Jeff Y's Group - CLOSED (Page 17)

Tim, are you talking about a tri bike or a road bike with clip on bars?  That's a completely different (and normal) problem to deal with due to the very aggressive lower position.  There are saddles designed to help with that.

Do you have a photo of you riding your bike?  I'd like to see what type of riding position you have.  Or can you have a snapshot taken tonight?  Perhaps on your trainer?

Oh, and to your question of hips rocking...that is sometimes caused by the seat being too high.   But a lot of people rock the hips just because they are recruiting their glutes very fully.  I don't think it's always a bad thing.  It helps to turn higher cadence because the body then doesn't have time to rotate so much.  Besides, for a pressure issue, moving around a lot is usually more helpful.

Bah.....but thank you.

Not a brand new swimmer I guess.  I have been at it almost full time for almost two years now.  As for the 1:14 pace...I can't hold that at all.  My workout consisted of about 2600 moderate pace with a hard 100 thrown in at about 1700yds.  I just gave it my all to see what I could get.  When I am doing like 10 x 100 hard, I am usually around 1:26-1:28 or something.

And Warren is out of his mind...my biking needs work.  I am psyched to finally be happy running and hopefully over next winter I will be able to hold my run fitness and be able to really work on some bike speed.  My plan for this year is to race healthy.  That's it.  My plan for the fall is to run a lot and my plan for the winter is to run and work on the bike.  And of course do whatever my coach says. :-)

To answer your question....this is one of the most ignored benefits of a triathlon race.  You should be about a foot off the person's feet.  I say this because they will slow or speed up and you don't want to run into them or be too far to not stay with them.  Practice is the best way to tell, but you will be able to feel the bubbles from their feet on your hands.  After a  couple minutes of the swim you will start to see people pass you that are just a bit faster.  That's the person you want.  If you see them off to the left, gradually swim that direction so in the next 20-30 yards you are on their feet.  Do not intentionally bump someone else off of their feet.  That is the most annoying thing. 

Practice this in the pool or open water practices.  My swim buddies and I all start in a line and take turns pulling at the front.  Very similar to helping pull in a draft line while biking.  Let's say you normally swim a 2:00/100 yd pace at 85% effort.  It's almost a given that you would be able to swim a 1:50 pace at the same effort if you are right on someone's feet.

I usually go out way to hard and have people on my feet in the swim.  I have NO idea that they are their until I start to slow down.  They jump off my feet and I wait until I have a fast swimmer to pull me and off I go.  Once you practice it, it's very easy.  About half way through my HIM swim, a guy with a bright red wetsuit passed me.  I hung with him until about 400 yds left.  The chances of you finding a guy in a bright red suit is slim...but that makes it easier to stay with him. 

X2 on this.  I had coworker ask me last week what pace I considered between running and jogging.  I told told him I thought it was all relative to the person and I don't think it's important for this to be assigned a certain pace.  The importance comes from a personal desire to either get faster or simply maintain a fitness level and be happy with yourself.

I too, think that a 30 minute first 5k is pretty killer, especially after only 8 weeks of running!!!!!  I couldn't say what time I might have been able to run a 5k after the first 8 weeks of running but it may have been much slower than that. 

colwin21 - 2011-05-11 9:40 AM Thanks for the words of encouragement all.  I find I'm very hard on myself at times and I need to be reminded to focus on progress not perfection.  I have come a long way in 8 weeks (I really couldn't run a mile in the beginning) and I'm really excited for the 5K on Sunday.  Just showing up at the start line is a huge accomplishment!!  I know that! 

Just remember: Everybody looks good at the starting line, don't get intimidated just run your own race and have fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nbYpY48O24

That's hardcore, lol! Running bare foot for the last two miles...

flat tire talk has me planning on practicing tube replacement, never done one before so yeah the time to learn is at home on the porch instead of the side of the road.

any advice on CO2 cartridges? do you need just the cartridge or an adapter to hook it to the bike tire? I have presta valves if that helps answer anything...

Yup, you need an adapter.  Get the kind that allows you to open and close the valve on the adapter.  Makes it easier to screw on the CO2 and then put the adapter on the valve stem and then open up the adapter valve.

There are 12 gram and 16 gram CO2 cartridges.  Most bicycle inflators take the 16 gram CO2 cartridges, but you buy them from a bike shop or someplace online like Nashbar for a fairly large sum.  If you seek out an inflator that can also work with the 12 gram cartridges, you can buy a box of 50 cartridges at Wal-mart (they are typically used for BB guns).

There are also threaded and non-threaded cartridges.  Again, the non-threaded are easy to find so I recommend that your inflator work with those. 

That's what I do.  The 12 gram cartridges may not be good enough to fill a mtn bike tire, but they are good enough to get a road bike tire fully inflated.

Here's a cool all-in-one tool if you are in need of all these things, this can be a good option: http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_523400_-1___

Here is an inflator that takes threaded AND threadless and all different sizes of cartridges...plus does shraeder and presta.  It's all-in-one.

http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product2_10053_10052_523531_-1

Nashbar has a sale on the 16 gram cartridges.  $10 for 6.  So that's about $1.67 each.  (that's a great price!)

I see Crossman 12g cartridges in a box of 25 for $18.79 which is $.75 each.

If that small amount of $$ isn't an issue, then I would opt for the 16 gram cartridges...but I guess I tend to try to keep costs down.

Thanks Jeffy and jgerbodegrant, I have been going on 12 to 15 rides with no tools or spares just a cell phone and road ID. I will look in to the nashbar and get familiar with it.

I also just found out the pool I swim at is going to be closed for 2 weeks between semesters. I swim at the universities pool. I can either hit the river or lake during that time but would need to enlist a spotter. I know Gold's does a week long trial so I may try that but not sure if they have a pool.

I am planning on doing the breast stroke mixed in with freestyle for my sprint as I don't think I can do the whole thing freestyle yet.

74 days to my sprint.

Good call Jeff.

A lot seems to be happening the past couple of days.  I'll need to play a little catch up later.  I haven't been able to access our computer much the past couple of days.  Our girls have had a ton of homework and we had free tickets to the local baseball game (Padres farm team) Tuesday night.  I was still able to get a short run in before we left for the game.

Questions:  after my run and towards the end of my swim last night my feet (a little) and my calf started cramping a bit.  Am I missing something nutritionally?  More water?  A banana?  Just tired?

Also, is there a specific cadence, say 75, that I should be pedaling for a regular 15 mile ride?   Should I pay attention to that? 

Cramps are a funny thing.  Typical lore has it that it is caused by electrolyte depletion.  But that's been disproven in recent years.  Electrolytes obviously play a part, but as you sweat you lose more water than electrolytes and therefore the electrolyte concentration becomes MORE concentrated.  As you drink fluids without electrolytes, say water, you can then have lower than normal electrolyte levels.  And there's absolutely no simple way I know of to determine if you need more or less.

Plus there are probably 5 different electrolytes to be concerned about, with sodium being at least 80% of the concern, but calcium and potassium play a big part too.

The conclusion that I have come to, is that even if electrolytes and hydration levels play a role in muscle cramps, the truth is that the one common theme in all muscle cramps among athletes is exertion.

As you get in better shape, the muscles adapt and don't respond with debilatating cramps anymore.  One thing is sure....for people that cramp in races, they don't have any training that simulates racing.

I think in your case, it's just a sign that you were and are pushing your body's boundaries and this is a good thing.  Whenever it happens you can be satisfied knowing that the next time you do that same workout, you will resist the cramps just a little better.

You are certainly encouraged to experiment with dietary factors because it could help....Try taking a calcium supplement just before your workout.  When doing a run/swim combo, drink at least 12 ounces of water or sports drink between the two.

Cadence...Most good cyclists eventually find themselves between 90-100 rpm cadence on flat ground.  This is a very good and efficient cadence to have.  You don't need to ride faster to achieve this cadence, just shift gears down a little and it gets easier to pedal, allowing the faster leg speed.  This tends to put less strain on the leg muscles while riding, and I think is doubly good for a triathlete since they need those leg muscles to run afterwards.

I was wondering if anyone could help me out? I just completed my first Tri this past Sunday (5/8/2011), and I'm addicted! I just signed up for one in July and another one in August.

My question is this- I'm currently using a hybrid trek bike which is okay, but I want to upgrade. Should I spend the money on a brand knew road bike, or should I try and find a used one? In a perfect world I would buy Tri bike, but $$$! Any advice on a bike for around $400-500? I'm 6'3" 230lbs and thinking I need a bike that is 60cm, is that correct? Am I to heavy for certain bikes? So many questions!

Thanks for any imput!

Leroy, I want to give you a theory of mine. There are expensive things out there that will make you faster, but if you really want to get faster there is one constant in all your triathlons. If I upgrade myself by training properly I will get the results I want. After I have upgraded myself and saved some money over time then go get a bike. Ideally you would get a road bike to train on in the off season and go on long rides (maybe this is what you can use your hybrid for) and eventually get a sweet triathlon specific bike. New you are probably looking 900-2100 for aluminum and the upper range you will get some carbon. Used bikes, well they're all over the place. Make sure you get at least Shimano 105 components, anything less is not going to last a long time and will probably be too heavy to make a difference from your hybrid. Hope this helped.

Ryan

Hey Leroy,

There is a podcast titled, "The Age Groupers." On their 20 Feb show they address the issues of "What Bike Should I buy?" Granted I have not listened to this episode, however, the episodes I have listened to I always learn something. My favorite one was their 10/04/09 show, "Newbies." Some great pointers there.

But if you get a chance go to itunes->search->the age groupers.

Who the heck is Leroy!?  haha!

What is on schedule for this weekend for you guys?  I'm in big for yard work and other random house work.  The busy summer schedule kicks in next week and I HAVE to get this stuff done. 

Group ride tomorrow morning and hopefully building my new bike!!! I have all the parts finally and will build it up as I have time (hopefully all this weekend); finally get to ride the thing.