Friday, March 29, 2013
Added Linens N Things to affiliate list!
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Have you been training for @RuckusSports Ruckus Kansas City?
Did you know the race is coming up?
April 6th... are you signed up! You better SIGN UP!
It's going to be epic!
I've ran it the past 2 years since it came to Kansas City and it's been awesome! They have improved from year to year.
One big secret is that if you are at all competitive, you need to get in the early waves. That's less people on the course and it's less torn up earlier in the day. Plus, if the weather in KC continues like it has, it might be a soggy course. That gets torn up in a hurry.
I have tips below I learned from 2011 and 2012, and next week I will be publishing tips for 2013. Stay tuned to find out what's the best way to tackle Ruckus from a 2-time KC veteran.
Check out some tips about obstacle course racing. I'll be writing a few more up in preparation for the 2013 event.
I also reviewed and compared Ruckus to Warrior Dash last year. Read up to see the highlights for each race!
I will be there racing as an "ambassador" of sorts on a comp entry for helping spread the word. I've raced every year they have been here, and it's always been a good time!
The first year I worked out specifically for the event...
I attended Rev Gym's x-camp class on a consistent basis to build endurance and strength without the bulking up part. It was a kick ass workout, but it has been difficult to get in this year. It didn't fit the schedule while I was working the cube life, but now that I'm ventured into self employment and triathlon coaching, I'm hoping to get back into it. It's a GREAT workout and a good supplement to the traditional triathlon training to keep us from training one dimensionally that could lead to overuse and repetitive motion injuries.
It strengthens muscles not always used in swim, bike and run, but support those types of workouts and keeps us injury free.
But, back to 2013. I haven't made it much and strength training has been minimal at best. The schedule just didn't allow for it consistently. I do make it to Pilates reformer sessions at least once a month, but that's not going to cut it to make great improvement. I've focused on strength workouts in swim, bike and run. Hills, sprints, zone two and other drills to get the cardio system taxed and ready. It should be interesting to see how the strength element holds up. I'm more trained up for running this year at this point, but when you get past the first 10 or so obstacles, it takes a toll and you just slow down.
I'll have to either decide to be conservative to stay consistent through the whole race or just go balls out and let the chips fall where they may...
Check back for pre-race and race reports!
April 6th... are you signed up! You better SIGN UP!
It's going to be epic!
I've ran it the past 2 years since it came to Kansas City and it's been awesome! They have improved from year to year.
One big secret is that if you are at all competitive, you need to get in the early waves. That's less people on the course and it's less torn up earlier in the day. Plus, if the weather in KC continues like it has, it might be a soggy course. That gets torn up in a hurry.
I have tips below I learned from 2011 and 2012, and next week I will be publishing tips for 2013. Stay tuned to find out what's the best way to tackle Ruckus from a 2-time KC veteran.
Check out some tips about obstacle course racing. I'll be writing a few more up in preparation for the 2013 event.
I also reviewed and compared Ruckus to Warrior Dash last year. Read up to see the highlights for each race!
I will be there racing as an "ambassador" of sorts on a comp entry for helping spread the word. I've raced every year they have been here, and it's always been a good time!
The first year I worked out specifically for the event...
I attended Rev Gym's x-camp class on a consistent basis to build endurance and strength without the bulking up part. It was a kick ass workout, but it has been difficult to get in this year. It didn't fit the schedule while I was working the cube life, but now that I'm ventured into self employment and triathlon coaching, I'm hoping to get back into it. It's a GREAT workout and a good supplement to the traditional triathlon training to keep us from training one dimensionally that could lead to overuse and repetitive motion injuries.
It strengthens muscles not always used in swim, bike and run, but support those types of workouts and keeps us injury free.
But, back to 2013. I haven't made it much and strength training has been minimal at best. The schedule just didn't allow for it consistently. I do make it to Pilates reformer sessions at least once a month, but that's not going to cut it to make great improvement. I've focused on strength workouts in swim, bike and run. Hills, sprints, zone two and other drills to get the cardio system taxed and ready. It should be interesting to see how the strength element holds up. I'm more trained up for running this year at this point, but when you get past the first 10 or so obstacles, it takes a toll and you just slow down.
I'll have to either decide to be conservative to stay consistent through the whole race or just go balls out and let the chips fall where they may...
Check back for pre-race and race reports!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Winter indoor long workouts, how do you suffer?
This is your pain. This is your burning [calves and hamstrings]. It's right here. Look at it.
I'm going to my cave. I'm going to my [TV] and I'm going to find my [trash shows].
No! Don't deal with this the way those [coach potatoes] do. Deal with it the way a living [Triathlete] does.
As I was riding out a 90 minuter trainer ride in the basement pain cave due to 6 inches of snow that came this past Sunday (what spring?), I found myself needing to multitask. Going the self employment route requires a lot more elbow grease than the majority of 9-5 gigs. When you work for yourself, you're only as successfull as the effort you put in.
So, I needed to do some biz work AND get the ride in. What was a Newbie Triathlon Coach to do?
Multitask.
I'm the first to admit, I cannot just drone away on the trainer without some sort of entertainment. DVR has been my friend. I still have the 2012 IM world champs on DVR that I re-visit now and again. I have movies in the DVD player and I use that time to catch up on the trash TV shows I like to keep up with. It's somewhat embarrassing to admit to some of the shows I like to keep tabs on, so I won't advertise it here. I digress...
Luckily trainer rides provide a good chance to catch up. Depending on the types of workouts you are doing, you can catch up with phone calls, emails and a few other items. Those nice little tablets are great for getting on the web and getting things done. It's uber handy in the aero position to hold it out front with one hand and peck and type with the other.
But, I bring that up to point out that it can be a trap.
In 2011, I was king of catching up on reading and watching tv shoes while droning on the trainer. What I wasn't cognisant of was how I was training. At that time, I was more focused on speed than cadence. I was in the big chain ring holding on to 20 mph as long as I could and shifting down when I couldn't hold up any more. Even though I had almost doubled my winter bike training time, my speed actually went down for the season. Try as I might, it stayed pretty set for the summer.
Now that I'm more aware of heart rate and trying to increase my riding cadence, a zone two ride could be a target of 145 bpm at the 90 to 95 rpm range. That's a good clip, and if you're off thinking about your power animal, you could be missing it, man.
It's easy to slide into the 85 rpm range and the 120 bpm while you are focusing on 2012 mortgage interest and mileage reports. Do'h.
It's all good if you need to watch TV, multitask or find some sort of distraction to make time pass quicker for a long workout, but be careful that you don't zone out and forget what you are really there for. If you're not going to get the most from your workout, then you're better off getting your stuff done and coming back later to focus on the ride and ride for a shorter period of time. For some, it may not be a big issue. Quantity does not equal quality.
Just use your best judgement and don't be surprised if your speed drops for the season even though you spent more time on the trainer in the winter. If you're not riding to improve, you've essentially wasted the miles as it applies to improving performance.
Also, don't forget to hop on over to my Triathlon Coaching site - www.SetThePaceMedia.com and check it out! Like the Facebook page as well!
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Set The Pace - New Triathlon Coach in Kansas City
Yes, it's official.
The big announcement.
I've jumped off the cliff to be self employed and started a triathlon coaching / consulting business.
Set The Pace Media Marketing LLC - Set The Pace for short.
Check out the site - www.SetThePaceMedia.com and like it on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/SetThePaceMedia
Send me your Triathletes in training
Runners
Swimmers
Cyclists
and Endurance Sports Nuts
I will also be working in my old profession of scheduling, cost tracking and project management consulting until the coaching biz gets traction.
I will also be diving deeper into product and event reviews to get you more insight and dirt about local triathlons, running events and obstacle course races.
Mid-May I will be heading to Des Moines, IA, to sit for the 2 day USAT Level 1 coaching clinic and then I will be super qualified!
Thank you to everyone that has helped me go for the gusto and my wife and kids (even they are too young to have a choice) to allow me to leave the cube life to chase a dream that has been born of 12 years of endurance sports and competition.
It's the perfect mix for coaching and teaching, being organized with schedules and training plans, and getting to meet new and interesting people!
Spread the word!
Thank you!
The big announcement.
I've jumped off the cliff to be self employed and started a triathlon coaching / consulting business.
Set The Pace Media Marketing LLC - Set The Pace for short.
Check out the site - www.SetThePaceMedia.com and like it on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/SetThePaceMedia
Send me your Triathletes in training
Runners
Swimmers
Cyclists
and Endurance Sports Nuts
I will also be working in my old profession of scheduling, cost tracking and project management consulting until the coaching biz gets traction.
I will also be diving deeper into product and event reviews to get you more insight and dirt about local triathlons, running events and obstacle course races.
Mid-May I will be heading to Des Moines, IA, to sit for the 2 day USAT Level 1 coaching clinic and then I will be super qualified!
Thank you to everyone that has helped me go for the gusto and my wife and kids (even they are too young to have a choice) to allow me to leave the cube life to chase a dream that has been born of 12 years of endurance sports and competition.
It's the perfect mix for coaching and teaching, being organized with schedules and training plans, and getting to meet new and interesting people!
Spread the word!
Thank you!
Friday, March 22, 2013
March / April Kansas City events
Check out these upcoming running events around Kansas City.
The
first annual "Great Balls of Fire" 5K, supporting testicular cancer
awareness, will be run from behind Sports Medicine & Metro Running
at 95th and Metcalf in Overland Park. There will be race shirts for each participant and prizes for top finishers and donors. There is even a kids run! Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Fire!
Leawood Midnight Run 5K - April 19 @ 11:59pm
Let's
find out who the fastest night runner is in Kansas City! Join us for a
unique Midnight Run at the AAFP headquarters on Tomahawk Creek Parkway
in Leawood, KS benefiting Special Olympics Kansas. Register online at
the link below or register on the night of the event at the venue from
10:00 p.m. to 11:45 p.m. on Friday, April 19. Arvest Bank will be
providing a BBQ for the first 150 people at our Midnight Run packet
pick-up event on Thursday, April 18 from 5:00 - 7:00 at the City Park in
Leawood near 117th Street and Tomahawk Creek Parkway.
Purple Stride 5K on April 20 @ 9am
Walk
or run a 5k course at SouthCreek Office Park at 132nd and Metcalf in
Overland Park! Enjoy music, food, kids' activities, our ShopPurple store
and awards, all while raising awareness of pancreatic cancer. Participants
can choose a timed race, run for fun, or enjoy the family-friendly 5K
walk. Sign up today and form a team to raise funds and honor a loved
one!
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Make sure to check the alarm...
So whether you are getting up on time for work or to work out in the morning...
Always check your alarm, especially if you have small kids.
My nightly ritual involves checking the current time to make sure the toddler and pre-schooler didn't change it, check the alarm time and make sure each is on the correct AM or PM setting. Too bad I forgot to check the volume on the alarm. Luckily I woke up around 6:30am and wondered why the alarm hasn't gone off, and I checked the time. OH $hit... fire drill to get ready and leave for work to be on time.
Good times. I had ambitions of moving up wake-up time to make a shift, but when the alarm doesn't make a sound, it's hard to get up.
And bring on March Madness!
KU has a 1 seed, and it's no lock for the Jayhawks, but of course I picked them to get to the final four and win in most of my brackets.
It should provide for good content for indoor bike rides and treadmill runs while Kansas City continues to resist the change to spring. It was 70 degrees last Friday, and this weekend will be in the 30's with snow and rain until Tuesday. Spring, hello? I guess that's just more time for precisely controlled workouts on the trainer and treadmill. Hill runs, sprint intervals, climbs and all kinds of good fun to be had. I'm not sure where my long run and ride will fit in this weekend, but I guess we have to suffer out one more weekend in the crud weather. Maybe I'll tough it out and layer up for an outdoor workout or two... maybe.
Always check your alarm, especially if you have small kids.
My nightly ritual involves checking the current time to make sure the toddler and pre-schooler didn't change it, check the alarm time and make sure each is on the correct AM or PM setting. Too bad I forgot to check the volume on the alarm. Luckily I woke up around 6:30am and wondered why the alarm hasn't gone off, and I checked the time. OH $hit... fire drill to get ready and leave for work to be on time.
Good times. I had ambitions of moving up wake-up time to make a shift, but when the alarm doesn't make a sound, it's hard to get up.
And bring on March Madness!
KU has a 1 seed, and it's no lock for the Jayhawks, but of course I picked them to get to the final four and win in most of my brackets.
It should provide for good content for indoor bike rides and treadmill runs while Kansas City continues to resist the change to spring. It was 70 degrees last Friday, and this weekend will be in the 30's with snow and rain until Tuesday. Spring, hello? I guess that's just more time for precisely controlled workouts on the trainer and treadmill. Hill runs, sprint intervals, climbs and all kinds of good fun to be had. I'm not sure where my long run and ride will fit in this weekend, but I guess we have to suffer out one more weekend in the crud weather. Maybe I'll tough it out and layer up for an outdoor workout or two... maybe.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
The week in numbers, on and off the wagon
Last week was glorious, for a day...
Last Thursday and Friday jumped into the 70 degree range last week and it was glorious! I was able to capture a very quick bike run and run to the daycare to get the kiddos to capitilize on the weather before it blew up and snow came back for the weekend and today. Boooo....
I was able to get most of my "planned" workouts in, but I'm still lapsing on AM workouts and getting spotty on PM workouts.
It's just too cold when you stick those toes out from under the covers in the morning. I can make all the excuses about the training dungeon in the basement being too cold and I'm too tired... blah blah blah. The shot of it is I set the alarm to get up and don't realize it's going off until 30 minutes later and hit snooze and don't remember that. I could sleep forever sometimes. Maybe it's a bad bed? Maybe it's a signal from my body I need more rest? Maybe it's mono? - I don't think so on the last one.
I think it's just that point where all working triathletes with families reach when it's nothing but go-go-go for a few weeks and then it's time to retreat and recover. That's what I'll chalk it up to... recovery. Ya, sounds good.
Do as I say, not as I do.
The shifted work hours do allow for consistant lunch swims. Last week I got two in and wasn't able to squeeze one in on the weekend. I instead used the gym time for a long run while the kids hit the play area. Had I crammed it in before they woke up, maybe I could have swam. I need to get a handle on consttantly going to bed and getting up at the same time every day. That probably jacked me up along with daylight savings time.
The slip was not getting a long ride in Sunday, but at least I got the outdoor ride in Friday, so I called a shift of workouts with an impromptu BRIK to get the kids from daycare.
NUMBERS
BIKING - 56 miles
RUNNING - 20 miles
SWIMMING - 2.39 miles
TOTAL TIME - 7:35 hours
TOTAL MILES - 78 miles
It's March 19, 2.5 months approximately from IM Kansas 70.3. It's time to pick it up and future plans should allow for proper training without being excessive.
STAY TUNED NEXT MONDAY!
BIG, HUGE announcement. It's been a long time coming and the fruition of hard work and future sacrifice, but the end goal should be a lot of fun for me and the family.
Any guesses? And those that know, no commenting!
Last Thursday and Friday jumped into the 70 degree range last week and it was glorious! I was able to capture a very quick bike run and run to the daycare to get the kiddos to capitilize on the weather before it blew up and snow came back for the weekend and today. Boooo....
I was able to get most of my "planned" workouts in, but I'm still lapsing on AM workouts and getting spotty on PM workouts.
It's just too cold when you stick those toes out from under the covers in the morning. I can make all the excuses about the training dungeon in the basement being too cold and I'm too tired... blah blah blah. The shot of it is I set the alarm to get up and don't realize it's going off until 30 minutes later and hit snooze and don't remember that. I could sleep forever sometimes. Maybe it's a bad bed? Maybe it's a signal from my body I need more rest? Maybe it's mono? - I don't think so on the last one.
I think it's just that point where all working triathletes with families reach when it's nothing but go-go-go for a few weeks and then it's time to retreat and recover. That's what I'll chalk it up to... recovery. Ya, sounds good.
Do as I say, not as I do.
The shifted work hours do allow for consistant lunch swims. Last week I got two in and wasn't able to squeeze one in on the weekend. I instead used the gym time for a long run while the kids hit the play area. Had I crammed it in before they woke up, maybe I could have swam. I need to get a handle on consttantly going to bed and getting up at the same time every day. That probably jacked me up along with daylight savings time.
The slip was not getting a long ride in Sunday, but at least I got the outdoor ride in Friday, so I called a shift of workouts with an impromptu BRIK to get the kids from daycare.
NUMBERS
BIKING - 56 miles
RUNNING - 20 miles
SWIMMING - 2.39 miles
TOTAL TIME - 7:35 hours
TOTAL MILES - 78 miles
It's March 19, 2.5 months approximately from IM Kansas 70.3. It's time to pick it up and future plans should allow for proper training without being excessive.
STAY TUNED NEXT MONDAY!
BIG, HUGE announcement. It's been a long time coming and the fruition of hard work and future sacrifice, but the end goal should be a lot of fun for me and the family.
Any guesses? And those that know, no commenting!
Monday, March 18, 2013
Heritage Family Chiropractic hosting workshop on how to live to 100
If living to 100 is on your bucket list, then Heritage Chiropractic in Olathe, Kansas, has a workshop for you!
Monday, March 25, 2013, Heritage Family Chiropractic is holding a "100 Advanced Workshop" to teach people how to live healthier and more enjoyable lifestyles into our later years.
See the flyer below.
Details:
Monday, March 25, 2013 at 6:30pm
784 N Ridgeview Road, Olathe, Kansas, 66061
Register by visiting and signing up or calling 913-815-8076.
Monday, March 25, 2013, Heritage Family Chiropractic is holding a "100 Advanced Workshop" to teach people how to live healthier and more enjoyable lifestyles into our later years.
See the flyer below.
Details:
Monday, March 25, 2013 at 6:30pm
784 N Ridgeview Road, Olathe, Kansas, 66061
Register by visiting and signing up or calling 913-815-8076.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Review of Kiefer Ergo Hand Paddles by @SwimKiefer
Kiefer Ergo Hand Paddle Review
Ask any triathlete what their biggest fear of race day is, and undoubtedly you will hear them lament the open water swim. Whether it’s fear of getting kicked, punched or freaking out in open water, triathletes as a large majority aren’t digging the swim. It’s almost viewed as a necessary evil to get to the bike and run.
There are tips on how to survive the swim during the actual event, but there’s more that can be done before a triathlete ever dips their toe in the open water to be prepared.
It’s a well known fact that if triathletes want to be better at swimming, they need to practice swimming. There are many ways to improve in the pool. Triathletes can just swim freestyle for 2000 yards, do drills or swim with masters swim groups. All are solid options to gain that experience and capacity to survive the swim. When thinking of drills, images of kickboards, swim buoys, stopwatches and laminated swim plans by poolside dance in triathletes’ heads.
Any pool worth their salt (or chlorine) should have kickboards available, and most have pull buoys of some fashion. One of the more difficult items to find is the swim paddle. It should be a key item in any swimming session, yet it often gets overlooked. It can be a key for strength training in the pool to compensate for the extra effort open water swimming will demand over pool swimming. Utilize it, but don’t abuse it.
Kiefer swim gear claims that their Ergo Hand Paddles improve swim stroke and increase upper body strength with a comfortable fit and hole pattern along fingers and palm gives swimmer a dynamic feel of pool water as it passes through the hand paddle.
Are they comfortable? Do the do the job? Will they survive over long workouts and over many workouts through time? Below are the findings about the Ergo Kiefer Hand Paddles after laps and laps in the pool.
Fit and Form
There are a wide variety of paddles out there. Flat, skinny, wide, small, over sized, contoured and they come in any color that swimmers would want. Ergo Kiefer paddles come contoured are generally not over sized based on the two sizes they come in. They offer a men’s and women’s/kid’s size, so there’s not a whole lot of consternation involved in pondering what size to get. If the Ergo paddles don’t fit, then Kiefer offers a wide variety of other styles to accommodate any triathlete looking for hand paddle.
For this review, the Ergo paddles were the only paddles used. The Ergo paddles come contoured to conform to the natural inclination of the palm of the hand and feel very natural when wearing. The straps that hold the paddle to the hand are solid. There’s no fear of a tiny tube busting during a tough 500 meter pull set.
Color coordination of the swim jammer of the day and the Ergo paddle is a little hard to come by. The Ergo paddle only comes in blue. For those triathletes worried about fashion, this may cause a hiccup.
The paddles have holes to allow water to pass through at each finger location and the palm. This allows for water to moderate pass through the paddle to avoid 100 percent resistance when swimming with the paddles.
The paddles have a large knock-down gritty (think knock-down drywall ceilings) texture that provide tactile feedback, but don’t cause discomfort. Slick paddles tend to be more difficult to apply pressure to for hard sets and allow finger slippage and at times allows the hands to slip out from underneath the paddle straps.
Function
Overall the straps and form of the paddles are very intuitive and don’t feel unnatural when wearing. It is a small struggle to get them on at first with the thick straps, and they will need to be re-adjusted before each swim as they tend to slip a little through the strap holes, either resulting in too loose of a fit or too tight.
The middle finger can get uncomfortably tight in it’s loop on long sets of 400 yards or more. While swimming, the straps tend to slip to allow the other fingers more room and the slack comes from the middle finger loop. Be sure to give the middle loop extra slack before swimming in anticipation of the tightening and some minor pinching.
Obviously the reason to have the paddles is strength drills in the pool. By integrating paddles sets in pool training sessions, triathletes can build strength and endurance to withstand open water brutality. They are not the best tool for speed work, but that’s not their purpose. Drills on time splits, freestyle on distance or time and any other drill someone can think of with paddles the Kiefer Ergo paddles handled. It performed up to the standards of any other paddle out there. The form of the paddles allow for natural water entry and force swimmers to learn how to enter the water correctly to limit resistance and killing momentum in the water. On the pull, the paddles catch the sweet spot of water to make lats work and force the correct pull path through the water. Veer off the correct hand position and the paddle waivers in the water and stability is lost, which squashes forward momentum.
Durability
How many triathletes have turned laps out at the gym only to knock hands on the bottom of the too shallow lap pool? Don’t worry about the Ergo paddles. After several scrapes on shallow pool floors and smacks into the pool wall on turns, the paddles took all the punishment dished out. There will be some minor scratches on the edge and maybe a remnants of plastic shavings hanging on that will need to be ripped off, but the paddles remain fully functional after thousands of yards of scraping and brutality.
The straps remain fully functional. Some straps tend to decay or become brittle after hours and hours of chlorine treatment, but not the Kiefer Ergo paddle straps. There were no issues after 2 months of around 2000 meters of drills a week. The straps have not cracked and are fully flexible.
Sadly most swim paddles are a vital part of swim training, but get stuffed into dark and nasty gym bags. They tend to get crammed into any crevice they fit in and expected to perform at a moments notice. Most are plastic after all, and even the most sturdy plastic devices will break under enough pressure, such as a gym backpack stuffed to the gills with running shoes, biking shoes, shower gear, warm clothing, hot weather clothing, swim jammers and anything else a triathlete thinks they need. This reviewer is no different and these Keifer paddles were constantly crammed into any small spot they fit in the bag and every time, they came out without complaining. They did not crack or break when treated with the civility similar to the likes of South Korea from Kim Jong Un.
Affordability
Any google search will turn up swim paddles from $9 to $17 without tax and shipping. The Kiefer Ergo Paddles sell for $10.95 on their direct sale website. When shopping for paddles, also realize that the contoured paddles tend to be on the higher end of the spectrum, and the Kiefer Ergo paddles tend to be more cost effective on the contoured scale.
In Conclusion
The Kiefer Ergo Hand Paddles performed flawlessly. They are durable and functional with the only real issue being some minor pinching if the straps are not prepared accordingly. Triathletes wanting to match their paddles to their jammers may be warded off, but of they want a quality swim training product, then the Kiefer paddles are up there with the best on the market.
* Writer’s note - Kiefer supplied the Ergo Hand Paddles for this review and in no way influenced the review.
Ask any triathlete what their biggest fear of race day is, and undoubtedly you will hear them lament the open water swim. Whether it’s fear of getting kicked, punched or freaking out in open water, triathletes as a large majority aren’t digging the swim. It’s almost viewed as a necessary evil to get to the bike and run.
There are tips on how to survive the swim during the actual event, but there’s more that can be done before a triathlete ever dips their toe in the open water to be prepared.
It’s a well known fact that if triathletes want to be better at swimming, they need to practice swimming. There are many ways to improve in the pool. Triathletes can just swim freestyle for 2000 yards, do drills or swim with masters swim groups. All are solid options to gain that experience and capacity to survive the swim. When thinking of drills, images of kickboards, swim buoys, stopwatches and laminated swim plans by poolside dance in triathletes’ heads.
Any pool worth their salt (or chlorine) should have kickboards available, and most have pull buoys of some fashion. One of the more difficult items to find is the swim paddle. It should be a key item in any swimming session, yet it often gets overlooked. It can be a key for strength training in the pool to compensate for the extra effort open water swimming will demand over pool swimming. Utilize it, but don’t abuse it.
Kiefer swim gear claims that their Ergo Hand Paddles improve swim stroke and increase upper body strength with a comfortable fit and hole pattern along fingers and palm gives swimmer a dynamic feel of pool water as it passes through the hand paddle.
Fit and Form
There are a wide variety of paddles out there. Flat, skinny, wide, small, over sized, contoured and they come in any color that swimmers would want. Ergo Kiefer paddles come contoured are generally not over sized based on the two sizes they come in. They offer a men’s and women’s/kid’s size, so there’s not a whole lot of consternation involved in pondering what size to get. If the Ergo paddles don’t fit, then Kiefer offers a wide variety of other styles to accommodate any triathlete looking for hand paddle.
For this review, the Ergo paddles were the only paddles used. The Ergo paddles come contoured to conform to the natural inclination of the palm of the hand and feel very natural when wearing. The straps that hold the paddle to the hand are solid. There’s no fear of a tiny tube busting during a tough 500 meter pull set.
Color coordination of the swim jammer of the day and the Ergo paddle is a little hard to come by. The Ergo paddle only comes in blue. For those triathletes worried about fashion, this may cause a hiccup.
The paddles have holes to allow water to pass through at each finger location and the palm. This allows for water to moderate pass through the paddle to avoid 100 percent resistance when swimming with the paddles.
The paddles have a large knock-down gritty (think knock-down drywall ceilings) texture that provide tactile feedback, but don’t cause discomfort. Slick paddles tend to be more difficult to apply pressure to for hard sets and allow finger slippage and at times allows the hands to slip out from underneath the paddle straps.
Function
Overall the straps and form of the paddles are very intuitive and don’t feel unnatural when wearing. It is a small struggle to get them on at first with the thick straps, and they will need to be re-adjusted before each swim as they tend to slip a little through the strap holes, either resulting in too loose of a fit or too tight.
The middle finger can get uncomfortably tight in it’s loop on long sets of 400 yards or more. While swimming, the straps tend to slip to allow the other fingers more room and the slack comes from the middle finger loop. Be sure to give the middle loop extra slack before swimming in anticipation of the tightening and some minor pinching.
Obviously the reason to have the paddles is strength drills in the pool. By integrating paddles sets in pool training sessions, triathletes can build strength and endurance to withstand open water brutality. They are not the best tool for speed work, but that’s not their purpose. Drills on time splits, freestyle on distance or time and any other drill someone can think of with paddles the Kiefer Ergo paddles handled. It performed up to the standards of any other paddle out there. The form of the paddles allow for natural water entry and force swimmers to learn how to enter the water correctly to limit resistance and killing momentum in the water. On the pull, the paddles catch the sweet spot of water to make lats work and force the correct pull path through the water. Veer off the correct hand position and the paddle waivers in the water and stability is lost, which squashes forward momentum.
Durability
How many triathletes have turned laps out at the gym only to knock hands on the bottom of the too shallow lap pool? Don’t worry about the Ergo paddles. After several scrapes on shallow pool floors and smacks into the pool wall on turns, the paddles took all the punishment dished out. There will be some minor scratches on the edge and maybe a remnants of plastic shavings hanging on that will need to be ripped off, but the paddles remain fully functional after thousands of yards of scraping and brutality.
The straps remain fully functional. Some straps tend to decay or become brittle after hours and hours of chlorine treatment, but not the Kiefer Ergo paddle straps. There were no issues after 2 months of around 2000 meters of drills a week. The straps have not cracked and are fully flexible.
Sadly most swim paddles are a vital part of swim training, but get stuffed into dark and nasty gym bags. They tend to get crammed into any crevice they fit in and expected to perform at a moments notice. Most are plastic after all, and even the most sturdy plastic devices will break under enough pressure, such as a gym backpack stuffed to the gills with running shoes, biking shoes, shower gear, warm clothing, hot weather clothing, swim jammers and anything else a triathlete thinks they need. This reviewer is no different and these Keifer paddles were constantly crammed into any small spot they fit in the bag and every time, they came out without complaining. They did not crack or break when treated with the civility similar to the likes of South Korea from Kim Jong Un.
Affordability
Any google search will turn up swim paddles from $9 to $17 without tax and shipping. The Kiefer Ergo Paddles sell for $10.95 on their direct sale website. When shopping for paddles, also realize that the contoured paddles tend to be on the higher end of the spectrum, and the Kiefer Ergo paddles tend to be more cost effective on the contoured scale.
In Conclusion
The Kiefer Ergo Hand Paddles performed flawlessly. They are durable and functional with the only real issue being some minor pinching if the straps are not prepared accordingly. Triathletes wanting to match their paddles to their jammers may be warded off, but of they want a quality swim training product, then the Kiefer paddles are up there with the best on the market.
* Writer’s note - Kiefer supplied the Ergo Hand Paddles for this review and in no way influenced the review.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Check out Moji
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Ruckus Run, Kids and Coaches - oh my
Ruckus Run obstacle course race fees are going up.
Get in before Friday! The prices are going up and it's a good time!
Bring your kids for the mini-ruckus! Sign up and save before the price increase this Friday!
Come Out and Play April 6!
Check out some tips about obstacle course racing. I'll be writing a few more up in preparation for the 2013 event.
I also reviewed and compared Ruckus to Warrior Dash last year. Read up to see the highlights for each race
Kids, they're good, they're bad, they're good...
As our oldest turned 5, we notice wild changes in obedience, attention span and overall emotional control.
The week leading up her birthday parties, she was all sweet, complient and it was a great week in the dealings with a 5 year old girl.
Immediately after her parties and off-and-on every day since, she's defiant when we ask her to do something, starts crying at the drop of a hat and can't remember what we asked her to do from the living room to the kitchen trash can. Oh something shiny!
We love our little girl to pieces, but it's like she went from 4 to 13 this birthday. Yikes!
Coaching
I've been on touch with Coach Bob and we are getting a true game plan going for the year. IM KS 70.3 with Hines Ward and IM Lake Tahoe are the highlights.
I've been working up the aerobic base and we are looking at turning up the heat. This will also relate to what I foreshawdowed in yesterday's post. I've sent him videos of running and swimming so he can tell me how bad I really am. I'm interested to see what he has to say. Will it be a 30 minute run down or a couple of calls worth of drills, critique and "no way you are reaching your goals with that form".
BIG things happening on the home front that will be a positive change and allow me more freedoms to focus on what really matters, like family. ;)
Get in before Friday! The prices are going up and it's a good time!
Bring your kids for the mini-ruckus! Sign up and save before the price increase this Friday!
Come Out and Play April 6!
Check out some tips about obstacle course racing. I'll be writing a few more up in preparation for the 2013 event.
I also reviewed and compared Ruckus to Warrior Dash last year. Read up to see the highlights for each race
Kids, they're good, they're bad, they're good...
As our oldest turned 5, we notice wild changes in obedience, attention span and overall emotional control.
The week leading up her birthday parties, she was all sweet, complient and it was a great week in the dealings with a 5 year old girl.
Immediately after her parties and off-and-on every day since, she's defiant when we ask her to do something, starts crying at the drop of a hat and can't remember what we asked her to do from the living room to the kitchen trash can. Oh something shiny!
We love our little girl to pieces, but it's like she went from 4 to 13 this birthday. Yikes!
Coaching
I've been on touch with Coach Bob and we are getting a true game plan going for the year. IM KS 70.3 with Hines Ward and IM Lake Tahoe are the highlights.
I've been working up the aerobic base and we are looking at turning up the heat. This will also relate to what I foreshawdowed in yesterday's post. I've sent him videos of running and swimming so he can tell me how bad I really am. I'm interested to see what he has to say. Will it be a 30 minute run down or a couple of calls worth of drills, critique and "no way you are reaching your goals with that form".
BIG things happening on the home front that will be a positive change and allow me more freedoms to focus on what really matters, like family. ;)
Monday, March 11, 2013
All it takes is a signature!
Sign it! Sign it! Sign it!
It's amazing to think that the course of life can be altered by signing one piece of paper.
If things go right today, there will be a new direction and new doors will be opened.
Stay tuned for some major changes around these parts!
“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're the lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up, you'd better be running.” ― Christopher McDougall
 |
| You signed it.... Now what happens? |
It's amazing to think that the course of life can be altered by signing one piece of paper.
If things go right today, there will be a new direction and new doors will be opened.
Stay tuned for some major changes around these parts!
“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're the lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up, you'd better be running.” ― Christopher McDougall
Friday, March 8, 2013
Pinched for Swimming, found a solution
When switching jobs, the new gig allowed for flex time...
And I signed up for the 9-80 program. 80 hours in 9 days and get every other Friday off. It sounds good in theory, but it kind of backfired.
Chalk it up to trial and error. I thought, hey, a WHOLE Friday to get crap done! Maybe tick off a long training workout and then get some items done around the house.
It was ok at first, but since I was working 9 hour days the other days of the week and taking 30 minute lunches, I couldn't get any workout in over lunch and in order to get sleep, I was opting to work out after the kids went to bed. I don't know about you guys, but the last thing I wanted to do after a long day is pack up for the gym across town to get a swim in. So, swims suffered. My workouts overall suffered. What I did get in was limited to after the kids went to bed and I was not getting that break from work to allow my brain to rest for a little bit before getting back at it.
What looks good on paper may not be the best option.
The Fridays off turned into "cram-in-all-in" days. Every Dr appointment, errand, bills, and whatever else I didn't have time in the day for on my 9 hour work days got shoved to the Friday off and it was impossible to balance it all by putting it off until 1 day every two weeks.
Yes, I know a lot of people work 50+ hour weeks and what not and make it work. For our situation and for me to keep my sanity and stay married, it wasn't working.
I was stressed out, things weren't getting done and my workout time was sad. I was only able to squeeze out little less than 6 hours a few weeks ago. Yes yes, there are bigger problems in life, but I was feeling like I couldn't even get the basics managed. And, that's with relatively healthy kids and healthy wife. Things should be manageable. I've either bitten off too much (I know who will agree with this) or the plan wasn't as good as I thought.
So I changed it...
I am now back to the 5 day a week program. 8 hours a day but I adjusted start, finish and lunch hours to allow for lunch workouts and leave the door open for mornings and after the kids go to bed.
I must say, it's been working better.
It's a brain break for the middle of the day. If I'm good on workouts or have an off day, I can do other things with my lunch time. There's time for work, personal stuff, family and workin out.
Sure, I'd love to train more, but it's about moderation and reality. Plus, I'm not into over training. I like to train smart, not just add junk miles or workouts for the sake of working out. Goals people, goals!
Training went from fitting it in to finally working... with some inflated numbers from snow shoveling...
From last week, we have:
BIKING - 80 miles
RUNNING - 18.5 miles
SWIMMING - 7286 yards
TOTAL MILES - 103.3 miles
TOTAL TIME - 10:53
There was an 1:30 of strength training which included some snow shoveling, stretching and pilates reformer work. But it looks like I'm actually training for a half Ironman in June. Imagine that.
So the moral of the story....
is what looks good on paper may not be the best solution. Don't be afraid to try something new and then don't be afraid to change it back if the new way isn't effective.
If you are not meeting your family obligations, friend obligations and personal satisfaction, take a step back and re-adjust.
And I signed up for the 9-80 program. 80 hours in 9 days and get every other Friday off. It sounds good in theory, but it kind of backfired.
Chalk it up to trial and error. I thought, hey, a WHOLE Friday to get crap done! Maybe tick off a long training workout and then get some items done around the house.
It was ok at first, but since I was working 9 hour days the other days of the week and taking 30 minute lunches, I couldn't get any workout in over lunch and in order to get sleep, I was opting to work out after the kids went to bed. I don't know about you guys, but the last thing I wanted to do after a long day is pack up for the gym across town to get a swim in. So, swims suffered. My workouts overall suffered. What I did get in was limited to after the kids went to bed and I was not getting that break from work to allow my brain to rest for a little bit before getting back at it.
What looks good on paper may not be the best option.
The Fridays off turned into "cram-in-all-in" days. Every Dr appointment, errand, bills, and whatever else I didn't have time in the day for on my 9 hour work days got shoved to the Friday off and it was impossible to balance it all by putting it off until 1 day every two weeks.
Yes, I know a lot of people work 50+ hour weeks and what not and make it work. For our situation and for me to keep my sanity and stay married, it wasn't working.
I was stressed out, things weren't getting done and my workout time was sad. I was only able to squeeze out little less than 6 hours a few weeks ago. Yes yes, there are bigger problems in life, but I was feeling like I couldn't even get the basics managed. And, that's with relatively healthy kids and healthy wife. Things should be manageable. I've either bitten off too much (I know who will agree with this) or the plan wasn't as good as I thought.
So I changed it...
I am now back to the 5 day a week program. 8 hours a day but I adjusted start, finish and lunch hours to allow for lunch workouts and leave the door open for mornings and after the kids go to bed.
I must say, it's been working better.
It's a brain break for the middle of the day. If I'm good on workouts or have an off day, I can do other things with my lunch time. There's time for work, personal stuff, family and workin out.
Sure, I'd love to train more, but it's about moderation and reality. Plus, I'm not into over training. I like to train smart, not just add junk miles or workouts for the sake of working out. Goals people, goals!
Training went from fitting it in to finally working... with some inflated numbers from snow shoveling...
From last week, we have:
BIKING - 80 miles
RUNNING - 18.5 miles
SWIMMING - 7286 yards
TOTAL MILES - 103.3 miles
TOTAL TIME - 10:53
There was an 1:30 of strength training which included some snow shoveling, stretching and pilates reformer work. But it looks like I'm actually training for a half Ironman in June. Imagine that.
So the moral of the story....
is what looks good on paper may not be the best solution. Don't be afraid to try something new and then don't be afraid to change it back if the new way isn't effective.
If you are not meeting your family obligations, friend obligations and personal satisfaction, take a step back and re-adjust.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
March Kansas City Endurance Events
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March
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Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Ruckus Run from @RuckusSports coming up soon, chance for 15% off!
It's coming April 6, are you ready?
Check out some tips about obstacle course racing. I'll be writing a few more up in preparation for the 2013 event.
I also reviewed and compared Ruckus to Warrior Dash last year. Read up to see the highlights for each race!
I will be there racing as an "ambassador" of sorts on a comp entry for helping spread the word. I've raced every year they have been here, and it's always been a good time!
If you are thinking of getting in, check out the deal below to get 15% off the entry fee.
Active.com is offering an exclusive 15% off discount to the event.
In order to take advantage of this great discount, fill out this brief, 5-question survey.
The code EXPIRES 3/20/13.
Happy Ruckus Training!
Check out some tips about obstacle course racing. I'll be writing a few more up in preparation for the 2013 event.
I also reviewed and compared Ruckus to Warrior Dash last year. Read up to see the highlights for each race!
I will be there racing as an "ambassador" of sorts on a comp entry for helping spread the word. I've raced every year they have been here, and it's always been a good time!
If you are thinking of getting in, check out the deal below to get 15% off the entry fee.
Active.com is offering an exclusive 15% off discount to the event.
In order to take advantage of this great discount, fill out this brief, 5-question survey.
The code EXPIRES 3/20/13.
Happy Ruckus Training!
Monday, March 4, 2013
Heritage Family Chiropractic Dinner in Olathe, Kansas - Introducing Living to 100
March 11, 2013 : Community Dinner - Introducing Living to 100
Enjoy complimentary food and beverages, while learning about Living to 100, proper nutrition and new ways to maximize your implementation of the 5 Essentials into your life by Maximized Living. This is an opportunity to bring friends and family who you think would want to hear the Maximized view about health. Spots are limited, so please sign-up your loved ones for this amazing opportunity today!
Enjoy complimentary food and beverages, while learning about Living to 100, proper nutrition and new ways to maximize your implementation of the 5 Essentials into your life by Maximized Living. This is an opportunity to bring friends and family who you think would want to hear the Maximized view about health. Spots are limited, so please sign-up your loved ones for this amazing opportunity today!
March 11, 2013
6:45 PM
Uncle Buck's @ Bass Pro Shops in Olathe
12051 Renner Blvd, Olathe, KS 66061
View their website at www.heritagefamily-chiropractic.com to learn more or call 913-815-8076.
Heritage Chiropractic has arranged a discounted service with Man Vs Triathlon in consideration for online content publishing. Any mention of Heritage Family Chiropractic is not influenced by HFC and is the opinion of Man Vs Triathlon.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Review of the wrist strap Mio Alpha heart rate monitor
Anyone who’s been racing triathlons for more than one season has more than likely been monitoring their heart rate. I've written posts HERE about heart rate training and HERE about VO2 testing which gives athletes direct correlations between effort and heart rate. Heart rate talk is everywhere on the triathlon forums and if a triathlete is serious about improving their performance, they cannot afford to ignore their heart rate.
The problem is how can triathletes afford it? The average GPS watch these days comes with the capabilities to read ANT+ devices, and more specifically heart rate straps. Those sometimes awkward straps that going around a person’s sternum and sit there to track beats per minute and relay that to a GPS watch or running watch with ANT+ capabilities. Garmin, Timex, Polar and a host of other GPS watches and then a whole other host of running watches without GPS all can provide the platform to track heart rate with the chest strap. But, what if athletes hate having that strap around their chest for upwards of 12 hours? It can chafe. It can lose contact unless lubricated. Nothing’s more frustrating than looking down at the monitor and seeing a flatline, and hopefully it’s just due to equipment malfunction. The strap can wear out. The strap can fray. The connection points can pop off when adjusting on the fly and require stoppage of motion to re-attach. All bad situations.
Fear not, there’s a new kid on the block. The company isn’t new as much as their product is new. The MIO Alpha promises to deliver comfort, quality and reliability without the chest strap. Their claim to be different than other strapless monitors is that they can provide continuous monitoring at performance speeds allowing high intensity and precise training.
MIO recently zipped over an Alpha for review. Sit back and revel in the glory of the MIO Alpha strapless heart rate watch review.
Since this MIO Alpha was a prototype at the time, it did not come with the standard packaging and printed material that retail watches will come with. Upon initial inspection, the watch has style and is compact. It could pass for an everyday fashionable watch if users wanted to just leave the watch on at all times as it is smaller and more compact that the Garmin 910XT. And, users could use it for any occasion since the MIO Alpha doubles as a real-time watch when the heart rate feature is turned off. It can be set to 12 or 24 hour and worn at all times. Wearers will have to set the time manually, as the Alpha will not sync with GPS (makes sense due to it not being a GPS watch) nor will it sync with a computer when charging.
Setup is pretty straight forward. After initial charge up and setting the time and some heart rate zones, after 15 minutes, the Alpha is ready to hit the streets. Triathletes in a hurry and with no patience should find the MIO Alpha a welcomed addition the training arsenal. The only catch with this type of heart rate monitor is that it must be turned “on” to start monitoring.
The whole premise for the Alpha is to get heart rate information without needing the sometimes cumbersome strap that most athletes would have to wear in the past. The chest straps have come a long way since the original inception of the hard plastic straps with the bulky and inconvenient heart rate sensors built in. Nowadays they come in adjustable fabric with the receiver either being the attachment point or even more advances, just snaps on the strap and the sensors are built into the strap in small plastic sections. Don’t like the chest strap? Alpha says no problem. Just cinch on the Alpha to your wrist, hold the feature button down to start monitoring and GO.
The wrist strap on the Alpha is a soft supple rubber that has elastic properties. It needs to be flexible in order to get the strap tight enough to allow the sensor to function properly. What’s also a nice is their is the absence of the loop for the end of the strap to stop it from flapping around. An ingenious design has little rubber pegs on the strap end that snap into holes on the strap, essentially holding the end of the strap secure onto itself.
The Alpha sensor works off two light beams and an electro-optical cell to "sense" the volume of blood under your skin. It’s a bright green light that emits from the back of the watch onto your wrist. It’s similar to the technology used in hospitals for the finger clips that measure heart rate. It’s not new, but it is newer in the watch form for endurance athletes. The small catch is that the sensor needs to be in direct and firm contact with the wrist above the wrist bone. It’s not the most natural watch location and if a triathlete likes a loose watch strap, it might be uncomfortable. Wearing it for this review, the amount of pressure required to get readings was not unreasonable, but the watch and strap will be firm on the wrist.
If users had a way to record data in the pool, the watch is water resistant. Once the watch found the pulse, swimming 2500 meters didn’t shake it loose. The only issue with the ANT+ version is finding a training device to mate the readings to. If swimmers wanted to simply monitor their heart rate while swimming, mission accomplished. If wearers wanted to have that heart rate picked up by a GPS watch, Polar might be the only watch that will accomplish this.
Speaking of ANT+, Athletes MUST pair the Alpha with an ANT+ heart rate recording watch or a Bluetooth smart phone with the appropriate app installed. The particular Alpha tested was the ANT+ version. It could be used with a smartphone paired with an ANT+ dongle device. Alpha is either compatible with all smart phones featuring Bluetooth 4.0 or most ANT+ enabled devices. It’s either-or, not both at this point. Mio is also working on their own app for smartphone, but have a list of apps that will work on their web site.
The Alpha will only monitor heart rate. It will only show the average from the last workout and will not record data for download and analysis. The Alpha must be paired with a phone or ANT+ device to record the heart rate for download for analysis. Garmin connect and Training Peaks works great with the Garmin 910XT the Alpha was tested with. In that regard, the Alpha has the same limitations as any other heart rate strap. It merely records, but the Alpha stands above the straps since it can display the heart rate without another device.
The MIO Alpha touts other features such as a timer in the absence of a running watch, user settable heart rate zones with visual and audible alerts and data review (total exercise time; average heart rate; time "in zone") in addition to the clock, Bluetooth Smart connectivity and continuous heart rate display
The charger is unique in that it only interfaces with a USB plug. It has a short tether cable that folds back into itself. The actual charger connection to the Alpha is magnetized to connect to the back of the Alpha which is nice and secure. These days a lot of phone chargers accept a USB cable, so using a wall plug to charge the Alpha in the absence of a computer would work in a pinch with a phone wall plug-to-USB charger. Speaking of charging, the Alpha can survive a long time with a full charge. This particular device for this review has been worked 3 to 4 times a week at an hour or more per workout for 2 months and has yet to need a new charge. That’s longevity!
A key point to consider is the connectivity to the heart rate. Straps sometimes will lose contact with the skin if they are not lubricated or if the weather is dry and cold. That could cause a drop in data distorting overall averages and other metrics. The Alpha was more reliable in that regard. Very rarely did it ever drop signal or give inaccurate readings like a chest strap might do. It was used on trainer bike rides, long runs, short runs, high intensity intervals, hill work and long droning runs. Compared to heart rate data from previous runs, there is virtually no difference in the peaks and averages in solid data that had no drops.
Here’s the kicker, it’s retailing for $199. That’s a far cry from the average heart rate strap that goes for $35ish. That’s not the best news for a triathlete on a budget.
Overall it’s a fascinating product. It has a lot of possibilities for future GPS watches where the heart rate monitoring could be built in and eliminate the need for straps or other monitors. On its own, it would be hard to warrant the price tag for heart rate monitoring since users will need the right phone and app or an ANT+ device that will record heart rate data. It will measure with more reliability that a lot of chest straps and will keep up with high intensity work giving highly accurate readings. The Alpha will not die. After 2 months of tinkering, it’s still well over half a charge left. The whole concept eliminates the need for chest straps and that skin line that every triathlete comes away with after peeling off a chest strap. For what it’s advertised to do, it has no competition. The issue is really the price tag, but hopefully as MIO moves along, the price will go down or the device will be licenced to be incorporated in popular GPS watches.
* Writer’s note - MIO provided a prototype ANT+ version of the MIO Alpha for this review and in no way influenced this review.
The problem is how can triathletes afford it? The average GPS watch these days comes with the capabilities to read ANT+ devices, and more specifically heart rate straps. Those sometimes awkward straps that going around a person’s sternum and sit there to track beats per minute and relay that to a GPS watch or running watch with ANT+ capabilities. Garmin, Timex, Polar and a host of other GPS watches and then a whole other host of running watches without GPS all can provide the platform to track heart rate with the chest strap. But, what if athletes hate having that strap around their chest for upwards of 12 hours? It can chafe. It can lose contact unless lubricated. Nothing’s more frustrating than looking down at the monitor and seeing a flatline, and hopefully it’s just due to equipment malfunction. The strap can wear out. The strap can fray. The connection points can pop off when adjusting on the fly and require stoppage of motion to re-attach. All bad situations.
Fear not, there’s a new kid on the block. The company isn’t new as much as their product is new. The MIO Alpha promises to deliver comfort, quality and reliability without the chest strap. Their claim to be different than other strapless monitors is that they can provide continuous monitoring at performance speeds allowing high intensity and precise training.
MIO recently zipped over an Alpha for review. Sit back and revel in the glory of the MIO Alpha strapless heart rate watch review.
Since this MIO Alpha was a prototype at the time, it did not come with the standard packaging and printed material that retail watches will come with. Upon initial inspection, the watch has style and is compact. It could pass for an everyday fashionable watch if users wanted to just leave the watch on at all times as it is smaller and more compact that the Garmin 910XT. And, users could use it for any occasion since the MIO Alpha doubles as a real-time watch when the heart rate feature is turned off. It can be set to 12 or 24 hour and worn at all times. Wearers will have to set the time manually, as the Alpha will not sync with GPS (makes sense due to it not being a GPS watch) nor will it sync with a computer when charging.
Setup is pretty straight forward. After initial charge up and setting the time and some heart rate zones, after 15 minutes, the Alpha is ready to hit the streets. Triathletes in a hurry and with no patience should find the MIO Alpha a welcomed addition the training arsenal. The only catch with this type of heart rate monitor is that it must be turned “on” to start monitoring.
The whole premise for the Alpha is to get heart rate information without needing the sometimes cumbersome strap that most athletes would have to wear in the past. The chest straps have come a long way since the original inception of the hard plastic straps with the bulky and inconvenient heart rate sensors built in. Nowadays they come in adjustable fabric with the receiver either being the attachment point or even more advances, just snaps on the strap and the sensors are built into the strap in small plastic sections. Don’t like the chest strap? Alpha says no problem. Just cinch on the Alpha to your wrist, hold the feature button down to start monitoring and GO.
The wrist strap on the Alpha is a soft supple rubber that has elastic properties. It needs to be flexible in order to get the strap tight enough to allow the sensor to function properly. What’s also a nice is their is the absence of the loop for the end of the strap to stop it from flapping around. An ingenious design has little rubber pegs on the strap end that snap into holes on the strap, essentially holding the end of the strap secure onto itself.
The Alpha sensor works off two light beams and an electro-optical cell to "sense" the volume of blood under your skin. It’s a bright green light that emits from the back of the watch onto your wrist. It’s similar to the technology used in hospitals for the finger clips that measure heart rate. It’s not new, but it is newer in the watch form for endurance athletes. The small catch is that the sensor needs to be in direct and firm contact with the wrist above the wrist bone. It’s not the most natural watch location and if a triathlete likes a loose watch strap, it might be uncomfortable. Wearing it for this review, the amount of pressure required to get readings was not unreasonable, but the watch and strap will be firm on the wrist.
If users had a way to record data in the pool, the watch is water resistant. Once the watch found the pulse, swimming 2500 meters didn’t shake it loose. The only issue with the ANT+ version is finding a training device to mate the readings to. If swimmers wanted to simply monitor their heart rate while swimming, mission accomplished. If wearers wanted to have that heart rate picked up by a GPS watch, Polar might be the only watch that will accomplish this.
Speaking of ANT+, Athletes MUST pair the Alpha with an ANT+ heart rate recording watch or a Bluetooth smart phone with the appropriate app installed. The particular Alpha tested was the ANT+ version. It could be used with a smartphone paired with an ANT+ dongle device. Alpha is either compatible with all smart phones featuring Bluetooth 4.0 or most ANT+ enabled devices. It’s either-or, not both at this point. Mio is also working on their own app for smartphone, but have a list of apps that will work on their web site.
The Alpha will only monitor heart rate. It will only show the average from the last workout and will not record data for download and analysis. The Alpha must be paired with a phone or ANT+ device to record the heart rate for download for analysis. Garmin connect and Training Peaks works great with the Garmin 910XT the Alpha was tested with. In that regard, the Alpha has the same limitations as any other heart rate strap. It merely records, but the Alpha stands above the straps since it can display the heart rate without another device.
The MIO Alpha touts other features such as a timer in the absence of a running watch, user settable heart rate zones with visual and audible alerts and data review (total exercise time; average heart rate; time "in zone") in addition to the clock, Bluetooth Smart connectivity and continuous heart rate display
The charger is unique in that it only interfaces with a USB plug. It has a short tether cable that folds back into itself. The actual charger connection to the Alpha is magnetized to connect to the back of the Alpha which is nice and secure. These days a lot of phone chargers accept a USB cable, so using a wall plug to charge the Alpha in the absence of a computer would work in a pinch with a phone wall plug-to-USB charger. Speaking of charging, the Alpha can survive a long time with a full charge. This particular device for this review has been worked 3 to 4 times a week at an hour or more per workout for 2 months and has yet to need a new charge. That’s longevity!
A key point to consider is the connectivity to the heart rate. Straps sometimes will lose contact with the skin if they are not lubricated or if the weather is dry and cold. That could cause a drop in data distorting overall averages and other metrics. The Alpha was more reliable in that regard. Very rarely did it ever drop signal or give inaccurate readings like a chest strap might do. It was used on trainer bike rides, long runs, short runs, high intensity intervals, hill work and long droning runs. Compared to heart rate data from previous runs, there is virtually no difference in the peaks and averages in solid data that had no drops.
Here’s the kicker, it’s retailing for $199. That’s a far cry from the average heart rate strap that goes for $35ish. That’s not the best news for a triathlete on a budget.
Overall it’s a fascinating product. It has a lot of possibilities for future GPS watches where the heart rate monitoring could be built in and eliminate the need for straps or other monitors. On its own, it would be hard to warrant the price tag for heart rate monitoring since users will need the right phone and app or an ANT+ device that will record heart rate data. It will measure with more reliability that a lot of chest straps and will keep up with high intensity work giving highly accurate readings. The Alpha will not die. After 2 months of tinkering, it’s still well over half a charge left. The whole concept eliminates the need for chest straps and that skin line that every triathlete comes away with after peeling off a chest strap. For what it’s advertised to do, it has no competition. The issue is really the price tag, but hopefully as MIO moves along, the price will go down or the device will be licenced to be incorporated in popular GPS watches.
* Writer’s note - MIO provided a prototype ANT+ version of the MIO Alpha for this review and in no way influenced this review.
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