Ironman Lake Placid : Official Thread (Page 50)

GREAT question!!!  I have been wondering the same thing!!!

They aren't great...that's for sure.  But for quite a bit of the ride it was hard to tell because there is still a ton of sand on the shoulders.  During the event I'll be spending my time in the road...it's definitely better than the shoulder.  Their patch jobs are garbage from what I was riding on.

Getting pumped!! one more month of collegiate track(I hate track...only do it to stay in shape for cross) and then I can solely focus on IMLP!

Any tips on how to boost swim endurance? I swim countless laps and do different interval workouts but my swim is still my weak point and not where I want it to be. Thanks!

TeamAndyBU - good luck finishing out your season - you should go into your IMLP build with a tremendous amount of fitness. First off, define "countless?" is your volume really that high? Without having any info in your logs, the best general advice I could you is to take advantage of some of the resource your university might provide. For instance, you are already used to being coached - what opportunities do you have to get someone on the pool deck? Do you have a tri club team? Ours has 3 practices a week that are coached. Is there a masters group that meets at your university? If so - join it. There is simply nothing better for getting your swim in line than having someone on deck to keep you honest!

And welcome to the group!

How many times a week are you swimming? 

If you want to see substantial gains in the water, you must swim at least 3X per week.  I've been told this many times by swimmers and I have experienced it first-hand.  For me, swimming twice a week just barely maintains my swim fitness.  Add that 3rd swim a week and within a months time I'm considerably faster with less effort in the water.  Also, try to make sure each swim session is at least 2500 to 3,000 meters.

I wasn't sure how early you got it.  Some people had shirts made up for the person they were supporting and it had their bib # on it.

Swim is more about technique than fitness.  Your best bet is to see a swim coach, even if it's just to evaluate your stroke and he/she can tell you want to work on, drills, etc. that will improve your technique.  There are a lot of good swim coaches everywhere and they usually don't charge as much as tri coaches I've found.  Just an option to consider.

Had a 3 hr trainer ride today due to weather, perfect week, then forecast rain all weekend, bummer.  It was brutal, more mental than anything, but I got through it.  It cleared up and got to do the 30 min brick run outside and perfect temps.  I also think I found my secret recovery drink, I bought my wife a juicer for her birthday last fall, it sat in the pantry and I broke it out this week.  Added some whey protein to the juice (orange, apple, mango, pear, carrot) and have a nice recovery cocktail.

Well, I celebrated my Trek SC 1st birthday today and finally got my deferred Christmas present.  I bought her a new set of wheels, Zipp 404's Firecrest Carbon Clinchers.  So, at least the bike is ready, still a lot of work on the engine to do though!

How did the long rides/bricks/workouts go today for everyone?

congrats on the mental fortitude to tough out a 3hr indoor ride!

that wll serve you well in IMLP, I'm sure...

I was pleased with my 2hr ride (outside) followed by 4mile run brick.

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however, I'd like to ask the more experienced cyclists some questions:

do you try to keep momentum going into the hills and then gear down to maintain a high cadence up to the top and over it?

do you mentally 'lock in' a cadence of 90 or 100 during training to be able to know that you are going easy on the legs?

when do you choose to get up out of the saddle during training or race day?

Many thanks, in advance.

At Wisconsin last year the bib numbers and the Athlete Guide were posted on the Ironman website at least a couple of weeks prior to the race.

In the 3 IM's (WI, FL, LOU) that I have done; the bib numbers & athlete guides were posted about 10-14 days prior to the event.

I had to do my 3 hour ride on a trainer today, too.  It was tough, really tough!  I did manage to get through it though; by watching my Sex and the City movies

First time picture posting! 

But, I'm loving my new Shiv!

Practice makes perfect.  This is close to IMLP set up.  Currently have a few hundred miles on it and I must say that it is the most comfortable tri bike I've ridden.

that shiv is SWEEEEEEEEEET !!!!!!!

Like a bunch of the others I did Saturday's bike on the trainer.  This morning's run was in the mist but very pleasant.  Quick question for the "Finksters":  our run today says zone one or zone two, but if we are in the zone, is there such a thing as going "too easy" ???   

Thats a pretty slick ride there, slicing through wind like nobody's business haha.

If you feel as though it is getting "too easy," you could always retest your HR zones.  It has been 13 weeks since the start of training so improvements are bound to have been made. (I've retested twice for the swim and once for the run)  I hate doing HR tests for the bike but it feels good where it is.

I don't really like retesting as it takes a lot out of you and can feel it the next day (for the run and bike), so i'd recommend only doing it if you really feel it has gotten to that point of "too easy." 

Thanks, I go to a school in rural Ohio, so finding tri groups is almost impossible as the closest is about an hour away. I have been swimming at the local Y since my school doesn't have a pool facility yet..(they are building one but it wont be done til I graduate in May). I will look into finding a masters program around me as I do think having a coach will help me. I have been coached in biking and running before but never in swimming so I just go by what feels good for paces and such. thanks again, now time for a 3 hour bike in the dorm room as it is storming outside...

Yea that sounds like todays run here.  Nothing like 15mph winds during the run to make that last half with a headwind more enjoyable.

3:00Hr trainer yesterday

1:15 run outside today

30 min 100rpm trainer this afternoon

TOMORROW REST!!!