Boston Beginner's Group, Season 2 - CLOSED (Page 22)

Good luck tomorrow.  Make sure you get some sleep tonight.

Good Morning.  I hope everyone had a productive weekend.  

I don't know if it's the time of year or everyone's schedule, but it's been really slow around here (on the board here, not in activity level).  Is it time to shut it down or do we still want to keep it going?  I would like to keep it going as long as everyone wants, even past the July time frame, but if we aren't getting the participation, then I don't want people to feel they need to participate.  I would imagine now that everyone is well into race season, more questions and concern would have come up, but maybe we answered them all already

Either way, just chime in and let us know you thoughts.   

Thanks.

I agree with you it has been quiet around here but I have not been able to sit by the computor much more than login my workouts lately. Not because I don't like group just a littel busy right now. I should be more "free" after the 4th of July.
I got a question for the longer distance events. How much fluids are you normally carrying for the longer rides on the bike?? I was looking to switch from my two 24 oz bottles to two 48 oz bottls but couldn't find any,YET. I have been using 1qt poland springs bottles for now but I'm going though those with the heat on my two hr rides. Just wondering where to get more H2O on the bike to be ready for the run??
That's my best effort at getting group going right now I hope everyone is going strong.

I have an aero bottle, which is 22 ounces, then I have 3 cages.  I use them all.  I take money and stop if I need more.  I usually fill 2 bottles with Gatorade and 2 with water.   I also usually freeze a couple of them so they will be cold for most of the ride, especially in the summer.

Good Morning.  I hope everyone had a productive weekend.  

I don't know if it's the time of year or everyone's schedule, but it's been really slow around here (on the board here, not in activity level).  Is it time to shut it down or do we still want to keep it going?  I would like to keep it going as long as everyone wants, even past the July time frame, but if we aren't getting the participation, then I don't want people to feel they need to participate.  I would imagine now that everyone is well into race season, more questions and concern would have come up, but maybe we answered them all already

Either way, just chime in and let us know you thoughts.   

Thanks.

I'm just new at the whole group forum thing and maybe a bit shy.  I will try harder to ask more questions now that I am back to the world of the connected...(holidays with no internet access - it was almost weird being so unplugged!)

Stac

Kate, have you had a change in seat position? Something as simple as raising or lowering your saddle height can cause that. Any change in position including adding aero bars etc is something to look into. Also, how old is your saddle? It might have lost what it had for cushion.  Last but not least, are your shoes too tight? Sounds simple, but I love my shoes tight so they are as one as they can be with the pedals. I have overtightened them in the past, so try that too.

Scott, on the water, I love my aero bottle, and will take 2 24 oz bottles on longer rides. I have stopped at McDs' etc for water when needed. Also bring that cash for more Gatorade while on the road. For races, bottle exchanges are available on the long ones more often than not. Even Cranberry has a bottle exchange on the oly.

Side note, it is getting hot out there now. If you have not experimented with salt tablets, think about it. I am not talking about them for 1 hour workouts in the heat, but if your gear turns white while on a workout, it might be an issue. I started taking them at work because I work outside in the heat for 8 hours a day. My shirts are dark green with large white lines after I am finished. I tribute the salt tabs for allowing me to keep up my energy and keep my appetite when I workout, where as my coworkers are dragging butt after the day is 1/2 over.

First, you are making huge strides in your first year and putting all of us "veterans" to shame.  

Picking an IM is difficult, at least here it is because they sell out so fast.  Here is my 2 cents on IMs and longer races in general.  Although it is awesome to have your family there to support you, remember they are the ones that have to hang around all day and wait for you.  I have taken my family (wife and 2 young kids) to Florida and California for my 2 HIMs.  Florida we had my parents and brother there and CA we had my BIL/SIL and good friends there to help out.  With all that help, it still adds stress.  Now if you don't have any kids, then go for it.  We aren't taking the kids to Arizona for IM.  It's too much on everyone.

I will stop my babbling now.   I would love to see the elevation for Switzerland.  When do you have to decide by? 

Uncomfortable for a couple of days until you get used to the seat - yes, but obvious pain -NO.  Go to the LBS and get it checked out.  They should let you try out a couple of saddles to get used to.  I am not sure about the feet.  Are you shoes to tight?  They should have some answers on that as well.  Let us know how it goes.

First, you are making huge strides in your first year and putting all of us "veterans" to shame.  

Picking an IM is difficult, at least here it is because they sell out so fast.  Here is my 2 cents on IMs and longer races in general.  Although it is awesome to have your family there to support you, remember they are the ones that have to hang around all day and wait for you.  I have taken my family (wife and 2 young kids) to Florida and California for my 2 HIMs.  Florida we had my parents and brother there and CA we had my BIL/SIL and good friends there to help out.  With all that help, it still adds stress.  Now if you don't have any kids, then go for it.  We aren't taking the kids to Arizona for IM.  It's too much on everyone.

I will stop my babbling now.   I would love to see the elevation for Switzerland.  When do you have to decide by? 

Let me start by saying I am not a masters swimmer. I have picked up this info along the way. The idea of doing the shorter sets in swimming is like a marathon runner doing 5k intervals +/-.  Depending on how the workout is structured, it can be to work on keeping the pace strong at the end of a workout. This is done when the times keep getting shorter as the set progresses. The idea is it will help you find a starting pace that is slow enough that you can keep getting faster as the workout progresses. In a race, this helps you find a grove that works but you will not be gassed at the end.

Other sets are giving you a pace to maintain that have the short rest breaks in them to allow you just enough rest to maintain form, but train faster than you normally would.

Now for my opinion. Nothing is swimming is more important than consistent training with the best form that you can have. Masters is great for working on tempo and building a ton of swimming fitness. From what I have seen, I think it is more important to get your stroke analyzed by a swim coach on video, under water is even better. Masters coaches can help with this, but they have a bunch of people they are working with and from what I have heard, stoke analysis from the pool deck is only about 1/2 of the stoke to be seen. Consider seeking out a tri swim instructor and have your stoke looked at. If not, grab a total immersion video or book. I have worked on a few things from a T1 book and it helped me a bunch.

Good luck, and let us know if any of this helped.

I am by no means a swimming expert as well, but here is my experience.  

I swam a bit in high school.  Not much, maybe 2 years.   Until 2008, I hadn't swam in 20 years.  So that's my back ground.  When I started, I just swam as much as I could, as long as I could, which wasn't much.  I just wanted to build up my base.  I ended up doing 100' and 200's intervals, because I had to stop to catch my breath.  Last year and into this year, I started following the plan more to do the intervals and the speed work outs and the drills, and the distance workouts.  I do all the 10 x 100, etc because, one, it splits up the workouts, and 2, it seems to be helping.  I don't know why.

I did a set of 500 last night at 8:45, which is 1:45/100 for all you mathematically challenged out there.  I was consistently doing around 2:05-2:10 for anything over 300 last year.  I believe the reason for this improvement is the time in the water and the fact that I have been doing all the drills and speed workouts.  

Give it try for a couple of weeks.  It's not going to hurt.  If you see an improvement, then keep doing it.  Let us know how it goes.