Often friends and training partners ask me what products and tools I use for training and recovery, so I thought I would share my list of favorites. These are all tools that I find most essential to training, racing, and recovering (other than my bike, running shoes and swim goggles!) I wanted this list to be as objective as possible. Some of these products are sponsors, but more than half are not (and some are even absolutely free!)
1) Sleep and Rest. Tops on my list of training tools are both sleep and rest. The best part is, they’re free!!! We all know how essential sleep is, but I don’t think a lot of people comprehend how integral it is for the recovery process. I won’t go into all of the scientific details, but if you’re frequently not recovering well, get injured easily, and/or not seeing an increase in your performance as the season progresses, it’s likely you need more of it. Getting enough sleep can be challenging for many people, but with proper planning (and sometimes, some sacrifice) it IS possible. Similarly, scheduled rest days and recovery weeks from training are important, but so is rest from the stress of life. Being constantly on the go and trying to accomplish something is the norm for me, so I have to really plan ahead and schedule time for rest and doing activities that make me feel mentally and physically restored. I’ve definitely had “recovery” weeks from training where work simultaneously gets really busy and I have a bunch of other commitments scheduled (perhaps some travel in there), and I ended up feeling just as physically exhausted at the end of the week as the beginning. Sleep and rest = improved athletic performance!
2) CompuTrainer. The CompuTrainer is my #1 training tool other than perhaps my bike and running shoes. With the exception of the very occasional warm winter day, all of my winter cycling from December through February is done on the CompuTrainer, as is more than half of my bike training during the rest of the year. When you’re on the CompuTrainer, you’re in a controlled environment. You can ride at a consistent wattage without stopping at traffic lights, encountering traffic or animals running across the road, or encountering terrain that makes it difficult to hold an even wattage. The best part, in my opinion, is that you can set CompuTrainer at the wattage level you desire to hold for your intervals- you just have to worry about making your body do the work, not about whether you’re working hard enough (because you know that you’re hitting your goal pace/watts). The only thing getting in the way of a good workout is YOU, so it’s a great way to see what you can really do, no excuses. It’s not always fun, but the results are worth it! It comes with a lot of other great features that will help keep you motivated and/or improve as a cyclist, a spin scan analysis that will help you identify and correct dead spots in your pedal stroke for each leg, real course rides, and riding/racing against a virtual training partner whose pace you can set (in draft or non-draft mode). I highly recommend it as a high-priority training tool purchase, even above a Power meter in terms of performance benefit, in my opinion and experience.
3) Recovery Nutrition. After a long or hard (think long run/ride or track workout) training session, immediate (ideally, within 30 minutes) recovery nutrition is important, because your body can much more efficiently use these nutrients to rebuild glycogen stores during this window (and thus, you will recover better). The best recovery fuel I’ve found is First Endurance‘s Ultragen, and I use it after all of my long/hard workouts. I have noticed a big difference in terms of recovery even compared with other similar products on the market.
4) Ice Baths. After a very hard run session, ice baths (or in the winter months, cold water baths as the water itself is cold enough to fit the temp range) are my favorite recovery tool (favorite in a painful way). I’ve been using these for many years since my college days as a XC-track runner (when the icebath was conveniently waiting for us in the training room after practice, whereas now I have to go to the grocery store and lug home 20-40lbs of ice in summer months before having the pleasure of sitting in the icy cold water). And, it’s really not as bad as I am making it sound, and gets less difficult the more icebaths you’ve accomplished. Granted, there has been a lot of controversy about the effectiveness of icebaths in terms of improving recovery. But in my experience, as far as one can tell, they make me feel better and recover faster. Beginners tip: The proper temp range is 54-60 degrees F, and wearing socks will make the icebath much more bearable!
5) Massage Therapy. Without a doubt, my twice-monthly massage sessions with a gifted sports massage therapist (Nicole Allen Massage Therapy in Bethesda, MD) have helped keep me injury free and helps resolve any issues that might be cropping up. My massage therapist (Nicole), zeros in on any trouble areas even if I forget to mention them. Finding someone who really knows what they’re doing (and works with a lot of endurance athletes) is key.
6) The Holy Hand Grenade. This is really a racing tool (though some people use it in key training sessions too, so I’ll include it here) for that extra performance boost during a race or key training session. To make this, you mix half a gel flask of First Endurance EFS liquid shot, one serving of First Endurance PreRace, and fill the remainder of the gel flask with First Endurance EFS drink. Mix it all together really well and bring it with you to take on the bike during a race (I like to take it around the mid-point of the bike in an olympic distance race or during the last 10-15 miles of the bike for a 70.3 or an Ironman). It will give you a burst of energy and improve your pace/power (without feeling like you’re pushing harder). Since it’s not as thick as a typical gel, its easier to drink and will not leave you with stomach issues. However, like anything, it’s best to try in training before a race so you know how your body reacts!
7) Swim Spray. I just discovered Swim Spray recently thanks to my friend and training partner Shannon, and it has changed my life. OK, maybe not quite, but if you are tired of having dry chlorine damaged hair, itchy skin all day, and smelling like chlorine at all times, this product is for you (and it is not a sponsor). You basically rinse off after swimming, spray it on your hair and skin and rinse off again off, and the ascorbic acid (vitamin C) eliminates any remaining chlorine on your hair/skin. Unlike the marketed “swim shampoos” this product actually works (and works really well). It may not directly make you faster, but by removing the negative consequences of chlorine it could improve your desire to spend lots of time in the pool. Thus, it makes my top 7 list 
Love it! Thanks for sharing, esp. about the socks in the tub, perhaps a hat too. I enjoyed all of that, esp. your Holy Hand Grenande, that would be a powerful burst. For your recovery weeks, what do you typically do? Thank you for sharing. Good tips!