GrooveTime!group - CLOSED!!! (Page 27)

TEXANS!!! -

Are you psyched? The Longhorns are poised to pull this one out, maybe?

Uh-oh.....

I'm glad this wetsuit question got asked, as I was just about to post it myself. I'm not quite sold on wearing a wetsuit, mostly because I've never felt comfortable in them (I grew up in Southern California where it's unnatural to need one in the water), and am worried that they'll restrict my movement too much in the shoulders. That, and I see it taking very long for me to take it off in T1). For my tri in April, the water temp is supposed to be 62-65 degrees, which is COLD, but is it cold enough to swim olympic distance without a wetsuit? Or am I just crazy and should suck it up and rent one?

I forgot to add that I'm also kinda short and plump/wide-hipped/pear-shaped/whatever you wanna call it, if you know what I mean, so most wetsuits generally don't fit well; they're usually too long in the arms and legs. Yet another reason to forgo the thing altogether.

-Kasia

Edited by augeremt 2010-01-08 4:52 AM

I know we're a bit past discussing running shoes, but I'm really thinking of getting fitted for some. I always used to buy the first pair that fit, which sounds deceivingly easy but I have super wide feet and it's always super hard to track a comfortable pair down. I never thought proper fitting was important until a few months ago when I would wake up with super sore and tight Achilles tendons, to the point where sometimes it was too painful to walk, after running the night before, even short distances.

Could this be just me being out of shape and not stretching properly? I say that only because this occurred after I hadn't exercised in months and on the days I did stretch my Achilles, I felt better in the morning, but I could still feel the tightness sometimes, less of the pain. I'm willing to go the fitting to see what they'd recommend (my friend is going tomorrow so I may as well tag along) but I don't want to fork over yet another $100 for gear I technically already own.

Oy, this triathlon is getting expensive...which is another reason for not wanting to rent the wetsuit mentioned in my previous post. Can't you tell I don't really wanna wear one?

-Kasia

Edited by augeremt 2010-01-08 4:51 AM

I had to take a recovery day yesterday.   My body was toast.   Really hit me after Wednesday's yoga practice.  It is definitely not a recovery session.    My ITB's (both legs) but especially the right were VERY tight; not sure if it is from running or biking or both;  maybe I shouldn't have biked 4 days straight after being off so long?  

Anyway, today was the first day in 3 that I woke feeling rested, so am heading out for my short 3km run in a bit and will go swimming early afternoon.    

Later,

Thanks Steve.

I was actually thinking about it a bit more last night, and decided what I'll do is use my mountain bike with some racing tires put on for my first sprint in August and the 2nd sprint I'm planning to do in September. If I love it and want to progress further (which I think will be the case!) then I'm going to splurge on a good tri bike.

You deserve a rest day Anne! Hope you have a good workout today.

I'm taking a rest day today myself. Been sleeping terribly the last few nights and am fighting off (another) cold. Probably caught this one from my son, as I always seem to!

I think it's great that you fit in yoga with your training. I'd love to work some of that in myself. I think it will help with my various aches and pains, not to mention my occasional stress levels. I just find it hard to find the time, working a full time job, having a young son, and the tri training. In theory I could squeeze in some yoga at night after my son is in bed, but by that time I'm usually exhausted.

Hi Anne.

I'm short myself (5'3"). I'm small-busted but have broad shoulders and hips. Do you think the Frequency line would be good for someone like me as well? I did a quick search of various wetsuits online and when I look at the sizing, it looks like all of them made for my height range would be too small (most are for under 140 pounds - I tend to hover around 150).

Thanks!

KASIA -

Yes, 62-65 is very cold, and unless you're much, much tougher than I am, you'll want a wetsuit. Depending on how accurately they measure the course, you'll be in the water for 25-35 minutes, and that's a long time at those temperatures.

Beyond the actual swimming itself, you then have to deal with the subsequent effects of the cold. You sure don't want to be shivering while on the bike, and if your feet never really warm up while you're riding, then you'll begin the run feeling as if you're running on stumps. That sensation will improve after a mile or two of the run, but it is a bugger at the time.

I'm going to try to find race photos and see if there are ANY showing people without westsuits. Some races will even make them mandatory when the temps get to around 60, but 62-65 is a bit better so I guess the RD figures people can cope -- or that they switch to the sprint, with its half-as-long swim.

It's RAGE you are doing, yes? There are two in the LV area in April, and before starting this I went to RAGE first to see if there were any further warnigs (which there aren't). But RAGE mentions the 62-65, so I figure that's got to be the race you're doing.

Anne gave you some great specifics on wetsuits, and all I'll add is that it will help you to practice first. You might feel like a ninny wearing it in the pool if you can't get outside before the race, but the more your wear one, the easier they become to not only swim in, but to get in and (most importantly) out of. Other things to consider are more than one swim cap (if you don't use one now for pool swims, start next swim!), and using soemthing like BodyGlide or PAM to help with removing the wetsuit.

But I'm jumping ahead a bit! There will be lots of wetsuit talk betwen now and The Season, and it might turn out that it has already been jump-started and will swing into full gear as of right now. If so, then I'm rarin' to go, but even if not, then fire out those wetsuit questions! The topic of wetsuits is always a big bugaboo for so many people, but almost eberyone who uses one can't really imagine doing without. But there is NOTHING intuitive about wearing a wetsuit, and adjusting to them is always a bit problematic........but once over the hump, they are as good as gold!!

DIANE -

Good morning to you!

Ah, the heart rate training questions, right on the heels of the burgeoning wetsuit questions. Well, we might as well start getting some of the Big Topics out of the way, early on.

The wetsuit question is big; heart rate will be much bigger. Many of you racing down south might never need a wetsuit, but virtually all of you will be lured by the idea of working with herat rate training zones.

In my case, i got serious about this stuff in '98, but at first just as a runner. I then diversifeid into triathlon in '00, and probably did my first two seasons without a heart rate monitor. In fact, going back through my '02 log, I did the lactate testing (mentioned to Steve A.) on Aug. 22, but cannot find any reference to heart rate info before that time. So, I wonder if I didn't get a heart rate monitor until after that test, which would've meant that my first 3 seasons of tri were without any work based on my zones.

I mention all that just to say that using a heart rate monitor is not essentially. Helpful, yes; essential, no. I used it fairly extensively for about three seasons, but haven't touched it in close to two years. And at the time I stopped using it, the only times I did use it were killer sessions on the teeadmill when I wnated to make sure there was some scientific evidence behind the feeling I had that I was about to explode.

Part of my prpblem is that I am a technophobe, so any little bit of techology has to seem well worth it in order compel me to use it. I tried several times to make Polar herat rate monitors work for me, but tnere were just too many bells and whistles to cope with. I ended up pretty satisfied with a fairly basic Timex system that went quite a ways beyond just proviiding heart rate and time of day, but not as far as providing downloading capabilities. There is a small part of me that might be curious to see all my info laid out on speadsheets, but until I evolve a better brain, that's tnot going to happen.

I have never raced with a HRM, and do really well just going on RPE (rating of perceived exertion). But, in support of HRM, some people new to this stuff don't have a good sense of their RPE, so having a heart rate monitor helps to keep them within sensible limits. Also, a HRM is useful for some people in fast-tracking their knowledge of their body and how it functions under the new demands of intensive and extensive exercise.

As you can tell, i am out of the HRM game, buit I will search around and see what is there and try to give you some good recommendations. In fact, I will put out a broad plea for all HRM users to identify themselves; tright now I'm just aware of the other Steve. But my other group had three hard-core users (all Garmin freaks, actually), so there might be one or two other HRM user in our midst here. Anne? Mark? Lisa? We'll soon find out!

HEART RATE MONITOR USERS ----- IDENTIFY YOURSELVES!!!


No more hiding behind your chest straps! You must declare your use, right here, right now, and identify your equipment fully! Failure to do so will result in being hunted down by the Cardiac Cop Division of the Commonwealth of GrooveTime!




Thank you.

Alright...I'm pretty sure I'm back to having sugar in my blood stream vs the blood in a sugar stream that I have had for 2.5 weeks now. Not to mention all the adjustment of getting up 5 hours earlier than I was has finally taken set.

So I have another question. What do people use as recovery drinks, if any?

The reason I ask is prior to deciding on a tri, my main fitness related goals were lean muscle building and body fat reduction. So I added a protein shake to the mix. Biggest change I noticed is that my recovery time is significantly reduced and the one day after and two day after discomfort is gone. Does the protein do anything for me? I have no idea. I plan on continuing some strength training as I do enjoy it and going to a gym and not some lifting weights is a foreign idea to me (I never have and never will be a meathead).

Use a garmin 305 mainly for gps, times and distances. I do look at hr just to compare sessions

Edited by Dwayne 2010-01-08 8:38 AM

KASIA -

No, no, no, we're never beyond discussing running shoes! In fact, if you ever get to the point where you can't find anyone else in the world with whom to discuss running shoes, there's always me. I'm ALWAYS game for a good running shoe discussion!

If I believe in anything, it is that a good shoe fitting is abouit the best investment you can make. theer are all sorts of reaons why your Achilles might be tight, but certainly one of them could be that you're in the wrong shoes. Depending on your foot type, the shoe you're in now could really be causing problems. I'm noit saying it is, but it could be. If you are flat-footed (and then often comes with wider feet), and if you are in shoes that have cushioning but do nothing to stop your feet from rolling inward too much, that could be applyng too much torque on your Achilles. Also, a shoe with lots of heel cushioning will strain the Achilles as they Achilles sort of "sinks" into all that cushioning.

If you can, go to a committed running shoe store that provides video assessments of your running form. This will be with a treadmill that has a camera beyond it that is focused on your feet. They might have you run a bit barefoot to see what your feet do naturally, and then in running shoes to check which sjhoes work best for you. Fleet Feet is a chain that provides this service, so see if there is one near you.

Where in Colorado are you? If you're close to either Denver or Boulder, there must be about 15 running shoe stores that would provide this (usually free) service, even if they aren't Fleet Feet.

I've had this discussion with either M or Tracey before, so if you saw it you'll know what's coming next. Do you know your foot type, as in high arch or low arch? And do you do you know how much you pronate? Those are useful to know before you set out to find good running shoes.

Lisa gave you a couple of leads, and I'll add one more: www.roadrunnersports.com. Go to shoes, and then Show Dog, and fill in the info they ask for. What will come up is some recommendations of shoes that might work for you, but this is of secondary value as compared to having someone actually watch you run, or videotape you doing it. While at this site, read what they say about foot types, look at their images of different foot imprints, and if you haven't done it before going there, do the "wet test" as soon as you can.

Lisa also mentioned the Runners World website, and while you're at it go to the website for Running Times (probably www.runningtimes.com). A third site is www.runningnetwork.com. All of these places will have tons of information to help you choose shoes that will work for you. (Caveat emptor -- sometimes you have to try a few pairs before you find the one that is best for you!)

Edited by midlifeinsanity 2010-05-23 7:58 PM

SHAUN -

Protein after exercise is important, and some people think it is essential. But this is a very complicated and contentious tiopic, and it involves not only the role of protein in recovery, but also in performance itself. But I will avoid all of that stuff for noew, and focus on a few basics.

Two things to realize is that the body neither produces all the protein it needs, stores protein for future use. So, dietary protein is essential for all people, but maybe most of all for endurance athletes.

As for recovery drinks, your protein shake is likely good, maybe great. There are all sorts of formulations out there, and some of them are expensive; many are probably worth at least a significant part of the expense. Start comparing ingredients, speifically the protein levels just in terms of grams. Beyond this, you can get hung-up on types of protein, with argumants being made for both whey and soy. If you really want to explore this, go to www.hammernutrition.com, and prowl around until you come to their discussion of the benefits of both soy and whey. (I will try to find the sequence of links for you.)

I use mostly Recoverite, which is a Hammer product --- and which is fairly expensive. I also use the Recovery Power Bar if I'm feeling indulgent, but these are also fairly expensive. There are lots of other powders I have used to make drinks, including some of the heavy-duty ones that hard-core weight-lifters use, but these are really expensive and I haven't seen any better recovery than with somehting like Recoverite.

Another item to look at is chocolate milk. Check out the protein for the ones that come pre-mixed, and for powders such as Nesquik. I don't htink it's thta high in Nesquik, but some of thoe jugs of chocolate milk you can buy have a solid amount of protein.

So that's recovery, but you should also make sure you get enough protein on a day-to-day basis. Some diets will tell you to restrict your protein, but there are no really good reasons to do this. Sure, there are a lot of trashy protein products out there, but eating lean protein can never hurt. If you are interested in exploring this even further, go to www.thepaleodiet.com (which is not a diet per se, but really an overriding philosophy of eating).

If you prod me for further info on what exactly protein does for you, I will be happy to get more complicated! Let me know, okay?

Thanks, Tracey.

I did have a good run today.   Guess it pays to listen to my body. 

I understand how tough it is to do all the things you want when you are working full time and raising children and looking after a home.   You are doing a great job.    I remember trying to fit it all in and I know how fortunate I am now to be able to do some of the 'extras' like yoga.   

Have a great weekend.  

SHAUN again -

After most runs I take in protein. If the runs are long, I ALWAYS use protein.
For rides, just the longer ones. For swims, just after long open-water ones.
After lifting, frequently (even though, like you, I lift to enhance my tri perfomance and for muscle maintenance, not bulk).

Hi,

Heart Rate:
I have a Garmin 305 and I plan to try HR training.  I need to do a field test for max heart rate because I definately don't think the generic computation that you can find online would be accurate and I don't want to pay for a test at my level.

Shoes:
Currently wear NB 737 - lightweight and neutral.  NB isn't a "sexy" brand but I wear a 9 1/2 wide and NB has wierd sizes and reasonable prices.  I've worn NB for the last 3 years.  Have a pair of black Saucony Sinisters but only wear them when I want to look "cool"

Wetsuit:
Have to get one also for a early spring tri so am reading all the posts on them.

Have a good day everyone,
Denise

ANNE -

Nicely done on listenin' to the bod and resting yesterday ---- and I'm glad to hear that you woke feeling good this morning, and had a successful run. Yay! for self-restraint!!

But - "Have a great weekend." Does that mean you're gone from us for a few days? Say it ain't so!




Edited by stevebradley 2010-01-08 9:48 AM

Hi,

Lisa - Good luck Sunday.

We expect a detailed race report.

Denise

I'm using a POLAR F6.    More than sufficient for me.   Friend gave me a more advanced one that is way beyond me technically, and I don't bother with it.   If I want to know the distances I have run or plan to run, I just map them out on route manager.   

Anne