Beer Drinkers' Appreciation Society (BDAS) 2020 Version - ALWAYS OPEN (Page 49)

Thanks, yes, I'm very happy with how my training has been going (other than my weight, which is improving but not as fast as I would like). I feel like thanks to lots of consistent base miles/hours my endurance is going great, better than it has been in years. But my speed is not so good to be honest, I'm definitely setting myself up to be a diesel engine, rather than a Ferrari at the moment. After Ironman I'm goin to have to look at doing some shorter/more intense workouts to get the speed back. But for now, training to go slow for a long time is the goal.

All going to plan I'll have a race this week. Not a tri, but this is the first week of the Thursday night open water swim series. Weather dependent I'll look to do as many as I can manage around family commitments over the summer.

Tri-wise, my Ironman is March 6th. So still a while to go for that. I'm hoping to do a half on Jan 23 (but as that's 4 weeks after our due date it will be a last minute decision) and Nov. 15 and Dec. 13 there is a local sprint/olympic series on. I'm aiming to to 1 of those, just to remind myself how it all goes together on race day, as it's almost 4 years since my last triathlon.

Love lunch time workouts. When we're quiet at work I try to take a slightly longer lunch break and hit the pool and swim some laps. Makes the day much more enjoyable.

Re: trainer/stationary bike. for what it's worth I've been doing my indoor training on a spin bike (low-mid range) for the last 18 months or so, and I'm about to upgrade to a smart trainer and my real bike. The spin bike was good, and it did the job I needed it too, but I just can't get my position close enough to my road bike, for a 45-60 min workout that's fine but I really struggle with longer rides on it. I'm sure a higher end bike/shorter rider the problem may go away, but that was my experience.

Can someone explain what a smart trainer does? I’ve never had one and probably won’t get one any time soon, but I don’t really know what they do.

For me, an hour threshold ride this morning with 2x12’ @95-100% ftp and then a 30’ run at lunch with the inclusion of three 20” strides. I kinda like the running fast(Er) part of the workouts I’ve been getting the last two weeks, but I will say I have to pay a lot more attention. Can’t just pop the headphones in and run until time is up anymore.

In NZ prices are high, and availability can be quite limited for pretty much anything Tri related.

That said I'm leaning towards the Elite Suito. The reviews are good, the price is the best I can find for a direct drive smart trainer, and the fact it folds up so small nice and easily is a plus as my pain cave is gone and the bike will be setup in the lounge.

Haven't made the final call yet tho

Well Mike actually has one, so he can probably answer better than I can. But a smart trainer has a built in power meter which talks to your garmin and/or app.

You can use various apps (zwift/rouvy/trainer road etc.) to control the resistance, so as you ride a virtual route the resistance will increase to simulate going up a hill, or decrease if you're in a group during a zwift ride.

You can also pre program your workout (it's called erg mode) so you just pedal for an hour and the trainer adjust its resistance automatically to give you the 2x12’ @95-100% ftp you programed in. No gear changes, or thinking about anything required.

With child No. 2 arriving in a couple of months, 99-100% of my riding is going to be moving back indoors for the next year or 2. So I'm after the nicest set up I can get, so I can ride simulated routes/virtual races etc. to keep the motivation levels up.

Weight never really improves as fast as we'd like it, does it? You still have time and at least it's moving in the right direction!
Good luck in your race this weekend!

Edited by nicole14e 2020-10-28 8:21 AM

As you may remember about me, I dislike (to put it mildly) the bike and already rarely train on it. I think I'm more likely to use a spin bike, and think it would benefit me immensely when I do get back into tris/keeping me in shape over the off season months.

You're back at Merritt or a different gym? I haven't gone back to swim lessons yet so am not allowed to go to the gym until I'm active again (no one has told me that, but I'd feel bad using it if I'm not actively working there anyway). Also, I don't plan on going above an Oly, so position shouldn't make too too much of a difference for me.

Edited by nicole14e 2020-10-27 2:58 PM

Yeah they are! I might try to get back into it soon (also not in swim shape, but no better way to get back in it than masters!)

Did a lunch run yesterday, 4.15 miles. Felt pretty good. Going to do some yoga at lunch today if I can squeeze it in between meetings.

If you're more likely to use the spin bike, then that answers the question for you. Whatever any advantages/disadvantages the various options have the one that gets you on it the most is clearly the winner.

1 swim, 2 indoor rides (on the spin bike nicole ) and 2 runs to start the week. Happy with the consistency but the legs were definitely putting up a fight this morning. I actually got up at 5:20am, then decided to skip my run and went back to bed, before talking myself into it and getting up a 2nd time at 5:30 and get my run done this morning. I'm happy about that, my legs, not so much.

I'm not sure if I will be doing my OWS tonight, the weather is a bit grey and windy, and apart from sore legs I have a tired wife and 3 year old this week... we will see this afternoon how we all feel.

Hope you're all having a good week.

50’ run today that I left way too late this afternoon. I had intended on doing it at noon, but I got wrapped up in work stuff and bam, it was 3pm. Well...at 3pm it was 47F and raining. My hands were so cold by the time I got home, I couldn’t move them to text my wife. That’s a new one for me! Guess it is time to break out the gloves.

Stand by for race report...

So last night I did the first race of our local open water swimming series. It was a last minute decision to go (I had actually decided not to, but Mrs Bullfrog over ruled me) So by the time we got to the beach, found a park I was checking in about 5 minutes before the pre race briefing. Conditions were not brilliant. I'm not sure exactly how strong the wind was, but it was a grey windy day, with an onshore wind, and plenty of chop. So ideal conditions for my first OWS since January (and 2nd since March 2017) /sarcasm

There were 405 total swimmers, racing over 5 different length courses, 250 - 2000m. I swam the 1000m option. The course is a triangle, everyone lines up along the beach, longer distances further down, and swims straight to your turning buoy, then back to the beach passing the shorter distances turning buoys on your inside, aiming at the finish chute.

I lined up towards the back, and outside of the 1000m swimmers, horn went and we were off. Due to the late arrival, I hadn't done any sort of warm up so was happy to find the water wasn't too cold. The first 2-300m or so was a typical mass start scrum. No kicks to the face, but lots of bumping into other swimmers, catching up and being unable to pass due to traffic etc. With hindsight maybe I should have started closer to the front. At one point I actually stopped swimming for a few seconds to let some space around me open up. Sighting on the way out was tough, mainly due to the waves. I barely saw the turning buoy until about half way out, so was dependent on some one in the pack knowing where to go. Took a few mouth fulls of water, but once free of the scrum was able to get into a bit of a rhythm, focusing on a nice, long, easy stroke.

At the turning buoy the field closed up again, and had a few more bumps approaching and rounding the buoy. Aiming back at the beach, with the wind and waves now behind us, things got easier. I could easily sight the 500m turning buoy, and then finish chute when looking from the top of a wave, and really felt the waves pushing me along.

around 200m to go, I noticed I was in a dead heat with a swimmer off to my left... guess we are having a sprint finish. Increased my kick and really pulled with some effort. next breath I was half a body length ahead. One after that back to even, and after that back ahead and was able to pull away slightly. My hands hit the bottom, time to stand up and walk through the finish chute.

Official time was 22:34 for 1000m (1084 on Garmin) good for 54/102 swimmers on the 1000m course, and 4/8 in the M30-39 division)

Overall, given my lack of OWS in recent years, I'm happy with how things went, I felt comfortable and although I finished a few minutes latter than I would like, the conditions were tough and I placed well so happy with my result. Looking forwards to more over the next few weeks.

And most importantly, Mr 3 very much enjoyed playing on the beach, then got home and went to sleep like a rock

Congrats Andrew! Sounds like you had a solid race!

I did a VO2 max bike workout for an hour today, followed roughly immediately by a 35’ run with strides. Trying to change from bike shorts into running tights after an hour of intervals at 115% FTP (I.e., a sweat fest) was a bit more difficult than the actual run. Run was miserable due to weather. We are smack dab between a cold front from the north and hurricane Zeta from the south. Run was in 33F swirling soaking mist—a little deposit in the suffering bank to draw on later.

Yeah! A race report in 2020! A rare thing! Thanks for sharing Andrew! And well done!

I can’t remember if I mentionned it at the time but my only race this year was also a OWS back in June.

For a normal brick, I wear my tri shorts for both bike and run. It was just too cold to think about going outside in shorts!!

My gym holds/used to hold (not sure if it will come back post-Covid) an indoor tri in February. The T1 was 10', which I thought was ridiculously long my first year. After struggling to get a sports bra on a damp body, I no longer think it is way too long!

Morning ride for 1:20 and afternoon 45’ run. In between I did some work and am now going to enjoy the remainder of this 60F, sunny fall day. We probably won’t get many more like this.

Hour run with 3x8’ of Z3/4 running. Felt really good, and due to the time change, I was home by 8am and I didn’t have to run in the dark.

Happy new month everyone!

Totalled 122km running last month, which I am quite pleased about but I start to feel a little discomfort in the back of my right thigh, my left achilles and of course both knees. Oh the joys of getting older! So I am thinking I should maybe not run 5 days a week and do something else instead once or twice a week.

How’ s everyone?