How not to get googly-eyed about your goggles.

You’ve invested the time in researching your choices, you’ve asked for advice & guidance, you’vre tried them on and possibly gone through loads of cheap goggles that leaked, fogged, gave you panda eyes and in general frustrated the hell out of you.

No that you have invested your money in a decent pair of swim goggles it is time to look after them properly.

Here are a few top tips on how to care for your swim goggles:

• Rinse your goggles in clean, cool water after every swim to remove traces of chlorine, salt or sand, which may damage your goggles over time.
• Hang your goggles and allow them to air dry.
• Most goggles have anti-fog coating; do not rub the inner lens surface, especially when it’s wet, so you don’t remove it.
• Do not use paper products, or rough fabrics to clean your goggles. If you absolutely have to clean the lenses, make sure you use a soft, lint-free cloth.
• If the strap is very dirty, you can clean it with soapy water, but make sure none of the soap reaches the lenses.
• Never keep your goggles exposed to direct sunlight. Intense heat will let the silicone dry and the goggles’ color will fade.
• Store your goggles in a special pouch or case to protect them and keep them clean and scratch-free. Wash the pouch or case regularly.

Thanks to the folks at Instabeat for breaking it down.

Have you any extra advice on looking after your swim gear?

#Transcend me up!!

The all new innovative Brooks Transcend is being very well received by shoppers who try them on.

Behind the really strong, fresh look of the shoe is some very clever structural developments that really make this a first step towards a new future for running shoes.

Last year Brooks Running published their Stride Signature white paper with a new approach, looking at the runner and not the shoe:

The goal is not to correct your body’s motion, but to harmonise your specific needs and your shoes to help provide the best experience possible.

Some of the key developments have been derived from the feedback from the PureProject range of footwear where the introduction of Super DNA (DNA is Brooks proprietary cushioning system, it’s now gone SUPER!!) midsole foam is delivering 25% more cushioning than the BioMoGO DNA while smartly adapting to each and every stride, providing amazing energy return and support across the entire foot.

By far the most exciting move is the Guide Rails which mean the medial posts of old have been binned and new medial and lateral sides are delivering on-demand support allowing hips, kness and joints to move in their own unique pathway. These are perfect for anyone looking for guidance in a shoe that allows a natural feel. They also work for neutral runners who may have a tendency to overpronate towards the end of longer runs.
Support when and where it’s needed, if it’s needed!! Clever.

The other surprising thing about the Transcend is that it has an 8mm drop heel to toe. So, relative to other supoprtive guidance shoes it is tending towards being more minimalistic (not minimalism, I’ve discussed the terminology elsewhere). The promise is that the Ideal Heel which is curved, along with the lower profile will shift you forward for a more aligned stride and optimal propulsive (“blast-off”) with every step.

The unique shape of the outsole evenly disperses pressure in the heel, midfoot and forefoot allowing you to glide effortlessly along. That is why they call them Ideal Pressure Zones.

Last and by no means least the way the laces are integrated into the super soft upper provides for a stellar fit and a lush feel which is tailored to suit you. Your feet just won’t want to  come out of these shoes!!

I think I’m going to be wearing these for a while.

If you want to know more check out our #AKWebshop or you’d like to try a pair on ( you won’t regret it ) do drop into us in Galway or Limerick and see how you can #Transcend your run.

Happy running 🙂

 

 

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Lough Cutra Castle triathlon

Lough Cutra Castle – Sunday 25th May 2014

We’re delighted to announce that we are going to Lough Cutra triathlon in May.

With a swim around an island on the largest privately owned lake in Europe, a stunning 90k single cycle lap through the outstanding area of natural beauty that is the Burren National Park (taking in the infamous corkscrew hill) and a 3 lap run around a 7K course entirely on the beautifully manicured Lough Cutra estate and surrounding forest trails, what’s more to want?

Amphibian King are the run partners for The Gauntlet course and we will be hosting a series of recce runs on the run course through April and May. Keep an eye on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/Amphkingwest for more updates and watch our Events Calendar for dates, times & details.

Stick around for the after party for some renowned West Coast hospitality in the castle grounds.

The Gauntlet cycle route

Lough Cutra Castle – run routes

Check out the Lough Cutra Triathlon page for more information and entry details.

http://www.castletriathlonseries.co.uk/en/lough-cutra-race/

How do you wear your TYR goggles?

We like TYR goggles. In particular we like the TYR Special Ops goggles which are in the words of TYR:

Our #1 all-around goggle, the Special Ops is engineered for triathlon, open water and training. Constructed with polarized lenses, the LGSPL latex free performance goggle provides clarity, optical precision and comfort by filtering out 99.9% of the surface glare that causes eye fatigue.

We agree. Having used them through last year for training and racing, in pool and open water they lived up to the promise.

This year as well as the regular styles, we are getting some new colours and styles from TYR.

The Cheetah print

Faster than a Cheetah!

 

the Camo print for Ninja swimmers

For stealth mode racing

and the regular multicolour version too.

While rooting through the sample bag we found some National coloured Special Ops for Canada, America, Denmark and the United Kingdom. Pretty cool we thought but there was no Ireland ones!!

Naturally a call out to our friendly Photo editing friend was required and he delivered, again, brilliantly!! 🙂

What do you think? Should we ask TYR to make Special Ops goggles specifically for Ireland?

Comment below to have your say.

CEP Compression wear

There is always confusion about what constitutes ‘Compression’ in the expression ‘Compression Wear’.

Its a term bandied about all over the place and often is simpy used to market cheap socks and tops to unsuspecting consumers who think they are on to a good thing.

Good compression wear will have a base in medical compression where it has been tried, tested and proven. By assisting the returning blood flow from the lower leg and stabilising the muscles many athletes find their recovery time from workouts is quicker and there is less muscle soreness.

Medi compression – Advantages

• More energy, greater endurance and enhanced performance
• Improved circulation
• Preventative function
• Muscle and joint stabilization
• Improved coordination

Fitting compression socks can be a struggle, but this is a good sign. If you can put them on like regular socks, guess what? Then they are as useful as regular socks and are useless as compression wear.

With working on my feet mostly I wear my recovery compression socks after morning runs to ease fatigue in my legs through the day. They definitely work for me.

Have you tried compression socks? How did they work out for you?

Check out the CEP range in our webshop and instore in Galway and Limerick

2014 Feet on the Street – Athletics Limerick & Amphibian King

We’re delighted to announce a teaming up with Athletics Limerick and Analog Devices to bring you the 2014 Feet on the Street 6k series. Online entries are open on http://www.eventmaster.ie and the three dates are on our Events Calendar so be sure to ‘invite’ yourself to avail of timely reminders.

Run over 3 evenings with an accumulator prize for the 3 events for the 1st Man & Woman there’s going to be great competition at the front of the pack.

For those of us at the back there is also a 3k walk option with registration being taken on the night.

Are you ready to #Transcend?

The brand new Brooks Transcend launches on March 10th

Brooks Transcend

We’ve a timemachine that allowed us to bring some back from the future. Pop into Limerick or Galway to have a sneaky preview of this exciting new arrival.

But don’t tell anyone! 🙂

Are you looking for your first Orca triathlon wetsuit?

As stockists of the Orca range , the Orca S5 has just arrived into our Galway and Limerick stores ready for you to check out the perfect wetsuit for tri-beginners and improvers.Orca’s generation S-series wetsuit continues its evolution with the S5. While retaining many of the great features of the S4, the new S5 introduces a 5mm front panel from neck to mid-leg, increasing flexibility and buoyancy.

The removal of a front seam ensures that it is the most flexible wetsuit to date in this range. Like its predecessor, the S5 promises hydrodynamics, flexibility, buoyancy and durability. Its full neoprene coverage includes SCS coated 3-4mm Yamamoto 39-cell neoprene across the full front. 2mm Yamamoto 39-cell coated neoprene underarm and shoulder panels provides superb range of motion.

The back is made of 3mm Smooth Skin neoprene, offering buoyancy and thermal protection. Silicone-print Hydrostroke forearm catch panels increase power through the stroke, while Speed Transition calf panels make transitions a cinch.

• 2mm SCS Neoprene Arms & Shoulders – High stretch SCS coated upper torso and arms

• Yamamoto Neoprene – Performance level durable Yamamoto neoprene provides excellent buoyancy, flexibility and thermal protection.

• Speed Transition Calf Panels – Guaranteed easy removal of the wetsuit and faster transition times.

Orca wetsuits are available in a wide range of sizes to suit everybody an we are on hand to help you select, size & we’ll show you how best to handle your wetsuit when fitting and removing to avoid unwanted pulls and tears.

If you are ready to know more we have a handy Appointment Maker on the website to help you get the most of one-on-one time with an advisor.

See you soon!!

 

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On yer bike!!

For a long time people have been asking me “why do you not do bikes?”

It would be ideal. We’d then become a one stop shop for all your triathlon needs. It would be very handy for our customers for sure.

BUT!

Considering that we are the best at what we do (providing running and swim advice) customers look to us for advice about their bikes. Bicycles are an area of interest for us as triathletes & cyclists, however it is not an area of expertise for us. We want to find our customers to get the best advice all round, and the best advice we can give you about your bike is who to deal with those that we deal with.

To further cement this advice we are teaming up with the crew at MBW to bring you a well rounded “best of” triathlon experience.

I don’t think anyone knows bikes like these folks. Check out their website and just like with us, call into them for the best advice, you will not regret it!!