Win detergent review

Tired of your workout clothes smelling really bad even after washing them? I learned about this product while volunteering for the Hood to Coast relay run last summer. The person representing it told me his son's stinky football pads and clothes came out smelling great. I figured that any detergent that can combat the odor of a teen boy could handle my running clothes.

Microfiber clothes are great for their quick-drying, wicking, cool, and lightweight properties. They also have many little hidden pockets with lots of surface area where bacteria can harbor which is why they become so rank smelling. I find this is especially bad when I put them in a pile and forget to wash them right away. Within 12 hours, my wife is gagging and strongly suggesting I utilize my laundry skills ASAP.

In a front loading washing machine, I can run a nearly full load of workout clothes with less than the full recommended cap-full amount and everything comes out smelling great. I wash the items that I use a lot with Win every 3rd or 4th time washing, using regular detergent in between. Don't throw away expensive workout clothes just because they are starting to smell. Buy this stuff! You can get it at Fred Meyers, local running stores, or cheaper via the above link on Amazon.

Rest Days

At a recent triathlon day camp I attended (see Fast Track Triathlon Camp), I learned about a 4th sport in triathlon - rest days. I have to say that triathlon, to me, is five sports including nutrition as the fifth. That said, rest is something we all need but don't really appreciate. Lara Brown, a professional triathlete, discussed with us the importance of true rest days for healing and growth. Our bodies respond to stressors by adapting, however if we don't give them the opportunity to adapt via rest, stagnation and even injury can occur. True rest days do not include those work days where you skip a workout, since all stressors need to be eliminated to fully benefit from the rest day. These include mental, physical, and emotional stressors. True, we can't eliminate all stressors from our lives, but for 1 day every 2 weeks or so, you should take it completely easy - no workout, no work, and no craziness. In addition, try to add a mini-taper to your routine for one week per month where you lighten up on distance, volume, intensity, or all of the above. I know it's hard for us type-A folks, but it's worth it.

Hookit.com review

Hookit.com (formerly loopd.com and sponsorhouse.com) is a social networking site for athletes of all types. In addition to another "friending" website, hookit.com also provides opportunities for athletes to become "sponsored" by various companies. It brings the Nascar-patches-on-your-jeans-jacket approach to the everyday athlete. While this sounds very sexy and flattering, I've learned that the "sponsorship" is a seemingly automated process where you "apply" for sponsorship and in 1-3 days you receive an offer. These offers are essentially discount codes to purchase the company's products at an mild to impressive discount with some hitches. In some cases you can get 50% of carbon fiber bike frames, albeit from companies I haven't hear of before. In return for the discount codes, they would like you to help promote and market for their company and keep your hookit.com profile up-to-date with photos which they may use for promotional material. Within the first 48 hours, I received "sponsorship" offers from Rudy Project (great sunglasses), Fluid recovery nutrition, and Synergy Triathlon/Grey Cycling gear. The discount codes were for 35-50% off of their products, and a few stated you must wear their decals on your bike helmet or bike. As for the social aspect, there are limited endurance athletes on the site (most athletes are snowboarders, skaters, BMX, motocross, etc). In the end, hookit.com is great in concept but I have yet to see how it's not another way to get you to spend your money on products you might not otherwise look at for purchase. I suppose if enough people use it, hookit.com might attract larger brands and bring in some significant offers. If you are looking for some new gear and want to get a decent size discount at the risk of not seeing the product live (internet orders only), give it a try.

How I got started

See the following link to see the long version of how I got started running and doing triathlons. http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1806

First Post

The point of this blog is to help others explore with me the path towards better triathlon and running results while trying to maintain a normal life. Balancing family, work, and training is a challenge and one we triathletes have accepted. Balancing home and triathlon gear budgets is another challenge. Good luck, right? If you are looking for advice on how to acheive a Boston Marathon qualifying time or how to shave 10 minutes off of your Ironman time, this is not the place for you. In fact, please comment below and leave your email address so I can contact you for advice. Rather, this blog is geared towards those getting started in triathlon and running. For those looking for gear reviews or humorous looks on how to run a half-marathon without throwing up as the guy takes your finishing photo, welcome aboard.