Thursday, November 24, 2016

Tri Holiday Guide

So it's Black Friday/Small Biz Saturday/Cyber Monday and maybe you're wondering what could you ever get that triathlete in your life?  Or you're looking for a list to give to folks buying for you...or maybe you just need to treat yo self! Look no further...these are the things that I use day in and day OUT to get me through my triathlife and maybe they can work for you too!  Look for the discount codes too!

Kits...be they for tri, bike run or swim, Coeur Sports has me covered.  We're also doing a Black Friday sale for 30% off so use code BF1630 to get you some as this stuff is rarely on sale!

Wheels, handle bars, stems...all the trimmings to make your whip fast and aero.  Hand made in Utah by the great folks at enve composites.  These wheels have NEVER let me down and I feel oh so stable in them, even in the mumuku winds of Kona.  And if you buy more than $75 right now, you'll be entered into a drawing for a set of wheels or a handlebar.  #treatyoself

BT Nutrition keeps me fueled day in and day out without all of the sugar of powerade.  Keep the hydration, ditch the sugar.  Use code WELOVESNBS for 10% off and see for yourself how much better your GI system behaves once you put the hydration in your bottles and keep the food in your pockets.

Strength...now enough of us pay attention to this and it is CRUCIAL to staying injury free (my new fave word is DURABLE) as well as keeping bone density high for the ladies.  The team at SBT Extreme has THE suspension trainer and right now you can get 25% off using code BF2016

Real Food..I live for it during training so that come race day, my fave race nutrition tastes fresh and like a treat.  Barnana is the perfect training food or pre/post workout snack to refuel with a good amount of carbs and fiber.  These tasty bites are organic and non-GMO.  My fave flavors are coconut and peanut butter. BOOM!

Race food- race day is a whole 'nother ball game and for race day I use a combo of my salty balls and Gu Stroopwafels with a little PB squished in it sammy like on the bike and then switch to gels on the run.  My fave flavors from Gu are the Caramel Coffee and GF Chocolate wafels and then I love the caramel macchiato and espresso love.   Right now Gu is offering 20% off site wide, no code necessary.

Just keep swimming...Just like Dory, we all need to keep swimming and the off-season is a great time to work on that swim stroke with pool toys by ROKA.  They also make the best wetsuits.  Full stop.  I get no neck chafing, and my shoulders feel unrestricted.  My go-to goggles from ROKA are the F1 in the jade tint for overcast days and the dark amber mirror for sunny days. These guys are offering 40% off for Black Friday (no code needed) so get some before it's GONE. 

What to keep all of your dirty clothes in while traveling, or put that wet swimsuit in instead of using yet another plastic bag and wasting things?  Aloha Collection offers bags that I use for everything...toiletries (even if they explode in the bag, i can just wash the bag and nothing else gets ruined), clothes, race day nutrition....the list goes on.  They're offering 25% off for this weekend with the code ALOHAFRIDAY!

Sunnies...for race day or post race looking casual chic, Smith Optics has you covered and looking on point.  My go to's for race day are the Arena for biking and the Asana for runs. For casual glasses, the Sidney is my jam. They also make amazing aero helmets (coming in March) and an incredibly safe road helmet, the Overtake which I've been using for 2 seasons now. 

Protein.  Say it with me, 30min window.  That's what you have after each workout to refuel properly to get your body kick started on recovery.  My recovery shake that I make is so good that I sometimes train just so I can have one! My recipe is 2 scoops organic chocolate Muscle Milk powder, 1c almond milk, 1 frozen banana, 1 serving peanut butter, ice and Voila!  If you like chocolate and PB, you will love this.  Sometimes i add a shot of cold brew and it's like a mocha. 

This might be on the bigger end of what you're asking for for The Holidays, but hey, a gal can dream, right?!  I've been riding Argon18 bikes for 6 years now.  I can't say enough for how well they handle, how well they are built and how amazing the Argon Family is.  For day to day riding since it's so hilly here in NorCal, I ride the Nitrogen Pro road bike.  I also raced Escape From Alcatraz on this since it's such a technical course and the bike is so aero.  My race bike is the E119 tri+ and it is amazing and so easy to take apart/build for races that include travel.

What are your fave things that make triathlon easier?  I hope you enjoy and have a great Holiday Season!