kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! (Page 21)

I like to take advantage of the down hills, but beleive it or not, if you are not careful running downhill can cause some serious knee issues.  Usually caused by over striding and the additional pounding from the impact.  So to answer your question, take advantage of the hills but don' over do it by over striding.

As far as lengthening your stride, I am not a huge fan of messing with your natural gait, unless it is causing you recurring injuries.  Your foot, whether you are a heel or toe striker should land fairly centered under your body.  Doing some strides (accelerated pace) for 50 meters over time will lengthen your stride because you are running faster.  I would also suggest some high knee and butt kick drills to emphasize the full running movement.  But, unless you are doing the shuffle, miles and miles and more miles is the biggest tool for improving your run. 

One other comment, I find that if I have been spending too much time on the treadmill, I do tend to shrink my stride some.  Without thinking about it, it returns to normal after a couple of outside runs.  Which is why I try and get outside at least once every week if I can during the winter.

I hope you are able to do the inside tri!!!

I finally got a proper bike fitting today at our local bike shop.  A new saddle, stem and  handlebars and a bit more $$ than I had planned...should be good to go.  The new position feels a bit akward because it's new, but definitely more comfortable.  If weather holds, I'll give it a try tomorrow on the trail...can't wait!

Good job getting the fitting done, was this on a road bike or a tri bike?  What seat did you wind up with? I need to replace mine and although it has been an ok seat, I was never in love with it.

Great job Lewis!  Too bad about the weather, but unfortunately that is the one thing we cant control!  Your description of the swim sounds exciting!  Great pace for the bike and especially the run in those conditions!  Transitions are something that we all need to practice, but the key is to remember that it is rest time!

The pictures in your race report came out great!!

Thanks for sharing! Congratulations!

I am looking forward hearing about your marathon training and how that journey goes for you!  I am a fan of the longer races both in running and tri's!  Do you have a training plan you are going to use? 

I have heard good things about that saddle!  I am just finishing the first of at least 8 months of 500 miles plus, so I am more than willing to spend for comfort!! Thanks for the feed back!

I use the Look Keo's.  They are probably the most common and they come in several levels (made with different materials).  The cleats and the pedals come as a set.  I don't know of any tri specific vs road specific bike cleats.  The cleats should last a while as long as you don't do a lot of walking around in your bike shoes, but you can replace just the cleats. 

I can't answer the question on spin class bikes, I haven't tried spinning yet!

Congrats Lewis!!  Great job! 

I use Speedplay cleats with Bontrager shoes.  It's the first and only pair I've owned so I can't really compare them to any others, but I really like them.

Kenj...I ended up getting a Sele Italia split saddle for my road bike.  My bike fitting was also on a road bike not a TT bike.

I save the e-mails of my favorite workouts that BT sends me.  I dug this little gem up today to get some hill work!  Give it a try if your up to the distance, or abreviate it if you aren't quite there yet!  You wont get bored!

TREADMILL:
1 - Start well below LT and gradually build speed over 1 mile to slightly under LT (grade 1%).
2 - Next mile stay at same pace and grade.
3 - Next 2 miles, maintain speed:
- 2/10 mile @ 5%
- 2/10 mile @ flat
- 2/10 mile @ 4%
- 2/10 mile @ flat, etc
- on down to 2/10 mile @ 1% & 2/10 mile @ flat. 4 - Next mile, decrease speed by .5 mph and alternate between 3% and flat by 1/10 mile.
5 - Last mile gradually decrease speed on flat.

*Concentrate on turnover - when it gets tough due to increased grade, faster turnover, not longer strides.

bswcpa - 2010-03-29 6:13 AM Travel time is always something to consider, Doug. Way to fit in a nice brick workout, though. The pump at my Y pool broke last week so they had to drain the water and are hoping to get it fixed this week. Ugh. Some things you just can't control when you set your plan for training. I'm on the bike and running this week. The weather is supposed to be in the 70s so I'm not gonna complain. Did my first competitve 5K on Saturday and set a PR. It was a beautiful, crisp morning and there were about 700 folks running and walking. Came in first in the old ladies age group. Woot woot!!

Congratulations on the PR and first in age group! Your hard work is paying off!  I am sure it was the middle aged ladies group!

My first bike (since I was a kid) is a roadie.  I put aero bars on it for my first season of tri's.  It does take some getting used to and if you have a chance to get some help getting it properly fitted, your back will thank you!  I can't recall the name of the bike shop in Buffalo that has a great reputation for fitting, but if you want it I have a friend that got fitted there!

Nice work Ryan!

In this case, I believe Ryan is referring to his bike being a road bike rather than a tri specific bike.  But the term roadie can also be used to describe folks that only race or ride bikes.