GrooveTime!group - CLOSED!!! (Page 124)

Now that I've read a bit farther and can name names,

Congrats on the PRs Lisa and Mark! You guys are smoking fast, especially with the hills.

Sweet bike, Shaun!

Good, cause I am going to be stalking ya from Maine, cheering you on!!

Mandy,

Good call on Nov-March. I think I'm just going through snow withdrawal since we didn't have much this year.

Kasia

SteveA,

Brutally cold swim. Your pain/discomfort tolerance is impressive. And I, too, will be following you during IMSG.

Kasia

Ok, last post from me. I gotta get back to work!

Matilda now has a last name, along with a nickname. I wasn't going to go that far out and name her like a real person, but this weekend's rides totally necessitated it. It's kind of like a ship. Since renaming her is considered unlucky, I figured I'd just add on. So her full name is now Matilda "Speedy" Gonzalez. Geez, that bike is FAST!

I went for a long (for me) ride on Sunday out on the country roads. Some dude caught up to me at a light and I let him go ahead thinking he'd be smoking me. Nope. I was totally on his tail for a couple of miles until I turned down another road. He kept looking back in disbelief as to how a girl in a cotton t-shirt with sneakers was keeping up with his clipped-in spandexed self. Awesome! Totally made my day, maybe even the week.

Edited by augeremt 2010-04-19 5:45 PM

Hey STEVE B,

Quick question for you.  I was doing some math, and from what I can tell, at one point or another, there is going to be a majority of 2,500 competitors on a 40-mile bike loop.  (clearly some on their first, some on their second, but I imagine that at some point, almost everyone is on it at the same time).  That makes 62 bikes per mile, or a bike every 85 feet. 

(can you tell I'm obsessing at this point?!?!?!)

Are these events notoriously crowded?  I'm just thinking out loud that people keep fretting about wind on the downhills....I'm starting to fret about the crowds on the descents.  Not sure how smart it is to get aero when surrounded by other bikes.  Seems sketchy.

On another topic:  Any suggesting for wet-weather bike riding?  Clothing and the like?  Forecasts call for some damp conditions right now.  WHEEE!!!!!!!!

Love that story!

Tracey
Overall, I did find that it presented me with new information, and in a way that was understandable. Tracking calories in & out to the level suggested is probably more time-intensive than I am willing to commit to. I do plan to summarize the key points for myself and would be happy to share that when I get it done. You can pick it up for less than $13 at Amazon, so for the price, I would buy it again.
Mark

Edited by midlifeinsanity 2010-05-25 8:16 PM

Good morning, all!

I don't think I mentioned this, but yesterday was Lynn's 60th b-day, which explains why I haven't been around since yesterday morning. It all went well, and she has been launched successfully into the next decade!

As for me, and here, I see all you motormouths were very busy in my brief absence.....and I may need the next deacde to get caught up. Mercy!

KASIA -

What made that guy's day was when you finally truned of on the other road. That gave him the opportunity to backtrack and try to find pieces of his ego that had flown off him as you stayed on his tail. Niely done, and huge props to Matilda! Sounds like both fit and performance are perfect!

STEVE -

Almost certainly your math is correct, and your concern is valid. The toughest point for you will be that your projected swim time has you starting the bike at the peak crunch. That is, the biggest bump of emerging swimmers will be about 1:12-1:20, so that's when the roads will be packed. This is THE single biggest criticism of Ironman events, that they take so many athletes that bike congestion is inevitable - especially the first part of he first loop.

With my 1:25 time at IMLP, I was a bit behind the big bump, and still the roads were crowded. For the purist who hates the mere thought of drafting....it's impossible not to. To their credit, though, referees as M-dot events usually look the other way for the first few miles as riders are still working at separating themselves out. However, it is a very good idea to be highly attuned to everyone around you, as there are a lot of people who are still getting their land-legs back and are not riding at the best of their abilities.

Some people try to break away from the mobs as soon as they can, and if you can do this without being reckless, it is maybe a good approach. But prepare yourself for some frustration, and try really hard to not let that get into your head. My approach at LP was to be calm and just let things unfold as they might......and then after a couple of miles I got tired of just constantly having people around me; it was leap-frog X ~800. So at that point I jsut pushed my pace, knowing that about mile 10 I would hit a series of screaming descents in which I could suit back and not exert myself. And that worked well.

The good news is that by the start of thre second loop it will all be better. It will be just like any old race -- always other riders, but not seemingly wall-to-wall. But as you approach the special needs station, establish your line early and be aware of anyone who hasn't done the same.

I mean, you do have options! You can do the swim of your life and get out of the water in 57 minutes, or conversely you can lollygag and beat the cut-off by 20 seconds ---- and in both cases you'll have few people with whom to share the road on the bike!

Really, though, I think you just have to resign yourself to big crowds early on, and do whatever you can to not let it bother you. There is no one else there who will like it either (actually, that's not true, as any number of people will use it as an excuse to draft, even if they say they won't or don't), so if misery loves company.......... And as for the drafting, if you are fervently anti-drafting try to leave that at the swim exit. It will happen, and don't let it make you nuts!!

STEVE again -

Nice try on the swim! Actually, good accomplishment on the swim 40 minutes in stinging-nettle cold water? Another item off your bucket list!

And, as you realize yourself, superb bike ride. It sounda like you've crossed some threshhold of both confidence and competence, and that's a pretty fine thing to be carrying up to SG with you!

When you say the leg was flexed, is this the same as cramped? Or "siezed"? Whichever, it doesn't sound any too pleasant. may the trherapy work wonders on it today!!

As for the run? R-E-F-R-A-I-N........What's that spell? REFRAIN!!!!!!!!!!

(Or at least until after therapy, and getting an opinion there.)









Edited by stevebradley 2010-04-20 6:13 AM

TRACEY -

I have some very strong veiws about my own (optimal) racing weight, and I'm very intersted as well as what Mark thinks of the book. I will try to find it up here tomorrow, I think.

I just came across some interesting data in one of the British triathlon magazines about this topic, and it involved time trials done with an extra 3kg in a pack on the back, The results were for both the bike abd the run, and it was pretty significant -- especially for hillworks for both. I will try to find that and transcribe some of it here.

My only question with that "study" has to do with positioning -- that is, does added placed on the back equate with my added weight, which finds its way onto my stomach? or yours which finds it way to ?? Or Mark's, which goes to ?? I mean, not too many of us find weight gain appearing prominently between our shoulder blades, so i guess I have some questions about whether or not relative positioning matters.

3kg = about 6.6 pounds, and that's a fair chunk. I'm lighter now than I am at this point of most off-seasons, but when I enter my race season at 178-180, there is one set of results (esp. the run), and they differ quite dramatically from the results later in the season when I hit 173/174 or lower --- and there's those 6.6 pounds right there, just about.

Anyhow, I will try to locate that study and condense it down for eveyone's edification here.

KASIA again -

I love the definition of rolfing, and will pass that along to my A.R.T. person. She has probably studied rolfing, and at any rate what she sometimes does with A.R.T. is just this side of rolfing. I once had a different PT person give me a quick dose of rolfing, and it was cataclysmic. Sweet Mother of Mercy!

I think it was Steve who brought up this whole topic of massage for his hamstring, and as I think about him and his cold-water swims and ice baths, I'm sure he'd be the ideal candidate for rolfing. It either has to do with being a masochist, or seeming to have nerve endings that are lodged relatively deeply. But for me, a borderline sissy/softy....I'll stay with A.R.T. as my extreme treatment, if you don't mind!

I also like your sunrise/sunset logic. It kind of elaborates on what Janis Joplin once said -- "It's all the same damn day....." So, in that context, there may not really be much to distinguish between morning and evening, especially if the sky kinda sorta looks the same. You know, you could drugged into a sleep of indeterminate length, awakened, blinfolded, spun around ten times, had the blindfold removed to see a sky in which the sun is juts above the horizon.......and all you'll really know is that it feels like a great time for a bike ride!

KASIA once more -

That's a tough call about what to do at the race with your roomie. It's clear form what you say that you want to be free to do your own thing at whatever pace seems right to you.......and on the surface that makes 100% sense. So, maybe just appealing to basic logic will be enough, or simply saying that you want to test your own limits.

As a Full Service Mentor, I can write a note excusing you from racing side-by-side with her. Just let me know!

Kasia-

First - awesome bike story - GO MATILDA!

Second - I have registered for races with people before, me thinking we are each running our own race, she thinking we are running together, side by side.  I am fiercely independent, yet also get tied in knots over potentially hurting someone's feelings or letting someone down - so this was a tough one for me.  Luckily I figured out our different views of the situation before race day.

I talked to her, and I was honest about how I felt - it was really hard, because I knew she had this image of us crossing the finish line at the same time, holding hands above our heads, smiling, triumphant.  But when it comes down to it, racing - triathlon or running (unless you are on a relay or team) is a personal thing, and I wanted to run my own race - without the added pressure of worrying about someone else's progress, whether it's faster or slower than mine (just as you said).  What if I am having a really off day, and I hold her back?  Or what if I am having an on day?

Even if you train with someone, this is an individual thing, for your own personal goals. 

Try just talking to her.  You can still wear matching pink florescent - it will help you pick each other out of the crowd.  And besides, coming out of the swim into transition is going to be tough to find each other again to bike together.  Then the run.  I have crept up on friends on the bike, passed them, only to be blown away on the run by them later.  Or in extremely rare cases, vice versa.

Phew.  Sorry so long winded. Good luck.

Mandy

Happy birthday to Lynn! Hope she enjoyed it.

Just bought my new wet suit. I went with the 2XU Elite. It was a little more money than I was planning to spend but hopefully the extra features will be worth the expense. Hopefully it fits!

Tracey

Hi,

Happy Birthday Lynn.

SteveB - does she do any racing?  I know turning 60 was a happy time for me because of the new age group.

Denise

SHAUN, nice ride!  Can't wait until you get her back and out on the road.

STEVE A, great job this weekend despite the cold water ... brr, especially on the bike. Hope the leg gets to feeling better.

STEVE B, wondered why you were MIA ... tell Lynn happy belated birthday!

KASIA, great story about your outing with "Speedy" ... the nickname sounds aprapo (sp? maybe the ex-teacher can help with that one!).

Was able to get my official race results once I contacted the timing "company?"  Now I'm a happy camper.  Legs felt good today after the hill workout on Saturday, so got a short 2.2 mile run in.  My pool is almost to the point I'll be able to get back from my run and jump in to cool off comfortably.

LISA

DWAYNE, good job on the PR!!

LISA, good job on the race!!

STEVEA, someone has more cojones than I certainly do...That is a might bit cold for me to go swimming. I HATE cold water to swim in so I'm interested to see how I do in an actual tri and open water swims this year.

STEVEB, wish Lynn a happy b-day from the group.

TRACEY, congrats on the wetsuit. I think we all have that same fear, that they won't fit when we need them.

MANDY, I am not jealous of that snow you are getting! That's a nice view for Dec/Jan/Feb but not into late April!

Edited by smarx 2010-04-21 6:34 AM

KASIA,

Well maybe technically I guess 11 is my half way point. I start at 7 and leave sometime after 4. By 9:30 I've had my morning snack and am craving lunch! My work schedule is entirely not by choice. My boss and production set my work schedule. So some days I have to be here at 5am (not regularly).

If I had my way, I'd work something more akin to a 9-5. I am not a morning person but have adjusted accordingly, somewhat. Being able to ski on less busy days or powder days is great!! I fondly remeber doing that while I was in school. You are also helping re-inforce my desire to move to Colorado, Vermont, Washington or Oregon. I figure if something happens with this job, those are the 4 places I want to live in and I'll find a job there somewhere doing something.

The weather here is killing my desire to ride. Did an easy ride with a coworker yesterday. The park entrance said 73F. It sure felt closer to 63F and wind. Not pleasant.

So the bike is back from the tuneup and chain replacement (1 day turnaround!!) and its in the car ready for a spin after work. Can't wait. Ready to go now! Ready to adjust a bit more for comfort and see what its like to be on it for an hour.

Found and interesting guide on Hammer about fueling (136 page PDF):
http://www.hammernutrition.com/downloads/fuelinghandbook.pdf?utm_source=guidetosuccess&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=guidetosuccess

When I picked up my bike, the shop had Hammer's product guide which lists all products and when and how to use them. It referenced the above e-book. Quick addition, this has already answered my question about their Endurolytes pills and Heed. Both have electrolytes but Heed has a lower dose so they recommend using both during exercise. I was thinking it was a one or the other deal. Use Endurolytes when only drinking water and no Endurolytes when using Heed.

Question for the STEVE's, previously you had mentioned to not pre-mix powder drinks that have certain items in them. I believe it was amino acid mixes. Why is that?

Edited by smarx 2010-04-21 7:00 AM