Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Got Any Words of Advice?

...any Words of Wisdom...

First, an update from yesterday's Big Boy Toys...

Concerning the aero bottle splash issue, I do have the yellow sponge.  While it does keep a large amount of the water inside the bottle, it still does not keep me from being showered.  I have seen the cap at my LBS, but it's in a package with bunch of other parts and is most likely a screen cap itself (which would allow water to come through as well).  I'd prefer a full cap.  I heard on one forum that a 55mm lens cap actual fits perfectly.  I'm almost at the point of going to a camera shop just to test it out.  Any more thoughts?

Next order of business goes out to cyclists...

I am a sweater!  No, I'm not made of wool and given to you by your great aunts.  I sweat profusely.  I was wondering what cyclists do to combat the sweat beading down your face.  Do you guys (and gals) just spray a water bottle on your head or is there any sort of cycling sweatband that you have found works really well??  I'd LOVE to know about it.

Third order of business goes out to runners...

I've worn bandanas, sweat bands, and head bands and they all get soaked after a time.  I know a lot of people swear by bondibands for moisture wicking headband use, but I was wondering if it really works.  If you are a heavy sweater and use these or any other similar product, I would LOVE to hear from you.  I'm also considering a moisture wicking hat.  Has anyone used those?, and how well do they work?

Finally, the last order of business goes out to Half Ironman Triathletes...

Do you have any words of advice for a triathlete heading into his first half iron?  I trust my training, though I know I could have done a lot more.  I know come race day I'm most likely going to go balls to the wall, I have a kit on the bike for any cycling issues, I have my aerobars, I've started making decisions for my run and bike bags.  But do you have any other bits of advice?  Are there things you were surprised about at your first HIM, or are there things you've heard about that I should know?

Thank you Everyone!!

As always, I appreciate the blogger support and help!


Stay fit.  Stay healthy.  Stay safe. 

12 comments:

Big Daddy Diesel said...

I use a sweatband for the bike

ajh said...

Love moisture wicking hats.

Samantha said...

Bondi Bands are good. They look kind of dumb when you flatten them all the way out and they take up half your head but that's the best way to keep the sweat out of my face. I also pull it down a little on my forehead. I have yet to do this with the beige colored one because it makes me look bald. hahaha

Ironmom (Julie) said...

You probably already know this, but I didn't going into my first half, and I suffered for it: Dry your feet well after the swim! If you bike 56 miles with damp feet and then try to run, you will feel every pebble. Have a great race!

Anonymous said...

Wish I had some great words for you, but being I haven't done one single tri yet.. gulp

it's all about pace said...

first off... I live in Florida and I sweat like a whore in church...

Aerobottle - live with the splash man... :-)

Bike helmet and sweat - I used to go with a sweatband... fancy Pearl Isumi or Headsweats... I quit using them and just learned to live with that too...

for running I wear a running hat... I have a dozen or so of them.

as for the 1/2 IM - swim easy... bike slow... start the run easy... if you still feel great after 5 miles of the run take off like a wild indian.

My Boring Triathlon Blog said...

Nutrition!!! You should be taking about ~300 calories per hour so practice!!

Salt tablets or something if you're a heavy sweater.

BRICK!! lots of them. Last year, I was doing three times a week before my HIM. The runs don't need to be long ~20 minutes off the bike

Ransick said...

For the aero bottle, I tried the caps that are made for bottle (without teh yellow sponge and still got splashed and sticky. Then I tried saran wrap with rubber bands, this worked pretty well. In the end I went with two bottles and did the bottle hand off thing at my first half.

For the sweating, I like the Halo head band.

For the HIM, set your watch alarm to go off every 15 minutes. Drink at one, eat and drink at the next. Plus salt caps since you are a heavy sweater. I took in about half the calories I should have on the bike (plus salt caps). I felt great coming of the bike then after 3 miles, things started slowing down. I forgot to bring salt on the run and the lack of nutrition made the run really tough. For my next HIM I'm going to practice nutrition more on my long rides and bricks.

Richelle said...

I think everyone is giving you great advice. I wish I had some for you. :-/

Anonymous said...

I'm in South Ms. and my sweat rate puts most men to shame..

I've found nothing on the bike that doesn't sacrifice cooling/venting of helemt...that's more impt to me

For the run...Headsweats visors or if your a guy that can tolerate hats they prob work too...I can't tolerate anything on the top of my head..the visors soak up tons though

Kevin said...

Bring stomach meds and Advil. Carry them on your bike, transition area and on your run. You may get butterflies in your stomach due to nerviousness. The Advil will help to ease any unexpected pains that may arise. I also carry potassium pills to ease any cramps I may get.

Kevin
HalfTRIing.blogspot.com

Aimee said...

* For the aero bottle, throw that sponge away and just use a regular shower puff. IT WORKS! I have zero splashing when I use it!

* I sweat like crazy too! I use a bondiband, but I still get sweat droplets down my face. It's just something I've come to live with.

*For your HIM...practice your nutrition! It is so important in the longer distances. Do you have a bento box? If not, you might want to look into one. I use it to hold all of my nutrition and when I'm out riding, I have like a little buffet of different nutrition products in my bento box that I can choose from depending on how I'm feeling!