SBR Utopia ---- Permanently OPEN!! (Page 26)

IM New Zealand posted their age group list... I'm #977.  The race is March 1st (there) so track me while you're at work on Feb 28th if you're in north america

Btw, looks like Ken Glah is in for his 17th(!) appearance.  He's still really fast

Edit: here's the whole list of AG participants.  Looks like several guys from the very first IM New Zealand are coming back for this 30th anniversary.  Scott Molina!

What kind of pull do you do underwater off a turn?  I've been streamlining with 2-3 (and occasionally zero!) dolphin kicks and then just taking a normal stroke and starting to kick normally with that pull.  Am I doing even THIS wrong?  Ugh…  Diving under waves I'm good at, but apparently not coming off the bloody wall!

And I've actually started doing flip turns during some of my warmup and all of my cooldown laps (as well as now doing workouts with lots of shorter, more intense sets - yep, you were all right on this, of course).  Flip turns still leave me a bit breathless for a couple strokes and are slower than open turns at the moment, but they're kinda fun...

Matt

Sorry, I meant the underwater pull that goes with Breaststroke.  You've got it right for Freestyle.

Less than a month!  How are you feeling about it?

Tired of training in the cold, that's for sure.  It'll be nice to race in 70 degrees, and nice to enjoy a race again instead of ... Tahoe.  But I'm really excited because a lot of the former pros I watched as a kid are coming out for this 30th anniversary race.

Swim this morning was interesting.  We did a short warmup (extra short for me since I was late...) and then a set of 1600 meters all using an ankle band.

8 x 25 swim with band on :30
6 x 100 pull with band on 1:30
4 x 200 pull with paddles and band on 3:00

If I tried to really push and focus, I might just make the time for the 25's - but I wouldn't get any rest.  When I swim with a band (never more than 25) I feel okay for about 1/2 a length and then by the end I feel like I'm bent over at a 45 degree angle at my waist.  I spend the whole time trying to fight that sinking feeling.

Without using the pullbuoy, a 50 would probably be the most I would want to do.  I could probably do the 25s for quite a while and maintain half decent form.

With the buoy you are right, it negates a lot of it but it is still a factor and it seems to be bigger for some more than others.  It depends if you cheat with the buoy or not.    Lots of people still throw in little balancing kicks - I see it with the swim team kids all the time.  If you are someone who does it then it will eliminate that and you will probably notice it more.  Basically it forces you to be completely quiet with your lower body.  Personally it slows me down by 1-2s/100m compared to regular pull.  This morning I was doing the 100s right on 1:21/1:22 whereas for that same effort with just the buoy I would be doing 1:20s.  

What I actually find the most intrusive is flip turns, it changes the kick I use to initiate it.

DAMMIT Spiglet ... what is it with you doing the right races in the wrong years?! I'm going back NEXT year! Taupo's incredible. I suppose I should write my (last 10) race report sometime ...

Have a blast. There's no way you won't. Waidaminit ... I thought you said you hated chip-seal! As YOU said ... bolt everything down to just under the breaking point. You'll need it that way. It's a lot worse than the (minimal) chip seal on the WA course.

Where are you staying?

Still finding it funny how the easier Sunday and Thursday rides get kudos on Strava more often than the harder Wednesday and Saturday ones. Not distance either as the hard ones tend to be as long or more than the easier ones.

I think I already linked my "other strokes" post ... but here's the bit about breaststroke:

Breaststroke:
Quick catch and moving into vertical forearm; early pull position; high elbow underwater (try doing breaststroke with straight arms! Doesn’t work).

I often incorporate other strokes by doing a length of them (or half, if you’re still trying them out) and then applying the relevant aspects of its technique to a following freestyle length (or several).

Breast & free pull are incredibly similar ... oh wait, I haven't linked THIS one yet

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=451304

The images no longer exist on the Web so they don't show up, but this is what I'm talkin' about.

Yanti, it's funny.  As a kid I was a breaststroker (that sounds not right....) and up until you posted something a month or two ago (forget what or where, something by Sheila I think?) it never occurred to me how similar the strokes were in that initial motion.  It makes total sense to me now but I always classified them as completely separate.  Lately when doing BS I try to think about it in that same way with the high elbows and it's really hard!  Not being rotated on your side like you are in free makes it harder to engage the right muscles but I can totally feel how it's a more powerful motion.  It blew my mind when I first tried it.

Check that AG participants list.  They have a "Hall of Fame" at the top - you'll probably see some familiar names.

Scott Molina won the first IMNZ in 1985, and later won in Kona.  Mike Ramsay has finished *every* IMNZ since it started.  The current pros aren't on that list but I think Cameron Brown is still going -- he won the race every year from like 2000 - 2010 or something.

Great swim last night and good hard trainer ride this morning.    6 x 3' at 350, 2 at 220.....  Then tonight off to Costa Rica.  Pura Vida peeps, see ya on the other side.

Have a great trip!  Don't post pictures on FB or I may have to hate you.  

Year: keep in mind I originally planned to do this race in March 2012, but changed at the last minute to do IMWA in December of 2011 instead.  You'll recall that IMNZ got cancelled due to weather and they raced a HIM the next day.  I live under a lucky star.

Chip-seal: yeah I've normally raced on the 22mm Bontrager tires but I might bring 23s for this race and run a little less pressure.  Might also use the Giro Air Attack if I'm going to be sitting up occasionally to shake my arms out - plus it's easier to travel with that helmet.

I'm staying at Catellis via EST again.  I guess they have about 30 athletes doing this race.

And yeah, you definitely need to write up your victory race report for BT!

I just followed you on Strava...........so we will see.  

btw we have a BT Strava group.  Fred started it.

I want to thank you ALL for open logs and pushing yourselves on the BIKE.  Its keeping me motivated to work harder on the bike.

Here is my morning workout 

20’ WU

5x 5’ @275+w / 3’ recover @225+w

CT Watts Avg 236

FTP for this ride 2.9wKg

I haven't been biking .. YET, but just wait till I ramp up for Canada

Ok, see a few new ones.

Stuck There Is No Try in the middle of a 3 hr ride this morning. Always forget how hard that one is with the short recovery sections. Coming up with 28 minutes of work in 40' 40". Some work is at, but most is (well) over threshold.

One of these things is not like the other...