Slornow's and Wannabefaster's Summer Mentor Group - CLOSED (Page 12)

Jamie awesome results.  Keep up the great work!

Way to go Jamie!

For me, today was "Bike Confidence Day"...  

1. I drove the bike route of my upcoming Oly -- was quite worried about the elevation profile.  But after seeing it in person, it looks a lot more manageable.  It's not flat, mind you, but the hills are mostly gradual -- much more gradual than what I've been training on.  Unless the wind is a big factor, I think I'll be in good shape.
2. For the first time, I tried nutrition on the bike.  Nothing fancy -- just a cookie taken in the middle of my ride -- but I wanted to test how my stomach would react.  Lesson learned -- stomach was OK -- but I need a more convenient storage place for my food.. 
3. Finally -- saving the best for last -- I had a fantastic ride this evening.  Went for just over an hour -- previous best pace for an hour was 25.1 km/h -- this time, I hit 27.0 over the same route.  Still not sure what happened -- clearly I had my Wheaties for breakfast!  Still need to see if I can maintain a good pace over longer distances, but I'm really happy with the progress on the bike since spring finally hit.

Jason, I hope your daughter is feeling better. Sounds like you all had a terrible night.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms in the group. 

Jamie....props to you for an exceptional day! Training indeed pays off.

Karla...congrats on the new addition. As a dog mom myself (and as an adoption counselor for a local humane society), I'm sure your 4-legged 'fur kid' will bring some fun & excitement into your home. If you have any issues with the acclimation process, feel free to PM me.

I've got a 3-4 mile run today and a pool swim this afternoon. I'm officially 20 weeks until my HIM and 5 weeks to my first sprint. Time to get a little less lax in my training.

Happy mothers day to anyone who is a mom!

Nancy

Hi All! Here is my Race Report

I did okay on the Swim and Bike, but just blew up on the run! I'm certain it was because I did that FTP bike test on Wednesday. Won't make that mistake ever again. My HR was sky high and my legs were a bit sore. I just couldn't move fast enough!

5ish hour training ride with Jamie was pretty epic, that's for sure Beautiful ride, just was soooo tired. I could have fallen asleep close to the end!

Time for some Breakfast and then have a 90min run with Jamie in a little under 3 hours. Hope you are all having a great weekend!

So, let me get this straight...

• Jamie's time was 1:12:12
• Nate's time was 1:12:37

The epic rivalry continues!  This is like Federer - Nadal 

Nate that looks like a good race from my chair.  Well done.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there.

Jamie and Nate - nice work on the race!  I'd kill for any of those times.

Melissa - enjoy Hawaii!

I went for a long ride this morning with a couple of guys from the tri club.  I've never ridden with either of them before so wasn't sure how I'd manage.  It was also my longest ride to date on the tri bike, but I really need to be getting in the miles now with 8 weeks to go until Outlaw.

We did just over 78 miles with 4500ft climbing, which is moderately hilly for round here.  I'm really pleased with how it went.  I was comfortable on the tri bike (mostly) and at 60 miles was still feeling very fresh.  The rain came with about an hour to go and it got quite cold, which made the end of the ride less fun, but otherwise it was lovely.  It's really helped my confidence on the bike, and I'm feeling like things are on target for the race.

Happy Mother's Day to all you awesome mother's out there!!!

Jamie, Nate - You guys are killing it. It feels nice seeing the steady improvement, doesn't it!?! Congratulation on a job well done. 

Melissa - At some point in my life I will have to get out there to Hawaii! Enjoy your time!

Just got my training plan for the week and it is packed .... I can't wait until Saturday though when I am leaving for a two day kayak trip with some buddies of mine. It'll be fun! Its supposed to be in the middle 80's here in the DFW area. Its beautiful outside and if my allergies wouldn't get the better of me I would be out there. I also started working with a nutritionist on Friday. Hopefully she can help me get that extra weight off! 

Back to pamper the wife for the rest of the day!

I have a few questions, and I'm quite certain that you all will know the answer!

First, when storing a wetsuit between uses, what's best?  I used to hang my 6mm SCUBA wetsuit on a wetsuit hanger and put it in the closet.  I could lay it flat on the shelf on top of the closet as well.  I know dark is good, but is hanging ok?

Second...cycling during the actual triathlon.  I'm still really new to cycling...I only have been riding for 9 weeks, and ride 3 days/week.  I had some fit issues that I think are now worked out (ditched the stock saddle that came on my Felt B16, raised my seat, adjusted my cleats on my shoes), and I generally ride 16-20 miles twice per week and 30+ on Saturdays.  Clearly, as the summer builds, that mileage will have to increase.  My first ever triathlon (a sprint, so only 14 miles of riding) is on June 22nd.  When I'm on the bike now, I wear Sugoi RS cycling shorts.  I'm quite comfortable when I'm up on my pursuit bars (and I can distribute some of my weight onto my sitz bones), and I'm slowly building 'crotch tolerance' on the aerobars (I can't ride aero much on my Saturday rides as I'm in a large group of pure cyclists--going aero is a big 'no-no'--but on my solo rides, I spend 50% of my time in aero.) 

My question is this...how do you transition from a padded chamois to tri shorts?  Do you just suck it up on race day and know it's not going to be so comfy, or do you toughen up the nether regions by doing some of your riding in your tri shorts?  If that's the case, what sort of time frame do you give yourself?  Or, do you just always ride in tri shorts?

Nancy--I hang my wetsuit to dry on a wetsuit hanger and leave it there until I use it again.  Not sure that's right or wrong, but I don't seem to have a problem when I wear it the next time.  I will be interested to hear responses to your second question.  I am pondering the same thing for IM.  So far, I wear bike shorts with a great chamois for the ride and then switch.  Might like to save a little time in T2, but not if it is a total sufferfest doing it or there is a possibility of weird chafing.

 It was 28F here in Madison today with 25mph WNW winds, but I had a strong desire to do my long ride outside because of my new bike.  Long story short, I crashed going downhill in aero due to strong side winds. I'm not used to the deeper wheels and at 103lbs the wind just swept me away. It was pretty awful.  Hit my head first--saw stars, then the right shoulder, hip and somehow my left knee.  All bruised, all very sore although my shoulder is the worst.   A biker saw what happened and got me out of the middle of the road, I was a little looped and then did the same for my ride.  I thought about calling for help, but he fixed my bike the best it could be and I rode the 5m home.  Day over for me.  Bike in the shop with a few issues to be resolved.  boo.  Bad ending to a good week.

Suzy...so sorry to hear about the bike crash.  Glad you are apparently okay. The bike can be fixed...though I'm sure it just crushes you to have that beautiful beast on the ground.

Hello all. Lots of graduation related activities today for my daughter....they don't graduate until next Sunday but so many activities leading into it. Was able to get a 1.5 hour run in this morning. Felt pretty good after the first couple of miles.

Cycling shorts or tri shorts? Most tri shorts have less padding....which I like. I don't like cycling shorts with thick chamois padding and I'm sure they would be uncomfortable to run in. Maybe start doing some of your riding in tri shorts to slowly get used to the difference in feel. You may also want to consider a chamois cream that will hold up through the swim....something like diaper rash cream. I know....sounds weird but it seems to last longer than regular chamois cream. Only problem is the cream is white and does bleed through the shorts over the course of a longer race. Ultimately, as you ride more you should build up a tolerance to the pressure of the saddle. What kind of saddle have you switched to?

Suzy-hate to hear about the crash. Glad that you and the bike escaped without more damage.

Back to the tri shorts issue. I have used DeSoto brand in the past and they have a "float pad" that is very comfortable. My team kit is the high end stuff from LG like Craig Alexander uses and it is a step above anything I have ever tried in the past. 

Suzy sorry to hear about your crash but very glad you weren't hurt more seriously.  Take care of yourself.

Suzy, so sorry about the crash! I'm glad you were able to ride away.

I've got one pair of cycling shorts that are a little thicker than my tri shorts. Not so annoying, but I have seen some cycling shorts that look like there's a small pillow in the crotch. I wondered if I would feel more comfortable on the long rides with those.

Randy,

My new saddle is a Bontrager Hilo RXL.  It's the fixed nose (not the more expensive adjustable nose), but it seems to be a good choice.  The nose itself is about an inch shorter than the stock Felt saddle that came on my bike, and there's a cutout that runs the length of the saddle.  It's just enough to get my body weight off my sensitive 'girly bits.'  I was having horrible smashing of that sensitive tissue which then led to chafing (and raw spots), swelling, and numbness.  I rode 30+ miles on Saturday and got off the bike feeling great.  There's definitely a 'sweet spot' to the saddle, and if you can get yourself in that position, it's divine.  The only discomfort I'm having now is to be expected (I think)...seatbones and the area I call the 'pubic ridge' (though I have no idea the correct terminology--pubic rami?)--it's that bony section that runs from your sitz bones to your pubic bone. 

Our tri club kit is Sugoi RS.  I have yet to see my shorts, but I ride in Sugoi RS cycling shorts, so I'm hoping for a similar cut/fit with a smaller chamois.

I've tried the DeSoto 400 mile shorts you've mentioned.  For the price, I hated the fit and the material, so I sent them back.  They would seem to provide a smidge more padding than a regular tri short, though.

I figured there was a chamois cream that was a better choice for an actual tri (just didn't know what it would be--diaper cream makes a lot of sense as it's designed for wet places inside of a diaper).  I also figured I could dip into a vat of chamois cream at transition if need be.

Nancy-the key with the right saddle is finding what works best for you. Sounds like you are on the right track. It will take a couple of weeks for your sit bones to get conditioned. Definitely better than riding on the girly or manly bits

I have some DeSoto 400 mile bibs that I like but really only use on longer rides. The "float pad" that they advertise for their tri gear seems to be a smaller thinner version of the pad in the 400 shorts/bibs.  Sugoi makes some nice stuff so hopefully that will work well for you. I would try to avoid adding cream during transition unless it is a longer race like HIM/IM. Of course comfort is important but so is speed. Tough balance. They do make little single use sizes of Chamois Buttr which you could always take with you out of T2 just in case things get uncomfortable on the run.