SWBKRUN fast, furious, and closed (Page 286)

I am not afraid to answer... I understand it pretty tough for women to wear bibs (potty breaks!).... However it is my understanding that Hincapie has come out with a new bib with a contraption down there for easy potty breaks!!!

JOHN- Insert Jokes now!

Nope for the reason that Birdy stated.  I guess I don't really understand what the advantage would be????  No waist band to bug you?

Serious Swim Question ahead:

How do you people keep track of the number of intervals when you have a load of them to do (e.g. 12x100)?  On the TM last year I used to throw dog treats on the floor as I finished one, but can't bring them to the pool because they dissolve!  Marbles seem dangerous....there must be something out there for us challenged counters.

I have a watch with a lap counter that I use.  (TIMEX Ironman triathlon).  Counts up to 50 laps and it works great.  

A couple of the Ladies on the bike team swear by these ..... (they actually strong-armed the team director to get some special made for them for last season).  

Oh, I don't have a watch! Very low tech I guess.

I really prefer one piece tri suits.  I like having everything squished into place and don't get bothered by the minor hassle for potty breaks.  That said I also don't stop for the bathroom for sprint or oly distance races.

I have seen people use pennies and nickles on the pool edge, moving coins back and forth to track their totals.

SHENIS!!!

this^^^.  ranks up there as one of the things that has really helped my swimming.

and flip turns.  flip turns are fun because i suck at them and never know where i'm gonna end up after the flip. definitely breaks up the monotony.  nothing says bada$$ in the pool than a flip turner wearing an ironman cap.

two functions. 

1. in the pool its number of laps and timing.  i  can see pace per 100/250/whatever immediately which is good for the specific workout.  most of the time its telling me to slow down. for instance 8x100 i know if i'm at 1:35 on the second 100 there are gonna be issues on 6,7 & 8.  Then I know to slow down so I do and this lets me focus on my stroke, kick, body position, whatever.  So now i'm back where i belong at 1:45 not blowing up and able to pay more attention to what i'm supposed to be doing.  as long as you know where you are on the main number not lap numbers, its a great way to track laps.  and once you get the hang of it its like second nature.  no more worries, awww crap am i on 6th set or 7th.. or 5th!

2. its a great way for me to track what i do and compare it to what was previously done.. EDIT  because the lap numbers are stored right there on the watch. 

I do flip turns, but I don't have an IM cap. The cat peed in my whole swim bag. Apparently he'd been using it for while so I had to throw it out which sucked because it was my good old KQED tote bag. That's what happens when you don't swim for 2 months. I just count my 100s, and if I lose count I curse a little.

First of all, I would like to say that I'm ready to retire.  It's nothing in particular, it's just that work really gets in the way of the things I would like to be doing.  I need a sponsor, or a sugar daddy!  LOL  There . . . . complaining finished.

Good luck to all the racers this weekend ( Tony, Roni, Sam, Julia, Brent, John & DJ).  Represent and report back asap.

I went for a 4.5 mi. trail run last night and "tested" out the leg.  It felt a little achey and there were a few twinges in the knee, but it held up.  The stretching I've been doing is helping a lot.  I went to the chiropractor yesterday and will go again on Monday.  I also have a massage scheduled.  I'm now thinking that I will get through this and these are just growning pains as I increase my mileage.  As long as I listen to my body and respond accordingly (and take my time), I will get there.  Planning another long trail run (10 mi.) on Sunday. 

On a side note:  I'm doing a basic bike maintanance class tomorrow morning.  AND BEST OF ALL, I finally found a great deal on a used trainer.  Getting a Cycleops Magneto for $100.  Should get it toward the end of next week.  Let the basement sweat fest begin!!

lap button at the end of each set or whatever.  at the wall.  its awkward at first but you get the hang of it.  and doing it on an open turn is easier than flip turn.

trust me, king of lazy... it may sound like a bit of work, but it ain't.  that kinda why i like it so much.

i  just have an old timex watch with buttons.  oh of course its an IRONMAN watch that i wave around to make sure people see i have. 

I used an Ironman watch for a year or two and pushed the lap button as I was pushing off the wall.  The buttons on it ended up dying though.  I read somewhere (after the fact) that you're not supposed to push the buttons under water, only above water if you want it to last.

Not sure if that was true or not but the buttons on mine did die and I always pushed my lap button under water so could be I suppose.

Shhhh! If you antagonize them, they just pee more!

thats true.  i remeber you mentioning this some time ago, i was still in houston.  the tri club i belonged to at the time had a timex rep there one night shortly after you brought it up.  i asked him about the buttons underwater and he confirmed.

that said, mine is going on 4 years with no issues.  and i guess i kinda view it like a tire or something...its under 100 bucks and its gonna wear out.  it is what it it is.  great tool, for me at least. 

For me, the pennies are a great idea.  I like using the big pace clock in the pool for 50-200s which is what I've been working on lately.  The whole keeping track of time is a new thing for me though.  Maybe once I get a little faster, I'll want to actually look at my splits part way through them.  For now, not so much.

Hey Fatty, what happened to super low tech boy? buying a power meter next?

Please tell me that wasn't on your purple cow cap!  And I thought I disliked cats bc of they shed everywhere. 

Glad you asked the question, Suzy, bc I never even thought to use my Timex watch in the pool.  Apparently I am missing out.

Good luck, racers!  As mentioned previously, I want to see pix of John in his IM gear at his 1 mi race. 

I'm pretty basic here.  For time I use the pace clock at the pool.  For counting I put my pull buoy on the rt of my kick board.  Then after each swim I switch sides.  Between knowing my swim times and which side of the kick board my pull buoy is on I really don't lose track of the swims.  However, if I'm not watching the clock (ie warm-up) I do tend to lose track of laps.  If that happens I'll just start with the last lap I remember.  I know I swim longer than planned, but it really doens't hurt to go longer.

Speaking of technology - does everyone train with a HRM?  

Sure, when you're a fastie!  It takes me an hour to pound out what you can do in 40"!

I use a HRM on the bike and for the run, but not the pool.  I often wondered what my HR would be in the pool, but the one time I tried to measure it, it didn't work.  I would need to wear a sports bra under my suit to hold it on.  No wise cracks Fatty!