they can add in whatever glide is needed to recover.  But underwater, The Stroke is always The Stroke.  This is the KISS Principle applied to absolute beginning open water swimming.

For some absolute beginners, especially older "casual" triathletes, this is all they want or need, at least for their first several races.  If they are going to stop instruction early, I want it to be with at least a good, reliable and powerful underwater stroke, with or without a glide, and in a wetsuit.

Then there are those absolute beginners who quickly become Monsters of the Swim.  I've seen several absolute beginners go from zero to fast in just 2 sessions.  Most are kids, who I promptly refer to a youth coach.  The rest are referred to intermediate coaches and clinics.  Basically, I kick them out so I can focus on the other absolute beginners.  The feedback I get from other coaches is that my graduates are among their most determined and compliant clients.  Those who insist on sticking around become coaching assistants.

There are always some absolute beginners who have trouble swimming a Sprint distance, even when their stroke is good and their fitness is adequate. It's often more of a psychological limitation than physical, but I believe a physical approach works best even here.  For these folks I add in a "Super Glide", where they can glide so much as to nearly come to a complete stop (if needed), so long as they "never stop swimming".  Which is practical only in a wetsuit.  The goal is to always be fresh and alert, and never let the stroke fall apart.  The glide provides moments for brief reflection, refocusing, and making that next stroke perfect.  Typically, 1-3 Super Glide drills gets them past any psychological block.

Understanding the glide also helps with open water spotting/sighting, where it may occasionally be necessary to press the extended arm down to get the eyes high enough to see over waves.  Some beginner triathletes with smooth continuous pool strokes have trouble integrating a "high spot", where gliders seldom do, even after they have eliminated their glide.  This is especially valuable to absolute beginners during their first races, even if in a sheltered bay or lake.

This is very different from how I teach beginner run and bike, where I emphasize a consistent high cadence first, last and always.  Adjust stride length in the run as conditioning improves, similarly for the gearing on the bike.   I never emphasize stroke cadence with absolute beginner swimmers (I mention rhythm as feel and consistency, not as cadence or time); the emphasis is always on a powerful stroke underwater.

I want to emphasize the glide is only intended to be a temporary expedient, to be eliminated as soon as muscular and cardiovascular development permits.  But it's not a top priority, especially not compared to simply finishing the course. Some folks come to prefer the Zen-like feel of a long glide, and choose to keep their glide forever, which is absolutely OK!
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A number of my absolute beginners eventually became familiar podium finishers in local races.  After one race that had particularly brutal ocean conditions on the first half of the swim, I overheard one graduate exclaim to his neighbor on the podium: "It was so rough out there I had to add in a glide after the first buoy!"  Made me proud!  Even if not desired under normal conditions, it's useful to have a glide in one's bag of tricks.

I believe it is better to do whatever is needed to get through a rough spot, then add some glide to recover after.  I see way too many swimmers who are fast in calm conditions fall apart when things get rough for a while.  I see them become unable to sustain their customary stroke, and simply start flailing at the water and fall behind, or come to a complete stop to recover.  I strongly believe a glide is an ideal fall-back to use when the unexpected happens.

I do not teach absolute beginners how to swim in the open water without a wetsuit.  Instead, I encourage them to join pool groups and clinics.  To me, there is no reason for an absolute open water beginner to enter a non-wetsuit race!  Which makes getting rid of the wetsuit a solidly intermediate skill.

There is much more we teach our absolute beginner open water swimmers, particularly race skills and tactics, but a powerful strength-building stroke with a glide is always where I start.

Running Shorts and Tights

A year ago I spent the winter training for my first 70.3 triathlon.  An important step in that training was to run my first half-marathon.  Training for that race meant more running in cooler weather, for which I purchased my first-ever pair of running tights.

The tights were the 2016 Nike PRO Hyperwarm model, and after getting over being self-conscious wearing them (and shaving my legs to keep gray hairs from poking through), they immediately proved their worth.  They kept me warm without overheating by using a fabric that was both insulating and wicking.

They were also my first tights providing full-leg compression.  I've long enjoyed my De Soto Forza trisuits with their compression fabric over the hips and thighs, but the Nike tights added calf compression, which was new for me.

Best of all, these Nike thermal compression tights were significantly less expensive than the other major brands.  They provided top quality at an affordable price.  They also let me run in cooler weather with fewer upper layers.  My only remaining cool-weather obstacle was the cool dry air triggering my asthma, which was resolved by adding a walk-jog warm-up.

I highly recommend these tights!  I don't know why I didn't review them earlier, but the recent cooler weather reminded me.

These tights made me want to also get compression in my running shorts.

For well over 30 years, my running shorts have been fairly minimalist, a liner with some sort of outer fabric.  For nearly all of that time my favorite shorts were by Scott Tinley, and featured a liner with little more than a breechclout, a flap of brightly colored and patterned fabric at the front and rear, with the outside of the legs exposed up to the waistband.

I've missed the compression from my De Soto trisuit, and started to run in regular a pair of trishorts. But the trishorts lacked the small key pocket generally present in running shorts, adding a frustrating complication in addition to not providing much compression.  I did look at compression shorts by De Soto and all the other major brands, and was discouraged by the prices.

A brief note about my use of compression garments:  The research clearly shows the main physiological benefits of compression garments come as part of recovery, with little or no physiological benefit measured during activity.  However, I am both bow-legged and flat-footed, and my running gait places a fair amount of torque on my hips, in particular placing extra load on the piriformis.  Given my history with severe sciatica, piriformis issues can quickly lead to both hip and sciatic pain.

Most often, if I'm paying strict attention to my form and am doing my foam rolling, I don't consciously feel any hip or sciatic pain during the run itself.  But it is there at a sub-conscious level, and it adds to my fatigue. The pain always shows up the moment I finish a long or hard run, and during the first day or so of my recovery.

For me, piriformis compression markedly improves my ability to run both farther and faster with greater comfort and quicker recovery.  My performance gains over weeks and months are both more consistent and more rapid.

For years I went to TCSD meetings hoping to win a pair of compression shorts in the raffle of products from club sponsors.  While I managed to win almost every other piece of gear I desired, I never did win any compression garments.

For my birthday my nephew gave me a gift card to RoadRunner Sports.  My initial intention was to get more of the low-crew WrightSocks I love so much, only to find that they were no longer carried!  I wandered through the store when I came across the compression running shorts.  The Big Name Brands were all $80 to $140, which I thought was a bit much. Fortunately, the RoadRunner house brand was under $40.

I've owned other RoadRunner branded products, and my general impression has generally been "good enough".  Not super high-end in design or materials, but always with solid workmanship, a very fair price, and a great warranty.

However, compression garments are a very different from T-shirts, hats and jackets.  Comfort is everything, and function is critical.  How would the house brand compare to the big brands?

I won't mention the name brands I tried, only to say they all were great. Solid compression around the hips and thighs without crushing the crotch.  The RoadRunner shorts were different, with comparatively less hip compression for the same leg compression.  This wasn't due so much to the different fabric being used, but more to the number and shape of panels used and how they were sewn.  The RoadRunner shorts had simpler construction.

This simplicity also extends to not having a liner over the crotch, which I hope won't cause any issues.

A very positive design feature of the RoadRunner compression shorts is the presence of two large side pockets just behind each hip, next to the glute. One of the pockets has a zipper!  These pockets are easily big enough for a phone or a flat water bottle, reducing the need for a FuelBelt or arm band.

My De Soto trisuits also have generous pockets, but they are on the outside of the leg: When stuffed with gels or a flat water bottle, my arm swing can hit them. I do not expect to have this problem with the pockets on the RoadRunner shorts.

For 1/2 to 1/3 the price, I expect the RoadRunner shorts will certainly meet my needs.  We'll see how they survive in use, but I see no reason to worry.

You may have noticed I haven't mentioned what it's like to run in these shorts!  I have an annoying lung infection at the moment that has zeroed my endurance cardio workouts, but I'll update this review soon after it clears up.

Jock sock stock: Knock or rock?

I've previously talked at length about the process of how to find the running shoe that's best for you, and how the result of that process can be affected by age and gait changes.

But I've said relatively little about socks, mainly because I had nothing useful to share.  I've tried over a dozen brands of specialty running socks, some of which were quite expensive, and while there were many that were total failures for me, none of the rest ever seemed in any way special.

I'm not going to mention the socks that failed for me, simply because they may work great for you!

I had gotten to the point that I simply ran on whatever "good enough" socks I could get for free, or at discount, from events and TCSD sponsors.

That all changed in late 2016, when I received a pair of WrightSocks as a gift.

I had foot problems during runs longer than 5K, creating misery when training for my first half-marathon.  My feet got hot, and it felt like my forefoot was swelling (it wasn't, but it just felt that way).  I had thought it was a shoe ventilation and toe-box size issue, and that was partially correct, but the problems remained.

Until I got my WrightSocks.

The WrightSock design, like many others, uses two layers.  My prior experiences with dual-layer socks had not been good: I always felt like I was sliding around in my shoe, with my toes getting jammed into the end of the toe box (I run with a forefoot-strike).

The WrightSock inner layer is a thin, snug-fitting friction-resistant Coolmesh moisture-management layer.  It sticks to your foot and stays put.

The WrightSock outer layer is a thicker, durable, ventilation layer that also helps with moisture transport.  WrightSock offers a choice of two outer layer materials:  Coolmesh 2 and Merino TRL.  I have tried only the Coolmesh, which is recommended for all uses.

WrightSock offers several weights and styles.  I tried only their lightweight "Coolmesh" model.

On my first 4 mile run in the socks, the difference was immediate, obvious, and, well, wonderful.

However, there was one small problem: The pair I was given was the "low" below-ankle style.  My foot is very narrow, so the heel tends to be a loose fit, which causes my shoe to "eat" low-cut socks.

So I had to stop once in a while to pull my socks back over my heels.  A very small price to pay for such comfort.

After a couple weeks I knew this wasn't a fluke: The WrightSocks were actually transforming my running, making longer distances far more comfortable, and thus both faster and less fatiguing.  I purchased three pairs of the WrightSock "Quarter" sock ($13 for a single pair, $11 each in a 3-pack) in the low crew style, which kept my shoes from eating the socks.

I took one pair to wear all the time, every day, to see how they aged.  My toenails tend to slice right through most socks, my sandals tend to chew them up, as does using socks as slippers in the house.

It's been 6 months, and my WrightSocks still look and run like new.

If you're having foot discomfort while running that your shoes aren't handling, then it may be your socks.  Before getting yet another new pair of shoes, be sure to try some WrightSocks!

Then wear them when buying your next pair of running shoes.

Intervals? Who, me?

I've been gradually adding these things called "intervals" to my workouts, particularly for my strength training sessions and my runs.  Just what is or is not an "interval" seems to have lots of different interpretations.

At the softer end of the spectrum is what I'd call "surges", such as is done during fartleks, adding push and recovery segments to an otherwise ordinary run.  At the softest end is switching back and forth between "race pace" and "cruising" on a longer run.

At the harder end is doing sequential 50 meter all-out sprints separated by brief pauses.  The hardest of the hard end is doing them on hills or stairs, or while carrying weights.

I choose to be somewhere in between: Low enough to avoid damage to joints, tendons and muscles.  High enough to be well beyond my endurance capabilities, to challenge my body's ability to mobilize energy in the muscles, to just shy of the point of being unable to continue with good form.

In strength training, my current practice is to do a sequence of exercises without breaks, each affecting different muscle groups, resting only briefly (under 2 minutes) when the entire sequence has been completed.  Individual sets of muscles get challenged in each exercise, but not for long, typically 30-60 seconds.  The cardio-respiratory system is challenged throughout the sequence.

The phrase used most in the literature is "High-Intensity Interval Training" or HIIT.  A great term that also has lots of definitions and perspectives.  Until recently there has been relatively little "hard" science done to quantify the effects of HIIT on various slices of the general population, with much of the prior work focused on elite athletes.

And as any age-grouper will know, what works for elites can easily fail for the rest of us.

However, it seems HIIT is special:  Done right, HIIT seems to benefit just about everyone!

Let's start with some definitions and limits:

I. There are no absolutes in HIIT.  What is normal activity for one person can easily be HIIT for another.

This is true even for the weakest of us: There is unambiguous medical evidence that doing limited HIIT immediately after surgery is of clear benefit to both cardiac and hip replacement patients.  In the past it was thought that just getting these folks mobile was all that was needed, and in a general sense that's true, since for some even basic post-surgery movement is HIIT.  But the bigger picture for these patients now is to get them up, work them hard (yet safely) for a moment, then get them back in bed.

For the rest of us, it is important for us not to all do the same workout.  Each of us needs to tailor our HIIT to meet our abilities and goals.  So doing HIIT as a group is not a good idea, though it is always OK to do your own HIIT workout while others are doing their own HIIT workouts.

II. HIIT is adaptive: What starts out as nearly impossible can soon become much easier.

How can this be?  What's going on?

There are many components that go into "fitness", "strength", "endurance", "power" and related terms.  Collectively they describe how hard we can use our bodies and for how long.  Intensity versus time.  There are many steps in the overall process that involve everything from eating, breathing, carbohydrate (glycogen) transport and utiliztion, fat catabolism, fatty acid transport and utilization, muscle mass, composition and density, ATP metabolism (mitochondria), and so on.

The primary (most obvious) measurable physiological effect of HIIT is increasing the number of mitochondria in muscle cells.  We are still largely ignorant of much of what goes on in mitochondra.  We can't tell all that much about the mitochrondrial activity going on within a muscle by examining the blood. It takes a muscle biopsy, then putting the cells under a microscope and simply counting the mitochondria.

What we do know is that more mitochondria means better energy production in the muscle, both for the long (endurance) and short (sprint) terms.  There are certainly other factors involved, but the change in the mitochondrial count is a dominant factor.

Recent HIIT research has shown a simple result: Muscles utilized during HIIT exhibit an increase in the number of mitochondria present.

I want to make this point very clear:  HIIT directly helps endurance performance.

There's a favorite triathlon truism: "Train like you race; race like you train."  That is broken where HIIT is concerned.  Train with HIIT, but never do an all-out 30 second sprint in a race.  Other than to beat your buddy at the finish line, of course.

III. HIIT must be performed well within the body's limits.

Injuries are very common among folks "suddenly" adding HIIT to their workout regimen.  It is important to start out gently, to prepare the body for the increased stress.

The most common HIIT injuries are muscle and tendon pulls, with severities going all the way up to detachments and tears.  Taking any HIIT interval too far can also lead to joint injuries as form falls apart, and other injuries if falls occur.

In my own case, I had been doing lots of lunges, squats and jump squats, so I thought I was ready to add HIIT run sessions.  On my second HIIT run session I got a moderate hip flexor pull:  None of my preparation had included increased rearward leg swing.  It is best to ramp up gradually, and let the body adapt to the actual exercise being attempted.

Vital point: Always stop at the first sign of pain!  The old adage "No pain, no gain" is total bullshit.  Fatigue and discomfort, even "the burn", are OK; the pain of damage never is.

IV.  HIIT needs far more recovery compared to conventional workouts.

While many of us have no problem doing daily runs, daily HIIT run sessions are not a good idea!

The medical studies have various observations of the muscle's condition after HIIT, as well as that of the body in general.  The overall picture is that HIIT depletes not only the energy stored locally in the muscle (needed for the mitochondria to convert ADP to ATP), but also depletes the muscle's ability to use energy.

I started out with one HIIT session per week, on the day before my day off.  Even doing a light run on the day after a HIIT run session could be surprisingly difficult.  I think the best plan is to not run at all on the day after a HIIT run session, having either a day off or just a swim and/or light bike day.  And the next run should not be a hard one.

Pardon me while I climb back on to one of my favorite soapboxes:  Foam rolling after HIIT greatly aids the recovery process.  While you shouldn't do HIIT daily, foam rolling daily is a massive plus.

OK, enough about HIIT in general.  What about the specifics?  How am I, a perma-newbie in triathlon, using HIIT?

In my strength training workouts I use only my own body weight, and my only piece of equipment is a TRX.  The specific exercises included in each workout cycle vary every time, and include random selections to push and pull with each skeletal muscle group (push-ups + pull-ups, squats + hamstring curls, kicks face-up + face-down, etc.), static and dynamic exercises for the core (planks, side planks, sit-ups, crunches, crab-crawls, etc.), integrated exercises to work secondary muscle groups (walking lunges, twisting lunges, kneel-to-stand, etc.), and finally runs with varying gaits (regular run, skipping, side-to-side, ice skaters, backwards run, etc.).

The only exercise type not presently included in any of my sequences are plyometrics, such as jump squats or clap push-ups.  Doing these with perfect form as fatigue grows is almost impossible, and they simply add injury risk for minimal gains.  I'm not saying I'll never include plyometrics, but only that they're not at all a priority.

Other than the run, each exercise is done for only 30 seconds, with no pauses between exercises within the sequence (not quite a scramble between exercises).  After each sequence I take a sip of water and a brief rest that never exceeds 2 minutes. The goal is to have good sets with minimal rest.  But always rest enough to ensure the next round is a good one!  If two minutes isn't enough rest, then you're done, and no more sequences should be attempted.

It is important to note that I said nothing about the number of reps or the duration of each rep within each exercise.  It is most important to always maintain perfect form.  After that, it is important to maintain smooth flow, without jerking or tugging or bouncing.  Finally, it is important to just keep moving, never stopping, but always permitting yourself to back off the level of effort when and if needed.  It's the contact time that's important, done while always maintaining perfect form.

That's quite a bit of description for the strength HIIT sessions.  My runs are much simpler.

First, it is important to never do a full-intensity run interval on a cold muscle (much like stretching), and it is also important not to stop cold after HIIT.  So every HIIT run session should start with a warm-up run of a mile or so, then the intervals, then a cool-down run and/or a brisk walk for another mile or so.

Each of my intervals starts at a jogging pace then smoothly builds over about 5 seconds to a flat-out sprint.  When I start to feel fatigued, I smoothly back the sprint down to a brisk walk.  Wait up to two minutes and repeat.  I'm done with intervals if I'm not recovered in two minutes.  The goal is to start the next interval as soon as I feel I'm recovered enough for it, and not automatically wait a full two minutes.

That's where I am now.  As I improve, I expect to eliminate the walk between intervals and use a jog instead.  At this point, I see no reason to ever do more than a dozen intervals.  Starting out, three can be plenty!

Again, it's not about the number of intervals or the amount of time spent at top speed.  It's about always having perfect form, and letting the rest period dictate when or if the next interval happens.


I lost two months of winter training due to injuries, illness, weather and holidays.  I need to get ready for SuperSeal and O'side 70.3 (my first half!) with the time I have left.  HIIT has taken on a higher priority for me simply because of the large payoff for a small time investment.