Gray Guys/Girls Master's Focus Triathlon Mentor Group--Now Open (Page 18)

Dave - congrats on your race!

First race of my season complete.  Race report here if interested.  Short version - I finished it.  I wasn't last, but pretty close to it.  Swim went well, had a minor issue on the bike (I hate U-turns!), and the run was OK.  I did realize that I still have a lot of work to do on the bike if I'm going to be prepared for my HIM in 4 months.  I'm going to start doing some longer Saturday morning rides with the tri club so hopefully that will help.  Next up - Chain of Rocks Bridge duathlon next weekend.

Janet

Nice job Janet ... it's good to get a race under your belt early in the season.  I had similar issues when I first started with the clipless pedals.  My son-in-law used to say a 'ride' wasn't complete unless I'd fallen.  And usually the pedals were the basis for the fall.  I've had both the SPD style pedals (with the small metal shoe clips) and the "Look" style pedals with a large plastic clip.  To me, the LOOK pedals seem to be a bit more forgiving with clicking in and unclicking ... but this is just my opinion. 

I put in a 42 mile ride over the weekend which is my longest ride this year.  We rode in an area I used to ride in, but had not ridden there for a couple of years now.   I was curious to see yesterday's performance as compared to previous rides ... given the amount of training put in this year.  I must say I was pleased with the STRAVA results from yesterday's ride ... a few PB's and other good results always make one feel like the training and sweat are worth it.

Hope all have a good week

Ciao - Dorm

Hey Steve,

Happy you are back, I think I speak for the entire group when I say you have been missed.

Just remember, the more challenging the journey, the sweeter the reward at the end.

I know, right?  Maybe Steve has discovered a new training plan!  I would be ecstatic to run a 53-min 10K on my BEST day, let alone after an extended illness and at the end of a HIM.

Great race Dave.  ~ 7:31/mile pace?  Don't talk to me!

Just kidding, great day!

Hey Janet,

Good race report.  You know, there is a silver lining to your bike incident.  There are two classes of cyclists - those that have fallen, and those that are going to fall.  At least now you no longer have to endure the anticipation of the inevitable fall because of the pedals!

Yeah, I knew it had to happen at some point.  I'm just glad it was a low-speed fall.  Felt kind of ridiculous though lying there with my bike still attached - even after falling I couldn't get my feet unclipped.  The guy who was there at the turnaround tried to help me.  I didn't think my cleats were that tight, although I think it was more frustration than anything at that point.  

Dave - nice picture!  At least you were in the grass so it was a bit softer landing.

Well, the weather is much warmer here and great for cycling and running outdoors.  It is a bit breezy, but well ... we can't have everything.  My week's activities are around cycling and I will work in some running.  The weight thing I mentioned earlier is still an issue and I have to get in some running to try and drop 15lbs or so.  Today and tomorrow it's intense interval training sessions on the trainer and followed up with a 50-55'ish mile ride on Saturday.

This winter has been my first real attempt to train using power (watts) as the measure instead of HR or perceived effort.  I am pleased with the results thus far as my power output has increased 60 watts since my first time trial ~5-6 weeks ago.  Given I can drop 10-15lbs, and continued training, I'm working to increase my max power by another 50 watts.  I have to work on endurance too, so my aim is to increase the long weekly rides at least 10-15 miles each week until mid-May.  At that point my longest ride would be between 80-100 miles.  Given I can increase the power and longer rides, I should be OK.

Ciao - Dorm

If someone could help with how to post this I'd appreciate.  I recorded a short video at my first tri in March of the leaders going thru T1.  One of the guys is the eventual winner at 43:08.  For the runners here, he posted a 17:20 run leg.  I was really impressed at how calm, cool and smooth this transition was, and at 58 seconds, his was 1st in T1 time overall.

Dorm

I don't know that you can post a video on BT, at least I have never figured out how to do it.  What you can do is create a YouTube account, upload it there, and then share the link here in the forum.

Steve - Interesting article on cheating.  I can't fathom why a person would feel the need to cheat like Ms. Miller.  What would be the chances of a person losing two timing chips?

Janet - Congratulations on your race.  I too hate those falls.  I would say X2 on what Deb says about unclipping.  It is also a good idea to practice U-turns to get more comfortable with them.

AKDave - I loved the photo.  Wouldn't you know someone would be right there to catch it.  Your running is awesome.  

Dorm - I'll be curious to see your video.  I don't get how some people can do such fast transitions.

Dave ... you are a MACHINE!

I rode 58 miles today.  This is my longest ride this year and I wanted to share some thoughts with the group ... things that worked and some things learned.

1.  I took 3 water bottles with me and was fine - 2 on the bike and 1 in my jersey.  The 2 bottles loaded on the bike were the taller water bottles and I put 2 tabs of NUUN in each bottle ... 3rd bottle just water.  I never had an issue with a cramp or even felt a twinge.
2.  4 Stingers and 4 gels in my jersey.  I ate the Stingers during the ride and think I had 1 or 2 gels left.  I probably should have eaten a bit more as I was running on fumes the last 10 miles.
3.  Sunscreen ... I didn't apply any pre-ride and the left side of my neck is absolutely fried!  My chest and shoulder, also same side were burned ... makes me wonder if the jersey has any sort of sun protection.
4.  I had issues with my hands going to sleep and eventually this worked into the full fledged 'stinger' ... wherein you have little strength in your hand at all.  I made shifting with my left hand difficult.  SO the learning from this is - work on my core strength, wherein I don't rely so much on my arms to hold me upright.  I've had a bike fit done,so don't feel this was the cause - more due to lack of core strength and keeping the hands light on the bars.
5. I've started taking an Aleve or Motrin about an hour into the ride to help with in-ride and post ride soreness or stiffness and this seems to help with overall recovery as well.  I usually do this if I'm riding for >3 hours or so.  I do not know if this violates any rules or such, but it sure helps me get through a long ride and feel better afterwards.
6.  Power meter.  My son-in-law schooled me to set my Garmin main screen reading top-down - POWER - HR - SPEED.  In training/riding with a power meter, I know what my max power output is, such that I try to ride at 75%-%80 max power.  Obviously there are times wherein you'll max out and beyond, but on the overall this gauge has helped me to conserve energy.  His basis on the speed is simply when it's your turn to take a pull, you know what the group speed is and work to maintain that speed.

Sorry for the long winded post, but these came to mind.  Hope all have a good weekend.

Ciao - Dorm