Jmk-brooklyn's mentor group- FULL! (Page 4)

haha!  We just come from different backgrounds.  I've been riding the bike seriously for 6-7 years and had over 6000 miles of riding last year.  I started running for cross training.  My swim, as you saw, is a little on the not fast side (understatement!).  I had two duathlons last year and I think that really helped my comfort level going into the tri because I understood transition set up to some extent.  Have a great time this weekend!

Alright you read my opinion on the race. Here are my times. Comments wanted and welcome for any leg of the race!

• Age group: 20-24 Male 13th place; 49th place overall
• Swim 500 yd: 8:45.7 52th place swim
• Transition 1: 2:33 min
• Bike 13.1 miles 40:05.9 Average mph:19.6 63th overal
• Transition 2: 0:43 seconds
• Run 3.1 miles: 22:11.7 Average mile time:7:09 54th overall

What Jonah said.  Ride lots.   Gradually increasing your mileage.  If your long ride is currently 90 minutes, increase to two hours for a few weeks and so forth.   To get better at hills, ride hills.  In other words, don't necessarily look for the flattest route for your long ride, etc.  If it's very hill, consider doing hill repeats once a week.

Edited by jmkizer 2010-04-13 6:01 PM

I believe the standard BT answer to this question is, "Ride Lots."

so, does packing 5 people for vacation and running up and down the stairs at least 200 times tonight count as cross training?

right now, i believe it does

Hell, I counted 3.5miles tonight riding the mb back from the mechanic after dropping off my car. If I can count that, I say yes to the cross training!

Going anywhere good for vacation?

What's everybody got on tap for today's workout? I've got a 1 hour run followed by a 45 min swim.

Ride tonight.  Most Wednesdays I do a group ride that goes from 6pm until sunset.  It's a different out and back route every week and we turn around at the halfway time (6:54 tonight).  Sunset here is 7:48 p.m. tonight so it should be about 1:40-1:45 minutes.

Had my second ever brick session this morning (37min ride/19min run). Have to say, it went pretty well (unlike the first attempt last week)

20 mile ride after work, was gonna go this morning but temps in the 30's changed my plans.

I am going to try to get in a 20 mi ride and maybe a short swim after work.  Outside pool temps have hit 75 degrees here in FL so it is time to pick up the swim effort.

I wasn’t expecting to be able to work out, since my wife had a softball game. But she came home early (because she wanted to watch American Idol) and I scooted out the door to the gym. I did some speedwork on the treadmill and managed a 5k at around an 8:23 mile, which is faster than I’ve been for a while.

Since I’m doing mostly shorter races this year, I might as well try to be faster.

I also signed up for the Great Hudson River Swim, which is a 1.3 mile swim from Christopher St to Battery Park in the Hudson. I did it last year and it was really fun—maybe one of the most fun events I’ve ever done.

Where are you going on vacation?

We are heading to Cape Canaveral Beach, FL for vacation. I can't wait! A week of sun and fun sounds heavenly right now! Looking forward to some runs on the beach

I had a great run this morning. Love it when that happens!

My biking is on hold for a bit - I bought a new bike! Yeah!!! It just arrived at the bike store and I sold my old bike yesterday, so I am without wheels for a bit.

A new bike? So? Details!

Hehehe - it's so weird to be in such a different place than y'all.  I did a wicked slow 1 hour bike ride today, but it was the longest I've ridden on a real bike.  All of my bike training up until a week or so ago has been on a stationary at the gym or in a spin class.  You know what - it doesn't translate as well as I would have hope. 

I'm borrowing my brother-in-law's bike for my sprint in May, and I managed to adjust it today so that I'm not crippled after my ride or tippy, but it's not ideal.  It is, however, free.

I thought I would really love the bike, but I am still ambivalent.  Partially because of everyone trying to kill me (cars, strollers, old people, power-walkers with ipods, frost heaves), but also because I thought I'd be better at it than I am.  Gonna keep plugging away, but I will definitely be slower than I had thought on race day.  On the bright side - big room for improvement!

Did you try to adjust it yourself or did you take it to your local bike shop?  When I replaced my first bike, DH, who is about the same height as me, took the old bike to the shop and had them fit it to him.  I think that he spent $50-$75.  It's good unless he wants to go more that 90 minutes or 2 hours, then I think he'll start to suffer.

Edited by jmkizer 2010-04-14 4:14 PM

X2 on the fitting. If your not comfortable, you're gonna dread the bike training. Oh, and watch those frost heeves!! One of those bumpy suckers put my car out of commission for 3 days....on the plus side, had no choice but to ski for 3 more days

I have a friend who is Mr Bike Guru and he did the adjustment for me, along with a tune-up. It's still not perfect. I plan on getting a bike of my very own if I continue after this first race.  Then all my questions will be about what bike to get. 

Question: One of my sons I think cut my computer wire on my bike... I attempted a home repair by splicing the severed wires back together which appeard to work until I wrapped them with electrical tape.  Has anyone come across this and successfully done home repair, I am probably going to take it in to bike shop

Hey! What is this "if I continue?"    What's up with that?

Today's noob question is about NUTRITION

When people talk about it they tend to say something like this

"breakfast was a bagel, PB&J, or some cereal, or some combo of this.

Gel 20 min pre race"

By Gel, they mean what?   A single gel?  A serving (half a package in most cases, ~100 cals), a package (~200 cals)?

Yeah, gel always means the full serving. I can’t imagine trying to eat half, putting it away somewhere and finishing it later.

If you’re doing a long ride or really long run, you can get a gel flask, which is kind of like a mini-water bottle which holds 5 or 6 gels, and so you can eat them at whatever rate you want. The other nice thing is that Hammer sells their gels in 20oz containers, so if you have a flavor you love, you can buy in bulk and use a flask and save money vs buying a million single-serving packages.

One thing about flasks, though’ you often have to water the gels down to get the consistency right. You can practically suck the eyeballs out of your head trying to eat a gel out of a flask if the gel is too thick. I did a Century last year in 45-degree weather and the gels in my flask were the consistency of toothpaste. It was impossible to get them out without pulling over and using both hands to wring them out of the flask.

I gave up on my gel flask at that point. I’ll go with the packaged gels in the Bento box or taped to the top tube from now on. But lots of people swear by the flasks.

ETA: If anyone wants a gel flask, complete with holder-thingie that velcros to your top tube, you're welcome to it. I don't want it around, lest I be tempted to use it again.

Edited by jmk-brooklyn 2010-04-15 11:12 AM