Dominion's Sprint/Oly Focus Group - OPEN (Page 20)

It seems like the thread has been winding down lately as I know for many your season is already over. Some still have a race or two to go before we head into the winter and the off-season.  I know at some point these mentor groups will most likely be reset for the winter term.  So before that happens or before everyone drifts away for good, I wanted to thank each of you for your participation and contributions to the group, particularly to those of you who have been consistent and active members throughout, Nate, Jenn, Cassandra, Scott, Randy, and Maura.  

This was my first mentor group and I hope I have been able to answer your questions as well as offer guidance and motivation.  With that in mind, I do plan to mentor again in the next session.  Feel free to PM me with any feedback you may have to make the group better or to help me be more effective as a mentor. Anything you liked, didn't like, or want to see done differently, etc.  Speak freely, constructive criticism is welcome!  

Let me say that this thread is not closing.  I will still be here and please continue to ask questions, or share experiences, race reports etc. for as long as Ron leaves the threads open. 

Thanks everyone!

Thanks Scott!  and Great Race!

Very impressive run performance there, the ability to be able to turn it on 4 miles in and negative split with a strong finish like that...very strong. 

Arguing with yourself for 20  minutes over which race to do is pretty funny, but good job of following through with what you said you were going to do.  It worked out well and I bet you are happy you went with it.  Probably would have been disappointed with yourself later if you had talked yourself out of it.

Glad you were able to remember that you didn't have your chip.  That shows a lot of awareness that you didn't hear that beep when you crossed the mat.  I guess I always hear it, just never paid much attention.  Glad the new bike is working out, the more time you spend on it the better you'll be.  Also on the swim and getting off course a couple of times, how long between sights do you normally take?  I usually look up and try to sight around every 6th stroke (of 1 side). 

New bikes at that price point you are looking at a Cannondale CAAD 8 or a Trek 1.2, Specialized Allez Sport, Giant Defy 3.  There are others I'm sure, but you are looking at aluminum frame and Sora level components.  That is essentially what I started on with my Raleigh, aluminum and Sora.  There is nothing wrong with that (I still train on that bike nearly every day)  but you may want more as you grow in the sport.  I was able to pick mine up used for $500.  

Generally I think you could take your time and shop around for a used bike and get way more value (ie better components, etc) on a used bike than spending $1000 for an entry level road bike, just my opinion of course.  Here is a link to a review I did find on some of those models I mentioned above.

http://www.bikeradar.com/us/gear/article/best-road-bikes-under-1000-32772/

By the way, how tall are you?

And as far as vibration and numbness in the hands, I agree with Scott to maybe try some subtle adjustments.  Maybe start with the seat height up or down or forward or back.  Not much, just small increments to see if it improves.

Thanks Randy, very kind words.  I'm glad to do it and help in any way I can.

Everyone is of course welcome back.  Hopefully we can keep the group together and maybe add a few new contributors.  Might be a good idea for everyone to post an updated bio when the new group starts for any new folks and just to show the progress we have all made in the last few months.  I imagine it will be another month or so before they get reset.  I just wanted to post what I did because it seemed like everything was slowing down and people drifting off, but now it seems things are rejuvenated a little with some good discussions.

Originally posted by burner2 Now that the triathlon season has finished here in my area, I’ve shifted my focus to 5K runs. Surprisingly, they have them year round! I’ve entered one each month from now through January, with my first, the Round About 5K, this next Sunday. Since running is my weakest area, I thought this would be a great way to improve both my endurance and my speed for next year’s triathlons. And slowly, I have been improving. I’ve gone from 1.6 mile “runs” at 25 minutes/mile in March and being absolutely exhausted, sore, and unable to move afterward, to regularly running (and yes, a lot of running, albeit slowly) a 5K at a pretty consistent 15 minutes/mile and staying on my feet and remaining active afterward. As I keep pushing myself, I’d like to hit a 10 minute mile by the beginning of May and compete in Spokane’s Bloomsday 12K Run. I’d also like to compete in one Olympic triathlon next summer, in addition to a couple of sprints and duathlons. Since I started this journey at the beginning of the year, I’ve lost 80 pounds, 12 inches around my waist, and dropped five sizes, and I’m now just two sizes away from that high school cheerleading outfit that’s in my garage somewhere. Even most of my triathlon gear is now too big, so I’ll be listing it on eBay in the Spring. And people who haven’t seen me all summer have had a hard time recognizing me, which is pretty cool.

Originally posted by Dominion

This was my first mentor group and I hope I have been able to answer your questions as well as offer guidance and motivation.

I've found your advice and insight to be very helpful; thank you! I plan to continue on next spring, and, in fact, I’d like to see the group keep going through the winter. I've really found everyone to be a great source of motivation, and I love reading y’all’s race reports! I’ve learned something from every report, and I’ve certainly been inspired to train harder. But, I’m not really sure how best to keep up with winter training. I’m planning to cut back a bit on the hours I spend training every week, but not much, as winter won't affect my ability to swim or run. I’m back in the pool a couple nights a week, and I’ve started using fins to improve my kicking. I think it’s actually helped a bit, as it seems like I'm kicking more, and stronger. I’d like to do some strength training, too, but I’m not really sure where or how to start. I'm not really sure how to continue bike riding training (exercise bike--YAWN!!), either.

Originally posted by nrpoulin Was on the USAT site the other day. If you have a usat number you are ranked. Kinda neat.

Yes, I’ve been checking out the USAT rankings. Although I’m dead last in both my state and region--but not the nation--it’s kind of fun to say “I’m a nationally ranked triathlete.” It certainly sounds impressive, doesn’t it? It’s too bad my last—and best—triathlon wasn’t sanctioned as it would have improved my standings, but, meh! I'm still nationally ranked

Cassandra,

Hearing about your amazing progress and the incredible amount of weight loss is truly inspiring.  With everything you have accomplished I bet people do have a hard time recognizing you! Keep it up!

Indoor winter riding options are pretty much an exercise bike like you mentioned or an indoor trainer.  Either way they can be rather boring and tedious, but can help you improve over the winter.  Adding in a little strength training over the winter is a good idea too.  Are you looking at going to a gym or just maybe some body weight type of things you can do at the house without needing any/much equipment?  

Also I agree with cutting back the hours some over the winter.  You don't want to backtrack and lose any of the gains you have made, but it is also necessary to give the body and mind a little break from structured training.  Being mentally refreshed and ready to start back to a full training schedule next year is key.

What size bike frame is it? (sorry if I missed that somewhere already)  If your knees are in your chest then it could be that the bike is just too small.  At 5'10 you should be riding a 54 or 56 I would guess.  Those are common sizes and you should have no trouble finding some nice used bikes if you decide to go that route. You can get that $2K to $2500 bike for $1000 slightly used if you check around I bet.

Any type of adjustments could help the numbness situation, or make it worse.  You'll just need to play around with it a little.  Seat up or down, or slide it forward or back on the rails, that may give you a little more room to spread out if that is the issue.  Raising the bars as you mentioned might also help.  There really is no answer other than to make sure the bike is at least a decent fit for you and then try different things to see what works.  

Sounds great! Glad you plan to stick around! I'm ready for a little break from training, but looking forward to keeping in touch with everybody and keeping the discussions going.

Weather felt great out there this morning.  I get in a 41 mile ride, my last serious training ride before the last race of the year next weekend.  Temps in the 60's and a nice breeze.  Fall is just around the corner!