What I'm using.
An opinionated list of everything involved in getting from here to the finish line in Argentina. Updated as things break, get replaced, or turn out to be mistakes.
Swim
The discipline I started knowing the least about. The gap has closed. Slightly.
Still debating. Wetsuit swimming feels like cheating until you try open water without one.
I'm going to be completely honest, I'm just going on vibes, and these looked cool.
They give you one. It is usually a color that matches nothing.
I will steal these from my friends at some point I am sure of it.
Bike
112 miles of rolling country. Blues Clues carries me through it.
Blues Clues deserves her own page →Blues Clues is an endurance road bike built for exactly this kind of suffering. The IsoSpeed decoupler means 112 miles doesn't ruin your hands. She is blue. Unapologetically, completely blue.
It was cheap, and it's white, and I don't feel like a total dork when I wear it.
I put them on, they help me clip in. WHat more could you want?
I think this is where they're supposed to be.
Yeehaw cowboy, this ALSO game with the bike.
This is literally held on the bike with a ziptie. Thank you Mica!
I normally bring more than one bottle... normally.
Run
26.2 miles. The part everyone asks about. The part that happens after 9 hours of racing.
I have worn Brooks my whole life except when I didn't and honestly that was a mistake.
Lift in socks, IDK what to tell you
One piece tri suit for the whole day. Still deciding. Chamois padding for 7 hours of bike matters.
I am still searching for the perfect one.
It has told me for the better part of the month my training is unproductive, which honestly is just rude.
The other stuff
The things that don't fit a category but matter a lot.
Body Glide
If you know, you know. If you don't know yet, you will.
Salt tabs (Precision Hydration)
Texas heat + sweat = you need these. Not optional.
Foam roller
My relationship with this thing is complicated.
Strava
I used to be cool and have premium, but now I'm just hanging.
A note on gear
None of this is sponsored. Nobody is paying me to say anything about any of this. These are just the things I've tried, paid for myself, and formed opinions about. The opinions are strong but may change as I learn more. Which is always.