Funked Up Triathletes - Season 2 - Olympic/Sprint Focus - Closed (Page 20)

I finally got off my duff Tuesday! Yea! It's been a while so I just did everything moderately. I had a nice 1000yd swim this morning that felt like I was swimming through jello; and the outside temps inched into the high 50's so I finally got the bike out for the first time since the race! It was a nice ride, very windy, but it just felt good to get out. I only went for 45 minutes but being that I've fallen out of shape it was good. I'm back, baby!!!! Hahaha.

PT has kicked up a notch and I'm working on shoulders (one is higher than the other and I'm very round shouldered...I'm just a bent up body...aka a PT's dream patient because I never go away). I am sore. Hahaha
Yesterday I went back to Fit Werx to have a shim put in my regular bike shoes and did a tri bike fit.....he's got a Cervelo P2 for a nice price I'm ogling... There's a Guru that's way out of my price range and a Felt IA 4, but we shall see what the fit says and which frames will work for me. The plan was I'd at least have my numbers so if I see something that works for me and is in my price range I can pull the trigger. Of course I'm keeping in mind that I really need to work on the engine the most....and get an aero helmet.....and some Flo's....is there no end? Hahaha. But the engine is the most important part.

Cheers! Endorphins = a happy Jenn

I like to formally introduce you to Vader. No, I haven't ridden him outside yet - just brought him home today and it's blowing like crazy out there.
pic 2 is of the Felt Brothers - Vader and Green Arrow.







Attachments
----------------
Vader.jpg (134KB - 9 downloads)
The Felt brothers.jpg (144KB - 10 downloads)

HOLY MOSES MALONE!!! NICE!!

Sweet bike! I've always liked the look of the IA. Very cool. Will look great with some Flo wheels! : )

Seriously, awesome bike. What groupset did it come with?

I really mean it though...that bike can't stay on box rims. You've GOT to get some racing wheels. Nice!

me...I ran the KC Half marathon last Saturday. I ran a total of 12 miles from 10/4 (my 70.3) until the HM on 10/17. I finished in 1:54, which is a strong PR for me. No complaints here. Now wondering what I could have done if I would have prepared more.

This week wife and I are on a 1 week "mental health" hiatus. No training at all. Will start getting back into the groove next week. The Sufferfest has three new videos coming out...just in time!

Shimano Ultegra, 11 sp, 52/38, the wheels are stock but apparently are one of the best stock sets out there - totally solid for training. A beast cyclist friend of mine has offered to sell me his 44mm Boyd's for, I think he said $750? Or 650? 1 season used. If I can get new Flo's on sale for $650 I'll go that route.
This bike is the IA4 so not electronic shifting but is made to accommodate should I go that route in the future. I got about $1200 off the list price. This is the last year you can get the 4 with this quality carbon frame. This is the same quality carbon as all in the IA line except for the FRD. Next they will step the carbon down from one price point to the next.
It's interesting there's a built in bento box- but I'll have to keep my pb sandwiches elsewhere - too small for that. It's more of a gel compartment or bars only.
It comes with the Adamo Attack saddle - we'll see how that works out. Hopefully okay, I'll have to lick my wounds for a while before getting much more.
Everyone, and I mean everyone is telling me to get a power meter but I am tapped out and on ramen for the foreseeable future. Hahaha. I hope I can keep up with this thing. It's almost intimidating.

So the wheels they've got on this thing are Felt wheels, TR3 which apparently are nothing to sneeze at. A friend of mine who races just offered me his Boyds 44mm wheelset for $750 with one season of use. I don't know if this is a good deal because I don't know how much he used them - but I think every weekend would be about right, maybe a hair less. He is a big guy though so I don't know how much use I'd get out of them. (so ignorant on race wheels). I know Flo's go on sale and I could get some for $650 new if I hit it right.... I assume his are ceramic - to be used with ceramic brake pads, which I don't have. I'm not sure what to do. I'm still in shock for getting this. The weather has been garbage so I haven't even been able to get it outside yet. The one nice day we had I was flying all day. Vader is sitting right next to me on the trainer right now. hahaha. Hubby agreed Vader won't be hung in the garage ever - too paranoid of theft.

So, not much in the workout arena, must get on it. Cold and rainy - good day to swim. Hope all is well with everyone! (if anyone is left!)

Oh edit - I mentioned in a previous post the wheels my friend is offering are Reynolds - they are actually Boyds 44mm. My error.

Edited by aviatrix802 2015-10-29 8:27 AM

I keep forgetting to mention - awesome job on the HM!! I get the mental health hiatus.....my one week has kind of turned into 6 though..... Be wary of this! hahaha

The stock wheels from Felt I'm sure are fine, but for me personally...I'd want the race wheels for no other reason than looks. : )

I have a Flo 60/90 (60MM front, 90MM back). Some people will raise concerns about windy conditions being an issue. I have never had an issue with this depth at all. Although, I am heavier too though. I got my set for $600 (I think) but they were used. New, Flos are going to run more like $850-900.

Reynolds and Boyd's are both ok. I like Flo because they have an aluminum brake track, so I don't have to mess with carbon brake pads. It's not a huge deal to get different pads, but stopping on aluminum tracks is better. I think if you watch the ads on Slowtwitch and on BT you can get a set of Flo's in the $650 range. If it was me, I'm not sure I'd jump on the Boyd's only because they are 44MM instead of something deeper...but that's more preference than anything. I do think the Flo's are getting a little easier to buy new. To find a deal, you'll have a watch the ads like a hawk and be ready to pounce when you see one. But they are out there.

My "mental health" break has stretched into 2 weeks. I got sick and with the Royals in the playoffs/World Series again, it's made for many late nights. This team is always coming back late, so I've not been caught up on sleep. But this week I'll get back in the saddle. My wife wants to sign up for an early season 70.3 so I am thinking we're going to be heading to Galveston or New Orleans on April.

I will probably go with Flo's (no pun intended). I think my money may be better spent on a power meter right now going into winter. We'll see. Stages has them on sale for $450 which is fantastic. I'd like to get one crank so I can swap it between bikes, but now I've discovered the crank on my roadie is 172.5 and my tri bike is 170. I think I'll see about switching my tri to 172.5. Now I have to find a crank that will work on my tri bike with it's crazy frame. Where the cranks attach is very different from one bike to the other. I may just leave my speed and cadence sensors on my roadie and put the power meter on my tri bike and call it a day. It is what it is. We shall see.

Inaugural ride on Vader... holy smokes this will take some getting used to - such an aggressive position. Today I just rode in the neighborhood - there's a townhouse grouping nearby that is laid out in a circle so I just went and rode 5 miles worth of circles getting a feel for the bike and the "up-over-the-handlebars" feeling of this bike and shifting on the aerobars. Balance is huge I'm finding and if I even think about turning, the bike goes. It seems touchy but that's just because I'm so on top -or feeling in front - of the bike. I started to get the feeling of it but think I'll do the same thing again tomorrow before taking it out on the roads with traffic. Riding aggressive in aero makes me nervous on busy roads. I also need to get a flat kit for this bike. The bike shop gave me one when I bought the bike but it's generic so it would work on my roadie but the frame on the IA is too deep for the strap to fit around the seat post.
Such a head rush. I can't imagine ripping downhill in aero - that scares the hell out of me and clearly something I need to work on - and I like speed! hahaha
Also, it's a big sail with this deep of a frame. It will get interesting to ride this with any kind of wind....oooooo, new things to explore!

Hey! Road ID is having a big sale right now, up to 60% for the next 35 hours! I'm actually going to get id's for my boys to wear - at the very least they'll have our cell and home numbers (in case they forget them) attached to them and need to get in touch with us.

http://www.roadid.com/?referrer=8929&gclid=CjwKEAiA9uaxBRDYr4_hrtC3...

hopefully this link works if you're interested. I have the narrow band with my home #, hubby's cell #, sister's and brother's #'s on mine. I literally never take it off. It could be a good stocking stuffer for a kid?
Cheers!

Oh, a 2 week mental health break is nothing.....mine turned into 6 or 7...that's when the comeback gets rough... Ugh, how does one swim again??? hahaha

I saw the 920xt is on sale for $329!!! What is on the edge of being announced for the price to be so low???? Dang, I wish I had waited a year!

nothing. I think this is the normal 1 year price drop. I believe the net Gen of the XT will be in 2016, probably around Kona time would be my guess.

How's training going? We've got strep going through our house so nothing for me over the last 4 days.

IM Mont Tremblant.....August, 2016....

Did you sign up for that????? 140.6? whoa.

Hahaha, I was wondering what might get a response! There is a very real possibility this will happen. My sis-in-law wants me to do it with her and her cousin (he's done at least 3). They live in Park City and Colorado Springs respectively and we're trying to get me to go out there. I encouraged them to come down in altitude because it would kill me. So I mentioned IMMT. My sil has already created a very thorough training plan and just forwarded it to me. My husband has not given me the go-ahead, however...so I'm waiting on that..
I am nervous as all get out. I hadn't really planned on thinking about one until 2017, but my sil plans to start trying for their 2nd child next fall so it's 2016 or not at all - for a few years anyway. Ack!! I just have to hit the submit button..... It's very easy to convince myself I'm not ready for this. But I just need to be consistent, including in the off-season.

you should totally do it, if you can justify the training time. Someday I'll do one, but I'm going to wait a few years until my kids are a bit older. I've heard nothing but amazing things about Mont Tremblet and it would be cool to train with someone (even if it's remotely).

Here's what's happening out here. We're off the "mental break", however we deep into the winter training doldrums. Sporadic (at best) training sessions here and there. I am not too super concerned, because I know we'll get into the groove here pretty soon.

My wife wanted to do a 70.3 so we both are now signed up for HIM New Orleans. I did the course 2 years ago (my first 70.3). It's a mid-April race, so we'll have our butts in gear pretty soon. Then, we're scheduled for the Kansas City Olympic triathlon in May (horray for black friday sale). Tonight, I signed up for a 50 mile gravel bike race on Jan 31. I've never ridden a single yard on gravel, so this will be interesting. I have an older Redline Conquest CX bike with midge handlebars that I plan to use. I don't know what to expect but hopefully good training for triathlon.

Apart from that, we plan some smaller-sprint races later in the year and I'm waiting to see what I want to do. Wife is considering training for a marathon (neither of us have gone past 13.1) next year, so she's thinking of cutting down on tris a bit after May to focus on running. We'll see how that actually works out.

Tour of Sufferlandria starts on my birthday this year, and ends on Valentines day.. Whoo hoo! That will be a nice bike focus week right after my gravel adventure.

Tucked away in the back of my mind, I'm still considering Savageman in 2016. I just can't bring myself to sign up for it at my current weight. I'm considering hiring a nutritional coach. This is my big limiter in triathlon. It's frustrating because it's not complex, and I feel like there's nothing I don't know (in terms of what would be better choices). It's just a matter of imposing the self discipline to actually do it. That's all I've got for now. I'm going to go eat a cookie. : )

I haven't been posting much, mainly because things are sort of casual right now. I'm basically running 2-3x per week about 3-4 miles max and a couple bike trainer sessions mixed in. No plan, no schedule. But I DO see everything that gets posted. I'm starting to mess around with my training plans creator so we can begin to structure our workouts. It's coming.

I also have not ordered any gear, but I'm contemplating a power meter. I normally get a bonus each January (a substantial portion of my total comp) so I'm holding off until then. This is the time of year we're sort of gasping for air, because my bonus is upwards of 50% of my total pay, so it's a little tough when we get close, go through the holidays, etc, without actually getting it yet. Oh well, that's probably a bit more info than you asked for. ha ha. On that note, I'm also starting to think about a tri-bike for wife. I bought her Specialized Dolce for $400 on Craigslist when she first entered the sport and was not sure if she was committed. This will be her 3rd season and she deserves a nicer bike.

Oh yeah, she deserves another bike! That is always good motivation!

I would love to hire a coach and/or nutrition coach at some point (need a "fuller time" job for that). I think where the nutrition coach comes in handy is making sure you're balancing your micro-nutrients and macro-nutrients and making sure you're getting everything you need without getting excesses. It's such a crazy balance. I log my food on My Fitness Pal to kind of keep track of where I am. During race season I actually have to make sure I eat enough so I don't lose muscle. I don't mind losing to drop unneeded fat but just have to be careful to not cross that thin line of chewing on muscle - and I need all the muscle I can get. I am definitely better about it during the season then now in the off-season but I'm getting back on that wagon (especially since I've gained 5 pounds since my last race!) Doh...

As far as a regular coach, I'm really good at following a plan and doing what someone recommends; I often suck at motivating myself and holding myself accountable for workouts in the off-season. My sis-in-law created a plan this past weekend which started today to carry us through a month after IM Mont Tremblant (should we finalize doing it). I jumped right on the bandwagon today.....and did half of it. I got my 1000 yd swim in but not the 15 mile bike. It's 24 degrees here and I'm a wuss biking in the cold and just didn't have time for the trainer. I'll bike on the trainer at 06:00 tomorrow and run outside after the kids get on the bus. Holy smokes I'm out of swimming shape!! It's been a month since my last swim and wow, I could feel it. Painful - but good to see it and know I need to get back to it.

I still have to get my husband on board with me doing the IM, he's not psyched. It's going to be the last year his sister can do one for a while though (she and her hubby want to try for a second child next fall) so I'm hoping he will see that and understand.

We head to Park City for Christmas (yea!!) to hang with hubby's sister (the one I hope to race with). As soon as we get back we start another house project tearing our bedroom apart and the guest bathroom. Two weeks after that project starts I commence with teaching second semester at the college.....no pressure.... hahaha I can't wait to ski!!!

Sooooo.....did she ever get the bike?

Happy New Year!

Nope, no new bike yet.

Yesterday we started back up with our training plan for NOLA 70.3. 16 week plan. I've spent alot of time getting both of our training plans together. I'm using a combination of the customer training plan creators from BT (I have the paid subscription for that specific purpose) and the 70.3 plan offered by Trainer Road. TR's plan is an 8 week base, 8 week build and 8 week specialty. If you're good at math, you can see that this is 24 weeks....and we only have 16. So, at this point, I've just removed the base period and we're jumping straight into build! Yay!

Yesterday was our 20 minute Threshold test. After 1.5 months of eating, drinking and little activity, this really hurt. Wife and I both saw our FTP numbers come in WAY below where we ended the season. She was especially discouraged. But, I know it will come back. I think that bike fitness recovers pretty quickly. Needless to say, we're back in the saddle and things are suddenly very serious, very quickly.

I made the decision to hire a "coach". She's actually a nutritional coach. It will start with a video chat and then about 4 weeks of analysis and recommendations. I'm pretty excited about this, as I really hope she can help me get through this self-limiter I feel that I have. I constantly think that being 20 pounds lighter would drastically improve my performance. The problem is that the same has been true for 3 years and I've not effectively addressed it. We'll see how it goes. I plan to report back here. Right now I'm just doing it, but Jamie will be watching behind the scenes and we'll implement some best practices together. Here's the coach's website: http://www.trimarnicoach.com/


Regarding the bike: wife doesn't seem too interested in one yet. I want to get her a tri bike and since she's making the jump to 70.3, think she'd benefit. It's not currently in the budget, but that could change. I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for a deal.

She's is interested, however, in getting some aero bars. Mainly she wants them because she sees me "lying down and resting" while riding my bike on the trainer and wants to do that too. Ha!

I was searching the forum for a post related to my calf cramps (they're back again!) and came across this....ha ha....I just bought my first pair of Glycerin 12's for $69 on STP!

Nice!!! I'm almost due for a pair...may have to look into it!!

I forgot to mention they just opened a STP here!!!! So excellent!! If they don't have it in store at least I can always get free shipping to the store for pickup.

Slowly getting in the groove again, 2 bikes and 2 swims so far this week. I'm pretty happy with that as we have house renovations going on. Hoping to get another swim, bike and a run or two going by Sunday.

How goes the training?
I've been trying to keep at least 6 workouts in a week - doing okay now with that despite a house renovation project and the class I teach started up yesterday. I can't seem to get myself to do my PT on a consistent basis. I don't know why that is. I don't watch tv or I would do it then. With kids' sports going on during the week we wrap things up late and I'm whipped. I know the answer is to get up early and knock it out like I would any other workout. I just need to get on the horse with this and be more disciplined.

It's going pretty well. We have a plan and we're implementing it. We're now in week 3. It's a "recovery" week, (just due to the way the weeks fell). We are on a plan that goes 3 weeks build, 1 recovery. I've used the custom plan creator from this site and have replaced the bike portions with a training plan from trainer road. Right now, we're in "build" phase. Because we got so fat and lazy, but had enough ambition to sign up for an April race, we've basically skipped the 8 week "Base" phase. We're right into build before going into the specialty phase.

I know what you mean about sports. I coach my son's soccer team and we're in winter soccer now. My daughter is 5 and is going to play in the Spring. I'll probably coach her too. I'm trying to figure out a plan for some strength training for the evenings. we'd have to give up some of our 1-hour quiet time together a bit. We'll see if we can get around to it. I guess that's kind of like your PT....after normal workouts that are structured...it's tough to get the ambition to do "extra".

I just signed up for IMMT... I'm a wreck.