Upcoming Kansas City running races to kick off 2013

Rock the Parkway and Heartland 39.3 Series registration fees go up January 1!  Save money and sign up today!

Featured Race   Battle of the Bean 5K Run/Walk Saturday, January 19 @ 9am Foo's Fabulous Frozen Custard - Leawood, KS Who doesn't love a cup of coffee or hot chocolate on a cold winter's day? Pick your team, Team Coffee or Team Cocoa and come be a part of the 2nd Annual Battle of the Bean 5k!   All participants will receive a long sleeve t-shirt in either light brown for team cocoa members or dark brown for team coffee members. In addition to shirts all finishers will receive a custom Battle of the Bean 5K mug! The start and finish will be located at Foo's Fabulous Frozen Custard.  Foo's, The Roasterie, Christopher Elbow and others will be offering up coffee, hot chocolate, frozen custard and other treats to participants!  Click here for more information or to sign up.

Upcoming Events  Polar Bear Strut 5K Saturday, January 26 @ 10am Shawnee Mission Park - Shawnee, KS   Support Special Olympics and get a run in at Shawnee Mission Park at the Polar Bear Strut 5K Run/Walk at this annual favorite! Click here for more information or to sign up Groundhog Run 5K/10K Run/Walk Sunday, January 27 @ 8am Hunt Midwest Underground - Kansas City, MO   Sign up soon or you may miss out on this area favorite!  You don't need to work about the weather at this 30th ann underground 5K/10K event, benefiting Children's TLC! Click here for more information or to sign up  Chocolate Rush Half Marathon and 5K Run/Walk Saturday, February 9 @ 8:45am Overland Park Trail at Prairie Life Center at 103rd and Barkley in Overland Park, KS New for 2013 is Chocolate Rush 5K and half marathon on February 9, 2013--just in time for Valentine's Day. It's all about chocolate, chocolate candies and champagne diamonds. Proceeds from the races help to buy playground equipment for The Salvation Army's new homeless shelter in Olathe. Click here for more information or to sign up     Sweetheart Run 5K Run/Walk Saturday, February 16 @ 9am Lawrence, KS  Grab a friend or family member and compete for male, female and coed two person team prizes or run as an individual and compete for age group awards at this fourth annual event, supporting the Head For the Cure Foundation!  Everyone gets a great long sleeve shirt and finishers medal! Click here for more information or to sign up Sweetheart Run 4 Mile Run/Walk Sunday, February 17 @ 9am Charles Wheeler Downtown Airport - Kansas City, MO This 5th annual event is a fun four mile run where participants team with loved ones or friends to compete for the title of the fastest male, female or coed two person team in Kansas City and individuals compete for age group prizes! Everyone is a winner with custom finishers medals and great long sleeve race shirts! Click here for more information or to sign up Steps for the Chest 5K Run/Walk Sunday, February 24 @ 10am Johnny's Tavern 401 N. 2nd Lawrence, KS Be a part of the fun at this fourth annual event benefiting Breast Cancer Research.  The run is held on the Kaw River Levee and participants will compete for overall and age group awards.  Click here for more information or to sign up  MDA 5K Run/Walk Saturday, March 2 @ 9am Truman Sports Complex - Kansas City, MO Participants will enjoy a course around the Truman Sports complex, and each runner and walker will receive an event t-shirt and the chance to win age group awards. All participants are invited inside the Club Level of Arrowhead Stadium at the conclusion of the race to enjoy vendor booths and entertainment followed by the closing ceremony and walking of a "victory lap" with MDA friends and families Click here for more information or to sign up

That's a BINGO! #910XTContest WINNER!

Well, hopefully everyone got what they wanted from Christmas... 

Whether it be that perfect triathlon gift, not having the world end on December 21 or a big ole turkey for Christmas dinner, hopefully you got what you wanted out of the holidays.

I wanted to throw a little contest to end the year on a high note for someone lucky enough to get a Garmin 910XT. The CONTEST ran from Dec 10th to Dec 24th at 11:59pm. The catch was that we needed 75 individuals to enter the contest. Well, we only got 32 which put me in a conundrum. I wanted a little more mileage from the contest, but at the same time I didn't want to short change the people that put effort into it to enter. I did get a lot of new likes on the MVT Facebook page which some were not the same people entering the contest. Hopefully if you wanted to enter, you posted on the blog as requested so I could track you!

In the end, I decided to go ahead and hold the drawing!

Thanks to my excel spreadsheet and random.org, I found a winner. Each entrant was added and for each point earned, they got an entry. For instance Mark B jumped through enough hoops to score 17 points, so he gets 17 entries and so on. Then, each entry was given a number starting with 1 for the first entrant and then we just went down the line for each subsequent point earned. In all, we had 32 people complete enough tasks to earn 250 points.

So, I went to random.org with the number 1 through 250 and the person that got to 5 hits first on the combination of any of their entry points, won.

Clear as mud?

Anyway, drum roll please.....

Megan C (Megan) from Arizona won! Her comment was; "16 points for me. Would LOVE to win this, thank you for the chance! Spreading the word and hope you reach 75 entries. -Megan C from Arizona."

As a side note, Megan was scrambling to get more people to enter. She convinced her husband to jump through the hoops as well on Christmas Eve night threatening to withhold dinner. Congrats on the hard work, it paid off!

Email me at falkeetriathlon at hotmail dot com with your address and I will get it sent asap!

Sorry to Mark B (Mark) and Scotty B (ScottyB), you came soooo close with 4 hits, but in the end, Megan would not be denied.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Random acts of kindness

It was interesting when I noticed a new story on ESPN at the gym...

There I was, switching out clothes to hit the lap pool over lunch and, like usual, the locker room tv was fixed on ESPN.  What else would be on?

The news flash was a picture of Stevie Johnson, wide receiver from the Buffalo Bills, standing beside a couple holding a wide screen tv box. The "VIZIO'S Touchdowns for TV'S" is a contest that gives TV's to fans and one to the Boys and Girls Club when Johnson scores a touchdown.  I get the impression that Johnson does not pay for the TV's on his own, rather VIZIO donates them and works out the program using Johnson as the PR.

That's cool.  Nice to give to the fans and also support the Girls and Boys club, but what rubbed me a little bit was that there are other NFL players lesser known than Stevie helping those in need in less conventional ways.

Take for example John Phillips of the Dallas Cowboys.  He's not burning up the stat books, but when you play behind talents like Jason Witten, getting on the field isn't easy.  Phillips has made some plays, but he's not your high profile NFL player.

ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 28: John Phillips #89 of the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium on October 28, 2012 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

At least, that was before last week.  That was anyplace but Kansas City.  Anyone that listens to the 98.9 KQRC radio morning show now knows the name of John Phillips, the unconventional philanthropist.

98.9 runs "Hope for the Holidays".  This program has been going for 15 or 16 years and helps those in need that do not qualify for traditional programs.  It's aim is to give a "hand up" to those on the edge that without the help, would fall off and lose houses, cars, jobs and have no Christmas.  They range from people that fell on hard times from work woes or those that deal with severe health issues of family and cannot keep all of the plates spinning on poles to make ends meet.

 John Phillips just happen to be in town last week for a family member with health issues, and his agent turned him onto the show.  Phillips called in early last week to donate $1200 for a family to cover rent while they catch up on medical bills and then donated $1000 last Friday for a family to afford a nice Christmas and proper care for a child with severe food allergies and medical issues.

I'm not dumping on Stevie Johnson and the VIZIO program, but I'm just saying there's more going on that giving TV's to people not really in need per say.  Kids don't need 60 inch TV's to watch shows, but families need rent, electric, water and healthcare.  Instead of teaming up with a corporate sponsor, Phillips just called up and donated his hard earned money.  No matches, no contests.  He just gave.

Maybe ESPN can look a little deeper for random acts of kindness and charity.

;)

If you're not into guns for protection, check out some TASER!

Review of @CLIFBar seasonal flavors

In this day and age of pink slim in your hamburger meat, flame retardant in your Gatorade and filler in your Frosty, it’s becoming increasingly important to know what’s in your food and to avoid eating crap and empty calories.

Most triathletes are keenly aware of two things. They are fixated on training; being planning, accomplishing or analyzing. They are also sensitive about nutrition. The key is to what degree they are aware of what goes into their bodies. If you are like the everyday age grouper, you try to keep your diet in check with fruits, veggies and wholesome foods that appear to contain nutritious characteristics. But, most triathletes are in the throes of a full time job, kids, spouse, loved ones, families and the gauntlet of the daily demands of life as a productive member of society. It’s hard to stay on the right path, or at least what you perceive to be the right path if you don’t have time to read the labels and look up ingredient names. Sometimes you don’t have the time to fix a wholesome meal from scratch. Sometimes you’re at Timmy’s basketball game and the only option for a meal is the snack shop with hotdogs and hamburgers.

What you can do is bring healthier options with you. You may not be able to bring a baggy of pasta and sauce and look around for a microwave, but you can bring along a snack bar that can be jammed into a pocket, glove box or purse (hey, some guys have man-bags or fanny packs). The key is to find a bar that’s worthwhile and not some junk cereal bar full of carbs and worthless calories.

Enter CLIF Bar. Tis the season and CLIF Bar has pulled out all of the stops to get your fix of gingerbread and pumpkin spice while you’re fueling up at the cube for that after work treadmill session. They have shipped us some holiday flavors to check out. Sit back, grab some hot chocolate and an Iced Gingerbread CLIF Bar and check out the 411.

Aside from the holiday flavors, CLIF has 17 other flavors of energy bars. If variety is the spice of life, then you have found your spice rack. Plus, this just addresses the energy bars. CLIF offers BLOKS, sports gels and much more. CLIF can be your one stop shop for nutritional needs. You will surely find a flavor that will agree with your palate.

Shoppers and consumers in general want a slick, uniform and trustworthy online web store. CLIF has that. The navigation is instinctive and you can seamlessly transition to their store from their main web site to buy all the bars you can handle. Their brand is uniform from the site to their content, literature and packaging. Consumers are not left wondering what exactly they are getting and who they are getting it from.

No matter what you have been told, size matters. The last thing a triathlete trying to stay at race weight wants is to consume 200 calories and still feel hungry. If you ate a bar and still feel enough of a void that you need something else, you either need a full meal and you’re not eating enough, or the bar doesn’t have enough volume to fill you up. With CLIF Bars, you should not have that issue if you are looking for that mid-morning or afternoon snack, pre-workout or post workout fuel. The bars are plentiful and you should feel satiated enough to hit the road without feeling bloated. One would even go as far to caution against eating a CLIF Bar too fast, as the density and volume is considerable comparing it to other bars in the market place.

It’s a sticky situation. You will need to have caution when eating a CLIF Bar. They stick to your fingers as well as your ribs. It’s not excessive, but you will have a little residue on your fingers that you may need to wipe off. The solution is to open the bar and use the package as the holder, like eating a cheeseburger from a wrapper while driving, minus 2000 calories. There may be issues with heat and CLIF Bars. Since they are sticky at room temperature and this review was conducted in late fall, it’s unknown how sticky a CLIF Bar can get if left in the heat of the summer. Don’t leave them sitting on the dash of your car in the summer and you should be ok.

It’s packed full of goodness. Gluten free, dairy free and nut free are all choices, but unfortunately just plain free isn’t an option. When you read through the ingredient list, you might or might not be surprised at the list of items that you actually recognize. Sure, that’s probably by design, but you are faced with searching the periodic chart trying to figure out what the mad scientist put in the melting pot to create the bar. It’s always nice to eat a bar and be able to see the individual ingredients in the bar.

With so many choices, how do you find one right for you? Something unique that not a lot of nutrition vendors have on their site is a bar selector based on check boxes for criteria. Want a high protein bar that’s gluten free? Look it up to see if they have it. Want something enhanced with fiber, vanilla and no nuts and seeds? You can search for that, too. It’s pretty sweet to not have to check the nutritional facts on every product to find what you want.

 Back to the numbers. At $15 for a box if 12, you are looking at $1.25 a bar. That’s actually lower than some of the mainstream competitors. That’s not half bad for a bar that gets you pretty full for a workout or in-betweener meal.

The real point to the bar is providing enough sustenance and nutrition to set it apart from your regular cereal bars and pre-processed snack bars you can get at the grocery store. After eating bars before high intensity workouts, after workouts and for mid-morning snacks, they provide no spike in that sugar rush feeling. They provide a nice even level of energy to get you to that next meal or through a tough workout. They are widely accepted in the triathlon world as a solid source of nutrition and energy, and this review has found nothing to alter that perception.

CLIF Bars do what they say and have a solid foot hold in the endurance community. But, if you want to try out flavors like pumpkin spice and iced gingerbread (which are pretty awesome), you better act now since they are seasonal.

Overall CLIF bars are a good addition to fruits and veggies you might have for your snacks through a day. They are portable and handy in a pinch if you don’t have time to catch a meal before a workout or stuck in the office working late. They are not a total meal replacement, but that’s not what they are meant to do. Consider CLIF bars for your nutrition arsenal and consider them quickly if you want the holiday flavors!




Writer’s note – CLIF Bar provided samples for this review and in no way influenced the review.

@KarbonSpeed practically giving it away!

If you recall, I reviewed Karbon Speed aero wheels and they were a pretty comparable competitor in the aero wheel market.

Well, it's time to take advantage of them, I mean of their offer for some deep savings for the holidays.

From December 12-24th 2012, you can purchase any wheel combo, including tires and tubes installed (Continental 4000S or Gatorskin), wheel bags and get free FedEx shipping all for $1212. It is a savings of $1,228 or 44.9% off, and they'll make sure it arrives in time for Christmas if the order is placed before December 21st, 2012.

To take advantage of this special pricing just use discount code: "MVT" at www.karbonspeed.com.

ENJOY!

So how's Ironman training going around 9 months out?

Before we dive into the beginnings of Ironman Lake Tahoe Training, lets not forget...
Sign up for the Garmin 910XT contest!  We are up to about 25 individual entries, and we need 75 for the drawing to actually happen by December 24th at 11:59pm.

SIGN UP!


On to the training thoughts...
I've been working with coach Bob and we had a good rhythm going until I hit the achilles issues.  I was able to make a comeback to run the Kansas City Marathon and the North Face Endurance Challenge 50k.  But, they were missions just to finish, and not exactly kill the course.

I'm hoping to keep injuries at bay and train to race hard in 2013.  Some more thoughts on achilles and back pain later.

But, here's some thoughts about training with an online coach so far.

1. As a busy husband, father of two young kids, son, employee and many other hats to wear, it's been hard finding time to dedicate catching up.  I'm lucky enough to get the planned workouts in.  I've worked more with Coach Bob on email that phone.  It works, but it's hard to relay what's going on in Kansas City to effective get a game plan going at 100%.
2. The workouts have been more focused on heart rate and time.  Before going on this adventure, I was more in line with effort and distance.  I wanted to get a 20 mile ride in at medium effort in the past, now it's a hour at zone 2 effort.
3. I've crammed more in a day than I thought I could in the past.  Coach Bob has been sensitive to the fact that I can get maybe a 30 minute lunch workout in and a 45 minute to an hour after work.  The kids and housework last until 10 to 11pm, so getting up at 4 or 5am to get a workout in 5 days a week just won't work.  It's ineffective to deprive yourself of sleep to get the workouts in.  You cannot recover properly and you will burn out.  Trust me.
4. It's prompted me to get the CycleOps PowerCal for power metering on the bike rides.  It's not the top of the line, but it gives me a good idea of what I'm putting out instead of being totally clueless.  It's also a good option for a triathlete on a budget.
5. It's introduced me to TrainingPeaks.  It's been good and bad.  I use a Garmin for the most part, so a nice feature is that you can export from Garmin and import to TP.  One glitch is that if you hook up to a spin bike with ANT features, that file will not export correctly.  Odd.  The flip side is that I have been reviewing some Timex gear and they export directly to TP, no conversions required.  It's been a learning curve to figure out how to read TP graphs and charts.  The jury is still out.
6. When I was injured, Coach Bob gave me good ideas to try and maintain my endurance base with non-impact exercises.  Although pool running is not ideal, it was better than nothing.  He's been there and done that, and it's nice to get that input.

Here's a sample of last week's numbers.  I found some time to get a mountain bike ride and trail run in.  It's been too long as I could make a loop without having to unclip from the bike pedals, but I was getting out more than I remembered ever having to.  I was getting better towards the end, but it had been too long.

Cycling - 51.74 miles - 2:45:29
Swimming - 2.13 miles - 1:03:36
Mountain Biking - 7.48 miles - 1:04:24
Trail Running - 4.40 miles - 42:58
Running - 13.05 - 1:10:09
Total Miles - 80 miles
Total Time - 7:59:44

So, good luck to all of you starting your programs for 2013.  I know I'm already gearing up and still have 9 months to go!


As a final note...
It was the most wretched thing I had ever seen.  Who can go and shoot 20 children, let alone teachers and staff...  As a parent to two young children, I'm at a loss.  I don't even want to think about what would happen if it was their school.  Hopefully reports keep focus on the victims and families, and keep the shooter out of it.  He does not deserve the air time.

@PickyBars review from ITBIC

Have you ever been in a predicament of needing quality grub before you bust out a hour long zone 2 ride with 10 x 2:00 zone 4 repeats after work with nothing on hand and no time to stop anywhere? Maybe you don’t need that fuel, maybe you are superhuman or maybe that type of workout is child’s play for you. At any rate, you SHOULD eat something before a solid workout. You’re engine can’t run without fuel.

If you’re like many closet triathletes, you head to your cube farm in your polo shirt and kakis in the morning and meticulously plan your day to cram in work, family, friends and a workout. Raise your hand if you have a lunch bag or cooler that you pack your 6 portioned meals in to get the right protein and carb servings. Or, maybe you just stash whatever food you could get on the way out of the door to drop kids off and get to work.

Whatever your situation is, Picky Bars wants in your lunchbox. They graciously sent in a sampler 4-pack for some trial runs and a review to see how they could serve the busy triathlete.

If you do subscribe to the 6 small meals a day theory, Picky Bars can be an option for you. Be aware that each bar is 200 calories, which by itself will probably fulfill the snack calorie allowance and may not provide as much literal volume to create a full tummy. Picky Bars claim that 200 calories is a, “great size for a 30min post-workout recovery, one hour before exercise (or cut in half for 20-30 min before), or the perfect snack size between meals.” They did give thought to the nutrition that the bars deliver as they have a 4:1 carbohydrate/protein ratio that is ideal for recovery and maximizes absorption of nutrients. Picky Bars are not meant to be junk food snacks like cereal bars, but they are aiming to provide a more natural alternative to the super-engineered protein bars that are out there.

They are gluten and dairy free, if you’re into that. But, just because something is gluten free doesn’t mean it’s exactly healthy. Removal of gluten stems from allergy issues, and a lot of food producers will make up for that loss by increasing sugars to offset taste declines. If you are gluten or dairy intolerant, than you found your bar.

If you check out their site, you will undoubtedly get the sense that the brand is laid back. You might go as far as to liken them to hippies making special brownies in their travel trailer. Don’t let the vibe fool you, they outline on their site the measures they have gone to in order to produce a natural, healthy snack bar (all 100% legal). ;)

When you rip one open, the bars are more akin to trail mix bars. You can actually see the nuts, seeds and other ingredients as opposed to everything blended and formed into a bar. You can feel pretty confident that you know what you are eating.

They are tasty. It’s not like some of those protein bars where you have to choke them down to get the nutritional benefits. Picky Bars claim, “these little buggers are a naturally sweet carbohydrate source that helps replace glycogen stores after a workout. They have calcium and magnesium and other vitamins and minerals, but what most impressed us was that they got a 6600 TE score (which measures antioxidant content) beating all other fruits and vegetables. They even beat the best berries by 1000 points! Eat a handful of those bad boys by themselves and you might get a sugar spike, but as part of our balanced recipe, they are perfect.” Rest assured that you may find them sweeter than your average protein bar, but it’s not a pure sugar that will end in a crash 45 minutes later.

After eating a Picky Bar, make sure you have a trusted friend do a smile check for seeds or parts in your teeth. Being that the ingredients are not ground to a pulp, seeds and nuts tend to stick in your teeth and require a little work to get them out. Just think of it as storing some for later.

Picky Bars hopes to include triathletes and endurance athletes in their consumer base. They are good bars for pre-workout or post, but they may be a little tough for something to take on a bike ride. The bars can be somewhat sticky, so magnify that by a factor of 5 on a hot sweltering half ironman course. That’s all speculation, since this review was completed in late fall / early winter. But, they could be a solid solution during a long course ride if athletes can manage the tackiness. The bars are more natural, which could translate into easier digestion on the bike. They are solid, which if you have tried to sustain yourself on energy chews and gels alone in a long course race, your stomach starts looking for something more substantial when you’re on the course for 5 hours or more. Think about it. They will sustain you through an hour or so workout. Try a bar before 30 minutes of strength work and then an hour swim and see how you feel. You should feel like you had enough energy to get through it, and not ready to eat your arm off afterwards. They might not provide you super human strength, but the bars provide a nice even keel source of energy for around an hour of medium to high intensity training.

If you like to support the little guy with a good head on their shoulders, check them out. They are what you would probably call a lean operation with the owners probably getting dirty making the bars. They are probably the same people running the twitter and Facebook pages. If you wanted to quiz them about their products, you can get right to the source. No middle management here with red tape, which probably helps with cost and overheads. It’s also nice that their web page is solid, you can buy online and it’s not a paint-by-the-numbers website. By that, I mean it probably took them more than an hour to develop a great branded site.

Pricing is always important. People will pay for something that’s unique, original or a great product. Picky Bars offers a couple of options. They have a box of 10 for $22.99 in any flavor or a mixed box. They also offer a sampler 4 pack for $10.00. Around $2.30 a bar, you’re on par with the other Clif Bars and what you will find in the energy/protein section of your store or online.

Picky Bars also offers a club membership where for $37 a month re-occurring fee you get 18 bars shipped to your address a month, a t-shirt and insights into specials and new flavors. You basically become an insider and they are limiting how many people can sign up.

Picky Bars is going about taking a foothold into the nutrition bar market in a smart way. Most of the management team is from an endurance athlete background and they understand what athletes want and need. They want to feel connected to their customers and develop a relationship.

Picky Bars nailed this one like Veronica Corningstone on the San Diego evening news. Taste, content, branding, marketing; it’s all there. All they need is to sell more bars and get into more stores to become a household name in endurance sports. It’s been one of the better bars reviewed in taste, consistency and performance.

* Writer’s note – Picky Bars provided bars for the review and in no way influenced this review.

Trying out TriBikeTransport for #Ironman Lake Tahoe!

If you have used and plan to you Tribike Transport in 2013, sign up NOW!
I'm trying them out for Ironman Lake Tahoe 2013 instead of paying $100 or so each way to fly, taking apart and re-assembling my bike or driving it all out there.  Not to mention there's the chance my bike would get crushed in transport... but we all know that the airlines are nothing but meticulous when handling your luggage... cough cough.

But, I plan on using them and I'll report on how the process works when the time comes!

But, on to their early bird deal!

Tribike has some great deals for December!

In addition to their $50 price reduction for all 2013 transport services booked this month, Tribike is giving you an additional incentive to sign up early!

If you sign up with Tribike Transport in December, you will automatically be entered to win one of 3 prizes!
- a 2013 Cervelo P3 Frameset
- a pair of Zipp race wheels or
- one of 10 free bike transports

Two free transports will be drawn on Friday of each week until the end of December. So, the sooner you sign up, the better your chances!

You most likely already know which races you'll be traveling to. Why not sign up for transport now to enjoy the discount, plus possibly win your transport fee, a new Cervelo frameset or a Zipp wheelset?

Sign up Today!

Garmin 310XT revisited

Raise your hand if you run with a Garmin GPS sports watch. (it's ok if you raised your hand reading on your computer, no one can see you)

Now raise your hand if you use a Garmin 301XT.

All you people that don't have your hands up, go out and get one!

Why do I bring this up?? I'm now without mine for some indeterminate amount of time. The back light flickers and won't stay on when I hit the buttons when it's dark out. So... sent it in to Garmin to have it checked out. I'm having withdrawal. I feel naked without it. Luckily I can borrow my wife's 205 and it will work in a pinch.

Why do I pimp the 310XT? I started out with the trusty Forerunner 201. It was a great entry level GPS and did what I needed, which was track running. As I got more into it, I needed more out of it. I needed better reception on cloudy days, easier access to download workouts, and bike riding GPS as I entered into triathlons.

Enter the Forerunner 305. It met my needs for a long time. That was until the face place just couldn't take the beating after 2 years and came off. I glued it back on and it worked just fine, but I was looking for a replacement.

[play angels from heaven music] Enter the 310XT!

Waterproof. It has the options I needed, quick release system that was easier to work with then the 205 and 305, ANT capabilities that I could track trainer rides with a cadence sensor, great reception and longer battery! DC Rainmaker has the in depth review if you need more reasons why you should own one! Luckily it was Christmas time last year and BAM! I was on the leading edge of GPS.

The beauty part was the ease of use. I don't use this sucker to it's full capabilities.

A. I'm not a super techie
B. I just don't have the time
C. I'm sort of a training minimalist

When I say I'm a training minimalists, by that I mean I don't train by heart rate, cadence, wattage, etc. I base my training on speed work, a good plan, and perceived rate of exertion. Maybe the 310XT is overkill, but I'm definitely jonesing to get mine back! I can transfer my workouts to myGarmin and prod around to see my pace and splits and I'm now without it! (probably could download with the wife's 205 but who has the time to get it synced, etc).

If you're looking for the perfect Holiday gift for the multisporter in your life, the 310XT is it!

Check the listing from TriVillage.com below where they have the 310XT for $249.95 without the heart rate strap and $299.95 with the strap.

Garmin Forerunner 310XT
 

more info.

@RuckusSports Kansas City Family Pack deal!

RUCKUS RUN FAMILY PACK

Sign up before the New Year and take advantage of this great offer!  Free Mini Ruckus entry with the purchase of two adults!

Sign up before January 1st and save $20 with Ruckus Family Pack!

Register two adults before the New Year, and you will receive a FREE entry to the Mini Ruckus.

By signing up early, you can also take advantage of these great offers: 

• Sign up at the guaranteed Lowest Price
• Get first dibs on the most popular waves
• Find out you can't make the big day? Sign up before Jan. 1 and your transfer is free!

Don't miss this special offer
Sign up for the 2013 Ruckus Kansas City today!