Dominion's Sprint and Olympic Distance - OPEN !!! (Page 13)

Welcome to my world, Nate! When I do my training loop with my tough hills, my speed can vary from as slow as 6 mph to as high as 34+! Unfortunately, those 34+ sections don't last nearly as long as the 6 mph sections. LOL My toughest training hill is something like 0.88 mile long and averages about 7% grade. I'm lucky if I can average 6.5-7.0 mph over that stretch. Plus, I have to come to a complete stop at a stop sign at the bottom of the hill, so I don't even have any momentum to carry into it at all. Those kinds of hills will take a bite out of your legs for the run. And you guys down south are spoiled. 72 degrees is like pool water!

It's always tough when you feel like you didn't perform up to your expectations. But take the good (fixed your swim issue) and take some lessons from it to apply to the next one. Good luck!

Just curious but do you guys get out of the saddle when climbing in a race? I usually do on the shorter distance races but not so much the longer ones. That seems to be what I've noticed around here as well. We didn't have any big hills on the full dist course but no one was out of the saddle that I saw. Sometimes I shift to the big wheel just to stand and stretch out my back and legs then settle back down.

Congrats on the race, Nate. The hills sound tough!

Edited by HelmoAlkou 2016-05-24 8:31 AM

I had seen in triathlete an article about this and I think they recommended standing depending on speed. Less than 12 stand, less than 16 sit, otherwise areo. I would stand a bit if I got slow or if the grade increased toward the top. I stayed in the Big ring the whole time. I have a compact system and in NH last year I felt I went to slow in the small ring.

interestingly the elevation change in the Raleigh 70.3 is more than Timberman 70.3. I didn't run my watch during the bike but will ask a friend what her Garmin said. Guessing over 1000 ft.

Either way I out preformed OBX Oly last year and my next one will be flat. Just have to decide when

Nate

I do remember reading an article on this topic, but I can't remember where. Most likely, Triathlete magazine, possibly Bicycling, but I'm not sure. I believe the article I read said that it was best to stay seated and not stand. I also believe it said to stay in the aero position as long as possible. I do try to stay in the saddle during my tough climbs. But I will stand periodically on longer climbs just to change body position or on the steepest part of the climb. My biggest training hill has a portion that reaches 10% grade, I'm not sure I've ever stayed in the saddle in that section. ;-)

This is the article I had looked at. I was a little off in my recollection (as usual).

For many newer triathletes, finding the best riding position during an uphill can be a trial-and-error process. For long hills with a mild grade or quick up-and-over rollers, you can maintain a faster speed by staying in the aero position. But when and why does it make sense to switch to an upright or standing position for a climb?

Seated: At some point, the aerodynamic benefits of being in aero are outweighed by the increased power production and comfort that come from climbing upright or standing. The commonly cited speed in which this becomes a wash is about 12 mph. Most cyclists can generate more power when seated, so sitting up to pedal when you’re going slower than 12 mph makes sense.

RELATED: Do’s And Don’ts Of Tackling Hills On The Bike

Standing: If the grade becomes very steep and you’re unable to turn over a reasonable cadence (60 RPM or lower) then it’s time to think about standing. Standing allows you to generate a little more power by leveraging your weight. If you’re smaller and have less muscle mass, you might need that leverage sooner.

However, standing also usually leads to heavier breathing and higher heart rates. If you’re tackling a shorter hill and don’t mind putting in a variable effort (think hard group ride), standing for a brief period will help you get to the top more easily.

Spiking up your heart rate by getting out of the saddle in a long race, though, can quickly lead to fatigued legs. The place for standing in a long steady effort race is when you need to temporarily change up muscle recruitment patterns after being stuck in the same position for a long time. A quick bout of standing while keeping the same effort level can feel like a break.


Read more at http://triathlon.competitor.com/2015/09/training/when-to-climb-in-a...

It was a disappointing month in terms of training. The first week and a half, the weather was very uncooperative and I didn't do nearly as much as I wanted to do.

Swim: 2h 37m 04s - 7150 M
Bike: 6h 25m 15s - 82.85 Mi
Run: 7h 25m 59s - 48.81 M

My swim total was down significantly (although I am going today, so not as bad as it might seem). I've got my first race in less than 3 weeks, so I need to try to be more consistent from now on. My bike total was almost on par with last month. The time and distance are something of an estimate since I didn't track the mountain bike ride from hell that I went on. I guesstimated about 2 hours for 8 miles. My running volume was the only positive for the month as I did increase that over April's totals. That volume was helped by a couple 8 mile runs since my wife and I had been considering a mid-June half marathon. That's no longer under consideration, but I'll keep at least one or two 8-10 mile runs in my training for the next few months. There is a half marathon in October that is definitely on our calendar.

Overall, it was just an inconsistent month. I didn't get on the bike nearly as much as I wanted. Hopefully, the weather in June is much better than what we had in May and I can avoid the big gaps in my training.

S: 26,950.00 yards
B: 278.90 miles
R: 66.78 miles

I’m done with pool swims for the season and am now strictly doing open water swims, thanks to my friend with the private lake. My stroke is considerably more efficient this year as I cover about 30 percent more distance with the same number of strokes and in about the same time. I like having my Garmin to be able to track my yardage, and verifying the distance through triangulation on Google Maps shows my estimates last year were pretty accurate.

My second attempt at a HIM for the year is in a few weeks. I’ve been able to connect with a couple of local groups, in addition to my tri club, that have practice rides on the race route. There were a couple hundred of us out Saturday morning, which was pretty cool, and there were lots of support vehicles. I don’t know if it’s like this in all areas or not, but I guess some of the locals don’t like the Ironman races, so they throw tacks, nails, broken glass, and other items on the side of the road. Numerous flats is pretty common. Fortunately, I didn’t get any flats on the ride, although I saw a lot of debris, and one of the people in our group had to deal with two flats and a slashed tire toward the end of the ride.

In addition to the Troika Tri the weekend before last, I competed in two virtual triathlons. One was kind of cheesy. It was a 140.6, and we had a month to complete our miles, but they didn’t ask anybody to track anything. There was no accountability at all. They just said “we trust you” and mailed everyone finishers medals. They’re nice medals, but anybody could just buy one and not do the distance, which is pretty lame. The second one was pretty cool. They asked everybody to track their miles and also post photos and updates on Facebook. It was kind of fun seeing everyone’s posts, and everybody was really supportive. One person got hurt and couldn’t do the swim portion, so others donated swim time. It’s still relying on an honor system of self-reporting mileage, but at least there’s some accountability and it seemed like everyone was at least making an attempt.

My race schedule has changed somewhat from my original plan, so I’m not doing the Moses Lake Tri for the Health of it this month. I may add another race in August to make up for it, but it depends on how I feel. Right now I've got my HIM in June, and then two sprints and an Oly in July, and then either a sprint or an Oly in August. I haven't decided yet which distance to do. I might do it as a sprint, and then add the other race as an Oly. But, I have plenty of time to decide as registration doesn't end until mid July.

When does this group flip over? I’ve been a member here for a little more than two years now and the group archival date seems to be pretty inconsistent, which is cool. I imagine the moderator(s) is just a volunteer and has a day job like everyone else; I’m just curious.

Great job Cassie and Randy

my totals are
SWIM4h 53m 18s - 16240.42 Yd
BIKE9h 54m 05s - 176.42 Mi
RUN9h 29m 06s - 65.10 M

This is a three column improvement from April. My third race of the season was in May and I don 't have anything on the books so my training has been a little flat. Lots of days off the last couple weeks with tapper and post race recovery and now nothing to train for. I am currently ranked number 1 in my Age group for our point series but with my weekend work schedule and family vacations, I am not sure if I can get two more races in to close out the series. Five races gets me a series prize and top five gets me a prize so there is a lot on the line here. The run group I am part of just started a summer streak challenge for aerobic miles and I am hoping this pulls me out of the mid-season funk.

I have also been trying to find a HM to run. Would like to do one with my wife so long as she doesn't kick my . Still haven't decided about IMNC the former B2B. I feel pretty sore after a 9 mile run.

Chris that race report coming soon?
Scott how did this month turn out?
Married the Poolguy how about your training?

May totals were an improvement and a start in the right direction. Especially the last 2 weeks. I've hit a snag however. May 30th I rolled my ankle hard and still cannot run or bike with its current condition. The swelling is finally starting to go down. Taking tomorrow off again and swimming Tuesday and if possible I'll ride too. If things don't improve by this coming weekend and I do not get a solid run in and feel good afterwards, I'm likely gonna have to miss my scheduled tri on the 19th. Live to race another day I suppose...

Swim: 1h 25m 30s - 4009.92 Yd
Bike: 6h 05m 04s - 112.39 Mi
Run: 7h 31m 20s - 54.52 Mi

Scott

Sucks about your ankle. Do you run a lot of trails? Or just a bad turn on the roads? Hope Tuesday goes well. Those thing have a way of lingering.

Nate

I wish I could say I was running trails when the ankle gave out. I was carrying my 3 year old and we all went down hard. It wasn't pretty. Looking more like I'll be swimming a lot this month and gonna give it time to heal. Will try biking once the swelling is down and see how it goes. Not looking good though...

Scott

That sucks, Scott. Hope you're healed up soon. Sounds like a good excuse to have a swim-focused block of training!

Had a great race this morning at my 10K. I set a new PR by a little over 3 minutes! I had set a goal for myself of 52:00 at the beginning of the year. I finished this morning's race in 51:30, finishing 17th (out of 65) overall and 3rd in my age group. For the most part, the race itself was relatively uneventful. I know I've mentioned this race before due to having a bit of a nemesis in the field. I passed him before we got to through the first mile and he was never much of a threat. He must have really fallen off his training because his time this year was over 4:00 slower than last year. I'm not sure if it felt better beating him by 6:00 this year or if I would have like it better if I beat him in a sprint down the stretch. Either way, I got a little bit of revenge today!

Like I said, not much to speak of about the race. I ran pretty consistent miles for the first half. Around mile 2, I dropped one of my water bottles. I thought it was secured in the belt, but I felt it hit off my leg and skip across the pavement into the weeds on the side of the road. I had to go back to retrieve it. At most, it cost me maybe 10-12 seconds. The toughest hill came during mile 5 and it showed in my pace. Overall, I average 8:14/mile. But mile 5 took me 8:48. So I really averaged more like 8:07/mile for 5.2 miles and 8:48 for that one mile. I checked my pace along the way and knew it was going to be close at the finish, so I just put the hammer down for the last 1/2 mile or so and just about all out sprinted the last 50-70 yards. I was very excited to see the race clock and know that I had beaten my goal time with room to spare (all of 30 seconds, LOL).

This is a race with a very interesting back story and was attended today by two well know running luminaries. The history of the race can be found here (http://www.crowleyroadrace.com/?q=node/8), but it originated as a duel between local runner (and future Olympian) Frank Crowley, a high school senior at the time, and Clarence DeMar, a multiple Boston Marathon winner and also an Olypmian. On that day, the local blistered the course and set a pace that the older and more seasoned DeMar couldn't match. As has been the case for at least the last several years, today's 10K race was run by multiple Boston Marathon winner and former Olympian Bill Rodgers and the 5K was run by Katherine Switzer, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a numbered entrant. How cool is that?! I am very proud to say that it took until mile 2 before Bill Rodgers was able to pass me (stupid water bottle). I don't care if he is 68 years old! LOL By the way, he finished in 48:45, so he's still got it. I gave him a "go get 'em, Bill" as he ran by me ... then I asked if I could jump on his back. ;-)

Right on! Congrats on a great showing!

Awesome job!

Nate

Thanks, guys. I'm not sure if I'm more pleased with beating my goal by 30 seconds or taking just over 3 minutes off my previous PR (at this same race last year). Believe me, during my training there were doubts in my mind if I had set a goal that was too aggressive or if my training was sufficient for this course that had a net elevation gain of about 100 ft from start to finish. Then, of course, there was the fact that I was a little hung over after having a couple too many glasses of wine with my brother the night before the race! LOL He must have had more to drink than I did because he turned in his worst 5K performance ever. Ouch.

Anyway, I was stoked about my finish, but at the same time I'm glad it's over and I can train a little more worry-free for a while. Next up is a goal of a sub-2:00 half marathon in October. That goal feels more within reach than the sub-52 10K did, so I feel pretty good about my chances. Time to put road running goals in the background and focus more on tri-specific goals.

Bike has been on the trainer since last race a month ago. This week when I went to ride I noted the rear wheel was flat and after pumping up to 90mmhg it came back down mid ride and required air. The shades were up in our FROG, do you think the sun popped my tire or is this just typical wear and tear.

Nate

I have my first triathlon of the season coming up tomorrow night. That's right, a night race! The swim is a time trial start with the first swimmers going off at 6:30 pm. I love it! I am NOT a morning person, so an evening race is right up my alley. They are also having swimmers seed themselves based on their anticipated pace, with faster swimmers going off first. It's just a sprint with a 1/4 mile swim. I'm a little nervous about seeding myself too high. I've been averaging between 2:06-2:08/100 m in the pool in recent swims, so I'm just trying to guess somewhere around 8:30 for the swim. I'd feel better about 8:30 if I hadn't started missing swim workouts during the last few weeks. I mean, come on, I've done up to 2500 meters in the pool, I shouldn't feel any nerves about 400 meters, should I?!

I did have one complication after my PR in the 10K this past Sunday. I'm not sure if it's related to that or something else, but I've had some severe pain and some swelling in the "knuckle" where my big toe meets my foot. It's strange that the pain and swelling didn't seem to show up until about 24 hours after the race. Whatever. It hurt like a son of a B. I've been icing it and taking some extra NSAIDs to try to bring down the swelling. I did mow my lawn today with virtually no complications, so hopefully it's ready for tomorrow. Oh, yeah, and then I had to go and smash my pinky toe into one of the wheels on my lawn mower, completely ripping the nail off. No, really, it's true. LOL Why was I walking in the garage barefoot? Nevermind! It happened, that's all you need to know. ;-)

OK, so, good luck to me tomorrow night. If I can somehow survive the swim that's shorter than my typical "warm-up", I should be fine. What? No, I'm not nervous. Why would I be? Who gets nervous over a sprint?

Chris do you let down the resistance between rides? I don't but a local here said she always does. Should I be doing this?

Oh FROG is family room over garage.

Randy any history of gout in family?