jmk-brooklyn's group-- FULL (Page 10)

Officially started the plan yesterday. Did an hour swim & 40 minute run, then woke up at 5am & did a 30 minute run. The plan seems good for me. It's not staring out too hard, but it is forcing me to be consistant which is what I really need. Tracked my calories pretty good since yesterday, I'd like to try and drop 15 lbs before the race. I've read that weight loss while training for a longer distance race can be very hard, but I'm hoping I can do it. I know I look ok now, but it would really help my running & cycling. But mostly, it would be awesome to finally be at goal and no longer overweight according to my BMI. Life long struggle, I know

Doing my first tri of the season this Saturday in Pawling, NY.  I feel great about my bike ride and so-so about running (which I generally dislike) and the swim (which I usually do poorly -- even though I came to this sport through swimming).

I did an open-water lake swim over last weekend and my goggles kept fogging over.  Made tracking my whereabouts difficult.  Hopefully it won't be a problem on Saturday.  Anyone know how to prevent it?

Hi everybody, it's been quite a while! I had a tough time with my schedule. Had a couple of injuries. My first tri - Olympics- is end July in Singapore. Training with a friend. It appears like both of us are the first persons to take part in an int'l triathlon from Sri Lanka. We are now generally ok with completing the distances, though we have never done all three together!But need to improve on the speed!

Jonah, now I really need help! I am having a real tough time in getting the equipment,attires and the cycle. To start with, your previous threads on goggles and selecting a cycle made a couple of things clearer. Thanks!

My immediate problems are with..

1) Planning to get a cycle all the way from Canada - My sis, who is in Toronto is coming to SL on 10th June. My bro, who's also in Canada would purchase a bike for me, pack it and send it. I selected several bikes from http://toronto.kijiji.ca/.I am 5, 7" and I guess the frame size for me should be around 51-52".

I am going for a used road bike in the range of CAD 1000- 2000. Given below are the links for some bikes that I have marked. If anybody has time, apprecaite some comments, recommendations:

I know I am expecting a bit too much at the last moment..

Jonah.. all the best with your tri...so, it's today right?.. You must be tired and busy!!

Can somebody good in bikes go through a couple of these links and make some comments? I'm trying to get a bike over here from the other side of the planet, without checking or seeing the bike!!!

1) http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-sports-bikes-2008-Giant-OCR... style="font-size: small;">2) http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-sports-bikes-Devinci-Road-B... http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-sports-bikes-Trek-5500-road... http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-sports-bikes-SCOTT-Speedste... http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-sports-bikes-Ridley-Excalib... href="http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-sports-bikes-Scott-Addict-R3-Carbon-bicycle-W0QQAdIdZ284792257">6) http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-sports-bikes-Scott-Addict-R... http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-sports-bikes-Cervelo-solois... http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-sports-bikes-Giant-Defy-2-2... http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-sports-bikes-2010-Giant-TCR... I am also trying to get a pair of marathon shoes and a computer/ cadence meter from Canada- what ever you call it - for the bike. Do they have one gadget to check: heart rate, cadence, speed and the distance?? Any recommendations on these?

I started reading all the threads again from the end. I missed a lot in the forum, due to the my struggle with the schedule I am following. Guess what... We have no road ideal for cycling.. We have to do it in the traffic... So we have to go cycling either  early morning or in the night .....

Hope I would hear from somebody!

Cheers!

Sujith

So I went to my new LBS to try out bikes and finally get something that fits. I had narrowed my search down to a Trek 2.3 and a Trek Speed Concept. It ended up being the similar road bike vs tri bike scenario that everyone keeps talking about on BT. The road bike was amazingly comfortable, and I felt like I could ride it all day long. I also felt like it was the better bike for me right now. Since I was more comfortable I was able to go slightly faster. However, the Speed Concept TT bike was really amazing. It responded so smoothly, and it felt really awesome. It wasn't nearly as comfortable to ride, but I could tell the bike had a ton of potential. In all fairness to the 2.3, the Speed Concept was a bit pricier, but the next step up from the 2.3 was slightly out of what I wanted to spend. In the end I realized that as I put more and more miles in and keep riding, I should raise my skill and confidence level to use the tri bike to its full potential. I also realized that I probably won't have the opportunity to spend a lot of money on a bike for many many years, so I wanted to be a bit forward thinking. So, while it probably isn't sexy enough to make it into a bike porn thread, this still makes my tri shorts tight when I look at it.

(Speed Concept.jpg)

Johnny- Congrats. Nice bike!

Finished my first week on the 20 week HIM plan. THis is the first week I have swam 3x & run 3x in a long, long time. I think this plan will be great for keeping me focused & on track. I've been good about counting the calories all week. Some days were better than others, but I forced myself to write down every bit of food I ate. Hopefully the scale will play along.Looking to do a 50 mile bike tomorrow.

Question: I've been looking online to see how many calories s/b/r burns & have been finding varying info. Anyone have accurate info on how much s/b/r will burn per hour for a 158 lb female?

Hi All,

Pls ignore my previous message. I tried to present the links nicely. But they all came packed, when I submitted.

Anyway, I am going to buy the undermentioned bike, that we selected from the web. He is giving it to me at CAD 2000. He has purchased it in 2009. Frame size 52 cm. I will try to attach a picture after the message. Let me know what you guys think.

TREK MADONE 5.5 Road Bike

Trek Madone 5.5 road bike

  OCVL carbon frame and fork

  DURA-ACE shifters ,gears,brakes and crank

  Bontrager racelite rims and tires

  Trek Incite 8I wireless trip computer

  Mint condition, red in color

BTW...I have been reading through some of the threads. Good to see that many of you have been taking part in tri's and making progress. Got lots of hints from their strories. About wearing the wet suit, fixing the cycling shoes to pedals with rubber bands..etc.

I have a  loads of questions on equipment, attire and transitions.. will shoot them later.

Cheers!

Sujith

Hi all,

Work has been crazy busy (as usual) so I've been trying to catch up on my training.  Only two weeks to go to the LI Gold Coast triathlon so I'm getting nervous because my training has been pretty low for the last couple of weeks.  I have been running twice a week, and my hubby and I participated in a 5K in New Orleans when we were on vacation three weeks ago, and it was 85 degrees with 100% humidity at 8:30 in the morning.  I'm from NY, so that's really hot, especially for May.  At least there was cold beer at the end of the race, at 9am,  which is the New Orleans way, which I also participated in.  Well, when in Rome as they say!

Now that I'm working from home for the week, I've got some serious catching up.  On Sat I completed a brick by riding to a local 5K (which was on our regional airport runway) and then running the 5K.  Running is the worst part of the race for me, but I was happy with my time considering I rode my bike to the race.  On Sun my friends and I participated in a 25 mile ride on Shelter Island, which is one of the few places on LI that has hills.  It was a rough, but fun ride, with perfect weather, and taking our bikes on the ferry was a lot of fun.  Today, I took to the pool at the YMCA, and actually swam 850 meters without stopping, so I felt good about that since the tri is 1/2 mile.  All in all I swam a little more than 1 mile in about an hour, so that made me feel more confident for the upcoming swim.  I still have not yet been in open water because I'm still having some trouble finding a wetsuit that fits, and my time is running out, so that my current race stressor right now.

Jonah, have you complete the LI Gold Coast Tri previously? I'm just curious what you thought of the course if  you've dealt with it before?  I've already picked up my race packet, but there's not much info about the race itself, just where to park. 

Hopefully I will find the perfect (or adequate enough to use without sinking like a stone in the water) wetsuit this week, and get out into the open water before the race.  Either that, or I'll be freezing in 65 degree water in a couple of weeks.  Wish me luck!

-Kelly

Glad that helped.

I’m curious, Sujith, how you decided to do a triathlon in the first place, especially considering that there’s not a large triathlon community in your country?

It’s really admirable to be taking on a challenge like this, given the lack of facilities and expertise. I don’t tend to think of NYC as a triathlon hub in the US, compared to places like Texas, Arizona, Colorado and Southern California, but, when I take a minute to think about it, we have several dedicated tri stores, countless bike shops, four or five triathlon clubs, etc, so maybe we’re not doing too badly…..........................
____________________________________________________________________________________________

Hi Jonah,

Oops ! I had missed your above post on 13th May !!!

I just went back and read most of the posts that I had missed.

I have also missed your post on the tri that you got the award and became first in your age group. ( Same age group as mine!)

Congratulations!!! That was gutty!!! Also good to hear that you recovered fast from your injuries!

So.....what happened in the tri last Saturday????

Coming back to your query..about me deciding on a tri...( Going to be a long story...)

I was 180.4 lb in Jan 2009, and then shot up 217.8 lb by Jan 2010.( I got stuck with an exam, which had a huge project, with a tough deadline. I had to cram continuously for months, without much sleep, eating all the crap just to keep my self awake, also at the expense of missing my regular work outs at the gym).

217.8 lb.. was not me.. I was angry and determined... started working out regularly. Got in to athletics. Weight came down back to 180 in 4 months. Controlled food like a monk. ( Said no to: soft drinks, Fast food, Mc, KFC, Pizza, Beer, Fried rice, and sauce. Lived on Little brown rice, lots of veg, fruits and fish)Decided to take part in a veterans' ( 40-45 age group)athletics meet. Decided on the 400m Hurdles (Which I had never done!). I wanted a challenge!. The coach I met, refused. I had only 1 and 1/2 months for training. He said, I still was over weight for the event, I had never done it before and it's(clearing the hurdle) highly technical, could be dangerous when it come to landing and the hurdle height is Olympic height for my age group. I insisted. He finally agreed. Training was tough. As expected got a couple of injuries.. Finally I took part in the meet. There were 7 participants. I finished 5th. ( Other two: One fell down and  the other, stopped...!!!). So, I don't say I finished last..Ha! By this time my weight was 167.2. Still over weight for this event. Took part in the Mercantile Athletics meet a month later. Became third and got a medal. This was quite an achievement for me and helped me build my confidence immensely.

Then in last Feb, I heard about the " Team Hoyt", in US, where the father and son, team does Tri's?? (What r yr thoughts about them?)Saw their videos in Youtube!...this really moved me! It had been one of my dreams to do a tri one day, but did not have the chance, since we did not have any except a few mini ones, which you normally come to know once they are over!

Then I happened to be in Singapore end Feb.. and heard about OSIM Singapore Tri.... In fact I met a 60 year old gent at a tri shop which he owns, who has been taking part in tri's regularly. Got all the details from him and decided on my next goal! An Olympic tri on 31st July. ( They have sprint as well, but since I have to spend a lot to go to another country, decided on the Olympics straight away).

Saw the BT web.. got registered...and started the schedule on 24th April ( 12 week, RPE based Olympics)... I was alone. But I put several paper ads, and notices in several gymnasiums, looking for team to take part with me. About 6 contacted me, only one guy - Niyas - ended up getting registered. Luckily ... the same age group and a fantastic companion.. even more enthusiastic than me...

Now we are following  the same schedule..with lots of issues.. Injuries, bike falls, sicknesses(I have been sick for last three days). As I have mentioned in another post, no trails for bikes here.. it is a life and death game riding in the traffic..Cycling was somewhat new to both of us, but managing the physical side. Logistics and equipment are the main issues here.  I am just getting down a bike from Canada next Friday: A used one! Praying it to be a good one and a good fit.

Running - I had done a couple of 5Ks during my last year athletics time. This shouldn't be a problem. But never done 10km after a swim and a ride...

Swimming - I had done two OWSs (2 miles each), when I was 18( That too after a little training: Abut 4 months) and my stroke was not good. Used to be very slow. And then took a break from swimming for 24 years, except for a couple of occasional laps in a pool, when we go for an outing or so. So...this is the most challenging one for me as of now. In fact, when I started training end April, I could do only one 5O m lap, comfortably, then I used to rest for about 2 minutes before starting the second lap. But now I am OK to a great extent, in doing laps continuously, but still try to take a breath or two at each turn. Need to improve the style and the speed. As of now, I take about 1m and 30 sec, for a 50m lap, at my normal pace ( RPE - 5 -6).. I think that's way too much....

Appreciate your advice on my training and also on....attire and transitions. -

Swim : No wet suits allowed in the meet this year. May be the temp. They have allowed them up to last year.

If we are to change to cycling shorts(CST), from the swimming attire, how do you do it? Do you remove and put the new one, whilst everybody is watching(Ha!...)? ..or you wear the Cycling short, on top of Swim suit ( Though it's wet?)?

How do you keep the cycling shoes? Clipped to the pedals? How about socks?

Again, from bike to run: How do you change? Do U remove CST and then wear the RST?... Or you run with the same thing, though it's padded and wet? ( Am I missing something obvious here?)

Cycling Shoes to RSs: I am clear with this at least!!

Hv some more questions Jonah... Will give you a break!..

Also... waiting to hear what happened at your tri...last saturday......

Cheers!

Sujith

Hi Jacki and Jhonny FT,

Thanks for your comments on my new bike. In fact I am getting it this coming Friday. My sis and Bil are coming to Sri Lanka, and carrying the bike with them.

I have some pictures. Tried to attach them, but couldn't. How do you past this picture on the body of the repy. I tried. It did not work..

Anyways....Now, I am managing my time somewhat better, in finding time to share my thoughts in BT..

Read all your previous posts.......I need to understand some of the jargon you guys use..ie. BOP? FOP?

Also.... who is an elite in a tri..? Are they pro's, who take the first few places?

Sujith

Sujith, your story is really incredible, and I wish you the best of luck. I'm wondering if there is a way to draw some more attention to your situation and get you some extra support. Being the first people from a country to participate internationally in a sport is a truly remarkable event. I feel honored to be in the same mentor group with you as you go about this heroic journey of yours.

I'm going to let Jonah answer most of your questions as this is his show and he has way more experience. I will give just a few of my own personal preferences for the sake of giving added perspective. For clothing, the one piece tri suit or tri shorts with tri top are really the way to go. The tri shorts should be very snug so they act much like a Speedo for the swim. Yes, the have a pad, but it is smaller than normal bike shorts so it doesn't get really soggy. It can be mildly uncomfortable for the first few minutes on the bike while the shorts are still drying, but they will dry out. By the time you are ready for the run they will be dry and the pad won't bother you while you run. It will be like running in a pair of compression shorts. For my first tri I was really overweight and I bit self conscious. I put athletic shorts on over my tri shorts for the bike and the run, and that really wasn't a great idea. Extra layers increases the chance for chaffing, and more layers are harder to dry off. I also changed shirts between the bike and the run because I sweat heavily and thought it would be more comfortable to change. I wore the BT tech t-shirts which are great for wicking moisture, but they get transparent very easily when wet (even more embarrassing for a fat guy). The point here would be dress to perform and not to impress anyone. No one is going to care what you look like.

To post a picture: as you type a reply you should see four option boxes below where the text is. They are include signature, disable HTML, enable emoticons, and Attach a file after posting. You want to click that last one, and once you submit your message you will be able to browse on your computer for the file you want to post. There are size limits on the attachments, so you may have to resave your pictures to be a lower quality or size to make it work.

I was trying to find an article that gave the definitions of the many acronyms used here, but I couldn't find the one I was looking for. Maybe someone else will post the link and/or add to this very basic list.

BOP/MOP/FOP: Back Of Pack, Middle Of Pack, Front Of Pack. This refers to how well you fit in with the average pack of your age group. These can and probably will vary between your three events. For me, I am working really hard on my swim and have goals of being FOP. The bike is my weakest event, and I feel no shame being BOP here. I'm not super fast, but since my "pack" is the Clyde division I am comfortably MOP for the run, if not a bit better.

RPE: Rate of Perceived Exertion. I think you know this one as you are doing an RPE plan. This refers to how hard you think you are pushing yourself. There are articles that break down the exact levels of RPE.

: Time In The Saddle. This refers to the amount of time you spend pedaling on your bike. You may see people talking about keeping their up. Usually they're talking about biking a lot.

HTFU: Harden The F**k Up. This is just a friendly way of reminding yourself or someone else to make themselves a bit tougher. Triathlon is a tough sport mentally and physically, and we all need to HTFU from time to time. Most of us probably need to be reminded to HTFU more than we care to.

There are plenty of other acronyms, but I'll let someone else cover more.

Okay, here is the stupid question of the day:

When do you use sunscreen during the race?  If you put it on before you get into your wetsuit, will it come off?  I was watching NBC/Universal and they were showing the St. George, Utah Ironman, and they have people actually applying sunscreen to the racers' backs as they run from the bike transition, so my husband asked me if he could do this for me during my race (what a nice guy!).  What do you normally do?

-Kelly

Hi Jhonny,

Thank you very much for your encouraging and detailed reply.....Got most of the things clarified!

Once I submitted my story..... I felt a little embarrassed. Why did I write all those? Was I trying to show off ...or was I trying to get sympathy...etc...etc. But i felt somewhat relaxed after typing all those BS. I have been wanting to share, with somebody who understand the whole game...

Your reply made me comfortable.. Thanks buddy!!!

 Anyway... I have been resting for 5 days now. Got sore eyes, with an infection. I am really worried over missing work outs. ..But thinking for myself that my body has been needing a break and it made me give it.

In the meantime, I am getting my new bike from Canada this Friday.Eagerly waiting to see the beauty.

However, something tricky happened. The guy who was selling the bike confirmed via mail that the frame size is 52", which is the size I wanted(My " seem" size is 78 and according to our cycling coach- BTW, with all the troubles we have agood cycling coach- then the ideal frame size for me should be 2/3 of my seem, which is 52).

Then my bro in Toronto( Having purchased the bike) , went to a Trek Cycle shop in Toronto to have the bike packed, as per the requirements of the Air line. I told him to get the frame size checked. They did and told it's 54"???.

I called the seller( Who was 1, 1/2 hours away from my bro) and told this. But he categorically told that it's 52" and he measured it correctly, and the guys in the shop may not have done it correctly.  He had purchased the bike from a shop in USA in 2009 and he does not have any document or a receipt for the purchase. But he told that the frame has the name of the shop he bought it from and the serial number of the frame. He anyway told me, that he is sure of the size, not to worry and to check and tell him know if it differs when I got the bike.....So... I am a bit anxious! What options would I have, if the size is not 52, but 54? Normally the frame size is marked in most of the bikes?? Isn't is the case? I am 5, 7". The guy who sold the bike is also 5, 7.

First to verify the size, will I be able to do it through Trek Company, by giving the serial number? My bro was so busy, when

I told him to do it from there, and the cycle shop had already finished the packing.

Will let you folks know, when i get the bike...( will put a picture here...I still couldn't reduce the size: As you said it is more than 100 I cannot attach. Will try again later.

BTW....Any news on Jonah??

Cheers!

Sujith

Hello Jonah,

It's great to hear from you!

Happy that you finished your tri without any injuries and you did the running lag comfortably.... waiting to hear more details. I really enjoyed reading the detailed race updates given by every body, though I have not made many comments. There are lots of tips that we can take...

Thanks for all the info given to my queries...

We really have to practice the transitions...I will be going to Sing 10 days before, for a training clinic and also to settle to down a bit early. Planning to buy all the attire from there.

Yes.. I need a swim coach.. going to work on that fast...

Will let you know when I get the bike tom. It's flying as of now in BA.

Cheers!

Sujith

Hey Everybody,

I have been out of the loop lately. I have been on a really long mission and have been out of the country for a while now. Needless to say, my workouts have been inconsistent at best. I am looking forward to getting home and putting some serious miles on my bike.

I have been thinking a lot about buying clip on aerobars, but trying to talk my wife into another $100+ purchase does not sound very fun to me haha. Any suggestions or encouragement/ discouragement? I have a Felt road bike that is very comfortable, and I don't want to lose that by trying to make it a little more aero.

Jonah, Congrats on the race bro! My next race is July 31st and I am pumped.

Sujith, allow me to also welcome you and say how awesome it is to share the forum with someone that lives halfway around the world, but still shares the same passion as we do. Good luck with everything!