SBR Utopia ---- Permanently OPEN!! (Page 19)

Helmet type will probably play a big role.

In general, I can say that clothing is minor and the power meter CdA testing usually isn't granular enough to show differences there unless you have something parachuting.

Arm position and drop can make a big difference in CdA, but... BUT, it can also affect your power output.  So if you're riding at a constant power for the test, be in tune with your body.  You need to know if that position makes it harder to hold power or not.

Bottle placement may have more of an effect (ex: 1 vs. 2 behind-the-saddle bottles, torpedo vs. aerodrink).  Also if you're messing with arm position, a torpedo bottle will allow you to get less drag with wider arms, as it fills in that gap, plus your head is lower.

Anyhow that's all food for thought.  I have a velodrome near me so I've done this a few times myself and I'm just commenting on my personal experience.  It is one of the key benefits of owning a power meter, though, so keep at it!

Nice start to the weekend. Trainer ride, 2:45 @ 302 NP. Only a few minutes of it hurt, but a lot of it had a fairly significant burning.

Wouldn't mind catching some. Have I mentioned the bike is my favorite? 

Catching pros is fun!  I caught quite of few of them at IMMT in the water (10 min headstart).  I rolled out of T1 with the eventual womens winner.  Of course that was the last I saw of them until they were lapping me on the run - LOL.

I swam in an outdoor pool in Montreal this morning with the outside temp being below freezing.  That was an interesting experience for sure!  First time I've been in a hotel pool that was decent enough to get a workout done, probably about 20m long.

It's heated - it was quite a bit warmer than the pool I usually swim in - and you enter the pool indoors and go under a little tunnel to get outside.

In Canada, that's considered a hot-tub.

Just keep doing what you are doing.  They key is that when you do start to lose it when you get tired, you have to really focus on maintaining it.  Your triceps and lats will scream for mercy, keep the focus on it.  Next time it won't be so bad....

Just.   Wow.

Yeah, the concentration is the big part. Keep continuing through the extension and right into the catch (where the EVF is). The pull tends to take care of itself for me. Setting it up is the hard part. I've been better about holding in a glide, but do tend to start pulling without getting into as good of a catch at times. Which means I'll be pushing down some. Not sure if this works as well explaining online, but masters has had us concentrate on the elbow, that it stays up more at this point. It really burns like Arend says, but helps to make sure the right things are burning.

Also keep an eye on your pacing in the early going especially. A number of the guys left of me fade a lot over the interval. Their average pace may be :10-:17 sec/100 behind mine, but some of them will actually beat me to the first and maybe second wall. The faster guys are either staying right with me or more steadily pulling away. They have a much better sense of pacing over the entire interval.

Does anyone have a really good instructional video for EVF?  Not just the look, but the feel as well?  Watching the pros maybe awe inspiring, but nto the easiest thing to mimic.  

x3 x4, whatever it's up to

Mindfulness. On longer repeats (like a 300, 400, sometimes even 200) that doesn't have specific directions (but this is Sheila, there are ALWAYS specific directions, which kinda brings me to the point) ... every 2nd 25, or every 4th 25, commit to focusing on the catch. Even more mindful: focus on L arm on the way up, R arm on the way down.

Just checking in: been really ill for 11 days now with fever, chill, insane stomach cramps, initially puking, now "just" crapping blood and mucus. Getting tiny tiny bit better. Histology points to infection (no, really?) and low serum ferritin. But otherwise stool and blood cultures reveal nothing unusual. Probably a virus. I'm going all naturopathic on this beast, not a lot of other options.

Just to keep it SBR(ish) (sure won't be doing any if I don't get better!), I do a traditional yoga series that's specifically for elderly and/or recovering people. I felt it was tremendously helpful when I recovered from a superbug multi-drug-resistant typhoid. Meditation, deliberate but doable movement, focused breathing would probably improve anybody's health.

Lot of tough stuff on the family front as well, so it helps with the mental/emotional/spiritual whatever you want to call it health too.

Aero camp was AWESOME! No data for about a week, but I'll share some quick highlights. I'm working on a full write-up. Some pictures posted to my Facebook (Elaine Kratz) and twitter (@ratherbeswimmin)

First, we spent two hours on track bikes learning how to ride. This was a total blast, and I wish I had a track nearby.

Moved on to a 3D Retul Fit Report. I had the WORST fit out of the bunch, despite being fit by a local coach. We dropped my saddle ~2cm right away. My seat WAS too high!

After that, we discussed what runs we'd like to do. Each run was a warm-up lap, a lap where you coasted on the back stretch to zero the meter, and then 10 laps of testing. As we got into things like helmets, they'd pull you from the track if the helmet looked bad in the first few laps.

We dropped my saddle, slammed my handlebars, swapped my stem, narrowed my pads... This took a good 4-5 runs to settle in, and they think I need a stem that can get me lower) Once we got to a place where those started looking good, we tested a few other things:

-bottle position (torpedo-style mount beat frame mount - this is "generally" the most aero-neutral)

-1 piece vs 2 piece tri suit (no difference for me! YMMV)

-helmets (the LG P09 was best for a lot of people, usually it varies a lot based on position, but this was overall a very aero helmet compared to my LG Rocket and a Rudy Wingspan)

In the end, Brian from Accelerate3 said "the new fit saves you 50w of drag. Only a 30% increase of free speed". Seriously. I was THAT bad!

A couple other observations:

-lower is better, until it's not

-speedsuits are only good if they fit WELL, and then, only for most people. there was this super speedy 17-year old (Jack, http://jtolandtri.com/ follow this kid. He's going to do amazing things), his arms were just too skinny for the speedsuit.

-the Trek Speed Concept also had really good numbers overall - similar to the LG P09 - it just seemed to be low drag, no matter what - same with the TorHans aero bottle

-shorter cranks aren't just a new trend - seems like they are a great way to go, especially for us shorter people. They suggested swapping my 172.5 for 165 or 160. 

-things that look aero, or are aero for one person, might not actually be aero for you. for example, a girl had her torpedo-mount bottle sticking up really high. they put a smaller bottle in and changed the angle of the cage. it LOOKED faster, but it was slower. It even surprised the guys running the clinic.

So, I guess, if you're looking for free speed: 1. get a Retul fit. #'s don't lie. 2. Check out this camp. He does testing starting at $450. I, luckily, got a steeply discounted entry into this, but if you're invested in triathlon, it's a good use of money. And it was a total blast! http://ero-sports.com/ They stressed that most people could find a ~1mph improvement. 

So, if you've got questions, I can try to answer Also, if you're selling 160 or 165 cranks... and once I get the specs from Brian at Accelerate3, I'll be looking for a stem and possibly a new cockpit... 

ETA: Head position/turtle-ing produced no noticeable difference with my position 

Elaine, that's awesome!  I had seen that camp was happening and would have loved to go but couldn't.

So with a 50w improvement, you are now targeting a 2:25 Olympic rather than 2:35 right?  

Very, very cool  sounding camp.  Oh, and as for the quoted part - always nice to read these things about my bike. 

I have a track about 1.5hrs from my house, but they only allow track bikes, so that's no help.  However, they are in the process of building the brand new national velodrome 5mins from my house in preparation for the 2015 Pan Am games.  So there's hope in the future.

Told you so.

Great stuff, Laney Day.

If I can run! Had an MRI this morning for my tibia...

Very cool!  Sounds like a fun experience.  I'm curious if you'll notice any power gains from the new bike fit (in addition to reduced drag).

I have a set of 155mm cranks that I'm looking to sell....a little shorter than the 160-165 that you asked for, but I liked them (till I got my PM, which didn't have a 155 option).