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Pilgrim's Group - Full (Page 5)
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 2008-01-23 5:19 PM in reply to: #1151684 |
Elite  3067    Cheesehead, WI |  Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - FullHey folks! Lots of great info here! I envy those who can get out on their bikes this time of year. I have a Jamis bike (road) with aerobars slapped on. I actually changed my back tire to put old tires on it for the trainer and I am soooo happy to report I did it without blowing up the tire! LOL. Tire changes have always scared me and luckily the only time I ever flatted I was close to home (years ago before tri stuff) and then had a boyfriend fix it for me. So I've practiced a couple of times should (God forbid) I ever get a flat during a race. |
| 2008-01-24 7:21 AM in reply to: #1172700 |
| Austin, Texas or Jupiter, Florida | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full I had a flat about 10 miles from my house in Vienna, Austria and had to clop-clop-clop about 3 miles in road shoes with look pedals to the U-Bahn Station (subway) and then didn't have an extra ticket for my bike so I was living in fear of the polizei. Since then, I carry a cell phone, a credit card, a CO2 thing and a spare tire. I always learn the hard way... DEEP THOUGHT I want to share with everyone... I was sitting in bed this morning and didn't want to get up. I got a full-night's sleep (rare with a 9 month old), I had hit my snooze twice, bad start. Then I remembered one of my completely un-scientific theories: -You burn 10% more calories on days where you don't want to work-out than on days where you do want to get up and work out. Pouting, working against your will, anxiety burns about 10% more calories. Again, Completely un-scientific, but I really like the theory for days when you'd rather stay in-bed. Anyway, I got-up and ran my long-loop (4.4 miles- it will get longer) and then did Guns Day. Problem is I brought a long-sleeve oxford instead of a polo-shirt to work. One of the benefits of guns day is wearing tight sleeves so people see your newly ripped guns. Again, learning the hard way...Happy Training. |
| 2008-01-24 7:53 AM in reply to: #1172130 |
| Regular 66 Tomball, TX | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full Okay, feeling a little bike innocent right now  I guess I need to take closer took at my bike. I have a kickstand, is that hard to remove? Can aero bars be put on a reg road bike, and is it hard/ expensive? Guess I need to pracitce changing a tire....haven't ever done that ....my hubby has always fixed the kid's bikes. When you carry your spare, $$, phone how do you carry it - in your shorts? Sorry for the innocence and I TRULY appreciate your patience and support as I learn more about this sport vs recreational riding. |
| 2008-01-24 10:43 AM in reply to: #1173464 |
| Austin, Texas or Jupiter, Florida | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full Kickstand usually has a bolt on the outside and a nut on the back-side. If you take the bolt completely off (you need to hold the nut in-place on the back-side to do so) then you should be able to take the kickstand off I think. That's usually how it is. I have one of those seat-bags that straps on the stem and hooks on the two bars under your seat. It's just big-enough for the emergency stuff. The other thing you can do is put another bottle cage on the frame and get one of the bags that fit in the bottle-cage. http://www.thetriathletestore.com/detail.aspx?ID=1097 The Aeros I have on my bars are Profile Design bars that you mount on a road-bike like I did. Problem is that you have little room for your computer and you have to mount your headlight to your aerobars unless you take some of the bar-tape off and make room for the mounts. http://www.trivillage.com/proaer1300.html Brian, Some of the guys in the gym this morning were talking about how there are fewer Olympic Distance Tris now than there used to be. Have you noticed that as well? They said there used to be a USAT Oly Series. Where would you put an Olympic Race in terms of effort and training? above a Marathon? |
| 2008-01-24 10:45 AM in reply to: #1173464 |
| Regular 67 Land of Make Believe | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full Juls Don't worry about it... we are all newbs/innocent at something... and we were probably all newbs at bikes at one point... Kickstands are usually one bolt to remove it... Aerobars can be fit on a road bike, and even on a mountian bike... I'd take your bike down to Performance Bike on 1960 or to Bikelane on 1960 and have them get fitted on the bike for you... that way you are sure of a good fit... when you are at either of those stores... go look at saddle bags (bags that fit under your saddle).... and get one that best suits you... its a small bag that goes under your seat for your phone/sparetube/small tools/patch kit/ID/$$$/C02 cans/cap... you really don't need much more than that... there is a good article "Top 10 things to put in the saddle bag" in the articles section here at BT... You could also look at a small frame pump instead of a C02 system... that is what I use... you wont be carrying a spare tire, you'll be carrying a spare tube... also get a Speed Lever for your bag... it is great for getting the tire off quickly and easily... they are cheap... hope this helps! I've found the guys at both Performance and Bikelane are very helpful... but the prices and selection at Performance are Superior to that of bikelane... gotta love simultaneous posting... Edited by luhitech 2008-01-24 10:46 AM |
| 2008-01-24 11:36 AM in reply to: #1151684 |
Veteran 199 Albuquerque, NM | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full Juls, you have received some good advice about how to take care of your bike. I would only add that because you are heading in to your first race don't worry too much about doing anything fancy with the bike to get it ready like adding aero bars. If you already had aero bars that would be great and if you want to purchase some to have put on your bike that would be great too but don't rush to spend the money if you don't want to. Like I have said, at most sprint distance races you will see all kinds of people and all kinds of bikes and in all likelihood you will be too confused and focused on what you are doing to notice what anyone else is doing or riding anyway. Your goal for the first race is to maximize your fun so you can get hooked and so that you can later lament the days when you had spare cash, the days before every penny was sunk into your tri gear. Well, lament is too strong a word, the sweetness of the tri gear and the reward of meeting people and racing more than makes up for the decline in liquid assets. Matt, from my point of view there are indeed far fewer Olympic, also referred to as international distance, races than there are sprints. As far as being fewer Oly's than there used to be I'm not so sure. It used to be the case that the Olympic distance was about the shortest distance around but with the explosion in popularity of the sport race directors have really tried to cater to the newer athletes and the weekend warriors but developing sprints. It also used to be the case that there were far fewer races period. I think the sprints are very good for our sport because they are so accessible to so many people and for experienced triathletes it is fun to get out and just cut lose at full speed for about an hour. It is hard to say what a race distance is like to any given person. There is a guy who wrote a book "Triathaloning for Ordinary Mortals" and he equates the Olympic distance triathlon to the marathon. I suppose as far as training time goes preparing for a marathon and an Oly are pretty similar. For a marathon I'll try to get in about 50 or 60 or so miles a week and that will take about 6 to 7.5 hours to complete. For and Oly I will probably spend somewhere around 8.5 to hours per week training. As far as the race itself goes at any given moment in an Oly I am working harder than I am in a marathon but after a marathon I hurt worse. Also, my current Oly PR is 2:39 and my marathon PR is 3:51 so I am out on the course longer in a marathon and the longer you are out on the course also raises the bar on difficulty. Boy, I can talk forever can't I? My feeling I guess is that a hard run marathon is harder than a hard run Oly triathlon. While I'm blabbering on about similarities between different kinds of races in my opinion an Oly is really like a long sprint so once you have done a sprint you will have a sense of what it might be like to do an Oly. A half-iron is a different race altogether than an Oly and an Ironman is a different race from a half-iron. The hardest thing about the half-iron and Ironman distances is getting in the necessary training; race day is your reward for all the training. |
| 2008-01-24 2:43 PM in reply to: #1174062 |
Regular 58 Alpharetta, GA | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full Brian, Your point about "spare cash" relative to cool gear is a good one. Given that I'm working toward my first sprint, will be using a mountain bike, and will likely not buy everything imagineable up front, could you please give me a general order of priority, in your opinion, of what I should spend money on. Everyone, feel free to chime in and add anything I may not have listed. Don't worry, I'm just curious what YOU would spend money on first. I'm a firm believer in learning from other peoples' experience (good or bad): -bike shoes and pedals -aero bars (again, this is a mountain bike) -slick tires -spare tube and kit -emergency pump/CO2 -trisuit -new, fitted, running shoes -transition bag -wetsuit -special socks -heart rate monitor By the way, my wife and I tried our first yoga class last night. As uncomfortable as it was, we enjoyed it. Going to try and swim one of those ladders you guys have been writing about tonight. Thanks again for all the insight! Mark E. |
| 2008-01-24 4:09 PM in reply to: #1151684 |
Veteran 199 Albuquerque, NM | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full For your first triathlon I wouldn't spend too much if anything other than your race entry fee. However, below are my thoughts on the things you have listed. I think the number one investment should probably be a pair of tri shorts because you can swim, run and bike in them. They have less cushioning in them as opposed to regular cycling shorts but more than having nothing. Alternatively, if you don't mind not having any padding you could do the whole think is a pair of swim trunks but I would at least get a pair of Jammers, the non-baggy kind of swimsuit. You can wear a cycling jersey for the run and the bike and simply go topless for the swim. If you don't have a cycling jersey then a technical t-shirt, something wicking, will do. If you don't have that then just wear a plain old cotton shirt, which will be least comfortable but also least expensive. Next I would get slicks for the bike and then a simple tire repair kit. The slicks will allow you to go a little faster and the repair kit (spare tube, tire irons and C02 with inflator head) is something you should probably have anyway. Will your swim be an open water swim? If so you need to find out what the estimated water temp is going to be and find out if a wetsuit is recommended. If a wetsuit is recommended I strongly advise against going out and buying one for a first tri. Instead I would contact someone like X-terra wetsuits and rent one. Your race director should also know of any local wetsuit rental places. Much earlier you mentioned a swim cap. If one is required in the race then they will provide it in your race packet unless otherwise noted. Races that require swim caps, all open water swims, also have required colors. Don't bother with new bike shoes or pedals. IMPORTANT FOR YOU ALL WITH MOUNTAIN BIKES – some mountain bikes come with steel pedals that have teeth that better grip your shoe. Those are not legal in a triathlon and you run the risk of not being allowed to race. If you have steel pedals you need to at least go get a pair of cheap platform pedals. Don't get a pair of aero bars for your mountain bike. Don't worry about a transition bag, any old gym bag will do. Do bring a towel! This is what you use to set up all your gear on in transition. Don't get a heart rate monitor for just this race. However, a heart rate monitor is an excellent training tool so it is not a wasted investment. We can talk about heart rate training if anyone is interested. A good fitting pair of running shoes is always a good investment in the health of your legs and joints. I weigh in at just over 200 pounds and I go through a pair of shoes about every 250 miles. Most normal size runners are good for 300 to 500 miles. A decent pair of wicking socks is also nice because they will help your feet stay a little more dry, which will help prevent blisters. |
| 2008-01-24 4:26 PM in reply to: #1174544 |
| Austin, Texas or Jupiter, Florida | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full Mark, Don't Forget Pee-Wee Herman Handlebar Basket (see earlier posts). I'd probably add a bike computer before Aero bars to the mountain bike. You can see your speed and how far you've ridden. I'm going without the heart-rate monitor. I just feel like right now that's too much data. Does anyone know if they've made the data more user-friendly in the last 3-4 years? I'll be swimming tomorrow morning too. You're not alone. Brian, What are your thoughts on swimming different strokes during workouts? It seems like for Triathlon training, it might be better just to swim freestyle slower than to swim breast stroke or back-stroke. Doh!!! Simultaneous Post!!! Edited by GomesBolt 2008-01-24 4:27 PM |
| 2008-01-24 5:00 PM in reply to: #1151684 |
Veteran 199 Albuquerque, NM | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full As far as heart rate monitors go many people like Polar but I do not probably because my first was a Timex Ironman and so I am used to the way they operate. I wouldn't trade my Garmin 305 for anything, it is probably my favorite piece of gear but you can not swim with them. Swimming different strokes. A swimmer will tell you that swimming different strokes will make you better at any given stroke because overall you will be more balanced, literally your balance in the water will be better and your musculature through the upper body will be more balanced. Some people in triathlon will also tell you that it is a good idea to have at least one backup stroke that you are proficient with either in case you get tired or in case you get injured. I have never gotten so tired that I needed to change strokes and the one time I had an injury that prevented me from swimming freestyle I was unable to do anything but a weird kind of sideways scissor kick, arm flop kind of thing…actually, that was also in my first triathlon where I ended up swimming in my cycling shorts/diapers. The other thing is that swimming is really very hard. It is a sport that is almost completely technique based. In running and cycling if you have strong legs and a good set of lungs then you can do pretty well but in swimming all the arm strength and lung power in the world will not make you a decent swimmer unless you have good form so doing additional strokes when you don't have good technique is unlikely to help you and is more likely to waste your time. |
| 2008-01-24 6:29 PM in reply to: #1151684 |
Member 6 | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full Hey All! While on the subject of Heart Rate Monitors, well timed advice, I just picked up my new Garmin 305 after the demise of my Timex System. My wife took it in to get a new battery a couple weeks ago, and while swimming last week I noticed a fog on the inside of the watch face. This is a BAD THING... shortly after that everything went wrong and I had to put it down. Hmmm... reading this I see the wife is once again implicated. Wasn't she the one who threw away the old runners? So, question. Since I got a new Heart Rate Monitor I decided to read the manual, and to look at some links on training suggestions. I have a bad habit of training too agressively and end up fatigued and even sick. The heart rate monitor helps, but from everything I've read I haven't been using it right. What a great group!
Edited by bjenning 2008-01-24 6:31 PM |
| 2008-01-24 9:27 PM in reply to: #1151684 |
Elite 3067 Cheesehead, WI | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full Wow! you guys rock! My 2 cents on initial gear - don't sweat it. My first tri was done in a swim suit, then threw on bike shorts (verrrry hard to do over a wet body!), then sort of hobbled along in the run with sneaks that were 1/2 size too small. There are ALL types in the races. Sure, there will be the elitist looking types with their disc wheels that sound like a freight train going by but then there always some goofball wearing a wig or costume or the like just having fun. And no matter what shape you think you are in, there is ALWAYS someone faster as well as slower and I always see someone that inspires me - be it a senior citizen, young kid, wheel chair participant, a clydesdale celebrating a weight loss, cancer survivors, etc.. I'd caution folks on spending lots before getting into the sport. Go a season or 2 then look at buying more. In the meantime, there's ebay, savvy shopping via off season/outlets, or even renting/borrowing etc.. to test out items or see what you like. Like everyone, I have lots of bills, family commitments, etc.. for cash outlays so for me, it's tough to justify dropping tons of $$$ on something at this point...unless of course I turn pro or another unlikely event like hitting the lotto Heart rate stuff eludes me to a point. I've tried to figure it using lots of estimates for lactate threshold (can't justify 300 bucks dropped on high tech testing), max hr, etc... so I'm interested to learn more. Edited by BbMoozer 2008-01-24 9:30 PM |
| 2008-01-24 11:54 PM in reply to: #1151684 |
Veteran 199 Albuquerque, NM | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full Welcome back Bob! You are correct that the 220 - age formula for max HR is almost useless. That formula, for instance, predicts my max HR at 179 and in a 1 mile time trial I have run my HR up to 195 so I take my max HR as 200. I worked with a professional triathlete and coach once who told me that a simple way to get a max HR is to run a 1 mile time trial and record your highest HR and then add 10 beats. I only added 5 just to get the nice round number and at some point as an armature close is good enough. So if you use the time trial method you should do it on a track and be sure to get in at least 800 meters of easy jogging to get your legs warmed up. You can also do this on a treadmill by warming up and then increasing the speed to a high rate and hold it for about 5 minutes . Your HR should hit a point where it is no longer going up and you can’t speed up any more. Take that as 5 or 10 beats below your max. I do want to warn you that either of these methods are a little risky because you are more likely to get injured running at full speed than you are jogging so just be sure to get nice and warmed up and stretched out and don’t push it if you are not feeling good. There are a number of formulas out there that will calculate a better max HR than the 220 - age and if you do a Google search you will find them. There is a saying that the only way to get faster is to run faster and to a degree that is true. Running fast builds your capacity to tolerate running longer at a higher heart rate and it will increase your running efficiency. A lot of people will incorporate track work into their running routine and this is where you can start to build some speed. One good workout is to run quarters. You start on a track right at the beginning o the curve and run the curve slow. When you round the first corner run the straight a bit faster. When you hit the next curve run a bit faster and when you hit the last straight away you should be running at a flat out sprint. There should be a gradual acceleration the whole time so don’t start too fast. You can do this twice and then easy jog one lap and then get two more and then easy job one lap. Before you start you should easy jog two laps to warm up. That workout will get you two miles. Another good speed builder is called the tempo run. This is a medium distance run done somewhere in the middle of zone 4. Also, running hills is a good way to do speed work because going uphill builds good leg strength and going down hill increases foot speed. You should only be doing track work once a week and should probably only do hill work once a week. A typical three day per week run routine would be the long run, speed work and the tempo run. The long run is very important in endurance running. The long run should be done in zone 2 or 3. It builds leg strength, increases tendon and ligament strength, increases vascularization to the muscles, increases the mitochondria lowers your HR and burns fat . At a higher HR, like zone 4, your body is mostly burning glycogen and you only have about an hour to hour and a half worth of glycogen stores. At lower HR your body starts fueling mostly from fat and even the thinnest people have virtually unlimited fat stores. The longer distances you race the more critical it is that you train your body to run off fat stores. In a sprint this is not important but the long, slow run is still important for the other reasons mentioned above. Hopefully that was helpful. HR training is important for maximizing your training outcomes. |
| 2008-01-25 7:35 AM in reply to: #1174769 |
Regular 58 Alpharetta, GA | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full Great gear feedback - including the pee wee herman handlebars.  I'll defintely get some tri-shorts, good shoes, and socks. I already have a tire repair kit, but will ask the shop about those slicks when I take the bike in for a tune-up. As for the pedals, mine don't have the steel teeth pedals, but I do have the cages on them. I hope those are okay. A bike computer would be nice, but may be out of budget for now. Hopefully they'll have mile markers so I can calculate my pace. On the swim, I have a scuba buddy with wetsuits galore for me to borrow if I need it for that open water swim. I'm going to get a swim cap just so I can get used to wearing it and maybe some earplugs. Swimming that ladder last night kicked my butt. I loved it. Mark E. |
| 2008-01-25 8:05 AM in reply to: #1175451 |
| Austin, Texas or Jupiter, Florida | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full I gotta reply to Sarah's comment on the goofballs. When I ran the Cooper River Bridge Run 10K in Charleston a few years ago, there were two goofballs who ran in Blues Brothers Outfits. Full Suit, Hats, Sunglasses and then there was this guy with a really goofy hat that had an umbrella on it. As he passed me I realized it was Bill Murray. I said hi to him and he said something about how much the climb up the bridge sucked and off he went. It was pretty funny. Last saturday, I saw the goofiest thing so far. Two guys running the Race for the Cure 5K in Banana suits. That is, they were dressed head to toe each in a giant banana. It was pretty funny but they actually finished at about 20:30. There's gotta be something to the trend--the Pee-Wee Handlebars, Costumes, they all beat us. How? Humiliation=Speed??? So Brian, what I'm getting is Heart rate monitor-Yes. I guess I'll put that into my list of stuff to get. Luckily, I have everything else. Brian, did you ever drown your LAV? My platoon had to help pick one up off the bottom when I was at Bridge Company, 8th ESB. The guys all got out but didn't ballast correctly and ended up upside-down at the bottom of the New River. I guess you could say that LAV DNF'd but that was better than DNS right? |
| 2008-01-25 8:59 AM in reply to: #1173906 |
| Regular 66 Tomball, TX | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full Wow, great posts on the gear and having a better understanding as to what I need/ don't need. THANKS!!! I will be purchasing a saddle bag w/ needed items this weekend. As far as heart rate monitors go I use Polar. I love it! This is a great group. Happy training this weekend! Can anyone bring some sunshine our way? I am so tired of rain...uuugghhh! Juls |
| 2008-01-25 9:25 AM in reply to: #1151684 |
| Regular 67 Land of Make Believe | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full Amen to that Juls... I rode bike yesterday afternoon in the gloom... at least it wasnt raining but it sure was damp and chilly... I'm going to paste in from my training log here... Went to dinner @ the melting pot... damn tasty... and besides the chocolate fondue... wasnt too bad for the WW diet either... since I had only 4 points the entire day... and I had biked... I'm just calling it a wash for the rest of the day... the nice part about eating there is the pacing... we were sitting @ our table for about 2 and a half hours, eating and drinking... you were never CRAMMING it in, so you tended to eat less and there were a ton of veggies, they were "bottomless"... *end paste* I'm going camping with some high school buddies out in the texas hill country and will hope to get a run in on saturday and sunday... we'll see how that goes... and I will be completely "offline" so I'll make sure to catchup and post a weekend report on Sunday evening! have a great weekend everyone! |
| 2008-01-25 9:47 AM in reply to: #1151684 |
Veteran 199 Albuquerque, NM | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full One thing I also forgot about the slow run, zone 2 or 3, your muscles are basically comprised of slow twitch and fast twitch muscle fibers. The slow twitch fibers are the ones that give you the endurance and the fast twitch are the ones that give you speed and strength. There are actually two types of fast twitch fibers and one type will take on the endurance characteristics of slow twitch fibers but the only way it will do this is through training the long distances in the zone 2 ro 3…more accurately the high zone two to the mid zone three. This kind of transformation provides you with the greater speed over longer distances. If you get into runs in excess of 2.5 to 3 hours your body begins to make metabolic adjustments to help you come with these kinds of long endurance efforts. Mark, there is nothing wrong with wearing a scuba wetsuit in your first triathlon or so but you should realize that a scuba wetsuit is built very differently. They are build primarily for insulation and they are not make for actual swimming, scuba divers propel themselves mostly with their fins not their arms. The result is a wetsuit that is thicker overall, has a uniform thickness and will probably not fit quite as snugly. A triathlon wetsuit is made for insulation, buoyancy and to shed water to decrease drag. The build of the suit is also specific to someone propelling themselves with their arms so the material is thinner through the shoulders and upper chest along the sides so you can get good range of motion. The triathlon wetsuit will be faster and easier to swim in. However, like I said don't fork over good money to buy or rent a wetsuit if you have a buddy that can loan you something to get you going just be aware that if you leave your event thinking how much the swim sucked because of the wetsuit remember that you did not wear a tri specific wetsuit and a tri specific wetsuit would have made for a better swim. The heart rate monitor is a big yes if it is in the budget. I am both lucky and unlucky because my wife does all this stuff with me. I am lucky because when I want to get some cool new gear she is more than happy to oblige and never complains about my spending. I am unlucky because every time I buy a cool new piece of gear I have to buy two of them, one for me and one for my wife. While fun it does become breathtakingly expensive! If a HR monitor is not in the budget don't worry because you can use your wrist watch and take your pulse. Also, a fair guide to zone 3 is that you should be able to run and have a normal conversation. Not chattering a mile a minute or singing but a normal conversation without becoming breathless. I am glad to say that I never sank an LAV while in the Marine Corps, never rolled one, never broke a strut nothing. I did have a friend who drove his into a river and forgot to close his hatch and so the water poured in and sank his vehicle. |
| 2008-01-25 10:05 AM in reply to: #1175733 |
Regular 58 Alpharetta, GA | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full Ah, that makes perfect sense on the scuba vs. tri wetsuit. I may just have to start referring to you as Yoda. Mark E. |
| 2008-01-25 11:06 AM in reply to: #1151684 |
Member 12 | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full Thanks everyone for all the in depth info-- it has really helped me as well. I've been feeling like such a greenie when it comes to tri gear. I think I actually have more anxiety about transitions & how everything will come together than the actual race! Mark, glad you and your wife enjoyed the yoga class-- it gets easier!!! |
| 2008-01-25 12:45 PM in reply to: #1175902 |
| Austin, Texas or Jupiter, Florida | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full That's a good point Tiffany, I mean when you come to the transition area for T-1, you get all your stuff and your bike. Do you then have to cross a line before you get on your bike or do you just get on where you can? Reason I ask is that if it's a rush to get on where you are, you can crash on your way out with all the other crazys trying to do the same. Can you describe the transitions and getting on and off the bike? Anyone? Also, the aid stations, I know they'll vary, but do you stop to grab stuff or is it like the Tour de France where they hand you a bag of stuff as you go by? |
| 2008-01-25 1:01 PM in reply to: #1175683 |
| Regular 66 Tomball, TX | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full Oh man, I love the melting pot. You do certainly have to set aside some time there though....we went one time w/ another couple and it was 3 hours. VERY good though! For those who don't have one near by it is a fondue place. You cook it all, eat it all from appetizer, entree, dessert right there on your table fondue style. The fruits are delicious! Have a great camping trip Josh! Hope the weather cooperates |
| 2008-01-25 1:51 PM in reply to: #1151684 |
Veteran 199 Albuquerque, NM | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full The Transition area: There will be some manner of racking your bike and it varies quite a lot from cables to pole structures to stand alone bike racks to wooden forms but suffice it to say there will be some way to rack your bike. There will be separate area to run in and run out and bike in and bike out but the flow of traffic in transition is always one way so you won't, or shouldn't, have someone trying to run out where someone else is trying to bike in at the same time. Depending on the size of the event, spots in the transition area might be assigned. The smaller the event the more likely that it will be first come first serve. Here is a bit of a secret that will help speed you through transition. Get to your event as early as possible. Look at your event entry form or website and find out when transition opens. Show up to the race when transition opens or very shortly thereafter. Normally if a triathlon starts at 8 a.m. transition will open at 6 a.m. Here is why you arrive so early. If the event has a first come first serve transition area the best spots in transition go first and it is usually all the newbies who end up crammed off in a corner somewhere in a tangle of other newbie bikes or the bikes of more experienced athletes that are having a bad morning and did not get to transition when it opened. Since I just used the term "newbie" I just want to say that in the sport of triathlon the experienced athletes are extremely supportive of people who are new to the sport and are very happy to have you at the race. Many races will even ask all the first timers to raise their hands and everyone will cheer them. When I am reff'ing an event I always take a moment to recognize the new athletes and then I apologize for the addiction they are about to acquire. Ok, when you get to transition look at the people with the sweetest bikes and pay attention to where they are racking because the very first people in transition will be among the fastest at the event and they will be racking exactly where there is maximum advantage, where they will be able to shave even a couple seconds off their transition time. Some of these people may be pretty intense so you might feel intimidated, if that's the case then rack a little bit away from them but there is no sense in burying yourself deep in transition. Again, you will find people in triathlon to be welcoming and supportive so even people who look scary are likely to be pretty friendly. Like I said bring a towel to lay out your transition gear and just look at how the experienced athletes are setting up their gear. Entering and exiting transition with your bike. Only the very, very smallest of event MIGHT allow you to mount your bike and ride it in transition…MIGHT. The vast majority of events will have what is called a Mount and a Dismount line. You must take your bike COMPLETELY across the mount line before you can get on ad ride away. Please pull off to the side a bit to mount your bike so other athletes can easily get by you. You will rapidly become very unpopular if you cross the mount line and immediately stop and try to mount your bike. You may get to and through transition faster than other people who are much faster overall and they will be on the bike and gone before you locate your pedal. In a normal size sprint triathlon it only takes me about 48 seconds to a minute to get through transition. When you return from the bike you must come to a complete stop and get off your bike before your front tire reaches the dismount line and you then run with your bike back to your spot in transition. Make sure you rack your bike in the exact same spot where you set up. Heading in and out of transition on the run is much less complicated, you just put on your running shoes and make sure you are heading in the correct direction and then you run and then you cross the finish line and then you are a triathlete! |
| 2008-01-25 2:01 PM in reply to: #1175902 |
Elite 3067 Cheesehead, WI | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full Brighton brings up a good point. Transitions! My first tri had me getting into the transition areas where I would promptly sit down, take a gulp of water and say Whew! I made it through that part! I also did a tri where I was in such a hurry (guess I learned from that first tri eh?) that I forgot my helmut. Here I am running through the huge transition area to the exit sign only to be stopped by a race official as he was yelling and pointing to my head. Daaaah! So there I went running all the way back to find my helmut. My suggestion is to practice a transition == which is easy to do when doing a brick from bike to run. It's lots of mental preparing and making sure all is on your list of what you want and need for each leg of the race... helmut, sunglasses, sneakers, etc... and laying them out accordingly. Somewhere on BT there are lists of what you need to bring or this is a handy interactive site http://triathlon.racechecklist.com/. For me, I plan on a late summer olympic tri and I'll be wearing a wetsuit for the first time in a tri. I know I'll have to practice LOTS on how to get out of it without falling over or getting my feet so entangled in it that I wind up riding my bike with it on. LOL |
| 2008-01-25 3:24 PM in reply to: #1176294 |
| Austin, Texas or Jupiter, Florida | Subject: RE: Pilgrim's Group - Full I'll ask this question and then be gone for the weekend (bad connectivity at the house). So do you put your bike shoes on and clop out of the transition area with your cleats clopping along or do you run barefoot and try to get your shoes strapped-up on the roll? Enjoy your workouts everyone. It's motivating to know that while I'm out there suffering, the rest of you are doing the same. Kinda like having a running buddy who's not too fast, too slow, or too talkative with you the whole time. |
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