GrooveTime!group - CLOSED!!! (Page 192)

Congratulations on your race Anne!!

Thanks, Tracey.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day.   Sunshine and blue skies beats rain any day, no matter how windy.  

We enjoyed sitting around afterwards and even won a prize in the draws.  

I don't.  I will do a little jogging to get the blood flowing, and will swim to get the arms/back loose.  My attitude has always been that warming up was basically for the swim and/or just to get the blood pumping.  I figure 30 minutes to whatever it is that I'm in the water, dragging my legs makes any bike-specific warm-up worthless.  The legs will get "cold" just being dragged around, so I save that energy.  That, and I've always found the Transition areas so crowded that riding is just more hassle than it's worth.

Hi,

Tonight is "practice changing tire" night - which I've done before but need practice.  Also, 1st time trying CO2 dispenser.  Anyone have any helpful hints on the CO2.

Denise

My helpful hint: wear full-fingered gloves when you dispense the CO2 cartridge. It gets REALLY cold!

DENISE -

How did you fare with the CO2? I was going to say what Tracey said, or just add that the cold fingers only last gfor a few seconds, and then it's all fine. I try to buy cartridges that have a label on it that insulates from the cold, mostly. I also would've added that your shouldn't worry about the whole thing exploding, as I guess they don't do that. I worried about that myself for quite a while!

Do you feel like a better person now, armed with that skill?

TRACEY -

Have you checked your Escape photos recently? Sometime between maybe Friday and now, finish line ones were added to my collection. Did you get some from there, too?

Any sign of Newtons yet at your doorstep?

Arizona is whupping the Yankees tonight!

Anne,

Great race report and congrats on the race! I really want to see this dismount photo. I'm curious

Kasia

Busy weekend over here for me.

On Saturday, my roommate and I planned to go to Loveland to scout out the bike course of the tri this upcoming weekend. As we were putting the bikes on the car to get going in the morning, I must've twisted funny or something because my back completely gave out. Luckily (or not?) I could tell it was a muscle thing and not a spine/disc thing so that gave me some comfort. But I couldn't stand up straight or breathe properly because of the pain. In addition, I had rolled my ankle getting off the bike after a short spin around the block right before. This morning was not starting out well.

We headed up regardless to at least drive the course. By the time we arrived, I figured I was already there and should just tough it out. So I slathered on some BioFreeze, sucked it up and got going. Good call. The back didn't bother me after about mile 5, which is probably because the burning in my thighs was drowning out the back pain, and after that, I enjoyed almost every minute of the ride. It was absolutely beautiful.

Here are some observations:

1) The uphills aren't nearly as bad as I thought they would be. It's nothing worse than what I've been riding around Boulder, so I can definitely manage.

2) I have no idea how they plan to have 600 bikers on some of those roads without closing down some stretches to traffic. There was about a 2 in. shoulder for at least 8 miles. Granted, those roads were practically deserted, but it still seems weird.

3) I hate rolling hills with a passion.

4) Surprisingly, I like normal hills. That's only because the reward for climbing a monster is an amazingly beautiful, joyous, and fast ride down. No effort, just pure fun. So while I curse the whole way up, I have the biggest smile cruising down. Hopefully that's where the photographer's stationed.

5) I really really need a new saddle.

So that's that. As soon as I got in the car to head back home, the back started bothering me again, and it's still pretty sore today. I tend to get soreness two days after hard exercise rather than the day after, so today I woke up with pretty heavy legs and sore butt. So apparently I'm doing the spinning circles thing correctly because my hamstring and gluteus maximus were definitely worked. I felt it  mostly on my right side today, though, so that's kind of weird. Or that could be from going tubing in the creek yesterday and getting knocked around in the rocks. But I like to think it's the biking.

And the saddle...well, as soon as we got home after the ride I hopped on the bike and headed to the LBS for a new saddle. I got the first one they recommended and even paid a few bucks extra to have them install it so I could try it out on the ride home. I just couldn't handle even another mile on that thing. The new one seemed to offer some relief, but I don't think it's "the one". I think it's too wide and curves up in the back, which doesn't feel good. So now I'm in search of something even more comfortable. If only I could find something like my stock saddle but with a large cutout, I'd be set.

Ooh, I almost forgot to post the nutrition from the weekend, and my experiment with gels.

I wasn't brave enough to take any gels on the 30 miler, so instead I tried Clif Shot Blocks, which are a step between Clif bars and gels in texture and condensed nutrition, in my opinion.

For 3 pieces (which are 0.75" cubes of sugary goodness), here's the info:
Calories 100
Sodium 70 mg
Potassium 20 mg
Carbs 24 g
Sugars 12 g

I looked at the nutrition from the gels and they were comparable to that, so I figured I could go this route instead.

I liked the texture, the taste, and most everything about them, so unless I find a gel whose taste is not repulsive (I taste-tested a few flavors at two LBSs and have found nothing), I may be going this route this weekend.

I also filled up both water bottles with half water/half Gatorade and that went well. I may leave one bottle with plain water so I can also dump it on my head if I need to cool down, depending on the temperature.

This week I'm probably going to be doing a couple short rides to test out the saddle so I may try a gel or two during those to see how it goes. But right now the Shot Blocks are the front-runner nutrition-wise.

Any comments on their nutrition profile?

Edited by augeremt 2010-06-22 2:45 AM

And lastly, on Sunday, my roommate and I volunteered at the "local" tri here in Boulder. I say "local" because it's actually HUGE...1300 athletes or something insane like that. A few friends who are doing the Oly this weekend with me were having their first tri experience so I figured there's no better way to cheer them on and support them than by volunteering. That, and we rely on volunteers every race we do, so it only made sense to give back to something that was literally in my backyard.

So we got up super early and showed up at 5 am to body mark everyone. Not too shabby of a job, eh? It was really interesting to see all the different kinds of people who were racing, from the super-serious pros to the newbies who were visibly nervous. Some people joked and talked to me, while others were "in the zone". I met the oldest racer, an 80-year-old man, who most definitely didn't look his age, and some other pretty remarkable people. Body marking is definitely the job to have to be able to interact with the racers.

Anywhos, we sent our friends on their way at the race start, cheered and high-fived them as they came out of the water, and then went to see the swim to bike transition. Some of those guys and gals are SPEEDY! After watching even the experienced-looking people fumble with getting on their bikes, I don't feel too bad about my mount/dismount. In fact, I think I'm pretty smooth.

Since we were still wearing out volunteer shirts, we got put to work even though our shift was over, but all we had to do was point the runners in the right direction at the finish, so we got to see our friends head out on the run and cheer them on during the last stretch down the finisher's chute. The expressions of pain, determination, and complete exhaustion on the finishing runners' faces were inspiring. You could tell they had given it their all with nothing left. And since it was Father's Day, a few dads finished the race with their kids in tow or in their arms. Great stuff.

All in all, it was a great experience and we signed up to volunteer for the two other Boulder Tri Series races later in the summer. Body marking, of course.

Mandy, SteveB, Shaun, and anyone else who I forgot,

Thanks for the wetsuit input! I decided to go with a sleeveless since I could use the buoyancy and the warmth for such a minimal cost. You made very valid points that tipped the scale in the right and reasonable direction. You rock.

Kasia

KASIA -

Great to hear from you, glad that everything is (mostly) going well.

As for the back, well, I blame it ALL on the tubing; cycling doesn't do that to a person! Of course, though, I hope it gets all better by Saturday. But until then --- no more tubing!

Over the years I have limited my non-tri-related activities severely. It seems as if I'm okay if I remain within the range-of-motions required to swim and bike and run, but once I diverge from those, I'm in trouble. I think I've said this here before, but in my teaching days I was known as a very active member of recess duty, meaning that I was always willing to play games with the kids -- until I got serious about triathlon. I quickly learned that playing kickball, or tag, or throwing footballs would hurt something or other (That's my running hip! That's my cycling knee! That's my swimming shoulder!), so I became like all the other teacher - stoic and just plain watchful. So, for you ---- NO MORE TUBING!

Well done on scouting the course! Don't you feel better, knowing what to expect?

As for the number of bikes and the size of the roads, I'm sure the RD is counting on the fact that there will be few drivers out there. That seems to be the majority approach taken by race directors......and mostly it seems to work! Or, the cyclists just take over that part of the universe for that part of the day, and the motorists fall into their subordinate rule.

I hope that in time you learn to like rolling hills. What I love about them is that once you learn to read them correctly, you can get just the right amount of momentum heading into them to carry you over them and propel you down the other side. I like to think of it as "launching" myself into and up and over them. When done right, it is empowering AND exhilarating! But I fully understand what you mean about big hills, and having the reward of bombing down the backside. WHEEEEEE!

Quick question, (yeah I know lots of them lately) for those who ride carbon race wheels. What's the main advantage for carbon brake pads on carbon wheels?

Or disadvantage of regular brake pads on carbon wheels?

Edited by smarx 2010-06-22 7:18 AM

KASIA again -

The Blocks will serve you fine. In fact, I think they were invented as an option for people who cannot tolerate gels. One of the women in my other group is pro-block, anti-gel. In fact, she's just about your age. Maybe you are part of "Generation Gummy Bears", and have a high tolerance/affection for those types of things. Me? I'll stick with gels!

If you can stomach 3 pieces, that's the equivalent of the carbs you would get in a gel, so that's perfect. Can you handle nine of them for an oly? If so, you're in a fine shape, carb-wise!

Calories are bang-on with most gels, and sodium and potassium are very close, too. The sugar content is also close, at least with those gels who use sugar as a source. So, again, you've got a good solution for nutrition, especially when you add on your own Gatorade and whatever else you can get at the aid stations. Ta-da!!

KASIA once more -

WONDERFUL for you to volunteer at the race! Bless you!

But as you've quickly discovered, the pleasure is all yours when the job is body-marking. I love doing that, and for the reasons you say -- you get to meet all kinds, and have the chance to interact very actively. I've counseled people doing their first tri, talked people "off the ledge", convinced many people that YES, their age must be written on their calf......and had more than one woman say something like "That's the closest you can get to a woman without being thrown in jail!" (To which I respond "Um, yeah, I suppose so.")

Getting back to the age-marking, it is especially odd when a 34- or 37-year old man is reluctant to have his age displayed. I mean, C'MON, guy, you're too young to be feeling publicly uptight about people knowing your age! I accept it more when women demure at the marking, I guess just because that's what folklore says women do about that sort of thing. But I have always been 100% open about my age, and I never hesitate to ask anyone else their age.....which isn't always well-received, but it's what I do anyhow!






Edited by stevebradley 2010-06-22 9:23 AM

SHAUN -

"Cushioned" is a word that is usually applied to shoes for people with normal to high arches -- just your type of person! So, unless the shoe store comes up with a different assessment of your foot type or mechanics, staying in a neutral shoe seems the way to go.

For some people, NB works well because the shoes can accommodate fairly wide feet; would that be you? Just curious!

Hey all,
If you don't have one, please get one.  They won't protect you from an accident, but I feel so much safer out there with mine on. 

Argh.  Summer pool crowds are back. 

Had what I thought was my first real good swim since IMSG yesterday.  Warmed up - cranked out 25 laps and felt strong for all of them.  I think I was faster on the last 10 than the first 10.  So that was good news.  Challenge from there was the crowds again.  I was sharing a lane with a very slow swimmer - young, fit looking guy, but just taking his time.  No worries.  Until we got joined by a third.  Not quite as slow, but one of those, "swim a lap, rest a minute, swim a lap, rest two minutes".  Not a bad thing except neither had any sense of pool etiquette.  I'd wait until slow swimmer was about to touch the wall and then take off in front of him, figuring I'd have to lap him to catch up.  A couple laps later, I'm in his wake at the wall, and instead of pausing to let me by, he just goes again.  So now I have to try to pass him, or wait to clear space again.  ARGH!  And the swim/wait guy would wait until you are almost to the wall to start his lap - knowing he's going at a slower pace. 

Since I couldn't get any sort of rhythm going, I eventually just started doing 100m intervals - swim a hard 100, rest to clear space, swim another hard 100, etc. 

Looks like it's time to start waking up in the AM again to get the laps in.  LOL.

SteveB:

Yes, got the finish line photos! I like them because I look surprisingly at ease. At first I thought they had to be from the start of the run because I don't look too much like I'm struggling. Normally after anything more than 30 minutes of aerobic activity, my face is beet red. So I'm happy to see a clear complexion!

Newtons are supposed to arrive tomorrow. Yay!

I love to see the Yankees get beat. I'm a fan of whatever team they happen to be playing.

SteveB,

I wish I could blame the back on the tubing, but I think I'm just getting old I'm sure tubing the day after the "injury" didn't help, but I couldn't pass that up. It was too much fun!

Per your advice, I called in injured to soccer tomorrow. So I'm laying low with extracurriculars the rest of this week hoping the back feels better. So far it's just annoying.

When the LBS put on the new saddle, I'm pretty sure they didn't pay too much attention to its position fore/aft. And since I paid some good money to get the bike fitted properly, I don't really want to lose that fit.

I'm pretty sure I can get the fit back to where it was originally since I have all the measurements from the fitting. I just don't understand them. So...under Saddle Fore/Aft, the recommendation is -4 mm. I remember the guy moving the saddle forward for me to make it fit perfectly, so I'm pretty sure the negative sign means forward. But from where do I measure the 4 mm?

I still have a free follow-up for the fitting that I could technically use for this saddle thing, but I was hoping to instead get a more aggressive riding position out of it and not waste it on a saddle adjustment. I'd do both now, but I'm not quite ready for the aggressive thing yet. That may be next season. So...

Is this saddle adjustment simple? Like, something I could figure out myself? Or should I just go in and ask him to put it on there for me?

Kasia

Went fine - every bike skill I can master makes me less afraid of the bike.

Also, I can now take the water bottle out of the cage while I'm riding - BUT I can't put it back yet.

Tracey - thanks for advice.

Denise

Hi,

Decided to run a 5k this Saturday - Susan Komen Race for the Cure 5k in Brainerd.  I need some age group competition which has been lacking in my tris (4 tris and only 2 age group competitors).  This 5k has about 500 runners so there should be some 60+.

Denise

Another question for the group, this one involving insurance for the bike.

A thread on the triathlon forums got me thinking that I should be a responsible adult and get renters insurance. BUT, that doesn't seem to cover the bike out on rides, for example, if you hit a pothole and bend your frame. I've called around to a couple places trying to get the best quote and coverage and found that the only place that will insure a bike in the event of a crash is State Farm with its Personal Articles Policy. And that's still not very good...$10 premium for every $100 value and doesn't cover bikes used in races, which they consider triathlons to be. Bummer.

Everyone else says the bike won't be covered. The only down side of State Farm is its high deductible for renter's insurance and the races part. So I'm still looking for something better.

So, does anyone have any other suggested companies to call? I've hit up the main ones: State Farm, Allstate, Farmers, etc, but so far I've got nothing.

How do you guys insure your bikes/tri toys, if at all?

Thanks!
Kasia