Active Spokes

I got a couple sets of Active Spokes in the mail today to test out. I realize I have been lagging on this blog and I need to keep it up. This is one item for sure I will need to post about, since I am sure many people are interested in hearing more.

These are weights placed on the spokes of a wheel, and help to generate more momentum and inertia on rolling courses, adding rolling momentum to the wheels. Interesting concepts, so we will have to see if it works as well as it sounds.

I also hope to soon update with other posts on the following products:

ISM Adamo saddle
Polar Power Meter
Look 986 mountain bike
Garmin Forerunner 305 continued
TP Massage kit

Look for some posts on these items over the course of the next few weeks.

Jim

Compression Socks

If you watched Kona online, on TV, or even saw photos, you noticed a big presence of compression socks at the event, especially among the elites. I was a little skeptical about these, but I am always one to embrace new ideas, technologies, and anything which may give me an advantage or help me go faster.

The need for compression socks became very clear to me in my Ironman Florida experiences. First, in leading up to the race my coach at the time, Peter Reid, warned me that I needed to wear shoes which would normally be a half-size too big, because I could expect my feet to swell during the race. Honestly, I never recalled my legs or feet swelling, and the pictures don't show it either, but apparently this may be an issue for some, especially if Peter Reid is suggesting it.

The other time was actually after arriving home from Ironman Florida and seeing my lower legs so swollen from the flight, I was literally SCARED! After it happened again, I ordered a pair and began wearing them on every flight for a race, or post-race. I have not had any swelling issues since during travels.

Joe Friel actually wrote a post on his blog about compression socks, and cited some research:
http://www2.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2007/10/can-your-socks-make-you-faster.html

I was contacted during the off-season from a person associated with SLS Tri, to give their socks a "tri". They did not have any larges in stock, so he sent me a pair of mediums.

The first time I tried the socks was on a 2 hour run, in which I wasn't feeling great to begin with, (poor dinner choices the night before affecting my stomach), and the socks didn't provide any magical solution to that. Not fair to expect that of them though.

After the run, I was on the bike for 3.5 hours, and decided to continue wearing them for the ride. (They did nicely double as leg warmers!) I ran into the gentleman who sent me the socks, and he noticed the mediums were too small. The socks had started just below my knee, but during the run and ride they fell down to the top of the meaty part of my calf. I asked him if the larges would have a looser fit, and he explained no, the length is the only difference, not the width of the socks. This was good to hear.

The socks actually felt great on the ride, and I was really beginning to wonder if they were good for the bike ride too? I since learned that Popovich was wearing some last year, but was getting in trouble with the UCI for wearing them in competition. Not sure why, but the UCI is weird.

I gave the socks another try on a run, and tried to focus on the claim of the company, "Compression mechanics strengthen and stabilize muscles, tendons, joints, and help recovery." As I understood this statement, it says the socks will provide support during running. So I thought about this while I ran, and I seemed to go back and forth between thinking they support my lower leg, and that they also restrict it. Honestly, it all depended on how I was feeling at the moment. If my legs felt light and the pace was quick and easy, I felt the socks helped support me. When I felt sluggish and slow, the socks were easy to blame and think they restricted me.

Certainly, the compression seems to be a hindrance in the ankle joint movement, but really not much.

The company cites some research at their site, but the one issue is that the research they use to proclaim the benefits of their product with, is actually for compression of the forearms, not the lower legs.

It seems next to impossible to fully provide data which will say the socks make a difference in performance, if worn in the race. I even wondered how many seconds would be lost due to the time required to put them on, but with a little bit of practice I seemed to have them on fairly quickly.

I certainly believe compression socks are an invaluable recovery tool though.

With this, I will ask and answer the 4 big questions:

1. What need does this product serve?
The need it definitely serves is in recovery, be it from travels, or just for day to day training. If you work at a desk all day, or on your feet all day, and notice any swelling of the lower leg, this product certainly will help your need for better recovery and blood flow.

The need it tries to serve is in performance. The verdict is still out on this, and I will continue to experiment with the socks before I give a judgement one way or the other. I think having a pair that is the right size would help.

2. How well does the product do what it says it does?
The compression socks definitely provide excellent compression, making them great for recovery. Whether or not this product helps in race performance still requires more research, as well as more anecdotal evidence. (The main anecdotes that matter to me are coming from me!)

3. What is the cost-benefit value of this product? (For what the product does, is it worth the cost?)
The socks I tried retail at $57.95. If you're having swelling issues, either during training, or from being on your feet or at a desk all day, these will certainly be worth the cost.

4. How could this product be improved?
I am unsure about improvements, and don't feel I've made an accurate assessment on it yet, since I probably need a size L, instead of the mediums. I am pleased to see the company offers a regular sock, a cooling sock, and UV protection sock. This is a good start.

Hope this helps, and feel free to leave your thoughts and ideas in the comments section.

Jim Vance

More on the Garmin elevation correction and WKO+

In my last blog post, I talked about the elevation profile issues with the Garmin 305, but how it can be corrected with WKO+ software. I didn't go into how to do this exactly, because I figured the people at Peaksware would describe it well on their blog, and sure enough, THEY DID!

You can read about the procedure to fix your elevation profile for your run, step-by-step, with pictures to illustrate the process.

http://blog.trainingpeaks.com/2008/01/ground-control-elevation-correction-for-your-gps-device.html

Enjoy!

Vance

Garmin 305 Continued

In my last post, I mentioned how the Garmin 305 Forerunner GPS isn't a perfect tool, but any flaws it has can be accounted for. Here is where I want to discuss them.

The biggest inaccuracies of the 305 is the altitude/elevation profile information. However, it seems to be better when your runs are not completed along the ocean. For some reason, all my runs along the coast end up with excessive errors, claiming I have climbed a few thousand feet in 10K. Clearly, I barely left sea level.

If you're using the new Training Peaks WKO+ software to monitor your running, with rTSS, NGP and IF, you are in luck! You can actually correct the elevation profile of your Garmin 305 files, to get the right data.

How does it do this? WKO+ takes the coordinates of your run, and connects to a database of your choice, (I like the USGS website), to get the exact profile of the run you completed. This becomes very important, because a profile which says you are running more up and down than you are will give you a Normalized Graded Pace which is faster than you actually did. This in turn affects all your other calculations, such as run Training Stress Score, and Intensity Factor.

Just how much of a difference does it make? Here's an example from my run, a 10K loop around the bay and on the ocean, mostly at sea level...

Duration: 45:23

Data from Garmin before correction of elevation profile:

rTSS: 83.8
IF: 1.026
NGP: 6:32
Elevation Gain: 1917 ft
Elevation Loss: 1879 ft
Grade: 0.1 %

Data after correction of elevation profile in WKO+:

rTSS: 77.7
IF: 0.967
NGP: 6:47
Elevation Gain: 255 ft
Elevation Loss: 259 ft
Grade: -0.0 % (-3 ft)

When we examine the data above with more detail, we can see a difference of nearly 1700 ft in elevation profile alone! IN ONLY 10K! This counted for a difference in my intensity factor at the time as being above threshold pace, or below it! That made a difference of 7.3% in Training Stress Score, or in other words, the measured affect of the workout on my body was 7.3% lower than what it said. That's a pretty significant difference in stress on the body!

As I said, the problem seems to be more exacerbated near the ocean, and as I go inland it seems to get better. However, I have not tested this theory, and certainly haven't seen if it is any better or worse at significant altitudes.

So this one example how the Garmin 305 as a training tool is not perfect, but it's inaccuracies can be accounted for.

Next time I will discuss the accuracy of the 305's distance measuring.

Vance

Garmin 305 Forerunner

One of the coolest products I use in my training is the Garmin 305 Forerunner. Honestly, used with the new WKO+ software, you can be more in touch with your fitness and race-preparedness than ever before! And I'm saying this as a runner of over 16 years, who has competed at the NCAA Championships, and some of the biggest races in the world.

This item will really help you to understand better what your economy is, by showing you the relationship between your pace and your heartrate, much like a cyclist uses power and heartrate. If you pay attention to my coaching blog, I will be discussing the importance of this feature, and how it works to keep your training precise and maximize your training time.

The features included in this GPS system include:

• Current and average pace
• Lap recording with lap pace, auto lap recording by distance, (every mile or km), or a lap point on a course
• Distance, with alerts for every mile or km
• Heartrate zone settings, with alerts to keep you in the zones you want to be in
• Elevation, with total ascent and descent per lap and throughout the workout
• For cyclists, it records speed, and will even give cadence with some additional hardware

Is the Garmin 305 a perfect tool? No, of course not. But it is the best tool out there for running, and even it's imperfections can be accounted for, and even while it isn't 100% accurate, it is very consistent!

If you're considering getting one, you can order it here for under $200! (One of the best prices I've seen!):
Garmin 305 Forerunner

In the coming weeks I will discuss the 305, and how to maximize this tool for your training.

Vance