Southwestmba/Andy's excellent adventure group-Full (Page 5)

hello all- just checking in. Training going ok. Im swimming a little better. Im trying a program called 0-1650 just to try to build up some base more comfortably. Lessons arent in the budget right now unfortunately. I did hit the jackpot with a road bike. A good friend has one that she has only ridden 3 times since her son was born (the reason i had no idea that she rode a bike). I took it to the local bike shop and they adjusted the fit and said it should work perfectly. They also let me practice with clipping in and out while on the trainer which was very helpful. Still, I fell yesterday at the very end of my ride. I just forgot about the clips and went to lift my foot up and by then it was too late.  No real harm done other than a little bruise on the hip and some road rash on my hand. Question: the shoes she also lent to me and i am so grateful. I couldnt believe that they fit. They feel ok when i put them on but with socks and after i ride for a bit, the feet swelling is making them a bit uncomfortable and a little tight. If i spring for the next size of shoe, will they fit in the pedals that I already have or would i need to have new pedals as well? maybe a silly question but i really have no idea. Im running a half this weekend and am looking forward to that being over so i can concentrate more on this training.

Hope you all are doing well.

Lakenw

I'm no expert, but you should be able to remove the clips off the sole of the previous shoe and place them on the new shoes.  No new pedals needed.  You may even want to take the clips into the store when you buy your new shoes to make sure they will fit ok.  Hope that helps.

Tom C.

Everbody falls with new clips.  Just practice a few times, and really think about it while you're slowing down.  You can also adjust the "looseness" of the clip, making it easier to twist out.

You can usually switch shoes, but agree with taking your bike and clips to the bike store, and having them get it right. 

Hi,

Just checking in- I've been able to work out 3 to 4 times per week. Swimming is going well- I'm really enjoying it and up to 800 yds in the pool without too much trouble.  Biking is fine and I'm going to do the Austin Armadillo Hill country ride ( 14 miles) this week-end. Looking forward to it- I've mostly been biking ~5-8 miles, so will be longer for me.   Running is still a challenge, but getting started with playing soccer.  It's getting hot in Tx also, but not as bad as AZ.

Looks like we're all checking in - seems like the thing to do, so I'll take my turn too!

I'm sure glad there's a day "off" each week in the plans... and that it's so easy to use the tool on BT to move workouts around from day to day. I've been able to move the plan around and NOT MISS ANY swim/bike/run workouts since I started. However I've missed EVERY strength workout and have been extremely sporadic about my core/ab workouts. Hard to make enough time given all the other priorities. Especially given springtime yard work - perfect weather for the grass to grow and it's going NUTS here in moist (and recently warmer... 50s to 70s) southeast Wisconsin!

Last week was a lighter week (per plan) which was nice... I was running out of steam (mentally maybe even more than physically). Yet after a bit less aggressive approach last week, this week has been easier to ramp it back up. I am anxious to receive the EFS stuff I ordered (thanks for the recommendation... seems that may very well help keep me pushing harder during the tougher weeks).

About to change my bike from SPD to SpeedPlay Zeros... my new shoes finally arrived after many weeks on back order. They feel good when I'm standing around in them - will be interesting to see how they play out on some rides!

Ben.

Hi lakenw,

A couple years ago I put SPD clipless pedals on my hybrid bike... and like you (and probably everyone) I fell. Maybe 2 or 3 times over the first couple weeks. Couple small bruises and a bit of embarrassment that a 40 year old dude still hasn't learned how to get off a bike!? Well - until I realized that falling is part of learning how to ride with clipless - by that point the bruises and embarrassment were all gone and I realized how awesome it was to ride with my feet attached to the cranks!

Sounds like you're really going to enjoy your new bike, lakenw! Although if your feet keep giving you "signals" that the shoes aren't fitting well... try to find a way to replace them with some that feel GOOD.

I've never been a runner - yet it seems the first advice I get from people who enjoy running is to get shoes that fit your running style well and FEEL GOOD. I was able to have a good local  running shop fit me and it's really helped my focus/motivation knowing I'll have feet that feel good after a run! I'm thinkin' the same advice applies to riding as well... the more you enjoy it (and the less annoyances you experience) the more you'll WANT to do it!

Good week for me once I got over my strep throat.  Quick overnight business trip to NY.  Managed 5k on the treadmill and then back home with a bike ride to and from work.  Thursday was recovering lost ground with a 5 mile run home down the Trolley Trail from work.  Been a long time since I did that.  Today I recovered one of my favorite routes - 6 miles with some decent hills.  Feels good to be coming back and making some progress. 

My first tri in a year will be the same as the last one I did a year ago - the DC Triathlon.  I've been thinking that I would drop down to the sprint.  Looking over my logs from last year, while my volume isn't what it should be for an Olympic, it's comparable to last year's, and I'll be 25 pounds lighter than when I did it last year.  So, I'm thinking, maybe I should just go for the Olympic distance after all.

guess i'm overdue for a check-in!

i missed a bike workout this week, because i had an important audition on thursday evening, and thought it would be too much to ride at 5AM, put in a full day of work, then be on my game enough to sing well at 9PM.  i try not to be too hard on myself when this happens, but...it happens.  frequently.  and i hate having to skip training time.  but, whatcha gonna do.

in better news, today i did a 10k in central park and pr'ed!  51 minutes flat.  i was gunning for sub-50 but am still very, very proud.  then i did a post-run swim, and honed in on some flaws in my technique, which was really helpful.

Hi All,

Checking in... Training is going really well for me so far. Yesterday I did a 'Mock' olympic work out, 30 laps. 24 mile bike and a 10K. and today I feel bit sore  but not as fatigued as I thought I would. It's so exciting to feel that my workouts are paying off. Yea!

This upcoming week is my peak week, with my first race ever coming up in three weeks- Rev3 in Ct. (olympic) - Any imput is welcomed.

Thanks Andy for sharing your great tips! And Thanks everyone for sharing, your stories & input are inspiring and motivating.

Lol, I could imagine your son doing that! When my son was in grade school he used to tell his friends I was a doctor, which is only partially correct; I'm a Pharm-D, which is a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, not quite the same thing. My son had me on such a pedestal, it saddened me to think that as he grew up there was nowhere for me to go but down in his eyes lol!

Folks at work that know about me ask about my multisporting like I do it all the time, versus preparing for my first tri. I believe I've even gained a few points back in my son's eyes as well! It is a cool thing to do. Yes, it will be kinda neat to say, "Oh, did I tell you I am nationally ranked?". Not too many details, of course.

I had a flat tire yesterday monring on my bike ride.  Had to push the bike home about 3 miles or so.  Im going to try and fix the tire myself. 

Do flats happen very often and do most people carry stuff with them to repair on the road?  Im wondering if I should get a spare tube to carry with me.

thanks all!  the audition was for an agent.  i didn't get representation, but i did get some good feedback, so at least it was valuable.

ttuna, i always carry at least 1 spare tube if not 2, tire levers and co2 cartridges.  always always always.  it's like wearing a helmet, for me.  maybe others are different, but that's my 2 cents!

Good for you Andy! I checked out the pics of the race over at Slowtwitch.com, it looked like a pretty neat event. So what's next on your plate?

I have a question; what do folks wear underneath their tri-out fits when they bike, just normal underwear or something padded? Worrying about rashes and whatnot after biking, I bought some padded bike pants and bike underwear, but wonder if that might be too much clothing to run well on the running leg.