Since we last spoke, recovery has gone pretty well. I had a bike fit a week ago (my 4th this year!) to address my leg length discrepancy more specifically–I now have a 3mm lift under my right cleat to address the shortness in my tibia, plus that cleat is 5mm further back than the left cleat to address the shortness in my femur. I’ve had a lift under the cleat for a while, but not the offset cleats… it feels WEIRD!!! And, oddly, much straighter than before.

So I’m building my riding back up somewhat slowly and methodically. Meanwhile, I’m feeling blessedly not-horrible about my swimming, and great about my running! You know, running with fancy triathletes, no big deal.

I owe a big thank you to a new 2012 sponsor, Pearl Izumi, for helping make run training go so well. Here are some of my favorite PI products:

The women’s fly ultra short has a really slim and flattering look for all the features it has packed in. There are 3 very functional pockets (one with a zipper and two that are designed for on-the-go nutrition), well-placed seams, and a comfortable waist band! I use these for long runs because I can tuck gels or flasks securely into the pockets, and for gym sessions because those same pockets fit my iPhone perfectly. I have a couple of other styles of Pearl Izumi run shorts, really you can’t go wrong with any of them in terms of styling and functionality.

Pearl Izumi’s Infinity Sport Tank is my choice for a summer run top and for gym sessions. The fit is slimming, the material soft, the cut through the torso is slim but not tight, the length is perfect (sitting right at the hips) and I like the way they did the back! The top also has a built-in bra so you don’t need to wear a sports bra underneath. Not that I need “support” in that area anyway… Oh, also, they also have a nice range of colors on offer.

Even though I haven’t needed it too much in the past few weeks of heatwave, the Infinity Jacket is my favorite apparel discovery in recent memory. I had no idea a “running jacket” could have so much great engineering! I’ve even used it while riding and carried it to campus in case I’m in my office well after dark and need an extra layer for the ride home. It’s warm, lightweight, breathes well through the arm and side panels, has a perfect little zippered key pocket on the arm, and the wrists of the sleeves have soft panels on the inside to protect from moisture and cold. I really love it and I think it’s a goldmine for the bargain price of $80.

My go-to training shoe is the Streak II, which was featured in the most recent issue of Inside Triathlon. It’s lightweight, about 8oz depending on your size, and just an all-around great neutral trainer for pretty much any conditions (including: rocky trails, mud, the track, and when I forget my socks). I would also use it for racing, but a. I’m not racing until August and b. I think the IsoTransition is a perfect race shoe, and it’s nice to have special race shoes that are different from training shoes. Anyway the Streak II runs a teeny bit small, so I wear an 8 instead of my usual 7.5.

Pearl Izumi makes a bunch of other great products that I’ve been using as well–I’m loving the glove and sock collections, as well as base layers and jog bras. It would be pretty easy for me to just post a whole catalog of recommendations on here but I think it’s more useful to actually just pick a few favorites!