Subject: RE: HIM attire?! Gear for HIM should not be overwhelming. Invest in a comfortable tri suit or top and shorts and you can wear it for all the events. Honestly, I have never noticed any difference in comfort between cycle shorts and well-fitting tri shorts/suit for rides up to and even over HIM distance/duration (up to about 100 miles ). Just wear the shorts sometimes in training for longer rides to make sure they are okay. Likewise, well-fitting tri shorts should not feel awkward or chafe on the run or swim. If they do, even after using a product such as Body Glide, then the fit or design is wrong for your body and you need to find a different pair. The only reason you might add a layer for the ride to strip for the run is if weather is cold for the ride and then warms up later--in that case sometimes I pull a long-sleeve jersey over my tri suit for the ride. You would NOT want to do this with shorts---the more layers, the more chafing issues you will probably have.
I have rarely seen people running with headphones in a triathlon. IM brand events in particular seem to enforce this pretty strictly and you will get a warning, then be DQ'd if you don't comply immediately. I have definitely seem people get warnings. It's especially a safety issue if there is any overlap between the bike and run course, or if emergency vehicles enter the course. (I came pretty close to being hit by an ambulance once, and I wasn't even wearing headphones--just very far into my own head, suffering through the final kilometers of the run! ) Maybe some smaller local events (probably not sanctioned by WTC or USAT ) might not enforce the rule, but many do. I suggest doing some of your longer training runs without music, so you won't be dependent on the headphones for comfort or motivation. |