Penn State's mentor group - CLOSED! (Page 31)

I have always taken advice with a grain of salt. It seems that everyone has a different opinion and that many of them fly in the face of the others. I have tried many things and just stick to the things that seem to work for me. On the other hand, I do take advice from people as they have done things that I haven't done before.

My swim at the beginning of my training was the worst. After taking some lessons and a lot of practice is has come along well. My OWS was another story. It started out really bad but this weekend I was comfortable in the OWS but I wasn't use to waves and sighting. I think if I practiced it more I could have gotten my 29:12 swim time down to about 20-22 min. I don't think I'll try to get my speed down on the swim right now because I'm focusing on the run. When I came out of the water on Saturday I did feel tired and we had a looooooong run up the sandy beach to transition. That got my HR pumping.

The bike seems to be my strong event right now. I'm not super fast, but I just started. I know that I can get my 16 mph avg up to 18-19 by next year with some hard work and that I'll be able to do the 56 miles on the 1/2 IM in October.

The run has been my worst event since the beginning of training. I don't know why but I just can't seem to progress much with it. I joined a track group but they do a lot of speed work and that was just hurting my legs too much so I'm not doing that anymore. I was doing a lot of treadmill work but then I found when I went outside that it was a lot harder so I'm just sticking with outside for now. I've been trying to work on a run/walk program but haven't put as much effort into it as I should. I have also been running with my wife and she isn't even at where I am yet so it has slowed me down a bit. If my sprint in 3 weeks doesn't go well on the run, I'm seriously thinking of getting a run coach for a bit.

I went to check out that Cobb saddle online and learned something new.

http://www.cobbcycling.com

If you go into any of the saddles, and then click on the "Sit Chart" tab it teaches you how to sit on the bike.  I'm going to have to try what they say about angling the seat a little because I end up feeling pretty numb "down there" after 20minutes.  I've been just riding through it and ignoring it, but it would be nice to not feel numb.

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Wow, that is cool! I might have to try out one of the Cobb saddles, I have heard good things and didn't realize they have a 6 month return policy. That is super generous!

[QUOTE
 I've been just riding through it and ignoring it, but it would be nice to not feel numb.

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If i were to get a new saddle, do you think another fit would be in order...or is it something that i can just swap out if i take my measurements prior to my old saddle removal?

I went saddle shopping in January and was, uh, put off by some of the "shapes" saddles come in!  Needless to say, I didn't try styles that might be more comfortable for me. Keep that in mind!

Not that I'm a strong cyclist by ANY means, but I noticed that once I worked on getting my cadence up that I had a harder time getting comfy in my seat, so I'll make the resistance a little harder just to literally save my a$$.

I actually have tended to prefer mountain bike saddles over road saddles, but I've yet to try a tri saddle like the Cobb or Adamo.  A shop once told me that even Lance uses a mountain bike saddle... and that it's actually one of the cheapest saddles because that's just what fits him well.  I haven't yet tried to investigate that claim though, guess I'd have to take a close look at his bikes.

I'll post it after my race; I have an Edge for the bike and a Forerunner for the run. 

The headwinds are also bad out there, so I'm not expecting a blistering pace; in fact I haven't seen any pre ride reports were the ride averaged over 20 mph on the bike.  I know there's two 12% grades there somewhere which are short and seem to be manageable. 

That's interesting about the mountain bike saddle!!




The swim...I am by far waaaaaaay more confident in my swimming then the run and the bike (guah, I sometimes despise the bike!).  I used to believe that I would have a competitive edge by coming from a swimming background. Wrong-o.  I DO feel fresher out of the water than most, and the race day really begins on my way to T1, but I get whomped on the bike and get some time back (but just a little) on the run.

I do think that people that focus on technique in swimming end up having more in their tank when they start the bike. 

I've been a swim instructor for about 13 years and when I work with triathletes on just 2 or 3 things they can look like a completely different person in the water.  Problem is folks usually don't have the time to get quality&quantity workouts in swimming...  I guess for most triathletes it's more important to simply be efficient during the swim rather than fast?

GoPennState made a good point on the IMLP thread...it just isn't worth being a minute or two faster in the swim because you'll be more tired throughout the rest of your race.  Good point.  I know during IMLP I *could* go a certain time, but if I got just 3 or 4 minutes slower than I'll be better prepared for the rest of the race. I guess at days end those 3 or 4 minutes won't be any sort of deal breaker (unless I was trying to KQ and no way in hellsinki am I doing THAT!).

For me personally, I go balls to the walls during the swim because at least I can say I was in the top XX% since I don't do so hot overall. =p

Sorry for typos, work computer doesn't allow instant spell check!

Well, I'll let you in on a little secret;  I've only been swimming freestyle since June of last year.  My first 2 tri's I did breast stroke.  So I'm pretty bad, but everyone at the gym tells me how much better I've gotten.  Barring no IM pack slow downs, my swim should be in the 1:30 range.

My next evolution will be a 3 month swim focus.  I'm hoping to drop down to a respectable time and eliminate swimming as a weakness.

I personally think the swim is important for another reason (although you're right getting out fresh is important too) which is a swimmer has more confidence in a race when they get out of the water in the lead pack.

Imagine if you're a swim specialist; the first race you'll be in the lead pack at least into the first phase of the race.  That has got to affect a persons psyche alot more in the race and when training.

You bet!!

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That could also lead to a negative psyche effect though.  Because you have people that are much stronger biker/runners who will continue to pass you throughout the day.  It might feel good coming out of the water first (not that I know what that feels like), but it doesn't feel good when you're getting passed for the remainder of the day.  In the water it's more like a giant mosh-pit, people going every which way, you have no idea if you're passing the same people that passed you 10 minutes ago or not, where in the bike/run you can really identify others.

My suggestion for the strong swimmers would be to do well in the swim, but use their abilities to conserve more energy than the guy next to him more than trying to gain an extra minute or two on him during the swim.

For me, the swim is the warmup for the race.

I have my usual Tuesday night running group.  Typically do 5 miles, but today it's going to be an easy 5 miles.  I'm still recovering from the weekend.

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Edited by PennState 2010-04-27 5:19 PM

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Short swim tonight after work. Looking at my schedule from my coach for this week in Training Peaks makes me think one thing: I love taper!

I finally took my bike out of the shed and had my wife take a couple of pictures.  They're not exactly straight on, because she was on her way out, but hopefully they will give you an idea.  Maybe my seat's high, maybe my bike's too small... I really have no idea.  When I bought it (used), I just left everything as it was from the previous owner.  I'm interested to hear your thoughts.







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Hello Fred's mentor Group! Your awesome mentor has asked me to stop by to discuss and answer any question you might have regarding the specifics of the Ironman run training and racing. It is likely the single most important part of your race day you need to get "right" and as such can be difficult to prepare for a first timer. If your run doesn't go well, the race can get real long and real ugly. So much of the run during the race is impacted by the bike and we can also discuss that although I think Fred has already brought that subject up and he is well qualified to discuss the training and pacing aspects of the Ironman bike which are designed to put you into T2 in a position to complete your run. I'd also be happy to add whatever insights I can on that subject.

So to begin with, when thinking about your Ironman run, the best place to start is with your prior running race history. Have you ever done a marathon? How did you do and what was your experience and training like for that? Because training for the Ironman run has many similarities except one unavoidable reality: It Will Be Slower. How much slower will depend on an individual athletes run fitness. It's often said a common rule of thumb is 30min slower but I find for most folks, it's a bit more, and that's ok. That doesn't mean you are going to train to run slower. You train to run a faster marathon from a pace and effort standpoint and then go into the race knowing that the same effort will result in less pace.

So before I go on too far from these basics, does anyone have any specific questions? As a group, we will likely learn and discover more from sharing our experiences.