Transitions

I never really practice transitions, contrary to the conventional wisdom of the multisport world. I do mostly duathlons, which simplifies matter (I seldom peel a wetsuit, and when I do, it's a peculiarly easy wetsuit to shuck). Still, my transitions are fast enough--usually under a minute, usually fairly comparable to the very fastest at the sport--so it's nothing I worry about a whole lot. Maybe I've done enough multisport events in my life (though I doubt it--my first duathlon was in 1998) and have adequate experience. To me, it's a matter of placing things logically. The key one, of course, is T1, the first transition to the bike, because there are more things to remember, and more of them have to be done while standing in one place. Here are my usual practices:

1. Shoes that are easily slipped off and on (see the Nike Free 5.0 review), usually lubricated with Sport Shield and laced with a fast lacing technology. The best I've tried so far are Lock Laces.

2. Helmet on or near the handlebar. I've taken to putting it at the bridge of my aerobars. Getting the buckle to snap into place is usually the big challenge here.

3. I lock my shoes into the pedals beforehand, unless there's a circumstance that suggets otherwise (steep hill at the beginning of the bike leg, for example, that would make pedaling on top of my shoes difficult). I've found the question of donning bike shoes in transition or slipping them on to be a wash. I choose to lock them in to the pedals and slip them on while riding because it's easier to run in bare feet than in cycling shoes.

4. Remember where my bike is in the transition area. I usually survey the "run in" or "swim in" area of the transition area and count the number of racks until I get to mine. That way I'll remember when I'm doing it at speed.

5. If there are things I need before the bike, place them on the left side of the bike because that's the side I prefer to walk/run the bike on and mount from. Usually, I slip my shoes off, using my toes, on the left side of the bike. That leaves my hands free to put on the helmet, buckle it, grab the bike and run to the bike mount line.

6. Finally--BE CALM! It should be done quickly, but most importantly, should be done under control. Going too fast and making mistakes can cause more trouble than going too slowly.

Interval Training

I posted some thoughts on interval training over at Crosseyed and Painless.

A Nike Free 5.0 Review, or, Yeah, I Get It, I'll Run Barefoot

Shoe: Nike Free 5.0
Purchased: Modell's, Bethesda, Md.
Price: $85


I haven't run in a Nike product for about 10 years--the last one being a pretty zoot racer from the mid-90s, can't remember its name, but it was green. I typically avoid Nikes because they tend to be gimmicky, overhyped, and too expensive when compared to comparable shoes from Asics, New Balance, and others. I assume the pricepoints are higher to pay for the marketing. But I had to admit I was pretty intrigued with the notion of the Nike Free when I first started seeing the ads that morphed footage from the beach-running scenes in "Chariots of Fire" with a city street. Here's the thing about me: I don't need a whole lot of cushioning or motion control, so many running shoes are simply overbuilt for me. So I plunged in to try out the Nike Free 5.0.























It's a bit of an example of how what goes around comes around. In the mid-80s, Nike marketed a shoe called the Sock Racer, which Joan Benoit Samuelson wore to at least one marathon victory. (More on Nike's experiments in minimalism.)

The rest of this review is based on about two months' worth of wear in training and racing.

The shoe's sole is as flexy as advertised. In fact, so flexy that it's almost hazardous for city running. More than once I've been stepping on curbs and had my ankle turn as I put my full weight on that leg. Likewise, I'm skeptical about the ability of this shoe to strengthen my feet, unless I really focused on running on grass like St. Arthur Lydiard would encourage. (If I really want to strengthen my feet, why don't I just run barefoot on grass?) Likewise, the joints that create the flexyness also seem to create vulnerability in the shoe--I don't know what would happen if I stepped on the tip of a sharp twig. On the other hand, I've run on gravel trails and felt no sharp stones whatsoever. Finally, the material around the heel counter isn't particularly robust, and I wonder if that wouldn't tear eventually.

On the positive side, this is a really really light shoe, as light as any racing flat I own. It's also the first shoe I've ever been able to wear sockless out of the box, up to and including 90 minute runs. It seems to be the only training shoe that can do double duty as a trainer and racer. It wouldn't surprise me if I were able to wear it in a marathon, sockless, and be fine. It's also a very good shoe for multisport. I've worn them in one triathlon and one duathlon, and it's easy slide-off, slide-on.

Don't buy this shoe if you're heavy or have bad feet. It's not going to be enough. Likewise, I would never make this my only shoe. The feet need relief, which is why I work it in my training rotation with a pair of New Balance 853s and a pair of Asics DS-Trainers. But I'm impressed with Nike this time. They tried a gimmick that finally worked for me.

Last notes: They were low on stock at the Modell's, so I ended up with the white shoe with blue trim, rather than the cooler red and black. (Of course, if you really want to specify your color, you can go the Nike ID route.) And finally, these run really small. I'm wearing an 11.5, compared to my normal 10.5.

Kenny Souza's Back

It's somewhat auspicious for me to be starting this blog this week, because Kenny Souza--he of the lion's mane hair and skimpy Speedos, who simultaneously put multisport on the map and made TV producers squeamish about pointing cameras at a guy running around in a banana hammock for no good reason--began his comeback over the weekend at Powerman Zofingen in Switzerland, the mecca of the sport. For a guy who hadn't raced in six years, he dispatched himself fairly well, with a 23rd place finish. It's also interesting that he chose to compete as an elite rather than as an age-grouper, as he could have.

My only hope is that his comeback isn't the short-lived affair of Alberto Salazar, whose return to running in the '90s consisted of winning the Comrades Marathon (technically not a marathon in that it's 53 miles long instead of 26.2) and anchoring the Nike team in the Hood To Coast Relay in Oregon. I hope Souza sticks around in the sport, because it needs a rock star.

My friends at duathlon.com have an interview with him (conducted by Jay Cech, who himself has all those same rock-star qualities as Souza) and a report on the race. And of course, there are full results.