What We’re Loving: Sunscreen, Swimsuits, Shoes, and Apps
Our favorite triathlon-related things—old, new, and random—right now.
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Fatigue is setting in. You can feel it. We’re all getting tired of at-home workouts, but races still seem months away. Don’t worry, we’re here for you.
We spend a lot of time at Triathlete swimming, biking, running, and doing all the other stuff too. And we have a lot of opinions about what stuff we like and don’t when it comes to swim-bike-run (and all the other stuff too). This week, we asked our fellow editor at our sibling publication, PodiumRunner, and one of our contributing writers for their favorite things too. Here’s what’s helping us get moving as it gets hot and the days get long.
Elta MD Sunscreen
The Colorado sun is wonderful and also scorchingly direct, so I religiously lather my face up with Elta MD’s SPF 46 sunscreen before heading out the door to hike or run. I knew that I needed to find some high quality sunscreen when I recently moved to Boulder, but everything I tried was making me break out or left an awkward white cast on my face. So this light, fragrance free, and oil-free sunscreen has been the holy grail of sun protection for me. It also is made with 9% zinc oxide, which protects skin from the sun’s UVA and UVB rays. I recommend it to everyone!
– Molly Hanson, PodiumRunner associate editor
Melissa Wood Health App
Pre-pandemic, I was already keen to cut down on how much I was spending on New York City’s boutique fitness offering (spoiler: a shameful amount). Pilates has always been my favorite exercise, so when I came across the effervescent and sunny Melissa Wood, I quickly downloaded her $9.99/month fitness app. Since January, it remains my favorite way to switch off from whatever else is going on—and of course, there’s a lot going on right now. Wood shares no-equipment-necessary ‘power flows’ in as little as eight minutes—as well as longer, more intense series—meaning I can squeeze in an effective daily workout at home in my tiny Brooklyn apartment without finding excuses. The mom-of-two’s guided meditations will also be a welcome respite for a lot of people these days. Plus, having basically reduced my monthly fitness expenses to the price of a single smoothie, I feel stronger and happier in my body than ever before.
– Freya Drohan, contributing writer
Brooks Cascadia 14 Trail Shoes
Over the last couple of months, I’ve started to do more trail running. I had gotten some fatigue of my usual running routes and going to the trails has been a nice change of pace (literally—it makes me worry so much less about how fast I’m running). Because I only occasionally run on the trails, it had been a long time since I had invested in new shoes. I was overdue! Finding the right shoes has not been an easy process for me. I need a toe box that is a little wider than usual, but not so wide that my foot slides around on the trails. I tried on several pairs of shoes before landing on these Brooks Cascadia 14s. I like that they’re pretty light and sleek (as far as trail shoes go) and provide plenty of traction and stability for the rocky routes by my house. There was also zero break-in period for me, which has been a struggle in the past with trail shoes.
– Liz Hichens, senior digital editor
Jolyn Perry Onesie Swimsuit
We have swimming back! (Kinda, sorta.) The lake by my house is now warm enough and open, plus the outdoor lap pool has started very very limited, reservation-only, every-other-lap-closed, no-lockerroom, wear-a-damn-mask-as-you-run-from-the-car-to-the-pool swimming. And it is amazing. That also means I’m back living in my favorite swimsuit. I’ve had a variety of Jolyn styles over the years (and some custom ones too), but it can be tricky to figure out exactly your cut and size. There are so many options. Now that I’ve found my favorite, this highlighter Perry one-piece in a 28 I’ll probably never go back. Jolyns tend to be tighter and skimpier, and the Perry is just the right amount of coverage while still convincing you that you look like an Olympian. No chaffing even with many many yards, and once you embrace the high-cut vibe, you just own it. Yes, Jolyn swimsuits are very trendy—but I would like it on the record that I was getting compliments from high school girls on my “cool suit” five years ago. Which may be the coolest I have ever been and the closest I have come to looking just like that model up there.
– Kelly O’Mara, editor-in-chief