konichiwa's mentor group - Are we having fun yet? - FULL (Page 15)

2009-08-03 2:33 PM

in reply to: #2324702

Veteran

135

Manalapan, NJ

Subject: RE: konichiwa's mentor group - Are we having fun yet? - FULL

Thanks, not sure about the awesome part though!

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=173054&posts=1
"Belmar Sprint Triathlon"

Now it's time to get serious about this triathlon thing!

2009-08-04 9:18 PM

in reply to: #2324721

Pro

4824

Houston

Subject: RE: konichiwa's mentor group - Are we having fun yet? - FULL

fontaic - 2009-08-03 2:33 PM Thanks, not sure about the awesome part though!

I am!

fontaic - 2009-08-03 2:33 PM Now it's time to get serious about this triathlon thing!

True dat!

2009-08-04 9:53 PM

in reply to: #2328523

Veteran

135

Manalapan, NJ

Subject: RE: konichiwa's mentor group - Are we having fun yet? - FULL

I can tell, you have been kicking butt these last three weeks! Whooooahhhhh!!! We need a name, like the screaming eagles or the whining monkeys or the oil slickers ... And then we need to come up with a chant, something like "we are the whining monkeys, mighty mighty whining monkeys, everywhere we go oh, people want to know oh, who we are are, so we tell them, we are the whining monkeys, mighty mighty whining monkeys ..." you get the idea. There are way too many syllables in konichiwa!

Ahhite, I read something about a pushup challenge. Does anyone in this group want to compete? We will record total number of pushups done each day and we are all on the honor system. Actually, I started this whole fitness thing on a challenge. My wife and several of her female friends were trying to lose weight and they were recording their weight loss via email once a week. I crashed the competition as the token male. They got pissed when I began winning the weight loss competition each week. It kind of fizzled out but I kept working out.

--Charlie1

joeyg

2009-08-05 7:57 AM

in reply to: #2328590

Veteran

193

Bridgewater MA

Subject: about a pushup challenge

Hi everyone.
I would be up for some kind of challenge; be it pushup's or whatever. It helps keep me focused on regular exercise.
I have also heard of contests where the challenge is to color in training log squares each day - like what percent of squares is colored (exercise that day) for a month.

So, I am game.

2009-08-05 8:32 AM

in reply to: #2329033

Veteran

135

Manalapan, NJ

Subject: RE: about a pushup challenge

Excellent Joey! I'll wait until the end of the day to see if there are any other contestants. So far we have two up for the challenge, do I hear three? Cmon, baby need a new pair of shoes (whatever that means) ...

--Charlie1

URGuilty

2009-08-05 8:58 AM

in reply to: #2329117

Regular

104

Frederick Maryland

Subject: RE: about a pushup challenge

count me in for a little pectoral punishment. I have bad wrists though (college offensive guard) so I do them with the little handles on the floor.

charlie2

konichiwa

2009-08-05 12:50 PM

in reply to: #2329117

Extreme Veteran

488

Southeast, PA

Subject: RE: about a pushup challenge

fontaic - 2009-08-05 9:32 AM Excellent Joey! I'll wait until the end of the day to see if there are any other contestants. So far we have two up for the challenge, do I hear three? Cmon, baby need a new pair of shoes (whatever that means) ...

--Charlie1

count me in on the push-up challenge.

2009-08-05 1:55 PM

in reply to: #2151526

Pro

4824

Houston

Subject: RE: konichiwa's mentor group - Are we having fun yet? - FULL

I've already started the push up challenge and dragged my husband and two teenage sons with me! Here's a link http://www.hundredpushups.com/week1.htmloday if you want to do this one you guys should do your max and check the chart from there. My husband did 30 for his max and is working on the >25 and finding it challenging. My max was 12, I did my first set Sunday and will do my second set today. We are all doing standard regulation push ups.

Charlie - Whining Monkeys???? Dude! There is enough whining in my house already! I like the idea but we need to come up with something else.

Edited by KeriKadi 2009-08-05 1:59 PM

2009-08-05 4:16 PM

in reply to: #2330016

Veteran

135

Manalapan, NJ

Subject: RE: konichiwa's mentor group - Are we having fun yet? - FULL

Yikes, that pushup link looks complicated. I have to leave early but I'll try to check it out tonight. Is the goal to do 100 pushups in one shot? As for the whining, wait until the boys hit puberty and the testosterone kicks in! Nothing like two or three (or in my case four) teenage boys trying to beat the crap out of each other!

--Charlie1

2009-08-05 6:32 PM

in reply to: #2151526

Pro

4824

Houston

Subject: RE: konichiwa's mentor group - Are we having fun yet? - FULL

Charlie - Just do you max and print out week 1 - you'll be fine, you can do it!

Ummmm you haven't been paying attention - my boys are 14 and 16!!! Puberty in FULL force!
But the whining comes from the 7, 5 and 2 year old girls!

2009-08-06 9:10 AM

in reply to: #2330563

Veteran

135

Manalapan, NJ

Subject: Pushup challenge

OK, so here's the deal. The goal is to see who can do the most pushups in a week. Each day (starting today), record the number of pushups in your training log. It doesn't matter what type of pushup (except guys can't do the girlie type of pushups!) or whether you use handles, etc.

I will tally up the number each Sunday evening and post the winner for the week in this forum. If during any week only one or two people record pushups we will declare the challenge over ...

Anyone can still join the challenge, so far the participants are:

Charlie1
Charlie2
Joey
Keri
Tim the mentor

Hey non-mentor Tim, how did you do in your East Fork Triathlon Sprint last Sunday?

2009-08-06 4:41 PM

in reply to: #2331387

Veteran

135

Manalapan, NJ

Subject: Transition questions

Where is the optimal place to set up your bike in transition?

1) Near the entry from the swim
2) Near the exit to the biking segment
3) Near the exit to the run section
4) none of the above

I spent most of the biking last Sunday in my highest gear (the course was flat & fast). I'm thinking I should knock it down a gear or two to increase my cadence with the thought that this might save my legs a little for the run? Does this make sense? The next race in 2 weeks will be on a similar flat & fast bike route.

Any pearls of wisdom from the group?

-- Charlie1

2009-08-06 7:16 PM

in reply to: #2332853

Pro

4824

Houston

Subject: RE: Transition questions

fontaic - 2009-08-06 4:41 PM Where is the optimal place to set up your bike in transition?

1) Near the entry from the swim
2) Near the exit to the biking segment
3) Near the exit to the run section
4) none of the above

I spent most of the biking last Sunday in my highest gear (the course was flat & fast). I'm thinking I should knock it down a gear or two to increase my cadence with the thought that this might save my legs a little for the run? Does this make sense? The next race in 2 weeks will be on a similar flat & fast bike route.

Any pearls of wisdom from the group?

-- Charlie1

Maybe they do it different up north but down here you don't have an option. The bike racks are marked with the racers number and your bike must hang in the designated spot so you don't get to pick where your transition is. It's all luck of the draw so I don't sweat where I am.

I am very new to cycling so I am sure someone with more experience/knowledge will chime in here. I live where it is VERY flat - seriously, going over a bridge is considered a hill. Anyway, my plan is to have the bike in a lower gear at the beginning and end and a higher gear (more tension) in the middle. I like a higher gear with more tension personally but want to ease up before the run.

2009-08-06 7:18 PM

in reply to: #2151526

Pro

4824

Houston

Subject: RE: konichiwa's mentor group - Are we having fun yet? - FULL

I won't be winning the push up challenge because I am on a 'marathon' plan to get up to 100 and don't want to burn out. I am going at it slow and easy to build up and not blow out a shoulder. I keep track in my log though so you can see them there. When the push up challenge is done I am going to move onto the sit up challenge working my way up to 200 at one time. I used to be there a few babies ago. I do my sit ups on an exercise ball so it makes them more challenging but regular sit ups frustrate me and crunches just aren't enough.

kwed

2009-08-07 8:31 AM

in reply to: #2332853

Veteran

236

Reston

Subject: RE: Transition questions

fontaic - 2009-08-06 5:41 PM

Where is the optimal place to set up your bike in transition?

1) Near the entry from the swim
2) Near the exit to the biking segment
3) Near the exit to the run section
4) none of the above

I spent most of the biking last Sunday in my highest gear (the course was flat & fast). I'm thinking I should knock it down a gear or two to increase my cadence with the thought that this might save my legs a little for the run? Does this make sense? The next race in 2 weeks will be on a similar flat & fast bike route.

Any pearls of wisdom from the group?

-- Charlie1

Charlie-
That race last weekend was very weird in that 1) you weren't given a number to put on your bike and 2) you can rack yourself. Brad and I put ourselves close to the "bike out". If the transition area is set up correctly (and it was last weekend in Belmar), everyone has to run the same distance in the transition area in the end. Meaning, if you put your bike near the bike out, you run less with your bike to get to the exit, but then have to run more with your bike after the bike leg. Hope that makes sense. Most races have numbers on the rack and you really don't have a choice where you are. I'll be interested to see how the Asbury race is set up.
In the case where you can choose your own rack, I like to find one that has ample space (meaning not a bunch of bikes piled on top of eachother) closer to the bike exit.

Hope to meet you next weekend!
K

URGuilty

2009-08-07 8:50 AM

in reply to: #2332853

Regular

104

Frederick Maryland

Subject: RE: Transition questions

I'm with Keri. Never had a race where you could choose location. So, couple of tips:

1. mentally go through/walk through transition. literally walk from swim exit to your bike so you know where it's located, then walk to bike exit. This helps me focus (and remember the aisle my bike is in!)

2. Keep your bike in the small ring. It's easier to shift to a higher gear then try to push big gears right out of transition, plus doing a little spinning will help get your legs going for the bike. (take a look at the first 200 yards out on the bike...I had one that was very uphill, so I had bike racked in a very low gear so I could get up it spinning)

3. As Tim said, you want to maintain a cadence of 80-95 throughout the race, maybe spinning a little more during the last mile before you run. I'm a masher, so 80-85 is the best I can do.

GOOD LUCK!
Charlie2

2009-08-07 9:59 AM

in reply to: #2333827

Veteran

135

Manalapan, NJ

Subject: RE: Transition questions

Thanks guys and girls. I don't have a cadence meter on my bike computer so I guess I will have to guess ...

Keri, I printed out that 100 pushup challenge (thanks) and I'm going to give it a try. I am going to start at week 3 column 3. I don't normally do multiple sets of pushups with so little rest in between, should be interesting!

konichiwa

2009-08-07 11:20 AM

in reply to: #2332853

Extreme Veteran

488

Southeast, PA

Subject: RE: Transition questions

fontaic - 2009-08-06 5:41 PM Where is the optimal place to set up your bike in transition?

1) Near the entry from the swim
2) Near the exit to the biking segment
3) Near the exit to the run section
4) none of the above

I spent most of the biking last Sunday in my highest gear (the course was flat & fast). I'm thinking I should knock it down a gear or two to increase my cadence with the thought that this might save my legs a little for the run? Does this make sense? The next race in 2 weeks will be on a similar flat & fast bike route.

Any pearls of wisdom from the group?

-- Charlie1

Sounds like you already have some good advice...I'll add a couple small bits here....

There are three ways they rack your bikes in transition; (1) you are assigned a spot, (2) you are assigned a row, or (3) anywhere you want. Obviously with (1) you have no choice. With (2) or (3) you want to minimize your time running with your bike. If the TA is setup fairly (bike in and out are at seperate corners), it won't matter. Frequently though, bike in/out is the same. So being as close to this point is faster.

As far as gearing and cadence it will certainly depend on what equipment you have on your bike. You can kinda back into too. For example, a standard crank is 53-39 and the cassette is prob something like 12-27. If you ride the 53-12 combo @ 60rpm, it will get you 21.3 mph (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/). So either you have different equipment, or your cadence is lower than 60. I am hoping its the equipment b/c a cadence below 60 is probably not optimal for such a short race. A 50-14 combo @ 60rpm gets you 17.2mph, which IIRC, is right around where you avg'd.

Anyways count the teeth on your bike, plug in into the website above and select MPH @60rpm and do it again for MPH @80rpm. Play around and you can get a feel for where your cadence was. Based on some of my assumptions above, I think you are probably right in trying to lower your gear and run a higher cadence. Let us know what you find out.

And of course...last but not least....experiment. do a couple of bricks...one with an easier/lower gear and one with a harder/higher gear. try to keep the bike speed the same and see how you feel running after each.

konichiwa

2009-08-07 11:21 AM

in reply to: #2333772

Extreme Veteran

488

Southeast, PA

Subject: RE: Transition questions

Queen K - 2009-08-07 9:31 AM Charlie- That race last weekend was very weird in that 1) you weren't given a number to put on your bike and 2) you can rack yourself. Brad and I put ourselves close to the "bike out". If the transition area is set up correctly (and it was last weekend in Belmar), everyone has to run the same distance in the transition area in the end. Meaning, if you put your bike near the bike out, you run less with your bike to get to the exit, but then have to run more with your bike after the bike leg. Hope that makes sense. Most races have numbers on the rack and you really don't have a choice where you are. I'll be interested to see how the Asbury race is set up. In the case where you can choose your own rack, I like to find one that has ample space (meaning not a bunch of bikes piled on top of eachother) closer to the bike exit. Hope to meet you next weekend! K

Hey hey...i am diggin' the guest appearance..you should hang out here more often

2009-08-07 12:09 PM

in reply to: #2334249

Veteran

135

Manalapan, NJ

Subject: RE: Transition questions

konichiwa - 2009-08-07 12:21 PM

Hey hey...i am diggin' the guest appearance..you should hang out here more often

I second the motion!

2009-08-08 11:49 AM

in reply to: #2151526

Pro

4824

Houston

Subject: RE: konichiwa's mentor group - Are we having fun yet? - FULL

See.... I went and opened my mouth! I just found out that my race tomorrow you have an assigned rack, not a spot. My plan is to get there early and find a spot on the rack that is close to the 'runway'.

I went for an OWS yesterday with a few folks that are also doing the Sunday race. Now, every time I get in open water I have a little freak. Well, sometimes a big freak. It drives me crazy because I know I can swim and I know I'm ok and I know there are other swimmers around me.
Sometimes it's just butterflies and it takes some warming up to get rid of them.

Yesterday was different. I went out and swam like I owned the lake. This is by far my best OWS ever. I was faster, calmer and swam farther than I ever have, it felt awesome!

So.... what did I do different? Two things - I took a dose of Rescue Remedy which is a homeopathic stress reliever. I figured if it could get me through the early jitters of labor with my homebirths it could get me through an OWS. We have used Rescue Remedy for years and I used it the early morning of my very first race so to calm myself down. It did wonders, I was so calm and confident. The second thing is I changed my mantra. As Charlie knows my mantra has been stroke, stroke, glide or stroke, glide, stroke so I don't go out too fast and get stupid with my form. Last night I kept telling myself "I am a swimmer" over and over until I was just focussed on my form and it really helped.

I am SO ready for the open water tomorrow!

kwed

2009-08-08 4:33 PM

in reply to: #2334249

Veteran

236

Reston

Subject: RE: Transition questions

konichiwa - 2009-08-07 12:21 PM

Hey hey...i am diggin' the guest appearance..you should hang out here more often

I am usually a lurker. But the transition area for last weekends race was quite interesting. I figured I'd give my 2 cents. There were also athletes on the bike course with iPods and no helmet. I think it was the race's first year.

2009-08-08 10:55 PM

in reply to: #2336078

Veteran

135

Manalapan, NJ

Subject: RE: Transition questions

Not only did I see racers with ipods, there was one guy wearing a suit!

Keri, best of luck tomorrow, we are all rooting for you. You are going to do great!!!!