Experior and Slornow's Winter Mentor Group-CLOSED (Page 41)

Let's see how much I can remember from what I read....

Blanda very cute picture of your daughter.  That is great getting them involved early.  Your son sounds like he did what he is suppose to do in those instances.  Way to come through Bro!!!

Michael congrats on the Master's Win and 3rd overall.  Great way to begin the season.

Bennett that is so very cool.  I am not sure I would have the guts to have gone up to her.  I have seen stars before in airports and other places and I generally just leave them alone.  But in this case I might have gone for it.  Once in a lifetime unless you are at an Ironman Race.  Hang on to that!!!  Pure envey.   Sorry to hear about the cancelled race; that is a bummer.

Cat..Look forward to reading your race report.

I can't afford wheels for my bike.  Sorry.  I don't even have a Tri Bike yet.

I got in a trainer ride this morning on the bike.  About an hours worth; that is three for the week; I think.  I decided to bring a book to read. Really helped pass the time.  I need to get a better set-up.  Was reading Going Long!!!  Just came back from my swim.  Not a bad effort.  Got a mile in at a 1:44 pace.  I wasn't pushing it but it was a modest effort.

Can't wait for Spring Break.  Once more week.

We (I and my three kids) were in the car for 9 hours today.  It was an utterly exhausting weekend -- 9 hour drive on Friday, then family stuff Friday night through Saturday night, then drive home today.  On the way home the kids and I counted how many family members we saw while we were there -- the count came to 84.  There were 400 people at my grandfather's party; a tribute to what a nice man he has been his whole life.

Neil -- Sounds like a good ride.  Keep it up!  Swim vid:  I'm far from an expert.  A couple of things stand out to me.  I think your kick could be a good bit tighter.  I also think your pull could be a bit wider -- you seem to be very close to crossing over sometimes, especially with the right hand, and possibly as a result, there is a subtle snaking that you are doing in the water.  The other thing is that you are dropping your elbows near the beginning of the catch, and so losing a lot of grip on the water.  I would also consider trying to increase your cadence a bit with a slightly quicker recovery.  Again, that's the opinion of a complete non-expert!  And thanks for posting the video.

Bennet -- very cool autograph!  Sorry to hear about the race, though.

Rene -- nice job!  I'm off to read the report now.

Randy -- Yes, Running Wild.  I liked their store.  The person fitting me for running shoes had some funny ideas, though.  I went against her recommendation, and she probably thinks I was stupid for doing so, but it's all good.  I ran nearly ten miles in them this evening and they feel pretty good so far.

Michael - that's siome kind of party.  Must be a heck of a guy.

Thanks for the critique of the swim video.  Your thoughts mirror mine pretty well.

• I do come very close to crossing over, and have to conciously think about it when swimming (more the left than the right).
• Video does show that my kick is a bit deep
• I definitely know I drop my arm when starting the catch - especially when I breathe.  Just can't figure this out.  I can do drills with a high elbow, but can't translate that into actual swim mechanics.

Thanks for the feedback.  I'll post in the Tri forum and see if I get anything additional - but what you said already cemented my own thoughts.

Neil-just watched the video and I think Michael hits the points I would have mentioned.  You describe feeling out of breath or that you are working hard in you swims....have you ever considered taking more frequent breaths?  Good work on the video...that must have taken a good bit of time.

Bennet-sorry for the race cancellation.

Rene-great race. Enjoyed reading about the run finish.  Good start to the season!

Randy

Lol. Somehow I didn't translate from my right to your left.  

Hope you get some good feedback on the forum.

Long, for me, swim at lunch with main set being a straight 2000.  Actually felt pretty good. Came through the first 1000 in 16:30 for 1:39/100 pace.  May have dropped a little after that but probably averaged 1:40-41. Tried to "push the buoy" today....translation is try to push your chest (not your stomach) down into the water.  Suppose to help with balance by causing hips/legs to rise.  Not sure if it worked but I seemed to feel better than usual.

Easy 45 minutes on the bike tonight.

Randy  

Crap, crap, crap...

Planned on going for a 4 mile run this evening.  I am about 1.25 miles into it and my calf starts tightening up and I feel a pull, twitch and I had to stop running.  Ended up walking back home.  It is sore right now and I have ice on it.  Not in the same place as my previous issue and right now it is not as tender as it was before.  We'll see in the morning. 

You know I am beginning to wonder if my calf issues have anything to do with my right sore knee (medial collateral area) pain.  I am guessing I may be favoring my knee some and my calf is taking the brunt of it.  Just a guess.  I may have to go have my knee looked at by a Orthopedic.

Sorry to hear about that Brian.  Often a weakness or other problem in one part of the body translates to problems on the other side, usually lower down than the weakness.  So a bad knee on one side can mean extra stress on the calf or fot on the other side, and so on.  It isn't 100%, but a good place to start looking.

Hope you heal up soon.  Remember that catching an incipient injury early save a LOT of time over waiting for it to fully manifest itself.

Neil -- I've looked at your swim video a few more times.

First, it seems to me that you look quite relaxed in the water.  I know you've said that you don't really feel relaxed, but you LOOK relaxed and very comfortable.  That counts for a lot.  Maybe knowing that you look relaxed will help you feel relaxed?  You really are a very competent swimmer and maybe it will help if you bear that in mind.  (I'm only about 5-10s/100 faster than you, so you shouldn't necessarily trust me on anything, but I thought it might help you to realize that someone thinks you look pretty good....)

In addition to what I said before, and what's been said on the forum (more or less the same), I think that you could work on getting your legs higher in the water.  Your heels are barely -- sometimes not -- breaking the surface of the water.  That's a sign that you are slightly (emphasis on 'slightly') swimming uphill, which creates drag.

Also, your heels appear to be a bit inflexible.  You and me both.  Kick drills with fins helps create flexibility in the heels.

x2 on catching it early and being wise to stop immediately and walk it in.

I had a very similar calf strain back in November while marathon training.  It happened less than a mile into my run and I stopped immediately.  It was tender the rest of the day, I iced it, and it felt "okay" the next day.  It was no longer sore, but tight...so I took 3 days off from running, then cautiously started running again when it was no longer tight.  A week later, I PR'd a half marathon, and was able to complete the rest of my marathon training.

I'm not saying we have the same type of injury, or that you will recover the same way...just letting you know what I went through since it sounds very similar.

Hey Neil,

Great swim video!  Here are my thoughts for what they're worth.  I think you've got an easy 5 secs per 100 that you can improve with better technique.  Philosophically, what I think you want to focus on is having all your effort moving you forward with the least amount of drag possible.  From the underwater view of your video, you can see how your body is not straight in the water (side to side) at times due to some of your propulsion going sideways instead of straight back.  The two areas I see where this is happening is in your pull (a bit of crossover as Michael mentioned) and your kick.  I'm guessing the kick is where the problem begins.  You need to get rid of that scissors motion as it creates a bit of a drag/pulse kind of a motion.  In breaststroke, where the kick is the primary driver, this type of kick works reasonable well relative to the weaker pull.  But in freestyle, the pull is the main source of power and so you want your legs to stay high in the water at all times to let the pull be as effective as possible.  I think especially in the triathlon the main thing you're doing with your legs is keeping them high to reduce drag.  If you're not already doing so, I'd do some kicking drills where you just put your arms out in front or use a kick board and really focus on keeping a nice steady rhythm with both legs doing the same motion higher in the water.  You won't go fast, but that isn't the point.  You're just setting up the pull.  Also do some pulls with the pull-buoy so you get a better feel for where your legs should be in the water.

All that being said, I know plenty of folks who would love to have your stroke and it generally looks nice and smooth and relaxed.  You look like you could do that all day which is great!  I'm also guessing that with the camera on, you were probably at your best and that perhaps as you get more tired, some of these tendencies on the kick and pull break down a bit more.  Anyway, right on for working on technique... definitely some time you can pick up!

Stu

Niel...just saw your video and your swim looks a lot like me.  I have a slight crossover, I bend somewhat at the hips laterally, and my kick looks like yours.

I'm soaking in all the advice you're getting...LOL

Brian - glad you stopped running and walked back.  That was a smart choice and hopefully it will help you heal quickly for this.

Rene - great race, don't think I can really add anything more than that!

Everyone - thanks for the comments on the swim video.  One thing that really stuck out was how my ankles/feet looked.  I know they are pretty inflexible, but I didn't realize quite how much.  I'll try using the fins a bit to help with that, but also tighten the kick.  I also didn't realize that the crossover may cause the lateral motion - that's good to know.  I think the crossover stems from me trying to be as streamlined as possible and keeping my shoulders close to my ears - I'll work on how my hands/arms enter the water.

Oh, and Stu - you're right.  Form was looking pretty good since I was fresh and does start to breakdown a bit as I tire.

Hey folks-been on the road today but was able to get in a bike/run this afternoon.

For the guys...what kind of suit do you wear for pool workouts. Jammers, brief, square leg, regular bathing suit?

Everyone-I think we probably went over this early in the group but what/when is everyones "A" race for this season?

Randy

Blanda...I spoke to a friend of mine who referred me to a PT who also happens to own and operate the Local Running Store in town.  My friend shared my current injuries issues and I hope to meet with him soon to discuss some things.  He told her he was interested in helping me out.  I recently signed up for a running plan through their store so this kind of networking really helps in times like this.  Depending on that outcome I may not opposed to looking at other alternatives such as seeing an Sports minded Orthopedic if I need to.  I don't think I can continue on with the knee pain and other injuries as it is; I have been tolerating it for too long.  Maybe for the short term, but not if I want to do an Iron Distance Race in the near future.

Randy - I'm a jammers guy.  I don't see myself pulling off the speedo or square leg. 

As for "A" race, the plan has always been the Muskoka 70.3 in September again, but I was on the fence with the injuries earlier.  Now that I seem to be on the mend and running (hoping I didn't jinx anything just now) I plan to sign up before the end of the month.  One Sprint is also an "A" race in July.

Swimsuit-I'm with you Neil...jammers.  I actually bought a square leg suit a month or so ago (it was on sale) but just can't bring myself to wear it.  I see guys at the pool wearing the square leg suits and I think nothing of it but would feel self conscious if I were wearing one.  I think there is also a feeling of not being a good enough swimmer to wear one.

A race for me will likely be Chattanooga olympic in July.  Will then cut back a bit through the remainder of the hot Summer down here and then do a couple of Fall races.

Randy

I'm a cheap swimsuit guy at the pool - they cost less, last longer, and provide more drag during the workout.  I've never been known for my fashion statements or gear.  It's a genetics problem.

Question for you all.  I typically use my St. Paddy's Week gig $ for some tri-related item and this year I'm looking at bike trainers, especially since they are now on sale after the indoor season :-)  Went by our local tri store and the guy there was talking up the Lemond trainers (maybe because my bike is an old Lemond and so it came up).  Anyone on here know anything about 'em?  A bit more expensive than others, but I kind of like the approach.  In any case, any recommendations on bike trainers would be most appreciated.  Being able to bike indoors at home at night would REALLY help out.  (of course, I still haven't attacked the space, currently full of junk, where I could put one)

Stu

Stu-I hear good things about the Lemond trainer.  Only negative I have heard is that they are loud.  I have a set of e-motion rollers. www.insideride.com    Pricier than most trainers @$850 but woth every penny.  True road feel, adjustable resistance, quiet and no need to use trainer tire.  Although they are rollers there is not the learning curve found with most rollers.  I have had mine for 3 years with zero problems.  Might be more than you want to spend but some of the best tri related $ I have spent.

Randy   

For swimwear...I just converted from jammers to square leg.  I had some apprehension at first, but I got used to it.  I actually prefer them shorter now...but the problem I have is that they tend to ride up a bit.  I have large quads...so the bottom of the leg opening is around the biggest part of my leg...so they naturally move up my leg which is a bit skinnier.  For this reason, I may move back to jammers.  I would prefer something more like my tri shorts...about a 4 inch inseem...but they don't seem to make them.  It's either speedo, square leg, or 7 inch inseem down above your knees.

As far as trainers...I like the idea of the Lemond Trainer...but I think it's out of my price range.  I have a cycleops fluid 2, but IMO, the resistance is too high (using a speed sensor, 18 mph feels more like what 23 mph on the road is) and *I* need to use a trainer tire on it.  I hear the Kurt Kinetic trainers have more of a road feel.

Randy - I wear square cut.  I have never really thought too much about it.  I don't really pay much attention to what others are wearign at the pool, so I assume they do the same.  I think they are a good compromise between jammers and a brief style speedo.

My A race is IMAZ in November.  CA 70.3 next weekend is my first HIM.  Pretty nervous....

I have a cheap GIANT mag trainer I use right now, and have had no issues with it.  It gets the job done, but I do feel the resistance could go a bit higher.  I have my eye on the Kurt Kinetic Rock-n-Roll.  Great reviews, and have heard nothing but good things about Kurt Kinetic.