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Wall Street Journal article
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 2014-03-09 11:24 PM |
Member 763   |  Subject: Wall Street Journal articleJust as an fyi, there is an interesting article in this weekend's WSJ (March 8-9 edition) about triathletes. The theme of the article is that apparently we're all hooked on technology (ie. power meters, heart rate monitors, compression boots, etc.) and that's making Ironman distance races more accessible for the average person. In other words, we're all gear heads and without the technology, there is no way the average person can do an Ironman (needless to say, I think that's a load of bs). Only in the last two paragraphs does it talk about 'too much' technology. And on the second page of the article there is a list of items that are "The Triathlete's Arsenal". The Super Gear Head list is is almost comical....I'm sure some folks spend upwards of $11k for a tribike and $1200 for a wetsuit, but the way the article is written, it make it seem that all of us do. Not sure about all of you, but I for one rely upon very little technology and I don't feel it's critical for Ironman. I have an old timex watch and an entry level bike computer, but that's about it. I really focus on listening to my body - if I feel good during a workout, I'll kick it up a notch, but if not, I know my base pace. I sort of liken it to using the Force - the ol' Yoda approach vs. too much technology. I will never KQ and I'm ok with that. I have other things in my life that's more important that tri racing - geeking out with expensive tri gadgets certainly isn't one of them. I wonder how many of us here are geeked up on gadgets and how many 'use the Force'??? |
| 2014-03-09 11:43 PM in reply to: LarchmontTri |
 Canyon, Texas | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article I am the same way. I train and race with a $8 watch from Walmart. I suppose my iPod is kind of high tech LOL |
| 2014-03-10 12:43 AM in reply to: tlancer23 |
Extreme Veteran 1190 Silicon Valley | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article Originally posted by tlancer23 I am the same way. I train and race with a $8 watch from Walmart. I suppose my iPod is kind of high tech LOL I'm with you. The only 'electronics' I have is a $10 watch from Big5 (see I spare no expense). Maybe as I get closer to my IM I might look at the value of some of that stuff but rest assured, my wetsuit I have is the one I will race in then and while I am very likely to get a tri bike it will not be half of the $11,000 they illustrate. |
| 2014-03-10 1:00 AM in reply to: LarchmontTri |
Regular 606 Portland, Oregon | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article Originally posted by LarchmontTri I sort of liken it to using the Force - the ol' Yoda approach vs. too much technology. It was Obi Wan who told Luke to use the force before switching off his targeting computer.  |
| 2014-03-10 1:49 AM in reply to: dfroelich |
Member 130 | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article Up til this year, I only used a bike computer and a stop watch. I broke down and bought a GPS watch this year because I found a good deal on Ebay. I've only used it twice. |
| 2014-03-10 4:00 AM in reply to: Calvin386 |
Veteran 129 | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article I bet the people that the journalist comes across on Wall Street mostly fall into this category and he's just applying it to everyone else. I work on Wall Street, in London and Singapore (boo hiss) and know exactly what the article is talking about. As with most things with that demographic, the anwer is often to throw money at it! I'll admit that it was my approach for the first few years but I've since calmed down to discover the wonders of RPE and just generally enjoying the view outside rather than the face of my watch and the beeps of alerts. |
| 2014-03-10 5:24 AM in reply to: LarchmontTri |
Member 205 | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article It is my impression that a lot of the technology helps with PRs, but that completing races safely is more of an matter training time and straightforward practices that reduce injury risk. |
| 2014-03-10 5:39 AM in reply to: LarchmontTri |
Champion 7036  Sarasota, FL | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article The WSJ's weekend "Off Duty" section typically features articles on high-end, indulgent interests; fashion, food & wine, exotic vacations, etc. This article is consistent with those themes and I wouldn't give it too much credence. Mark |
| 2014-03-10 8:12 AM in reply to: LarchmontTri |
Master 8247 Eugene, Oregon Bronze member | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article If those companies depended on me, they'd go broke. I have a cheapo Timex Ironman watch and basic bike computer. I didn't even wear a watch for some of my best races in my teens, including a 1:19 half marathon. None of my run PB's involved anything fancier than a watch, some not even that. I do own, and sometimes train with a heart rate monitor--won it in a race! |
| 2014-03-10 8:22 AM in reply to: Hot Runner |
| 553 St Catharines, Ontario | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article I just bought clipless pedals for my bike. Its the start of the slippery slope! I bought a Timex 50 watch from my local Winners. Heavily discounted as it had some color staining on the white strap. And from time to time I will use my wifes iPhone to GPS track a run for my split times. 90% I train tech clean. |
| 2014-03-10 8:27 AM in reply to: badmo77a |
Master 8247 Eugene, Oregon Bronze member | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article That being said, if someone was to offer me a free power meter, I'd take it in a heartbeat. I'd love to have a better way to verify that I'm working really hard on the bike, since my speed doesn't seem to reflect it (I train in a very windy area.) I'd take free disc wheels and a free fancy tri bike, too! I'm more of a cheapskate/poverty case than a technophobe when it comes to biking. In my mind, I guess, biking does involve a machine, so technology seems to fit better there. Running, on the other hand, is an organic thing, and the less tech the better. It just messes with my enjoyment of the sport. |
| 2014-03-10 8:40 AM in reply to: Hot Runner |
Member 388 Miami | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article I do have and use in almost every work out a GPS watch. I use it to train smarter and, specially, to analyze data after my workouts. However, I listen to my body too. If I don't feel great, I don't go harder than what my body wants to reach my training goals, I adjust my intensity. On the other hand, if I feel great, I sometimes go harder than what I expected, but keeping in mind that that training session has a specific goal and I need to be fresh for my next work out. During races, although I wear my watch and HR strap, I mostly go by feel. I like to see the data later though. I didn't start endurance sports until my late 20s and I think that this gadgets helped me understand how to train; however, consistency is the key to race an ironman. |
| 2014-03-10 9:35 AM in reply to: davidfedez |
Master 2500 Crab Cake City | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article I have a watch and a HR monitor and thats it. I am so horrible with technology, I can't even get trainerroad on my laptop!! There are a lot of people in the sport who make a very comfortable living and can afford all of those investments. Personally, I don't need all that stuff because I do this for fun but some of the races I have been too I have seen $10,000 bikes and $1,000 wetsuits. |
| 2014-03-10 10:18 AM in reply to: dmbfan4life20 |
Pro 5169 Burbs | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article Doesn't matter if you buy a $12K bike and have a top of the line wetsuit and $200 running shoes... they aren't going to DO the training for you! |
| 2014-03-10 10:22 AM in reply to: RedCorvette |
Master 2406 Bellevue, WA | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article Originally posted by RedCorvette The WSJ's weekend "Off Duty" section typically features articles on high-end, indulgent interests; fashion, food & wine, exotic vacations, etc. This article is consistent with those themes and I wouldn't give it too much credence. Mark Agree. Further the article isn't oriented at triathletes at all. Its oriented at non-triathletes with big $$$$ and says here is something else to spend some of that $$. I have tons of gadgets. No need to be a slave to them. Just tools. |
| 2014-03-10 10:47 AM in reply to: Dan_L |
New user 3 | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article You said it. Enjoy being outside and being fit. I use a Timex heart rate monitor and a run app (thats free) called Runkeeper on my Iphone. Besides that, for me, its all about how my body feels. Sometimes on the bike, I get distracted by pretty scenery  I am not lightening fast, and will never be but I enjoy the fact that I am strong and can go for a long time so watching the time clock doesn't really help me. For me heart rate is the number I like to see. |
| 2014-03-10 1:28 PM in reply to: LarchmontTri |
| New user 135 | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article I'm surprised how low tech most of the responses here are. I at least use my phone to track runs and rides, and I assumed that was the minimum baseline for most. I'm shocked when looking on Strava how many of times for segments have power numbers related to them. I seem to be one of the few in my area without. I have found that I much prefer not seeing the time, speed, distance, etc while running or riding. Seeing it is a mental drag, and I can go a lot longer if I don't see it. |
| 2014-03-10 2:45 PM in reply to: bwalling |
Master 2264 Sunbury, Pennsylvania | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article Originally posted by bwalling I'm surprised how low tech most of the responses here are. I at least use my phone to track runs and rides, and I assumed that was the minimum baseline for most. I'm shocked when looking on Strava how many of times for segments have power numbers related to them. I seem to be one of the few in my area without. I have found that I much prefer not seeing the time, speed, distance, etc while running or riding. Seeing it is a mental drag, and I can go a lot longer if I don't see it. Sample size means everything. Strava is for hardcore riders. Average joes don't bother posting to strava. Sure, a few do, but they are the exception that proves the rule. BT is a much more broad based group of people. This is also an atmosphere where it's ok to "come out" as a non-power meter user. Even ST is a place where mentioning you don't have a power meter seems to come with a disclaimer, apology or assurance that you intend to buy one some day. |
| 2014-03-10 9:53 PM in reply to: #4962435 |
| Veteran 353 41° 4' 36" N 71° 56' 10" W | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article I have a few gadgets but none that work properly all the time My Garmin 310XT gets confused sometimes and thinks I'm running a 6 min mile and then a 12 min mile. I have a few HR monitors. They usually work but once in a while tell me my HR is like 150 but when I do a pulse and it's more like 80 ..this usually happens at the beginning of a workout. My Garmin still has problems pairing with my computer. Some days it works. Some days not. My bike speedometer / odometer is the most temperamental of all. It's been on strike the last few weeks. All in all they work ok but need constant attention. but I think I'd be pissed if I spent 2 k on something like a power meter and it didn't work flawlessly ...only thing that works flawlessly are my running shoes |
| 2014-03-10 10:33 PM in reply to: bwalling |
| 1055 | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article Originally posted by bwalling I'm surprised how low tech most of the responses here are. I at least use my phone to track runs and rides, and I assumed that was the minimum baseline for most. I'm shocked when looking on Strava how many of times for segments have power numbers related to them. I seem to be one of the few in my area without. I have found that I much prefer not seeing the time, speed, distance, etc while running or riding. Seeing it is a mental drag, and I can go a lot longer if I don't see it. A lot of times the power numbers you see on Strava are estimated, don't take too much stock in them unless it's got that logo that says its actually power meter data. I'm also surprised by some of the low tech answers. I can see the power meter being a costly piece of a equipment. However, a GPS watch is not expensive and dollar for dollar, one of the best investments you'll make in this sport. |
| 2014-03-11 8:44 AM in reply to: ziggie204 |
Veteran 2842 Austin, Texas | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article I have a bunch of gadgets. Love them - they make having fun in tri that much more fun *for me* (not ashamed to come out as a PM/910/800/Quarg/Garmin/Stravaholic junkie). I will say that those gadgets did help me quite a bit to correlate how I felt during workouts and races with the power or HR I was putting out when I first started riding and running more seriously (and even OWS with the 910, although it's not always spot on) the last year or two. Now that I've kind of dialed all that in, I still s/b/r with the gadgets. I like looking at the workouts - mostly after the fact - and being able to see longitudinally what my workouts have been like over time (quality, quantity, etc.). BUT, I no longer really need them to hit a pace or wattage target. It's been really amazing to me that over this winter I've been able to hit my paces and/or HR targets (and to an extent last year outside, power targets late in the season on the bike) just by feel. Of course, I wouldn't know that without looking at my precious gadgets afterwards... So, the gadgets really did help me in that they made it easier for me to "Use the force" or at least "see" how a given level of force feels. Now they're mostly just fun! I no longer wig out if I forget to charge the batteries… Matt |
| 2014-03-11 9:00 AM in reply to: mcmanusclan5 |
Expert 2098 Ontario Canada | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article Guilty I love my tech stuff, is it necessary Nope, is the data the gospel that I train by Not a chance, although at my age I do like to keep an eye on My HR a bit, but I don't train or race By HR at all only by precieved effort. I do like to have the data to review though and compare back to other workouts. |
| 2014-03-11 9:19 AM in reply to: mcmanusclan5 |
Member 169 | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article It's always funny when these types of threads/articles pop up. All the sudden people feel like they need to come out of the wood works to say how old school they are. Almost hipster-ish in a way. With that said I don't even own a swim suit. I just s/b/r in a pair of whity tighties and flipflops on a bmx bike I fished out of a ditch. |
| 2014-03-11 10:23 AM in reply to: aliddle9876 |
Regular 1161 Hamilton, IL | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article Originally posted by aliddle9876 It's always funny when these types of threads/articles pop up. All the sudden people feel like they need to come out of the wood works to say how old school they are. Almost hipster-ish in a way. With that said I don't even own a swim suit. I just s/b/r in a pair of whity tighties and flipflops on a bmx bike I fished out of a ditch. I like that, lol As for me, I'm not a slave to the technology, and I certainly don't have it all. I have my Garmin 910xt and my iphone, but that watch sure is pretty danged nice. Does the technology make me faster? Probably helps with the training when I use it like I should. Really, though, I'm a data junkie for everything I do in life, and this just allows me to have charts and graphs that represent how much I suck. I do gear up in non-tech ways, too, but certainly not at any extreme. I have a nice full wetsuit, I have a nice road bike, I have several pairs of jammers, and goggles, and swimcaps. I spend a lot of money on shoes, I have a couple of pair of compression socks, I have a lot of running shorts and shirts. I need a powermeter, a tri-bike, one of those spermy helmets, and several more variations of the wetsuit, but since I'm not made at money I will be a triathlete without them and I will likely get faster without them just like I was a triathlete when I swam in trunks and ran with my timex. P.S. Anybody else remember having to drive a course to see how far it was before/after you ran it? GPS is probably the biggest thing that I feel really released me to enjoy my running. Not being a slave to a route, just running. Just waking up, putting some shorts and shoes on. Standing in the road waiting on a GPS signal, and then running. |
| 2014-03-11 12:51 PM in reply to: LarchmontTri |
Member 241 | Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal article I'm low tech but mostly because I'm a cheap SOB. My wife and I both come from, shall we say, humble beginnings (i.e. poor as dirt) and I have a really hard time dropping major cash that just seems to be a complete luxury. However, if money was no object I would be geting a $10K tri-bike and a Power Meter, and the Polar V800, and carbon race wheels, etc. Just because I think it's cool to tinker with all that technology. That being said I have been able to race all the way up to the Ironman level on the following: - Giant Defy road bike: Mostly aluminum, Conti GP4000S tires, I paid $600 for it, used. I love the bike. Came with a cheap Blackburn computer. - Profile design Aluminum Clip-on Aerobars - XTERRA Vortex Wetsuit - Paid $150, works great. Wrote an article for a magazine and used the proceeds to buy it. - Tyr Tri Suits - Find them on sale all the time and pay no more than $80 for the kit - Giro Road Bike Helmet - I think I paid $60 for it, works fine - Polar RCX5 Triathlon Watch - Bought it used for $250, love it. Works like a charm. - Running shoes - Buy them when they go on sale at my LRS - Sunglasses - Rudy Project $175. Wrote another article for a magazine and used the proceeds to buy them - 95% of my races are not WTC, which means they are cheaper. Also, at least one of the triathlons I race every year I race for free because I volunteer at other races. Triathlon can be an expensive sport, but it doesn't have to be. |
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