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Friday, August 31, 2012

Review of some swim FREE Gear!!!

About 5 weeks ago I received  an email from someone I did not know, a lady named Julie,  I would usually just delete these emails...but for some reason I read it...  Julie said that she had an opportunity for me to "test" some swim products for a company called Aqua Gear Swim Shop...www.aquagear.com .  First I was thinking this is a joke. then after a couple of emails I was ok so we will try this.....

I looked over the site, I answered her back and said I'll pick out some gear and try it out and write a review on the items and get to keep the gear for FREE...I order the gear ( and we all know HOW CHEAP I AM...so I tried to find as many things as possible to pick without going over $40.00).  I choose 4 items:

     1)  Barracuda Ear Plus
     2)  Aqua Ear Band  (PINK of course)
     3)  Speedo Pull Kick Board
     4)  Engine Charcoal Silicone Swim Cap (Charcoal and Flourescent Pink)

It took about a 4 to 6 days for me to receive the gear in the mail.  I was actually impressed that it even truly showed up.  It was actually the exact gear I ordered as well... Ok so now I was impressed again....

It then took about 2 weeks before I could even try them, secondary to schedules and weather and just forgetting to bring them with me to the Pond!  So finally one evening I make it to the Pond for a swim with my training partner SPARKY!!!!  I tell her about the opportunity to try out the gear and write a review....I get her to try a piece or two as well....

So finally the REVIEW:::

    1)  I am prefacing this with a disclosure statement...I have not found a pair of ear plugs yet that work for both my ears...at the same time....I have tried LOTS AND LOTS of ear plugs...my right ear always fills with water I think it is part of the reason I do not bi lat breath most of the time.....
      Now I have said that:  I did not like the Barracuda Ear plugs...I am sure they work well for others, but they actually hurt my right ear...but was ok for the left ear..but I really did not find them comfy at all....I only swam about a half mile with them and could not wait to get it out of my right ear,,,,I do not think it was 100% the fault of the ear plug  but probably 75%.

    2)   The Aqua Ear Band I really really LIKED...but I may have to go a size smaller... I ordered an adult small size and I had read other reviews that said the same thing...that the adult small was too big for them but since i did not know what size head the other person had..I figured they were just a small frame person....but i probably can order the youth size bands...it is a neoprene ear band....it looks just like  ear band I have to run in,,,it covers the ears but not the top of the head.... I think it will also be good for when the weather gets a little chilly but maybe not COLD enough for the complete neoprene swim cap I usually wear in the water.

    3)  I liked the Speedo Pull Kick Board.  It is a mix training tool... it is a kick board that can also be used for a pull buoy.  I felt that it was a good fit for me for a pull buoy and i even liked it for a kick board, even though I am more comfortable with a larger kick boards  it was a total of the length of my forearm.  This is the tool Sparky also trailed as well.  We both like the "cut"out areas for our wrist when using as a kick board...Sparky did not like it for a pull bout...it said it was difficult to hold in place, that it was much thinner hen the one she has and it took a lot of energy to hold the buoy in place when using it as a pull buoy.  I did like it cause it made me hold my legs closer together and I felt it also helped to keep my core engaged.

    4)  The silicone swim cap is great...it matches PIPPY ( for those of you who do not know PIPPY is my beautiful Tri Bike....see picture above!!)  It is gray with PINK lettering...DO not ask me what it says...I do not know nor do I really care...What I care about is that it is grey and PINK!!!!!!  so what else do you say about aswim cap...My hair really did not get too wet..between the ear plugs and ear band and the swim cap  I did not get any water in my right ear!!!!

I would love to do more reviews  what a great opportunity and fun teaching opportunities as well///TIll Next time


Sunday, August 26, 2012

Cranberry Tri 2012


Hola!!!!  Yes I have been in the missing again...What is new with that?? I am so psyched with what all this training is doing for my waist line....LOL.....Love this dress....Love the way my butt and tummy looks...Thank God for SPANKY's.....Ladies I know you know what that is but most of the GUYS will not have a clue....

OK..... so now on to the race report!

Today was the Cranberry Olympic Triathlon......

     IT WAS GREAT!!!!!!!

Yesterday I was hurting all day with a giant knot and pain after a night of Charlie Horses in my right calf...OUCHHHH...

The day started out interesting at 4 am, as I crawled out of bed...and you are thinking why 4 am for an 8 am race 45 minutes away????

Cause yesterday morning, I received a text at 7 am that was telling me I was schedule for the SPRINT not the OLY.  I could of SWORN I registered for the OLY.. Thank God I have great friends, one of them being,   Leslie Battle  www.facebook.com/leslie.battle.3  She talked to the race director and told them that I thought I was registered for the OLY and told me to just get there early this am...so guess what I was doing at 5 am this morning?????

just thought I throw this picture in cause I love this shirt!
Yes driving to Lakeville, MA...it was 58/60 degrees,,,of course no doors or windows on jeep so I bundle myself up in my tri-suit and sweats pants and jacket and cranked the heat...I know you are thinking but there are no doors or windows... but the heat cranks out and it keep my feet and lower legs and my hands warm......I am sure the truckers who were on the road at 5 am all thought who is this NUT driving 80 MPH, all bundled up and a bike hanging out in the back of her Jeep!!!!!

I had an awesome race...I am so grateful for my coach...her training plan helped me to improve so much....COACH TARA.  I am planning on being out there for about 4 hours, so here is the day!

So register and go back to Jeep to get gear...Get over to the rack and set up the transition...hang out for a while with the  TRI-NE Team...wet suit on and ready to go...a delay in the start of the race of about 15 minutes secondary to the fog. So I take a short swim to warm up.

I was in wave 7....watching the others go off I am shaking and shivering...Yes I am freezing, it is 77 degrees out and the water was 75 or so but here I am teeth chattering and trying to stay warm and hopping in place...My team mates giving me a little jiving for it..all in good fun...

Into the water:  just keep swimming~~just keep swimming.  Not a bad swim, had to try to swim around a couple people, I was one on one with one lady for most of the swim..then I left her behind in the last few yards...there were areas that were EXTREMELY shallow water in spots..so shallow if I stood up it would of been lower then knee level...I just switch to breaststroke and kicked off with my feet several times.  I also skinned the bottom of my left great toe doing it..but it had a callous on it and that took care of it!

Out of the water, in 32:54...YEAHHHHHHH  0.9 miles of swimming

Up the slippery stairs, trying to to get run over by the others who were trying to get up the stairs as well...Into T1...strip wet suit, grab bike gear and get it all on...bike off rack and head to bike out...jump on bike and go NOWHERE...why you ask...chain is jammed in derailed....I am SO PISSED!!!  I could not get it out, All I am thinking is that I am wasting time!  Finally got it out and reset correctly...Lesson learned DOUBLE and TRIPLE check the BIKE before leaving it on the rack...I had ridden a few minutes before racking it...out of T1 in 4:23....

The bike route I had ridden several times last year as well as part of it ALOT while training for the Patriots Half Iron..I feel really good on the ride..passing some and fighting to catch others....I am so happy to see a couple of people and play "tag" with them on the bike....  Bike DONE: 26.5 Miles in 1:27:32.  YES..Legs feel Good but heavy.

Off with bike shirt (gotta show off the tattoo you know!) switch shoes and hats.....T2 was 2:24....
Running out the shoot I realize I had left my Garmin on my bike...this irritates me so much I throw my headphones and my watch band to Melissa...(great catch and thanks, Sparky)!

Out to the road to TROT.....6.2 miles of one foot in front of the other...It is warm and I feel pretty good...Lots of good support out there..run with a couple of different people...cause we all know I like to talk...at mile 5 there is a HILL..One I do not even like on the Bike..but I make it up and then there is the DOWNHILL....I love the DownHill......just glide down and keep going.....

Finally I can see the park and I know it is a quick trot to the shoot to run to the FINISH LINE....  We round the fields and I can see the shoot...I pick up my pace and stretch out my torso (to make sure the pictures look good of course!!!) I am almost there and then I DROP a water bottle off my belt..UGHHH  DANG NAB IT *^$^%$^&$^%^%^%$^% and a few other choice words go off in my head.   Forget it, I am not stopping for it, I am feet from the line (someone else picked it up for me and gave it to Melissa for me).

I CROSS THE FINISH LINE...YAHOOOOOO.....

OK we all know how I am about wanting to know my data...which is why i wear a garmin, even if I do not check it while working out..which is my I find this so funny: I was so happy to finish and my right calf was burning so bad that all I could think of was ICE BATH.... I head over to the pools of ice water and soak my feet and legs.  After sitting there for a few minutes I finally look up a the finishers clock  it reads 3:42..No way...NO WAY......7th wave and 4 minutes between waves and not sure how long I was sitting in the ice bath before I looked up at the clock...So I waited to see my time....Wait for it....yes wait for it......

  *****3:14:11......Yes I did the OLY in 3:14:11  that was more then 30 minutes faster then I thought I would.   I had given myself between 3:45 to 4 hours to finish....

THANK YOU TO ALL OF TRI NE AND THE CRANBERRY TRIFEST!!!!

So a great day all around!!!

NOW ALL OF YOU GET OUT THERE CAUSE YOU CAN::::::