HILDEBEAST'S Magnificently Motivational Mentor Group - CLOSED!!!! (Page 35)

Hey MMM'ers how is everyone?  Don't really have the time right now to read through all the logs and the forum posts, but I do have time to shout out to all my friends.  I'm doing OK up here in Michigan.  Work is intense, but it is really, really interesting and I am quite jazzed about the stuff I'm working on.  It will be the pits if I fail... so I'm hedging my bets and working a really, really hard.  Marathon training is good for all sorts of non-running enduro sports too!  Speaking of the marathon... I may not do the Bayshore in May.  If I'm completely honest with myself I would really have to dedicate a lot of time in order to make it happen.  Right now my time is being spent elsewhere.   Take care, and KNOW that I am thinking about all of you! 

PS... this isn't good bye, not by a long shot!

Lunch time run was a mixed bag.  Nice to be out.  Warm and sunny, but windy!  My out of the out and back was fine.  The back was not fine.  Wind in my face and the sun beating down and in my eyes was annoying.  Eventually the wind and my need for a bathroom forced me to run/walk the 3rd mile of my 3 miler.  Just not my day...

Louise, I am fairly new to the clip-on aerobars as well.  When I first got them I used them sparingly, maybe on smooth, long downhills, as I wasn't confident with them yet.  As I began to trust them, I started using them more.  If I'm by myself or just out with DH, I now probably use them on all downhills and most flats.  EVen though I don't take them off on group rides, I try not to touch them when in a group just for safety's sake.

OK guys.  Here's a laugh of the day.  I was bike shopping on Craigslist and came across this.  Only in Kentucky...lmao

http://lexington.craigslist.org/bik/2891593509.html

Janet - what do you do for a job? Glad the marathon training is helping you with mental endurance needed for it.

Andrea - wind in your eyes is definitely annoying. Hope your day comes soon.

Louise - From what you've described I'd say don't use the aeros if you're going to be changing gears/using breaks on a regular basis - but beyond the common sense stuff I have nothing since the only time I've done aero position is on the inside gym bike and I'm not even sure I was doing that right.

Oh and another aero related question:

I've been watching some of the people going past uni on their bikes and the ones with aero bars seem to have their seats about equal or higher than the handlebars - is that normal/correct?

If so what's the best seat/handlebar position for normal handlebars?

One more biking question.  I am in the market for a bike but have a limited budget (trying to stay under $1000) so I have been looking at used bikes.  I have been looking at road bikes but if a tri bike pops up for a steal I might consider it.  Anyway, for that price I have seen some older (2005-2007) models that are pretty high end, full carbon bikes.  Or, there are almost-new models that maybe are nice, aluminum bikes that retail around $1600- $1800 new.  

One more question.  A few of the road bikes I have looked at have upright geometry, like the Trek Pilot and Cannondale Synapse.  Would that be something to stay away from?

Louise, this may be just me, but I am aero as much as possible!  Even when out in traffic (well in a lane where cars might drive by, not stop and go heavy traffic).  I do have  my gears on my aerobars, but not my brakes.  You definitely have to be comfortable because the steering gets very "twitchy" in aero because you have  more weight over the front wheel.  I would say just keep using them till you feel comfortable and know that you are more aerodynamic when you are leaned over rather than sitting upright.  I don't use them if I'm in a close group of bikes, but if I'm pretty much out of a group, or alone, I am aero.  For me it is much more comfie.  That said, last weekend when we did our 45 mile ride, I did sit upright now and again, just to change position on the saddle for a bit.  As with anything, the more you practice the easier it will get.  I had aerobars on my roadie and got very used to staying in aero and reaching over to shift.  We can work on that when we get together to ride!!

Andrea, sometimes our best intentions are not enough, especially when there is WIND involved!!  These are the times that the HTFUers take on the WEENIES!!

Suzie,  My seat is about the same as my handlebars (aero) because I have such short legs.  I think it really depends on how the bike fits you and how agressive you want to be on the aerobars.  I know my current bike has a more agressive aero position than my previous tri bike and it took awhile to build up my neck muscles!  As far as regular handelbars??  I don't know, if you are already sitting upright, I'd say whatever is comfortable??  Something to ask at the LBS or get a fitting?

Erin, I think a newer bike, even if it is aluminum might be a better deal.  Components have come a long way in the past few years... what is 105 NOW, is what the old time DuraAce used to be ( or so I've heard).  I would be afraid of an older carbon bike having microscopic cracks or something... I think aluminum bikes are every bit as good as carbon, especially if you have a carbon fork and seatpost.  I think if you are looking for a bike to RACE on you would want to steer away from those upright type of road bikes... more comfie for sure, but probably not as aerodynamic.  These are just my OPINIONS!!  I am NOT a bike guru!!  You might want to Google "bike fit calculator" and see what pops up.  I went in to shop at the place I ended up buying my Felt and they did a basic measurement of inseam, arm length, and a couple of others, and came up with what size I would take in their brands of bike and which would fit me best.  Felt was perfect because it's geared to short legs/long torso type people.  Other brands might be the opposite.  That's why it's hard to find something on Craig's List unless you already have a basic idea of what size you take.  Don't forget to figure in pedals in case the seller isn't selling them with the bike.  And of course a new helmet to match the colors!!  Oh, and just offer a few hunting knives and maybe a pig or something in addition to some cash, ha ha!

Hilde - thanks. I think I've found the right set up - I finally worked out that the effort issues were due to a tack flat back tire (which I pumped up today at the service station - that was my warm up for today) and the seat to pedal distance.

Today's bike ride was the best I've ever had - 7mph if my mapping is correct - going to use actual roads next ride just to make sure it's not a fluke - although it'll probably be slightly slower since I'll be going over my major hill and todays were just slight rolling ones.

Just GOTTA say that I am craving some marshmallows.... zombie marshmallows!!

I'm no bike guru, but what little I know of bikes is that it all boils down to FIT-- don't worry about what the geometry LOOKS like-- what does it FEEL like when you ride it? (I used to ride a Synapse, actually, and could go a decent speed on it!) You may be surprised at which makes/models work  best for you-- and the only way to know is to ride different bikes and find out what feels best for you. A bike fit is a REALLY good idea, and another reason to go with a newer aluminum model rather than a used carbon-- some LBSs will throw in a discounted or free fitting when you buy a bike from them, and that can make a huge difference in how much you enjoy riding, and thus how much you ride. Just my own $0.02!

Alex

Looks like everyone is doing great.

I ended up going with a rest day due to the crud I'm dealing with but I'll be back at it for the longer distances tomorrow.

Looks like everyone is doing great.

I ended up going with a rest day due to the crud I'm dealing with but I'll be back at it for the longer distances tomorrow.

Andrea - Hope you had a great swim meet.  Looking forward to the details.

I'm back after a few days in Ft. Myers, FL visiting friends.

Time to get into the training grove again.  1st race is only 4 weeks away.

Installed Cee Gee's and Cateye Double Strada Wireless speed/cadence computer last night.  Looking forward to using both!

My meet went well.  I had a busy day afterward and am just getting a chance to write it up.

I got up bright and early and drove 30+ minutes to the pool.  I saw the sunrise on my way.  I tried to appreciate it, but lack of caffeine prevented me from really enjoying it.  #$%^ you daylight savings time.

This is a pool that I used to swim at 10+ years ago.  They did a major building renovation and build out around the pool, but the pool is very much untouched.   I found my way to the locker room and the pool and warmed up some.  It was interesting to see “real” swimmers.  I felt a mixture of “out of my element” and comfort from my prior life as a swimmer and then youth swim coach.

One thing I wondered about was diving off of the blocks.  I can’t really remember the last time I tried.  Luckily, they did finally free up a few lanes for one way sprints.  I did 1 free, 1 fly and 1 back and was happy to find that I could dive, LOL!

There were probably only 15-20 women and 30 men on the pool deck.  The meet went fast and there wasn’t much rest between events.  There was a man who was celebrating his 90^th birthday (we sang to him) and 19 year old girl with no lower legs.  They both did wonderfully.

Some interesting, non-conformist technique was displayed and some wonderful, beautiful to watch technique was seen as well.  I fall somewhere in between.

My first event was the 100 IM (25 fly, 25 bk, 25 br, 25 free).  I dove in and kicked underwater pretty far, so that I could just do a dozen strokes of butterfly or so.  The backstroke was a good opportunity to catch my breath.  I just did my best on the breaststroke as it’s my weakest stroke.  Then I finished off with the freestyle.  I had guessed and seeded myself at 1:45, but beat that and finished as 1:38.  OK, 1 down 2 to go.

After a brief rest it was time to line up for the 100 back.  I don’t really have a fast speed here, but I do my best and only suck in a bit of water on one turn where I pushed off too deep and needed air.  I couldn’t see anyone after the first lap.  I had seeded myself at 1:45 and finished in 1:36.  OK, 2 down 1 to go.

Another brief rest and I lined up for my final event the 100 freestyle.  Once again I wasn’t sure what sort of time I could get, so I seeded myself at 1:30.  A week ago I did 500 yards holding 1:33, so I figured that with a dive I should get under 1:30.  The dive helped as did seeing someone near my pace several lanes over.  I finished in 1:24. 

I’m glad I did the meet, but it did leave me with a few thoughts.  One is that my endurance is pretty good (or my sprint is pretty bad) if I can hold 1:33 for 500 yards on a 1:24 100 free race time.  I’m thinking it’s a bit of both.  The second thought is that training for tri does leave me feeling a bit like I’m not a “real” swimmer, cyclist or runner.

I would call any of those 100 times being a 'real' swimmer.  Especially the 1:33 for 500 yards!