Review - Pearl Izumi Iso Transition

Below is a guest post by ZenTri friend and Coach Matthew Bates.  Thanks, Matty B!

The Iso Transition is Pearl Izumi’s first real foray into triathlon specific shoes.  Right off, it is loaded with features to make life easier and to help you race faster. Pearl Izumi enlisted two-time Ironman Tim DeBoom to help design the shoes and his ideas created an absolute rocket. 

The three most notable features for me while racing in them were the comfort of the seamless upper, the built-in speed laces, and the drains built into the midsole. All three of these play together well and bear the marks of a shoe designed by someone who has raced extensively. The shoes are also incredibly light, weighing a scant 221g for a size 9. The sacrifices in weight also come with a lack of stability, so this is not a shoe for everyone.  Without any spec’s listed, they seem to have about a 10mm drop from heel to toe.

Overall, if you want a fast, light shoe built specifically for triathlon and are looking for that next PR, then this shoe could be your ticket.

Coach Matty B's Ranking of Approval (CMBRA)

Performance 5/5

Comfort 5/5

Value 4/5

Overall 5/5

Cost $115

Review - VITABand ID and Money Bracelet

VITAband has been patiently waiting for our review on their wristband, and now we're ready! I wore it through hundreds of miles of swimming, biking, running, and even an Ironman triathlon so that it would be an honest test. I only took it off for a total of 30 seconds in the past three months, so this is as authentic as a review can get!

What is it? It's like a high-tech version of the common Road-ID bracelet. If you're out and about and something happens to you where somebody needs your medical and family information, they can call the phone number on it and find out everything they need to know. But that is just the start.  There is also a bank card chip inside that you can swipe at most gas stations and fast food joints to pay for drinks, food, or any other emergencies.

How did it perform? Like i said, I wore the VITAband 24-7 through intense Ironman training and race day and I am able to pay it the highest compliment I have; I forgot I had it on unless I saw it. It was completely unobtrusive and out of the way, giving me all of the security I needed with no hassle, whatsoever.  It is made out of the same silicone as the ubiquitous Livestrong bracelets, so it is both tough and comfortable.

VITAband allows you to put money on the swipeable chip via a website, and I put $20 on mine. It was truly a cool experience to go into a gas station and get a cold bottle of water with a swipe of the wrist.

The overall package is pretty sweet.  You can update your medical info via a web page, and you can do the same with adding more money to the chip.  When you actually remember that you have it on, you feel very smart and about as safe as you can reasonably be and still be out and about and having fun.

If you like all of the above, and I certainly did, then you should check the VITAband out.  It comes in a variety of colors and two sizes, so it's easy to get one that matches your kit.  Find out more about it on their website here.

Podcast - Kona 2011 Review

Click Here to Listen to the Show!

Join in as Mike Ricci and I review the performances of the world's best at Kona.  We look at how the winners did everything right and other strategies by many of the other racers.  And of course, you get more than a half hour of The Training Log.

Show notes: 

• Mike Ricci and I review Kona champs.
• Trail running with Brett.
• Why you want to train on trails if you are going to do an Ultra.
• How to set up long run loop.
• Local wildlife - deer and road runners.
• Quitting caffeine.
• First cold run of the year.
• Using the Myorope.
• First cold swim of the year.
• How to swim every workout to get faster.
• Racing in the S.O.S. Triathlon!
• Night run.
• How to train for triathlon for the rest of your life.
• Hard run using Suunto training effect.
• Check out Myorope.com!

Review - X-Lab Gorilla Cage

Below is a guest post by ZenTri friend and Coach Matthew Bates.  Thanks, Matty B!

Anyone who has tried a seat-mounted rear water bottle holder has probably experienced the "Ejecting Bottles" and has felt the first hand frustration. While I considered going "Al-Sultan" on the problem, I just couldn't pull off the speedo.

I have tried different angles of mounting the cages and have tried every water bottle cage from $5-$50. The final straw came in my 70.3 when I ejected a very important nutrition bottle that exploded it's contents on impact with the asphalt. Now it was personal.

It seems obvious now that the company who makes my rear water bottle holder would make the best cages to match, but it took much heartache to get here. The X-lab Gorilla Cage has been the most dependable and reliable cage I have ever used. The company claims the secret is, "The cage has over 2X the gripping force of conventional carbon cages due to the 6 high shouldered carbon gripping fingers, tall retention tab at the top and thicker carbon".

I have ridden over train tracks, seriously bumpy roads (IronBaby - Thanks, Brett), and everything that would ever eject and bottle and nothing happened! I have talked friends out of using duct tape, Livestrong bracelets and old inner tubes to keep the bottles from ejecting, and they all have never looked back (literally).

At a measly 38 grams they won't add much weight at all to your bike, although the $50 price tag can be a bit high; but is worth every penny!

Pros: Holds bottles and won't let go Look cool on the bike

Cons: Price

Welcome to the Off-Season!

 

If you're a tri-geek dwelling in the Northern Hemisphere, it's getting be time to put away all that lube (bike chain and otherwise) and cogitate about other endeavours.  It's off-season time!

Taking a break from the sport of kings, and let's not forget triathlon, let's your body recover and rest up for next year.  The continuous pounding you give yourself isn't good in the long-term.  You need a break.

One common mistake a lot of triathletes make is to go from triathlon training right into run training for marthons and other big events.  It's fine to switch gears, but put it in nuetral first for a few weeks before getting all crazy with the Phidippides dreams.

Practicing Zen, we find that one of the hardest things to do is let go.  Once you are into something, it is hard to see the world from the outside.  If you could view your world from the outside, the outside you would say something profound like, "Chill out, dude."

What would you like to do over the off-season?  Leave your thoughts (and any loose change) in the comments!