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Champion ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() MANDY - Somehow, we'll have to figure out a way to "moose" Wes before Pirate! (Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know -- I have no clue as to what it means to "moose" someone. But whatever it is, it's got to work, right?) |
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Expert ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() stevebradley - 2010-04-29 9:39 AM MANDY - Somehow, we'll have to figure out a way to "moose" Wes before Pirate! (Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know -- I have no clue as to what it means to "moose" someone. But whatever it is, it's got to work, right?) Ha! You know what he did? He called me when he bought his tri bike in Jan - says, "I just got a Cannondale (something or other $2000+ fast bike, blah blah) and I am totally going to SMOKE you the next time we race!" My goal? Smoke him on my pimped up $400 Raleigh (I got it on sale)! It is all I have, so game on. He hasn't been training much, and I have way more volume and endurance than him, but he is a good sprinter...so there is a chance! We haven't picked our race yet, he is waffling, his window is closing - I have a pretty full race schedule planned already. If I can get him on the bike split, it would be hilarious! Not likely, but hilarious. I will probably not touch his swim though...darn college swimmers. |
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Extreme Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() thall0672 - 2010-04-29 5:49 AM Lisa: How did your son's team do?? Well ... since you asked! It was a well fought game by both teams, but my son's team ended up winning in overtime - yikes! Quite a nail biter, especially given he was the starting pitcher. His team was up 4-0, then he gave up 3 runs in the 5th inning. They put in another pitcher who gave up another couple runs, but the coach pulled him pretty quickly (happened to be his son). 11 year olds play 6 inning games and going into the 6th inning we were down 4-7, but were able to score 3 runs to stay in the game. We were visitors and scored another 4 runs in the 8th inning and they weren't able to pull anymore runs in. Final score 11-7!!! His team ended up finishing their league season with an 11-4 record and winning the last 9 games in a row. He's on a team with a lot of really nice kids and great parents (thankfully!). MANDY, did you get more snow or did it miss you? STEVE A, wow, looks like a really beautiful course! Best of luck to you. Lisa |
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New user![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() midlifeinsanity - 2010-04-28 11:03 PM LISA & DENISE - Best luck to both of you, too! Best of luck to you two and SteveA!! Look forward to hearing about all of your successes. |
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Extreme Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() stevebradley - 2010-04-29 8:47 AM TRACEY - I'm sure that Timberman also has a novice/newbie/first-timers wave. As for doing them all season long -- sure! Why not! There are some people who never feel fully comfortable with the swim, and they sign up for those waves whenever they have the chance, regardless of how many years they have been racing! I have now done about 78 triathlons, and only once -- last May, at Bassman (NJ) -- have I been "swum over". This is mentioned frequently as a caution when swimming in a race, but obviously for me it is a very rare occurrence. There is a lot of incidental contact that can happen, but 90% of the time the two contactees just veer immediately away from each other. ("Excuse me!" "No, excuse ME!" "I'm So sorry!" "I should've looked where I was going!" "My DEEPEST apologies!" ---- you can almost hear that being burbled and grobbled through the water.) And even in races that don't offer novice waves, it is easy to position oneself where contact will be minimal, and maybe even non-existant. In a wave of, say, 75 people, 50 of them will be within five feet of the start line. Another 15 will be a few feet further back, and that leaves the rest of the area for the remaining 10 or so. So even if one is 12 feet behind the start line, how long does it take to swim 12 feet - five or six seconds? Nothing at all, really. The other good place to line up is off to the sides; not too many people start there, either. One good reason for getting into open water before Escape, if you can, is to work on sighting. And come to think of it, another good reason is to find out to what degree you are a "drifter". I am a drifter, meaning that I tend to drift to the left a fair bit. Even though i am an excellent sighter, I still tend to drift if I try to go too long between sightings (sometimes, though; I'm not all that consistent). For me, then, it is slightly helpful if I get over towards the right when I start, so that if I am drfifting to the left, i will keep having people off which I can deflect! ![]() ![]() So if we can get in a swim before Escape, that might be helpful! Steve: Your description of the people lining up at the start of the race reminds me of something I read in an article once: Everyone's a hero at the starting line. Be a real hero and save your energy at the start in order to have a good finish. I fully plan to line up at the side of the group, then once I'm in the water and the jitters are gone (or almost gone), I'll try to find someone I can draft behind. I'm a total drifter. I drift to the left too (are you a lefty?) One time I closed my eyes in the pool so I couldn't see the line (which I realize is disorienting in itself) and totally swam into the lane marker to my left within a few strokes. So I know how important it'll be for me to sight frequently. A tri friend of mine who's done Timberman a bunch of times tells me it's really competitive. She's officiated there a few times and has seen guys who don't want to let women pass them, so they intentionally speed up. (I hope she penalized them!) Then again I think she's mostly done the HIM so maybe the sprint race is more "friendly"! |
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Extreme Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() manfarr1974 - 2010-04-29 9:29 AM Tracey- I did the novice wave for my first tri, glad I did. But, after that I did age group for two reasons. 1) I am impatient to get into the water 2) I am impatient to get into the water One thing to remember about the novice wave - you go into the water last, so you are going to be in the group of people last out of the water - the fun part is passing different color caps. Don't panic when you come out and don't see many bikes - at the Pirate, my first tri, I did the novice wave and came out of the water and thought, "Holy crap! Where is everyone!" At first I felt this sense of panic that I was the last one out of the water. Well, ofcourse I was, I was the last one in! Get on your bike girl! GO GO GO. Your time starts when your wave leaves, so folks are in some cases many minutes ahead physically when really in time, you are ahead of them. Weird right? SO I came in 4 seconds of my friend Wes at the Maine State Tri (still rubbing it in, mostly because it bothers him ![]() Well, I did. His male ego was a little bruised. Fragile things that they are. In the end, my transition times were faster than his. He just bought a tri bike, I am dead meat now. Mandy Mandy: I hear you on the timing thing. I'm predicting that I'll be a middle/back of the packer with the swim, a middle to front of the packer on the bike, and a total back of the packer on the run. So maybe, just maybe, I'll pass a lot of people on the bike. Then maybe there won't be as many people whizzing by me on the run. ![]() |
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Extreme Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Steve and Mandy: I TOTALLY plan to get out in the open water the moment my wet suit gets here and the weather warms up just a bit more (maybe in a few more weeks?) And I plan to get out there for my swims as much as possible. There's big pond around the corner from me that I can zip over to in no time. Beats driving to the Y. My only worry is that this particular pond allows motorized boats, so aside from the water potentially being yucky, there is the danger of the boats. |
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Expert ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Tracey- Boats are my biggest concern OW swimming. I haven't found a good solution - except to have someone with me in a kayak on busier days. But that is tough to find someone to do that (tough for me at least). SO if anyone has a good idea....STEVE B?? |
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Master![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() STEVEB and anyone else who is interested. Following is some information on some guidelines for nutrition while training. 180 lb athlete CARBS PROTEIN FAT Calories % Grams % Grams % Grams Foundation 2,800-3,300 65 450-540 13 90-110 22 65-80 Preparation 3,300-3,900 65 540-630 13 110-125 22 80-95 Specialization 4,100-4,600 70 720-810 14 140-160 16 70-80 Transition 2,400-3,000 60 360-450 18 110-125 22 60-75
120 lb athlete CARBS PROTEIN FAT Calories % Grams % Grams % Grams Foundation 1,800-2,200 65 300-360 13 60-75 22 45-55 Preparation 2,200-2,600 65 360-420 13 75-85 22 50-60 Specialization 2,700-3,100 70 480-540 14 95-110 16 50-55 Transition 1,600-2,000 60 240-300 18 75-85 22 40-50 Taken from Chris Carmichael’s Food for Fitness (Foreword by Lance Armstrong) Eat Right to Train Right. Following a periodized nutrition program will keep your body weight nearly constant throughout the year, but will probably notice a decrease from the beginning of Foundation through the end of Transition. I (reluctantly) followed these guidelines a few years ago and was surprised that I had more energy, performed better and still lost a bit of weight. I was kind of freaking out initially, putting that many calories into my body, but now know it works. Too many of us restrict our calories to our detriment.
Thought you might find it useful. |
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New user![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ANNE and STEVEB and Others, Keep the calorie/carb conversation going! Holy crap on the post about the periodization and calories per period... I'm eating the calories of the 180 lb athlete (15 + ish lbs heavier) at the foundation level, but not sure about the breakdown between carbs, protein and fat. Probably high on protein and low on carbs and fat. I don't know that I would be able to eat 3500+ calories and not have a large chunk of come from garbage food... 3000 calories seems like a ton for me. Back to tracking how much I eat I go to really figure this out. |
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Master![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() thall0672 - 2010-04-29 6:24 AM latestarter - 2010-04-28 6:51 PM However, I am seriously beginning to doubt I will have enough time to be ready to run a tri by June 6th. Anne: How's the neuroma been? Or do you now just have the knee problem? By the way, welcome back! ![]() Hey Tracey, I haven't been running the last 3 weeks but prior to that my runs were going pretty well in regards to the neuroma. Seemed to have settled down. Have to work through the knee thing now, but I'm feeling pretty good about it. Had a really good day today; wouldn't even know there was a problem, but I am listening to the doc and not riding or running till next Tuesday. I really like learning about the different parts of our body and how everything works together. I think we are better off knowing these things and being in tune with our bodies than trying to rely on the medical field. Alot of times they are only able to give their best guess based on our description of the symptoms, etc. As we develop as athletes our bodies are constantly changing so I think it is fairly normal that we will continue to have things crop up, but if we can learn to manage them properly we all should have a fairly successful triathlon 'career'. ![]() Glad to hear your training is going well. Sounds like you are really ready to get in there and race! ![]() |
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Master![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() thall0672 - 2010-04-29 6:47 AM smarx - 2010-04-28 8:20 AM < Not sure if you get VS or not but on some Sunday nights they show road racing. Recently I caught some of the Paris to Roubiax race and two things really stuck out, a) holy moly rough course (dirt roads on road race bikes) and b) pro level riders were spending a lot of time on the brake hoods and not on the drops. Shaun: Funny you should mention about the positioning of the racers. I always assumed to be "pro" you had do always be on the drops since that's where you have least wind resistance (or so I thought). But a couple weeks ago I was talking to a guy my husband knows who runs a bike shop and who used to race semi-professionally, and he said he always keeps his hands up at the brake hoods. QUESTION..... For all the riding I have done, I really don't know the difference in function of aero bars vs the drops. Can anyone clear that up for me.? |
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Master![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() stevebradley - 2010-04-29 8:47 AM TRACEY - There is a lot of incidental contact that can happen, but 90% of the time the two contactees just veer immediately away from each other. ("Excuse me!" "No, excuse ME!" "I'm So sorry!" "I should've looked where I was going!" "My DEEPEST apologies!" ---- you can almost hear that being burbled and grobbled through the water.) And even in races that don't offer novice waves, it is easy to position oneself where contact will be minimal, and maybe even non-existant. In a wave of, say, 75 people, 50 of them will be within five feet of the start line. Another 15 will be a few feet further back, and that leaves the rest of the area for the remaining 10 or so. So even if one is 12 feet behind the start line, how long does it take to swim 12 feet - five or six seconds? Nothing at all, really. The other good place to line up is off to the sides; not too many people start there, either. One good reason for getting into open water before Escape, if you can, is to work on sighting. And come to think of it, another good reason is to find out to what degree you are a "drifter". I am a drifter, meaning that I tend to drift to the left a fair bit. Even though i am an excellent sighter, I still tend to drift if I try to go too long between sightings (sometimes, though; I'm not all that consistent). For me, then, it is slightly helpful if I get over towards the right when I start, so that if I am drfifting to the left, i will keep having people off which I can deflect! ![]() ![]() I agree with Steve, whole heartedly about being climbed over on the swim. Everything I read had me pretty paranoid about it but it is as Steve describes. Lots of apologies if bumping and collisions occur. Funny thing is I have found myself getting pretty aggressive this last season in trying to pass people. ![]() I also do as he suggests in lining up for the mass start. At the back and to the side. Sometimes left, sometimes right, depending on the buoy positions. I read somewhere that you will have a much better pace if you have clear sailing, rather than fighting with the crowds. The other thing I had always done was saunter into the water, sometimes almost a minute before starting to swim, so I had this bright idea last year that I was going to try and run in like everyone else. BIG mistake, for me. My HR got SO high which messed up my 'nice' stroke and it took me probably 200 meters before I settled down. Then I had another bright idea that I would get in front and just let the fast swimmers, swim around me. Another BIG mistake. Way too much turmoil and activity going on and I got carried away with a group and ended up getting way off course. But I guess I had to try it to see what would happen. Wonder what bright idea I will have this year..... ![]() |
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Master![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() stevebradley - 2010-04-28 8:07 PM ANNE - Found it! And maybe more incredibly, the doohickey I was referrring to actually IS the vastus medialis. Ta-da! The book is called "Peak Condition", with the subtitle "Winning strategies to prevent, treat, and rehabilitate sports injuries" The authors are James G. garrick and Peter Radetsky, and the publisher is Perennial Library. My copy is about 12 years old, and the price on it is $8.95. (At 344 pages, if it is still in print, it will cost a bit more than $8.95!) I'll give you some, verbatim: "Your insurance policy against this happening is a tiny section of the quadriceps muscle called the vastus medialis. It's located just above and to the inside of the kneecap - you can feel it - and its job is to counteract this tendency of the kneecap to drift to the outside by tugging at it from the opposite direction and holding it in place. Unfortunately, the vastus medialis is the first muscle to get weak when you don't use your thigh properly, and the last muscle to get strong when you're coming back from an injury. Which means that the first thing that happens when you limp, or favor the knee, is that this stabilizer goes and your kneecap is left to its own devices - not the happiest circumstance for it. "Usually about the only thing to do is tightening exercises. It's simple: straighten out your leg in front of you. You can sit on the floor, or sit in a chair and rest your leg on a coffee table, or even sit on the edge of your chair and extend your leg, with your heel on the floor, so that the knee is perfectly straight. Just make sure it's relaxed. Then place your fingers about an inch above the top of your kneecap and an inch to an inch and a half toward the inside of your leg (toward the midline of your body) and tighten you thigh. If you're doing it right, you should feel the small muscle below your fingers get tight - REALLY tight. If that's the case, you've found your vastus medialis, and you're in business. Tighten up and hold it for six to eight seconds, relax for a couple of seconds, tighten and hold for six to eight seconds, relax for a couple. Do three of four of these sets ten to fifteen times a day." Straight from the horse's mouth! I was mostly close, but was off on the distance it is from the kneecap (I am terrible at estimating distnces, even small ones! ![]() ![]() THANKS for this Steve. Really useful and I'm quite sure that a weak vastus medialis is part of the problem. The left one 'fires' nicely but I really have to work at the right one. Another thing I noticed in my yoga class over the past few weeks is that when I try to 'lock' the knee, which I believe is using the 'vm', and the quad, my hamstrings actually fire first. I have historically had a problem with that and thought I had it under control, but will have to go back to working on it. There is one particular posture that releases the hamstrings when you activate your quads and when I do that one the right knee (vm) is shaking like the dickens and I can only hold it for seconds at a time. Going to focus on that one as well. That book sounds really good. Since I like to diagnose my own injuries, think I'd better invest in it. ![]() I had a really good day which was kind of a surprise. Wen to the pool and felt 'one with the water' and very buoyant and all my times for various distances up to 200 meters were exactly the same (and some better) than 3 weeks ago. I'm figuring that is just another indicator that I don't swim fast enough. Just a nice easy pace. But there really hasn't been any speed training involved yet. Believe that is coming up next week. Plus the knee is feeling like nothing is wrong. Had some problems with some of the postures in yoga on Monday but everything worked well today. It's hard when you don't actually hurt - I was SO tempted to get on the bike today. It has been quite a beautiful day. Going to power walk tomorrow and yoga and probably hike and swim on Saturday. Next Tuesday can't come fast enough. ![]() |
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Expert ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() STEVE B - I figured out the Pirate run elevation map mystery. It is a lollipop course, not a strict out and back. I forgot that until I read my race report. I remember running through a cul-de-sac kind of thing now. Steve A - Lots of good thoughts for this weekend to you! Best of luck. AND good luck to all who have races this weekend! |
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Extreme Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() latestarter - 2010-04-29 3:17 PM STEVEB and anyone else who is interested. Following is some information on some guidelines for nutrition while training. 180 lb athlete CARBS PROTEIN FAT Calories % Grams % Grams % Grams Foundation 2,800-3,300 65 450-540 13 90-110 22 65-80 Preparation 3,300-3,900 65 540-630 13 110-125 22 80-95 Specialization 4,100-4,600 70 720-810 14 140-160 16 70-80 Transition 2,400-3,000 60 360-450 18 110-125 22 60-75
120 lb athlete CARBS PROTEIN FAT Calories % Grams % Grams % Grams Foundation 1,800-2,200 65 300-360 13 60-75 22 45-55 Preparation 2,200-2,600 65 360-420 13 75-85 22 50-60 Specialization 2,700-3,100 70 480-540 14 95-110 16 50-55 Transition 1,600-2,000 60 240-300 18 75-85 22 40-50 Taken from Chris Carmichael’s Food for Fitness (Foreword by Lance Armstrong) Eat Right to Train Right. Following a periodized nutrition program will keep your body weight nearly constant throughout the year, but will probably notice a decrease from the beginning of Foundation through the end of Transition. I (reluctantly) followed these guidelines a few years ago and was surprised that I had more energy, performed better and still lost a bit of weight. I was kind of freaking out initially, putting that many calories into my body, but now know it works. Too many of us restrict our calories to our detriment.
Thought you might find it useful. In these guidelines, do they differentiate between male and female? |
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Master![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() thall0672 - 2010-04-29 6:32 PM latestarter - 2010-04-29 3:17 PM STEVEB and anyone else who is interested. Following is some information on some guidelines for nutrition while training. In these guidelines, do they differentiate between male and female? 180 lb athlete CARBS PROTEIN FAT Calories % Grams % Grams % Grams Foundation 2,800-3,300 65 450-540 13 90-110 22 65-80 Preparation 3,300-3,900 65 540-630 13 110-125 22 80-95 Specialization 4,100-4,600 70 720-810 14 140-160 16 70-80 Transition 2,400-3,000 60 360-450 18 110-125 22 60-75
120 lb athlete CARBS PROTEIN FAT Calories % Grams % Grams % Grams Foundation 1,800-2,200 65 300-360 13 60-75 22 45-55 Preparation 2,200-2,600 65 360-420 13 75-85 22 50-60 Specialization 2,700-3,100 70 480-540 14 95-110 16 50-55 Transition 1,600-2,000 60 240-300 18 75-85 22 40-50 Taken from Chris Carmichael’s Food for Fitness (Foreword by Lance Armstrong) Eat Right to Train Right. Following a periodized nutrition program will keep your body weight nearly constant throughout the year, but will probably notice a decrease from the beginning of Foundation through the end of Transition. I (reluctantly) followed these guidelines a few years ago and was surprised that I had more energy, performed better and still lost a bit of weight. I was kind of freaking out initially, putting that many calories into my body, but now know it works. Too many of us restrict our calories to our detriment.
Thought you might find it useful. No differentiation; strictly by weight. Depending on the volume of training you are doing that day, you may be in the low range or at the upper end. Height would play a part too, I would guess. According to the formulas I need 1320 calories just to exist and in Foundation period, I generally burn 800-1000 which would bring me in about 2200-2300. I do plan to spend the $100 bucks to get tested to see exactly what I burn in carbs, fat and protein. I find this stuff interesting. |
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Champion ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ANNE - Many thanks for all of that information. Of course, in only adds to my confusion, but at least it's evidence that supports my intuitive feeling that physiognomy (weight, height, gender) might matter. I too find this stuff interesting, but I have to admit that I don't really act upon it. I guess I'm more of an avid spectator! As you can tell from the excerpt I transcribed about the v.m., the book is written in a very conversational style. That doesn't happen too often with injury books, but i appreciate it when it happens. Good luck finding it, and if it's not in print it sure should be! Congrats on the fine swim! I've had a couple of decent ones myself recently, almost making me think that I've maybe experienced some sort of breakthrough. (Ha! HahahahahahahahahahahahahHA!) If I can make it down to MD for Columbia Triathlon on May 23, I should be disabused of any thoughts that my work this winter has led to any sort of breakthrough! ![]() ![]() Tuesday......Tuesday......is that when the current recovery week officially ends?? Edited by stevebradley 2010-04-29 7:10 PM |
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Champion ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ANNE again - Uh, I should know the answer to the aerobar vs drops question, but I'm not sure I can give a definitive answer. When I'm on my aerobars, I'm about as "tight" as I can be -- I'm tucked in tight, and the positioning of my bars allows my back to be nice and low. When I sit up more, however, which simulates drops even though I don't have them per se on my bike, well, I'm sitting up. I'm not at all tight, and there is much more of my frontal surface that is exposed; it is tough to get truly aero like that! Does that help....or did I just parrot the bloody obvious? If so, I'll try again! ![]() Edited by stevebradley 2010-04-29 7:18 PM |
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Champion ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ANNE once more (and TRACEY) - Yup, running into the water at the swim start can really spike that heart rate and destroy any immediate attenpts at establishing a decent rhythm. The thing I REALLY hate, though, is when a swim has a midway water exit, then a quick beach run, then back in the water. The old Riverkeeper Triathlon was laid out as a 500m circuit, which meant that for people doing the oly they exited the water TWICE in the course of doing the 1500m. Boy, did that wreak havoc with my overall swim composure! |
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Champion ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() TRACEY - I'm sure the Timberman swim battles are almost all at the HIM. That's where people are shooting for qualifying positions at Clearwater, and they may have that Big Goal pretty prominent in their sights and psyches. For the sprint, it should just be the same old same old --- lots of people wanting to do really well, but not acting as if the history of the universe depends on how well they perform. But by then, who knos? Maybe you will have honed the art of throwing the vicious elbow yourself! ![]() |
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Champion ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() LISA - You've hit the nail right on the head in explaining why so many good baseball players come from Texas. When I was a mere 11-year old sprout myself, Little League baseball was only STARTING along about now......and there is your son, the season complete! I would've felt like I had died and gone to heaven if I could've played ball so early in the spring (or is it late in the winter?). Anyhow, congrats to him for the successful season! And I'm glad it worked for you, too. It only takes about half of a awful parent to ruin the tone around an entire team. Fortunately for us, though, too, most of Jane's and Peter's teams had decent kids and reasonable parents. |
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Champion ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() MANDY - Pirate map, Pirate map......who's got my Pirate map? Arg. No, i have no bright ideas about swimming safely by yourself in areas where there are boats. My only solution is to wear the brightest colored cap I have, which can be flourescent orange or glowing chartreuse or sexy hot pink. (Yes, I have worn a hot pink [we'll ignore the "sexy" part....] cap in open water.) I don't for a moment think that someone going fast in a motorized boat, and maybe yakking with friends, is necessarily going to see my cap and veer away from me......but it's really just about the best I can do. Mostly, though, my to swimming holes are not heavily populated by motorized boats. Well, one is, but they are supposed to stay outside a big long navigational buoy line that separates them from the kayakers that use the western shore of this particular river. As for shore, i guess for you I'd say to hug it -- stay near the more obvious snags and overhangs and ominous boulders! |
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New user![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() latestarter - 2010-04-29 5:09 PM thall0672 - 2010-04-29 6:47 AM smarx - 2010-04-28 8:20 AM < Not sure if you get VS or not but on some Sunday nights they show road racing. Recently I caught some of the Paris to Roubiax race and two things really stuck out, a) holy moly rough course (dirt roads on road race bikes) and b) pro level riders were spending a lot of time on the brake hoods and not on the drops. Shaun: Funny you should mention about the positioning of the racers. I always assumed to be "pro" you had do always be on the drops since that's where you have least wind resistance (or so I thought). But a couple weeks ago I was talking to a guy my husband knows who runs a bike shop and who used to race semi-professionally, and he said he always keeps his hands up at the brake hoods. QUESTION..... For all the riding I have done, I really don't know the difference in function of aero bars vs the drops. Can anyone clear that up for me.? As I understand, the difference in function would be getting even lower than aerobars while maintaining a higher level of control. I also believe there is probably some road racing rules around the style of bars used (they do have to have a minimum weight is another rule, so it would make sense). One of the biggest things you lose with aerobars is control. The control issue comes down to a physics principle I do remember...When in the aero position, its hard to turn and lean the bike, correct? In this position, your arms are quite close to the head tube, so it takes more force from you to turn the front wheel. Well with the drop bars, you can be in a similar aero position and with your arms further away from the head tube which allows you to exert more controlled force on the bars to turn. Does that make sense? |
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Champion ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() SHAUN - Perfect sense......and all so true for me! I consider myself a good bike handler, but I also don't/won't/can't do fast, sharp turns while on my aerobars. I watched people last year at the Cornwall Triathlon, with its four bike loops, navigate a descent and THEN a 90-degree turn while on their aerobars, but that sure wasn't going to happen for me. (I was only a few weeks removed from my separated shoulder, so I DEFINITELY was in cautious mode. But even without that.....) Great rationale you presented in the "control issue" paragraph! |
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