New Year New You...reopened for late comers (Page 10)

Originally posted by virginia_BT

I survived the 10K in one piece!!! I'm not a natural runner so I was expecting a really horrible time, but I finished at 1:07:58 which is much better than I expected. The first 2 miles of hills were pretty bad, I had to walk more early in the race than I wanted to. But I finished strong -- I don't feel like I had tons of energy left at the end so I dont think I held anything back. I made myself sprint the last minute ish and that was pretty painful. I'm so glad that I can say I did it!
Also it was 26*F this morning, which made things a bit tougher. I pulled through anyways

Originally posted by virginia_BT

I survived the 10K in one piece!!! I'm not a natural runner so I was expecting a really horrible time, but I finished at 1:07:58 which is much better than I expected. The first 2 miles of hills were pretty bad, I had to walk more early in the race than I wanted to. But I finished strong -- I don't feel like I had tons of energy left at the end so I dont think I held anything back. I made myself sprint the last minute ish and that was pretty painful. I'm so glad that I can say I did it!
Also it was 26*F this morning, which made things a bit tougher. I pulled through anyways

Originally posted by kturnity

Thanks Neil! The lesson went really well. I've only had 2 so far, but the difference is amazing already. And here's my bio.

NAME: Katie

AGE: 26

FAMILY: Single with one four-legged kid (dog)

STORY: I've never been any sort of endurance athlete. I played sports growing up, but mostly softball and volleyball. I decided to start running last year when I was trying to lose weight. A year ago, I couldn't run for more than a minute or two before my lungs gave out (asthma). But I stuck with it and ended up running several 5k's last year, eventually getting my time to just under 25 minutes. I had signed up to run a 10k in the fall, but ended up with achilles tendinitis right before the event and had to pull out and quit running for several weeks. Then I was talking to someone at work the other day about running and how I have been getting bored with it lately. She suggested I look into a sprint triathlon. So, I did some research and signed up for one in June. I've recruited a few friends and co-workers to do it with me as well.

CURRENT TRAINING: Prior to signing up for the tri, I was running 3-4 days a week and doing strength usually 4 times. I've switched out some running for swimming and biking and dropped a day of strength to make room for it. It's really the swimming part that I need to work on. Unfortunately, the last time I worked on my swimming form was 18 years ago, so my form isn't exactly great. Luckily, I have a friend nearby who is a swim coach and has offered to help me out once a week.

2013 SEASON: 5 5k's - fastest time 24:56. Built up to the 10k distance but had to back out due to injury.

2014 SEASON: Planning on picking up a few 5k's again. My first sprint tri is June 22. Considering maybe building up to an Olympic length by the end of the season

2014 GOALS: Complete the sprint (I'll set a goal time later), improve my swimming, survive the year injury free (I have a tendency to overdo it and am trying to avoid that this year)

WEIGHT LOSS: I lost 45 lbs last year. I'd like to lose another 10 (I'm 5'5"), but at this point, my training is more about building strength and endurance than losing weight.

Originally posted by kturnity

Thanks Neil! The lesson went really well. I've only had 2 so far, but the difference is amazing already. And here's my bio.

NAME: Katie

AGE: 26

FAMILY: Single with one four-legged kid (dog)

STORY: I've never been any sort of endurance athlete. I played sports growing up, but mostly softball and volleyball. I decided to start running last year when I was trying to lose weight. A year ago, I couldn't run for more than a minute or two before my lungs gave out (asthma). But I stuck with it and ended up running several 5k's last year, eventually getting my time to just under 25 minutes. I had signed up to run a 10k in the fall, but ended up with achilles tendinitis right before the event and had to pull out and quit running for several weeks. Then I was talking to someone at work the other day about running and how I have been getting bored with it lately. She suggested I look into a sprint triathlon. So, I did some research and signed up for one in June. I've recruited a few friends and co-workers to do it with me as well.

CURRENT TRAINING: Prior to signing up for the tri, I was running 3-4 days a week and doing strength usually 4 times. I've switched out some running for swimming and biking and dropped a day of strength to make room for it. It's really the swimming part that I need to work on. Unfortunately, the last time I worked on my swimming form was 18 years ago, so my form isn't exactly great. Luckily, I have a friend nearby who is a swim coach and has offered to help me out once a week.

2013 SEASON: 5 5k's - fastest time 24:56. Built up to the 10k distance but had to back out due to injury.

2014 SEASON: Planning on picking up a few 5k's again. My first sprint tri is June 22. Considering maybe building up to an Olympic length by the end of the season

2014 GOALS: Complete the sprint (I'll set a goal time later), improve my swimming, survive the year injury free (I have a tendency to overdo it and am trying to avoid that this year)

WEIGHT LOSS: I lost 45 lbs last year. I'd like to lose another 10 (I'm 5'5"), but at this point, my training is more about building strength and endurance than losing weight.

Originally posted by [email protected]



Welcome to the group Katie. :-)
Congratulations on your life style changes and what you've already accomplished. And, awesome about getting others involved. It helps with motivating each other. :-)

It appears that swimming is a very hot topic with our group. Please take the time to look at the links that have been provided by others. Neil, has been giving excellent pointers and links.

One thing I want to point out, coming from a swimming background. Even though the form is very similar, there are still differences between short distance mechanics and long distance mechanics. If you've ever seen a swim meet, you'll notice that 50M sprints have a lot of water splashing everywhere while longer distance swimming has longer and smoother strokes. There are also some differences with breathing techniques. Just to name a few. I don't know what direction of coaching you'll be receiving and I'm sure you will be helped a lot to improve from where you are at now; I'm only suggesting that you look into some of the endurance swimming links as well to complement your training/learning :-)

Do you have a web site for the triathlon you are entering into?

Originally posted by RobR

Hi Jen, I think you and I are similar.....strong in the run and bike but weak in the pool.

I remember back to when I was 40 years old and I picked up my Dads guitar for the first time. He played in a band and was pretty good but I never learned. He had died 2 years earlier and I promised myself that I would learn to play in his memory.....I remember my first attempt at a C chord....it didn't sound like music at all, just a horrible crunch! I did it over and over again and one day it sounded like music. I had lessons and practiced over and over and one day, I couldn't put my finger on the exact day, I could play the guitar! Not as good as my Dad because I started late in life but then I didn't need to be, I just needed to be able to play with my buddies.....and we just need to be "in the pack" swimmers and kick on the bike and run right!

Keep at it.....smile to yourself at every extra metre you can swim because you're one metre closer to your goal. Good luck and keep us posted.

Originally posted by slowpokee



Finally feeling so much better from the flu however this polar vortex isnt helping.. NYC is a mess right now, all my outdoor training will have to wait since real feel is about -6 degrees F. What incline do you guys suggest when on the treadmill to have similar outdoor feel?

Originally posted by kturnity

Thanks David! You're right, having others doing the event is motivating. And I knew if I convinced other people to join me, I sure as heck couldn't back out! The other benefit of that is...we have a group of 7-8 people committed to practice open water swimming together once it gets warm enough.

I've been reading through some of the swimming links today. All very helpful information. A lot of it aligns with what my coach has been saying/teaching. She knows my goals for swimming and has trained endurance swimmers before, so I feel like I'm in good hands there. But it's always great to see the videos and get a good idea of what it should all look like together. On the bright side, when I started swimming last week, I could barely make it the 25yds across the pool. Last night I managed 100 fairly easy at the end of an hour and a half lesson. Progress! (I think the fact that I'm now kicking from the hip and not sinking helps a lot.) We just started working on arms last night and really extending to get the full length of my stroke.

Also, here's the website for my tri: http://www.rosswellnessseries.org/site/TR/Events/General?sid=1017&t...

I'm signed up for the "Fit" distance (750m swim, 12 mile bike, 5k run).

Originally posted by [email protected]

What to bring on bicycle rides?

This is what I've been bringing. How about everybody else?

IN MY BICYCLE SEAT BAG:
- Extra tube (wrapped in shrink wrap / plastic wrap to compress it)
- Patch repair kit
- Tire levers
- Multi-tool
- Inhaler
- Zip-lock bag
--- ID
--- Money
--- Debit card

ON MY BICYCLE
- Bicycle pump
- Lights for night riding
- Bike lock around my frame/seat
- Water bottle in cage

ON ME
- RoadID bracelet (I actually wear this all the time)
- Helmet
- Gloves
- Food in back pockets

However, during a race event. I might change things up a little bit. But, I still have almost all the same items minus the bicycle lock, and the bicycle seat bag (items will be in my back pockets otherwise with the least needed items in the middle pocket).

Originally posted by [email protected]

Basics of understanding bicycle gears.

There are typically 2 to 3 gears in the front (depending on bicycle style) and 5 to 11 gears in the back (depending on the age/style of your bicycle).

Switching Gears in the Front:
- The shifter for the front gears are typically on the left side of the handlebars and vary on exact location depending on style of shifters
- Use your left hand to shift
- The bigger gear causes the pedaling to get harder
- The smaller gear causes the pedaling to get easier

Switching Gears in the Back
- The shifter for the rear gears are typically on the right side of the handlebars and vary on exact location depending on style of shifters
- User your right hand to shift
- The bigger gear causes the pedaling to get easier (OPPOSITE OF FRONT GEAR)
- The smaller gear causes the pedaling to get harder (OPPOSITE OF FRONT GEAR)

Which Gears to Use
- Each person will have a different comfort for a specific cruise gear
- As the road makes an incline
--- Switch gears to adjust for an easier pedaling situation (either dropping to smaller front or going to bigger rear or both)
--- Some times switching gears might not be worth the hassle for smaller hills
--- Easier to switch gears before there is a load on the pedals (so switch prior to when you'll need it; you can get to a harder gear easier than trying to get to a easier gear especially for the front)
- As the road makes a decline
--- Switch gears to adjust for a harder pedaling situation (either dropping to bigger front or going to smaller rear or both)
--- Some times switching gears might not be worth the hassle for smaller hills
--- *** Important Note ***
----- With long distance rides, I have found that keeping my legs moving with a little resistance even down hill helps
----- It will prevent my legs from relaxing too much and causing stiffness when I start to pedal again

Doing the Math
- Get the number of teeth for the front gear (let's say 48 which happens to be mine)
- Get the number of teeth for the rear gear (let's say 12 which happens to be and easy one to calculate)
- There is a 4:1 ratio between the gears (48:12 - reduces to 4:1)
--- This means that every time my front gear rotates one cycle, the back gear will rotate 4 times
--- Hardest resistance on my bicycle
- I use a 48:16 for my cruising gears (3:1 reduced)
--- This means that every time my front gear rotates one cycle, the back gear will rotate 3 times
--- Not as hard to pedal

BTW: Most modern bicycles has a 50 or 52 big gear in the front (mostly are 50). The rear gears typically are a 12 - 32 spread which means that the smallest is 12 teeth and the largest is 32 teeth and everything else in between varies by manufacturer and model.

Please provide feedback everybody :-)

Originally posted by Wumba41

There's some good advice from David there, a couple of other thoughts. I always have a couple of bottles on the bike, one for water and the other for an energy drink particularly if its a longer ride, I have a mouthful of energy drink followed by water. Again on the longer rides and in a race I have some energy gels too. I always take my mobile (think you call them cell phones!) with me too in case I need help for some reason or other.