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Who are you?
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Maggie20 Votes - [32.26%]
Simon14 Votes - [22.58%]
A little bit of both28 Votes - [45.16%]

2013-08-09 12:24 PM

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Champion
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Subject: Who are you?

In Scott Tinley's newest article, Tri-technophobia, which person, Maggie or Simon, do you identify with?

Have you always been like this?  If you have been tri-ing for many years, has your thoughts on training with technology changed and why?



2013-08-09 1:31 PM
in reply to: Guest

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Champion
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Subject: RE: Who are you?

Personally, I am Maggie...very little technology.  The only thing I like to have is a watch.  I do like to log and see totals but I don't like to get into the minutia of training...I like to train to 'escape'...to think about other stuff...to observe the surroundings.  

I tried listening to music years ago on my runs but I found out that it messed mycadence up and I wanted to go 'too fast' to keep up with the beat.  My breathing serves as my own music and metronome.

You?

2013-08-09 1:51 PM
in reply to: Ron

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553
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St Catharines, Ontario
Subject: RE: Who are you?
Up until recently I did not even have a digital watch. I used to time runs by noting the time when I left the house and when I got in.

But this summer I started taking my wifes iPhone with me and using MapMyRun (the free app) to log distance and time. Seeing splits is fun but all I really only use it for exact distance measurment.

My measurement of bike power is based on the question, can I catch that...:

dump truck
school bus
hippie on a fixie
kid on a mountain bike
and my favourite
dude on a mobility scooter

My brother in law is addicted to his garmin. And he takes a much more scientific approach (supliments, measurment, shakes and powders, tech gear). Which I think steals some of the joy of it all.
2013-08-09 3:10 PM
in reply to: badmo77a

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Expert
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Falls Church
Subject: RE: Who are you?

I am pretty much like Maggie.  

I used to have a bike computer on my commuter bike but haven't replaced the dead battery.  It's been a year since I've seen any output on my daily rides.

I used to have a heart rate monitor and used it for awhile.  The battery also died.  Never replaced it.

I have a Garmin 110 whose battery has died.  Never replaced it.

But I do like to track my training in BT's log area and map out my runs.

When I was using the Garmin to get instant feedback on pace, I realized I was getting too worried about if I was too slow or, rarely, too fast.  I didn't enjoy running as much.  So when the battery died...it was ok.

2013-08-09 3:39 PM
in reply to: 0

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Master
1402
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Cumming, Georgia
Subject: RE: Who are you?
I fall in between both but I'm slowly moving towards Maggie.  I've been MTB a LOT and the more I do it the less technology I care about. I rarely use my HR monitor anymore and I don't care that the mileage is not exact from my Garmin because I lost the satellite signal in heavy canopy on the trails. That said I still appreciate the technology. I'm training for a 13 hour MTB race and it is way easier to determine my level of effort with the instant feedback of my heart rate. There is a small local predictor race series and it is nice to go back and look at my average times on the trail so I can predict my time for the race.

Edited by csharp1171 2013-08-09 3:39 PM
2013-08-09 6:50 PM
in reply to: 0

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Master
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Eugene, Oregon
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Subject: RE: Who are you?
Maggie....but I like to think I have better fashion sense. For me it varies a little depending on the sport. I do have a bike computer and HR monitor; can't afford a power meter but I would consider it if I could. I'm not an experienced cyclist and still don't have an intuitive sense of pace/effort on the bike. So the electronics help me structure workouts and track progress (or lack thereof). I can't afford all the bike bells and whistles that a lot of triathletes have; that stuff doesn't really interest me either. If I had the $ I would just pay someone to figure it out for me and outfit the bike. I have zero interest in components, etc. I guess it's the legacy of my distance running background--there isn't much technology involved in putting one foot in front of the other.

As for running, I have a Garmin and a HR monitor but rarely use either for runs. I think I've worn the Garmin twice! I just find it takes away the enjoyment of it. (Yes, I enjoy running, a lot.) I know what "hard" is, and "easy", and "moderate", and I have an excellent sense of pace. I guess that comes from 34 years in the sport. Adding all the exact numbers and gadgets would make it a chore. For swimming, I have a watch (basic Timex Ironman) and the pace clock. That's it.

But you will not find me biking in a wool sweater or running in a cotton shirt. I started running before there really good clothes and shoes for it, particularly for women, and I remember too well the discomfort of running 20 miles in scratchy, ill-fitting clothes. I'm a sucker for soft tech fabrics, cute designs, and anything in bright colors that allows me to run and ride while feeling comfortable and well-dressed. You would understand this if you saw the polyester "singlets" we used to wear for cross-country--the armholes on mine went approximately down to my waist! Girls and guys wore the same uniform with the same baggy shorts that flattered no one, but particularly not a scrawny teenage girl.

Heading out to run now.....in my matching tech fabrics, with my watch and a bottle of water.

Edited by Hot Runner 2013-08-09 6:52 PM


2013-08-09 7:42 PM
in reply to: Hot Runner

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Kitchener
Subject: RE: Who are you?
I think I'm a Maggie by default... I have little money to throw at the sport, so I do without many of the fancy gizmos that others use. But if I have to be honest with myself, while it might be fun to have a watch tell me where I am, how hard I'm working and if I'm getting better, I'm not doing this for that validation. I'll never need the edge that technology may offer, as I'm so far at the back of the pack, a podium finish won't ever be in my future. I'm doing this for the little bit of 'me' time I can squeak out in a week. I'm doing this to feel better about myself and hopefully improve my body to outrun what a genetic neurological disease may do to me one day. I'm doing this to set a good example for my daughter about treating your body well so that it will always be able to do what you want it to do and to love it for what it is. Don't get me wrong... I'd love a bit of technology in my tri-life, but I'm doing ok without it.
2013-08-09 7:53 PM
in reply to: Guest

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Champion
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New York, NY
Subject: RE: Who are you?
I am more Simon but a bit of both
2013-08-09 9:12 PM
in reply to: #4825349

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Expert
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Greenville, SC
Subject: RE: Who are you?
Im a bit of both I guess. Wouldnt say Simon because I'm not looking for a medical release for T.... I appreciate just doing a swim, bike, or run for the pure enjoyment of getting out, but my competitive side loves the number crunching.

I would venture to say no one posting here can align with maggie only or else they wouldn't be entering races or looking up information which led them here in the first place.
2013-08-11 9:22 AM
in reply to: Guest

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Champion
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Subject: RE: Who are you?
A lot more like Maggie, some by choice, some by circumstance.

This is an interest for me, so I can't justify a lot of expense to move up from 872nd to 743rd in an Ironman finish list. I have a HRM, but the watch hasn't picked up the chest strap for 2 years and I haven't been too concerned to send it back. I do miss the speed/distance feedback I got with the footpod, but I can map the run later or now use runkeeper.

I don't need the latest/lightest gear, but I do appreciate good gear. I liken my Klein Aeolus to a '66 Stingray. A modern bike goes faster and is more efficient, but there's nothing like showing up with a classic head-turner.

When I started running back in 2005, I didn't own running shorts or wicking shirts. I had some nylon cargo shorts which I wore along with an old cotton t-shirt. Slowly, I've built up my workout wardrobe. Last fall, I was frantic because I couldn't find a box of winter gear that I knew I had *somewhere.* I could just about list the contents of the box and I started calculating what it would cost to replace that gear...but I couldn't find the box for 2 weeks.

Even when I am "following" a training plan, I take time to enjoy life including appreciating what I see while I'm out training.

There are some advantages to the modern world. We can avoid a lot of injury and sickness by following a well-structured training plan.

2013-08-12 1:27 AM
in reply to: Guest

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Subject: RE: Who are you?
I guess I'm a bit more like Simon - I'm competitive (with myself mainly) so like knowing what I've done, how far, fast (for me) etc. I use a garmin 310 with HRM and use the data all the time - especially training for my first Iron distance race in a couple of weeks. I'm never going to be competing for a podium or even close. Most of it is relative cost to me - I can't justify a power meter as i can't see me getting huge gains from it, a new tri bike? Maybe!
I think as you get more experieced with your training then you can become a bit more like Maggie adn go more by feel.


2013-08-12 6:31 AM
in reply to: Guest

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Subject: RE: Who are you?
It funny, I was thinking something similar over the past few weeks. For years, I ran using only a Timex trialthlon watch that I could buy at Walmart for $25. For fathers day, I was given a Timex Global whatever with a heartrate monitor and have been using it regularly. Where it used to take me 10 min max to get from the car from work into running gear and out the door is now taking twice that, with the heart rate monitor, waiting for the watch to connect to a satellite, putting on the RoadID, etc. What is this data really providing me? Is it nice, yes, but in the long run, if I do not do anything with it, I am just collecting.

Same goes for nurtition while training or racing. Used to be a time where I would run 5-10 miles regularly without a Fuel Belt, GU gels or whatever. We drank water before we started and when we were done.

Is it just good marketing or do these improvements in technology really make us better?
2013-08-12 11:00 AM
in reply to: hessma

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Deep in the Heart of Texas
Subject: RE: Who are you?
A little of both, but more Simon.  The Simon side was ready to pull the trigger a couple weeks ago on a Garmin Swim, but the Maggie side won out determining that I just liked to swim and didn't really need all that data anyway.
2013-08-13 11:49 AM
in reply to: Hook'em

Iron Donkey
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, Wisconsin
Subject: RE: Who are you?
A little bit of both, but most of all have the GPS-enabled Garmin for knowing pace, distance, speed, and sometimes elevation. Mostly I like to go by feel but keep that Garmin in the forefront to gage my training so that I hold back when I go too fast or pick up when I go too slow.
2013-08-14 12:45 PM
in reply to: 1stTimeTri

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Expert
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Ontario Canada
Subject: RE: Who are you?
definately Simon I love my gadjets, tunes and all things high tech.
2013-08-15 12:46 PM
in reply to: Guest

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Regular
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Raleigh
Subject: RE: Who are you?
If I do a run without GPS.....does it really count as a run?


2013-08-17 2:12 PM
in reply to: Guest

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Master
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Englewood, Florida
Subject: RE: Who are you?
Maggie, with a little Simon thrown in. I rode with the Strava App this morning, but surely didn't mind slowing down to look at the osprey perched in a big dead tree. I love seeing the world around me, hearing the what the world is saying and feeling a small bit of oneness with it.
2013-08-30 4:57 PM
in reply to: Guest

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Subject: RE: Who are you?

totally Simon.  For me, they serve many purposes, and the electronics make great training and tracking tools, but the bottom line for me is

Motivation!  Whether it be a shiny new carbon fiber frame, zippy new running kicks with the latest technology and color scheme or a new aero water bottle.  They make me want to get out an play with my new toys.  do I believe they make me faster?- eh, maybe, maybe not, but that's not relevant as I'm not a pro.  What I KNOW they do for me, is get me out the door.  and that, more than anything is what it's all about.

I was always reasonably fit and ran a little, but it was the day I spent $30 on my Nike+ ipod sensor and started tracking my mileage on line, joining 'challenges' and seeing the mileage rack up (consistency is the key), it what changed it for me.

then again- I've always been a bit of a data geek.  No problem with the Maggie's of the world.  I just like numbers.

2013-08-30 8:17 PM
in reply to: Ron

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Champion
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Subject: RE: Who are you?
I'm a Maggie, but with awesome full carbon bikes with the duotraps doing nothing except flashing as the pedal passes.
2013-08-31 1:20 AM
in reply to: pga_mike

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Veteran
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Subject: RE: Who are you?
Simon for sure except that I don't consider myself a good athlete. I love to track data, usually showing that I suck, but I still enjoy it, If money were no object it would probably get a little insane! I already have my eye on a new Suunto ambit 2.
2013-08-31 8:02 AM
in reply to: Guest

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1300
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Subject: RE: Who are you?
A minamalists Simon. I like to have some way of tracking workouts but it doesn't have to be modern or fancy. Apps for iPhone are great but I wouldn't get a garmin or anything like that. A simple watch is just fine.


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