Fred D Mentor Group Part III (Page 31)

I love my triggerpoint foam roller and use it often. I don't do much else regularly, but i'll break out the lacrosse ball for stubborn spots - especially glutes.

Foam roller daily when I'm home. I keep a tennis ball in my briefcase for when I travel. Elaine, never thought about a lacrosse ball. I bet it's better than the t-ball. I will have to grab one from the neighborhood kids. 

I've never specifically trained at different cadences, I just ride and my training usually puts me in the 85-90 range.  What I find strange is that in races, at least sprint/Olympic distances, my cadence is usually more in the 95 range and for an ITT, it might be closer to 100.  I have no idea why I do that but I see it often.

I used a foam roller on my calves for the first time in the days after IMMT.  It introduced me to a level of pain that I can't imagine going to on a regular basis! 

That being said, I think it really helped....

Yah!

My bike has so slipped.......

That's what I said about swimming, then I overslept.  I suppose I can go in the evening... *grumble*

Oh my god. This is hilarious.

"You'll lose your next race whether you start drinking now, start drinking after dinner, or don't drink anything at all, ever, until you die."

Not me Put in slightly over 2 quality hours on the trainer with a transition run after.

The kidney stone is definitely on the move sometimes; I still get horrible deep pains like the worst stitch ever but they do go fairly quickly. The infection has cleared up so overall I feel much better. Hopefully this damn thing just goes AWAY OUT soon.

53 days to IMWA. I'm gonna go for it. The trip's paid (got entry thru a travel package) so why not at least try?

We all need a big dose of Fred -- I wish I could ride like that. My bike would improve tremendously if I spent even half the time he does. And he loves it. I want to catch that bug.

I'm glad you're back up and moving. 13 hours of sleep sounds wonderful.

The best advice I can give for IMWA is: sit up on the bike when the wind is at your back.  It is a totally flat multi-loop "H" shaped course, so you will catch wind from all directions.  Not many people are going to stay on the aerobars for 5+ hours, and there are no hills to stretch out on.  Stay down on the bars every time you're fighting a headwind and only sit up when it's favorable.

Two very wise things. Glad you're recovering well.

I typically just ride at whatever cadence is comfortable.  On the trainer that is typically between 75-85 rpms.  When I am outside though I am typically between 85-90.  I just ride and do not worry about it.

This last week I did ride at like 60 and also at 110.  I was extremely uncomfortable at the 110 but like Shane said I want to do that just to get a little more comfortable at those levels.

Hmm when is it favorable to sit up though (other than to stretch your back)?  Even with a tail wind, you should be faster in aero right?  Or am I wrong?

You're right, but on that course it gets really tiring if you try to stay on the aerobars the whole time.  The lack of variation and some stretches of road with chip-seal really wear you down.  If you try to tough it out like I did, you might find yourself sitting up anyhow towards the end of the ride and not by choice

Ahh, gotcha. 

I've only gotten a massage a few times.  Twice after a race which felt really good, once at a massage school where the students practice on you for a really cheap price, and once in Hong Kong.

I think they feel really good, but I can't afford to get them regularly to see if it makes a difference in performance.

As far as cadence, I agree with Shane that we should experiment or practice a wide range just so we can self select what feels best. 

Good news on the swimming front for me.  While I'm not swimming as much volume as I was hoping to, I'm definately working on the intensity.  My 10x100's are showing some good improvement and I have a much better feel in the water.

My problem in the water is that I have two speeds: too fast and too slow.  I'm making an effort to bring my cruising speed up into a middle range.

Flat out 100yd I hit 1:02 last week, and I'm still not healthy.  But put me in a 1500 and watch that tail off into the 1:45-2:00 range

Wow...that's quite a difference.  I think I did a 1800y TT @ 1:38 pace earlier this year, but my fastest 100 ever is 1:18 from last year.

I think it's a combination of my PE tanking my aerobic max and my breathing.  Breathing gets easier at speed, forming a nice trough to breathe w/o much head turning.  But below a certain point I get into that dead-zone with a lot more drag.

Kind of opposite to many folks, I don't think my form is terrible but I just need to swim more.  A lot more.

I'm right where you are. I can even pull down to sub-1:20 for a couple of 100m repeats (provided they're at the beginning or stuck in the middle of a set). But pretty much, it's 1:40-2:00 for open water. And you're right--it's really just putting the time in and being willing to be uncomfortable for a good bit of it.

That said, not really a priority right now. After Busso.

My open-water coach (my form coach is none other than the most illustrious, greatest, truly most phenomenal athlete and possibly human of all time Miss Sheila ... too bad I never swim enough to frickin' IMPLEMENT ... ) just e-mailed me today and is telling me to continue to shoot for the Lombok Strait, just as a long-term proposition. It'll also give us a few years of seasons and tides and currents to evaluate the Strait from a swimming and swim-piloting perspective.

He's an amazing human, too. Played polo for UCLA, then later held several Masters pool records. For the last 15 years or so he's battled Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (yes, there's other things it could be, of course) and set a bunch of open-water world records raising money for various charities, most of them Indonesian-based (but also some biggies like UNICEF).

So he gets me.

I have her book - I just need to read it...I figure once I do that should be good for 10sec/100.