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2014-04-08 10:08 AM
in reply to: DirkP

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Subject: RE: Asphalt Junkies Winter Edition - CLOSED
Originally posted by DirkP

I hope that both of your girls do the race with you at Fort Yargo.  If they do, that will be another thing I will envy you for.  someday I hope the same thing will occur with me and my girls.

Ragnar looks like a fun race but right now I'm obviously glad I didn't commit to doing with you (for obvious reasons).  Lis and I love camping so the atmosphere would certainly suit me.

I suppose your foot problems are the result of the same condition you have been fighting for several years?  If this is the same injury does this make you consider having the surgery done any sooner?  Hopefully things can get under control and you can get back to normal activities pretty soon.  I know how frustrating it can be to be sidelined.




Dirk, no this is something new. Exactly 1 week ago today, my foot began hurting while running. I finished my run anyway, which I always do (because these things rarely amount to anything in my case). Afterwards, I could barely walk. It was extremely painful and I was unable to run the rest of the week. I went to Ragnar knowing it was hurt, but planning to soldier on.
It seems to be the 5th metatarsal up near the ball of the foot (or associated structures).

The pain is pretty severe, and I was only able to run my 2nd and 3rd legs by icing the foot to numbness before starting.

Let's hope it's not broken. I need to call the Dr. today and try to get an appointment.

So it's not the same old thing! That's still there, but I'm managing it OK.


2014-04-08 10:20 AM
in reply to: JeffY

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NH
Subject: RE: Asphalt Junkies Winter Edition - CLOSED
Jeff, that foot issue sounds tough. Sometimes I actually hope something is broken. A break which heals is often fine for a long time, if not forever. My problems at this point are with joints which were either badly sprained or places where I had tears. Those never seem to be quite the same.

Sounds like everyone is getting some great training in. And Joanne, that swim is outstanding.

I have a quick question for everyone about the best bike splits, since Matt mentioned it. I entered my races and used my actual finish times. The power profiles it came up with are amazingly close to the numbers I registered during the race. However, the trainer road profiles it comes up with are not very "flat", meaning they have a LOT more power variability than I had during the race and a lot more than I would expect. Since the idea of a TT is to keep power even and not fluctuate too much, why do you think they would show such large power variations? This isn't a critical issue, but I'm just curious why the best plan for TT isn't to push for the full 56 at even watts.
2014-04-08 11:06 AM
in reply to: wbayek

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Subject: RE: Asphalt Junkies Winter Edition - CLOSED
Great Question Warren!!

I just finished my first 8 min FTP .. I did a "suggested" 145. wow.... I have a lot of work to do. And, since I loaded up my courses in Best Bike Splits and have the programs uploaded into in TR... I'm ready to tag along with Warren's question..... hoping for a nice discussion

Good thing it's a recovery week - only about 7 hours for me...... I have Thursday and Sunday off - So I have time to play around with bike software and such...

2014-04-08 10:09 PM
in reply to: wbayek

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Subject: RE: Asphalt Junkies Winter Edition - CLOSED
Originally posted by wbayekJeff, that foot issue sounds tough. Sometimes I actually hope something is broken. A break which heals is often fine for a long time, if not forever. My problems at this point are with joints which were either badly sprained or places where I had tears. Those never seem to be quite the same.Sounds like everyone is getting some great training in. And Joanne, that swim is outstanding.I have a quick question for everyone about the best bike splits, since Matt mentioned it. I entered my races and used my actual finish times. The power profiles it came up with are amazingly close to the numbers I registered during the race. However, the trainer road profiles it comes up with are not very "flat", meaning they have a LOT more power variability than I had during the race and a lot more than I would expect. Since the idea of a TT is to keep power even and not fluctuate too much, why do you think they would show such large power variations? This isn't a critical issue, but I'm just curious why the best plan for TT isn't to push for the full 56 at even watts.
Hey, don't blame me for this rabbit hole!

it is curious that a TT would show the fluctuations, and there are so many variables you can build into the design it's hard to say what is causing the difference. I'm curious if the course was flat or how many hills or inclines are involved? Is it possible that it is accounting for a drop in power going up the hill or even a slight incline, and then an increase in power as you are going down the hill? Or would it be opposite?

on a different note, I am starting to get a strange obsession with following my training plan regardless of the effort involved. On Sunday there was a long run that include 5x2' at 10k effort, of course the intervals started around the 5 mile mark and going up a hill. Pushed through all the intervals and finished even though around the 3rd I was ready to crawl into a hole and call it a day. Today there was a 3000yd swim in the docket, I know not long for you IRONMEN but ridiculous for me, the workout was basically 6x500 with 400 at t-pace and 100 drills. Well after the 2nd set I was panning an early exit from the pool figuring if I made it to 2000 I would be good. Then I forgot where I was at and finished the entire workout. Combine this with my insistence in maintaining my running streak and this is turning into a good spring session.
2014-04-08 10:11 PM
in reply to: DirkP

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Subject: RE: Asphalt Junkies Winter Edition - CLOSED
Jeff, take care of that foot, and man I hope it's not broken!
2014-04-09 6:13 AM
in reply to: wbayek

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Subject: RE: Asphalt Junkies Winter Edition - CLOSED

Hey Warren, Ive been playing around with Best Bike splits as well so ill offer my input.  When you set up your race did you include efforts of up to ~120%FTP and set a max time over FTP.  The reason I ask is maybe they are giving you a lot larger efforts on hills then you would like to put out.  Its either in the profile or race set up where you can make adjustments to these. 

The only other thing I can think of is that they say you should be putting more power out on the up hills then the downhills, so if the hills are short then the are giving you a harder shorter effort then if the hill was longer which you give you a more continuous effort.  Maybe you could post a pic of the Trainerroad workout and a course profile.  Might give some more insights.

Jeff, hope your foot isn't injured too bad and its something that just got tweaked.  

Dirk,  glad to see your back on the bike even if it is easy efforts.  Don't rush it and I'm sure you will be back hammering the asphalt in no time.

 

OK,  questions.  I'm planning for my first HIM.  Full suit or top and shorts?  Ive gone back and forth about 50 times. 

 



2014-04-09 7:33 AM
in reply to: BigDaddyD79

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Subject: RE: Asphalt Junkies Winter Edition - CLOSED
I have had a full suit for 2 seasons now, and I am still split on whether I like it or not. It is definitely comfortable, but the biggest PIA is having to use the bathroom pre-race or even during the race. During Last years HIM I had to stop 1/2 way through the run for a relief, and it felt like it took forever to where I could use the potty. I think if I had the money I would get shorts and top
2014-04-09 7:48 AM
in reply to: mambos

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Subject: RE: Asphalt Junkies Winter Edition - CLOSED
I prefer the two piece for HIM and longer for exactly the same reason Matt related. Also... for an HIM/IM distance, I like to wear a long sleeve shirt to keep the sun off. It gets really hot down here sometimes (yesterday we had record heat- in the 90's with a heat index around 97-- a front came through last night and it will be in the upper 70's for the next day or so)

I like the one piece for sprint and olympic distances.
2014-04-09 8:09 AM
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Subject: RE: Asphalt Junkies Winter Edition - CLOSED
I'm with the consensus as well. I have a one piece and I've never used it in any race. I prefer a two piece tri kit. Like Terry said with the long sleeved top, I don't always use sleeveless tri tops, I like having a short or long sleeve depending on the weather and I have different tri shorts some with more padding for the longer distances like the HIM that I prefer to use. I think the one piece is fine for the short stuff but I've heard the same thing that Matt said about using them, iit can make the pit stops long.

Edited by strikyr 2014-04-09 8:10 AM
2014-04-09 8:43 AM
in reply to: 0

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Subject: RE: Asphalt Junkies Winter Edition - CLOSED
Terry I will defefnitly look at a race next winter, I love winter and this year I have had enough and with that said it is supposed to be near 60 here today...,, finally!

Mat nice work, I also have a two piece.

As for me I did an 8 minute test yesterday and after 8 weeks of TR I went from 148 FTP to 171 FTP. I defefnitly need to work a bit on my pacing but I have learned alot and have so much more confidence in my riding since I started !!!

Edited by Jo63 2014-04-09 8:44 AM
2014-04-09 9:07 AM
in reply to: Jo63

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Subject: RE: Asphalt Junkies Winter Edition - CLOSED

Jo great work! Glad to hear its paying off.

As for the Tri suit issue, Ive worn a full for all my sprints and Olympics.  I'm comfortable in them, and alot more than the two piece, and I know the aero benefits are better then the two piece.  My only concern, as others have brought up, is the bathroom issue.  So that's why Ive been flip flopping back and forth. 



2014-04-09 11:58 AM
in reply to: Jo63

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NH
Subject: RE: Asphalt Junkies Winter Edition - CLOSED
Originally posted by Jo63
As for me I did an 8 minute test yesterday and after 8 weeks of TR I went from 148 FTP to 171 FTP. I defefnitly need to work a bit on my pacing but I have learned alot and have so much more confidence in my riding since I started !!!


OUTSTANDING! No other comment required.
2014-04-09 12:08 PM
in reply to: wbayek

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NH
Subject: RE: Asphalt Junkies Winter Edition - CLOSED
I'll try to post the Timberman profile and the trainer road workout based on my 2:35 time.





(timberman-profile-and-tr.JPG)



Attachments
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timberman-profile-and-tr.JPG (64KB - 4 downloads)
2014-04-09 12:22 PM
in reply to: tmoons

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NH
Subject: RE: Asphalt Junkies Winter Edition - CLOSED
Originally posted by tmoons

I prefer the two piece for HIM and longer for exactly the same reason Matt related. Also... for an HIM/IM distance, I like to wear a long sleeve shirt to keep the sun off. It gets really hot down here sometimes (yesterday we had record heat- in the 90's with a heat index around 97-- a front came through last night and it will be in the upper 70's for the next day or so)

I like the one piece for sprint and olympic distances.


For races I wear a two piece tri suit because it's all I have. I would probably use a one piece for sprints if I had one. Since switching to bibs for cycling I've never gone back to standard shorts. Bibs are so comfortable, and I'd imagine the one piece suits are the same, not to mention the aero advantage.

I have to laugh a bit at the heat comments Terry. Even for the tris we do up here in late August, I'm almost always more concerned about how cold the starts will be than the heat. Two years ago the first temperature announcement at the Timberman 70.3 (August 19th) was 35 degrees! At least the water was 73.
2014-04-09 6:24 PM
in reply to: Jo63

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Subject: RE: Asphalt Junkies Winter Edition - CLOSED
Originally posted by Jo63

Terry I will defefnitly look at a race next winter, I love winter and this year I have had enough and with that said it is supposed to be near 60 here today...,, finally!

Mat nice work, I also have a two piece.

As for me I did an 8 minute test yesterday and after 8 weeks of TR I went from 148 FTP to 171 FTP. I defefnitly need to work a bit on my pacing but I have learned alot and have so much more confidence in my riding since I started !!!


JoAnne that's a big improvement in 8 weeks time. Congrats, your hard work is paying off. Don't worry about your pacing just yet, you'll start to dial that in when you start doing your long rides. Not only will you get a handle on your pacing but your endurance will come as well. Keep up the great work.
2014-04-09 6:27 PM
in reply to: wbayek

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Subject: RE: Asphalt Junkies Winter Edition - CLOSED
Originally posted by wbayek

Originally posted by tmoons

I prefer the two piece for HIM and longer for exactly the same reason Matt related. Also... for an HIM/IM distance, I like to wear a long sleeve shirt to keep the sun off. It gets really hot down here sometimes (yesterday we had record heat- in the 90's with a heat index around 97-- a front came through last night and it will be in the upper 70's for the next day or so)

I like the one piece for sprint and olympic distances.


For races I wear a two piece tri suit because it's all I have. I would probably use a one piece for sprints if I had one. Since switching to bibs for cycling I've never gone back to standard shorts. Bibs are so comfortable, and I'd imagine the one piece suits are the same, not to mention the aero advantage.

I have to laugh a bit at the heat comments Terry. Even for the tris we do up here in late August, I'm almost always more concerned about how cold the starts will be than the heat. Two years ago the first temperature announcement at the Timberman 70.3 (August 19th) was 35 degrees! At least the water was 73.



Warren, Timberman is on my short list of events to do for sure but man 35 degrees is a little cold for me. I'd be hoping for something a little warmer especially in August. At least we know it will be wetsuit legal.


2014-04-09 7:04 PM
in reply to: Jo63

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Subject: RE: Asphalt Junkies Winter Edition - CLOSED

Originally posted by Jo63  As for me I did an 8 minute test yesterday and after 8 weeks of TR I went from 148 FTP to 171 FTP. I definitely need to work a bit on my pacing but I have learned a lot and have so much more confidence in my riding since I started !!!

WHAT??????  A 14% improvement in 8 weeks??  That's incredible!  I'm firing my coach and hiring you!  Keep on training with your focus and you'll hammer the bike in September.

2014-04-09 7:54 PM
in reply to: BigDaddyD79

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Subject: RE: Asphalt Junkies Winter Edition - CLOSED

As to the Tri-suit question; I have never worn one and honestly don't plan to try one either.  I don't like the idea of being trapped in the suit if I need to use the restroom.   I am sure I would like the feel of it on me because, as Warren stated, I love bib shorts because of the increased fitting comfort but I won't spend the money on something I would have to wrestle in and out of on race day.

Warren,  About your bike splits question; I really know nothing about what you're discussing because I didn't have an account until today at lunch time.  But my guess would be that they are trying to mimic the rolling terrain represented on the course, thereby causing the ups and downs in wattage that would occur throughout that type of course.  Again, I know almost nothing about what is put into this dats because I hadn't had time to read anything.

2014-04-09 8:05 PM
in reply to: DirkP

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Subject: Surgery recovery.....

Below is a copy and paste of an email I sent to my coach.  You'll get the idea about how I'm doing from that and some of the plans for the coming week.......

 

I left my second PT appointment  about 2 hours ago.  I had a pretty successful week of recovery and restrengthening according to Todd.  There was a newer PT watching as I was working through my exercises that didn't have any clients to attend to.  He was shaking his head in what appeared to be approval occasionally.  I really didn't know what he was doing other than watching me do various exercises.  As I was getting near the end of my newly required strength routine he finally asked me how long since my surgery.  I mentioned it was 1 week ago and he just shook his head in an apparent surprised approval.  As it turned out he was watching me to see how I was doing since my last visit and see what kind of progress I had made.  As my PT (Todd) walked to the other PT they began to talk quietly, it appeared they were talking about me, so I asked.  I was correct.  Todd mentioned to Josh that I was a "freak of nature" of course I already knew that but I usually don't admit it frequently.  Joking aside, this was a positive comment that seemed to point toward my rapid progression since my surgery.

 
Obviously, with the above comments, I am really very happy with where I'm at currently.  I feel I'll be on track with my goal to be running 4 weeks post-op and Todd seemed to agree.  He thinks my progression is allowing me to begin to refocus and work on other strengthening that appears to be outside of (and well ahead of) the normal clients' rate of progress.
 
Strength training:
I asked him about using weights; if I could begin to use heavier loads since I had been doing stuff light and high reps.  He said I am definitely ready and approved 10-12 reps that I would "not be worrying whether I would be able to complete the final reps."  So, I plan to begin to drive the weights higher but well below the weights I was using the week prior to surgery.  I am still on a 3 day regimen of weight training and PT exercises on the alternating days.
 
The Bike:
He agreed to allow me to go up to 85% FTP (his words were "tempo stuff") and I could come out of the saddle during some of the ride.  He hadn't heard what FTP was, so a quick explanation prompted him to agree that 85% was a good place to start.  Later he stated that I cold probably go a little harder but I told him I would rather err on the side of safety and not exceed 85% in the coming week.  However, he did qualify his statement by saying that I needed to build into that harder stuff rather than attempt to crush the pedals in a shorter, quicker movement.  I agreed and decided to do a slower build during given intervals to the desired intensity.
 
Finally, I can definitely tell that my knee is not 100%!  I can say with strong certainty that I could not run without injuring myself right now.  Occasionally there will be a sharp pain in the "sweet spot" that is all too familiar to my past issues.  But I would also say that it is probably better than it was pre-op.  I feel extremely confident that the hardcore focus on weights is producing very rapid and favorable results........Good coaching!!
........I'm headed in the right direction!!
 
If you can't tell from the above commentary, I feel pretty good about where I am currently.  The pain in the "sweet spot" is really more minor than it was pre-op but it's enough to let me know not to do anything stupid.  I am pretty focused on t proper recovery and I'm gaining confidence all the time with a mental setback now and then,  The setbacks are probably more mental and somewhat of a panicked feeling about the short time frame to get in running shape before IM, but I still have a strong peace about my path.
2014-04-09 8:54 PM
in reply to: DirkP

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Subject: RE: Surgery recovery.....
That looks like a lot of good News Dirk. Now stay patient!
2014-04-10 4:47 AM
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Subject: RE: Surgery recovery.....
That's fantastic Dirk. Keep it steady.... You'll be right back at it before you know it!!

I went to the compu-trainer session last night. WOW!
It is definitely a difficult experience. We began with a ten minute ride then did an FTP test. Mine measured 193. (big difference from the 143 the other day in my garage. - we'll see how it progresses in the next several weeks)

Afterwards we did some interval work where we got into the big ring and the middle of the back ring and did not shift gears throughout intervals. It was very difficult and i need some work on that. We had a few sprint races a the end and a cool down. it's something I will attempt to do once a week until i can raise my FTP to an acceptable level. (probably the ability to average 20 mph for a century ride.)



Edited by tmoons 2014-04-10 4:54 AM


2014-04-10 7:59 AM
in reply to: DirkP

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Subject: RE: Asphalt Junkies Winter Edition - CLOSED
Dirk that is great news and you're definitely on the right track with your recovery. Like Matt said be patient and keep up the great work, IMWI is a callin'.

Terry you're also on the right track to increasing your FTP with the interval work. All the off season interval work has worked wonders for me and I'm sure for the rest of the gang here that has done that type of work. It's definitely worth the time, effort and suffering.

Speaking of which I have my last VO2/FTP testing for the EN outseason scheduled for this evening. I've been taking it easy this week so I'm really hoping to put forth a very strong effort tonight. I also have the run test this week as well which I'm actually leaning towards moving to tomorrow. Probably not the smartest thing to do but I want to do an outdoor hills bike ride on Saturday and a trail run on Sunday. The weekend weather is looking really good and I want to take advantage of it.
2014-04-10 11:42 AM
in reply to: strikyr

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NH
Subject: RE: Asphalt Junkies Winter Edition - CLOSED
Originally posted by strikyr
Warren, Timberman is on my short list of events to do for sure but man 35 degrees is a little cold for me. I'd be hoping for something a little warmer especially in August. At least we know it will be wetsuit legal.

Oh, it's typically at least a little warmer by then, so don't worry. The 35 was actually an all time low for that date (it hit 30 overnight I heard). And it did warm up a bit and was in the 50s for the run, which is actually perfect. Some years it can be hot and humid - well, hot for NH. The water is always around 75, so it will certainly be wetsuit legal. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever seen a tri in New England which wasn't wet suit legal.
2014-04-10 2:46 PM
in reply to: wbayek

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Subject: RE: Asphalt Junkies Winter Edition - CLOSED
Tri suit...I got my first one-piece over this past off-season and look forward to using it. What I like about them is that they look faster!
And when it's really hot out there on race days, I currently race topless from start to finish. But with a tri suit I can unzip and take it half way off for the run.
Going to the bath room with bib shorts (cycling) is a big pain because you have to take off the jersey to get the bibs down, but if there is nothing being worn over the top of the tri-suit the problem isn't really the same. Just peel it down to my waist and I'm good. I suppose if it's before the race and I'm bundled up in warm-up gear then I'd have that hassle of pulling a lot of stuff off first.

As for Warren's question about TT pacing, I don't know anything specific about the power profile you are talking about. But I do know that people with power meters find that it's IMPOSSIBLE for them to maintain FTP down a hill. If you maintained FTP on the flats and uphills perfectly you would be slower by more than you theoretically should because you'd be below FTP by some margin down the hills. This phenomenon increases as the down grade increases.

Also, most people find it hard to reign in their FTP on up hills. True, you can force yourself to with great discipline, but I wonder if it's not a better pacing strategy to exceed the FTP by a slight amount up hills then recover down the hills?
It depends on the hill's specific characteristics. A 2 mile climb up a mountain, you might want to keep FTP. A 15 second roller, you might want to double your FTP then soft-pedal down the back side of the hill. Thoughts?

Ok, my foot....The Dr. called me this morning and said "Well, you did it!".. I said: "did what?" He said: "You crushed it"...I was wondering what workout I had crushed and how he know? It didn't occur to me for a few seconds that he was talking about my foot. He said the break looks like a crush from a trauma and not a stress fracture.
So I'm officially a bad a** dude who raced the Ragnar Trail event on a crushed metatarsal.
I will be in a boot and off running for some extended period here. Doc doesn't want to see me cycling, but I will at least be riding in the saddle, if not standing to climb/sprint.

Dirk will be running before I will!

2014-04-10 8:14 PM
in reply to: JeffY

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Subject: RE: Asphalt Junkies Winter Edition - CLOSED
Jeffy, hate to hear it about the foot. Stay patient. If anyone else gets injured, we may have to consider a name change to our group... ha!
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