left.right.repeat group -closed - Full of a bunch of winners...YEAH! (Page 183)

Jeff - I live in San Antonio.  I grew up here and we moved back from the DFW area about 5 years ago.  I am contemplating a move right now with work but we will see.  One of my best friends lives in Frisco and loves the area and another lives in FW.  In fact, the one in FW is doing IMAZ with me this year.  There is an Austin race report up on here - should be around October 2008 - it was an ugly day....ugly....HOT....got well into the 90s.  My buddy from Plano finished and went to medical for an IV.  I should have got one - I spasmed in bed all night from dehydration....I lost like 9 pounds during the race.  My nutrition was NOT dialled in.

I promise if you guys will read the old posts you will alleviate 95% of the mistakes we have all made.  They are all here.  That's why I keep this forum going and don't start a new one each year.  I know it can be a bit intimidating jumping into the group with all the history and friendships and inside jokes so just HTFU and get in here.  That is how they all got going....we couldn't shut Billy and Gary up....go look at Jan/Feb 2010....didn't think they would EVER quit talking.....ROFL....and look at them now!!!

Anybody else going to Ironman Texas?  I am volunteering and supporting three friends doing it....I think it could be a nasty hot Ironman....

OH - guess who I had beerz with last night......wait for it.....Amy knows cause she saw it on FB.....Mike Reilly - the voice of Ironman.  During IMAZ while I was hanging out waiting for MAV to finish....and drinking a few beerz....prior to volunteering and taking care of my peep.....I offered to buy Mike dinner when he came to IMTX....we started talking and found out he was coming to San Antonio in February for a conference.  Dinner didn't work but we met up for a couple of beers.  Had a great time talking to him.  He was a special ed teacher prior to getting involved with Ironman....pretty cool....you never know who you are going to meet in this wacky sport but I will tell you it is a very small world.  In fact....I posted on FB last night that I had drinks with Mike and a PRO triathlete posted on my wall.....how often would that happen with the NBA or NFL????

I love this wacky sport.

Rick - LT testing - yes - I have had it done a couple of times both running.  I did it at Lifetime Fitness - there test is oxygen based rather than blood based but has been a very good baseline to work off of....I have thought about doing a bike test but here is what I would recommend.  I would do the test at Lifetime (or a similar location), it should cost about $100-125, then do a GOOD pro bike fit (in the 200-250 range) normally.  The reason - my experience is that the LT on the bike is anywhere from 0-10 beats different and I can estimate that but the investment in a fit on the bike is worth tons more.  The difference in comfort / power is remarkable.  Invest where you get the most bang for your buck.

When I started out, I was fully a heartrate athlete.  As I have amortized the investments in the sport, I have added some stuff.  One of the best investments I have made is in a power meter.  I have subsequently moved to a power/pace athlete and use heartrate as validation, a measure of how tired I am, if I am sick, if I am recovered, and a checkpoint in the course of a race to be sure I am okay.  We can talk power and pace all day long but suffice it to say that heartrate is an "after the fact" form of measurement - it measures your heartrate after you have done the damage of the effort.  Power and pace give you the targets which should keep you from doing that damage.  Power is expensive so I recommend you figure out how much you like this hobby/passion/sport before you invest the money - then go for it - my power meter is an invaluable tool.  I, even though I have an exhaustive checklist, left my power meter head in San Antonio when I went to Florida....oh .....after 24 hours of trying to figure out how to get someone to break into my house, and FedEx it to me, I realized I was okay.  I set up my watch to where I could see it on the ride and sync'd my power meter to it.  I didn't have all the information I usually have but I at least had power.  And my blood pressure immediately dropped 40 points.  Now - I know someone is going to say - nothing new on race day huh? - but I had to improvise.....HOWEVER - THE RULE IS NOTHING NEW ON RACE DAY.

Yay Billy!!!

Way to go Jeff!!  Awesome run today!! 
Hey...keep a spare pair of goggles in your car...if you forget them you have an extra pair!  Good for you for swimming anyway!  You gave yourself NO EXCUSES!  Way to be tough!!

Morning everyone.

Didn't get much done this weekend. I could barely walk Saturday because of my raw privates issue. Felt better Sunday but decided to hold off on anything until today.

This morning I got a decent swim in. I planned on a 60 minute cont. swim. At around 25 minutes I started getting some acid reflux. I fought throough it as best I could. at around 45-47 I started getting nauseous. I tried to keep going but I ended up stopping at about 50 minutes. I think the issue was that I got dehydrated. I had a bottle of water with me but I had filled it in the sink at the gym and it tasted nasty. I couldn't drink from it. I can plan better in the future but it got me thinking. How does one handle hydration in the water during a race. I figure I had gone about 3,000 yards or so when I stopped. had this been a race I would have been in trouble. I never see anyone carry fluids with them when they race so how do they do it? Do they over hydrate before? Or do they take some type of water retaining pills?

It like everything else. It just takes practice. You build a little bit at a time. Like was discussed a little earlier, when you start getting into longer distance swims, IMO the sooner you stop counting laps and just swim by time the better. It just makes for a more relaxed swimming experience. Start by just swimming 10 minute without stopping. then as you get in better condintioning you can start adding time to your total. Before you know it you'll be up there with where you need to be.

pace13 - 2011-02-14 10:32 AMI also have a bike trainer question for the group:

As my excitement grows and my bike arrives on wednesday, the weather has turned its windy, rainy and cold. Using that as my excuse to look into trainers. The two I see the most about are the cyclops and the kurt kinetic. Anything I should watch out for? make sure I get? not get? etc...

I am def looking for quiet so what I have read is stay away from the cheaper ones. With my job I will have days where I get home late, this will let me get a good training ride in without venturing out in the dark. (with me being a total noob rider, could be dangerous!)

Also for those who have them, how are they set up? in the bedroom? garage? living room? I would assume they are in front of a tv somewhere.....at least that what I'm thinking.

-Jeff

I love my KK Road Machine. I finaly broke down and bought a demo one of Ebay about 6 months ago for abour $275 shipped. I can't belive how long i took to fionally get one. It has been one of my best investments. It makes training on though crappy days so much easier.

Being I am a single guy living in a new 4 bed room house, I simply converted one of my bedrooms into a little gym. I have the basic dumbbells and the trainer sitting in front of a tv I got on the cheap. Whenever I need to spin for a few hours I throw in a movie and off I go...

I had a question. now that I am getting into longer runs. How do you handle getting fuel into your body while running? Last week I was OK at 11, but I imagine that I will soon be at the point where I will need to eat something? Is it done like on the bike with gels? Or do people eat something solid?

Also, I plan on running this evening. however i still have a sore spot on my leg. Do you think I can just bandage it up for the run? Or will that make it worse? I plan on going 7 miles.

@mark - Re eating on the long run

I've tried both blocks, and gels.  I like the even energy supply you get from the blocks.  I chew one every mile then drink.  I can go a really long way without running out of energy.  There will be fatigue but it's the honest burn you feel in you calves, quads, hammies and glutes.  Not the I'm just tired and can't go another 6.  The blocks take up more space than the gels and that is why I eventually found another way to eat on the run. 

When I first started with gels, I found they were convenient to carry and there was a noticable lift right after you wash one down.  They must be taken with water.  First to clear your mouth so you can breath and second cause carbos are not absorbed by the gut without water.  To little water in you gi system and your body will draw water out of muscle and blood causing a bit of dehydration.  The downside is the things are damm sticky, in your mouth and on your hands.  It also take two hands to rip the things open.  There is the litter issue.

During a race eat your gels right before the water station.  Then grab a cup or two to wash the gels down  There is a better way.  I've found that gels are much easier to take if you mix them with water in a small flask.  I get the even energy supply of blocks and energy density of gels.  Before a workout or race I put the expected number of gels in a flask and then add water to make a solution.  It's an easy one hand operation to unhook the flask on the run, take a nip of gel water, and clip the bottle back in place.  I still carry a couple of gels packs in case I underestimate the energy required for the run or loose the bottle. knock knock I have not lost a bottle in a long time. 

I once read that Dean Karnazes would run past a 7-11 market, grab a couple of burrito's and a cherry coke slurpee to wash it down during his long runs.  He's an inspiration, but I'm thinking thats a bit of Barbara Streisand.

Lyoshka - 2011-02-15 11:35 AM Hi all!! I've been a little MIA a little bit...just lurking, really. Did a 17 mile run outside last Saturday, and i think my muscles are tired from P90X, it was a tough run, just couldn't get my body into that running long mode. But we got it done My 21 month old has been throwing up since 3 pm yesterday. Until 2 hours ago, he couldn't keep anything down and I was starting to get worried.. seems better now. Hope the worst is over. I would gladly take a month of that if he could be spared.. so hard to see your little bird suffer @Mark - LR fuel: I run exclusively with Infinit and love it. I ran 2 marathons with it now and it's enough to give me what I need to get to the finish line. I know Bryan is another fan (and Mav isn't *wink wink*) @Mav - I'm glad you are feeling better, dear!!! @Billy - Hi!

That stuff looks pretty cool. I think I would like to try it first before i go splurging $38 for the run and another $38 for my bikes.

Another thing I would like to learn from you is not just what you eat, but when and how often you consume these products. I really haven't reached the point on my runs yet of feeling like I had no energy. Even on my 11 mile run the other day I felt like I could have gone 13. but i know I am getting to that point.

Last year when I did my first century bike ride I had a lot of problem as to what and when I should eat. One thing I did learn is when I am biking I only want water. So i guess the question is, how often do you take your gels or infinit? Do you take different ones at different times?

::Edited: Yikes i can  make weird spelling for words sometimes.

Yes the Infinit does look pretty cool. But I remember when I did that century last year once i got to the 80 mile mark. Gels just didn't cut it anymore I wanted something soid in my stomache. I have to think that when you are racing an IM after your on the course 7+ hours you'd want to eat something solid, wouldn't you?

Good morning everyone.

WOW, one PP&J over the course of a whole Ironman? Huh, I would have thought you'd eat more than that. I had planned for my next century ride to eat 1/2 cliff bar at mile 40 and a half every 20 miles after that. Is that too much?

Got a good swim in this morning. Did 60 minute continuous. At 20 min I was at a 1:45 pace. 40 min a 1:47 pace. I started to fade towards the end, at 50 min I was around 1:52. Including warm up and drills I did about 3850Y today. i'm paying for it now. I can barely stay awake here at work. I kinda wish I would have gone home and took about an hour nap before coming in. Oh-well live and learn.

Have a good one all!