kenj triathletes in training - IM and HIM focused - Closed (Page 15)

Thanks all for the well wishes this weekend!!!!! 

My bib # is 371 - Robin Gray.

Had a good swim today - 2000 yd straight swim (first one in training as I hate straight swims!) in just over 30 minutes. Trisuit felt great - short run tomorrow then an overnight flight getting in mid day Thursday (12 hours or so on planes/airports - uggh!)

Good luck to everyone else racing this weekend! 

Has anyone been keeping up w/ the Tour of California?  Yesterday's finish at the top of the tram in Palm Springs was crazy - 114 degrees for a high - crazy.  I won't complain about 80/90 degree weather in FL (or the fact that snow flurries are falling here in AK!)

I have a compact 11-28 crank  - and use all of the gears.  Though there are no flats here and my leg strength isn't as great as most of you.  Hubby wanted to keep me happy on the hills (mountains). I will say it probably isn't as smooth as smaller cranks.

Brian, Ken and D.J.  - Thanks for the cassette explanation.  I believe I just have a standard 11-23, but I will check tonight.  Not many hills in Wisconsin, so should be fine for my purposes.

Going to ride my bike to work tomorrow for ride to work week!

-Todd

hoooooooold on there Todd!   Not many hills in WI???  Madison is one of the toughest elevation courses in IM and there's some areas of WI, like Blue Mounds for one, that are right up there with some of the Western States as far as elevation gain.  It's just a different type of elevation gain.  You can put together routes with lots of short/steep grades as opposed to out west, where most roads are long gradual ascents.  Not to mention some of the crazy MTB courses you have up there!  Don't underestimate your area.  There are plenty of hills.  I think even some of the stronger riders would prefer a compact crankset and/or 11-26 or 11-28 rear cassette up there in WI 

Biking was on hold for winter running and is supposed to pick up now. But even though it's tri season, my next "a" race is a 30k running trail race over some real peaks. I thought I could fit everything in (3 swims/3 bike/ 4 run per week) and make 2 of the runs geared toward the trail race, Sunday long run on the trails, and another of the 4 as hill repeats.

Between Sunday's trail run and yesterday's hill repeats, I was useless on the trainer this morning. I guess it's because hills engage my quads and knees, like the bike, were my base running was only hard on hamstrings and the tendons behind the knees, which didn't kill my biking. I dont know what to do except accept that maybe NEXT year is the time to get stronger on the bike.. Suggestions are welcome, but I may just be whining. Gonna get back kn the trainer tonight and see whatI can do.

Well, I'm back on the horse, sort of, after my Mother's Day strep throat/antibiotics/etc.  Managed a 45 minute hilly run this morning and then a swim.  Felt pretty good but my times were off on the swim. Actually convinced myself it was a 25 meter pool instead of a 25 yard pool!  Alas, it was not the case...Got kind of tired and grumpy this afternoon but otherwise no physical complaints.  Gotta hit the bike hard tomorrow, it's my last 2 week build period before my A Oly race, and I'm just at that phase where I start to doubt my plan, my training, etc...Everyone else do that, too?

I've been spending a lot more time online the last few days and enjoying all your posts.   Jaime

Brian, I was going to make some comment which included a derogatory term we use up here for people from Illinois (flatlanders ), but you and Ali are right there are hills and I have heard a number of times that IMWI is known for its hilly bike course (and run course too for that matter), so I will look into a different cassette.

As a related question then;  when you are training or racing what ring do you want to be riding in for the most part?  Which is most efficient?  I find myself in the large ring on front and maybe a  19 or slightly higher in back a lot of the time, but not sure if I should maybe be pushing myself harder.  Trying to keep cadence around 90.

- Todd

LOL! yes, I'm a flatlander!!  But what we lack in hills in Chicagoland we make up for in wind!  But this is exactly why I go other places to train sometimes.  Usually, it's WI or NV, this year I got to go to CA!!

Most peoples natural cadence falls between 85-100 in flats/downhills and 60-80 uphill.  I don't pay attention to what gear I'm in, but mostly how much pwr/effort I'm putting out at my natural cadence.  The gear that allows me to do that is the right gear.  I only know when I run out of gearing options like I did in CA where I was cranking at a 30 cadence just to move the wheels forward going uphill!

I'm Psyched!  I can finally answer a bike question. 

Ali, the number refers to the number of teeth on the particular ring on the back cassette.  A lot of times you will see it stamped into the cassette somewhere or if not you can count them up (just try to keep track of where you started counting).

Even though I could answer this question, I'm still a bike newbie.

Todd

Ken, is this the new group?  If so, hi.  If not, here's boring crap you already know:

NAME: Scott Richardson.  Friends call me the IceMan. 

STORY: I am 61.  I finished IM Moo in 2011.  I am a certified ITCA triathlon coach and will be getting my USAT level 3 class done in, wait for it...KONA during, wait for it...THE IM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS. My wife, Kathy and I already planned the trip to celebrate our retirements (me from journalism, her from State Farm Insurance), our 5th anniversary (which is TODAY!) and the anticipated completion of another IM at Madison this September.

I started riding a bike at 54 at 400 pounds or so. Was diagnosed with cancer in 2006.  Beat it.  Started doing relay teams for LiveSTRONG in 2007 and again in 2008, did my first triathlons in 2009, first half in 2010 and the IM in 2011.  Found out later I had a colon tumor hitchhiking the whole 140.6. Had it removed and a rupture I did IM with (I knew about that one) in fall of 2011.

Favorite sayings: The difficult takes time, the impossible a little longer.  And Ali's quote: "Impossible is an opinion.

FAMILY STATUS: Married to the most wonderful, most understanding, best triathlon manager in the world.  

 
CURRENT TRAINING:  Starting in January I begin training for the 2013 season.  I am using a training plan program with a local coach.  It is a little less structured than a one on one program but offers a lot more feed back than I am used to since I have always done the self coaching.  Training for my first HIM in Florida in mid - May and the training is going quite well.

Since I have been self coached using predominantly BT plans, I am fairly knowledgeable about most of them.

LAST YEAR'S RACES: I did Branson 70.3.  The Ozarks are HARD.

2013 RACES:  IM Moo and some short courses.

WEIGHT LOSS: I weight in about 210 now.  32/34 waist.   I mostly focus on balanced eating and portion control.

Sports:

Bike: I love the bike.  Started there.  Saved my life.  I am coached by Vision Quest out off Chicago.  Formerly had a bike coach from there who got me through the IM, but now have a tri coach.

Swim: I do masters and have a local swim coach I train with sometimes, a lot over winter, sometimes now. Really helped.

Run:  My new tri coach is a 6 time Boston qualifier. He has be running faster than ever, which isn't so fast for the younger crowd but I'm holding my own in my age group and enjoying it.

I just read someone say Wisconsin has no hills. Unsure where I did the IM then cause the one I had was very very hilly.  I ride a Specialized Shiv with a compact on the front and an 11/28 on the back. You lose nothing on the top end and the 50/28 gets me up the hills.

This year I am increasing bike volume and run volume and including lots of hill repeats.  My run is much quicker thanks to lots of hill repeats and speed work on the treadmill.  I hope to do better on the bike too.  I was plagued with cramps on the bike during IM Moo, which was a BIG surprise since I never had them in training rides. Also caused a very good first half of my first ever marathon (about 1:54) to drop to 4:23 during my first ever stand alone marathon in April.

I am going to try to lean up without losing bike power.  I figure I could do another 5 to 10 pounds. No more than that.

Ali, you should be waaaaaaaaay to busy suffering to know what number rear cog your in! LOL  You just know when you run out of gear.  You yank on the lever for mercy and don't get none!