SWBKRUN Mentor Group-"Off Season?" What is that?!! (Page 127)

I may supplement my Infinit with a Thermolyte or two depending on the length of the race and the weather conditions, but otherwise, I'm usually good to go on the bike. For the run, Roctane has some potassium and sodium already, and I'll supplement with Gatorade. Again, this varies with the length of the event; for Boise, Roctane and a quick splash of Gatorade was enough. Carbo Pro is an excellent product (your very own Steve Birds uses it but then again, his wife usually mixes all his drinks and he just drinks whatever she gives him...), but you're right: no electrolytes there. I'd look at adding a product like Nuun or Zym to the bottle, which should give you the right balance of minerals as well as providing taste. I'm partial to the Tri-Berry Nuun flavor myself.

You're also right about doing something different on the bike versus the run. You'll be able to digest much easier on the bike while you have a lower heart rate and your upper body is relatively motionless. For a 70.3, I'm on the bike for about 2:30 and that's just about the length of time before I start to really get tired of the same flavor Infinit. I'd mix it up with a different flavored Gu than you'll take on the run (Chocolate vs. Vanilla, etc.), or maybe even try some Gu Chomps or Shot Blocks. Try caffeinated vs. non-caffeinated. Taste fatigue can be a big detriment if it means that you're not ingesting enough because the thought of one more sip of lemon-lime will make you gag.

For IMC, I had a different flavored (and indeed, different combination mix... more on that in a second) Infinit in my second bottle than in my aero bottle. That way I had at least something different to sip on, and it made a big different in making sure I didn't get too tired of the same taste. I also "created" the second Infinit to have less protein, since that tends to a) foam up if it gets shaken around and b) lead to longer gastric emptying.

I'd definitely try something with a longer brick (Steve's right... 20-30 minutes should be adequate) to see how your tummy feels after changing your nutrition. You've got plenty of time before September! Very small changes in the menu and timing can make a big difference in terms of your energy and comfort.



First, don't be nervous! You're already thinking the right thoughts and paying attention to how you feel... now you can start to fine tune your plan.

Timing is VERY important! For me, it's about 15-18 minutes for the Gu to get into my system, so that's why I'll stop taking in more nutrition as I head into T2. Any closer and I feel "off." You don't need to gobble Endurolytes or Thermolytes like candy, but I'd plan on taking them on a regular basis (I think Thermolytes are two per hour with 8 oz of H20, but I've found that to be overkill, especially if you're already taking something else with electrolytes in it). Speaking of candy, there are several candy dispensers which make for excellent Thermolyte holders... mini M&Ms usually come in a convenient size, as do some types of gum. These are great for stashing in a pocket or the back of a jersey.

By the way, Thermolytes and Endurolytes are very similar, but they do contain slightly different ratios of minerals and supplements. Between the two, I like Thermolytes but only because they contain ginger and peppermint oil, both of which are supposed to be beneficial on upset stomachs. I have NO idea whether there's enough in a pill to actually be therapeutic, but shhh, don't ruin my placebo effect!

I can personally attest to this... it's even worse when we're on the treadmill and things tend to, um, linger.


Of course, this is dependent on the individual, but 15-20 minutes is about right.


"Ryan, wanna do an adventure race?"
"I dunno, what's that?"
"It'll be fun!"
"Jeez, I don't know..."
"I've already signed you up. It's on the 19th. I'll pick you up at 2."
It turned into a 5+ hour slog through the snow and mud, with mountain bikes and on foot. I was soaked within 3 minutes and chilled to the bone. The Coronas afterward tasted pretty good, though...

As a complete aside, you guys and gals are a fantastic group; the level of encouragement and support here is refreshing and wonderful. You're fortunate to have Steve... I don't know anyone who's got a better perspective on this sport: he's passionate but always finds the right balance between competition with others and himself.

Did my first OWS tonight. There were 6 of us. Mark went off on his own. Don't know why. The remain 5 swam together. I was worried I would not keep up. But no worries once we started. It went great and I think I was faster than in the pool. It was weird swimming  through hot and cold spots. There were some swells caused by a passing boat. Glad for the opportuinty to experience that too.

Overall I am feeling pretty comfortable for my OWS in the triangle triathlon. I would have been very bervous without today's swim.

Going to do a brick next week on the bike and run courses for the triangle tri on 7/12. I feel more confident knowing the course before hand.

I am going to have to go over this nutrition stuff before my olympics later in the year.

Doug

Great job Doug, they just get easier the more you do.

It's also kind of strange when you go from light to shaded spots on a lake and the view changes.

For Olympics I haven't focused too much on nutrition (going to try a bit more this weekend to experiment).  You do need some planning but nothing like what is required for HIM or IM.

Can't wait to read the race report, you are going to kick some a$$.

I'm very excited for you!   WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!

When you were going through those hot spots were you behind someone that doesn't like you?  Did the water all of the sudden taste salty?

Awesome that the swim went so great.  Don't forget to put some thought into where you want to start.   

fwiw...if you are going to wear a watch and you have a wave going off in front of you, start your watch when their gun goes off. 
 

GREAT NEWS!!!  I was worried that if you got the new bike you would be that much faster.  Can't have that.

oh, good to hear about your foot to.

If the warm "water" came from another swimmer then they have MAJOR bladder problems! Why should I start my watch when the group in front of mine's gun goes off?

Doug

its gets busy real quick.  one less thing to worry about.  example  maybe not the best example but the point is there.  and its just a suggestion...not necessary.

just don't forget to take that time off.

Edited by fattyfatfat 2009-06-25 8:29 AM

My garmin has an auto stop feature on it.  so i'll start it before a race and stand still until the gun.  if i ever am stopped for more than 3 seconds, it'll pause time.  when i log the data into sporttracks, it tells the total time stopped/paused and shows the location.

A fun challenge getting ready to start.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=165689&posts=62&start=1

Each team is tied to a team racing in the Tour de France.  Makes it a bit more interesting than the normal challenges, last year when my team won a stage I posted a picture of the winner crossing the line in every other team's thread, so some good trash talking going on.  Though 1/2 my TdF team got kicked out for EPO (Sanuier Duval) so I got quite a bit more heaped back at me but it was fun.  Also if you don't really follow pro cycling gives you a team to root for.

very cool.  how long does it take to recognize you are on the move again and does it need to reacquire the sats? 

Pretty quickly, I have mine set to autostop also when I hit a traffic light.  Sometimes it doesn't register as quickly as I would like so I have to manually hit stop. Doesn't power it off, just like hitting stop so no need to reacquire.

I use it like Jeremy does for the bike, just hit start before I get on that way I don't have to mess with it while riding but I like the idea for running also, will have to try that.

oops let me back up here a second.  you mentioned run and bike.  are you guys doing this on the swim to?  thats the jist of what i was getting at w/ Doug and the start.   goes back to Tracy wearing two watches. 

It never looses Sat signal, it just recognizes that you're not moving.  You can set it to stop if you have no movement, or if you fall below a designated speed/pace.  As soon as you start moving again (less than 2 seconds) it restarts.  A buddy of mine has an older model forerunner, and it's a bit more slow to calculate your pace, but my FR305 jumps right back on track to my speed increasing or decreasing.

I'm sold on the Garmin.  I have the quick release, so it's able to snap in place on my bike, quick release and onto my wrist with a velcro strap.  Then I got the cadence sensor with it that also includes a speed sensor for your rear wheel - allows you to track the same data when you ride on a trainer.

The only disadvantages that I can see is the overall size (a bit cumbersome, but you get used to it... a tradeoff for the features, I guess) and the other problem is that while it is water resistant, it's not waterproof.  Some people say that it looses sat signal when it is submersed in water - read: every stroke while swimming.  You also aren't supposed to press any buttons while in the water.

But, the new Forrunner 310xt is almost exactly the same, but it is water proof.

The FR 305/310 has a 3 sport / multisport feature so you can hit the lap button between sports to start a new sport.  With that setting you can also select whether or not to include transitions.

I haven't used mine in the water for shear fear that something will go wrong.  But some say that they have placed it in a ziplock bag and put it under their swim cap.

Somebdoy buy the FR310 and tell me how sweet it is, twist my arm until I buy it too.

Yeah I wear 2 watches, one I start when I get in the water, then put my garmin on in T1.

the 310 would be sweet.

Hmm so based on my work schedule, I'd have about 8 days next month to commit to long rides.  If each ride were only about 38 miles, that would put me at just over 300 miles.  I've never done 300 miles in a single month.  Hmm.

Any other SWBKRUN peeps doing this?  Wanna ask to be on the same team?

I am, my only problem is right now I am not working off a plan, last year it was right in the middle of my plan so I just added up sessions and miles and put that in.  She will put you on the team you want to be.

I can't decide which TdF team I want to be on, Columbia Highroad is a good choice, lots of stage winners, but no real GC threat, problem is I absolutely hate Mark Cavendish, cocky little punk.  Astana, will have lots of fanboi's because of Lance.
Garmin is a US team but pretty lame this year not a lot of wins.  hmm, which team to pick?

Ok I put my request in for the TdF challenge.  I also requested to be on Tony and/or Andy's team.

Hmm, 23 days - 10 Rides - and 300 miles.  I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.

I'm back...I missed you all so much yesterday. I missed 2 pagres yesterday wowser!
I did my own version of a triathlon yesterday. Swim-Golf-Softball. Was a nice day out, still today though. 1st round of gold of the year, so a little stiff today.

Shannon- I can not wait for your RR. Enjoy it!!

Matt - I love this line : "He actually recommended that I grab my old running shoes that didn't hurt and go for a 2-3 mile run tonight.  (I think it was med speak for HTFU)"  --If doc's could really say what they think! Heal up

Tony- Slow down on the bike and save yourself a bit for the run. That worked for me this weekend. You're a nutbar on the bike like me. We love to hammer it!!! It may cost a few minutes off your bike split, but save you for your run???

 And all this Garmin talk.....I've had my 310xt on order for like 2 months. Now they are saying middle of July. I guess on the 1st release there was some software issue #$@% so they held back the next release. I've started wearing 2 watches as well. Right wrist is the waterproof one I start on swim, and on my left I have the quick-release for the garmin. BUT I DO NOT WEAR TWO ONE THE SAME WRIST!(sorry was that too loud?)

Edited by TrevorC 2009-06-25 9:45 AM