Meulen's 'Let's tri this Thing!' beginner mentor group-CLOSED (Page 41)

libramom - 2011-04-07 12:04 PM

Meulen - 2011-04-07 10:29 AM For those of you looking to lose those last few lbs, bare in mind V8 has a lot of sodium and will make you retain unwanted water weight. Eat the real vege's people!!! Just my .02

i hear you!!! michael's idea of a vegetable is a potato so... v8 is better than nothing.

nice ride, henry!!

i'm trying to talk michael into driving to ohio so i can do a triathlon there on may 15th. it's the same day as the pgh. marathon so i wouldn't feel like a loser since i won't be doing the half this year.

How could you ever feel like a loser when 7 months ago you couldn't even run a quarter mile!  Look where you are now.  People spend years working up to a HM!  You're foolish!!

I just got back from a good 21 mile ride.  In the beginning of the ride I was cursing myself for wasting money on aero bars and was thinking about many questions to ask this group when I got home as to how to get use to the blasted things!  Well, as I got more comfortable on the bike I got pretty use to using them and actually found it possibly more comfortable than other hand positions.  I found that I gained an instant 2mph as soon as I assumed the position.  By the end I even stayed in them going down minor hills at over 25 mph.  So, I am now happy again that I bought them.  My biggest concern in the beginning of the ride was that I was going to swerve right into the Ohio River, but I avoided that (and the geese).  The ride continued to be great until the very end, however, when I got my first flat tire on my new bike   I am sure that I picked up a rock.  I was close enough to the car s I just walked it in and I will deal with it later.  Other than the flat, I ended up being happy with the ride.  I was able to maintain 20 mph into the wind for some extended amounts of time, but I didn't have to tackle any hills on this ride.

What do you mean?  A potato isn't a vegetable?  Dang, that sucks. 

Brian,  I will stay here is as long as you and the rest of the team keep showing up.  You're insight and knowledge on most of this stuff is great.  Can't say I ever will get to your level of commitment but I like to hear about them.  And as for the sodium, isn't it a electrolite?  I have read that people that train sometimes even use salt pills or something like that.  Have you heard of this?

Henry,  Those bars look exactly like mine.  They are cool cause they connect.  The only sucky thing is that you can't shift or break without getting out of Aero.  At least that's how it is on my bike.  BTW.  That bike looks fast. 

Michael,  I also noticed the immediate improvement in speed when I went into Aero.  Harder on the Jewels though.  The possition feels great when you have been in a different one for a long time but after a while, I needed to rest from that one.  The funny thing is,  I trained with it and then during the race, I don't think I used it much at all.  During the climbs, I was on the horns the whole time and the downhill speeds were so fast, I didn't want to go faster and was even riding the breaks a lot. 

Everyone,  I forgot to tell you.  Most of the bikes that were in the race that I was in were not super narly Tri Bikes.  They were mostly Road Bikes and very few had Aero Bars.   I even saw people on old mountain bikes and one guy was riding a womens mountain bike.  I guess we are not the only people that can't afford $5000.00 for our first bike.  I was reading the Buyers Guide Triathlete magazine.  They have bikes in there that cost 15,000.  Now that's commitment to the sport.

Erin,  Sounds to me like you made a ton of improvements in the running.  I too couldn't run 1/4 mile and that was 1.5 years ago.  I still haven't made HM distances.  Great job.

QOTD:  What was the reason that you decided to do your very first Triathlon?  What made you want to do a second?

My answer:  I didn't even really know what a triathlon was until I met a customer that was training for one.  He told me he was going to go for a 30 mile bike ride through the foothills and then coming home and run a few miles.  I thought he was crazy and told him so.  He told me that if you can finish a triathlon, for two years after you finish it you feel like nothing in your life is to hard for you and that every aspect of your life seems a little easier.  My mom had just died a few months before so I was looking for things to be a little easier.   It sounded so impossible and unlike me.  I hated running, didn't have a bike since High School and barely could swim across a 13 yard pool.  I was bored with lifting heavy weights and never seeing the results I wanted.  To me, I knew that if I could go from that mentality to finishing what seemed impossible to me, that I could do anything else I set my mind to. The guy was right.  Although it wasn't just finishing the race that made me feel like that.  It was the whole process.   I want to do a second triathlon to make sure I feel that way again.  I am now also wanting to do a marathon and mud race.  Might be into training for a century.

dale- i'm sorry- i meant to say that the only vegetable he eats is a potato...oh, and corn!

qotd: after seeing michael's race last year, i was really motivated by all of the excitement. i remember that a bunch of our friends came last year and i told one of them, "i can't run to save my life, but if i can be in labor for 21 hours and push out a 10-pound baby for four hours, i can do this too!" so, i'm starting small with a sprint distance. baby steps....

ps- michael, i thought i encouraged you to do a tri, not you trying to beat jen!

I know that it can be more complicated than just moving the seat forward, but can it also be that simple?  I am not completely sure how I will be riding, but I did have a lot of fun in aero once I got use to it!

Yeah, I'm sure it will be a challenge to get in and out of the aero's. Any tips or warnings? My bike trails are so crowded I'm a little worried I'll plow right into someone one of these days!

Since I have been working on this, my advice would be to find somewhere where you will not have to be shifting gears or the possibility of quick braking.  It took me some time to get use to getting in and out without swerving, and if there was the possibility of something jumping out in front of me I would have been done in for sure.  Practice is the key

Henry,

The only advise that I can give because I am not a pro is that the more warning you have, the better.  If you see a guy 100 yards ahead of you and think you have to break or change position, do it before you actually get to where you might crash.  I do that with all the stoplights too.  Always watch and if you get to the point where you can't safetly break or shift, you are commited to making the light.  If you see the light changing and you have time, go ahead and get out of Aero and then you can break. The only problems I ever had where when I decided to do something at the last second.  That goes for the clip in petals too.  If you can click out while you are still moving, you are less likely to crash.  It is super hard to clip out when you are stopped.  Brian surely knows more about it.  Any other warnings/advice?

All good advice! Thanks. My hope was to get them on the bike tomorrow, but I'm sick again. GRRRR. Feels like a chest cold. I took Nyquil last night and slept for around 11 hours. Still feel like crap and I have to work all day today, then stagger through an easy run. Actually aside from the metallic feeling in my throat and a mild cough I feel fine so far...I think I can run cos it's only for 25 min @ low intensity, but then I'm gonna eat dinner and go to bed again for a looooong time. Hopefully I will kick this cold!

Sarah, you got it rough!!!

What I did was run before 9, as you remarked.  Otherwise, call it vacation, cut yourself some slack & when you return to Pitt, be prepared to WORK!!

R

sbux87 - 2011-04-09 12:07 PM

GoGoGo - 2011-04-09 10:48 AM

sbux87 - 2011-04-09 11:38 AM Hey guys! I am in southern Florida for vacation. I've been here since Wednesday and don't go back to dreary Pittsburgh until Tuesday. The sun and beach are nice, but you want to know something....I actually sort of miss my normal training routine! there are mountain bikes down here and I brought running stuff but it is just SO hot, you really can't do anything after 9am because its already 85*! Im going to need a detox too after all the ice cream and alcohol im having!

 

Sarah, you got it rough!!!

What I did was run before 9, as you remarked.  Otherwise, call it vacation, cut yourself some slack & when you return to Pitt, be prepared to WORK!!

R

Haha yeah, life is tough....maybe another margarita will help

It often does, especially in the warm sun!!!

It finally was warm today in Pittsburgh, so Erin and I went on a "training" ride this afternoon with the boys in tow behind the bikes.  It definitely adds some great resistance!  it was a great ride until I got a flat tire again.  I have never had a flat in my entire life, and now I have had two within three days.  Talk about frustrating.  At least I am getting great practice at changing flats....

I hope everyone else had some great swims, rides, and/or runs!