DeCracker's Group ( de tricrackletes) Full (Page 4)

Train hard...race easy

OK it looks like you're doing really well. Continue to strive to get smaller. Less weight = fast bike and fast run and less injuries. Trust me on this as I am living proof. Pogo if you can do a 1:47/100 then you are probably in the top 30% of BT swimmers. Now can you hold that pace for 500/750 or 1500 meters? Brick training is essential prior to participating in a tri of any type. I've never had a prblem with transitioning from swim to bike but everyone has to learn to go from bike to run. When it's cold here we do our bricks  indoors at the Y. Put on your tri suit, swim for 20-30 minutes, jump out, grab your towel and dry off as you dash to the spin room. Have your bike shoes there and jump on and start riding. Ride for 10-12 minutes. Jump off and head to the treadmill. After changing shoes run for a mile. Jump off and head back to the bike. Do this 3 times. No need to go back to the pool just do the bike/run sequence. Essentially the swim should have gotten your HR up and it will accustom you to being wet on the bike. After a few of these try swimming for 30 minutes. Jump on the spin bike for 45 minutes. Head to the treadmill for a 3 mile run. You'll love it. Of course if the weather is nice just park your bike outside the pool. If you have a bike trainer then you can take it to a local high school track and do some great brick workouts.

You guys are doing great so keep it up.

Train hard........race easy.

It is common to hear folks suggest that your cycling cadence be between 85-95. I find that a little fast as I'm comfortable around 80. I personally think a more important question is "How long can you maintain the cadence and can you run afterwards"?  Strive for the 80-90 but don't burn out trying to get there. Are you using a computer with a cadence function or are you timing your strokes. It's important to accurately assess your rate as a lot of folks overestimate their cadence. They think they're doing 90-100 when in reality they're averaging about 70. The trainer or the spinning room is the place to practice cadence, as you can experiment without the concerns of road hazards or traffic. Keep the tension light and just spin perfect circles. If you cycle to music then choose your music carefully. You can download specific music to match your cadence. I believe most aerobics music is around 60-80. Chris Carmichael has some outstading downloads. I use them. They are about 10 bucks a download but they are specific training composites with a lot of coaching info and music tailored to proper cadence. I like them a lot. Most are around an hour to an hour and a half workouts and trust me, they will kick your butt but you will become a better rider. Beware of the over simplistic training advice. Too often we simply like to say"ride lots", a phrase the great Eddie Merck use to use when asked for advice. It's good advice if your a gifted athlete in top condition. For the rest of us,  it's specific drills, riding miles and miles, and sweat. Don't overlook the importance of your weight. Weight is relatively unimportant on flat terrain but the second you hit the incline then every additional ounce slows you down.

Now you definitely want to spin fast and stay aerobic. Pedaling too slow either limits your speed or forces you into a bigger gear which trashes your legs. Remember the connection between muscle exertion, HR, lactic acid, pain, etc. Spin fast but spin light and stay aerobic.

Tell me a little more about your rides. Tell me the terrain and the weather.  There's nothing wrong with 15mph but you always want to get faster. A good goal is to average 18-20 for 10 miles but again if you're riding in very hilly terrain or a lot of traffic then your 15 could mean that you're a much better rider than your speed reflects. Please tell me more about your rides and how you feel afterwards.

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions.  Here's a little more info about my recent rides.  I've been indoors on a stationary bike with settings that make it feel like I'm going up and down hills.  As I mentioned, my HR was way up on my ride today and took longer to go down than I feel is typical for me.  I was probably a little dehydrated, and certainly tired, but the ride itself wasn't bad.  I was mostly trying to keep at a steady cadence.  I kept it right around 75 the whole time, except for a few really easy parts (akin to flat terrain I guess) where I took it up around 90.  I had gone up to 160 (HR) at the end of the ride (big "hills" and still working around 75 cadence).  It took a five minute cooldown to get my HR down to 130.  The idea was to get my HR down before I finished up with a quick run around the indoor track.  I was slightly winded from the bike ride.  My legs were tired, but not completely worn out. 

 Not sure what else I can tell you.  I'm not in great cardiovascular shape, so I'm not too surprised by being winded.  I don't know whether I posted it here or on my blog, but I also found out last week that I have asthma and my lungs are working at about 75% capacity.  I'm hoping I'll have a bit easier time with everything once that's responded to meds.  If  20 mph is a good goal, then it's going to take me a little while longer to get there!  But then, when I do, I'm gonna be super proud of myself!

 Now, not trying to hog all your time, but do you have any suggestions about the running thing?  At this point, that's what's really kicking my butt.  I forgot to ask the PT today if I should be running with my brace.  My ankle's bothering me a little bit, but I'm wondering if  that may have something to do with the transition between pedalling and runnng.  I'm not sure I'm extending my legs far enough on the stationary bike (I think my bike's OK) and that that's causing me to pedal differently.  I'll take my bike out tomorrow or Sunday and see if I feel the same thing coming off the bike and running a little that I do when I come off the stationary bike.  I'm worried because I'm feeling it in my shins, too, and I don't want to get those dreaded shin splints I'm hearing about!

And no doubt losing weight would be a help.  I'm almost 1/3 doughnut according to the bodyfat analysis I had done on Tuesday!  I'm hanging around 140-145 right now and am not really sure what a realistic healthy weight would be.  I was a string bean through college (around 105), then marriage and kids got me.  I was WAY too skinny at 105, but probably OK around 120, so if I add in some extra muscle, it seems like 130 might be reasonable?  Any good way to gauge?

Thanks for any additional feedback!  I'm really enjoying this new lifestyle! 

sealiongirl--I know I don't really know much about this stuff, but it sounds like you're doing great to me! 

 I really encourage you to go to that social.  Everybody there, EVERYBODY, had to start at the beginning.  And if you go, and they're a bunch of losers (i.e., not welcoming and accepting), it's not as though you have to join! 

Thanks for being a good inspiration. 

I have an appointment with a bike fitter tomorrow to see if there's anything I can do with my old bike. After riding it again, I'm certain the reach is too short. I also hate having the shifters on the frame instead of on the handlebars. So now I'm thinking about new bikes. I don't enjoy riding on the road beside cars, and there aren't alot of paved paths around here, so my mtn. bike may be the best way to go. However, I don't use my mtn. bike for mtn. biking anyway. I may ride off road through a field or go over big bumps along a gravel path, but I don't actually bike down any mountains or even any especially rough hills. I'm wondering if there's something in between a racing bike and a mtn. bike that would be better than either option I have at the moment. I REALLY like the extra speed I have on the road bike, so that's a big selling point, but if I wanted only one bike, it would have to be something that could go offroad as well, which I wouldn't be able to do with little skinny wheels. I'm just thinking maybe I can sell both bikes and get enough to put a dent in the price of a new bike.

Any ideas?

Also, I'm intrigued by the STI brake/gear set up where the shifter and break are all put in there together. Any comments on that would be appreciated too, as I'm still kinda hoping there's some way to make my old bike work so I don't have to either race on my mtn. bike or spend the money on a new bike) and that I could just put on new shifters.

Bla, bla, bla!

Hope you're all doing well!