Slornow and Wannabefaster's mentor group...Closed (Page 46)

I'm flying out to CA tomorrow for Santa Cruz 70.3 on Sunday!  Work was crazy busy for all of July and August -- I think I got a total of four days off (including weekends) in those two months.  Managed to train through most of it, but had to modify the training schedule a little bit to make sure all the key sessions were in the morning, as evenings were a little more hit or miss.  I think it worked out alright in the end and I'm feeling really good now.

Got the bike packed this morning (one of the more stressful moments leading up to the race for me!) and looking forward to some time away from work and Houston summer....will be wine tasting for a week after the race

Anyone else racing?  Or have anything fun going on? 

Good luck!  I'm doing a Du on Sunday - 5k/20k/2.5k - just a local low key event.

Make sure you bring a knife with you in case you see a great white.  If you see one, use the knife to cut the person swimming next to you and swim like hell.  

Not absolutely sure on my shark evading level, but my post-race wine-drinking is at a pretty pro level at the moment  I know I haven't been caught by any of the TX gators, so I'm feeling alright about the CA sharks

Had a crap swim, mediocre bike, but a really good run that made up for the other two legs!  Race report here for those interested: http://beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=543642&posts=1#M5198788 

Thank you!  I'm really excited about it

Now if I can just get my swim back under control and get out of my head when it comes to biking (actually registered for Austin 70.3 with the intent to "over bike" and see how my run is after)!

That's an amazing way to finish your race Nicole - nicely done.

Serious question - although it sounds like a bit of a joke.  What do I need to do to drop 10min off my HIM bike time?  Thinking of going back to Muskoka for the 5th time and I'd like to get my 2:55 bike on 200W NP down to around 2:45 on ???W  I don't see much in the way of equipment changes, so maybe some position tweaks and the rest would have to come from better power.  Am I right in thinking that to make a 10% speed gain (everything else being equal) I'd be looking at almost a 30% power again?

To get a good idea of the increase in power required, you could run it through Best Bike Split.  First set it up so that the 200 NP gives you the 2:55 time (that will also give you a cda number and tell you if your aeroness needs work or not).  Then leave the other data alone and adjust the power until you get 2:45.

I figured that would be one of the choices to do - I'll try and find time this weeked.  Originally I thought "10mins - that's doable" but then as soon as I started to break it down into what time difference that would mean for each 5km section of the race it became pretty daunting.  I went 2:45 in Tremblant this year, on lower watts and under trained, but it's a shorter course than Muskoka, and in my estimation an easier bike course (minus the last set of climbs). 

Since I am bored at work waiting for something to finish, I gave it a try.  With my current parameters and an AP of 190w and NP of 200w, I got a predicted time of 2:52:46.  To get that down to 2:42:50, it says I would need AP 215 / NP 225w.

Yep, that aligns pretty closely with what I thought would be needed - almost 30watts...yikes. 

This is where I'm not sure how to factor aero into the equation.  Let's say I can gain 15watts over the next 10 months, which by itself would be a pretty substanial improvement.  I'm very unclear on how big an improvement I would need to make in position, trisuit choice, etc., to find another 15 watts - I don't really understand the whole translation of cda numbers to watts, and how big a change you have to initiate to generate those differences.

Within a triathlon, you have to think of it as a whole.  To bike faster, you not only need bike fitness, but you also need to increase your swim and run fitness some.  More swim fitness means you spend less energy and/or less time swimming.  Which means more energy to expend on the bike.  Same goes for running.  If you neglect the swim and run and only work on bike fitness, you will start the bike more tired from the swim, and have to dial back on your bike to save some for your weaker run. 

Just something to think about.

24 hour mountain bike race this weekend where we get an opportunity to use privately owned valley to do 5 mile laps (as many as you can do in 24 hours) while camping out and having an awesome time.  Last year was a complete mud fest where after one lap people would come back with their wheels not even able to free wheel due to all the mud clogged in their bikes.  It was also way to technical for a lot of people with the course being so slick.  

This year we have also got a ton of rain in the last 2 months so they changed the course to be mostly fire roads instead of the grassy (muddy) sections and single track and rock garden.  Sucks for the really skilled mountain bikers, but good for the noobs like me.  I actually think it's the right call given the property owners probably don't want us tearing up the single track that is primarily used for horse back riding and the risk or serious injury in the middle of the night when less people are riding and able to help you.

I was really only planning on riding a few hours until the course got really worn down...then just drink a lot of beer, but with the course change I'm going to see if I can ride as much as possible...hopefully not too intoxicated in the process.

I think that most AGers who haven't done some formal type of aero testing like what Marc prescribes for Nicole has anywhere from 15-40 watts on the table.  The hard part is finding the time, using a good protocol, and being able to understand the numbers.

Had a super fun time at the mountain bike race.  Much less technical course with a butt kicking climb to start each lap meant that my fitness was the limiter this year.  My handling skills have improved some though as I'm much more comfortable through the mud and getting my weight back to handle some of the descents.  Took a couple of spills in the mud but no injuries. 

I also just turned in my quarq 975 which has been acting up for the new dzero.  Went with 165 arms.  Hopefully have it by sometime next week.

Finding the time isn't the hard part -- it can be used as really good training.  Finding the mental fortitude to do 10 minutes out, 10 minutes back, and then repeat that 7+ more times, all while holding steady power....and then being able and willing to analyze the data....those are the hard parts! Definitely worth it for me, especially since riding in Houston isn't the most interesting anyways

I've been thinking about trying mountain biking....have a couple friends who keep bugging me to get started.  And then I go sign up for another race, so it might be on hold a little longer!  I have a trip out to Moab, UT scheduled for early November and would love to give it a shot out there, but not sure how to get into it out there in a place I don't know with people I don't know.  At least locally I have someone who could show me the ropes....maybe I could hire someone to take me on a tour and help me get situated?

'But then your videos of you crashing (and the fact that you certainly have better bike handling skills than I do and still struggle...) make me quite hesitant!

I always wanted to do the field testing, but found the protocols under the Chung method rather confusing, and therefore daunting - I basically figured I'd find the wrong type of road, have poor conditions, or just read the data all wrong.  I sort of need a dummies guide for how to aero test...

Well, the thing about mountain biking is that there is always a route or trail that is too technical for someone no matter how good your skills are...or even if you can handle them, sometimes you just make a mistake or hit a hidden root or rock.  If you watched the UCI downhill mountain bike championships last week you would have seen the best guys in the world crashing all over the place.  But you always have the option of avoiding sections you know are too technical for you, or just walking them until you are more comfortable.

If you're going to start, you should definitely ride with someone who can show you the ropes.  Not only is it easy to get lost sometimes, but they can point out to you the areas where you need to watch out for as well as give you pointers along the way.  If you can start off with more cross country type riding that is generally dirt or fire roads then that's usually a good place to start as it will be far less technical.  

I haven't been to Utah, but I can only imagine they have a ton of trails of all different abilities.  

Some of the most fun riding and best practice for your handling skills is going slow.  This is a clip from a buddy of mine out in his backyard where he's built some trails and bridges... it's fun but you can't take it fast at all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3rD28lMYTw