Gray Guys/Girls Master's Focus Triathlon Mentor Group--Now Open (Page 25)

My "one thing" is just to try to stay active and healthy.  I have too many family members who have health issues that I don't want to have to deal with, or at least put off as long as possible.  My BIL just had a heart attack this week.  He's fine - they had to put in a stent - but he's finally realizing that he's going to have to make a lifestyle change.  Kind of a wake-up call for him.

OWS this morning - water temp was 85* - almost too warm.  Don't know how people can swim in that with a wetsuit on, but a few did.  And we're getting a bit of a relief from the heat this weekend.  Highs near 90 but the humidity has dropped noticeably.  Makes it a little easier to breathe when you're outside. 

I had a new chain put on my bike yesterday.  Going to take her out for a short test ride tonight then planning to do about 40 miles tomorrow morning.  I'd like to add on a 4 mile run afterwards but we'll have to see how the ride goes and how the leg/foot is feeling.  Seems to be doing OK - did a 3 mile run yesterday morning with only a few twinges. 

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers here!  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Janet

Hey Chris,

Generally speaking, your long ride day will be similar to a long run in that it is an easy aerobic pace - Z2 (the exception MIGHT be when you begin getting closer to race day - see below).  I like to include what I call "cycling fartleks" on my long rides.  Every now and again, with no particular schedule, I will throw in a 45-60 second hard effort, maybe a high Z4, low Z5 type of effort, then back down to an EZ spin for a minute to recover, then resume my steady Z2 ride.  Much like a run fartlek, I just randomly through those in when the notion strikes.  Not a lot, no more than a couple an hour, but just enough to break up the ride a little bit.

If you are pressed for time you can mix up Z2 and Z3 tempo efforts.  A good many people say you should never train in Z3, that isn't true for cycling as there is quite a lot of benefit to Z3 training on the bike. By raising the intensity just a little bit in to Z3 you are increasing the amount of aerobic endurance work you are doing while also beginning to do some muscular endurance work.  If you don't have 2-3 hours for a long Z2 ride, a 90-mintue Z2/Z3 ride can accomplish nearly the same training load in the shorter time.  You don't want to do that every time, but a good alternative if needed on occasion.

Remember also, as you get deeper into your training cycle, or stated another way, as you get closer to your 'A' race; you want your training to look more and more like your race day.  That means your long ride should increasingly take on the characteristic of the ride you will do on race day.  If your race is a sprint, you ride might be an hour at high Z4, low Z5 - race pace; on the other hand if your race is a 70.3, your long ride won't be as long as the race-day ride, maybe two-hours, and pace would be around 75-80% FTP or maybe high Z3 effort - again, race pace.  That's a wordy way of saying your long ride will change as the season progresses.

I'm going to go get some popcorn popping while I answer this one.  In the general forum, this question would stir up the pot and might be worth just sitting back and watching!  I don't expect it to get that contentious here, but I do know we have some differing opinions even here in our little group.

There are a couple of schools of thought and MANY different methods.  Personally, I also have baby feet, and find it hard enough to get from the water to my T1 position.  I use Pearl Izumi Elite Road cycling shoes on the bike - they have one Velcro closure on the bottom and a reel ratchet on the top.  I put them on in T1 and run in my cycling shoes to where I mount the bike.  I DO NOT do the flying mount that so many like to do.  For me, I feel I get more power to the pedals with true cycling shoes and that offsets the few seconds I might have saved using tri-shoes.  Also, again, my personal opinion/feeling, I think the speed advantage of the flying mount does not outweigh the risk nor having to run barefoot.  When I get to dismount, I run in my cycling shoes to T2, the reel ratchet system releases and I am out of the shoes as quickly as any tri-shoe - and I didn't have to run barefoot.  I don't wear socks for any distance in either my cycling or running shoes.  As to the cleats holding up, I check them, regularly and replace them pretty much every six months or so.  I don't think I've ever let them get to where they were worn to the point that wear could become a problem.  That's one of those things, they're inexpensive enough, I just routinely replace them.

This is all very much a matter of personal preference.  Just because you see the pros doing a flying mount on Ironman broadcasts doesn't mean you have to do one.  Indeed, hang out around the T1 exit long enough and you will see firsthand what happens when the flying mount goes wrong.  As to shoes - go with what works for you.  If/when the day comes that you are in contention for a podium finish, this might be an area you re-visit looking for additional time savings.  For now, go with what you are comfortable with and what works for you.

Chris - I switched to clipless pedals and shoes about 6 months ago.  My shoes are Louis Garneau but similar to Scott's with the one velcro strip and the reel ratchet.  Very easy and quick to get in and out of.  I also run thru transition in my shoes which hasn't been a problem.  It felt a little awkward at first, but I've gotten used to it.  I think I'm about at the point where I need to replace my cleats though - the right one is starting to get a little hung up when I try to unclip.  I should have gotten some when I was at the LBS this weekend getting my chain replaced - didn't think about it at the time.  

Speaking of chain replacement - I should have done that before now I think.  I've had the bike for almost 7 years and even though I don't ride a lot, it made a huge difference.  I did 39 miles yesterday (1 mile short of my goal, but still a good ride) and my pedal stroke and gear changes felt so much smoother.  It's amazing how much better the ride can be when you have a well-maintained bike.  

Janet

A couple quick questions to get everyone thinking.

By now everyone is likely deep into a training routine.  Some have an actual plan, others are forming the plan as they go.  I'm curious how your training ratio works out.  There are many variables but the typical training plan has roughly a 1:2:1 swim/bike/run ratio.  Meaning 25% of training time is swimming, 50% is cycling, and 25% is running.  Obviously that may be slightly different for those of us that are run challenged or maybe you're swim or cycling challenged and your training reflects that.  Care to share what your ratio is and why?

Next question -

Do you know how many disciplines there are in triathlon?

Obviously there's swim, bike, and run.  Are there others?  I submit there are 7-areas that we should be training for, or at least paying attention to:

1. Swim
2. Bike
3. Run
4. Transition
5. Nutrition/Hydration
6. Mental
7. Race Day Plan

Of those, I would put mental as the single most important.  If you have been an athlete for any period of time, I can guarantee that your mind has held you back at some point.  I regularly say that sport is 90% mental, 10% physical.  Are you paying attention to the 90%?  Next most important is having a race day plan.  This isn't so much something you train for as the culmination of all that you have trained for.  Contrary to popular belief, a successful triathlon is not about your fitness!  A successful triathlon is about executing your race day plan utilizing whatever level of fitness you bring on race day.  For longer distance races, and sometimes even shorter races, the race course is littered with the bodies of very fit individuals that could not execute a race day plan.  Have you thought about YOUR race day plan?  If you are going long, meaning Ironman or Half-Ironman, nutrition/hydration can be critically important.  Indeed, nutrition can bring a race to a rapid, difficult, and maybe painful end - are you giving adequate thought to your race nutrition needs?  Hydration is important; even more so as temperature and humidity go up.  What about electrolytes?  Have you considered you may need to supplement sodium? Especially on hot/humid days when your sweat rate goes up.  Transition is the "forgotten" discipline.  Sadly very few age-group triathletes practice transitions.  Yet, if you look at times, people spend huge amounts of time in transition.  There's free time to easily be had simply by practicing your transitions.  It's easy to do.  Set-up your transition area, run in to T1 from your "swim," exit T1 on your bike, "ride" back in to T2, and then run out.  With a small investment of time, you can lower your triathlon time significantly.  S/B/R training goes without saying, that goes back to my earlier question about your training balance.

Happy training everyone!  With just a little bit of thought and additional work, we can all take our next triathlon to a new level!

My ratios for the month of June so far are pretty close to the 1:2:1 - 20% swim, 53% bike, 27% run.  I've been focusing more on the bike and slacking on the swim a little (obvious from my slow workout at the pool this morning).  With my HIM coming up, I know I can do the swim but the bike still worries me a little since I've not yet done the complete distance.  I really think I'll be OK - barring any extreme weather that day - but that's why I've been spending more time on the bike.  

As for your other question - transition and nutrition/hydration are the 2 I've been thinking about a lot lately.  My tri club had a transition clinic last week that I went to so I could try to get some tips to make mine faster.  I'm not overly slow, but I know I'm losing some time there.  Bill actually does practice transitions and he's pretty quick - had some good advice for us.  For nutrition/hydration - since I've mostly done just short races, this is something I'm just starting to try to work out.  I've been experimenting with Gatorade, chews, gels, and peanut butter M&M's (I know, it's strange, but it seems to work pretty well for me ).  I have wondered about adding a little extra salt to the Gatorade for days when it's really hot, but haven't tried it yet.  I'm not a salt person in general so don't know if that would work for me.  

Going to be volunteering at a race tomorrow morning, then a ride/run on Sunday before the tri club picnic.  Have a great weekend all!
Janet

Hey Janet,

A couple things to think about with regard to nutrition/hydration.

You have a few choices with regard to nutrition.  You can "live off the course," meaning you take all of your nutrition from what is available at the aide stations.  Or you can be completely "self-sufficient" meaning you carry everything you need with you.  Or finally, you do a combination of the two.  First thing you might consider doing is find out what they are going to have available on the course.  That should be in the athlete information on the race website.  If not, you can send an email to the RD and simply ask.  Once you know what will be on course, I strongly suggest you acquire some of that product and use it to verify you can tolerate it.  I don't mean use it in your living room.  I mean use it during a long training to make sure you will tolerate it when your core temp is up and your strenuously exercising as you would be on race day.  If you can live off the course, obviously you may not need to carry as much with you, making your load a bit lighter.  The argument for being completely self-sufficient is if you prefer using a custom blend sports drink, or have particular calorie sources you utilize that would not be available on course.  Using a combination of the two obviously means you are carrying some of your own nutrition but also using some of what is on course.  Personally, I do a combination.  I use a custom blend sports drinks and additionally carry sufficient gels for the duration of the race.  I top off water as needed from what's available on course.  Another thing I do is carry some solid food.  If all you are taking in is sports drink, gels, M&M's, chews, etc. you are going to be sick of anything sweet.  On the bike you can take in easy to digest solid food and for me, it makes all the difference.  For IM distance, I have two PB&J sandwiches that I have quartered.  They're in the bento on my top tube so I can easily get to them.  I eat one in the second hour on the bike and one the fourth hour by taking in one quarter at at time every 15-minutes or so.  Obviously for a HIM you may need to alter that a little bit.  If you choose to take solid food on-course, make sure you verify in training that your GI tract can handle solid food on the bike!

You mentioned about salt.  I don't use salt supplements per se because I have sodium in my custom blend sports drink.  READ THE LABELS of whatever you are planning to use.  If you are a heavy sweater or if your hat/shirt etc. has white salt crust after a long run or ride, you may need to supplement your salt intake. As a general rule of thumb, if you can play tic-tac-toe in the salt residue on your arm, you need some salt.  If you are running/cycling for more than ~5-6 hours you should consider salt intake.  Salt intake on course can be in the form of pretzels or salted potato chips from aid stations, salt tablets, or sports drink, to name a few.  Here's a couple links to answer some questions on salt and electrolyte supplementation -

http://www.runnersworld.com/nutrition/pass-the-salt     http://womensrunning.competitor.com/2015/06/nutrition/whats-the-deal-with-salt-supplementation_42775

One thing to remember, there is NO GUARANTEE that expected nutrition/hydration will be available on course.  Last August at Ironman Coeur d'Alene it was brutally hot with temperatures several degrees above what was predicted.  The aide stations began running out of water early in the day.  While the race promoters diligently tried to replace water supplies, the simply reality was a severe shortage of water for anyone running over about a 3:30 marathon pace.  Not trying to frighten you - just saying, you need to make sure you have a nutrition/hydration plan that will adapt for ANY eventuality.

Whatever you choose to do nutritionally, make sure you test it in training.  Remember the adage - "Nothing new on race day."  The time to find out that a particular gel causes GI distress is not 5-miles in to the run on race day!

As a general rule you want to target between 200-300 calories per hour.  You should check your sweat rate prior to the race and use that as a hydration guide.  I encourage athletes to take in a gel pack as soon as they get to T1 along with a drink of their sports drink/water.  You will be at a caloric deficit and slightly dehydrated coming out of the water, especially following a HIM swim.  The sooner you can get calories and fluid into your system the sooner you will begin to get ahead of the nutrition/hydration curve.

Hope that helps a little bit!  Let me know if you have any questions I can help you with.

Wow!!!  Time flies when you're having fun!

Another weekend is here.  I know of at least one person racing this weekend.  What's everyone have on their schedule?

Long ride for me tomorrow.  We're in the middle of a heat wave with temps well over 100.  Tomorrow is suppose to be a few degrees cooler.  A friend and I are heading for the beach where it will be cooler and the sight of the ocean just makes it feel cooler!

Tomorrow is an easy 70km/ 42mi bike ride and the temps in the morning should be 15C/ 59F and hopefully sunny so should be a good ride.  Sunday is a 90 minute run and then I get a rest day.

In two weeks I have a GranFondo ride.  I'm doing the Velocefondo distance 126km/ 78mi.

Scott - According to the website, Ohio is going to have Gatorade Endurance on the course.  I've been using regular Gatorade, which I know works for me, but haven't tried the Endurance formula yet.  I haven't been able to find it locally so I may order some online so I can try it out.  I think it's similar to the regular stuff, just has more sodium and potassium in it.  I'm hoping to do a combination thing - have my own but supplement/refill with what's on the course.  However, I will have a backup plan in case I need it.  I learned that the hard way at the St Louis Tri - those of us who were very BOP had no water on the run course.  

The M&M's that I've been using work well (meaning they don't upset my stomach) but they're not really for nutrition purposes - it's more to keep my stomach from growling, which probably means I need to take in something more than I have been.  I may try the PBJ - I know someone else who does that and it works well for them too.  I've got about 8 more weeks to get this figured out.  

Janet

Hey Chris,

Here's an Amazon link that shows several different options to carry nutrition on the bike.  These bags attach to the top tube and are easily accessible.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dkitchen&field-keywords=xlab+rocket+pocket&rh=i%3Akitchen%2Ck%3Axlab+rocket+pocket&ajr=0

Well - howdy all.  It's been a while since my last post, but I'm finally back to the tri's.  Once I finished the long bike race at the end of May, I've been out of town working on a house remodel.  I finally got home last week and it's taken some time to get back to my routine. 

I swam yesterday and felt like absolute crap ... first swim in a couple of months. But I still insisted on getting some swim time in.  It'll take a bit for me to catch up on all the posts, but from the looks of the group - everyone's still working hard.

Ciao ... Dorm

Deb,

As usual, I enjoyed reading your race report.  Sounds like you are making some good progress!  It occurs to me that as we get older we are suppose to get slower.  You are proving that paradigm isn't always true!  Good job!  Keep doing whatever you are doing as it seems to be working.