Gear Review: Oakley Split Jacket Transition Sunglasses

Everything fell together perfectly today to put these shades to the test. Wind. A mixture of rain and snow flurries falling sideways from the sky. Changing light conditions and glare from the whiteness all around. I had the motivation too. Getting outside in this unwanted wintery-mix was my way of giving Old-Man-Winter the finger. Spring has already sprung in my mind and refusing to be cooped up or forced onto the dread-mill was a psychological victory I needed to keep my attitude positive and my sights set on the goals for the year.

I actually started out my morning 3-miler bare-faced and with no aspirations to blog about anything, let alone post a breakdown of these fully-loaded Oakley bad boys. I went back in for the Split Jackets after 30 yards of getting pelted in the face by the oncoming snow and rain. The optional TRANSITIONS® SOLFX™ lenses adapted remarkably quick as I walked through the house with them on and back out into the glare and elements. There were no sudden changes, just perfect filtering of light and undisturbed visibility. I never once felt like someone was gradually turning out the lights as the lenses changed shades. This I expected though.

What I was most skeptical about was how well the so-called Hydrophobic/Oleophobic lenses would perform. Oakley advertises that the wearer of these $260 performance glasses will remain streak-less and sheen-less in bouts against moisture, as well as dust-less and smudge-less in all other earthly circumstances involving skin-oils, lotions, and fingerprints. All-in-all, the Oakley lenses lived up to the hype. Visibility was nearly perfect throughout my run. Rain drops would bead and roll downward. Snow flakes would land and dissipate almost instantly. After my run I examined the lenses in the mirror and noticed that they were practically dry on the surface. There was even a collection of moisture dripping off the bottom edges of the frame beneath both lenses. Excellent!

Another selling point was Oakley’s Asian Fit. Basically, most general fit glasses tend to slide down my fairly flat nose requiring me to push them back into position. Annoying. Potentially dangerous. Also when in position the arms tend to press awkwardly into my temples. Bad for the lettuce. Oakley saw a niche and took some extra steps to shape and equip selections from their line to fit properly and comfortably on some of the top golfers, baseball players, and extreme sports enthusiasts in the world, who happen to be of Asian decent. Great endeavor but, at least for me, the promise of perfectly fitting frames fell a little short. There was slippage during my run, albeit slight and manageable, that required me to perform the familiar push up the bridge of my nose. However, the extra wide space between the arms was nice on the temples. No tension headache this run. I must mention that the beefy size of the frames and the resulting coverage was a bonus since eye protection is of critical importance to me (more on this during a future post). If you can get over the not-so-streamlined, aggressive look of the Split Jackets and take comfort in the fact that most everything that flies your way will be blocked, these become less of a style issue. Incidentally, the Split Jacket seems to be a more compact version of the bigger Jawbone which I actually wore during Ironman last year and thought looked ridiculously big on my face. Oh and they were an orangey-red. Not a good color for me.

Not rock-star enough for the Jawbones

Overall these things are pretty awesome. If I can get used to how boxy and thick these things appear on my face, they will most likely get heavily used this year while running and cycling. I’ll have to wait and see how clear they stay during a hot, steamy, Kansas day. The fog factor in sunglasses can stop you in your tracks. If coming in from the cold and into our heated home today was any indication of future performance, a minimal amount of fog build-up followed by quick dissipation is what I expect. The only thing I would change about my particular pair is the addition of vents cut into the upper corners of the lenses to eliminate fogging all together. Oakley offers this in other configurations of the Split Jacket as well as in other models.

For the hefty price, these come with a hard case, bag, additional nose pieces, and the ability to swap out lenses using a cool feature where the bottom section of the frame actual opens up on a hinge. Still haven’t thought of a situation (except for irreparable damage) that would motivate me to drop some more money and swap out the versatile Transition lenses though.

Amazing lenses. Almost perfect fit. Rock-star styling. Made in the USA. Like!

I did it!

Back on August 10, 2007, I blogged that I would complete an Ironman. My tentative target race: 2008 Ironman Wisconsin.

Well, I missed that one. And the 2009 race. But on September 12, 2010, at 6:41 pm, I crossed the finish line after swimming, biking and running a cumulative 140.6 miles at the 2010 Ironman Wisconsin.

In my defense, I was busy in the intervening two years. In September 2008, we found out we were expecting our first baby. Our son was born on May 21, 2009. As every multi-sport parent knows, having a newborn can throw a real wrench in your training plans!

I don’t remember much about those first few months of his life (they passed in a sleep-deprived blur) but when the fog cleared, I jumped back on the Ironman bandwagon at the urging of a good friend. I decided to register for the 2010 Ironman Wisconsin race.

After months of training through the hot Kansas summer, with tons of support from family, friends and coaches, and with numerous ups and downs along the way including moving our family across the state line to Kansas (much more about all this in future posts), I heard those coveted words, “Albert Lee, YOU are an Ironman!”

As I traveled back to Kansas City to celebrate my accomplishment with my family, I was struck with the desire to describe my experience and revive this blog. But on the day I got home, my wife broke the news that we’re expecting baby #2!

So with an active 1 1/2 year old in the house and a new baby on the way, it took me 6 months to get around to resuscitating this blog. But I did it!

Fitting in Ironman training while juggling my responsibilities as a husband, father, homeowner, and dog-owner (yes Paco and Luna are still around and kicking) is an ever-increasing challenge. This blog will document how I struggle, and hopefully succeed, in keeping all those balls in the air. Hope you’ll join me on the journey!

… And I’m going on the record right now: Ironman Arizona 2012 here I come!

Knowing What’s Ahead-Marathon Training Tips

Robin and I (along with Dave Nelson who was visiting for the weekend) got a strong 14-miler done yesterday. The weather was near perfect and all involved survived the treacherous KC sidewalks without incident. Of course, Robin and I are preparing for the KC Marathon Oct 20th. Dave is headed to Erie, PA in 2 weeks continuing his journey to complete a marathon in all 50 states. Go Dave!!

One thing I’m integrating into Robin’s marathon training is course familiarity. For the past several weeks we’ve been doing the long run of the week on a section of the actual race route. For instance, yesterday we ran from the start line to the 14 mile mark. The week before we did a run that included the distance between mile 9 and mile 18. Next week we’ll try and do something that will preview the last third of the race course.

This approach breeds confidence. Simply knowing what is coming up can enable one to behave like an in-tune runner, one that pushes harder at the appropriate time, strategically holds back, hits hills with gusto, and can get lost in the running zone because they know where they’re going and how they’re going to get there.

I saw this in action with Robin yesterday. He’s normally a pretty talkative guy. It’s obvious when he’s having a rough time because he’ll stop conversing and start concentrating really hard. Two weeks ago when he hit the wall, he started getting down on himself, uttering between breathes, “sorry..I’m hurtin’…go on without me.” Yesterday, when things started getting hard, he said, “I know I can make it to 75th street…it’s just a little ways to Brookside Blvd… and from there, I’m home free.” Sure enough, when we did get to Brookside Blvd (the last 1.5 miles of our workout) he got a little pep in his step and then finished the run really strong.

I know it’s not always possible to actually train on the course of your target event and reap all the benefits of familiarity-conditioning, however, there are simple things you can do to become somewhat aware of what you’re getting yourself into on race day.

1) If possible, get there a day before the race and drive the course. Take mental notes and get your mind wrapped around the distance. This can be an enormous advantage on race day.

2) If you can’t physically get out on the course beforehand, at least look at a map and try and memorize the important details. Where are the hills? Where are the aid stations, port-o-potties, major spectator areas?

3) If available, check out an elevation chart of the course. Many races advertise the fact that they have a “flat” course. In a lot of cases, nothing could be farther from the truth. Flat is a relative term and only you can determine if what’s deemed flat is actually flat by your standards.

4) Don’t put too much stock in what you hear at the expo, read in magazines, or find when you search the web. Make up your own mind, see for yourself, and take all reviews and advice with that proverbial grain of salt.

The Bike is Still in the Box

Since the Vineman 70.3 experience I have been quite content with simply throwing on the Asics and hitting the road using my own two feet. The simplicity and ease of running has been a welcome respite from the logistical demands of full-blown triathlon training. Aside from the occasional ride on my old beater bike with my dogs, I have yet to get back on the saddle. The Cervelo, as a matter of fact, is still dismantled, in the box, and sitting in the corner of our spare bedroom. I figure I’ll have to put that thing back together sometime soon since I’m going to do a bike tour of Lake Tahoe in a few weeks. Or maybe I’ll just let it rest and ride the beater-bike instead. Getting back into an aero position right now just doesn’t appeal to me for some reason.

Since I’m not allowed to swim for another week because of the LASIKs and the tri-bike is boxed up, running is pretty much the only thing I’m doing to stay in shape. My sights are set on the KC Marathon (with Robin) October 22nd then we’re heading down to the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa November 18th to run with Leslie.

My routine has been to run 3 days out of the week. Tuesday is mile-repeat day. Thursday I do a fairly decent length tempo-run. On Sundays I go slow and long. The focus is on quality over quantity and also getting my core stronger. I’m doing a lot of planks and stability work on the exercise ball these days. Mainly though, I’m trying to get my legs and lungs as rock-solid as I can.

If you already have a good endurance base established, repeats and tempo runs are a great way to kick training up a notch or two and increase cardio-vascular stamina. Done prudently, “speed-work” can make you a stronger and faster runner. I like mile-repeats best because, unlike 400 meter or 800 meter intervals, the mile is long enough to make you forget about running as fast as you can and instead, run fast enough to benefit from the workout.

I’m not gifted enough to run efficiently going full blast for an entire mile, but I can keep a pace that’s fast for me for that distance and still exhibit good form and sustain steady breathing. The distance helps create this efficiency because being a substantial chunk of ground to cover, it necesitates a degree of energy conservation and, for most, requires enough time to complete to allow for a thought process to take place. In my book, speed, in relation to endurance running, is about controlled exertion and finding pace while staying relaxed. I think doing 400 meter and even 800 meter repeats can end up being sloppy because the tendancy is to just run unbriddled and all crazy-like.

Anyway, if you want more advice about running and training just shoot me an email or leave a comment here. I’m working on a running coach certification right now and learning a lot about program design, proper training methodology, and injury treatment and avoidance. I actually should get back to the test I’ve been trying to finish for the past month or so. More later.

Thanks for reading!

Kansas City Marathon: Running for a Cause

Back in February I was asked to donate a gift to the Children’s Mercy fundraising dinner and auction, A Red Hot Night. My contribution: an 18 week marathon training program complete with personal training and coaching, a custom plan, and running with the winning bidder and getting him or her to the finish line of the 2007 Kansas City Marathon in October.

To my great surprise, the gift, which was packaged with a Garmin Forerunner 305 and a race entry, went for $1600!

The generous, winning bidder, Robin Fowler, is an attorney here in KC and father of two boys. This will be his first attempt at a marathon. We’re 8 weeks into training and just today finished an 11 mile run, the longest he’s gone to date.

After getting through a few marathons of my own over the past 4 years or so and reaping the benefits of the gift that is the running-lifestyle, it’s been good to give a little back. It’s so easy to get self-absorbed when involved with endurance-oriented sport. The drive to get more fit, to obsessively push the limits of the body and mind farther and farther, can develop into pure ego-mania. Don’t get me wrong. I get off on accomplishment just as much as the next person. The endurance-journey is a profound realization of self, an existential portal. There’s nothing more re-affirming than physically doing something that most find impressive or unendurable.

I think there’s more to this thing than mere self-satisfaction though. My belief is that we live and act and push the limits of what we can do because at our core we need inspiration in order to find meaning and to sustain the notion that most everything is possible. This is what makes us human, the ability to inspire, the capacity to be inspired, and the potential to believe.

At every one of my 11 marathons I have experienced an interesting mixture of emotions. Upon crossing the finish line and getting the medal placed around my neck, I obviously feel a sense of relief and accomplishment. The training is done and I finished the race. Each time I’ve gone through this process though the pride takes a back seat and I am drawn back to the finish line to watch other runners finish their races and complete their journeys. This is what I relish the most: the joy of watching others do what they thought they could not, the privelage of witnessing the will of another rise, fall, and rise again, and the nourishment from sharing with total strangers the inspiration generated in those raw and splendid moments.