Disturbed275's Mentor Group - CLOSED! (Page 23)

Found this one in the stats section . . .

Lori nailed it.  Keep at the hills, the more you climb them the better you will get at them.

I have ridden off and on with my friend Susan for the past 4 years.  She did the century ride with me last month and commented that I was starting to "pop right up the hills" now which is a huge improvement.  Comes from riding them. 

Running hills is pretty much the same thing.  Lean into the hill on the way up. Watch your footing, I tend to make smaller steps on th eway up and open up on the way down with a lean back going down.

Actually I've been known to PR at Bar Run!  Most of my friends are way faster than I am, so when they get drunk they forget to slow down for me, and I run with them trying to keep up for dear life for fear of getting lost if I get dropped.  I didn't have my Garmin with me, but several people told me I was holding an 8:30 pace or faster (I usually run 9-10 min pace), for most of the run, and we sped up toward the then end!  So I PR and negative split at Bar Run, haha. 


Regarding hills, thanks for the advice, all.  I've been obsessed about hill training since my marathon and have been riding/running them whenever I can!  Good to know I'm on the right track

Thanks for the comments on hills  . . . did another hill ride tonight.  Definitely did much better than last week, but I knew where I was going and was much more strategic about doing up and down.

Another question . . . first tri in less than 2 weeks. Doing a sprint.  I expect that swim will take me around 20 minutes or less (depending on shoulder).  Any thoughts on whether you would use a wetsuit?  Is it too short to bother, or work on the transition and don't worry about the time to get it off . . the benefits far outweigh the costs? 

Actually 1 more question on the hills, is it OK to ride them 2x per week?  How often is too often to the extent that you can't recover quick enough or you are doing more harm than good?

This is always a good debate.  This is how I decide.  I believe I am about 5s faster per 100yds with a wetsuit than without based on previous race data.  I stress believe since haven't taken the time to prove that.  I do know that taking the wetsuit off takes me about 15-20s tops, sometimes faster.  So as long as the swim is 400yds I'll wear one.

You do need to practice getting the wetsuit off to make it worthwhile.  If you can get the removal speed down there's no reason not to wear one.

One other factor to consider is water temp.  Cold water, definitely wear one.

I think 2x a week would be a good start to see how you handle them.  If you feel you aren't recovering adequately then back off a little.  With any luck, they'll start to seem easier after a couple of weeks and you can add in even more hills if you want

I suck on the hills, too, but second everyone's opinion.  The past two years when training for America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride (around Lake Tahoe and very hilly) I would do hill repeats on a very steep hill once a week.  This year I am not doing that ride and haven't trained on hills specifically and can definitely tell the difference.  I've also done hill repeats in running before when training for hilly marathons.  They really do help.

Just a few last minute questions before my HIM:

So whats everybody's opinion about a hydration belt during a HIM run. Do you use it or no? HIM Kansas is suppose to have ad stations about every mile on the run, so I was questioning whether I should carry that extra weight. I will use my own gels though.

Also how do you transport your wetsuit in your vehicle? I am going to be driving a Toyota Camry an there will be four people in it. I was just planning on putting inside a plastic bag and then folding it in half in the trunk. Will this work? It had better because its the only option I got.

Thanks.

For me, I get cold pretty easily, so I will almost always wear a wetsuit unless the water is like 70 degrees. 

I hear you on not wanting to carry the witght of the water bottles, it's a royal pain in th e butt.....However, I have been at several races where the aid stations were NOT where they said and you may want it.  Think it's an individual decision.  Have you looked at any old RR's from other years races to see if the aid stations were as advertised?

Think the wetsuit is okay, though I am not sure you want a wet/ damp wetsuit in a plastic bag for any length of time going home.  how long is the drive?

I haven't done my him yet, but I'm not planning on bringing a hydration belt, just my gels in my race/spi belt and use the aid stations they have.

Regarding my wetsuit, I usually just have it folded up and in my transition bag with all the rest of my gear.  I do have a plastic bag that I keep it in, even though my transition bag has a separate compartment for my wetsuit, just so that it doesn't dirty up the inside of the bag.

My wetsuit has generally been ok being wet in the bag after my open water swims; sometimes it's in there for about an hour or two if I go out for food with my tri club after our group swims.  When I get home, I just take it in the shower with me to wash it off then hang it in there when I'm done showering... Though usually for a race, I will hang it on the rack in transition where my bike was so that it's dry by the end of the race. 

I am a slow runner so need the extra hydration.  Maybe consider a race belt that holds you gels gels and run carrying one of the hydration belt bottles.  You can refill at stations if you need it and they are pretty comfortable and light to carry.  If you run pretty fast you many not need to carry any hydration . . .  You can always toss the bottle if you find you don't need it, they are pretty inexpensive to replace.

hydration belt - Unless you need a specific sports drink due to stomach incompatibility I don't think it's worth the extra hassle.  Like Judi said, just make sure the aid stations will carry what they claim too so you can live off them.  With yours being an IM branded event I would assume that won't be a problem.

Wetsuit - a plastic bag is fine.  With any luck it will be mostly dry by the end of the race.  A few hours in the bag in the trunk of the car should be fine.  I left mine overnight in my transition bag once after a race accidentally and it was fine.

Just started my month-long slow taper for my first HIM myself.  I will be wearing my Fuel Belt on the run as I tend to have GI issues.  Puked several times during my last half-marathon and don't care to repeat the experience.

I just put my wetsuit in a large tote with my other swim gear.  I figure it's not in there long enough to cause any real damage.

 

Neal - If you are going to change your picture for one like that, at least show you butt!!!

Brick question:

If my body (knee) can only handle 2 runs per week right now and one is likely always going to be on the weekend what would you do during the week:

-  bike/run brick on Tuesday night (bike is hills, run is flat)

or

-  swim/run brick on Wednesdays (swim is open water/run is hilly)

Or do both and change it up from week to week?  What should I do before my sprint tri next weekend the 13th?

Ha! Notice how the picture is strategically cropped just below my lack of an a$$.  Darn challenge forum and penalty avatars!

Have you done any bike/run bricks before?  If not, try and get an easy one in this weekend to see what it feels like.

If you have done a bike/run brick in the past and have a good idea what your legs will feel like in a tri run then I would opt for the swim/run because your knee will appreciate it more and you'll need less recovery time.

Also, if you struggle with the bike/run brick then I would focus on incorporating a few more of those into training so you can get used to running on tired legs.  The downside is these workouts are usually more taxing and require a little more recovery.  The only bike/run bricks I do are races unless I'm really strapped for time.

Swim/run or swim/bike bricks are far easier as long as you stay fueled from one sport to the next so your performance doesn't suffer.  You want to make sure both workouts are quality.  I usually do a couple of these a week (if you a commute home from the pool as a transition) due to time constraints and for the most part don't see any ill effects in the 2nd workout.

I did a few bike/run bricks back when I was inside . . . felt like running with cement blocks.

I will do the bike run brick next Tuesday night.  I have a 5K on Saturday and that is going to be my 3rd run this week and my knees are already screaming at me (even with ice).

Another wetsuit question:

Did our first OWS last night and the water was very warm (75 degrees) and I was too warm in my full wetsuit.  However, I was about 2-3 minutes faster in a 1/2 mile than I was last year (party because of better technique, probably mostly because of kicking).  Given that wetsuits offer that extra speed, would you recommend a sleeveless or a speedsuit?  Will the sleeveless leave me a little cooler than the full?  Will I need to expend more effort in the speedsuit because of less buoyancy?

Carrie,
I use a sleeveless.  I prefer the fit over a full one.....but since I live in VA where I only have a couple of wetsuit legal races at most per season it isn't worth it to me to use a full.  I used my sleeveless last summer in Cayuga with water temp around 74 deg. It was fine.    They are a bit easier to get on and off too . 

I have never worn a full sleeved neoprene to swim in, only to try on at the store so I don't know if you are losing that much in bouyancy.  My guess is no,  since the trunk of the body is what tends to drop on most swimmers and your full trunk is still in neoprene.