I just started listening to music while I train. I know, late to the game. For the most part, I just didn’t like the music player options available. With the criteria of being waterproof, durable and lite, I hadn’t found the setup that was worth toting around while kayaking, running, biking, swimming and cross training. …until now.

The company waterfi sells a waterproof ipod shuffle that they have applied a waterproofing solution to from the inside out. Awesome! No bulky housing needed.

Paired with H2O Audio waterproof headphones and you have a minimalist music player that’s super easy to clip on and take with you in and out of the water.

Check out Amazon for deals on both of these items.

Indoor Rowing Competition article on MapMyRide

Anyone know where to get involved in Charleston South Carolina?

On the conditioning side, my new paddling regimen should benefit me in the upcoming Palmetto Swamp Fox Adventure Race, my third year racing it. Check out Swamp Fox registration and race organizer info.

I put in at Wapoo Creek, at Folly Road in West Ashley, and paddled around Charleston and across the arbor to Shem Creek, and back. I’m just getting into paddling around Charleston with my new (very old Current Designs Pisces) kayak and have a bit to learn about winds, tides and boating traffic.

…but that’s no reason to not dive right in.  I’m addicted already.

My dog Blue and I pulled out our “running of bulls” costume and joined the fun.  For this race, I handed off the filming duties to Blue, mounting the GoPro video camera on his back.

We met a lot of really nice people and pooches along the coarse and at the after party. It’s a must do event and we’ll definitely be back next year.

The race starts at Marion Square in downtown Charleston and runs down to the Battery, along and the water, and back.

It’s flat, fast and–most importantly–fun! A lot of runners wear  costumes, making for a nice distraction when during the race.

Still recovering from the Scotland Coast to Coast endurance multisport race last month, I spent the morning volunteering at this year’s race. What an amazing race – experience!

Results, Video and Maps:

All was going well to finish in the top half of the field until I missed a course marker and lost an hour climbing the wrong mountain (Ben Nevis).  This error put me into the final checkpoint after dark, too late to pick up the kayak for a one mile paddle to the finish.  Despite not punching my number at the finish line, I was given a finishing place of 148 out of 250 in the Racer category.  I’m already planning to return in 2012 for a better showing.

Mobile-friendly YouTube video: http://youtu.be/CKV3pxJOEi0

Scotland Coast to Coast – multi-sport endurance race from Dominic Taverniti on Vimeo.

GPS Data from 2011 Scotland Coast to Coast race

Note: The above course is about 13 miles shy of the finish line.  My GPS unit, the Garmin 310xt, ran out of power during the final run leg of the race.

Maps of Scotland Coast to Coast race provided by race organizer

Coarse First Half

Coarse Second Half

January 17, 2011 – first entry

I’m registered for the 2011 Scotland Coast to Coast race, a run-ride-paddle multisport adventure race across Scotland this September.  At around 105 miles long, it won’t be the longest race I’ve done, but the setting will be amazing.  This will actually be my first time to Scotland and this will be an exciting way to take in some sights that I wouldn’t otherwise see as a bar-hopping tourist.  …that will be recovery day post race.

So 2011 will only be the second year of this race.  Based on racers’ feedback on the organizer’s website, it was well-planned and enjoyed thoroughly by the field.

Did you do the Nokia Coast to Coast inaugural race in 2010? Any advice for me in my preparation and training leading up to September?

Scotland Coast to Coast – Rat Race Event from ResetFilms.co.uk on Vimeo.

I recently learning about the Waterproof Action Sport Pack from a Checkpoint Tracker tweet.  But after searching the web for more information on it, I couldn’t find a single review or buyer comment. The company’s product page for The Action Sports Waterproof Hydration Pack (note the naming inconsistency when searching for this pack) contains some information, but is light on details and doesn’t actually show the pack being worn.

This waterproof adventure racing hydration pack continues to grow on me, with over 200 training miles logged with it thus far.  I thought that it was going to be a bit ridged, but has proven to be a great fit and very versatile.  The pack has a low profile that hugs your back really well, with very lightly padded shoulder straps and backing. The profile of the pack has been noticeably more streamlined than my other packs with very little wind drag.  I didn’t really identify this as an issue with other bags, but realize the value now that I feel the difference.

With a 10 liter payload capacity and 2 liter water bladder, I think this pack will be large enough for 24hr adventure races and possibly a bit longer. Being streamlines and fairly light weight at 1.7lbs with the water bladder, I’m going to use it for shorter races in the 12hr range as well. While 1.7 pounds is hardly the lightest 10 liter adventure racing pack on the market, it won’t gain the weight that other fabric packs will when saturated with water. Personally, I find my packs to always be soaked from either kayaking, swimming, sweating or rain.

The Waterproof Action Sports Hydration Pack (staying consistent with the inconsistent naming) lacks  a few features that I had on my mandatory checklist, including water bottle holders and waist pocket, but I’ve addressed the void with a Nathan Velocity Hydration Pack. I initially ordered the Waterproof Waist Pack by Roc Gear, designed to couple with this backpack, but found it to be a bit too large for me. It also did not contain sufficiently large enough side pockets to store nutrition bars and such. Nathan’s Velocity Hydration Pack, with a horizontal cradle for a 22oz bottle, fits perfectly below the pack.

The mouth off the bag is a vertical opening sealed with Roc Gear’s own plastic slide zipper. It’s very simple to open and close and provides easy access to the vertical length of the bag.

The shoulder straps have a number of attachment points, including hydration hose clips on both straps that swivel and offer more mounting angles than a fixed position clip. This is my first pack with this feature and I really like it.

Two spring-loaded metal clips are permanently sewed into each strap for attaching an adventure racing map case. I’m suspect of these hooks however and expect them to rust and foul up long before the pack wears out. I would rather they were detachable.

There are also some other attachment points on the straps, including some plastic D-rings and some buckle clips, designed to fit a separate chest pack attachment. This attachment from the manufacturer looks to be much too bulky for adventure racing–in my opinion–similar to the waterproof waist pack.

All in all, I give the bag a great rating. It’s the best adventure racing bag that I’ve used thus far and look forward to see how it performs on race day.

Product description from the manufacture:

The distances and time commitment have been manageable so far, but I’m only 1/3 of the way into the program now and will be doubling the longest training sessions to date when I reach the peak phase.

Saturday 2hr ride from Dominic Taverniti on Vimeo.

Today’s workout was a 2hr ride (with my buddy Jono – @blogCycle) followed by a 30 min run. This week was the last of a four week Base Phase, per the Intermediate Ironman Training Program in Tom Holland’s 12-Week Triathlete book, and was slightly less training than than weeks prior.

Next up is a three week Build Phase, with rides up to 5hrs, followed by the Peak Phase with the longest ride being 6hrs. Of course, rides are just one component of the Ironman training program. With all three disciplines–swim, run, ride–along with strength training worked in, the calendar seems to fill up with activities.

On a side note, I’m not actually training for an Ironman. I’m using the conditioning for the Nokia Scotland Coast to Coast adventure race in September. This multisport endurance race will be a bit shorter than a full Ironman, with about 80 miles of riding and 22 miles of running, both on and off road, along with a few miles of paddling.

Runners were presented with several distance options, including 5k, 5 miles and 10k. It really didn’t matter which distance you chose - it was a gorgeous day, with temps just under 70 degrees.

The 10k distance offered some extra challenges with the course extending off the hard packed beach and up into the soft sand and through some pluff mud. The 10k distance was actually a repeat of the Capers Island run portion of the ECOthon adventure race.

The run was up and back on Capers Island bone yard beach, named for the dead trees claimed by the receding coastline of this Charleston area barrier island. It’s such a beautiful setting for an athletic event.  The scenery takes your mind off the race and keeps you looking around . . . and down, since you do have to navigate logs, stumps and tidal pools.