I know many of my friends, family, acquaintances, neighbors, strangers, dogs, kids, etc etc all think that I am a broken record when it comes to talking about my hobby. Yes, my hobby of triathlon. Mainly the run and bike portion, although when the weather warms up and open water swimming season starts, that will again gain some momentum. For now, though, much talk is of running and biking. The talk seems to trend toward biking, because of the mass of equipment that biking entails, and the constant upgrading of every single part of the bike and clothing and gear that can (will) occur, the longer a person bikes. Not to mention how many routes there are that are needing to be ridden and discussed ad nauseum.
When I first started training for a triathlon, I owned the following equipment:
Skechers tennis shoes
Crappy sports bra
Cotton tee shirt, shorts and socks
Giant Mountain Bike that weighs about 47 pounds, that has toe cages. No spare tube or tire changing kit.
Olde helmet. Yes, with an e, it was that olde.
That is it!
I must say, I did just fine the first season, in fact, I did really well. It's not about the equipment, but the engine!
After one season, I owned the following equipment:
Asics Gel running shoes
Lycra tri shorts and top
Less crappy but still crappy sport bra
Sunglasses (cheap!)
Cannondale road bike with clips, and Shimano mountain bike shoes with cleats.
Better helmet.
Bike gloves.
Bike shorts, one pair.
Wetsuit
One swimsuit.
Goggles, one pair.
And now, here I am entering season FIVE:
Full sleeve wetsuit (shopping for a sleeveless now!)
3 pairs of goggles (but I need new ones!)
Timing chip strap for the ankle
Uncountable swimsuits
Squid lid for cold swims.
Neoprene foot covers for cold swims.
Earplugs.
Brooks Defyance 3 running shoes, new pair every ~350 miles.
Brooks trail running shoes for cross training.
Tons of specialty running socks in fabrics that assure my feet are cushioned and comfy no matter what.
Speed laces.
Race number belt.
Fuel belt 4-bottle bottle holder for long runs.
Spibelt for carrying stuff on runs.
Tons of much better sports bras.
Long running bras for long runs. (A must for comfort on long runs!)
Hand held water bottle with zip pocket for long runs.
Long sleeved running shirts in many combinations of thickness and warmth.
Running/cycling vest x 3. Black, Orange AND yellow. You just can't be safe enough.
Headlamp for night time runs.
Yak Trax for icy or snowy runs.
Garmin 301 (my second one)
Timex Ironman watch (number 4)
2 visors, tons of hats
Fleece ear covers
Running gloves
Running capris, multiple pairs.
Running tights, two pairs.
Running shorts, lots.
HOLY CRAP, REALLY, ALL THIS? I AM NOT EVEN DONE YET.
Ipod and earphones (on my 2nd protective case and 4th set of earphones)
Pinarello FP3 carbon fiber bike, to which I have added a standard double and new rear cassette (new wheels you say, ok, coming soon I hope!)
Bike pump.
Tool bag for bike.
Triathlon transition bag.
Newer helmet (but oh, there's one I covet....it's so cute....)
Long gloves x 2 in two different thicknesses
Short gloves x 3
Jerseys, oh, lots and lots of jerseys
Bike shorts, so many. Oh, so many. I am currently in love with bib shorts for the muffin top reduction they offer.
Bike socks in cute patterns and with catchy phrases written on them. I currently enjoy my rainbow unicorn ones and the ones that say "Bitch".
Sidi bike shoes.
New pedals to go with the shoes.
Rear double water bottle holder for half ironman races.
Taillights, headlights
Road ID (crucial!)
Jackets and coats in many thicknesses and levels of waterproofedness (is that a word?)
Rain pants
Wind pants
Knee warmers
Arm warmers x 2 (lycra, wool)
Ear covers x 3
Hat for under helmet
Water bottles, many many many. They need their own apartment by now.
Bike trainer
Sunglasses with interchangable lenses in 3 different tints.
Tri suits, 3? 4? I lose count. I try to forget that I have to wear these once in a while.
Shoe covers for cold, wet rides
Assorted hand and foot warmer inserts.
Gel, gu, bars, electrolytes.....on and on and on.
Lubes: at least 3 types of chamois cream, embrocation for cold rides, body glide
Cowbell! Always need more cowbell!
The minute I post this, I am sure more things will occur to me. I created this list from just a quick glance around my sports piles. Ha! It is taking over my house!!
The scary thing is that there is so much more I can add to enhance my triathlon collection.....first I must find a money tree or (gulp) a job. Luckily both LUNA Chix and LUNA Sport will be supplying me with some new garb in the upcoming weeks.....now, who wants to go swim, bike or run?
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