Team KiterChick - CLOSED (Page 3)

Thanks everyone for your thoughts on bikes.  One more question!  Is a basic $50 fitting at a LBS worth it if I were to find a bike somewhere like bike direct.com if this is what the LBS includes:

• Accurately measuring your inseam to achieve a "baseline" seat height
• Adjusting your position on your bike with the bike in an indoor trainer

I can't swing the $150 bike fitting right now, I have a friend who isn't a pro but is a seasoned cyclist who I may have help me, anyway.

I didn't work out this weekend, I worked a bit and did a lot around the house Saturday and then Sunday was busy as I took the kids to church and then we spent the day on our boat on the lake.  I don't feel too bad about it as I'm now in a 'recovery' week in my training, anyway LOL.  This am I did an hour spin class followed by a 1.5 mi run.  Next workout is Wednesday!

Ideally, it would be better if you could try out any bike you're thinking about purchasing, but regardless, yes, it would definitely be worth it to get whatever bike fitting you can afford. Depending on how much time you're planning on spending on it, a bike that isn't fit to you can lead to overuse injuries over time. It will also be much more comfortable in general to ride a bike that is fit to your frame.

Let me start off by saying that I’m sorry for being silent for the past several days. Last Saturday I went out for a bike ride with a co-workers who also happens to be a retired semi-pro long distance cyclist. My agenda was simply to learn how to take hills, but I ended up learning much more.

 Started the ride after what we thought was a light rain, but we got rained on not once, not twice, not three times, but four times over the course of 40 miles. And the cold wind never stopped. By hour two my feet were numb and my legs hurt. At hour three my legs went from a dull hurt to almost failure, I couldn’t feel my feet and I started to question if my toes were still attached to  my body. I couldn’t tell what the clear liquid dripping off the tip of my nose was. It was rain, sweat, or snot, it just kept on coming.

But it was all worth it. After 40 miles of rolling hills and some steep hills I learned how to use my gears and body weight to push myself up hills and recover without loosing a lot of momentum. As the end I enjoyed a well-deserved hot chocolate. I’ve never been so happy to roll into the parking lot of my apartment.

 I also learned several other valuable lessons that I would like to share. These were taught to me on the time we had flat roads of small hills that we could ride side by side.

1. Drink before you are thirst and eat before you are hungry.
1. As an athlete days like that day it is especially important to remember. With the cold wind, rain, and low temps it was easy not to feel thirsty or hot. Brian counted down the miles and had me take a sip of my drink every mile and every time I needed it. And I have to say after 40 miles I was tired and sore but I felt like I could have done a run too if I had the time.
2. Know all your gears, make love to them
1. In other words get to know what every gear feels like. Experience every gear on hills, flats, and descents. This will allow you to know through experience what gear is needed on any course that you find yourself on.
3. Becoming one with the bike
1. At a slower pace and knowing the bikes abilities will end up with a better overall time as opposed to someone who tries to force their way through the bike course then attempt a run on tired legs.
4. Spin you win
1. It is better to spin at a lower gear and a higher cadence than use more force at a higher gear for the same speed. So it is better to be in a mid gear and spin at say 90 rpm then be at a high gear and spin at say 70 rpm. As a cyclist and triathlete the main thing is to not use more energy than what is needed. By pushing higher gears you are making the bike, hence you, work harder than is needed.
5. When going up a steep hill get up on the pedals for short bursts
1. You are not trying to look pretty here. Pop up out of the saddle and use your body weight to come down on the pedals. This will also result in a rocking motion of the bike. By using your body weight you can use both momentum and sheer force to get up the hills. But remember to keep these intervals short as it truly does tire out the legs and body quickly.
6. When going down hill stay in aero position as long as you are comfortable with.
1. This allows you to get free speed. An aero position will have your back flat, legs tucked in, and the back of your helmet close to your back. However if you are like me and frankly to scared to ride down the long and/or steep hills all the way in aero, go aero at the bottom part instead of the top part. What is the point of going aero at the top part, only to break it and loose all the free speed you gained by sitting up?
7. Finally, take care of your bike
1. Your bike can only perform as well as you maintain it. After a long, wet, dirty ride like the one we went on Brian had my wiping my bike down, then taking a spray cleaner for bikes and using it on the chair, gears, shifters, derailleur, and any other moving part. Finally after the cleaner dries lube up the parts that were cleaned. The water from the rain and road along with cleaning the bike can remove a large amount of grease that was present before your ride.

On my first bike, a GMC Denali, I just kind of guessed on the fit myself and my back was always hurting too. I also have a previous injury to my back that really dosn't slow me down but it does let me know when I'm doing something wrong. Your bike from bikesdirect will come about 90% assembled. I took mine, box and all, to my bike mechanic and after he put it together I was fitted. All I can say is "Wow" my back feels great in all positions on the bike. I think with a proper bike fitting you too will feel comfortable. Remember that a fitting is not just a one time deal. As the bike is used the cables will loosen due to being used and need to be readjusted and you may also want to make some small changes. It took me three times to get the seat on my current bike just right.

Hope all goes well for you with your new bike!

Wow, there is a lot of great info beting put up here.   I have been MIA for the last few days, we bought a new house which is going to take a lot of work.   I also passed my testing to continue my Fire Fighter training.   Now I can get back to some training.   

Eddie,   My nutrition plan for my HIM

Oatmeal breakfast with applesause and raisens.    15 minutes before start I took a gel pack for a few calories.   Once I got settled on the bike I started taking bites off a protein energy bar.   I took a few bites ab out every 20 mins.    A one gel at the 1/2 way point and 1 get about 5 miles from T2.   On the run I had a gel with my but mostly used the bannanas and peanuts at aid stations.  Took in water pretty regularly throughout the bike and run.   Overall the plan worked well for me.  

I would experiment by after my long rides I would run about 15 minutes.  I would know really quickly if I needed more solids, if my stomach felt sloshy in a short run.   Hope this helps a bit.  

Hi everyone! Finally ended up taking a day off yesterday, apparently my first in almost two weeks. Wasn't feeling up to the early morning workout yesterday, then had to meet with my coach for the first time in person after work. By the time I got home, I just wasn't feeling it, and I slept in again this morning. Planning on hitting the pool soon, then the trainer when I get home tonight though!

Heather - Congratulations on the new bike! You'll have to let us all know how you like it once it's here and assembled.

Beth - I'm impressed you were able to get through your ride in conditions like that. Rain, I can handle, but cold, not so much. I had to bail on a ride once a while back because my hands and feet were in too much pain and losing feeling. Not fun! Thanks for passing along all of the tips you learned too!

Dave - Congratulations on the new house and passing your firefighter's test! I can certainly imagine how busy those two must have made you recently. Good luck fitting in some time for training in the near future!

Hubbie - this was so helpful! Thank you for sharing all of your biking info. I took advice #7 already and sent my bike to my LBS where it came from for it's 100 mile checkup since I'm traveling the next few days. #6 made me think "duh!" - it's so logical! I'm too scared to go super fast in aero position for a full big hill yet, but if I start trying it in the lower half of the hill I'll be more comfortable I'm sure and I can adjust to it as I get more road confident.

I'm going to get back on my training plan this week - we have been busy getting our house ready to put on the market and I've been overwhelmed. That's done though and it's less than 8 weeks until my first ever tri! I need to focus and put in some time. I'll be running when I'm out of town.

So this might be a silly question, but I think I'm going to need to get/wear a wetsuit for my first tri. I don't have a preference to rent or buy one and haven't decided for sure yet, but can I wear it in a pool to practice? Or should I wait until I'm out of the gym pool and doing actual open water training? Thanks...

Thanks for the tips on bikes everyone!  After thinking everything through I am going to go with retro-fitting my bike.  My bootcamp trainer works at a LBS and offered to serve as a resource for educating me on what I might need.  Luckily for me he isn't trying to sell me anything but rather just make sure I don't get taken advantage at other LBSs.

On a side note, someone mentioned the wetsuit issue...did others buy or rent their first round?  I go quite frequently to the lake where a HIM is held here so I may have a use outside of doing any tris but looking into whether buying or renting is wisest.  Is it the same as it is with a bike, if you buy a cheaper one you end up buying higher end?

I went the other way and bought my wetsuit before my first tri- a Xterra Vortex full sleeve, using one of the coupons codes they are usually offering.  In all honesty I wished I had rented first. 

I did a OWS clinic (a couple hundred yards) in it and it felt okay, then did a few yards a month later and it felt constricting.  I did a race in it (my first OWS tri) last July and it was okay, then swam in it some more and hated it.  When my 'A' race came around the beginning of August, on the advice of a swim instructor I trust, I tried a sleeveless wetsuit (the Volt 3 in this case, cause it was on sale for cheap) and the loved the feeling of my arms not being constricted.

Now I have two fairly cheap wetsuits (dollars spent, not quality)- one I like (the sleeveless) and one I don't (the full sleeve), and my plan is to sell the full sleeve once I find another one that fits better (through trying on and renting first if I can).

Hi everyone! Went to the pool after work yesterday and forgot my list of intervals, so I decided to just do 1500 yards straight. Ended up with a similar pace for when I do 1/4 of that distance, further indicating that I seem to only have one speed for anything over 100 yards. At least it's a somewhat faster speed than what I was doing last year! I then headed home and did intervals on the trainer for an hour. This morning was a 4M run, and tonight I'm headed to the pool again. Definitely keeping busy!

Holly - Not sure if it would be okay with a rented wetsuit, but if you were to purchase one, I have heard of people taking them for a test run in the pool. Prolonged exposure to chlorine is definitely not recommended, however, and you'll also likely get some odd looks from other poolgoers. If that won't bother you, and you'd really like to try it out, go ahead, but if you have enough time before your race to get some OWS practice in, that will be more beneficial.

Mitch - I purchased my first wetsuit, a Vector Pro sleeveless, before I started racing, but I had already signed up for several races in my first year, so there was little question I was going to get a lot of use out of it. As most people state that full sleeved suits are faster, I also purchased a Vortex at the end of last season. As a result, I only was able to take it out for one OWS practice. Like Will, I found it to be more constricting that the sleeveless, but I'm hoping with practice this season, I will grow accustomed to that. Something to keep in mind though. I also just purchased a second, thinner full sleeved suit from Zoot (it was 90% off, I couldn't resist!) that I have yet to try, so I'll let everyone know if I find it less constricting once it gets warm enough to compare. To (finally) answer your other question, I'd say rent the suit if you're not sure if you'll participate in future races, but if you think that you might, or, if you would like to get in a lot of OWS practice with a wetsuit prior to the race, you may want to consider buying. Xterra almost always has 50% off deals if you keep an eye out, and I've heard their customer service is great and that you can return/exchange suits after trying them. Hope this all was helpful!

Beth, that is great news, I'm so happy for you and your son!

That's absolutely fantastic news Beth!!! Congratulations to you and your son!!

Hey everyone, this is the first time I've posted on here so lets see how we go......

I've managed to run a couple times so far this week post chest/head cold. I've been out of action for a week and a half and thought that I would struggle to be honest. Went to a spa resort on Tues with my mum, sister and best friend and while they were relaxing in the spa and enjoying things like the steam room, sauna etc etc I was hard at it in the gym on the treadmill!! After that I decided to do one of the free aqua aerobics classes and after that swam some lengths for half an hour. I haven't swam much at all for absolutely ages so my arms and shoulders were sore afterwards. Had a fantastic lunch then went off to relax for the afternoon. Ran again today on a hotel treadmill, managed 4K in 30 mins which was a little slow but not too bad post cold. 

Anyways, hope you peeps across the pond are doing well with your training!! Stay healthy!!

Love, Amanda xx

My first tri is just over 2 weeks away. I think  I am ready.. my tri class will be doing the entire bike and run brick for the next two Sat meetings before the actual tri, so I will be completely familiar with 2/3 of the experience. We swim and run every Tues so I think that part will be under control too. My goal is to finish with a smile on my face. 

Beth, that is great news!