What better place to test this stuff out then on the lava fields of Hawaii – so that’s what we’ve done.  A few different trials and we’ve found the perfect answer.  It’s extremely breathable, extremely water proof, and claims to be anti-aging (which by blocking UV and preventing skin damage is actually reasonable).  The key ingredient is 3% Zinc Oxide in a product called Hawaiian Blend Sport Sunblock SPF50.   We tried a couple others – Bullfrog works great, but not for long.  Similar findings for Coppertone Sport.  The worst was made by Banana Boat, even the sport sunscreen was very un-breathable and it makes you sweat from every pore. It also didn’t do much to block the sun after any time in the water.

Something with Zinc Oxide is by far your best bet.  3% is a good level, anything higher and you’ll be a white monster as it doesn’t rub in very well.  If you have a hairy body you may want to look for something with a bit less zinc for that very reason.  However, anything without it and it’ll be gone a few hours into the bike.

The people who run the Ironman show (WTC) had recently placed a ban on compression socks – but it does look like they’ve reversed that decision for Kona this year.  The issue was that they thought athletes were gaining an unfair advantage by covering up their respective age categories.  Sounds like they have eliminated the ritual of putting the athletes age on the back of the calf altogether.

One final thing – if you want to use them purely for recovery you can find the perfect pair for ~$15 at your local pharmacy.  These types tend not to be designed for training (thick cotton soles etc.) but if you want them solely for recovery,  they are way cheaper than the $50-$75 price tag found on compression socks in sports stores.

Here is a great article on compression socks from wisegeek.com.  In fairness to them we’ve only put half the article up here in the hopes that you’ll read the rest on their site.

Compression socks are specialized hosiery items designed to provide extra support and increased blood circulation for their wearers. Some compression sock manufacturers may also use the term support socks to describe their product. Compression socks are not to be confused with traditional dress socks or non-compression diabetic socks, although they may look similar. The main purpose of compression socks is to provide graduated pressure on the lower leg and foot. Traditional dress and athletic socks offer some degree of compression, but not enough to be considered therapeutic.

The key to understanding compression socks lies in their graduated pressure application. Throughout an average day, the body pumps blood to all of the extremities as equally as it can. However, gravity often causes blood to pool in the lower legs and feet, causing circulatory problems such as edema, phlebitis and thrombosis. At the very least, all of this blood pooling can cause fatigue and leg cramps. Elevating the legs and feet may alleviate the pain temporarily, but it often returns after a few hours of constant standing or walking.

This is where the use of compression socks can be extremely beneficial. Compression socks use stronger elastics such as lycra, rubber or spandex to create significant pressure on the legs…


Read more at: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-compression-socks.htm

Things  to consider:

-The aerodynamic position on a triathlon bike allows your hips to stay open.  If you were to put your back into the same aerodynamic position on a road bike, you will more than likely have a tighter hip angle, pinching off some of the blood flow and comfort you’ll need to perform well.  If you have tight back and glute muscles, riding in any semblance of an aero position while on a road bike is going to be extremely uncomfortable.  If you have a barrel chest, big gut, large breasts – same thing holds true.  Your quads will be hitting your upper body on a road bike with aero bars.  Moving the seat forward relative to the bottom bracket (which is basically what a tri-bike does) will open up your hips and give you more room to breath and stay comfortable,while all while being more aerodynamic.  In our opinion this is what most people neglect to look at.  They think because their body won’t allow them to be aero, they don’t need a triathlon frame with a steeper seat angle.  TOTALLY wrong, it will help in a big way for the reasons mentioned above.

-More power when further over the bottom bracket.  Have you ever seen professional cyclists when they’re giving it 110% in a Time trial or a solo breakaway?  They’re sitting as far forward on the saddle as they can to generate the highest amount of power.  Competitive cyclists have specific rules that keep their bike saddles from being too far forward – not applicable to triathlon and it’s good to take advantage of it (to a point).  If you’ll be doing a lot of climbing out of the aero bars, you can generate more power by sitting further back on the saddle so you don’t want to take the forward saddle position too far.

-Braking and cornering on a road bike is more responsive. If you’re a nervous rider and don’t feel confident with your bike handling skills, a road bike is going to offer more forgiveness and security when it comes time to round a tight corner at speed or hit the brakes in an emergency.

Those are the salient points in this decision.  But, don’t forget to keep in mind the enjoyment factor.  Riding a road bike set up in training is a lot of fun if you’re out to simply ride with friends and see the countryside.  If triathlon is looking to be a large part of your life, we would recommend jumping on to the triathlon specific frame set up.

When trying helmets on bring your bike (or keep the receipt), get in your aero position and get someone to look at how the helmet fits with the overall line of your body (side profile pictures work the best). You want to avoid a big gap between the tail of the helmet and your back, this will prevent turbulent airflow.

Another consideration is temperature and predominant wind direction. Aero helmets have fewer vents and can prevent your head from cooling adequately during hot races. They do, however, protect your ears from the sun.  Also, if you are battling a side wind, a large tail can actually catch the wind and negate the aero benefits.  It’s nice to have the option of wearing one, but don’t get caught up in the ‘must have’ mind set.  Notice that both male and female Ironman World Champions this year did not wear aero helmets.

If you have  sensitive skin, applying body glide between your legs, along any areas where seams and chamois in your bike shorts may rub, around the draw-string of your shorts, where a race number belt may make contact with your waist, and around your ankle where your timing-chip strap goes - are all important measures to take to keep your lower half happy.  In addition to the armpit and sports bra areas, you may want to apply body glide to your neck and the front of your chest if you have a zipper that opens up the front of your jersey. Men may also find that nipples are an essential area to cover, especially if they change into a more loose fitting jersey for the run. If you wear a heart rate monitor it can be good to apply body glide in a band right around your ribcage.

In non race scenarios, body glide is great to have in your swim bag to avoid chaffing from your chlorine resistant, but rough, polyester swim suit.  I get funny looks every morning when I appear to be applying deodorant to strange places, but I find that my neck and armpits get roughed up with anything over 4000m.  A between the legs application of body-glide can be the solution to those little run shorts that just aren’t comfortable for anything over 10k otherwise. Body glide is also great for avoiding blisters on your feet from new shoes or swim fins.

I (Heather) have exceptionally sensitive skin and wish I could just be dunked in a vat of the stuff before a race. I inevitably find all of the spots that I missed afterward in a painful, stinging, post-race shower. I’ve got a nice ring of timing chip scars on my ankle and multiple scars on my back from swims in new wetsuits and swimskins without adequate application of lubricant – so be smart and apply BodyGlide liberally!

FYI- BodyGlide is also useful if you dye your hair! Apply a band around your forehead, neck and ears and you won’t get any stains on your skin.

Some may find that the 53 tooth chain ring is just too big, or too hard to ride most of the time.  And rightly so.  How often do you find yourself in the 53 tooth front ring and the 12 tooth cog a the back?  I would wager not very often at all unless you have some long descents in your training grounds.   Even then, you’ve got to be going over 60km per hour to spin that gear out.  Then there’s always the situation where you hit a hill that’s not quite long enough to bother switching to your 39 tooth chain ring so you just grunt it over the top in your big ring.  Or the dreaded, ‘oh crap I’m not going to make it in my 53, I need to switch half way up but can’t because I have to keep pedaling and I’m not going fast enough.’

Anyway, enough about the problems of a 53/39, here are some alternatives that you may want to think about.

Switch the 53 for a 52 tooth chain ring.  The 52 tooth chain ring is a great alternative.  It’s enough to notice a difference but not so much of a change to lose the gear you’ll need when going 50km/hr.  To ease your mind on this change – At the Junior cycling level they impose a gear restriction of 52 x 14.  And these guys and gals are still doing Time Trials with average speeds at just under 50km/hr.  It won’t slow you down any(only on the descents), put it that way.

Compact Cranks: These typically come with a 50 tooth big ring and a 32 tooth small ring.  You may want to try this out if you really have a lot of difficulty climbing in your easiest gear, or have never touched the lower cogs when you’re in your big ring.  The 50 tooth front ring will create a better chain line (less friction supposedly) and allow you some more freedom in rolling terrain.  The 32 small ring is small, but you can get a 36 very easily if you’d like to bring it up a bit.

Another option that we enjoy using is the 42 tooth small chain ring.  You won’t want to do this if you have even the slightest amount of difficulty with a 39, or live in a mountainous area with those long 10 km+ climbs.  A 42 tooth small chain ring is heaven for most half and full Ironman races (North American ones anyway) and athletes with a good pair of cycling legs.  You’ll find with a 42 that you’re less reluctant to switch into the small ring when you want.  You can even cruise nicely at ~35km/hr holding a respectable cadence.  It is truely our favorite switch for most terrain.  And if you happen to hit a long 20km climb…well, enjoy the burn.

And to quickly sum up some other options.  A 54 tooth big ring – great if you know you’ll be on a flat fast race course and have some strong bike legs.  Using an 11 x 21 tooth cogest on the back can  give you a couple more options on the fast courses as well.  Or use a 12 x 25 tooth cogset to give you an extra gear for the big climbs.  The drawback with a 12 x 25 is that this puts a lot of space between some of the gears.  It can be hard to find the sweet spot with this gearing, but good if you have a wide variety of terrain to train on.

Our take on aero positions (like most) is to be as aero as possible without compromising your power.  Aerodynamics are indeed important, but time saved due to less drag will pale in comparison to the time you lose if you are so uncomfortable you can’t ride properly, or if you hinder your ability to run afterward.  Here’s a couple pictures to show you some extremes on either end of the scale.

Bjorn Anderson – This position is CRAZY.  It works for him on the bike – but it’s hard to say what it costs him on the run.  He usually has the fastest bike split outside of Kona, but rarely has a good run.  He did win Wildflower, but I think his Ironman attempts have been lackluster.  Maybe he can’t digest food properly, maybe he rides too hard.  Whatever it is, the point is to show a very extreme aero position:

On the other end of the spectrum – and if this gentleman happens to be reading this, we apologize for critiquing your position.  Even though he’s not riding the bike, you can tell that he’s going to be upright when he does.  Notice the vertical upper arms of the guy above – and the superman position below.  I would bet he feels very weak in his aero position every time the slightest hill comes around.  This is mainly because his saddle is too far back and his bars too high.   It’s kind of like trying to do a squat with your center of mass behind your heels – it simply won’t work.

And here is a picture to illustrate someone who rides really far forward on the saddle.  This is most likely where Belinda Granger feels very powerful – probably because she has shorter legs.  Heather, on the other hand, has long femurs so needs to sit a bit further back – they both have almost vertical upper arms though.

In closing – try to find someone with similar body type and compare your position.  Trevor did his own comparison just a couple weeks ago after Ironman Arizona.  Jordan Rapp laid down the fastest bike split- not solely because he’s super aero, but also because he’s strong. A quick comparison never hurts to see where a few seconds or minutes may be gained.