Triathlon Gear I’m Loving

I get so many questions about what gear I’m using these days that I thought I would get it all posted in one place for quick reference. Please feel free to share your favs with me as well! I’m always looking for new gadgets and upgrades, but then again, what athlete isn’t?

Swim:
The wetsuit I wear for all my wetsuit legal races and open water training is the Xterra Women’s Volt Sleeveless Triathlon Wetsuit -in Medium/Small. I love this suit because of the sleeveless design which allows my arms to move freely without added fatigue that sleeves often cause. It’s also a snug fit which is great for open water swimming because it helps create buoyancy and gives me a sense of security and mental ease.

Bike:
I recently purchased the Fuji Sportif 2.5 and love it! I added clip on Profile Design ZBS Stryke Bend Aero Bars and Shimano PD-M530 MTB SPD Pedals that I use with my Pearl iZUMi Women’s Tri Fly IV Cycling Shoe. (Both pictured below)

I chose SPD pedals because the cleats are compatible with the spin bikes at my gym. With the Tri Fly shoe and I can change the cleat at anytime if I decide to purchase another style of pedal.

Run:
I’m currently running in the Brooks Women’s Adrenaline running shoe with a semi-custom orthotic that was fitted by my podiatrist. I’ve struggled over the years with the right running shoe. Previously, I wore the Mizuno Wave Inspire 7 with the the super feet berry insert, which worked wonderfully.

When I wore those out I switched to the Newton Lady Isaac S which carried me through one half marathon and into training for my first full. I didn’t last much longer than that. I have an extremely high arch and tend to over pronate. There just wasn’t enough support for my foot at those distances in the Newton shoe.

I ended up injured with Tarsal Tunnel and had to stop running for the next several months. I’m currently training for a full marathon in the Brooks and seem to be having great success. I would highly recommend them to anyone while a similar gait.

Accessories:
Last year I upgraded my GPS watch to the Garmin VivoActive while training for Ironman Austin 70.3 and fell in love. The VivoActive is a smartwatch with multisport functions including Swim, Bike, Run and more! I’ve since upgraded to the Garmin Forerunner 235 for daily use, but still have the VivoActive. I’m not currently training for any large triathlons like I was last year so a running watch better suits my daily life. As triathlon season nears and my smaller triathlon races come up, I may opt to wear the VivoActive again. It’s such a great watch!

These last few months have forced us all indoors due to cold temperatures. When I’m not riding outdoors I set my bike up on my PERFORMANZ® Indoor Mag trainer. (I couldn’t find this exact model anywhere, but linked a similar trainer found at Walmart) it’s very basic and does not have any of that fancy bluetooth stuff. When I couple it with my Garmin cadence and speed sensors I can still get a killer workout.

I also love my Flipbelt. I’ve had several of these and it’s the only belt I’ve found that can hold all my junk and still lay flat against my body and not jump around. …and when I say ALL my junk, I mean ALL. I’ve shoved car keys, nutrition gummies, hydration flasks, my phone, and much more in there all at once and you cant even tell I’m wearing it! I swear by them.

I don’t have any new swim accessories that I’m loving at the moment, if you would like to learn more about my Swim Essentials check out my previous post. It details all the gear I collected as a new swimmer.