Prof40's Group -- Technically full but ... (Page 60)

I couldn't agree more. The difference between a well fitting bike and a nearly right bike is huge. Once it fits you it is fabulous. incidentally (and this is for boys only) I had to change the saddle once I got into regular hour+ rides as I would get off and be able to run fine but after about 2 mins would start getting pins and needles in the old wedding tackle (and not in a good way) which left me doubled up in discomfort. Something to do with trapping the nerves down there between me and the saddle. A couple of saddles later and I'm fine. Common problem I understand but not everyone changes their saddle.

I would recommend Giant and Trek as they did it for me. My boss built his own from a carbon frame but pointed out that it is a complex procedure for a first timer (I didn't mention you ran your own tri web site and was therefore a pro) and has a Focus as a second bike.

One of the tri crew here in Hong Kong runs a Planet X bike and loves it. I have riden it and it's a beaut.

Best of luck looking.

My saddle gives me a similar issue....so it's not just a guy thing! If I can afford to do the Oly, I'm getting a different saddle. With regular cycling shorts, it took about 40 miles to be in pain.....in tri shorts, about three miles!

Get the BiSaddle from Bycycleinc.com. Look it up on the website! I called the number to place the order and the dude that invented the seat answers his own phone!! His name is Jim. Heck of a nice guy. Of course, I ordered THREE of his saddles--one for my stepdad for father's day as he has issues with hemorrhoids, prostate and other things.....and one for my mom, as her butt muscles are always tender and sore, and I thought it might help.....and one for my tribike! Yeah! No noo-noo soreness at all! None whatsoever! I have a similar design on my mountain bike called the Easy Seat. But I think I like the bisaddle better. will try attaching a photo:







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I know what shorts I'd be wearing!

So I was just very unhappy with my last few weeks of training that I set a goal (which I imagined would be almost impossible) for my running this past week. And I hit it. Which suddenly had me feeling powerful. So powerful that I had to have huge heaping amounts of Chinese food last night along with brownies and cookies to the point where I essentially passed out from a sugar induced food high. Oh, well.

Anyway, I've set 2 goals for this next week: repeat goal 1, and now goal 2, which shall remain nameless. I'll report next week to let you know how I did.

And what does this mean to you? Ah, here's the catch: I want you to set a goal -- something hard, something you're not quite sure you can do -- and hit it in 7 days. Beginning on whatever day you want, so if you need a few days to coordinate your calendar, get equipment, whatever, you have time to do it. But start that goal this week, and share it with us when you're done, even if you don't accomplish all of it. And I want the goal to be something substantive and measurable and within your control. In other words, don't give me something like "I'm going to eat better this week," or "I'm going to lose 2 pounds this week." I'm looking for a goal like "I'm going to exercise 6 hours this week" or "I'm going to swim a total of 3 miles this week."

Looking forward to hearing how you do.

Prof, splendid idea. I'm game on. I intend to have done an ironman by this time next week (I'll treat 4 spin sessions as the bike leg).

Local color time- I'm currently sitting on the balcony of the only indian resturant in Wanchai (downtown Honkers) watching the ladies of negotiable virtue ply their trade and eating a curry so delicate of flavour it is as though it is made from orchids. Grown on the sun.

Good luck to everyone in their week to come.

Colonial Mark signing off! Pip pip chaps.

Well done, Prof!!! You are powerful, btw! You have all of us and we would swim to the moon if you suggested it! (Don't let that get to your head or anything).

Mark--I'm glad you are enjoying your work(vacation)! Curry always gives me a food buzz.

I did sort of achieve a goal I didn't think I could this week. I did 50 miles on Wednesday and 60 miles yesterday. True, it was all on the trainer, but I think that almost counts double because NOTHING is as boring as biking in one place staring at your living room mess to music that you are already sick of, and trying your best to put out all the little kid fires that erupt so easily when Mom's butt is stuck to that bleeping bike! Plus you don't get any coasting or downhill breaks. Your mileage is 100% dependent on moving those legs! I make myself stand and pedal too, which just plain hurts. At 40 miles my legs really hurt. By 56 miles I almost couldn't keep going and had to count out each 60 pedals per tenth of a mile for the last two miles. (maybe it's part of the obsessive nature of my brain, but counting always helps me to get through anything including child birth and really painful BM's....TMI??)

I'm taking some new stuff after doing more research into why I've been feeling like fainting all the time. It's alot like overtraining syndrome, except my mileage, although great for me, is not exactly in the range that most athletes develop this syndrome, so no one has really been taking my diagnosis seriously. But overtraining syndrome results in high cortisol levels, which is my weakness--adrenal failure a few years back. I started to pray every time I got in the car because I would feel it come on and then have to pull over FAST. My poor kids haven't been very far lately because it just doesn't feel safe. And one night I even prayed I'd wake up again. That's the way I used to feel when I was really sick with the adrenals and taking those shots. So, I did research on adrenals and took this little online test and it was in the moderate phase, not the severe one, so it was recommended I take vitamins/minerals, including fish oil, eat less carbs and caffeine, and use progesterone cream to help my body make DHEA. Well, they wanted $70 a month for that. And I have some vitamins that I'm already taking, including the oils, I have the progesterone cream, and even some sublingual spray that has the DHEA and some growth hormone in it. I also am using clary sage oil to balance hormones, taking a lot of cleansing herbs and I upped my thyroid meds as I realized since switching from plain T3 to a med with T3 and T4, I'm lower in my overall T3 than I was by quite a bit. Sucks to have an endocrine system from hell. But, I think I've got the winning combination, as I pulled off a good bike week

My hamstring tear is still healing, so I'm not going to push it with any running just yet. But at least I don't feel it bleeding internally much anymore. Yeah!! And the bump on my head from hitting the pool hard the other day is getting smaller. My neck still hurts, but no piercing headaches, so that is also a blessing.

I'll keep my goal for this week a surprise and let you know if I made it or not. Good idea!

QUIANA--hey girl, are we on for the 21st?? I think we need to know what time to register for? You feeling okay with little baby and all??? Jeanette, you could drive to my place and then ride with us the rest of the way if you want--saves a little gas and makes the trip go faster with company

My goal is going to be to finally hit 100km in running for the month.  As long as I stick somewhat to my running plan I should hit it with ease, but I have yet to get there yet so I hope finally do.

My goal this week is to get enough training in to add up to an Oly, maybe more....we'll see! I just got back from my second tri (Danskin Chicagoland) last night, so I'm exhausted right now (6 hour drive but I take lots of breaks, so it was 8 hours).

This challenge certainly seems to have given me a bit of a kick because I just finished a 13.1 mile run around the Happy Valley racetrack (15 laps of an 0.89 mile circuit). It was 29 degrees and 92 percent humidity so a 2:03 time was OK. One more of those and I've nailed the hardest part of the challenge.

I can honestly say that I never thought I would ever be able to do a half marathon, let alone just turn one out on demand. Who am I?

HOLY CATS!! First Prof does a Half mary and then Mark pulls one off, too! Dunno how you cats do that so easily!! Very well done indeed.

So guys, how do you feel after you do something hard like that? Do you feel kind of tough for a day or two after? Like you could sleep standing up and like your body is sore from one end to the other and your spirit would just like to leave it until homeostasis is once again achieved? I always feel great right at first and then my soul just says "enough" and goes out into the ethers for a bit. Just the time I start to re-enter my body, I go and put it through the ringer again, and I'm out there again. Is that just a weirdo Pene thing or do you guys experience it too? There was one other woman who put something about that on her logs and then I didn't feel all alone with my weirdness. She did acupuncture for it. I haven't made time to try that yet.

What do you do to baby your body after hard workouts?? Please share.

Well done

Lofty goals folks!!

Pene,

In answer to your question, when I got back I lay on the floor gasping like a fish. I noticed that I was sweating s much that I was making the carpet wet. One set of sweat angels later I showered and ordered some French onion soup. Long sleep (with fabulous dreams) and woke up sore from my knees down this morning. Another shower and a gentle walk to work (about 20 mins) and, so long as I don’t sit still for too long I’m fine.

Booked myself into the Hong Kong Dragons triathlon club training session for tomorrow night so that will be interesting!

Emotionally, felt absolutely over the moon. So pleased with myself I even told Satan and she was pleased! For the first time I honestly feel as though I can do this Monaco thingy.

Robb,

I have full sympathy on the humidity. I have never experienced anything that saps your strength as much as humidity! I hadn’t appreciated that humidity had the side effect of making your tongue swell! I’ll have to watch out for that one.

I’ve really got to get myself a bit more technically savvy so I can post gross pictures on this site as well although I may have to save the ones of me in my new tri shorts (boy are they short shorts) for personal humiliation!

Horses for courses seems to be true here. Once I changed my saddle for a Specialized Toupe Team World Champion Saddle and changed my shorts for a pair of competion ironman shorts the experience has never come back. For me it was a case of less was more. It may well be that I now spend more time out of the saddle but try out lots of things before you settle on one solution.

I have tried to attach my saddle below...

I must say that the Bycycle made me titter. Brilliant solution but it really appealed to my british sense of humour!







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So how many are you going to run in your 7-day period?

Don't push too hard. Tired muscles need to rest, you know.

I feel a sense of accomplishment, and then set my next goal. I put Icy-Hot on the sore muscles. And if I'm dragging, I make a pot of coffee. Nothing too high tech or scientific for me.

Feels great, doesn't it, when it all starts to click, and the experience goes from "I'm going to try a 1/2" to "I can't do a 1/2" to "What the f*** was I thinking when I signed up for this 1/2" to "Well, at least I know I can do the components of this 1/2" to "Hey, I wonder how fast I can do this 1/2 in".

Who are you? The freakin' Man, that's who.

QUIANA here, tunny monster makes life hard, memory is gone. Food id bad, filled with shame, make poor choices.
7-21-07 YES i want to swim with you guys. I want to swim later like, 5-7, I am bringing some peeps with me and need time to sleep after Harry and time to go get them in st paul. I only read enough to see Pene's question will try to read more and respond more later.
Quiana

I took a good rest yesterday, and I've been catching up on sleep. Tonight is going to be a gentle swim, in whatever strokes I want to do, without regard to speed :-) My week is going to be about gentle training since my knees are really bothering me (more from the driving than the tri).

Go Rob Go!!

It is the nerves that are the hardest part for me. I just did an underwater swim cam deal with the ball busters/super human aliens come to earth to observe whether we humans are worth saving or not. There's an alien named Trixie whose blog I study and when I see her at IMMOO next year, I'll bow to her so she saves us from destruction (at least from her planet's rulers).

My form is better than I feared, and I'm not even as fat as I thought. I could even see some definition in my legs. Who knew?

So, Quiana, I'm IN for that swim! And you ladies may feel free to coach me with it. I don't think I'll hyperventilate now. That was my fear

I have a run the end of the month and I'm trying to place it in the "wonderful learning experience to manage my nerves" category. Unlike the mighty Rob, I'm not in the "give it all I've got" stage yet. But that's okay. I'll get there

Fabulous idea. I read an article a while back about the best plan to set a personal best in a race and was quite surprised at what it suggested (run the first mile faster and then the rest at race pace) until I tried it and over 5 to 10k it works.

Here is an article written from the same source (God I love the internet). You may want to try it before race day!

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244-259-11404-0,0...

Whatever you do, really good luck.