d3o Shock Resistant Suit

Watching the Olympics they mentioned some cool technology, d3o is a specially engineered material that on impact attaches to itself, to absorb the impact energy. When a skier crashes the molecules bond together, this is way beyond "tech" stuff, this is pure wild stuff. Some of the applications that d3o is being used for is shoes, soccer gloves, hats and body suits used in skiing by Spyder.
Check it out! d3o

Map My Run

It seems that right after the turn of the year all these tracking sites are popping up all over the web. The one that I seem to find the best right now is MapMyRun. You can search by your address and with Google Maps map out your run. If you register you can then share your routes with other. The site also allows you to view others routes, you can print, comment, copy and add it to your files. What I do like about the site is that you can upload your data from a GPS, also it has a workout calculator this allows you to calculate you workouts status for runs or walks. From your sex, age, weight, height, time, avg. pace, avg. speed and calories burned it will calculate your stats based on that run, this is a great feature. It is still in demo mode so it is all free, right now.
check it out! MapMyRun

Body Bag, SELK'BAG

Ever felt like a mummy when you are in a sleeping bag, I have! I am calling this sleeping bag a body bag, Selk'bag has come out with it, who is this you ask, I don't know, I would have figured Mountain Hardwear would have thought of this and maybe they had but figured no one buy it. Well the time might be right and people will buy. The body bag is a sleeping bag that is like slipping into a Michelin Man suit. It has cinches in the right place to keep everything in place. Special thanks to The Cool Hunter for providing the link.
Check it out! Selk'bag

White Instruments, Compass Connection

Well this is a post about old technology, I had an old Danforth Gunthrope compass and I let my wife use it for a demonstration and well it ended up broken. Now this was 30 years old and came off a Cal 40 sailboat, it was mostly catching dust and mine was powdered coated black. I had just cleaned it off and was thinking that it would look great in a coffee table, since the light illuminated red. So trying to find someone that could fix it was a trying ordeal, well my wife found Ridge White of Robert E. White Instruments since 1961 and he is fixing the compass. The problem was that he was not sure he could find 6" glass, they are made of acrylic today, Robert came through and found a 6" glass ball. So if you are looking for any sort of sailing instrument, this is my full endorsement to buy trust Robert White.
Check it out! Robert E. White Instruments

Winter Riding Gloves: SealSkinz

Waterproof, breathable, close-fitting gloves recommended for cold weather riding. SealSkinz are suitable for cycling, walking, climbing, golfing, riding, canoeing, motorcycling, sailing, fell running, orienteering, gardening, fishing, rowing, caving, backpacking and general wear and tear. I have tried many gloves but these seem to stick to you hands like a second skin. Riding in the winter you need SealSkinz, they have socks, gloves, mittens and hats, I am sure that if the rest of their product line is like their gloves, you will be completely satisfied.
Check it out! SealSkinz

Chaps for the modern age: Rainlegs keep you dry!

I got the news from Gizmodo so I went to Rainlegs site directly to learn a little more for myself. This is a great concept, I remember as a kid getting caught in a rainstorm and having to ride home, my legs would be soaked. Rainlegs seems to detour this from happening, from the images and reviews it looks as though it works. Not only is it good for rain but wind and cold, manufactured from wind- and water resistant parachute material and weighs only 120 grams. The tops of the legs are covered not the back so no ondensation takes place. Check it out! Rainlegs

Swim like a fish: Speedo's Fastskin FSII

Now I have been swimming most of my life it feels like, and competitively in college, we worn the banana hammocks and they worked but now Speedo has their line of Fastskin that makes you feel like a fish. They just released the FastSkin FSII for triathletes and I can't wait to get in one. They are competing with Nike and UnderArmor the UnderArmor which I highly recommend the Fastskin it seems will have history behind it to make it a unbelievable product. Speedo's Fastskin FSII, is water repellent fabric, great for multisports, has 9 thread flatlock, Speedo's unique stitching, they have tanks, unitards and biking shorts. Speedo claims reduce drag up to 4% from the original, all this says is FAST, end of story.
Check it out! Speedo Fastskin FSII

Be Seen, Blackburn Mars 3.0

Now it gets darker earlier and the sun comes up later meaning that like me you are training in the dark. Now I would rather run outside before running on a treadmill so this device is making my life and the people driving towards me life a lot safer. This little puppy has you in mind, named after the glowing planet the Blackburn Mars 3.0 has super bright LED's that will let you be seen. Water resistant, lens optics increase visible distance and side LED's provide 180 degree safety-boosting visibility. 150 hour runtime flash mode.
check it out! Mars 3.0

Virtual Partner: Tracking Your Course

No need to be scared this can be used for good, the World-Tracker can make sure that when running, biking, hiking or any reason that you might need to track someone that they are safe, from a distance that is. Now let's not get nervous that big brother is watching, based on text messaging to the person that you are tracking they must except the message by typing LOCATE, once that is done you can track their position. This is a pay service so you must enter a credit card just like EZ-Pass. Right now it is UK based but expect to see it soon in the US. At present, the greatest level of accuracy that you will get is to 150m radius of the phone. The accuracy is dependent on the density of base stations operated by Orange, Vodafone etc - and in many areas the accuracy will be several hundred metres, and even out to kilometres.

Google Earth

It's here for the Mac and it is great. I can't wait to start charting out my runs, biking course and even finding some pools in which I can start the Tri portion of my training. This has been out for the PC and many have come up with come cool aps, but the Mac community has been waiting for some time. Getting ready for your next triathlon, marathon, or sprint launch Google Earth see terrain, distance and passing points.
Check it out! Google Earth

January Blues and Crispy cream Donuts

We all know what happens in January, we make our News Years resolution and hit the gym. I understand we all need to start somewhere so I am not that upset that getting on the treadmill at 5 pm is almost next to impossible. Now if you are like me you are training all year round so as the month rolls on people will start o drop off and by February you will have the real serious people, few will even turn into gym rats, congrats. This scale by Ironman and Tanita will help the neurotic keep track of Weight, Body Fat %, Body Water %, Muscle Mass, Bone Mass, Basal Metabolic Rate, Metabolic Age, Visceral Fat and Physique Rating. A product from Ironman earns the right to have my seal of approval and from what I have read about Tanita, this could be a marriage that could last until last next year when they think of another feature that we would all find useful.
Check it out. Tanita

Running in the winter

Call this a break, traveling and trying to get workouts is one of the hardest things to do in the winter. Well About.com has a great article on running in the winter, from staying hydrated to sunglasses to keep the glare down. Some things that it does not cover is traction and how to stay upright. I like to run off the beaten path so check out YakTrax they make one called the Pro that is made for running in the snow. Anyway About.com article is a good start to making sure you are not left out in the cold.

Base Camp Duffel

Best piece of luggage that I have every owned, it has been to Europe for skiing and packing, business trips carrying a laptop and other electronics. What makes this so great is that it is fully waterproof and you can carry it like a backpack. Now it is a soft pack so you need to bring it on as a carry on if you are going to put a laptop of any electronics that you might not trust with the airline crews. It is highly durable 100% polyester PVC tarpaulin with a 0.53-mm. thickness, bartacks and double stitching, D-shaped opening with durable zipper flap, volume: 9,070 cu. in., dimensions: 32 x 19 x 19 in. and only Weighs 4 lbs. 15 oz.
Check it out. The North Face

Updated: Garmin 205 and 305 Forerunner released

As I said CES would produce some pretty cool technology, personal, business and home automation. Well I talked about the Garmin 205 and 305 a couple of post back but it's really here and I can't wait to get my hands on one. Heart Monitor, training center CD, docking cradle, A/C charger, PC/USB interface cable and a quick start manual all standard on the 305. It continuously monitors your heart rate, speed, distance, pace and calories burned so you can train smarter, more effectively. It tracks your every move with a super-sensitive GPS that even works on tree-covered trails and near tall buildings. Receive a detailed post-workout analysis when you up-load it to your PC, all on a watch not like the Timex that has the GPS unit that you where on your bicep. Sleek, stylish and easy enough to read and work.
Check it out. Garmin

Water Tunes: H2O Audio

It's training time, swim, bike, run and if you are like me the pool gets very boring real quickly, thanks to h20audio that's going to stop. Waterproof housing up to 10 feet, perfect for the pool, now they do make one for deep sea diving but that is not what we are talking about in this blog. With the earth being 2/3 water we do need to think of a way to bring our mp3 players with us, devoted to make that happen h20audio was born. They also sell the belt so that you can strap it on and go. The idea is simple, put it into the case, close the case, lock it down, plug in and hit play. I can't wait till mine arrives.
Check it out. h20audio