SBR Utopia - OPEN (Page 10)

TankBoy - 2012-12-27 7:49 AM

Oh, Arend, I wouldn't worry about it too much this time of the year - I am pretty sure it is just the colder weather. You do know that the density of cold air is MUCH higher than warm air, right? That means there is a lot more air pushing down on the scale this time of year. It gets so cold here sometimes in late December my weight increases as much as 10 pounds over my summer weight! No telling what I would weigh if I lived in Canada...

ratherbeswimming - 2012-12-27 7:52 AM

Need a swim workout? Andy Potts posted this one today. Ouch.

tri808 - 2012-12-27 1:57 PM

I think I could do this workout...if I spread it out over the entire week!

KateTri1 - 2012-12-27 11:00 AM

I'm guessing you are right about the maturity of the rider being a big factor. I am only in my third season of serious riding. (I commuted with a fat tire for years) 

We do have a pretty decent NXT spinner that was bought from Craigslist.

Personally, at this point for me it's all about time.  I squeeze my workouts in to every nook and cranny of my day.. and I've a 70.3 in March. I feel like I need to ride on my race bike every second that I can. 

axteraa - 2012-12-27 11:58 AM

I was ok until the 3x200 backstroke.  That's just crazy talk.

TankBoy - 2012-12-27 9:49 AM

Oh, Arend, I wouldn't worry about it too much this time of the year - I am pretty sure it is just the colder weather. You do know that the density of cold air is MUCH higher than warm air, right? That means there is a lot more air pushing down on the scale this time of year. It gets so cold here sometimes in late December my weight increases as much as 10 pounds over my summer weight! No telling what I would weigh if I lived in Canada...

ratherbeswimming - 2012-12-27 12:52 PM

Need a swim workout? Andy Potts posted this one today. Ouch.

TankBoy - 2012-12-27 8:07 AM

Well, maybe I am lucky - this particular masters group has a fair number of triathletes, including the pro-card carrying coach that was busting my behind - maybe I'll take your advice and mouth off to him when I can finish anywhere within 15 minutes of him in a olympic distance tri.  We actually do get a lot of good one-on-one and lane instruction, and his question was a legitimate one: he is very used to the triathlete mindset of "why do I need to learn anything about swimming that I will not use on race day?" and he is mindful not to offer advice when it is not desired.

I am an adult onset swimmer (only started when I was 24) but I have been swimming consistently for the past 23 years. I have only been doing masters for the past year and have seen very good results that I attribute to it - in my own personal experience it is "late blooming" folks that can use it the most. I think learning the other strokes has been very beneficial to me in particular. For example, I think learning proper backstroke technique has really improved my lat utilization in the pull phase of my freestyle, and learning how to dolphin kick (as part of a still very bad butterfly) has caused me to build some much need core strength without going to a separate Pilates class. As an added bonus, getting better at all the strokes allows you to move up lanes, and really get your tail handed to you by the fishies.

FWIW I find fins to be a good tool as part of my warm-up. Those of us from a cycling and running background tend not to have the most flexible ankles, and using fins just a bit loosens them up and (for me) seems to really makes a difference during my main set. I also tend to do a lot of things during training (biking, running, AND swimming) that I don't do on race day that I believe contribute to my success when I actually do race. Lastly, my kickboard is a vital piece of training equipment: where else would I stick my workout without it???

tri808 - 2012-12-27 9:08 AM

Kim,

I actually just posted something in the main forums on the topic.  IMO, cadence is something you simply need to experiment with.  And you're not going to figure it out in one ride, in one week, or probably not even one month. 

You simply need to ride a lot, and try using different gear/cadence combinations.  You don't really need to "teach" your body how to ride at a given cadence, you simply need to let your body know that a given cadence is "available."  Once your body is familiar with the cadences it has available to use, your body will automatically select the cadence that produces the most efficiency.

A good way to test this is with a power meter.  Try to sustain a given amount of power (such as 200 watts) and flip through your gears.  Find the gear/cadence that allows you to ride at the target power at the lowest RPE.

Or you can do this with a steady group ride (read...constant power output).  Ride with the pace of the group, and again...flip through your gears to see which gear/cadence allows you to stick with the group at the lowest RPE.

Also know that there isn't one perfect cadence for all situations. 

Fred D - 2012-12-27 10:19 AM Almost like an Easter bunny sighting, there is a Fred D sighting lol. Just stopped in to give a few points of discussion. 1. I have my posting privileges back but intend to stay away from all main forum activity. 2. I am INCREDIBLY proud of the people who have carried on the tradition here. SBR with the expertise that people have in this group is a great resource. This is something I feel you folks deserve real true praise for. I thank you for doing this, but honestly this is a an example of paying it forward isn't it? I never really felt I was that knowledgeable about triathlon, but rather I had the good fortune of drawing very good people in the sport my direction to my groups. This group is the essence of those good people with high triathlon IQs. 3. Lastly I am not going to be much of a presence here. You have very knowledgeable folks here and great leadership. I will follow along mainly to learn myself and if I post an occasional question then I hope that's ok. 4. Double lastly, I am going to start a new mentor thread. It is aimed at beginners and experienced folks alike. It will be positive and focusing on SBR. I am running the group with Queen Zipp. I feel a bit uncomfortable saying all of this as I suspect some might feel I am abandoning the group, but I am doing this primarily to try to START FRESH. Frankly I am doing it to challenge myself and to give something back to newer triathletes. I feel anyone lucky enough to be in this group doesn't need much guidance from me anyway, but you can probably tell I have some concern about starting a competing group. If anyone is upset with me, PM me and we can talk. Anyone can stop by my thread, but I would truly encourage you all to stick here and build off each others knowledge and support each other. I hope I'm doing the right thing coming back (my group is not live yet), but its what I felt I should do. Sincerely, Fred D (Prior mentor of the group)

ratherbeswimming - 2012-12-28 1:52 AM

Need a swim workout? Andy Potts posted this one today. Ouch.

itsallrelative_Maine - 2012-12-27 6:29 AM

My experience for this: I can't get the spin bikes to reflect my position on my actual bike closely enough. As a result, I feel like I am training differently on the spin bike than on my actual bike (this is probably scientific hogwash - but go with me)...almost as if I am using different parts of muscles. As a result - I use spin classes as a workout, but not as a bike-specific workout.

There is a lot to be said about the social impact of the classes, as well as keeping the blood pumping during the winter months (for us northerners), so I wouldn't throw out the spin class. But, i wouldn't think I am getting mileage on my legs.

Jason - I love the idea of self-selecting a cadence. I find that I "relax" into a specific cadence. This is a great exercise to remind my legs of all of their options.

Fred - you are always welcome and I wish you luck in your new mentor group...and listen to Jason's sig line.

reecealan - 2012-12-28 2:53 AM

I do wonder about how close the spin bike is to my road bike.  I adjust the seat and bars such that it feels right but I'm quite sure it's not dead on.  Luckily the seat can be adjusted up/down and front'back as well as the bars.  What I should do is get the trainer set up and do a test run or two, that should give me an idea of which is better.  Also, I need long rides in there on the trainer as well, the longest spin class is 1.5 hours, only once a week.

Thanks for all the input everyone.

ratherbeswimming - 2012-12-27 10:52 AM

Need a swim workout? Andy Potts posted this one today. Ouch.

ratherbeswimming - 2012-12-27 12:52 PM

Need a swim workout? Andy Potts posted this one today. Ouch.

kcarroll - 2012-12-27 4:03 PM

Yikes! Resuscitation would be required if I even attempted that.  I did, however, hit my 300k target today. Did 3450 with the tri-club over lunch. Really long lunch in my case. I was still at it when some of them were probably back at work. But it got done. And I played around with Jason's cadence suggestions on the trainer this morning. Good day. 

kcarroll - 2012-12-27 10:03 AM

Yikes! Resuscitation would be required if I even attempted that.  I did, however, hit my 300k target today. Did 3450 with the tri-club over lunch. Really long lunch in my case. I was still at it when some of them were probably back at work. But it got done. And I played around with Jason's cadence suggestions on the trainer this morning. Good day. 

kcarroll - 2012-12-27 1:03 PM

Yikes! Resuscitation would be required if I even attempted that.  I did, however, hit my 300k target today. Did 3450 with the tri-club over lunch. Really long lunch in my case. I was still at it when some of them were probably back at work. But it got done. And I played around with Jason's cadence suggestions on the trainer this morning. Good day. 

marcag - 2012-12-26 5:50 AM

This week the sidewalks are covered with ice and the stores are sold out of Yaktrax.

I used a pair of "screw shoes", which is basically sheet metal screws in the sole of an old pair of running shoes. They work really well on pure ice or ice/asphalt mix. Yaktrax are better in snow/slush/ice mix. Really cheap solution.

There are a couple of articles on how to make them. I can post a pic if anyone wants to try it.

Asalzwed - 2012-12-27 3:25 PM

Well, well, isn't that a cruel last mile in a HM? Geeze!