Gray Guys/Girls Master's Focus Triathlon Mentor Group--CLOSED (Page 14)

Hey everyone,

Here are the weight loss/workout challenge standings as of a couple minutes ago.  This is all that has posted.  If you wish to participate you can still post your results from last week and I will update the standings.

Good job Scott I.  Great workout numbers last week!  And Dan!  You are apparently serious about this weight loss thing!

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I had a cycling class this evening and so far this evening I've fallen asleep twice while typing.  The class started out as a typical workout with things like single leg drills and low cadence spinning and then we started a build (2min Zn 2, 2min Zn 3 etc) and then the coach sprung a 20 minute TT.

This is supposed to be a recovery week for me but the music was fast and loud and that usually gets me going plus you just have to go all out for a TT right!  I gave it everything I had.  At about 10 or 11 minutes I was pushing zone 4 and I decided I should go a gear harder but I hit the levers wrong and dropped 3 or 4 gears before I realized I had gone the wrong way.  So I had to push even harder and quickly got back to the harder gear I had intended to push.  During the last 5 minutes I couldn't see for the sweat in my eyes and I maintained a solid Zn 4 effort.  As usual, being the sicky that I seem to be, I felt really good...when it was all over.

So my pace wasn't really very impressive for a final result (I averaged 29.4kph/18.27mph) but I was really pleased that I finished as strong as I did.

Dangerus - Hope your Mum is okay.  It is tough doing all the traveling you have to do.  Just to give you a good training idea here is a video on training for open water swims.  It is only 31 seconds long:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3S0wu4Zbfk   I laugh everytime I watch it.  Honestly though I've never had any swim as bad as that.

Don't be intimidated by what other people do just keep at it and keep it enjoyable.  It gets a lot easier when you're retired so you have something to look forward to.

GEORGE - That video is just too funny and made my day. Thanks for posting!

DONNA - Consistent training is hard in the midst of life. The culinary tour sounded wonderful and good memories made. Total 16 running miles on the weekend? Way to go!

DAVE B - Thanks for sharing your thoughts on your diet and how you came to be where you are with it. And thanks for posting the energy ball recipe. I love allrecipes.com website and I use that recipe a lot. It can be modified easily to other fruits (apricots and cranberries are my fav) and I substitute coconut oil for the vegetable. I give it 5 stars.   Prayers for your Mom not getting pneumonia and having a speedy recovery.

Wonderful Wednesday to you all!

Hey there!  Hope everyone's having a good week so far.  I got in a good swim this morning and have a tri club meeting tonight.  I got an email from the tri club yesterday that one of their sponsors (a local bike/triathlon store) is giving a free basic bike fit to all the club members.  I think I'm going to schedule one - I've had my bike for about 5 years but have never had an actual fit done.  I know you're supposed to get the fit done before/when you buy the bike but at the time I didn't know any better .  It's only a basic fit so nothing fancy but I figure it's better than nothing.  My biggest fear is that they'll tell me they can't fit me to the bike because it's really the wrong size for me, and a new bike is not in the budget right now.  I'm fairly comfortable riding it so hopefully they'll be able to make it work for me.  

One question though - I don't use clipless pedals (still have cages - hoping to go clipless in the next 6 months or so), is that going to make a difference when they do the fitting?  I know part of the fit is usually foot position so didn't know if this would affect the fit.
Janet

Dave,

I pulled up the menu for the Millenium restaurant and had my wife take a look, here exact words were, "I think I'm going to be sick."  Pretty safe to say she isn't going to be making an 8-hour trip to keep reservations at the Millenium!

Thanks for trying though!

Janet,

Not sure what they are offering.  On one extreme you can get a fit done on a fitting bike after-which you will have your stack and reach numbers translated to the perfect frame for you by manufacturer.  At the other extreme, you have a bike shop put you on your bike and adjust the saddle height.  Then there are limitless possibilities in between the extremes.

In answer to your question specifically, many bike fitters have the opinion that a bike fit begins at the feet as that is the first point of contact on a bike and proper cleat alignment is critical to a good bike fit.  If you don't have clip-less pedals, obviously they are not going to be able to adjust cleats and get that part of your fit setup.  I would think a "basic bike fit" will at least look at saddle height, saddle fore/aft position, stem length (reach), and stem height (drop).  I would think if you have been riding the bike for 5-years and are not miserable when you ride that the bike is close.  Getting a fit done will dial it in and hopefully make your more comfortable and powerful on the bike. 

I would ask them specifically what difference going to clip-less pedals will make on your fit and then get refit when you make the switch.

The video makes me snicker whenever I watch it.  My wife frequently kayaks with me and my swim group (7 old men and women) when we swim in Okanagan Lake and I made the mistake of showing the video to her and she sent it to each of the swim buddies and offered to chase anyone that she thinks isn't swimming fast enough.

By the way - my wife is vegan (and avoids soy products as well) and we have no trouble making meals that accommodate both of us.  For example - tonight I made a vegan pasta dinner and then on the side I cooked up some onion, garlic and hamburger.  I just added the meat to my pasta and we both had what we wanted.

Soccermom - Clipless pedals take a bit of getting used to so if you're planning to race with the clipless you should get them as soon as you can start riding outside.  I fell 5 times getting used to clipping and un-clipping and it always happens in slow motion and at the most embarrassing times possible.  Most cyclists will have stories of their embarrassing falls.  Have fun with the bike fit and let us know how it goes.

Well, I broke down and signed up for Trainer Road.  I think three workouts a week on TR and one long ride outdoors will give me a bit more structure in my bike workouts.  I tend to not hit my intervals right when I am out riding so hopefully TR will eliminate that problem.  I like it too because it is pretty clear what your target power is.  Just hit the number and keep the bar green and all is good.  Simple.  I like that.  Simple is good for an old guy!

How is everyone's training going this week?

Brenda,

I don't remember if you said how long your expected recovery is?  How is it going so far?

Good morning all! Almost to the weekend. I have zero motivation at work this morning. Cool and rainy....yuck. Weekend weather looks better. Swim at lunch then strength and a run this evening. Weekend looks like Saturday bike and run. Sunday run and swim.  Hope everyone is feeling more motivation than I am today! 

I had a good swim and run today.  I sure feel good after a good workout.  In the pool we did some speed work (fast 25m sprints).  I'm not fast but I do enjoy the speed sets.  On the trainer I'm still slow but today I managed to run under :12/mile (:11:42).  I'm also hopeful of running outside this Monday as well.

Tomorrow I have a 1:30 bike spin (7:30am!) and I want to tack on a 15minute off the bike run afterwards then I'm finished until Monday.

Scott I - I'm always looking for steady improvement in my swimming but instead I find it comes in dribs and drabs or two steps forward and one step backward.  Just keep at it everyone has slow or disappointing days.

As for flip turns vs open turns, I like the open turn myself but I admire anyone who makes the effort to learn flip turns.

Dave - Have fun at your indoor Tri.  Looking forward to hearing how it goes.