Buyathlon.com

Hi Friends,

There has been a lot of hype surrounding compression socks for runners. The fad took the triathlon world by storm a few years ago, and it looks like it’s even catching on with the “pure” runners.

My wife and I used to laugh at these athletes with their high socks. See the picture below and you’ll see what I mean. It is definitely not a fashion statement to brag about.

Dude looking hideous

During my last order with DeSoto Sports I ordered an inventory of compression recovery socks and compression sleeves. Honestly, I was very intrigued with the dorky look (if you know me, I’m ‘slightly’ nerdy) and secretly ordered myself a pair of the recovery socks. I didn’t want my wife to judge my attempt to be a ‘fashionable’ athlete and there was no room for mockery . I sincerely wanted to know what these were about.

One night…in a dark room…after a hard run I slipped the socks on. They were super tight and slightly difficult to get on. However, once they were on…….WOW. A new sensation was running through my legs. It is hard to describe it in words. The best term to describe it would be ‘cool.’ Not like Ralph Macchio cool, but Vicks Vapor Rub cool. It was a similar sensation, but on my legs and without the potent smell. My wife busted me wearing them and I’ve been moon-walking in them ever since.

You may be asking, “what are they suppose to be doing for me?” I had the same questions. I’ll be brief in my explanation. They improve circulation. This is a scientific fact. If you’ve spent much time in a hospital, you’ve likely noticed some patients wearing the unflattering tight stockings. Same deal for runners. The socks help get the blood back to the heart more quickly to be reoxygenated.

They also reduce swelling. If you sit around a lot after runs (like me) you’ll want to pick these up. I often run at lunch and then am back at the desk for the rest of the day. My feet swell just enough to make me untie my shoe laces. The compression recovery socks prevent blood from pooling in my feet, thus the swelling isn’t what it used to be. This is also a MUST if you do a lot of driving to and from races OR do a lot of flying/driving for business.

So, there’s my brief pitch on compression socks. I’m now on the band wagon. Below are the DeSoto compression gear we carry.

Compression Recovery Socks
These are for post exercise or, they work great too if you are sitting for long periods of time.

Compression Sleeves
These are for during exercise. Injury and fatigue prevention are what these are for. These will prevent the muscle from tearing and vibrating.

Feel free to shoot me an email if you have any questions (alex(@)buyathlon.com).

Have a great week.

Alex McKinley
Owner
Buyathlon.com

Hi Everyone,

Like many of you, today I went out for a lunch time run. It was interval day and I had four, one-mile repeats scheduled. The first two were good but I blew up three quarters through the third repeat and ended up limping back to the office. Something about running out of my head in 95 degree heat that didn’t bode well for me. On the positive side, I was able to track my self destruction with my Garmin 305 GPS watch.

My Garmin is a few years old and I get the impression that they are phasing out the 305 model. However, they introduced the Garmin 310XT last year, which is a real treat, especially for triathletes. It’s waterproof so you can swim with it and has a battery life long enough to get you through an Ironman, from start to finish. I wouldn’t mind it if my 305 broke down right before Christmas (wink wink to the wifey).

Garmin also has the 405, which is great for runners. It’s sleek and has most of the bells and whistles that the 310XT is equipped with. However, it is not waterproof nor does it have the interface that the 310XT has. If you are a pure runner or cyclist get this one. I do not recommend this watch for triathletes. Get the 30XT tri guy!

Below are links to each model on Buyathlon.com. These are pretty sweet deals that we’ll run all week. When ordering, keep in mind that each model may be purchased with or without heart rate functions.

310XT with Heart Rate
310XT with out Heart Rate
405 with Heart Rate
405 with out Heart Rate

One other note….These Garmin prices are super low, so I cannot accept any order with an additional promo code or discount. This is as low as these go.

Have a great week,

Alex McKinley
Owner
Buyathlon.com

Buy any triathlon jersey and triathlon short at Buyathlon.com and get free performance socks (Sock Guy) OR get a free triathlon race belt.  Your choice!

Here’s how to collect your freebee…

Add your jersey and short to your shopping cart at Buyathlon.com and head to checkout.  In the ADDITIONAL INFORMATION field state your choice of socks or race belt.  If choosing socks, state your sock size.  Below is our sock sizing chart. Race belts come in one size.

Offer good until 5/31/2010. This would make a great Mothers Day gift!!!!!!!!! 

Questions?  Email alex(@)buyathlon.com.

It has been a while since I’ve last written. Ironman St. George training has consumed me, making Buyathlon’s blog a side note in life. However, the end is near and you’ll be hearing more from me soon.

I thought it would be fun to write about a few products I’m using at St. George that Buyathlon sells. Naturally, Ironman training requires a lot of energy drink, gels and bars.  So much to buy….so little money   Here we go…

I had never used the Salt Stick dispenser in my previous Ironmans. This wasn’t smart, because trying to pull salt tabs out of a small canister while trying to ride isn’t a fun task to manage. Now I don’t need to worry about creating a pile-up on the bike course. The Salt Stick dispenser fits easily into the back-end of my aero bar. All I need to do is twist and a salt tab will pop out. VERY slick tool for long-course athletes.

I’ve been living off the First Endurance EFS Drink (Fruit Punch) throughout my training. Tasty, easy to mix, and it keeps the electrolytes in me throughout my workout. We’re closing out out remaining inventory of our EFS Drink. Only $15.95 while supplies last. This is a smoking deal!

As of recent I’ve been supplementing my EFS drink with  Gatorade Endurance Formula because this is what will be on the course.   You definitely need to train your gut for all it may partake of on race day!

Also on the First Endurance front is the Ultragen.  I’m a huge proponent of a  solid post workout recovery drink.  I want to be sure I get depleted nutrients restored and Ultragen does just that.  I’ll drink a bottle of Ultragen after very intense workouts or super long workouts.

Those are just a few things I’m using.  I’ve also been downing Honey Stinger gels, bars and fruit chews like mad.  I’ll be racing in a sweet Desoto Sports kit.  And I’ve got the sexy Arundel carbon cages on my Fuji SST 2.0.

I’m stoked.  I’m ready!

Alex McKinley
Owner/Buyathlon.com

We stocked ourselves with some of our favorite Desoto Sports gear. Here’s a shot of a women’s Carrera top that has come in.

I have always been a big fan of Desoto gear. They make great looking apperal and are always innovating. I raced my first Ironman in the Desoto Power shorts.  The last Ironman in the 4 Pocket Forza Tri Short. It was nice to have another place for a gel or two (or four).

Click here to view our complete Desoto collection.

Thanks to Lora Erickson for the review.  Lora tested Foggle to help us decide if we should stock it.

Recently I tried a new product called FOGGLE. It is a wipe type towelette used to clean swimming goggles. I have used the defogging spray in the past, but found that FOGGLE has a more lasting effect and I don’t have to use it as often. My goggles didn’t really look that dirty, but immediately after using the FOGGLE wipe I could see clearly out of my goggles – like they were new. I guess there was a build up of gunk on them from swimming in lakes, rivers and pools that I never really noticed until they were cleaned. Generally I have avoided cleaning them before because I didn’t want to scratch them, but with FOGGLE it is easy to clean them and know they will not be scratched since the product is made for goggles. The product also prevents them from fogging up and I must say I am impressed with how easy the product is to use and how long the effects of the FOGGLE last. Thumbs up to a great product!

Click HERE to order Foggle.

Fuji SST 2.0

Here is my ride for IMSG in May. It’s a Fuji SST 2.0 (2010 model). I’ll ride it with the stock front wheel and a Mavic Power Tap wheel.

I need to buy some clip-on aero bars but beyond that this is it.

A few years ago a handful of professional Ironman athletes were seen racing with a bottle in between their aero bars. Most notable was the uber cyclist Steve Larsen (RIP). The idea of having a water bottle easily within reach caught on and now there are several companies manufacturing bottle holders specifically for use between the bars.

I love the concept of having a bottle between the bars and have done this often. I knew we would carry one of these products, and when we recently found the Aero Hammock Company we instantly added them to our inventory.

Here’s why we love the Aero Hammock:

- Cheap. $19.99 gets you a light weight system that is just as functional as any other aero bar system on the market. Compare for yourself. We’re talking half the cost of the competitors.

- Multi Function. This is what I REALLY like. You can throw anything into the hammock. Bars. Gels. Prime rib. I spend a lot of time riding on the trainer and the Aero Hammock is great to store miscellaneous items with. Try this with the competitors systems. Errrrr….it just won’t work.

Below are a few pictures of the Aero Hammock in action. Click HERE to buy it now.

Last week our sock supplier’s first shipment arrived (Sock Guy). I love the stuff. Comfy tech socks that make my feet happy. If you’re still working out in cotton socks you need to ditch them and pull on some Sock Guy socks. There is a HUGE difference in comfort, no matter what exercise you’re doing. Check out our inventory here.

Athletes preparing for Ironman St. George have a dilemma before themselves:

Road or Tri?

By this, I mean will you be racing on your road bike or on your tri bike? It was a tough call for me. I love my Felt DA and even road it on my first recon of the bike course back in May of ’08. However, my last two times on the course have been on my road bike.

For me, the verdict is “Road Bike.”

This wasn’t an easy decision, but I have no doubt that I will not be in my aero bars very much on race day. There are few areas on the course for me where I can ride like the TT rock star. The first section of TT splendor would be the intro (ride to the start of the loop). The road leaving Sand Hollow Reservoir is a great “get down and go for it” spot. A few mild rollers are in this area but the hills start coming the further out you get from the reservoir.

The second TT zone is the decent back into town. Yes, it is fast and yes, there are a few spots where you really fly. However, there are plenty of spots where you can get in your bars and chug along. If you think the drop from Veyo back to St. George is one big screaming decent you’re out or your mind. There is still work to be done on this stretch – especially if it’s windy.

On Slater Fletcher’s blog he contradicts much of what I’ve written. He writes “I was relieved to find that there are really only two “real” short hills (more on that later) but the rest of the course is just steady rollers and you can spend the majority of the time in the aerobars.” By looking at Slater’s pics, there’s no doubt he’s much fitter than I am. So, interpretations are from completely different spectrums. But it’s good for you to see a different perspective than mine. His report is great and I recommend you check it out.

To me, the course is littered with micro climbs and false flats. No climb is of mountain pass nature. The longest climb (switchback) should take most riders 5-10 minutes to get over. Even the decent back to town has more micro climbs (rollers?) that break up the speedy decent.

The already infamous climb at the switchback doesn’t really get hard until near the top. The grade is pretty forgiving until then. However, there is a climb several miles before the switchback that hasn’t received much publicity. It’s not long but it goes straight up. Then, you’ve got the switch back to deal with miles later.

It will be incredibly easy for me to blow up if I’m not watching the Power Tap closely.

On race day my setup will be: Fuji SST 2.0 with clip-ons. Stock Mavic Ksyrum front wheel and Power Tap wheel in the back.