Dirk's Junkie group - CLOSED (Page 56)

As a dog owner, I can attest to how perplexing it is that my dogs can continue to escape despite all my efforts.  Fence.  Digs under  Pour concrete  Digs under elsewhere. electrify the fence. grass grows up and shorts it. dog digs under.  place barbed wire. dog goes through.  Get a dog run.  dogs tear through chainlink.  Chain them to leads. Dogs chew through cable leads and/or pull out of collars....

Anyway, dogs are never really a problem, just a nuisance. (in my particular experience).  You don't just keep running or their instincts FORCE them to chase and nip (or worse).  I always stop and move forward toward the dog.  Usually being nice so as to pet them...but they will usually run away at that point.  It interrupts my run for 30 seconds, but it begins the process of training the dog.

The real risk is on the bike where the chasing dog might get under a wheel and crash you.  I have had 100% luck so far with just spraying water directly at them.   Once the dog is behind my bike I'm safe and continue on.  If it's already in front of me and blocking my momentum I can try scaring it out of the way, or stop and get off the bike.  Both options have worked for me.

A full grown man has a big advantage in dealing with dogs though.  They understand gender and size.  It's extremely rare that a dog, even 130lbs of dog, will try to take on a 160+lb man.  They see us as bigger and more threatening.

Women and kids are perceived differently though.

FWIW, I do believe that pepper spray will work wonders. 

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=429882

Race Report here.

A few comments that may not have been made in my race report...

I felt like I did better than expected on the run and worse on the bike.  I knew going in that I hadn't ridden my TT bike since September, including even on a trainer.  I also knew that having just changed my stem that my new position was untested.  I've only been on a real bike 2 times since September.  Didn't even warmup on the bike.

Plus as I adjusted the bike for the new wheels, I could never get the shifting to work right.  Don't know why...maybe the cassette.  Perhaps I need a matched chain? 

But this wasn't an important race to me and I was OK with weirdness.  I just wasn't prepared for how horribly slow I was going to be on the bike.  As of the writing of my RR yesterday, results hadn't been posted so I don't know what my splits were.  And I put down '0' for place in AG because I was pulled out of the AG results.

Overall I'm happy with the race.  If my cycling comes back and at least equals last season I'll be thrilled. 

So the big conundrum I have is: will I adapt to the new position, or is it too much and I need to go back?  I'll post pics and keep you informed over time with the progress on that front.

You must be referring to swimming?

I saw in a couple of posts earlier about training and the glycemic index. I'm kind of a nut when it comes to the nutrition aspect of training. I believe that a race or day of training is very dependant on what we eat and when. So, I decided to post a couple of articles for ya all.

The first website below has a basic explanation of what glycemic index and load are and how to use them. Notice that GL is associated with an estimated serving size. This may or may not be the same amount you eat, so the precise glycemic load for when you consume a food may be slightly different based on serving size. The second link is a scientific article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it has a much more inclusive list of foods (starting p.9 of the document).

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/foods/grains/gigl.html

http://www.ajcn.org/content/76/1/5.full.pdf

I used to ride thousands of miles a year, and met lots of dogs.  A simple squirt of water in the face did the trick every time.  I was less concerned that one would try to bite me than they would accidentally get under my tires.

As far as running, I agree that the best course of action is to stop and face the dog.  All of a sudden you're much less interesting than you were when you had 2 arms and 2 legs all moving.  Most dogs have no interest in biting you, they either want to herd you, or just nip at your heels because it seems like a fun game.

The tri coach posted the video of my swimming from Sunday on Facebook.  I'd appreciate feedback from the swimmers in the group.  Of course he's giving me feedback to, but I feel that more information is usually better.  Send me a friend request to David McKeen.  I'm in Kent, Ohio.  I have my privacy settings so only friends can see my pictures and videos.

Of course the non-swimmers can friend me and see it too, and maybe we can all learn something.

Did I mention he only charged $20 for the 2 hour class?  I thought that was a pretty sweet deal.

How is this for coincidence: in 14 months of running I have never had a dog chase me, until today. Fortunately it was two smaller and very friendly dogs. I stopped and faced them and asked the first one who reached me "where's home, buddy?" They licked my hands a bit and then ran back across the street into a yard while I went on my way.

I have been chased a few times on the bike. I've swung my old frame mounted pump at them and sprayed water at them if they've gotten close. Mostly I see them long before they see me and I do a short sprint at that moment so that once they decide to chase I'm already close to top speed. They don't usually continue for very long in those cases.

Once a dog started after me across the highway I was riding along just as a dump truck doing about 50 mph was passing in the opposite direction. It was a very unpleasant scene.

Sweet Matt!!!  Probably would have screwed the guy with shipping anyway.  He lives in Southern California.

What else do you have to buy for the bike???

mambos - 2012-03-13 8:36 PM Today's run was a blast! Ran 7.2 miles and never made it more then 0.5 miles from my truck! My wife worked today so I had 2 options, go to the YMCA and run on treadmill (free child watch) or grab the kids and their bicycles and go to the park! I chose the park route. This was the 1st time I took my 4yr old on a bike ride like this. Nice part is the city park has several areas where the playground is in the middle of a big paved circle. The kids where able to play in the park while I ran roughly 1/4 mile laps. When they got bored at one playground we moved to the next circle and started all over again! The best part was when my run was done and I got to go down the big slide . And my 4yr old probably rode over 2 miles chasing me around the loop!

Good way to fit it all in! One afternoon last year I ran up and down the street in front of my house while the kids were napping so I could be outside instead of on the treadmill. My neighbor was outside working in his yard and he looked at me like I was a real nut case .

Hey, I've been only in and out quickly due to work.  We have release due today so I've been straight out.  Lots of activity as always, so that's great.

As far as dogs - I agree that typically confrontation is the best option - never run, it triggers an instinct in them to chase.  It's funny, but when I run with my dig he's beyond mellow.  Even when other dogs bark and start to come at us, Starsky just kind of glances at them and doesn't even really pay attention.  Same when he's home and someone runs/rides by - he just watches silently and I like to think he's just appreciating their fitness (as opposed to being the ultimate lazy dog).  I have been attacked by turkeys, which is kinda weird, but they gave up when I kicked one of them.

Matt, that's an awesome way to get a session in.

David, great deal on that swim lesson.  I'll try to get on your facebook list and check out the video.

JoAnne - stay motivated and pop in if you need  lift.  This is a marathon, and a life journey.  Think of the long term benefits and make sure whatever you're doing fits into your lifestyle as a part of your life and you'll be well on the path to success - however you define it.

I'm far from an expert, but maybe find a loop where you can ride hard into the wind for a while, then turn back and recover on the downwind leg? I can't talk much about being more aero, since I don't even have clip ons :-)

Speaking of bikes and weather though, what do you guys do to keep water bottles cool during long rides? Put some ice in them? I was only out about an hour yesterday and for the last 45 minutes I was drinking warm water. Very unpleasant... Any tricks you quick riders can share with us BOPers!!

John

As far as riding in winds, there's really not a secret.  Like hills, wind will always slow you down on an out and back course.  There's no avoiding that. 

Getting and staying very aero is much more important in windy weather, since the wind resistance component is higher.  That includes having an aero bike setup as well.  There are many ways to get your bike more aero - just think about having the slimmest profile possible (cables tight, bottles behind parts of the bike or the rider, etc).  Someone else might expound more on that. And stability/bike handling skills are also more important since winds can push you around. 

Otherwise, it's a lot like other riding.  Riding more and riding harder will develop more power and will make you faster.  But focus on developing that pedaling power while in the aero position.  If you have a road bike but don't have aero bars, that is probably the biggest bang for your buck in terms of getting into an aero position.  It takes some practice, both from a comfort/safety perspective as well being able to produce as much force in that position, but it makes a big difference.

Ice and camelbak "big chill" water bottles.  Well worth the price IMO.

Ya just have to pedal harder and get more aero.

Now, what's really fun is a big climb against the wind.

Got a solid bike workout in tonight and an easy swim.  Was able to hold about 235 watts for each 20 min segment.  All keeping my heart rate in the 140's.  The swim was pretty good.  My arms were tired in about 100 yards from not swimming, but no sharp pains at all.  Really glad about that.  I'll keep working into it this week and see where we go.

Matt, glad to hear nothing bad happened!