Whizzzzz's Group -- Full! (Page 13)

I have a Terry Butterfly seat with the cut out. It was a huge improvement over my Fizik seat from 2 years ago... but even last year, it wasn't that comfortable.

Went in and got refit. (the 3rd time... 3 different people fit me) and now I could ride my bike for days on end. Sure, there's a bit of discomfort, but nothing more than the minimum of what might be expected from sitting on a very small seat for a very long time. Seat got moved down. Handlebars moved down. I think the ratio stayed the same, everything just got lower.

If you haven't been fit on your bike, I'd encourage you to go get fit right away. If you HAVE been fit, try moving the seat down a smidgeon. Not too much. But just enough to relieve some of the pressure.

When you say butt, do you mean the actual butt or the girl parts? I'm assuming you mean butt is this correct?

If chafing is an issue, use some of that butt butter/butt paste/Assos cream. I never wanted to use it because I was leery of the squishy feeling in my shorts... but I tell you, it works. It does feel a little squishy, but the benefits outweigh the squish factor. 

hello all - the negligent team member returns.....

I have big girl bike peddles and shoes now!   and a banged up knee and left side booty bruises to show how dorkie I am!

i have been tgaking my class with the olympian - he says things like "not bad.....  I mean not TOO bad" in an eastern european accent. and then tells me helpful things about my left elbow and  following thru.......

I still run like a fat old lady

My only race of the year might be the race in the UP Michigan.   My sister., Houton-tri-mamma AKA Cathleen and I are doing it.  she is gunning to beat me and may well do so - good for her.     but don't tell her that.

We won't say a word... what happens in the thread, stays in the thread. It's like Las Vegas.

So! How is everyone doing???

BAMBAM and I are racing this weekend in Naperville... the Subaru women's sprint series. Should be loads of fun. I look forward to meeting you, Beth...

Here's a photo from last weekend... the HHH's.... Holy Moly... what a bike ride. If you feel like punishing yourself.... I highly recommend this. If you've been a bad bad triathlete. You can pay penance by riding your bike straight up hill all day long! Hooray!

I had the pleasure of meeting up with pigfinn and rrt and tribadger! Here are some pictures... they are posted in my log... but not everyone goes to my log... so say hello to your fellow Posse Peeps:

Me, pigfinn, rrt, and tribadger

Hopefully I will have a photo of me and Beth for next week's thread entry!

So, everyone, CATCH ME UP! What's been going on with all y'all (as if I were from the SOUTH or something....)

Todd had a marathon... NICE! Give me the rest of the details, people! How is your season progressing so far and how do you feel???

So, we got Beth through her first "real" triathlon...She did great, by the way... better than she thought on the swim, a nice bike split, and a very respectable run.

BETH: Anything you'd like to share with the rest of us in regard to your experience?

• Do's?
• Don'ts?
• What worked
• What didn't?
• What did you think would be a good idea and wasn't?
• Your general feelings about the whole entire schmear.
  

Whizzz thought it would be a good idea for me to post these here as well in order to keep me honest!!!  

Training Goals

• To the pool at least  2x week
• ABS Challenge of 2x week
• Longer bike rides (1 hour per week uninterrupted by city nuisances)

Race Goals

• Firecracker 07/04  5K > 35 min  Did not get signed up in time and didn't want to pay the late fee.  The race fee will go into my bike fund!!!
• Elmwood Tri  08/11 1hr.45 min.

Health Goals

     Working out does NOT give me the right to eat junk food

                      UNLESS:

• calories burned are greater than caloric intake
• I commit to workout the next day too!!!

    My weight will fall off!!!

• I will eat something for breakfast each day!!
• I will not munch while studying
• I will drink more water and less pop
• I will weigh in officially once a week.
• GOAL: 118 by Thanksgiving!!!

sounds good, bambam.

here are mine, newly minted for July

Good Goals Beth and Mary! Anyone else want to jump in now that we are officially 6 months into this thing??

One thing to remember when constructing your goals... and working hard to reach them... Make sure your goals are S.M.A.R.T.

S: SPECIFIC --- Don't just say "train more" be specific in what you are going to do, so it's easy for you to know if you're doing it or not!

M: MEASURABLE --- Quantify it. HOW are you going to measure whether or not you reached your goal? Is it a time goal? Or is it something like "Keep elbows high during swim?" Either way, it's pretty easy to measure.

A: ATTAINABLE --- Be sure you're not running yourself into the ground and beating yourself up over a goal that is simply not realistic AT THIS JUNCTURE. Nothing is impossible, but if you've yet to try a sprint, save "KONA" for a little later in the goal process.

R: RESULTS ORIENTED --- Does the goal fit in with everything else you are trying to accomplish, or will achieving it throw the rest of your goals (and life) out of whack?

T: TIME --- Is your goal time bound? How will you know if you have or have not reached your goal in your specified time frame? How will you monitor your progress along the way?    

SMART goals provide focus and define exactly what the “future state” looks like and how it will be measured.  Often, SMART goals are the “big, hairy audacious, critical-few” goals that need to be worked on (The Most Important Ones!).   Goals should focus on the greatest areas in need of improvement.  In other words...  If all you did was spend time on the identified SMART goals, the time would be well-spent.

Ha! I knew I'd be able to use that Learning & Development stuff eventually.

I am not suggesting that you go back and redo your goals or change anything. Just use the SMART format as a guideline and most importantly, have fun and celebrate yourself when you attain one of your goals! Let us all know!

Happy Monday!

Here are my goals for this season:

Race Goals 

• Finish Philadelphia Women's Tri & North East Triathlon
• Improve time on The Nation's Tri
• Finish the Army 10-Miler in 1:45
• Finish the MCM in 4:30

Maintain proper fluid and electrolyte balance

• Drink water throughout the day in 8 oz servings
• Drink Heed during all workouts
• Take Endurolytes before and during workouts over 1 hour
• Drink Gatorade x2 at work on days I commute by bike

Eat to train

• Pack food for work 6 of 7 days
• Eat fruit or vegetable with every meal/snack at home
• Lose no more than ½ lb a week
• Enjoy meals at church and out with friends

Take rest seriously

• Sleep at least 6 hours a day on work days
• Sleep 8 hours a day on off days
• Follow scheduled rest days
• Ride bus to work on rest days

Swim

• Achieve negative splits on freestyle sets
• Swim with Master's program 1x week except during taper

Bike

• Long rides completed on routes w/o traffic lights
• Improve cadence to 80-90 rpm
• Ride 50% of time in areo on long rides

Run

• Run by HR for training runs
• Run with HHH on Wendesday's off work for fun (may be replaced by group run with tri club)

Flexibility

• Stretch after each swim workout
• Stretch before bed

Core

• 2 core workouts a week

PT

• Start training for PUs & SUs in August

Nancy,

 Don't forget  to smile for the camera at the end!!! If you have to pretend that you are the first finisher across the finish line.  As you finish each leg remind yourself that you are 1/3rd done, 2/3rd done, etc.  If you have one area that isn't as strong as the others DON'T set goals that are unrealistic.  For the area that is your absolute strongest, reach for that goal and don't set it too low.  PRACTICE YOUR BRICKS!!!!  Remember your nutrition (gatorade, water, gels, gus, etc.).  PLAN YOUR RACE & RACE YOUR PLAN!!!

Oh yeah---

HAVE FUN!!!!

Hi Nancy!

Hmmmmm advice? Words of wisdom? Let me think...

1. Have faith in your training... from what I can see looking at your totals, you are pretty much ready to race this thing. You've done the training, now just go out there and execute!
   
2. Try to have fun! Talk with other participants, share experiences, talk with the people around your transition area before the race... soak it all in.
   
3. Take loads of photos! It's not that often we get to do something totally NEW for the very first time!
   
4. Don't set time goals, necessarily... I always advocate setting "process" goals... for example... "I'm going to keep my elbows high and glide while swimming". Or... "I'm going to keep my pedaling cadence or speed @ XX" Then, you can be proud of yourself for reaching those goals, and ultimately, they should produce a faster time on the other end.
   
5. Like BAMBAM said... SMILE when you cross the finish line! YAY!!!
6. Write a race report and tell us all about it!

PS Your race is on SUNDAY, July 15.

Here's the weblink: Pine Bush Triathlon 

Have fun

Thank the volenteers

My race report is up - and though it may not come through, I had fun *grin*

I'd wonder why too. If they're that uncomfortable, they don't fit - either because of cut or sizing. What have you been training in and can you adapt that to wear in your race?

I suggest some type of lube for the comfort factor.  I use Chamois Butt'r, but KY works if that's all you can find at this point.

You can shave that whole entire area, but at this stage of the game, I'd leave it be and use chamois butter like Laura said... or even Bodyglide works in a pinch. Put it all over the chamois area of the bike shorts, and then all over yourself. Your inner thighs, the areas that typically have been getting chafed.

Maybe take your tri shorts for a short bike ride... see if they are that uncomfortable on the bike... if they are unbearable, you might want to skip the padded shorts all together and just go with some lycra running shorts if you have them... you can swim/bike/run in those too, without a problem... you will have to forgo the pad... though.

What are you wearing on top? What kind of shorts are these? Description? Did you order them? Can you return/exchange them in time for the race??

It should be OK under the wetsuit... you aren't going to be wearing it for THAT long, so even if it is a bit wonky (I was reading Bridget Jones... heh) you'll be taking the wetsuit off before too long and your issue will be solved.

In my experience, the Pearl Izumi shorts have run SMALL. I ordered some... I typically wear a MEDIUM in their cycling shorts, etc... the tri shorts came and there was NO WAY I was getting into them. I think they are made out of different material. It's not as stretchy or something.

RE: Road v. tri bike... I agree... at this stage in the game, a road bike (with aerobars if you want) is going to be more versatile and practical while you build up your cycling mileage. It's a bit more comfortable to ride a road bike... it's easier to handle and maneuver, and it's probably less expensive too.

Once you've gotten the miles in, and if you think you want a specific time trial/triathlon bike... THEN take the plunge.

The geometry is different on a tri v. a road bike...and if you're just starting out, a road bike is more practical.