Newbz' Spring Fling Mentor Group is FULL! (Page 47)

D@mn dude, that's picken 'em up and puttin 'em down.  Well done.

Hey, it's a victory and a step further. Any victory is to be relished!!

David...if it makes you feel any better, my masters class got cancelled tonight because of lightning in the area...LOL.  So I hit the weight room instead for the first time in forever at the Y, and low and behold...when I came out, the skies were clear, so I jumped in the pool for about 35 minutes...

Good job. 

Nice job Jason.  As I remember, you have really progressed in your running throughout the last year.  That's awesome to see man!

As for the aero bar set-up, you have some shorter bars, so putting the computer in front of your aero bottle might make it be in the way of your hands on the bars.  I am working on that setup right now, but not sure if it will work for you.  I don't really like the aero bottle either...and do you have it in there backwards??

Edited by jgerbodegrant 2011-02-22 7:18 AM

Congrats! 

Congrats on the milestone, now it's time to find another time to beat!

I've been horribly guilty of a few of those.
I tend to stick to my Zone 3 HR, it's more comfortable than the others for me. Keeping my HR in the mid 160s is somewhat easy for me, but it doesn't build speed, which is what I tend to lack. I used to avoid interval training in my runs because I always got shinsplints with any kind of speed work. I've only somewhat-recently integrated speedwork into my runs. On the bike I'm better at it.
I'm usually good at having a purpose. I set goals to work towards and it helps me push myself. Last year it was "I'm going ride from work to the state line and back", 58 miles total. I didn't get the time I wanted, but I did it. I also was living near the start of the TT for the Tour of the Gila, and I would ride that route working on reducing times. Goal-setting is usually easy for me.
Rescheduling or making-up a workout...yah, I'm not nearly as consistent as I'd like to be. Sometimes it's work, sometimes it's weather, sometimes I don't know what happens. I'm working on that one.
I've not raced yet, so I can't really say anything about training for every race. If I get two Sprints done this year, I'll be happy. I think of my training as focused on the first one because, well, it'll be my first. I could also think of the first as training for the second.
As for fun, I almost always have some of that. Even when things are going bad, I try to find SOMETHING good about it. I'm not always successful, but I try. Yesterday I did a bunch of my run completely off-trail through the desert. It was unique and fun, I'll do more of it. It also gave me more distance than I'd originally planned on, which is a good thing.

Just got off the bike. 1:23+ for just over 24 miles. It was a new route for me and I was kinda surprised: about halfway to my turn-around, I saw two pronghorn antelope about 20 meters from the road. I watched them for a second or two, and when I turned to look at the road again, a third ran across the road really close to me. I don't know that I would have hit it, but I slowed down to avoid a potential collision. It was close enough that I could smell it as I crossed right behind it. As much as I don't care for living in this area, sometimes there are neat perks. Of course it would have sucked if I'd have hit it and re-injured my shoulder (or something else). I can imagine the conversation:

"So what'd you do THIS time Rick?"
"I was riding up Red Rock Road and had a collision with an antelope"
"Uh, ok." (and if it was with the orthopedist "is your bike ok?")

This weeks goal: don't run over antelope and visa versa. Hilarious. Where do you live?

All right...I've been working on the cross-over problem...but that right arm is still wandering.  Any further suggestions?  The first video is at pool-side.  I had a buddy take the second to see if there's anything you guys may be able to point out from down the lane.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zi7vnXwbG4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR8clRwkXl0

Hahaha it could have been worse, you could have been taken out by a ground hog (one of my worst crashes ever).



I like the rules to train by, for the most part i totally agree!




Training is going great, 9 miles tonight with 5 at just under 6min pace, and was able to talk some during this. This run is getting easier each week, and the pace is slowly coming down.

Looking a lot better.  Much smoother.  Work on the last 3rd of your pull a bit.  It looks like you are getting to your waist and starting the recovery portion of your stroke.  Be sure to pull all the way through.  You would benefit putting some kick work in as well.  Doesn't look like you are getting anything from it.  Looking much improved though.

If you were to look at the most desolate areas along the southwestern border, I'm right about in the middle. Lordsburg, New Mexico. The entire county has a population of less than 6000, and half of those live here in Lordsburg itself. A regular sprawling metropolis? There's one grocery store and I think it's a converted and expanded 7-11. One stoplight: a single red light that blinks. No video rentals, 4 sit-down restaurants (6 if you count the truckstops. Well, 7, but the 7th is someone's garage and you have to sit at tables in the driveway). I like "rural" but we non-locals joke about "it's not the end of the world, but we can see it from here". I tolerate it because I'm paid to tolerate it. I'm really hoping for a transfer in a year or two. Or a lottery win. But, there are lots of long, empty roads to cycle on. Lots of empty desert to run and mountain bike in. And NOT a lot of really good restaurants with pretty, young waitresses for me to spend money at. I'm not yet sure if that's a good thing or not.

A groundhog? Actually I AM able to imagine how that would be really bad. At least with an antelope I would likely just come to an abrupt stop. With a groundhog I picture flying and sliding on asphault.

I wonder if I could make aerobars out of antelope antlers. Nah, nevermind.

Edited by RBesecke 2011-02-22 10:53 PM

David: you are sick.B.J.: thanks for the advice. You are right, I am getting NOTHING from my kick. When I do kick drills I just go backwards. Is it just simple as doing more kick drills?Rick: that's like the south western form of where I grew up!Jason: you are sick too... Mostly the head

I will agree on the kick as well, you get a lot of propulsion from kicking and it seems almost non existant in your stroke.  The only thing really I suggest to fix that is grab a kick board and kick...a lot.

Your right arm is crossing over too which I have been working on as well as I am guilty of the same problem. My masters coach told me to open my stroke up just a bit with both arms and enter in the water just a bit wider with my arms. Doing this has given my right arm a better entry into the water and I do not cross over as much. She said that the problem (right arm crossing over) is really obvious when I breath to my left, but I couldn't tell if that is the same for you. Also because your right arm is crossing over your midsection seems to be swaying back and forth, doing this wider arm entry should eliminate that and your bosy and muscles should adjust accordingly. From what I see otherwise you stroke looks great and efficient.

Disclaimer: I am now swim coach so take my advice for what it is worth.

The groundhog was not as bad as the squirrel i watched a friend hit, it got stuck in his fork and the bike flipped over.

the groundhog just ran into my front wheel and i hit the ground.

Jonathan...your stroke looks really smooth.  The one thing I'll comment on...is that while you have great high elbows...your entry into the water seems a bit short.  Meaning your fingers enter the water near your head intead of reaching out a bit further.  I do the same thing.  My masters coach tells me that if your hand enters the water like that...where your elbow is still bent as your hand enters the water....then your creating a lot of frontal surface drag from your forearm.  And the "hole in the water" you are swimming through becomes wider.

The squirrel got stuck in his fork?! Wow, that takes talent.

I KNOW!!  Man, I've been having such mixed messages about this whole when to enter the water thing.  Every person I talk to with a swimming background says enter later, everyone with a long distance or tri background says enter early.  Cripes....what the heck am I to do?  I think I'll switch it up and try for more of a reach and film again. 

LOL...sorry if I'm confusing you.  I know what you mean though.  I hear conflicting info about swimming all the time.  Some people advocate pulling all the way through to your thigh...and others advocate only going to your hip to help turnover faster.  Who's right...I have no idea.

Ok...FTP test question for power meter users...

I plan to do another FTP test on the trainer (to avoid distractions like cars, red lights, etc) next Thursday.  Am I supposed to do the FTP test while in the aero position?  The only other FTP test I did was on the trainer, using my road bike, while on the hoods.  I suppose this setup allowed me to maximize my power...as you can generate more watts sitting up than in the aero position.

But if my goal is to use my FTP to properly pace my races for TTs and tris (when I'll be aero) should I not be doing the test in aero as well?