Products and Gear and Training, Oh My!

So there are a lot of things about triathlon that people don’t talk about.  Mainly because men don’t talk about this kind of stuff?  Because they don’t have to deal with some of the things that we (and by we, I mean women triathletes) do?  I have no idea, so we are going to dive right into the unpleasant and get things out there.

First, there is the simple.  Swimming WRECKS my blonde hair.  My hair feels like straw, I risk having a green tinge stick to my strands every time I get out of the pool, and can we talk for a minute about the smell?  Thankfully, there are answers to this issue.  But as I have said before NOBODY talks about these things.  First, for us blondes, you need to wet your hair before you get into the pool.  That keeps the copper from depositing on your hair causing the green buildup.  But in order to really keep this from happening, you also need to coat your hair with a conditioner or a pre-swim gel, paying attention to the ends.  Currently I have been using a Redken product, that of course, has been discontinued.  I have spoken to some fellow blonde swimmers and they recommend simply a thick conditioner or Burt’s Bees makes a hair oil.

I have recently come across a line of products from a great Southern California company called Reflect Sports.  They make some fantastic products for swimming.  To continue my train of thought from above, they make a great pre-swim gel, but more importantly, they make a fabulous post-swim shampoo and conditioner.  The shampoo not only helps to keep your hair from going green, but it also takes the nasty chlorine smell out of you hair and off of your body- it can be used as a body wash as well.  The conditioner is rich and as good as any expensive salon shampoo.  www.reflectsports.com  Go check it out… They have another great product too that pertains to the not so pleasant part of this discussion…

Ok, here it is- the second, which is the not so simple and the stuff they don’t tell you about.  Guys reading this- if you get squeamish at all, you may want to stop reading.

Alright, you had your chance- here it goes.  I love how when we started the training process that the coaches say- oh you only need one pair of bike shorts for our rides.  Um- eew.  First of all, gross because they get pretty smelly, but even more gross, because you do not wear panties under your shorts.  And seriously, would you ever wear your dirty smelly panties again after wearing them all day?  I think not.  And if you do, you risk such things as yeast infections and something called “crotchitis.”  Yes, it exists and I have read about it.   Don’t know about you but “Crotchitis” is not what I signed up for when starting to train for a tri.  So, my advice to any woman who is embarking on this road- multiple pairs of bike shorts.  Multiples are good for so many things- this is yet another.

One other thing they the almighty coaches have not explained or explored is the need for an anti-chafe product when on the bike.  Yes, it is true, parts of your body will chafe that you didn’t even realize could chafe.  Men know it, yet they don’t care to share this with their female counterparts.  Of course the options for preventing such things are male oriented and smell nasty… So again, I turn to Reflect Sports for their “Hoo Ha Ride Glide.”  In a word, this stuff is sublime when you are in the saddle.  It smells nice and feels tingly. I put it on my inner-thighs, but some ladies just put it everywhere.  It has tea-tree oil in it which is a natural antibacterial- another bonus.   In the end, I have even gotten my fiance to use this as well- so although it is for your “Hoo Ha,”  it is nice for everyone.

Products are good- use them and be comfortable and unsmelly.