DeCracker's Group ( de tricrackletes) Full (Page 5)

Bite the bullet and buy the road bike. After a few rides you'll be cruising with the best of them. Your bike shop should be able to recommend some safe (safer) routes. I have the STI shifters on my LeMond and I think it's the best way to go. Just make sure that your bike mech sets up the micro adjustment properly. The great thing about getting a road bike is that you can slap on a set of clamp on aerobars and a Profile Design Fast Forward seat post and get yourself tri ready. It's a great way to learn to ride aero and still have the luxury of a road bike. Just remember that the rule is, is that you never ride aero in a group. Keep your hands "covering" the brakes at all times, for safety.

So get out the checkbook, the credit cards, sell your car, do what it takes but just get the bike.

I may go see a Basso Zero.9 today that someone's selling locally.  That's after the trip to the bike shop, though, to determine what it feels like to sit on a bike that actually fits! 

 My hubby's gonna regret the day I ever said "triathlon".  Poor hubby. . .

Well, it turns out my bike's OK.  Not great, but certainly fine enough to get me through my first race.  In fact, after a few little tweeks here and there, the fit's apparently pretty darned close to perfect.  The handle bars are still a little off, but I no longer feel like I'm gonna flip over.  But it is older and heavier, and the stupid gear shifts on the frame are gonna kill me!  Actually, I'm looking at it as a challenge--yeah, that's the ticket, a challenge.  I'll develop more strength and coordination on this bike and then, everybody watch out when I get a new bike.  All you'll see is my skinny tri-butt!

I did ask to ride a newer, lighter bike while I was there, and I gotta say it was pretty nice.  The only thing I didn't like so much was what I guess people talk about when they say that aluminum frames are stiff.  My old chromoly frame felt almost cushiony by comparison.  Handsdown (ha! a pun!) the STI shifters are the bomb.  They must be fairly standard now, as all three bike shops I've visited have them on the vast majority of their bikes (just different levels for different price ranges).

So, if any of you have not been professionally fitted for a bike, I'd HIGHLY recommend it.  I learned a lot and understand the short-comings of my bike, and also more of what to look for when I decide to bite the bullet!

OK peeps it's time to check up on the weight loss and fitness training. I'm stuck on 175 but the good news is that my BF% is now an even 15%. So my totals are 21 lbs lost and an 11% reduction in BF. I still need to lose weight but as I've stated before, sometimes it's important to look at fat loss and not just weight loss.

A check of everybody's logs shows you all are exercising and doing your best during these winter months. Just hang in there and spring weather will open a lot more training options for you. Keep up the good work and keep an accurate report of your progress.

Mykle15--Just my opinion, but wouldn't skiing be a great way to exercise on your trip? It's aerobic (and anaerobic for people like me!) plus stength conditioning all in one! Anyway--hope you have a fantastic trip!

Kate r--I'm sorry to hear about the back pain.  Hope it was just the inactivity (the sitting) and not an actual injury.  Great work on the weight loss!

As for me, I'm in the same boat as Mykle15 in terms of weight loss and BMI.  I'm wearing pants I haven't worn in over a year (of substantial weight gain), but my weight's holding steady around 145--fluctuates down to 140ish depending on time of month/water weight.  My aerobic capacity has increased substantially--especially since I started on the asthma meds (WOW! what a difference breathing makes!).  All in all, I'd trade muscle for fat any day, so if I don't drop as much weight as I'd hoped I'll be happy as long as my BMI drops (will have another reading taken at the end of the Try-a-Tri program).

WOW!!! You are all doing so great. And you are all right when it comes to weight loss, ie, what we really want is fat loss. So periodically make the effort to stop by your doctor's office or health club and have your BF% or BMI calculated. And you all mentioned the real indicators, how you feel-how your clothes fit- how you look.

Please keep inspiring one another and helping one another as we strive towards our goals. It is so important. The other night as I was leaving the "Y" I was stopped by a young lady (OK younger than me which isn't hard, I'd say mid thirties) who complimented me. No she didn't tell me what a handsome stud I was but she did tell me that my energy level and endurance were so impressive to her. I was speechless, yes me speechless. But you know what, it made me feel so good. I humbly thanked her for her kind remarks but inside I was screaming "YEAH BABY"!!!

So never fail to encourage one another as we all need positive strokes.

Train hard....race easy. 

I'm still here! 

Last week I WAY overdid it in yoga (of all things) and messed up my ankle.  Running had been going pretty poorly anyway, so I basically started over yesterday with 90 seconds of walking/90 seconds of running/etc.  so I can focus on form without doing any damage until I'm tightened up again.  I see my GP who's a sports doc, and my PT this week, so I should be back in the game soon.  Swimming's going well.  Drills, drills, drills--it's working for me, I just need to start adding some distance independent of my drill workouts.  I'm really enjoying the biking, too, but still haven't decided which bike to ride (mtn or old road bike).  The saddle's 22 yo, too.  Do they wear out?  I'd be willing to invest in a new saddle since that's something I could transfer to a new bike eventually (right?).  I've been looking at a high-end (for me anyway) butterfly seat by Terry thinking that cut-out in the middle might help.  I thought I'd try tilting my saddle a bit and see if that makes any difference.  Or maybe I could also just move my mtn bike saddle over (if the stem's the same diameter)?

And I've decided I'm not really trying hard enough with the whole eating to train thing. . .  While my clothes are fitting better (good), I'm still eating everything in sight (bad).  I know less weight would mean less stress on my ankles (and everything else, too), so I guess I'd better take it seriously.

Oh, does anyone else have trouble remembering to drink enough water to stay hydrated?  I was reading an article today that makes me wonder if part of the problem with my calves being so tight (always been that way) could be due to being dehydrated. 

I'm also trying to learn about tri-gear.   I'm thinking about buying a pair of tri-shorts and top, and probably a new pair of running shoes.  I have regular pedals on my bike and am wondering if (since I'm not ready for bike shoes with clips) the little toe clips you can put on straight pedals are helpful or more of a pain than they're worth.

I'd appreciate any comments and suggestions!  And I'm really excited for each one of you--when I see what you're doing, it inspires me to work a little harder.  Honestly, if it weren't for the accountability, I might have tossed in the towel last week.  So, thanks!

Keep up the great work! 

Everybody is doing very well. Wendy brings up a good point about training and appetite. I struggle with this continuously. Diet and exercise is one thing but diet and tri training is almost impossible. When doing bricks or two a days it's possible for you to burn 1200-1600 cals just through training. Add this to the nearly 2000 Resting Energy Expenditure calories and you've got quite a deficit if say you're trying to adhere to a 1400-1600 cal/day diet. Your body will respond by making you feel extremely hungry. So what do you do? Here's what I try to do to prevent weight gain while training. btw as I've said before, last summer I trained harder than ever but what I was doing was wrong. I gained a ton of weight, stayed injured, and my late tri season sucked.

First, stay hydrated. Hydrate before, during and after training. Dark urine is our enemy. We want light yellow to clear. Adequate hydration is something that must be earned and maintained. Any sign of dehyration calls for extra input OVER TIME.

Consume 100-200 cals immediately after training. Use the 4-1 carb/protein ratio. This can be a sports drink, chocolate milk, or I like to mix a cup of Danon Light with a half scoop of whey protein. Maybe toss in a few blueberries.

Diet WHILE running and biking. Often it's easy to take in a lot of gels and energy bars while riding and running. Save that for race day or race day practice. Use sports drinks, Enduralytes, and water when you ride and run and maximize your caloric burn. A sports bottle filled with a powdered sports drink can easily contain 300-400 cals depending on strength. Stick to water and enduralyte capsules. You'll stay hydrated and the capsules will prevent cramps.

OK this is going to sound a little crazy but one key to my diet and my hydration is that I drink 16 ozs water just before bed and I keep a large glass in the bathroom. By taking in lots of water I'm guaranteed to wake up to pee. While I'm up I drink another large glass of water. If I wake up again I drink another. Any time at night that I'm awakened, I drink water. This helps me to start each day hydrated.