Baowolf's Beginner Banquet -Sorry all tables are full no room.. (Page 44)

Dennis - Please buy a kilt, wear it in a race, then post some pictures! If I thought skirts were practical I would buy one, but it just seems like another piece of clothing that I probably wouldn't wear that often. I like the idea of it for sure.

Carol - The amount of effort it takes for you to keep your blood sugar regulated is enough to make me think I would not even try. I admire you for putting the time and effort in. Was that hard for you in the beginning?

My Oly is September 3rd, so maybe I can tell you everything I did in time to benefit you, Carol, for your first Oly. I am glad we are doing them so close together. I was nervous when I thought I needed to swim over 2000 yards because I am definitely not ready for that. I still have work to do and hope the next couple weeks will get me where I need to be. I am not sure what I am gonna do about nutrition. I picked up several different snacks to try out. I am trying to find one I like that has protein in, a small amount, because I do WAY better when I have protein in my system.

Tell me what y'all think, but my plan is to take in all my extra calories on the bike. Should I do 200-300, am I remembering that right? Maybe at the beginning of the bike and mid-way I could do like 150 each time, then nothing but drinks on the run. I hope they have some electrolyte type stuff. Should I be carrying my own water on the run?

My back was much better on the bike yesterday and I was able to push out 23 miles, longest ride so far...woohoo...followed by a short run. I am excited that I am starting to talk in distances instead of minutes. I have come a long way.

Keep up the good work. Steve when is your century ride?

Steve, thanks for the input.  Once again I was missing the forest for the trees (failing to take into consideration whether I am taking in ENOUGH fuel).  I can try not reducing my basal rate quite as much so I can take in more along the way.  And your point re: continuing to take in even in the last half of the run was confirmed in my workout this morning.  Biked 27 miles, then ran 3.  This was before I read your post....only took in 120 calories about 2/3 through bike because BG was high when I started.  Bolused for 1/2 the carbs, and wound up with a BG of 57 at the end of the run and totally spent energy wise.  3:20....hmm....good to have something to shoot for .

Samantha, very cool!  We're doing our OLY's on the same weekend.  So glad your bike went better.  You have made awesome progress, and we're going to conquer the swim jitters together.  Are you planning to do any OWS practice between now and then?  Will wetsuits be allowed in your race? 

Starting new activities or big changes in exercise/activity levels/food are the most difficult to manage.  If I did/ate/exercised the same every day, BG managment would be easier, but I would be bored out of my mind.  I hope to inspire a few others along the way that they can live life to the fullest in spite of diabetes, or whatever their particular challenge is. 

Samantha, if your swim is 35-40 min, your bike is 1:25-1:30 and your run is 1:00 to 1:05 with T1 4, t2 3 you are out there 3:07 to 3:25:00 you are also going to need 450 ish calories.  You are fine going with 250 to 300 on the bike, but you are going to need at least another 100 and possibly 150 to 200 on the run depending on how you break up your calorie intake.  For a longer race I take in 350 calories per hour on the bike and 200 calories per hour on the run.  For a shorter race I could skimp some, but not too much.  I would go 200 cal on the bike 200 on the run if I ran your pace, possibly 250 to 300 on the bike.  

So 100 cal 15 min before swim, 100 cal 15 min into the bike, 100 cal 1 hour into the bike, maybe gatoraid for 50 cal end of bike or another 100 and another gatoraid 50 early in run or with 100 cal at mile 1.5 ish and 100 at 4 ish. will get you through the finish strong.   

Dennis, I run down to around -10 F with just my running shorts and shirt underneath and a windproof shell pants and jacket/shell (no insolation on either just windproof layer.  If the jacket has a hood that is good if it is snowing and then either windproof gloves or cheap kmart ski gloves is fine.  I have a very thin biking/running/ski hat that only has an opening for your eyes noes and mouth if it is really cold.  I run with my fanny pack camelback (45 oz) with pocket for Gu with a new insolated tube for drinking as mine froze too often last winter.  Wicking wool socks are a must if you are going to run in slush or really cold weather. 

On your jacket you can have a hood that zips up behind your neck when you dont need it, a flap to allow moister out the back and get pockets that zip.  My shell pants and jacket cost me $10 each at Walmart.  

Steve, thanks for the clothing information

Carol, I agree.  Wow about all the work that goes into keeping your levels ok during workouts and races.

Well I did something new tonight, I met up with some local runners and ran the trails in the forest.  We covered 8.5 miles.  It was a little harder than I thought.  Dodging mud holes, roots, etc.  I might do a shorter run here or there but none that long.  I have races to worry about and twisting my ankle would just be stupid.  Did I forget to mention how fun it was though.  I had a blast.  The sorest part of my body afterwards?  My lower back.  Now back to the roads.

Nice trail run Dennis!  I agree with you though....the twisted ankle potential is not worth it unless you really have a passion for it. 

Samantha, YMMV, but I almost always carry water on the run.  I have an amphipod that doubles as my race belt and has a pouch to hold other stuff.  It allows me to run through most of the water stations so I can walk/drink/test/eat gels on my own terms, preferably on an uphill stretch. 

OK, bike tire question.  How often should I replace my bike tires?  I'll hit the 1,000 mile mark this week + had 150 on them to begin with.  Only one flat ever, and that was due to a goathead sticker a couple weeks ago.  But the surface that contacts the road has flattened out a bit and no tread is left.  Hutchison Equinox is the brand/model.  Maybe I can get some with nice lime green sidewalls so I can be matching like Dennis .    

There's no good info on how many miles your tires will last due to so many variables.  I did learn that tread means nothing as far as traction with the road goes.  They say the only reason bike tires have those little tread lines is because people think they need them.  The overall response I got on how to know I need tires was pretty much, is the tire starting to fall apart.  Does it have cuts, chunks falling off, can you see the belts inside. 

If you want, spend the next 2 weeks deciding what tire would be the perfect replacement for you.  That will drive you crazy.  And will latex tubes give you less rolling resistance than butyl so you can go faster?  By day 10 you'll be ready to order a set of Zipps with a power meter installed.  You'll have $3000 worth of wheels and tires on a $900 bike.

Ha, funny!  So THAT is why I'm so slow!!  No danger there since I'm currently unemployed and cheap thrifty.  Hopefully these will continue to hold up.  Just thinking if they are due, I'd rather do it before my upcoming races.  

One more question.  Will it hurt anything for me to practice changing the tubes?  Dennis, seems like you did that??? I watched and asked questions last time, but I have yet to actually change one out myself.  Just hard to bring myself to potentially mess up a perfectly good tire!  I would have been OK with a DNF in the sprints due to a flat, but I don't want to end an OLY that way.   

Your mileage may vary. 

I do hope our group is not disbanding, though I would understand if Steve needs a break.  Steve, you are an awesome mentor and encourager, and I have learned so much from you!  Thank you from the bottom of my hear for selflessly pouring your time and energy into us and only occasionally lauging at our off the wall questions!

Well, last week was klutz week for me, and this week is "where is my brain?" week.  Dennis, that is a great suggestion, and I have my old Gary Fisher Napa w/ slicks on it in the garage to practice on.  The tires are darned close to flat already since I haven't ridden it lately.  Thanks for pointing that out! 

Samantha, I totally understand not wanting to buy one more thing because...well...it's always one more thing!  Hubby & I have decided that I'm not going back to work just yet as we are trying to see if some things settle out w/ his dad (like possibly prepping his house for sale) that will require a fair amount of time flexibility.  So in the interim, we're watching the budget more closely and I have lots of time to train even if I don't have enough energy! .

Not all mentor groups end I know.  Steve might get busy with another group, and he definitely should.  We're not as beginner as we were.  But if you look at some of the Steve Bradley mentor groups, he has some that are almost 2 years old and still going on.  So it might die down some here, but we will always be able to keep posting it seems.

Does everybody get emails when new posts are made or do you just try to remember to visit.  I get the emails and that tells me when somebody just posted something new.

I don't get the e-mails, but I'm addicted to checking BT, so it doesn't matter .

I'm looking at this year as a test year to answer some questions.  Do I really like tri's?  Which type do I like?  What kind do I want to do next year?  I've gotten a little wigged out over the last week or so about this next race too, but have to return to viewing it as an experiment of sorts.  I do know that if I was not doing this, I would not have been at the lake this morning to witness a beautiful sunrise over glassy smooth water with fish dancing all around.  God makes good stuff, and I get to be out in it.  I'll take that any day .

That's awesome.  I love hearing about ultras.  I first heard of Leadville from Born to Run.  100 miles is one thing, at altitude is another.  Somebody from my tri club just did the mountain bike race there.

I watched an interesting documentary the other day, Race Across America.  It's about a guy riding in a race for 3,000 miles.  I found it interesting that he had to have a brace made to help hold his head up.

So today I road 56 miles.  48 of them nonstop.  Of those, 6 were in a downpour that came out of no where.  Luckily I remembered somebody that lived in the area so I headed to his house.  It got worse once I got into his subdivision.  Winds strong enough it was difficult to stay upright and visibility was almost nothing.  I did notice him on the way out running with his dog.  Hung out at his house for 30 minutes while it past.  Road 8 more home afterwards.  I guess I was following Rule #9 and being a complete bad .

Alright back home and catching up on the posts.  I will probably start a new group with all here welcome to join.  My reasoning is that we have so many lost sheep that I would like to give another 15 folks a chance to join so we can get another 5 dihard posters to keep things fresh.  You guys can share your experience with the newer athletes and we may also get some more veteran athletes who want advice about IM distance training.  So to mix it up and have more folks have an opportunity to play. 

So I had my 100 mile 7500 foot century today.  The first 25 miles or so were relatively flat.  So I hooked up with the folks who parked next to me when I got to the start.  The group took off at a 22 to 23 mph pace!  We started with 10 and dropped 5 in the first 5 miles.  I stayed with them and when I was pulling I could do about 21.5 mph without going aero.  One of the guys was an animal he would plow up a hill at 23 to 24 mph into a slight headwind!  I noticed that the experienced group riders tended to pull harder and shorter where I pulled slower and longer.  I missed them leaving at the first water stop, which was probably for the best, it was a tough group to hang with.  So I set out again and grabbed 3 other guys and settled into a 20 to 21 mph pace, much more duable.  This guy comes plowing past us at 23 to 24 mph solo and I try to catch him to try to get another faster set going, but he is just plowing along, required too much effort even to stay on his wheel, he sometimes hit 25 mph and just kept on solo at that pace... very impressive, too much for me. 

As we started the first more gradual hill (for 10 miles) I noticed that the rest of my group had dropped out.  Drafting doesn't help that much on big hills.  So first hill is like 10 miles constant uphill.  Nothing killer but ya first gear and 9 mph.  We get to the 2nd water stop and then back out to climbing again.  We hit a couple ups and downs and then start the 5 to 6 percent grade ...for the next 15 miles!  Ok so finally we are up to the rim around crater lake, turn left onto the rim road, extremely beatiful... and snow on the ground!  Yes it is nearly September and snow on the ground.  Did I say that the temp started at 48F.  OK so turn onto the rim road... and go up again... 5 miles... 10 miles oh look a downhill (0.5 miles) and then up 10 more miles.  Oh my gosh for nearly 60 miles 90 percent of it is uphill at around a 5 percent grade.  Every turn yup still going up.  Finally we hit the summet at 7850.  (started around 4000 I think).  Then lots of ups and downs before finally hitting some downhill.... but with road construction and kind of not roads you want to go too fast on.  I used a lot of brake pad. 

So the lake is beautiful, 2000 feet deep with the rim road nearly 1000 feet above the lake so you can see the whole thing.  The water is the clearest of any in the country I think and 8th deepest in the world.  Very impressive, may overlooks.  I took some picks that I will try to upload once my wife er technical assistant comes back into town and tells me where the camera cable is. 

Anyway a very amazing ride, very hard ride, but extremely beautiful views.  Well worth the trip... by car or bike if you are ever in the area (Klamath Falls area of Oregon).  My legs held for the whole ride without issue.. my neck, back and shoulders... a little less so, but just annoyance stuff nothing enduring once you get off the bike. 

K so if you can run 5.6 miles in practice you can run 6.2 in a race, just don't cook yourself on the bike.  I don't see the race being an issue if you stay within yourself.  Walking during a triathlon is a perfectly acceptible thing to do if you have to, especially when upping to a longer distance.  Freeking out prior to racing a longer distance is manditory... it goes with the territory.  Let the feeling wash over you and out, you will do fine.  Once you have raced a distance once, even if poorly, slowly, bonking and walking... you know what is needed for the 2nd one of that distance.  My 2nd HIM was an hour faster than my first 1.  I learned that I needed to double my calorie intake. 

Grats on selling the glamper. 

Bikes typically start going on sale in October at around 20 percent off and may build to 40 percent off by December for new bikes.... 2010 models.  However an 09 new model in a store may be had for a really good price.  Look for 105 or better components for a bike that will last you 10+ years without having to upgrade.  Lower end new bikes are 750 ish... up to 1500 for really nice entry race bikes (new).  When buying a used bike always ask how many miles, and whether it was babied inside (my bike has its own room... my children don't) and if it has been crashed (possible cracked frame), hold many miles on the chain and drivetrain (front and rear sprockets) type of pedal if any is coming with it.  New pedals, shoes and seat for a used bike where the owner is keeping those may run you an addiitional $300 ish to get you on the road.  That can be the difference between a really good deal and.... not such a good deal.  If you want to be really particular you can ask now many miles on the tires, and how often did the person generally clean the chain, like every 300 miels or never.... = amount of addtional wear on the expensive components.  Inspect the spokes for bent, broken, nearly broken spokes and spin the tire looking to see if it is bent (wobbles) or straight, no wobble.  Look at the brake pades and see if they likely need to be replaced and make sure the size is what the person says it is.  Some people have no idea what size the bike actually is.  Overwhelmed yet?  If not ask more questions and we can help you to be sufficiently eye glazed.    

The most unfun ultra run I have read about is from LA to Las Vegas.... in the summer.  It is part of a run across america race thing.  I try to avoid high risk of death events....

Which is not to say that I might do a 50k or 50 mile run some day... really not anywhere near wrapping my mind around a 100 mile run. 

Where in upstate NY are you going?  I used to live in Glens Falls.  Many Many hikes in the Aderondacks.  There are 46 mountain peak or is it 49 anyway lots of hikes there.  Do not go in the spring though, those black flies will cause blood to run down your face from their bites (not stings).  They are fast and nasty, but gone by full summer. 

Well - he finished Leadville!  28:31 - yikes!  What is the recovery time after THAT!

Steve - thanks for the bike info - guess I should get my geek on about bike components and how they all compare!  I went to the LBS yesterday and looked at entry level Canondale, Trek and Specialized - so pretty!  They had some 2011' s that were already marked down.  I know that I won't even have time to get back there again until the weekend after Labor Day - so that gives me a few weeks to really get my research in and look up components, etc.  I'm placing some value on having a relationship with the local bike shop and kind of factoring that into the price.  And now that we've sold the glamper, I've been given the green light (within reason!  

Specialized tends to run a bit pricey for equvalent models of Felt, Cervelo, Canondale and Treck.  Giant, Look, Blue and Scott also make some sweet rides, but I haven't compared prices across base models and components.  105 is your entry level racing component and then better sets are ultegra and dura ace... You may want a gender specific sadal that has a hole in the midle or depression so parts don't get too much pressure.  Your LBS should credit you the price of the cheap saddle towards the price of the more expensive better sadle.  You may want to think about whether you want 2 waterbottle cages on the frame, some models only have one.  Then you have the whole Tri bike or Road bike dilema.  Try to swing a bike fit thrown in for free and try to get a 20% off on other stuff you buy at the same time as you buy your bike, (tri outfit, pedals, shoes, aerobottle, etc.).  But know whether Trisports or someone has it cheaper than the LBS.  You don't want to save 20 percent and have that still be higher than your online stores.  Further, do you want 2 rings or 3 rings up front and do you want a hill climbing gear setup for your 2 ring bike or a more flat out geering setup.  It costs more if you have to change it up later (like $100 to $200).  You might ask about free classes on basic maintanance and dire changing, etc.  Not overwhelmed yet, ask Dennis some questions 8).