Mndymond and Disturbed275's Awesome SBR Mentor group---Full! (Page 10)

Thanks!

While I'm asking a ton of questions- can someone explain the aero bars and solid wheels?  Are they faster and if so why are the tour de france guys not using them?  I don't really get if they help so much why bikers don't want them- am I missing the point.  (although I don't think with the wind we have in Colorado that solid wheels seem like a good idea.)  Do you just race on them, or train with them too?

Double post: see next 

This is my transition set up (as far as the ground goes). I'm quite minimalistic now after many tris, I found I would bring all sorts of stuff and NEVER use it. This works for me for Oly distance and below. I add items as mentioned below for longer races and just layer them on top of the pictured set up. 

Bike set up:

Bike racked by the seat, helmet lying upside down on aerobars with sunglasses inside

Ground equipment is on the same side as bike handlebars and includes:

towel--folded, running cap, bike shoes, running shoes (sockless), gu, race number on belt

For longer races I use a different pair of runners and socks, so I just put socks inside each shoe. Also, I add a running water belt, few more gus, maybe a long sleeve jersey folded (in case it is cold). But otherwise I don't change much. 

I never practiced a whole lot specifically with transitioning before starting tris. Generally my swim-bike transition is about 2min (depending on how far the run is from water to transition) and my bike-run is about 1min-ish. It is good to just practice physically getting equipment on and off quickly rather than a full transition which can be difficult logistically in a training situation unless you can set up your gear somewhere safe and go for a ride, come back and transition to running. You can do mock transitions where you put your wetsuit on and cap and goggles and strip down to put on bike gear and then same deal for bike-run. 

Transition is a bit of a learning experience (well tri in general is a learning experience to be honest ). It is hard to directly simulate race day emotions and how that can affect your ability to say, get shoes on. Temperatures come in to play, exertion comes into play (ie. running uphill barefoot out of 10C water).... If you read a few of my race reports from the past, I've had some instances where I struggled to get socks and shoes on after the bike because I was so cold! Haha. If you plan on changing garments in between the legs that can add too. The tri with the 10C water was like a 6min swim-bike transition because we had to run up that darn hill, strip down, towel off (I had an extra towel), put on long pants and long sleeves, socks, bike shoes, toque, gloves and glasses and then get my bike out of transition. So that tri was a learning experience for me and I had done around 20 tris before that! Don't worry about it though. Just be calm and don't panic, try to get through as efficiently as you can and move on to the next leg. 

I would suggest you practice, if you have the logistical capacity,  how it feels to go from swim directly to bike and from bike directly into a run. I would jump off the bike and just run around in my bike shoes for 5min in the parking lot so I could keep and eye on my bike because I can't bike to run from my house. For swim to bike I would swim and then hop on a spin bike at the gym for 10-15min while wet to get the feel. 

Hope this helps?

(transition.jpg)

Tour de France riding is a bit different due to the pack environment. It is actually quite dangerous to ride in a group in aero because you have a limited visual ability because you are down in the bars to see riders around you and limited maneuverability if a situation should arise that you need bike handling skills for. That is why the "draft legal" ITU races don't have athletes using aerobars: basically same idea--pack riding. Aerobars are typically only used in draft illegal racing--meaning that you must have the length of a school bus between you and the rider infront and behind (or you get penalised). Most tris out there are draft illegal races, so you can use aerobars. It is only specific ITU circuit races that are draft legal and aerobars are not allowed. In the Tour, riders are allowed to use aerobars for the team time trial and individual time trial where there are a limited number of riders on the course at any one time. 

Solid wheels have an aerodynamic advantage due to the increased momentum the wheel is able to sustain due to something to due with centrifugal forces (if I am recalling the physics correctly)....There are many variations of the depth of rims on "race wheels" to contribute to this effect without resulting in some of the bike handling issues that may arise with crosswinds.

Essentially both are used for aerodynamic advantages. Different components contributing to aerodynamics have a different amount of aerodynamic contribution. The most effective is aerobars and tightly fitting attire. Aero helmets, wheels, waterbottles, etc all contribute but it might only be a few seconds per km. If you look at Tour de France riders during an individual time trial (or google videos of Fabian Cancellara) you will see they are super decked out in all the technicological aero attire that exists! I wouldn't worry too much about wheels, etc though right now as you are starting out. The best bang for your buck is aerobars and appropriate clothing which can result in large time gains compared to the rest. Aero is relatively difficult to break into at first, it is a bit of an awkward position for your muscles to get used to. It requires hyperextension of the neck and quite a bit of core/low back stength and flexibility. Once you get there though, it gets easier. 

GREAT info, Melissa.

aerobars in a peloton...ugh..that would get messy

Started week 3 of couch to 5k..feeling pretty good on the program.

Nutrition is SLOWLY getting better, but still inconsistent and sub-par. Protein powder helping to get quality calories.

Otherwise, just sticking to it...I still need to pick up a trainer tire in the city..hopefully tomorrow.

Another long cross country ski workout in the books!  This time was my longest one I've ever done, at 8.55 miles.  Race day is 5 weeks away, but I'd forgotten I'd registered for a regular (running) half marathon next weekend.  So I'm thinking I'll do the 13.1 miles running as a training run next Saturday, and if I can get out to the trails again on Sunday I'll try for 10 miles on skis.  If not I'll consider the run as part of my ski training.

Starting next week, I will start playing with nutrition.  Since xc skiing is much slower than running, I'll definitely need more fuel than a normal half marathon.  Last year, my friends found out that clif bars freeze when it's cold out, so I may play with dried fruit and nuts.  I guess I could also try gels, but I would need water, and I wouldn't know how to carry water with me without having it freeze in the tube (I have a camelbak).

I took some pictures.  This is in the southern Kettle Morraine in Wisconsin.

Beautiful

Gorgeous pics!  If you really like cliff bars, you can tuck one in your sports bra to keep it from freezing.  I also love the Justin's Nut Butter peanut butter squeeze shots (like a gu of peanut butter.)  Easier than downing nuts.  I'm also a huge fan of a handful of peanut M and Ms though.

My workout today was an adventure.  I guess that's why I found beginner triathlete.  I pulled out my road bike and decided I would ride out to where my horse lives (about 10 miles round trip.)    It was the first time I'd gotten on it in 3 years.  I got on and the mountain biker in me freaked out when I couldn't see any shifters.  I had to ask my husband, Um I can't remember how to shift.  He very nicely explained it to me.  So, I got going and everything went well until I decided that the road closed sign probably didn't apply to bikes.  Um, yes it did and it added 5 miles or so to my trip and a lot of mud to my cleats.  When I finally got home nearly two hours and 15-20 miles later (half an hour was at the barn) I was asking my husband about the drop bars- and he let me know that I probably should not have been on them for the whole time...

So, I think I'm going to be sore tomorrow.

Oh, and when are you supposed to use the drop bars?

Going down into the drops is same type of deal as when going into aero: generally for better aerodynamic positioning so good for sprints, headwinds, increased speed in general, etc. It isn't the most comfortable position to maintain at first but you do get used to it. I've only used a road bike as rentals in the past few years...I only have a tri bike and a hybrid commuter bike right now. One day when I am not in debt from med school I shall have a road bike too.

Great info, Melissa.  That picture looks almost exactly like my transition setup with one exception.  This is a matter of preference but I like to keep my bike helmet and glasses on the ground in between my bike shoes.  I've tried resting them on my aerobars and they had gotten knocked off onto the ground before a came into transitions.  The bikes can knock the transition rack around a lot as they are being removed so I just don't trust leaving the helmet up there.  Plus I'm bending over to put my shoes on anyway so I figure I'm not losing any time doing it that way.

There's a few other things you can do to speed things up if you want to.  On the way to T1 make sure you remove your goggles and cap as you're running.  You can also unzip your wetsuit (if you're wearing one) and pull the top half down to your waist before you even get to your stuff.  Also if you are wearing a wetsuit make sure you practice removing it a few times.  It's amazing how in the heat of the moment you can really get stuck in that thing.

One tip for T2 is to just put on your shoes and grab the stuff you plan on taking with you (hat, race belt, nutrition, etc.).  You can start running and THEN put you hat and race belt on.  It took me a few races before I realized I could just run with that stuff.

As Melissa said, practice if you can and the more races you do the easier it gets and the faster your times get.  I've had a few races where my quick transition times actually gained me a place in my age group.  I even had a race 2 years ago where my combined T1 and t2 time was 51 seconds.  To be fair it was a really small transition are, but I'm still particularly proud of that one

christiekate - 2012-01-22 9:41 PM Just checking in. I've been away. My hubby took me to Manhattan for my 40th b-day so I have some catching up to do. Also recovering from some jet lag/culture re-acclimatization. We had a blast! I'm giving myself one more day for my legs to recover (man those subways stations have a lot of stairs and we did a lot of walking!) then back to working out. I wonder if my newly 40 year old self can keep up?

Wait until you get to 50! Buck up!

christiekate - 2012-01-22 8:41 PM Just checking in. I've been away. My hubby took me to Manhattan for my 40th b-day so I have some catching up to do. Also recovering from some jet lag/culture re-acclimatization. We had a blast! I'm giving myself one more day for my legs to recover (man those subways stations have a lot of stairs and we did a lot of walking!) then back to working out. I wonder if my newly 40 year old self can keep up?

Happy birthday 

That sounds like a blast!  I love Manhattan- I was just there in September, and again in November.  So much to do and see there!

Last year my friends had to put their cliff bars down their pants because they were frozen solid... kind of gross after that   I'll try the M&M's idea though!  At least I hope it won't be so cold that they don't still melt in my mouth!

Ran this morning.  A slow 4.8 miles... My legs were feeling a bit stiff from yesterday's skiing, but not bad.  Also the right side of my neck going into my shoulder is a bit sore... Not sure what I was doing that caused that!

Then I went to the gym this afternoon for some foam rolling and lifting.  I'm going to sleep like a baby (again) tonight!  Last night I fell asleep around 9pm post-skiing!