A Week In: Triathlon, Gadgets & Tech

Do it! not paid advertising, I just think it’ll be a great event.

A week in: Triathlon, Gadgets & Tech, is some of the more interesting bits that flash up on my screen during the week. It could be: some interesting article on triathlon training; a new activity tracker; a new swim watch; a race; or a reminder on a new bit of software or firmware for one of your devices.

Please feel free to drop me a line on anything related that you find interesting. There’s a huge amount of information out there that’s more than a few people can keep tabs of. [Catchup: Here is last week’s]

https://web.archive.org/web/20160415143328/http://updates.polar.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/loop-crystal-600×273.jpg

1. Polar release a diamond-encrusted version of the LOOP activity tracker. Well, Swarovski glass-encrusted. Fine if you like that sort of thing, I suppose.
2. £10/$15 optical wrist band activity tracker? The Xiaomi Band 1S with optical HRM is reported through TechTimes. Whilst not yet on the ‘recommended’ list (!) this device shows the shape of things (prices) to come.
3. The biggest firmware news is that the $500/£300 Garmin 920XT has now taken the instant pace feature out of beta and into a fully released version 6.10 followed the next day by a 6.11beta to fix some swim errors. I finally overcame 2 subsequent bugs to make 6.10 work. Sigh. A belated, but very welcome, addition to functionality nevertheless. Fenix3 firmware is also updated to 6.15 with some bug fixes and altitude-related enhancements. HRM-TRI/SWIM (dynamics) and the Edge 520/1000 had new beta firmware too.
4. FIRSTBEAT stop support and sales for their FIRSTBEAT Athlete product. This was the entry-level product. The higher level individual and team products still continue as does their work on the insides of many of the leading sports-watch vendors products. I loved the inbuilt TRAINING COACH feature which is surprisingly not included in the part-replacement FIRSTBEAT SPORTS INDIVIDUAL product. Maybe that will come later?
5. 220 Triathlon magazine contained the ‘women’s guide to triathlon’. Nice to have recognition of the growing number of women competing. 220 are also very good with reporting Age Group athletes and para-triathlon. Perhaps someone could also turn their pen towards a relative lack of diversity in other competitor groups in our sport – the more the merrier I reckon.
6. I found a Garmin 630 manual. Interesting bedtime reading.
7. Minor Training Peaks Update to your weekly workouts email and others..
8. Welsh Triathlon and English Triathlon Champs have now been announced. Wales this week, England a few weeks ago along with all of the ITU/ETU future qualifiers. Scotland to follow.
9. Polar continue to add new features on a regular basis. This week it is POST to Facebook and some new ACTIVITY Reports.

https://web.archive.org/web/20160414093009/http://www.windsorduathlon.com/wp-content/themes/windsor_duathlon/img/main-header-1140.jpg

Our Stuff – Waiting for some interesting new arrivals from Garmin, Leyzne and Wahoo.

A selection of stuff from the5krunner’s week – normally ranges from ‘not very interesting’ to ‘quite interesting’.

• A moment of boredom led to speculation about a Garmin HRM-BIKE heart rate monitor.
• Having just sold my out-of-warranty 920XT I had to decide what to do for a xmas present to me, from me. In the end I bought a 920XT and a V800! With plans for a 630 and a WAHOO ELEMNT. The more gadgets I buy the slower I seem to get. Hmmm. (Actually that’s not true, the V800 ‘delivered’ a PB on Saturday).
• I had a look at Polar’s Advanced Running dynamics equivalents.