shmeeg's Winter Madness Mentor group - OPEN TO HIPPIES (Page 16)

Tim, very nice bike.   For the guys -- my tri shorts arrived today and...  well, I ordered a large cause I wear large, but are they supposed to be tight?  like more snug than cycling shorts?  When I reach for the bars, it feels like I'm gonna crack a smile!  And these are not the "low waist"  version.  Help me out here fellas.  These are DeSoto Carerra tri-shorts.

Also, anyone ever used Under Armor Heat Gear long sleeve fitted tops for hot summer riding? 

DeSoto's are notorious for being more...low rise.  Even their 'higher' shorts are still low.  I tried some on, didn't like em.  They have a new tri bib that is pretty comfy, but that's a few more $$.  I have the 400 mile bibs and they are awesome.  Yes they are supposed to be tight.  None of my cycling or tri shorts are constrictive to the point that they are extremely uncomfortable though.  I can't stand walking around in them most of the time, but once I'm moving I forget I'm in spandex.  DeSoto has a 15 day no questions return/exchange policy, so you might want to call and see if an XL wouldn't be better.  I'm not sure if they always do free shipping on exchanges, but they shipped my my T1 top for free when I exchanged sizes because they only had them in the warehouse or some crap.

ETA: I haven't worn the any HeatGear items specifically for cycling, but I have several HG tops for summer that I like for running and working out in.  I use a couple ColdGear mocks for cycling base layers and they are great.  I have had good luck w/ arm coolers in the summer and just picked up a couple lightweight long sleeve Craft tops that I am going to try in warmer weather also.  The HG tops should help though, anything that wicks moisture away from your skin will have a cooling effect when the wind blows across it.  

Edited by shmeeg 2011-02-09 11:45 PM

Taking a rest day (unwillingly) today, and probably tomorrow, because I know I should go easy before the century ride Tim and I are doing Saturday.  I'm finding that I'm not real happy about that; the rest that is.  I have gotten to the point that I need to do something almost daily like a crackhead needing a fix!  Anybody else ever feel like this? 

It really depends on the fit you are going for.  Since I'm a shorter guy, I like the lower rise tri shorts.  If they ride to high, I feel like the shorts constrict across my lower abdomen and inhibit breathing.  I get around this when cycling by wearing bibs.  But, for the tri shorts, I like the waistband to fit snuggly across my hips and a couple inches below my umbilicus.

From what you are describing, it sounds like they might be too tight.  You want the shorts tight, but still comfortable.  There is a happy medium between too tight and the droupy chamois.  It really helps to be able to try them on before buying, but I realize this isn't always an option.

Yes!  This recent cold has knocked me way off track.  Three consequtive rest days and I'm going nuts.  I finally said screw it and went for a moderate paced ride today.  I hadn't riden my bike since I slapped the aero wheels on and made adjustments to my rear derailleur.  I had to at least shake out the bugs before the weekend.  Felt okay on the ride, but after I showered and ate, I'm back to feeling congested and achy.  This is getting ridiculous.  Sorry, end of complaining.  Well, for now at least.

Bummer.  If you end up not being able to ride Saturday, don't sweat it.  Don't feel obligated to go after you coerced me into doing the ride with you

Nope.  I'm riding one way or another!

So I'm listening to a backlog of podcasts lately because I kind of went ipod free lately.  I'm driving home yesterday listening to this woman get interviewed before IMAZ and she's talking about her pacing and nutrition strategy.  She really had none and kept relying on the fact that the 'time limit would be chasing her' as her motivation to move quicker.  I have been considering skipping the HIM distance and going right to a 140.6 race this year since deployment is going to ruin next year for me.  I figured if this woman was capable of doing IMAZ that I most certainly could do it to.  So I got home and got online to see about signing up.  Only to find out that general entry sold out 35 minutes after it opened.  In November.   This is why it's important to plan out your year well in advance.  Then I checked in on my April race and the prices have gone up since last year when I did it and I kind of got sticker shock at the $115 entry fee for the olympic distance race.  I'm stumped now.  I am positive I can complete an Oly, but am wondering if I should just skip it, save the $ and focus on the run/bike races I have scheduled through the beginning of summer before I start zeroing in on Superfrog.

How bout some general trivia.

QOTD: Tim's post count is 1775 right now.  Who knows why that number is significant to me?

Pretty major breakthrough in the pool this week, as I finally swam the 3x I'm supposed to in my program (I am NOT a swimmer). Swam 1000m yesterday, yes with a few breathers in there, but still longer than I've ever swam before - and most importantly - the massive headaches I was experiencing after every swim have gone away...

Now to shave 4-5 minutes off the 750m time...

9 weeks to go!

Hmmm... I would say the premeditation of the Revolutionary War.

^^ Lol, umm no. 

I couldn't resist working out today.  Had to get in a run and I felt good enough after to hit the pool.  Hope my legs stay strong for tomorrow!

Edited by shmeeg 2011-02-11 8:08 PM

Awesome work.  You should have no problems w/ short course distance in a couple months if you keep up 3x/week.

It's your 36th birthday,  Jan 7, 1975?

So I've been working on transitions for an upcoming off road duathlon and am feeling pretty confident.  I can't decide between wearing a camelbak or using the 2 aid stations they'll have on trail.  The trail is all single track with lots of roots, rocks and bumps and my bottles have never stayed in the cages on this trail.  Any thoughts?  2.5/10/2.5

I'd go w/ the camelbak then if you always launch bottles there.  It's only a few seconds in the grand scheme of things.  And if you still have water in it when you come off the bike you can skip the run aid station(s) if you want.

Close.  The Marine Corps was 'born' in 1775.  We do celebrate a birthday for it every year though

Alright Jay... now that the century is under our belt, I think it's time to step up to the double century!  Check it out:

http://www.caltriplecrown.com/schedule.htm#borrego

Borrego to Carlsbad and back through rural San Diego County.  The ride is right in your backyard!  I think I'm going to plan on this one.

Ha, that's some serious mileage!  I'm doing the Avenue of the Oaks metric century that same weekend.  Can't do it.  I don't think I'd be ready for it anyway, I may not get to ride any more this week because of the rain thats coming then I go to the field until March 15th.  That's a whole month w/ no training!  I don't know what I'm gonna do.  I'm gonna be a cranky mess.

That sucks!

Metric century?  You are suppose to move up in mileage not backward  

There's a double century right here in my backyard, but they highly discourage it for your first one.  It goes over Mt. Diablo and Mt. Hamilton for about 18,000 ft of climbing.  I've riden part of the route already.  The total route would be an a#% kicker for sure.  I think I'm going to keep working on different portions of the route to prepare for either Death Valley or the Borrego.  I'm leaning toward Borrego though since it fits nicely into my schedule.

Century, 2x Century, Metric Century.....meh.............still not really a race!! LOL J/K.....if it wasn't so darn expensive, I'd love to head out west and do one of these with you two!

I'm in trouble now. Just officially signed up for Racine Ironman 70.3!!!

I know, I thought it was a full century when I first looked into it. Its got 6k+ ft of gain, should be pretty hilly. The guys I'm riding w/ said its a sweet ride though. I looked into the Mt Diablo 50k ultra before, that's gotta be a real tough ride!

Lol, nah you'll be fine. I see the HIM distance as very doable. I have a new respect for the IM distance after riding that century.

I totally agree!! I've never even done more than 75 miles on the bike. I'm going to try and do a couple of centuries before my HIM this summer.

Best quote about IM I've ever heard was my computrainer coach, who's a pro IM triathlete and is qualified for Kona. "IM is soooooooooooo much more than just two HIM's!!! You just won't understand till you do one"