BHannahs's Group - FULL! (Page 18)

Good luck with the racks I guess by now you have figured them out - let us know how it went.

Alright, I have a swim question. 

Since I now know how important getting the right seed time is...if I have a 100 yard pace of 1:30, and I can swim that pace for at least a half mile, what should my estimated 400m seed time be?  I have it at 8 minutes now, but I'm thinking I should pick something faster, like 7:30.  What do you think.  I need to change it by the 31st.

Thanks,
Carly

So sorry to hear about your DNF, Dave.  It sounds like your body was just having a really off day and it caught up to you - it just sucks that it had to happen on a race day.  Don't read too much into it - shake it off and get back out there - the sooner, the better.  Get your revenge!

Great race, Carly!  That is a HUGE improvement.  It does sound like you shold have been seeded a little faster on the swim, but passing four people isn't too much of a hassle.  Pool swims can just be a mess, but next time you can start with a faster group.  Great job!!!

dmwill37 - 2010-07-18 3:09 PM Second Oly of the year was this morning and the race did not go well, MY FIRST DNF!!! . Had a very bad swim (1500yds in 44minutes). the water was about 85 degrees and very dirty, not just murky, but stuff floating in it dirty!!! the bike was extremely hilly and very technical, should have taken my road bike instead. 

I got to transition and got setup, everything was good but forgot to use my GU before the swim, completely spaced it off. got about 3/4 through the swim before it registered why i was really suffering. Started cramping in the water and had no energy, stroke was suffering, cadence and breathing were way off, it started to come down to just not drowning. I finally got out of the water and it was a 45 degree climb up over 20 feet of sand to T1 (calves cramped big time), I mean who thought this up? I got to my bike, got my helmet on, had to sit down to put my shoes on, never done that before, but couldn't stand. I drank some water and Gatorade and felt better. got the bike ready and headed for the bike start but was getting passed right and left by people, felt like i was running in place. 

Finally got on the bike and started, there was a climb immediately out of transition so had to get clipped in and started, was painful after enduring the swim i had. Once on the course i took it slow so i could get my GU pack down, get some water and Gatorade in, things felt better so picked up the pace a little. At about 1.5 miles into it the course went across the dam and then turned and started climbing. I felt my legs start to lock up, then suddenly it felt as if I had been punched in the gut and gotten poked or something was wringing out my stomach. leaned over the top tube hoping to throw up, I couldn't force myself to and my body just refused to cooperate. knelt down in the grass and tried to get things to settle down, but my legs were shaking uncontrollably now, along with my stomach cramps. Another rider stopped, who happened to be a Dr. as well stopped along with the SAG and made them take me to medical. 

This is my first DNF, and not at all happy about it. Its not about the $$$ its about quitting and giving up. I assume they all did what was best for me, but still not happy about not finishing. They didn't find any problems at medical, just hurt pride and a slightly dented ego. The pride will be restored at the next triathlon and the dent in the ego will buff right out . What makes it even worse, I know your thinking this can get worse?, heck yeah it can, because the captain of our cycling team and team coach were volunteers at the event and got to see me get hauled into medical, pretty sure i am going to pay for that in our weekly hill climbing funfest this Thursday night.

I have had a lot on my mind lately but hate to make excuses or justify a crappy performance so I will use this a lesson and take away what i can, purge the rest from my memory and will come back stronger and faster at the next one, I have a score to settle. Apparently the course thought it got to do the beating, I am the only one doing the beating here!

Now that all that is out of the way, do any of you use Hammer products, specifically HEED energy drink and the Hammer gels? I have heard great things about them but wanted to get some input from all of you since we are at about the same level regarding triathlon, cycling, swimming and running, except you Brian, but still very much want to know what you think 

Sorry Dave that’s a rough way to end a race.

Do you think the water temperature was a factor? 85 is pretty warm. That’s like bath tub water well to me at least . We never see temps out of the 70's. That would take a toll on me right off the bat.

The few hammer products I've used (gels mostly) have been excellent. I've been reviewing there website and I’m seriously considering ordering some of their products. Unfortunately no one around here sells them so I have to get them online. The top of my list is the recoverrite product. I’m getting a little tired of low fat chocolate milk as my recovery drink I thought I might mix it up a little.

Life goes on even if you are training for triathlons right? Sunday we are leaving for another family camping trip this time with the extended family for a week. I hope to be able to get a couple runs in. I can't take my bike so I won't be biking. Possibly I would be able to get a swim in. But all training plans are tentative and subject to change.

Do you try to do some training during your vacations or do you just take it as a full recovery week? 

I always plan to up the running during times when I'm away (especially camping).  If it's a hotel stay, I use the gym facilities at the hotel, even the pool if it is a decent length.  I always go into it knowing there will be some training hit (shorter workouts, exercise bikes, small pools, etc.), but I try to mitigate it as much as possible.

Carly - Don't get discouraged.  Group rides (especially with riders stronger than you are) are a great way to improve.  Keep showing up and try to keep up for as long as you can.  You'll find yourself hanging with the group longer and longer each time.  The longer people have been riding, the stronger they tend to be.  The more miles you have in the saddle, and the more experience you get with gear changes, cadences, etc., the faster you will get, especially on hills.  On a more personal level, keep logging your rides in your training log. 

Even though you'll see faster riders at group rides and events, you can look at your training history and see your improvement.  One feature I like is the route manager.  When you enter a specific route and save it, you'll then be able to  select it from the dropdown when you enter your training.  You can then click on the route history button to see how you have performed on that particular ride (the feature can also be used for run, swim, and brick routes) each time you have done it.  This is a good way to demonstrate to yourself that you have improved.