Newbz' Spring Fling Mentor Group is FULL! (Page 46)

So I had a nice little 1:20 on the trainer today.  Started out on the tri bike...could NOT handle it at all..so I switched over to the road bike after :30.  My stuff was not happy....then again, first time back on that bike since september so it was sort of to be expected, especially on the trainer.

Had a great long ride today.  Went out solo, instead of with the group and just hammered out 50 miles.  I did the exact same ride 4 weeks ago, and averaged 198 watts normalized (176 actual avg) and 18.9 mph.  Today, I did it with 217 watts normalized (202 actual avg) and 20.3 mph.  Goal was to try and hold 200 actual watts and 20 mph...so mission accomplished.

I was pretty tired afterwards...I could have run if I needed to, but couldn't imagin 13.1 miles.  Needless to say, I'm pretty happy with how I did...but I got a lot more work to do if I plan to clock a HIM bike time in the 2:50 range and still be able to run.

I went by the LBS today and was told something almost identical. For now I'm sticking with the puncture-resistant tires since the local vegetation has an appetite for bicycle tires, dogs' paws, and my bare feet around the house.

I got on the trainer and watched the newest Resident Evil. 1 hour, 14 "miles", and a tolerably-sore shoulder. It wasn't the road, but it's got to be better than watching the movie from the couch, right?

Looks like a trusty stead.  At least now if it doesn't improve your rides, you'll look the part.  I'm on a road bike so I fit neither category.

What the heck are you wearing in your av pic?  Looks like a khaki kilt.  Quite awesome I might add.

Yup, it's a khaki kilt. It's from a company called Utilikilts based in Seattle. My brother and I had both been looking at their stuff, so I decided to get myself one and bought one for him as a gift at the same time. We had a big dinner with family and a couple of friends, so he and I both wore our UtiliKilts to the restaurant; that's where the pic is from and it's his arm that I wasn't able to crop-out.
I initially wasn't sure how the pic would be taken, so I cropped it to just the top half, but then a couple of women who had seen the original made flattering comments, so I changed it back. That pic is also from when I had hair. Since my hair began engaging in a phased-withdraw, I found it prudent to hide my impending baldness by just shaving the remainder off. I would have used a more recent picture, but unfortunately I can't find the camera my GF gave me. I'm waiting for an identical one to be delivered and hope that she doesn't ask about the original before it gets here.

If you go to the Utilikilts website, I recommend looking at their Mockumercials. Customers make tongue-in-cheek commercials and send them in to the company to be posted on the site. Some are kinda cheesy, but a bunch are really good.

Hi All, hope everyone's training is going well.  Today is a day off for me.  After 2 hrs on the trainer/drainer and 50 min in the pool yesterday, I am beat!  Anyway, I was hoping someone could provide some advice on interval training.  Currently, I incorporate intervals in the following ways each week:

1) swim - do intervals as my main set 2 days a week.  Usually 6 X 200 one day and 10 by 100 the other day.  My third swim day I just go distance, usually 800 to 1000 yards

2) bike - intervals 2 days a week on traininer.  Typically 2 sets of 30 sec on 30 sec off X 10 twice during a 1 hour workout.  The third day is long and slow (right now, 2 hours..)

3) run - to be honest, I ususally get going and decide  about 5 minutes in if I am going to push hard (go as fast as I can for as long as I can..) or just take it easy (don't push probably because my legs feel beat..).  I do this 3 days a week with one run being long (right now, 10 mi).

My questions are:

-should I vary my swim intervals more? if so, what distances and how many repeats?  Should I not do one longer swim each week and just do intervals for all three workouts?

-should my intervals be longer on the bike (5 or 10 min on, 2 or 3 min off) or does not really matter?  Should I have intervals incoporoated into every workout?

-should I do intervals as apart of my running?  If so, how do others do it?

Sorry this is so long.  Thanks in advance for the advice!

That's pretty cool.  I'll have to check out the website.  I've got two traditional kilts, but nothing khaki.  Mine are usually relegated to St. Patrick's day.

supposedly I'm entitled to three different plaids, but two of them are expensive to get a good kilt made from, and the third I'm not 100% sure I'm entitled to wear so I don't bother. The utilikilt gives me something a little different to wear once or twice a year when the occasion permits.

I just checked out the site.  Pretty cool stuff.  Mine are both family linked.  I've got a royal Stewart (my grandma's name) and a Black Watch (basically Scottish military).

Sweet new bike!!  I can't wait to be able to post some pics like that... maybe next year   For now, I'm psyched about my Garmin 305 that I got for my birthday (party was this weekend, actual bday is tomorrow)!  Can't wait to take it out for a test run... might just be the motivation I needed to run in the cold (I can't let its maiden voyage be on a treadmill!).

I use GP4000 and I have found them to be really good.  <knock wood> they've been quite durable for me with no problems with gripping during things like sketchy descents during Three Mountain Madness.

Hydration setup advice.

I'm unsure about my hydration setup.  This is my first tri bike so all of this is new to me. 

I have an aerobottle that I used for the first time this weekend.  I still don't have the straw where I can use it (need to try the yellow insert next).  I think that having the computer on the side will work out better than it seemed like it would.  I have to move my right arm to see it but only a little bit I can stay in aero.  It's the hydration (and probably food but I'm not there yet) that I'm most concerned with at the moment.  Am I on the right track?  Do most of you use aerodrink bottles or some other kind of setup?  Where do you mount your bike computer?  At bottle hand offs, can you refill the aerodrink and discard the bottle in one handoff zone?  I mean, I don't want to be dinged with littering because I'm a dork.

Also, I have a side bottle cage on the Felt now.  The frame angle was such that it was really hard to get the bottle out of the cage.  The side entry one works well for that, however, I think that the bottle is less secure in there.  Should I be concerned?

Do you find it easier or harder to eat on a tri bike than on a road bike?  Or is it just different? 

I personally dont like the aero bottle (nothing wrong with it, just not my taste).

I race all distances with just one bottle on my frame. During training in hot weather I also will put bottles in my back pocket at needed (can comfortably carry two there).

No issues eating drinking between a road and tri bike from me, but if you are not used to the bike (this goes for any bike), it'll take some getting used to.

Busy last week was not able to get on too much, but I am back now. Weather was beautiful last week and I was able to take my bike out for a couple of rides before we got dumped on with more snow yesterday and today, but it is only 28 more days until spring!

My goal this week is simple; do not let this recent snowfall and drop in temps ruin any training mentally, especially my long run today and Sunday, just push through this weather, and that is my single only goal for the week.

For your computer, I would undo the bar tape, and put the computer mount between the aero bars, in front of your aero drink...then redo the tape around it.

Puts the computer in perfect viewing angle.

First race of the year in the books

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=242669

ETA: Results unofficial as the times aren't posted yet...just going by my watch.



Edited by tri808 2011-02-21 2:33 PM

It does but then I won't be able to remove the bottle ever.  :-/

It will fit...trust me.  The plastic bracket/bottle is flexible enough to squeeze it in and out.  I have the same setup.  At worst, what you can do is remove the velcro bracket from the aerobars, stick the bottle in the bracket, then velcro the bracket back down to the aero bars.

Do the aero bottles work with clip ons on a road bike?  I was thinking of getting one this spring as it seems much easier to lean up and get a drink as opposed to reaching for a bottle underneath you when in aero but I wasn't sure if they were tri bike specific or if they would work on the road bike.

I think that if you got the mounting bracket, that would work.  It seems to be pretty adjustable.

http://www.profile-design.com/profile-design/products/hydration/all-hydration/aerodrink-bracket.html

My thought is that I will use the aerodrink for my spring HIM and see how that goes.  I may look at an aerohammock type setup.  I'm really not sure.   That's why I was asking for people's opinions.  I saw that David is not a fan of the aerodrink and it sounds like Jason uses one in his setup.   What does everyone else use?

Yes, I'm having a hard time with having one cage!  (especially since I find the front cage a lot easier to get to on my roadie)

Thanks again!

You are fast! 

Congratulations; awesome run. That's the kind of time I'm hoping to get at some point.

Went out for a 3-mile run and ended-up with 3.5 instead. Last run was 3 miles at a 9:30/mi average, this one was 9:01. I'm on my way back to some half-decent fitness.

Finally hit a little milestone tonight with a sub 30 5k.  It was on the dreadmill but I'm a fat guy so I'll take the moral victory.   :29.33

jason nice job but i hate you for racing right now.
We got a snow storm out of no where, and are supposed to get 4-6in by tomorrow morning....





Training is going really well, a pair of runs yesterday, 5 miler in the morning on the hilly loop around valley forge park at 6:10 pace and another evening run with 5 miles at a comfortable 6:40 pace.

Stocking up on tubes sometime this week and will be commuting to work 45min each way starting as soon as the snow is gone this weekend to kick start the bike training. SHould be a lot of fun and some fast hard riding in there on hills and to avoid getting run over.