On Test - Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Sun Screen

Alita, @TexasDevin's wife, was kind enough to give me sunscreen on race day that was far superior to anything I've used before.  I finished the race with just a few red spots where it had rubbed off, which is typical of all sunscreens.

Triathletes need to take Sun protection extremely seriously.  We spend far too much time in the Sun and skin cancer is probably going to take us out before a car ever does.  The damage adds up and everybody should have a conversation with a dermatologist for a good scare.

As a former lifeguard and general idiot, I've spent way too much time in the Sun.  I go to great lengths to avoid it now, training early and late in the day and indoors as much as possible.  I also keep on top of sunscreen developments and try to use what is best.

You will notice the bottle above has broad-spectrum Helioplex in it.  You want something like that.  There is two kinds of rays that burn: UVA and UVB, and most sunscreens don't protect against both and don't qualify as "broad spectrum".

This stuff went on easily, rubbed in without a mess, and has a crazy-high SPF.  Good stuff for working out or racing in the Sun.

You can search Consumer Reports for their tests on sunscreens in the past few years.  They proved that not all of them are created equally and the UVA/UVB issue is very real.  Do your research and get the best for your skin; you'll be wearing it for the rest of your life.  How long that is depends on you.

On Test - Vegan Diet

Lonestar 70.3 was my first triathlon after going vegan in January of 2010.  I could tell by my training that it was going to pay off in a huge way, and it did.  I bested my previous results by at least an hour and felt great after finishing.

Above is a photo of my pre-race dinner.  It's actually similar to most of my meals since I started.  Veganism means you're staying away from meat and animal related by-products, so no eggs or cheese either.  

It isn't that hard of a diet to stick with.  What seems to be harder is choosing the right kinds of vegan foods.  If I eat bread, I put on weight fast.  If I steer clear of it, I lose weight fast.  If I eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies, I get lean and have tons of energy.

Eating vegan taught me how to eat more raw fruits and veggies, and that's where the real secret is at.  They are packed with vital nutrition and helped me recover tremendously faster and get back out training day after day.  

The biggest inspiration to keep me on track with eating right was Rich Roll.  He found a lot of energy after going "Plant Strong" and has done quite well racing Ultramans.   Make sure you check him out as he attempts five Ironmans in five days in Hawaii on May 5th.  

The true test of gear or a method is if you return to it after the test period is over.  I am sticking with veganism for the foreseeable future.  It works for me and I definitely have noticed many health benefits.

I want to be very clear on one thing: Just avoiding meat does not equal a healthy diet.  You could drink colas and stuff your face with chips all day long and still be vegan.  And meat itself is not inherently bad.  The truth is that most of us are eating processed food that is hugely lacking in real nutrition.  That missing nutrition can be found incredibly easily in raw fruits and veggies.  Go get yourself some and enjoy the benefits!

Tomorrow's post will cover some new sunscreen and the day after that, we'll cover the most interesting racing tech I've used in a long time.  Stay tuned! 

On Test - Hammer Perpetuem Fuel

In the first part of our Lonestar Triathlon review (Full review as a podcast coming very soon), we are covering the most important part - nutrition.

What you are looking at above is salt caked on my leg. I thought it was mud and road grime at first, but it was actually dried sweat and a testament to what you put your body through during a 70.3.

I started looking seriously at Perpetuem a couple of months ago. It has fat and electrolytes, making it a more complete fuel than many other options. I have been tinkering around with the portion amount on training rides as well, trying to find out how much per hour is the best for me.

You can look at the run splits at my race results and see that I used just a little too much. (Race results - I'm #418.) The second lap was slowest as the bouncing made the mix a little too hard on my stomach. I'm using a little less for the next event.

As far as performance goes, this stuff was solid. All that salt loss and I suffered no cramping. And when I crossed the finish line, I still had a lot of energy in the tank.

It mixed with water extremely well to make a single race bottle on the bike. I used the orange flavor and loved it. It was all very simple and easy, making it perfect for race day.

Ironstar 70.3 Galveston Quick Update

We've got a podcast in the works, but I just wanted to give a news flash about the race.  

Wow! What a great racing venue.  Flat, fast, and aid stations galore.  Huge pro turnout.  I used some cool new gear and will have lots of posts coming up about how it all worked.

I pulled my first sub 5:30 race.  Chris Lieto averaged nearly 27 mph on the bike.  What a great event.  I'm definitely going back next year.

Podcast - How to Race

 Click here to listen.

Want to know some tricks and techniques to race faster?  This episode of ZenTri includes a half hour of details on how to execute at your best from the beginning of race week all the way through the final sprint.  Don't miss out!

We also cover some triathlon news and have a nice bit of training log notes from Drew in the triathlon mecca of Bend, OR.

Here's the link to the 12.6 mile open ocean swim promo video - LINK.

Check it out!

Click here to listen.