HILDEBEAST'S Magnificently Motivational Mentor Group - CLOSED!!!! (Page 33)

Thanks Hilde.

 Andrea - good luck with the tri.

I'm sure you probably saw this already but the guy who won the race Hilde and Tammy were in this weekend was disqualified for wearing someone else's bib number.  He evidently took one from a friend who couldn't make the race.

http://www.foxsportssouthwest.com/02/28/12/Cowtown-Marathon-winner-stripped-of-titl/landing.html?blockID=676508&feedID=3742

Hi all - was skimming through with a few free moments during lunch and had a few thoughts.

So, I would love a power meter, but then again, I would need to actually bike in order to get one.  In its simplest terms, a power meter records your energy "output" and displays it as a number.  Therefore, it will tell you when you are working harder or not working as hard both faster and more consistently than the PRE (perceived rate of exertion) method that most people use without it (for instance: oh, this big hill hurts my legs and I am breathing harder so it must be time to lower my gear vs my power number just spiked, I must be working harder on this hill than I thought so let me lower this gear to keep my number consistent).   It essentially allows you to maintain a consistent level of energy output and not push yourself too hard (or not hard enough) during a race or training session.  Overall though, Hilde is right in that biking is generally all T.I.T.S.  The more you are in the saddle, the more you know your limits, what a good cadence feels like and how hard you can push, not to mention you do get significantly better over time.  Over the course of my first summer I rode a ton and went from struggling to hold 14 miles an hour to pushing 20 during my last race and that was on a very light framed aluminum hybrid where I sat very upright and felt like a sail on a boat.

Bi-lateral breathing - I know that I am in the minority here but I think learning to breath bilaterally has really helped my swim stroke.  If you favor a side or have a weird hitch in your swim mechanics, this will reveal it (I tended to drop my hips when my stroke shifted to my right side).  I spent weeks breathing in water from my non-dominant side while trying to learn how to do it but now it is second nature.  Ironically, I got the snot beat out of me in my very first race and went back to breathing only on one side during the race but, much like riding, the more you do it, the easier it gets and I had no problems in my next race.  Breathing on both sides also makes sighting easier but that's another matter entirely...

Gnomie - best of luck with the job!

Hilde and Tammy - I already told you how awesome you both are for your PR's but let me say it again. 

Andrea - congrats on signing up for the race!

Suzie - I'm glad you found a program that is working for you.  Sticking with something consistently is what I have found leads to the most success in this sport.  

Then again, for the past year and a half, I haven't done much consistently so what do I know?  

It's time to do some tri and bike accessory shopping!

I just ordered aero bar pads (Cee Gee's - like Hilde has) and some new shoe covers for next winter.  Sales for winter gear are starting to pop up.

Next will be my bike speed/cadence ANT+ sensor, an ANT+ adapter for an iPod Touch (donated by my daughter who doesn't use it), Torhans Aero 20 bottle, and Torhans bike computer mount.  Need to get the bike set up for my April race!

Anyone else going shopping?

I swam with my Finis Tempo Trainer for the first time in about a year yesterday.  You are supposed to stroke with the beeps to maintain a steady pace and form.  This article got me thinking about using it again.  It describes a 5 set workout.  I only had time for the 1st three sets. 

I felt focused, relaxed and comfortable for the first time in a LONG time.  So I will do this again for the next several workouts.

The Tempo Trainer sounds like a great idea - I may have to give it a try.  Loved the article too.  My swimming needs a lot of work.  One question - it says it's an "audible beep".  Is it something that might annoy others in the pool or just loud enough for the swimmer to hear?  Don't want to cause a problem at the pool.

I am so looking forward to the time change!  It's already to the point where it's still pretty light when I get home from work, but even more daylight will be a good thing.  Only downside is that I was hoping to re-start my morning runs and may have to put that off for a while since it'll be dark longer in the mornings.

Spent some time today looking a race schedules for the next couple of months.  Mostly running races since I'm mainly a runner.  I could do one every weekend from now until fall if I wanted, there's so many out there.  I'll have to whittle it down some though, the budget won't pay for them all unfortunately.  Starting to get excited about my tri in May - only 9 more weeks to go!

Janet2

I highly recommend the Cee Gee aerobar pads for everyone!  They have all kinds of shapes and sizes for probably every kind of aerobar out there... Melanie, you will LOVE when you are not slip sliding away in your own sweat on those B16 pads, what were they thinking??  Well that and the white tires...

I've done some shopping... of course the new cassette and Speedplays for the bike.  Also found some Orca tri shorts on Bonktown (an addictive site, but super deals!) for $15!!!  Wish I had bought a couple more pairs now that I have them, they DON'T have that rubbery strip at the bottom of the legs and they are a bit longer, so they shape my chubby thighs!  Also got the Keep on Kovers for te Speedplays... I think I mentioned this before, but they work great and you don't have to take them on and off, you can clip in easily with them on.  (www.keeponcovers.com).  Also ordered some new bike tires, found some Serfa Seca tires on Ebay for pretty cheap, and they have a smaller lime green stripe on them that PERFECTLY matches my bike!  The one I have on there are not a perfect match, enough so that it BOTHERS me, it's my OCDness coming out!  Haven't put them on yet, will probably wait till I'm sure it's warmed up for good, and won't need the trainer. 

And x 1000 on being able to race every weekend if you wanted to (or could afford to!)... Lots of races I'd like to do, but trying to keep in within reason... hey, 9 weeks till my first tri too!  May 5th (with TTucker!).

Hilde - If you're saying hello to daylight savings it means I'll be saying good bye. 

 Shopping - I think I've mentioned it already but so far the stuff I've got this year include:

New pedals (with toe cages), a handlebar mounted water bottle cage, a swim cap - (which I must of been channeling hilde when I bought it cos all my swimming gear is now the same color - black) , new shoes - NB 870s which were at least 50% off if not more and probably the cheapest pair I've bought since starting to buy actually running shoes - definitely going back to that shop again

Oh and my first day with the swim cap went great - I got the silicone one - I was going to anyway (after the reports on here)but the lady at the pool actually recomended it too when I asked after getting my goggles and hair tie that tangled she had to unlace the back of the goggles and cut the hair tie - so I went with it too (I was sort of willing to go with the other ones just for something to stop that happening til I had money for the silicone one but it wasn't that expensive so I got it straight out) - and I think it's actually helping my swim since I'm not having to take time out to push hair out of my eyes every time I come to breath.

Good luck with the HM Tammy.

Oh and for those interested here's the swim program I'm looking to follow:

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=755 

it goes for 12 weeks and then I'll probably follow it with one of the beginner sprint programs and see where I am at the end of that. I've worked out I have 36 weeks (inc this one which is almost over) til my tri so I'm looking to do Micheal Pates sprint program followed by one of the 12 week sprint programs with a 2 week psuedo break (I'll still train but nothing actually planned) which means I'll probably need 3 12 week plans for the swimming.

I'll update you when I've decided which plans I want to follow,lol. Only stupid part is I can't put the above one in my planned traning cos it's not in the actual program section - oh well I'll just keep referring back to it I guess.

I put the TT under my cap near my ear.  I think someone in the same lane can hear it when you are at the wall.  No one has mentioned it.

Looks like a good plan!  Glad you figured out the swim cap issue.  I'm lucky.  I keep my hair pretty short and wearing a cap is not a must do thing.  But I'm starting to wear it since you have to wear one in races -- and it definitely is a different feeling.

Shawn, thanks for all the info on the power meter.  Sounds like a great training tool and might have to look into it.

Andrea, congrats on signing up for the race!

Melanie, bet you love having tunes while swimming.  It must make a huge difference in the boredom levels.

Hilde, first stop after here will be Bonktown.  I have never heard of that site, but it sounds fun.  I'm also going to check out what you're getting for your speedplays.

Suzie, keep us posted on the training program.  And I never realized you guys are on the opposite daylight savings schedule as us but it makes sense!

My problematic shin has been acting up again (throbbing and keeping me up at night) so I had to back off running again.  Starting my old job again at the end of the month, which includes insurance, so I might actually be able to go to the doctor since this has been ongoing for 4 months now.  I have never heard of a stress fracture taking this long.  The frustration has been a little overwhelming! Unfortunately, the job is 7 mornings a week (no days off) so no competing for a while:-( It does end mid-May, though, so won't be too long.  In the meantime, I am signing up with a staffing agency and trying to find something less dangerous and with regular hours to start with after riding.

I have also been obsessed with bike shopping.  My little $500 Trek 1.1 has been an awesome beginner bike but I'm starting to notice its shortcomings.  Been checking ebay for some used, intermediate level road bikes.  Also checking bikes direct, performance bike and road bike outlet.  The local stores here are a little overpriced with infrequent sales.  If anyone knows any other online places holler:-)

I've used on of my coach's tempo trainers just class and I loved it.  It really helped even out my stroke.  I've got my eyes on getting one!  I've also been in a lane with someone using one and you can't really hear it unless you are both out of the water at the same time.  

I've read about the Tempo Trainer-- might give it a whirl sometime.

Am fighting a chest cold right now, tra la, so am coughing up crud while doing a couple of VERY easy sessions today-- nothing too hard, I promise! (I find it actually makes me feel a bit better and move crap out of my lungs a little faster.) But I've been doing some shopping too, including a speed sensor for my roadie ('cos chances are that'll be the bike I take with me to the UK for 5 weeks this summer-- easier to do group rides with!), a pair of DeSoto 400-mile shorts (LOVE them!), and a 3-in-1 roller (largely to get the stick insert for attacking my tight calves and quads and to take with me to the UK). So far, so good! Now if work would only get SLIGHTLY more sane since rehearsals start next week, I'll be all set!

Have a great weekend, everyone-- I'm jealous of those of you with WARM weather right now!

Alex

Mel - My hair is fairly short - just long enough for a pony tail but can't do anything really fancy with it but it was long enough that I kept getting it in my eyes when I came up for breath. The main issue was the goggles getting tangled though. As to the internet shoe thing - I've looked at that but I need to organise a debit card or something first.

 Erin - hope you get the shin issue sorted.

 alex - when and why are you going to the UK? Hope the rehearsals go well.

Hi MMMers!  So happy the weekend is here.  I've had a pretty busy week and also feel a cold (yet ANOTHER one!) coming on...  I'm hoping to just relax and recharge this week with some training sprinkled in for good measure, too.  I have a 9 miler on tap for Sunday.

I'm super pumped b/c I just bought a new trainer tonight - the KK road machine.  My LBS had them marked down 15% and then I got an additional 15% off for my tri training team...  double dipping allowed, so 30% off!  sweet!  My weekend project is to figure out how to set it up and get it working!  It's going in our finished basement where we finally have a TV, so I'll have entertainment while on the trainer, yay!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Erin - of course it makes sense. Daylight savings comes with spring/summer so being on a different season pattern we get it at different times.

As for the training plans I'm looking with these ones as my follow up swim plans:

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/training-plans-view.asp?planid=206 - I'm also looking at this as my follow up bike/run plan

Then I'm looking at this one:

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/training-plans-view.asp?planid=408 for the final 12 week stretch before the race - meaning I'll be doing the swim portion of this with the bike/run of the above one after my 2 week pseudo break

K - enjoy your new toy.

I'm actually starting to think of buying one of those trainer things - how much room to you actually need for it? - too so I can ride when it's raining outside and I don't really want to go to the gym. I've seen some really basic ones at the dept store for not much money but I'm not sure how I'm meant to measure distance or whatever using it.

Only thing I need to do now is get some paddles - are they really worth it though?

Suzie, trainers come in all amounts of money... you can find a magnetic one fairly cheap but they are supposedly pretty loud.  The fluid ones cost more but mine is warrantied for life and is pretty quiet and feels more like the road and the resistance is done by your gears rather than by the trainer.  As far as distance and speed, yes you have to have something like a Garmin with a speed/cadence sensor or a bike computer with an attachment to the rear wheel to measure distance.  I'm sure your LBS could help you out with that.  As far as space, when my bike is on it, added to the fan you will probably want as high as it will go pointing up at you, it probably takes up a space about 3 feet by 6 feet or so.  They will also wear down your rear tire, so I just use an old tire on there or you can buy a special trainer tire (but you CAN'T ride the trainer tire outside).  Since I just got a new cassette I'm hoping to pick up an old wheel and set it up just for the trainer, so I can easily go from inside to outside since we can ride outside in Texas pretty much year round.

Swim paddles are a great tool... they work as a strength enhancer and can tell you right away if something major is wrong with your stroke.  My advice is to buy a pair just a little larger than your hand, do NOT get one of those super huge sets.  Start out VERY slowly, maybe just a 50 or 100, because they can be hard on the shoulders and cause injuries if you are not careful.  Also, I only hook the rubber band over my middle finger and do not use the wrist strap, this is enough to keep them on, but again, you will know if you are doing it wrong because it will pull all kinds of weird ways against the water.  If you are swimming correctly they stay right in place.   I don't use them all the time, maybe once a week, once every 2 weeks...

For those of you curious about my job with the horses, here's some pics:

Gorgeous pics, Erin! How very cool!

Suzie, all I can do is echo what Hilde said: fluid trainers are worth the extra $ due to quietness and smoothness (they also work better with road tires as opposed to knobbly mountain-bike-type tires). You don't need too much room for the setup, but do remember to have a fan, water, and some kind of entertainment/distraction handy! I have Polar speed & cadence sensors on my bikes because my HRM is a Polar; a little bike computer that will connect to your rear wheel can give you the same info for not much money.

Wilson, I hope all's well in Indiana and that your area has been spared Mother Nature's wrath...

The cold proceedeth as per usual here in Alexville: today I'm coughing a lot and my voice has dropped about an octave (which sounds sexy until I start coughing again!). So no major training for me today-- and the fact that I'm content with that tells you how cruddy I feel! Hopefully things will pass on fairly quickly from here-- if I'm feeling better tomorrow, I'll do an easy bike spin. Ah well, sometimes you just gotta rest, right?

Enjoy your weekends, everyone!

Alex

hope you feel better soon, alex!  and those photos are amazing, erin!!  are you headed back to saratoga anytime soon??? 

edit: forgot to mention that i just signed my almost 6 year old for riding lessons this spring.  we have hesitated due to cost, but she has been asking for 2 years now so we're going to see how it goes...  she did a riding camp last year and LOVED it!  i just hope she doesn't come home one day and ask for us to buy her a horse! :P