konichiwa's mentor group - Are we having fun yet? - FULL (Page 11)

Sweet!!!  Glad to hear your maiden voyage was enjoyable.

Ya aerobars definitely take a little getting use to.  After a while though, it'll become like second nature.  It'll never be as good as position as the hoods or drops for handling purposes, but it should be faster for those longer-steady efforts needed in triathlons. 

Le Tour is only a couple weeks away...brush up on your french and set the DVR!!

If you can, take the bike to your LBS for a proper bike fit. It may go a long way in making you feel as comfortable as possible on the bike, especially when you are on the aero bars. It does take some getting used to, especially for your shoulders and neck, but I typically stay in aero unless I am climbing. Even then, I try to stay in aero as long as possible or until I get out of the saddle. If you want to do a bike fit on your own, here is an article on the topic:

http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/techctr/bikefit.html

Its an old article, but Dan Empfield is the creator of Fit Institute Slowtwitch (F.I.S.T.) and he is known for his school of bike fitting. 

FYI, the FIST fitting is designed for tri bikes.  Not sure how applicable it is for a road bike with clip-ons.

What are the distances of the races?

If the Wed race is short, I would say most ppl should be able to recover enough to race well on Sunday. 

On the other hand, if the Sunday race is your "A" or priority race of the season and you want to be at your absolute best, then I'd skip the Wed race.

Best of luck in your race Keri.  Looking fwd to see how it goes!

Although this isn't my first it is significantly longer than my super sprint and my first pool swim so things are different for sure.  I am anxious & excited but also concerned about nutrition in this heat!

The good news is that once this race is over I can focus on my CRUISE!!!  I leave from Florida on a boat with 25 girlfriends 2 weeks from TODAY! Woo Hoo!

Just a quick update.  Laura and I both did well at the Phildelphia Triathlon and had fun as we had 3 close friends racing along with numerous extended friends and tri-teammates out there.

I went sub 2:15 and Laura was sub 2:30, so we both accomplished our mains goals.  It's a big/competitive race so neither of us were very close to getting any hardware.  I posted my splits on my workout blog.  Will hopefully have a RR up later today or tomorrow.

-Tim

PS - Keri congrats on your race.  Don't get down on yourself about the times.  Finding the right saddle and getting that rear dearailleur tuned up will make the next one much more enjoyable.

PPS - charlie2, I am jealous of your beach vacation.  Hopefully the weather cooperated.  Where did you go? 

That's awesome that you signed up for two races and some OW clinics.  Sounds like fun!!

As far as crap on your feet in T1...I don't wear socks on the bike for shorter races so I don't worry about it.  For a HIM I put a towel down in my TA area and kinda wipe my feet clean before putting on socks in T2.  You can certainly do the same in T1.

Chip around your ankle doesn't interfere too much with wetsuit removal.  Quickest way out of the wetsuit I find is to kinda pull your knees up one at a time and once its down to your ankles, use your right foot to step on the left leg of the wetsuit as you pull your left foot/ankle out.  Then repeat for the right one.

No nutrition need for a sprint.  Just have some water on your bike and grab a cup or two on the run if you like.  I usually use more water to dump on me as oppose to drink in shorter races.

-Tim

PS - My RR is done. http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=167078

What's everyone doing with their three day wknd?  Fireworks?  Extra training?  cookout/bbq?