jmk-brooklyn's group-- FULL (Page 12)

Kelly- Great job doing your first OWS and it was in the ocean too! Ocean swims are much more challenging that lake swims IMO. You have to deal with waves & currents and the possibility of getting eaten by a shark Congrats!

Jonah- I read your race report. They changed to bike course for Iron Girl due to similiar issues. It used to be a shorter course that consisted of 2 loops around Lake Las Vegas. It is a fairly narrow road with lots of hills and there were 600+ participants. Just like you said, very dangerous. People trying to hammer it mixed in with people on cruisers swerving around the road. So they changed the course and had it go out of the resort to reduce the congestion. BTW Awesome swim time!

Next up for me is the Carlsbad Tri (near San Diego) on July 10th. I did this tri last year and LOVED it. Ocean swim. Nice bike course (but don't expect 22mph!-the course isn't that awesome ) . Beautiful weather (it was in the 80s last year when temps in Las Vegas were near 110 degrees- a nice change). Last year we made this a family vacation. Legoland is in the same city. So we did Legoland Saturday and I did the race Sunday. But this year, my daughter is almost two and long car rides and lines are definately NOT her thing (it's hard enough to go grocery shopping with her). So I am leaving her home with my husband and I am going down with my two boys and best friend Jamie & her two kids (her husband is out of town that weekend, so it worked out good).

Thanks guys.  I am really happy that I was able to complete the swim and continue onto the bike and the run.  After taking a few days off, I'll be back training for my next sprint tri. 

Jonah, the Smith Point triathlon is in Shirley, and it's off of exit 68 on the LIE.  It would probably be a trek from Brooklyn, but if I believe, if I read your race report correctly, that your in-laws live on LI so it may not be too bad, particularly at 5 in the morning.  This is the second year for this race, but it's run by eventpower, and from I've experienced, they do a pretty good job with their organization.  The race is a 500m swim, 12.4 (approx) mile bike-single loop, and a 5K, with a finish at the beach.  The swim is on the bay side of the beach, so the water shouldn't be too bad.  I didn't see a race report on this site, but I think there is one at sbrli.com so you should check it out. 

Jackie, enjoy your next triathlon.  I love the San Diego area, the weather is almost always great. What is the average water temp. there this time of year?  I'm thinking it's probably going to be cold.   I would love to travel for a race, but being my first year in the sport and since I've already shelled out a lot of money for this sport between the gear and entry fees, I'm keeping it close to home.  Maybe I'll venture out of the LI area next year; someplace where I can drive to so I don't have to ship my bike (that makes me really nervous). 

My husband is so nice, and ultra supportive between getting up at ungodly hours to go to races, and keeping tabs on me during the race.  Actually, he ran with me at Sunday's tri.  Yesterday he suggested I get a tri coach, so I can enjoy the experience more.  I'm not sure I need a coach, maybe just someone to work in the open water with me.  Something to think about.

-Kelly 

Jonah- The Las Vegas Rock and Roll Marathon is on the strip. Rumor has it that this year they will be running it at night so everyone can see the lights (but I have yet to confirm this). I did the HM last Dec. It was a cool course. We started at Mandalay Bay and went down the whole strip into downtown Vegas/Fremont St. As you can see, I'm not much of a runner, so that distance almost tore my legs off But it was fun. I ran it with my best friend Jamie.

Kelly- Very great that you have a supportive husband! I like the idea of a destination race, but like you and Jonah said, it's expensive. All the out of town races I have done have been short drives (5 hours or less) and I try to stay with friends who live in the area or share hotel rooms with friends who are also doing the race. I would also be extremely nervous about shipping my bike anywhere :0 

I did the half, and that one went from Mandalay Bay to downtown Vegas, snaked around some streets downtown and then back to Mandlay. From Mandalay to downtown was a little over 10K. So there and back made up the HM. Those doing the full marathon passed Mandalay and went out into some streets west of the strip, but I'm not exactly sure of the exact course as 13.1 miles was where I called uncle. I would like to do a full marathon someday, but I will be sticking with the HM distance for now, and try and improve my times from last year.

Last year was my first HM and I ran it with Jamie. We make good running partners, as we run about the same speed. Jamie and I got into running last year and started out doing 5Ks. We thought the HM would be a good goal to motivate us to run regularly. 

We stuck together during the HM and I was happy we did because she pushed me to finish strong at the end when I was really wanting to walk. Last summer we used to meet 3 mornings a week and run together, so that really helped motivate me to get out of bed at 5am. This year, Jamie is pregnant with her 3rd, so I've been doing the morning runs myself. But we still meet once a week and do a treadmill run together. It 's nice because 1) it's inside because it still 100 degrees at 5am and 2) we can each run our own paces, so she can take it easy.

This weekend, my husband will be in CA with the boys and I'll be staying here with the baby. So I'm officially under house arrest. I will be doing runs with the jogging stroller and spinervals DVDs after she goes to sleep. I might be able to sneak in a swim if she can handle the gym daycare, but we'll see.

dp

Hey guys,

Since I'm a newbie in this sport, I've tried to allocate my funds a bit at a time rather than shell out money for all the gear at once.  Now that I've got my wetsuit and first OWS behind me (and believe me, I'll be using it a lot in practice, after that race swim that nearly killed me!), I was thinking about going with clipless pedals.  Now I have a hybrid bike, which I LOVE because when I originally bought the bike, I wanted for both races and recreational riding, and wasn't ready to buy a road bike yet. 

Anyway, the next race is a 12.5 mile bike, and I've been noticing my feet popping off my pedals a lot when I downshift-not safe.  So I've been doing some research, but there are a lot of different kinds of shoes and pedals (or systems) out there, how do you know what's best?  Do triathletes generally use the cleats that protrude through the shoe and run on them to transition, and are there ones that are better than others for people who wear orthodics in their sneakers (like me), or ones that are easier the get out of than others.  Also, are you required to fall off your bike when you start using them?  I've read A LOT of stories of how people just fall over because they either forgot they were wearing the shoes or couldn't get out of them in time to stop.  These may be stupid questions (actually, they probably are), but I'm looking for a little input before I head to my LBS to see their selection.

Thanks for the info.

-Kelly

Kelly- I'm no expert on bike shoes, but I'll tell you what my experience was. When I first started riding a year and a half ago, I bought a low-end used road bike. The guy who sold it to me recommended this: Ride the bike with platform pedals for the first several rides and go to a few spin classes and try the clip-on shoes. Then we'll switch them out. Great advice. I go comfortable riding clipped in on a spin bike where I couldn't fall. And I go comfortable riding the road bike. When I put the 2 together I had no problem adjusting. Even now, I've only ever fallen once due to not being unclipped in time and it was mostly because I was just tired and not paying enough attention.

My first pedals/shoes were mountain bike shoes (these will clip into a spin bike) now I have speedplays (which will not clip into a spin bike). Anyhow, I don't know enough about bike to make any recommendation I will leave that to Jonah, but here is how you want to get on/off your bike.

Clip one foot in and use this foot to push off. Start pedaling with one foot clipped in and the other just resting on top of the other pedal, but not clipped in. Ride like this for a few pedal strokes and when you feel comfortable, clip in the other shoe.

When you go to stop, unclip one foot and continue to pedal, riding the same as before, with one foot clipped in and the other just resting on top. Start to slow down and stand up. When you have stopped completely, put down your unclipped foot and keep the other clipped in. This is where a lot of people fall, they lean into the side that is clipped in and topple over.

In the beginning, don't be in a rush to clip in that other foot right away. And practice in an area where you will not need to make sudden stops (bike trail as opposed to a street with intersections). Also, make sure before you start that both shoes unclip easily. Practice clipping in & out on both sides a few times first.

Hope all this babbling is slightly helpful. Sorry I can't give you an answer about what kind of shoe to buy. But I will ask a guy I bike with who know about bikes and get back to you.

Hi everybody,

It's been a while..... had lots of problems  - as usual -.... Good to see that most of you've been taking part in tris and doing well...Great!!! Wish if I too could be there.....

I am not making any specific comments....( normally it takes me some time to understand and read some of the jargon that you guys are used to).

Clipped Pedals.... As I mentioned, I had too awful falls ..on either side..."narrow escapes"! Finally .. i am somewhat comfortable - having learned the hard way!

My latest issue is with running. Which I was most comfortable with!.. i got an injury on the left foot heal. It started paining so much. Sometimes could not put the foot o the floor in the mornings! Now I am on physiotherapy, Ultra Sound, Laser treatment, IR lamp,  inferential...all that... and had to stop running for about two weeks. I also had to change my shoes.

What they say is...this is a very common injury among runners, that happens due to "roughening" of some muscles on your foot. Treatments might take  a few more days...

Any ideas/tips from your end on this Jonah???

Also, guess what?...Sri Lanka is having its' first international tri ( Olympic and a HIM), next year( 19th Feb 2012)....

See the news item below: http://hubpages.com/hub/Srilanka-A-Sporting-and-Sport-Hosting-Nation

So far they have had 60 registrations from 16 countries......

I heard some other guys have started training already..and we are going to team up with them soon!

If OSIM Singapore goes well, we are planning to attempt HIM in this one...

So... my invitation goes up to all our team members....come and take part......!!! Flights...1 to 2 transits( It would be another tri...)..

Cheers!!!

Sujith

My wife finished, which is the really important part. Like any good perfectionist she's looking back on her performance with a lot of criticism, but I am so proud of her.

Yeah, Potts is a pretty big guy, which is one of the reasons I'm a fan. I'm 6'5 and always rooting for the big guys in a light person's sport.

I don't think I could ever underrate Dibens myself. I have been really, really impressed with a lot of the top female pros this year so far. Right now I think the women's field at Kona is going to be a lot more interesting to watch than the men's.

Hi Jonah,

Thanks for the tips and hints on the injury... they make sense to my injury. Many who inspected my foot came up with different explanations.

I really enjoyed the e-mails of you and Jonny.. about other Tri- Pros.  Planning to Google their names and find out more..

Sujith

Johnny- Congrats to your wife! That's very cool that you are both into triathlons.

I did an evening ride yesterday with my friend, Mark. We rode out to this big hill and went up and down it 5 times. Each time, I tried to push myself to get up it a little bit faster. I kind of liked it because after the 1st climb, I knew what to expect. So I knew about how long I had to suffer and I got to play around with my gearing & cadence (something I'm still working on). We ended up doing 30 miles and I got to try out my new light for my bike.

Looks like I will be able to ride both Saturday and Sunday, so hopefully I will be able to make up for last weekend.

Blinddave - 2011-07-01 4:26 PM W00T I'm a games maker!! didnt get the triathlon but will be doing the road race and 8 other days volentering at the games

Wow. The games meaning the Olympics?

jpbis26 - 2011-07-02 12:49 AM

Blinddave - 2011-07-01 4:26 PM W00T I'm a games maker!! didnt get the triathlon but will be doing the road race and 8 other days volentering at the games

Wow. The games meaning the Olympics?

yep 10 days of helping out and being a part of it  I cant wait

I did a killer bike workout yesterday morning. Hill repeats. I timed myself & tried to beat my time for the first three climbs. I did the hill in 8:40, 8:22, & 7:42. After that my legs were toast, but my friend Mark made me do the hill 6 more times at an easier pace.

My HIM training plan is picking up and I'm supposed to do a 75 min run tonight. Hopefully I survive that. Time to start upping the run volumes again gradually.

I'm looking forward to doing Carlsbad this weekend & Legoland with the kids. Can't wait for San Diego weather!