Todd's Tri Turtles - (Beginners, Sprint, 5K, 10K) - CLOSED (Page 12)

Hi guys, sorry I haven't really been on this week. I haven't even got to look at all your posts this week. I am a bad member of the group! Work has been hectic but more than that I have bizarrely lost my mojo this week and simply can't be bothered at all :-(. This is very unlike me. I wondered was it some kind of come down from last weeks sprint, or if I had lost interest (I do get short lived obsessions with things). I haven't been able to motivate myself to train at all since the tri on Saturday, until last night. Tonight again I planned to train and ended up drinking wine instead, not sure what is going on with me. I did think maybe with the chest infection I simply pushed too hard on Saturday and my body is telling me to take it easy. To be honest I have felt crap all week, still really bunged up and spitting up lots of yucky stuff (sorry if too graphic) so maybe I am just still not back to 100 per cent. Whatever it is it sucks. I went swimming with tri club last night cos our sponsors were coming down and they asked as many to attend as possible. Despite still being bunged up I. My chest throat and nose I enjoyed it and thought I was back in the saddle, but today I am sitting here drinking wine instead of doing the ru. I planned. I have entered a 10k which takes place next Friday night so I don't know why I cannot motivate myself to get out there, I certainly could do with the practice...... Anyhow hope you guys are all keeping at it. Sorry I am such a crap group member and all me me me, I may bow out of the group.

Good evening everyone, just got done reading Todd’s post on bike fit. I wanted to chime in and give my own rendition of this .
So you decided to get a different bike than the one you got; Congratulations!!! You have many choices ahead of you before you pull the trigger on your next purchase.

First and foremost you have to decide on a workable budget and if you are willing to go a bit beyond. For instance say you have $1500 set aside and you find a bike that you like. Are you willing to spend a few hundred more on that bike or is the $1500 firm?

Second you need to decide if you want a road or a tri bike, further more if you want a road bike will you want to add clip on aero bars to the bike? Most road and tri bikes are part of all carbon fiber so you will also need to make a decision on that front. My bike for instance is part carbon and weighs in at a hefty 15 pounds, 17 with loaded up with my hydration.

Once you decided on the type of bike you want you need to start looking at components. Such as do you want Shimano, Spram, or another brand? Does it matter to you? I ride only with Shimano simply because that it what I’ve always had. You need to go on each web site and see what their different components are rated for. Shimano 105’s and above are all race grade while the Tigra’s and below are more for commuters and weekend riders. My bike has all 105’s and above.

Now you have to figure out the size you are, and as Todd already stated not every bike it the same. Now it’s important right now not to get caught up in brand names of the bikes or how “flashy” they are. Those are just stickers. As a good friend and retired professional bike racer once told me: “You still have to pedal it uphill”. In other words most of the bikes speed will come from the riders’ fitness and bike abilities and not from the makeup of the bike. I have a Motobecane Nemesis Pro, its almost unheard of here in the US and I still have yet to see another one on the race circuit in four years. That being said I’ve passed many bikes that cost double or triple mine, came with all the bells and whistles and where certainly more flashy than mine.
I bought mine from Bikesdirect.com and took a gamble on buying it sight unseen. Yes I was very nervous about it but with my odd sizes I had almost no choice. I would highly recommend taking a prospective bike out for a test ride, just like you would with a car. The person you are buying from should take the time to get to know what you are looking for in a bike and what you hope to get out of it then show you an assortment of bikes that fit the bill and answer all your questions.

Please, please, please don’t be afraid to ask questions, this is after all your bike and your money. I think I spent almost three solid shifts (12 hours each) peppering my racing friend about bikes. If the question is important enough for you to think of, then it’s important enough for it to be asked and answered, in detail.

Here’s my personal opinion on bike fit, if you are told all you need to do is get fit once after you by the bike then you’re done you need to get the heck out of Dodge and go to another LBS. It took me a total of four fit sessions with two separate fitters to get me just right. Here is how it was explained to me: when you first get your bike your body may not be used to bending in a certain way and you will need time to adjust before you fine tune the bike. So it is not at all uncommon to require multiple fits. When you are done your bike should be distinctly yours, it should not fit anyone else but you. On my last fit it took my fitter almost four hours to get me where I was happy and still aero.

Ok so you made it this far, hang in there your almost done! So what type of pedals do you want (these will also affect your fit)? I used to ride SPD’s that I had for years until I was given a set of Look as a “We-still-think-your-crazy-but-good-luck-on-your-Ironman gift and I love them. But you have to figure out what works for you, its almost all trial and error. Now what type of shoes do you want to go with your shiny new pedals? Mountain, road, or tri are the three main types. I think it’s a matter of personal choice.

Hope this helps

Beth

Noreen, don't give up! You have already accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. My .02, you need to get back to 100% from the illness. You are likely feeling bad, do the workouts, suffer while doing so, and then get no enjoyment out of them. You then don't feel good, which makes you not want to workout and then when you don't that makes you feel bad. I think part of this could be routine. The hardest thing for me was devolping a routine, which is why I issued the challenge I did for this week. As far as sitting there drinking wine, make it an after workout reward if you will. I don't know what your situation is with support at home and training partners, but for some it is hard to do almost all workouts alone. I will say that some of what you're talking about is why you are in this group and why we have a group. Get excited, excite others, post daily and log daily to stay involved. Remember it does not have to be about the clock, events, or where you finish, do it for you health and mental wellness. I have learned to use workouts as my stress relief and a way to reset. I don't always want to do them but once I drag my lazy butt out of bed and do it, I am happy that I did. I can tell you for me that your comment of needing to practice for the upcoming 10K, sounds like me when I started. I would train before and up to an event and then fall off afterwords until a few weeks before the next one I signed up for. I now workout and if I can do something as a part of it I do it, if not it really doesn't matter to me. I now try to do fewer things, but on a larger scale when I do them. Do Not Give Up, we are here for YOU, and will help you in any way to stay active!

Fellow Turtles,

Please be patient with the Mod's during this Update. I have been through this before (not as big of a change) and they got the problems worked out within a week. It seems like things are different and in different places, but we will work through it and who knows it might end up better. Again, please be patient (as I'm typing this I keep repeating it in my own head).

Edited by Hunting Triathlete 2013-05-17 9:21 PM

Noreen, I'll echo what Todd said, don't give up! Illness can make anyone feel drained and tired, and illness plus training even more so. Maybe you could focus what you've already achieved and the 10k on Friday and push yourself back into it, or maybe just take time off to rest and recuperate. Whatever works for you, go for it! I must admit, when I have one of those slumps I usually take some time off, and after a week or so I'm champing at the bit to get back into it. Keep posting, that's what we're for!

As far as the new look site goes, I'm loving it so far. Nice clean interface, uncluttered. Yes, it's a bit slow and buggy and I haven't learnt my way around yet, but I reckon it'll be great.

Todd and Beth, thanks for the very informative posts about buying a bike. I'm not in the market at the moment, I'm hoping I will be in about a year, and I know I'll be referring back to these bits of advice then. Thanks!

Edited by Taringa 2013-05-18 5:23 AM

Nice work on the spin class! I can't really help on the back/hip question I'm afraid. Have you ever been to see a doc or physio about it?

Good luck, Noreen! It can be really tough when illness creeps in. Sometimes it helps if you change things up a bit - go to a class at the gym or just walk in the park - or plan a light workout - plan a 15-minute workout instead of 30 minutes. As long as you keep moving forward, just a little bit.

Sorry Noreen, didn't Todd tell you? Once a Turtle, always a Turtle - no leaving the group! I'm right there with you with an illness sucking the wind out of my sails this week. Ditto on the encouraging words others have posted. I say just roll with the break your body is taking for a few days to help get over the illness. You'll be back at it once you are feeling better! ( at least this is what I keep telling myself!)

This is NOT good. Woke up around 0300 cuz I was in so much pain. My right knee is so painful I can only move it a few inches. Took me close to five minutes to hobble to the next room to crash in my recliner. This morning the pain is no better. My knee is so bad now it's everything I can do to remain mobile. Don't know what's wrong with it but when I get it to bed I can feel and hear a sickening grinding in the knee. Hope it heals itself soon. I have a 10 mile run scheduled for Monday.

Oh no!!

Anyone with experience or opinions with the free training plans on BT? I've been following the 16 week swim focused plan (loosely on the swim part since I'm just learning). This past week would have been my week 3. It pretty much was a wash due to illness. Next week (week 4) would be a recovery week where you scale back a bit. I'm thinking since this week was a total recovery week, should I just do week 3 next week, then move to week 5 the following? I don't understand completely the theory behind adding no more then 10% each week of training for 3 weeks then having a recovery period, but I do think its smart. I don't want to do too much too soon and risk injury, but I want to keep going on the plan. Any thoughts?

This user's post has been ignored.

Say hi to the doctor for me.

My drama: I have to travel cross-country this week. I fly all day to Vancouver on Sunday, attend a conference Monday-Tuesday, then fly back all day Wednesday.
So tomorrow will be a rest day unless I crank out of bed Sunday early to swim. I'm hoping to run in Vancouver on Monday or Tuesday, but my knee has been bugging me - nothing like poor Hubbie, but I don't want to get to that stage.
Also diet may be an issue. It's easy to spoil yourself on the road, or simply lose track of calories. I'm taking some Balance bars, which I find get me through snack time well enough.
Signing off now. Gotta find my Therabands - might try a room-based workout.

I have got a great story for my fellow turtles !!!!

So today I went out for a nice 32 miles bike ride and when I was riding along guess who walked in my path ? A lost Turtle !!! If this isn't a sign I don't know what is. It was about to run into the street and into incoming traffic, so my friend and I went on a quick ride just about half mile down where there just happens to be a wildlife office and had them come out and rescue the little one. I will post a picture if I can get it to work.











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I'd go with the recovery week. Since you are coming off of being sick you will want GO ease back into training. Jumping back in full force may land you back with an illness or worse yet, an injury. Listen to your body, if you feel that the recovery is still to much you may have to cut back even more.

Beth-Much sympathy for the knee, I really hope it heals soon and you can get back into it! Injuries suck...

Isaac, the turtle pics are very cool! I especially like the reflections in the last photo

Hi Todd,\\Thanks for your support. I have now got back in the saddle (literally this morning!) I managed to fit a run in yesterday too. I think the problem has been a mixture of illness dragging on and letting stuff at work get to me. I did say that I originally took up running to combat depression, and I think the black dog has been sitting on my shoulder a bit this week. I know the answer to that is train more and train harder but being a bit sick still meant i lacked energy. I now have the 10k this Friday to look forward to and I ran over 7k yesterday so a couple of short runs this week to work at hills and speed and I should be ready. I am not going to be fast but I will finish it - I am thinking probably around 1 hour 15 mins but we will see.

Hi Taringa, thank you for your kind words. I now realise a week off training is not necessarily a bad thing and sometimes your body just needs to rest. I echo what you say about the new site - I love the way you get related posts and articles at the bottom of the page if you read a thread, really useful.

Hi, Thank you, wise words, funnily enough my Road ID bracelet has a saying on it "just keep moving" - need to remember that in future :-)

Hi Dawn, I hope you are feeling better. I am getting there (still lots of bleugh stuff coming up when I run though ;-), but whatever). You are right it would be silly to reject a source of support by leaving, I was just having one of those days where I felt I wasnt contributing enough. Have given myself a kick up the backside - so onwards and upwards!

I really should read all posts before I start answering I have just seen this. I am so sorry that has happened I hope you find out what it is soon and it heals quickly. I dont think the 10 miler sounds a good idea to be honest. :-(

I LOVE the turtle pics and story, that has really brightened my day

Woo-hooo!!! :D

Today was a nasty disgusting day here in NYC and I considering I off to work in a few minutes, It was the perfect excuse to stay in with my little
puppy and relax after working out the last 6 days in a row. But then I realized that working out 7 days in a row... 7 out of 7 would be a nice way to start getting ready for the coming months and the TRIATHLON coming up in August. Recently I saw this written somewhere and it has become my new found motto.... NO EXCUSES.... JUST RESULTS. Get out there turtles, if your feeling down and low, just make it whatever work out you prefer put on some tunes and it will clear your head of any problems and help you think straight.


BTW, As you will no doubt realize, Im for everybody starting to post some pictures of workouts or family or anything they would like to share. It makes things personal and very interesting.






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