FoggyGoggle's Mentor Group - Closed (Page 11)

I had this same question last year as I approached my 1st Sprint. The answer I got from every single person was pretty much YOU CAN RIDE ANYTHING. Especially since it's your first tri, no point in dropping tons of money until you're sure you like it! I was actually planning to ride a single speed if you can believe that! As it turned out, I scored a bottom-end Schwinn that was abandoned outside my work - someday I'll want to upgrade, but that's it for me at this point. I felt a little nervous about not looking "fancy" or whatever, but as I was leaving the parking lot after my race, one of the top runners pulled up as he was leaving, leaned out of his truck, and said "Hey! I rode that exact same bike in my first race! Way to go!"

Point being, you will be FINE on your Mtn bike in my opinion. :D

Absolutely not!  Use the MTB and enjoy your first tri. As a matter of fact, use the MTB and enjoy several tri's to make sure you really like it before you buy a road/tt bike. At least, that's what I did!

Hey folks! I know I've been very absent and I apologize. Fitting in work & workouts is about all I've had time for, so logging everything got pushed to the back burner. I'm bummed to see so many of you dealing with injuries & illness!!! Hope you've all turned the corner towards full health.

My schedule has been very strange from a triathlon perspective, because I'm a month into a 3-month weight training competition. I can only fit in 1 run & 2 swims per week, and no biking until the end of March. But I love weight training, and use it to keep my weight in check. I'm happy to say I've been under 160 for 2 days! I think race weight last year was 156 or 157, so I'm very close and hoping to be under 155 for races this year.

Working a double shift today (9am-11pm) but still managed to get to the gym and swim 1800m this morning! My shoulders/back are a bit sore from yesterday's weight training, so I felt slightly fatigued swimming, but in the long run I think it will help my recovery. Tomorrow is rest day, so maybe a little yoga, but generally I plan to just enjoy my only day off this week.

Also scheduled to run a winter 10k a week from tomorrow (can someone please turn up the thermostat before then?!?!) and it's a bit of an experiment since my one run per week is just sprints...haven't run 6 miles since shortly after thanksgiving, so we'll see how it goes.

Keep up the good work!!!

JC

Don't worry about the mountain bike.  At my first race I was unsure as to what I would see as far as bikes.  There was everything from $10,000 TT bikes to literally someone on a beach cruiser with a bell and a basket on the front.  Don't worry about it and enjoy the experience.

While I was inactive I called around to try to find a shop that has a 2012 Felt B16 in stock.  I feel like i'm getting closer but still do not have a bike yet.

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2paz

Hope you like your B16 as much as I like mine.  I've got a 2010 and I'm still loving it. Personally for the money, I don't think you can beat it.

So since I have started  training for the tri I have realized a few things about myself.  In the beginning I was most concerned about the running, I've never considered myself much of a runner.  I used to mt bike, so I thought I would manage the biking pretty well.  I have always been a good swimmer and was on my high school swim team.  I was least concerned about the swimming!  I get into training and hit the pool at the gym and....  I COULD NOT SWIM!!!!  Ok, well really, I could NOT breath properly!  I was standing in the middle of the pool with I'm sure this very confused look on my face... I just couldn't get why I was having such a hard time!  Then it hits me... oh yeah, competitive swimming was what??  25 years ago!!!!  OMG!

I just had to laugh at myself!  So now, I need to work on my breathing obviously! 

A lot of people seem to have responded, but if this helps, I did my first two years of triathlon on a borrowed hybrid bike that I don't think quite fit properly. The not fitting part really seemed to hinder me energy-wise. Then I finally sprung for a REALLY cheap internet bike because I had more races I wanted to do and borrowing was no longer practical. New bike fits well. I would say as long as your bike fits well for you you can use whatever you want. 

Classes started up again in school and MCAT studying has kept me away from my comp but training is back in full swing. Or partial swing. Full swing will take place January 30 when my coached workouts start again. I figured out most of my races for the year though, so that's exciting! Keep up the great work everyone! 

Marsh, your recommendation a few pages back about running slower definitely helped, I was able to go a lot longer than I thought time-wise. I was really stoked to see I could go for longer than I thought when I stopped paying attention to the time and distance. 

Now for another question: The area at the base of my big toe (where the toe meets the foot) has started to hurt when I do anything like calf raises where I'm on the balls of my feet. It's not that bad right now, I've definitely dealt with worse cases of this when I was a dancer. My running form has improved so I'm quite running on my tiptoes anymore. Just wondering if there's anything I can do to 1) strengthen the joint so it can hold up under increased training and/or 2) make sue the pain doesn't progress without just stopping running altogether for the next week. 

Any advice would be helpful! 

‎10 mile run 1:26:27 (8.37min/mile)

Couldn't find my heart rate monitor this morning, turned on my garmin watch and it froze, opened the back door which blew shut in my face all signs not to go outside. I thought about it for a second but instead searched out my old running watch and exited out of the front door.

Four miles in to the run I hit millbay head on into a rain storm which was being channeled down the lough, unable to lift my head I got blown around like a rag doll but kept one foot moving infront of the other.

The harder it blew the stronger I felt, and all that was running through my mind was Winston Churchill's qoute "When your going through hell, keep going" at 7 miles I seen an oasis in the form of Evelyn and the kids who had come out to look for me due to the deteriating weather conditions but I was feeling energised so I didn't stop.

Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.

You can easily buy a pretty damn good internet sold bike after you feel like you are hooked.  So ride anything just to do it.

I swam 1200 yards yesterday still need lots of work.  I'll do a Spinervals workout today after work for about 80 min.  Tomorrow I'll run 6 in the morning then to swim later on, all with training buddies.

I'm seriously considering buying a silver membership here....

Got  my cycling shoes and cleats today, then I entertained my mate as I fell over sideways into his Garden lol.

Ahh the classic noob with cleats!!!  We've all been there, its entertainment the whole family can enjoy!!!!

I did some light lifting (rehab stuff) and then came home for a 80 min Aerobic Spin session.  Swim tomorrow, and run 6 miles as well.

After 4 days of too much snow, freezing rain and crappy weather to make the 20 min drive to my gym I finally got there today! Did 2 miles on the treadmil, some leg work and about 500 swim. Trying to get my breathing better, think that is what is holding me back from doing the distances in the pool! I think I am just overthinking it, due to my fear of the water...trying to swim without thinking like I do when I run or bike...easier said than done!

Jenny

Sounds like progression Jenny, I'm lucky enough to live 2 miles with in the pool and gym and I find that tough at times....

Wow, I've been busy for a minute and the thread has doubled! A highlight of my workouts thus far:

M, W & Th - Kettle Ball Bootcamp (trying to build up my core strength)

F - ride on a spin bike for 45 min followed by 1 mi run on a treadmill.

The Boot Camp ends this month so I have a decision to make.  Given that my next tri is May 6 in Napa, CA (sprint distance) should I:

A) start on a plan here, riding, running and swimming about 4+ times a week

B) start CrossFit Endurance - http://www.crossfitendurance.com- I have a friend who is doing this and says his times are dropping.  

What are you thoughts?

Thanks,

Canon

Chilly and snowy/sleet day during this run. Definitely felt the Achilles running through the snow covered trails. Put in slightly over 3 miles.

Now enjoying the football games

Haven't posted in a while - things have been pretty hectic with my wife's work schedule, a sick child and all the other little aspects of life. 

I've been going to the gym pretty regularly to run and do some lifting. I played tennis with a good friend of mine a couple of times, too. 

My swim coach has been out of town (doing a swim clinic in Hawaii) and the other swim coach just doesn't work for me. My wife says I should just do my own thing, but she (the coach) keeps coming over and trying to change all the things my regular coach has me working one. 

My wife signed up for a sprint tri next month and convinced me to sign up for the "open" distance. It's pretty short - a 100 swim, 3 mile bike and 1 mile run. I also plan on doing an indoor tri in late February.

Hope everyone is healing up! Have a great week!!

Went for a ride tonight.  Was supposed to be an hour based on my training plan.  So I laid out a route I thought would take an hour to ride based on some of my past speeds.  Well it turns out I am making big gains on the bike cause I it only took me 48 minutes and I posted my fastest speed yet over my longest distance.  All this despite me running 5K this morning.  I am pumped. 

I owe it all to the advice gained here.  Its all about adjusting gears to hit you cadence.  Time was when I would just mash on big gears going up a hill, and by the time I topped it my legs were spent and I did little more than pedal/coast on the downhill.  Now I pump an easier gear at a higher cadence and save my legs to fly down hill and build momentum to attack the next hill.  I've ditched my old macho "masher" way of thinking and its made all the difference in my bike.

Thanks to Foggy and all the vets here for the great advice keep it coming.

I didn't get in as much this weekend as I had hoped due to this cold that I seem to have caught. I did manage to run my long run on Saturday morning - 14 miles in 2:03:42 for an 8:46 overall pace. That is pretty fast for me on a training run. My half marathon PR is an 8:40 pace in October of last year. And Saturdays run wasn't flat like the race in October. So, maybe all of this swimming and biking is helping me Today I stayed in bed and tried to sleep this cold away for most of the day but I did manage to survive a 2 hour spin class at the Y.

Think I am going to sign up for this: http://rev3tri.com/anderson/anderson-news/ in October. I also think I am going to sign up for an Olympic distance tri here in July - http://www.borderchallengetri.com/. My concern with the one in July is the swim - its in the Ohio River and the Olympic distance swims across the river from the KY side to the IN side. I am also going to do a second indoor tri at the Y in March, just for fun. Has anyone done the tri in Anderson SC? Thoughts?

My ears are pirked, looking to get my first run in on the bike this Sunday, my watch measures cadence so I'm interested in any tips you can provide.