Fred D Mentor Group - Part II (Page 2)

Aw man we need to talk you into a foundation slot for Tahoe

My training typically goes high effort, 1-hour-ish indoor trainer in the offseason.  I only use power for that.  Plusses: instant feedback, and it provides visible progress over time.

Towards racing season I start doing longer outdoor rides and still use power but also wear my HRM as a second indicator.  Useful on hot days or just to gauge if I'm feeling "off".  Obviously this year with my injury, my power numbers are all way off-base, so HR is my primary throttle at the moment.

I train with power.  I've had a powertap for 2 years but it was really just an expensive computer for me last year.  Over the winter I followed Jorge's winter power program and it worked wonders!  I still don't know a ton about using it properly but I have a bit of a clue now at least.

For me the plusses were having specific targets to try to hit for intervals and also for pacing in races.  I'm still working on that part but I learn from it.

All of the above.  I ride with power every chance I get.  The only time I'm without it is when I'm road racing (usually using a 404 or 202 set) or at the Hawaii 70.3 where the do not allow discs (covered PT...in which case I use a 404 rear).

Power is my main focus, and what I base my training and race (TT) goals around.  HR and RPE are used to keep me in check when I'm having an off day, or to let me know when my power profile has changed (for better or worse).  I think it is extremely important to learn your HR and RPE levels, because that's ultimately going to impact how your race goes. 

Also, for those that are new and use Strava...we've got a BT mentor strava group going.

A group here or on Strava itself?

On Strava itself

http://app.strava.com/clubs/bt-mentor-strava-group

If 3 months ago, I told you your biggest problem before IMMT was going to be getting your new slice frame in time...I think you would have taken it. 

I bribed Fred with melon presses to get in, so now that he's capitulated I should probably say something. I deeply appreciate the wisdom and generosity the individuals here have shown to me, so I'd like to get in on the group and give whatever I've got.

I'm Arsiyanti Ardie, but go by Yanti.

Sports background: Growing up in Indonesia, I swam with my high school and national teams. After going to the U.S. for college, I first competed in badminton at a national level, then coached/competed in martial arts at the world level (pro to the tune of beer and food money), but after an injury became sedentary and eventually morbidly obese. Fast forward … a student suckered me into doing a charity marathon—then I learned how to ride a bike and picked swimming back up! After 15 years in the States, I've been back in Indonesia for 3 years, (mostly on the paradise island of Bali).

Me and a small group of endurance athletes here decided triathlon was the perfect sport for a place where no one knows how to swim and the rest can't afford a bike, so we've literally started triathlon from scratch and now there are 300 Indonesian triathletes, 4 triathlons, and I'll hopefully be taking the first contingent of Indonesian triathletes abroad for official international competition (Arafura Games, which is a regional Games held in Australia) next year. I do more coaching than I'd like (especially volunteer), but there really isn't anyone else, especially for swimming.

Current training: Just getting back into regular training and volume build for IMWA in December. It's the 5th iron race I'll have signed up for and done most of the training for, so I REALLY want to finish (first 3 had to bail for life events, 4th got pulled from bike due to hypothermia). After that I'll be focusing on building up swim volume for long-term goal (late 2013 at earliest) of crossing the Lombok Strait (about 40K as crow flies, so it'll be plenty longer).

Family status: I'm 36, strange and single, have a black Lab who's smarter than I am and trains the other dog and cats to outsmart me, too. We call it the Funny Farm here. I do spend a lot of time with my folks in Jakarta (1.5hr plane flight) as they're old and sick and need a lot of ongoing management of health and affairs.

Weight loss: I'm down about 130 lbs from my peak weight. Weight's been messy the last two years as I've had repeated bouts of serious tropical illnesses where I'll lose a lot of weight, then pudge back up from inactivity and eating everything in sight because I feel like I'm starving. Am currently at (gulp) between 150-155lb and looking to be sub-140 for IMWA.

What I bring: {MELON PRESSES}? (They're good, I promise!) Some perspectives of doing things a little differently, due both to my personal experiences and helping to start triathlon here. A lot of open-water ocean experience. I also worked as a researcher, writer/editor, and trainer for a global fitness and sports company for several years (SPIN Fitness, as in Spinning(R), SPINeRVALS, they have a bunch of brands now).

I'd like to add on to Fred's question if you don't mind.

- For those that use power, what type of power meter do you use, and if you had your choice (money was no object) which would you prefer (including the yet to be released Garmin Vectors)

- What are your experiences with racing with power, RPE, and HR.  Has one ever let you down?  Is there one you trust above all else?

Thank you! Most people think it's a backyard tea-party game ... it's the national sport of Indonesia, so being a marginally decent seasonal player here meant in the U.S. I was suddenly a big fish in a small pond.

Yes, thanks for suffering through that RR, Tom! Tough, but it was a grand adventure. Hope to stay well this training season and really glad IMWA is HOT!

Aw, Fred! But I'm YOUR fan club ... and here I thought *I* was the entertainment

Ok...to answer my own questions.

I currently use a powertap, built into a training wheel that I race with using a disc cover.  In races that do not allow a disc (Hawaii 70.3 and road races) I don't use power.  If I had my choice, I'd go with a pedal based system.  I would not be a first adopter, but it makes the most sense to me as I run different BBs on my bikes...and I would not be surprised if I experiment with different cranks in the future.  So I don't want to be locked into a crank based PM.

For racing...power has been good to me to keep my effort constant...but very rarely have I actually hit my power goals.  Sometimes I've been sick, sometimes I was just off, and once I felt much better than expected.  HR has been a good indicator when I'm off...but I've also had solid races where my HR was sky high.  Overall, when racing, RPE seems to work best for me.  I still like to use a combination of the 3 though.