What We’re Loving This Week: Home Training, Swimrun Shoes, and Motivational Books

With things spinning a little out of control this week, we’re all trying to figure out this new normal. Let us recommend getting off the internet, turning off the news, doing what exercise you can, and complying with the guidelines and rules in your area.

We spend a lot of time trying out triathlon stuff, even now, so if you’re looking for home workouts, books, and shoes for solo runs, here’s what we’re loving right now.

Salomon S/LAB XA AMPHIB 2

Even though I just finished up my first swimrun event a few weeks ago, I still can’t stop wearing these shoes. They work well as a lightweight-but-sturdy trail shoe, and they simply laugh off any wetness that might come my way—leaving me open to explore more rugged Southern California coastline than ever. The string laces prevent stretching when wet, and the little lacing closure piece tucks out of the way to prevent any dragging or loosening. Once the rains let up here in L.A., I’ll be heading back out to the nearest cove to put in more swimrun exploration sessions with these amazing things.

– Chris Foster, senior editor

A 10-lb Medicine Ball

You know the world is spinning on a different axis when my “What We’re Loving” this week is a dusty old 10lb medicine ball I found in our guest room. I’d been doing a few at-home gym workouts earlier in the week with some sparse and let’s call it “innovative” equipment (who knew that a Swiffer could make a great substitute Vipr?!), but the discovery of this medicine ball led to a whole new world of exercises opening up before me. From whole body moves, such as this medicine ball slam + deadlift (added mental health benefits with the slam part of this exercise for those of you feeling frustrated) to core exercises like these medicine ball sit-ups and Mason twists, there’s plenty you can do with a medicine ball—and who knew it could bring so much satisfaction and entertainment?! Huge thanks to strength and conditioning coach Kate Ligler for providing fun sessions and inspiration throughout a challenging week.

– Emma-Kate Lidbury, managing editor

Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbbells

We’ve had these dumbbells (you can see the newest version here) in our house for years. My husband uses them here and there, but I enjoy going to the gym so I haven’t used them much—until this week. I’ve become a huge fan of strength training, so I have used these daily since the gyms shut down. Each dumbbell is adjustable from 5 pounds to 52.5 pounds. They take up very little space and have worked for every strength move I’ve done. If you only need lighter weights (5-10 pounds) then these would be a tad bulky for consistent use. But if you share dumbbells with anyone (a spouse, roommate, older children, etc.) and plan to use medium to heavy dumbbells, it doesn’t get much better than these. These have been one part of my sanity as I try to continue to maintain some semblance of my old fitness routine.

– Liz Hichens, senior digital editor

Iron War

One of the perks of starting this job was access to the VeloPress library room in the office (before we went to all work from home). I needed something to read a few weeks ago, so I picked up ‘Iron War’ — which I’d never read before. And now it’s turning out to be the perfect motivation during these trying times. Something makes me feel like Mark Allen and Dave Scott would find a way to GET IT DONE even now. I know there’s been some dispute over the specifics of the book over the years, but the facts of the training and racing remain nuts. 8:09 at Kona, in 1989! It took 29 years before anyone shaved those last nine minutes off and it’s hard not to feel motivated by these pioneers of the sport. Even if we don’t have any races on the horizon right now.

– Kelly O’Mara, editor-in-chief