Neweyes' Intelligent Trisign Group -- full (Page 7)

Nailed it! 10k in 40:59. Took quite a push to get in under 41.....

I'm off to DC for a few days. I'm taking my bike back to the place where I got it on the way for an initial tune up, and I'm going to train while I'm away. I'm excited to get out in DC a little, but it looks like it's going to be very cold this week. I can't wait for the spring weather to return!

Awesome, very nice accomplishment Michael. Hope you have fun in DC.

I also got to have some fun this weekend. I went snowshoeing for the first time. It was awesome. We hiked up St. Mary's Glacier and the weather was perfect.  We actually hiked all the way to the top of the glacier, then spent the rest of the day down at the lake picnicking.

Way to go Michael!!!!! That is KILLLER!

All you peeps talking about upcoming races is killing me. It snowed again today and we are forecasted for 6-8 more inches on Sunday. This time last year I was already out biking. 

Brian, dont get frustrated, ten years off the snoose and every once and awhile, I still have a dream about taking a pinch.

Have a good week y'all

Thanks for the encouragement guys. I am trying to stay strong.

I am confused and need some help understanding the difference between jammers, speed suits, and wetsuits. I know full well what a wetsuit is. As a scuba diver I am very familiar with 3/2 up to 7/5. What confuses me is the jammers and speed suits. Are those just attempts to provide partial coverage/drag protection due to USAT regs on water temp? I guess I am letting it all confuse me. The way I see It you take a tri suit and wear it under a wetsuit, and then the whole race is already take care of. Am I missing something? Do people wear the jammers the entire race, or speed suits for that matter?

BTW, I bought a pair of Tyr Nest Pro's. Awesome goggle. absolutely no pressure on the eye socket at all. All the pressure is placed on the skull bone around the eye. Make life much more comfortable than those old little speedo insect eyes from the 90's. Still a very sleek profile with low drag in the water. Best peripheral vision of any goggle I have ever used, even scuba.

Hope everyone is having a great week of training. I am just playing this week, and enjoying the roses of life.

Thanks for the goggle rec, Brian.... I've been thinking about getting a new pair (my old $2.95 pair from swimoutlet.com are starting to hurt a little too much/make me look ridiculous for too long). I'll try to find a store to try those on.

About suits.... to the best of my knowledge, jammers are just swim trunks, but tight, low drag like a Spedo, but less, well, not a Spedo. Most triathletes just use those for training. If you're getting a pair, I recommend polyester, as they last much longer, and I didn't notice any comfort difference vs. the lycra pair I had before.

Wetsuits are wetsuits, but there are specific ones made for triathlon, with material placed to allow swimming movements and a hydrophobic surface to make you slide through the water easier. I got an Xterra Vortex 3 last year and have been happy with it, but I've only had it for about a year. The full price is $300, but they're regularly available for $130 plus shipping.

Per USAT rules, you can only wear a wetsuit when water temps are below 78. When the water is warmer than that, the pros and technophiles wear skinsuits that have the hydrophobicity of a triathlon wetsuit, and so make you a little faster (in theory, at least). I'm not sure if they then put on a pair of trishorts over that or what after the swim.

And then of course, there are the regular old trishorts and trisuits, which are like bike shorts, but with a much slighter pad... those you wear through the whole race. I'll be wearing a wetsuit for all of my races this year, under which will be a pair of tri shorts and a tri top.

Hope that helps. It's stopped snowing here.... couple more things to do at work and then I'm getting out for a run!

Glad I'm not the only one still in snow season. SOunds like it may turn to rain so I'm okay with that as it will get rid of the last of the white stuff.

I wear tri shorts under my wetsuit (neo sport) sleeveless. In transition I take of my wetsuit and pull on a pair of running shorts over my tri shorts. I'm just to modest to wear just spandex. I skip the shirt and go. Even with shorts on over my tri shorts they dry FAST on the bike. My t-1 is usually about 1mn 30 so reasonable.  

Great 10K Michael -- that is awesome.

I appreciate the gear discussions. I need to get on the ball for the last things I'll need for my first tri on May 15. I'm signed up for the Olympic Rev 3 in Knoxville (http://www.rev3tri.com/).

I need a computer for the bike. Just browsing on the web I came across this one:

Planet Bike Wireless 9

Seems to have everything I would need, but I'm a little worried it might be too big.

I'm also looking for a wet suit and a tri suit. Any other comments about what to look for or avoid?

Hey Guys, 

I like the gear talk too.  I have a par of TYR jammers for training.  They last a long time with the clorine and are a lot cheaper to maintain throughout the year.  I have always swam in just my tri shorts, it is a bit old school and I love the cold water.   I am thinking of getting a swim skin.  I tryed a pair of shorts that were low drag but did not see a big time change so for the money I went back to my tri shorts. 

had a great training ride today getting my wife out for a 16 mile ride. 

Hammer,

Nice ride! Sounds like your taper/peak will be perfect timing. Add in a calm day and some adrenaline and you may smoke that ride.

I have a cheapo trek bike computer. Has the basic functions, speed, time, distance, cadence, heart rate. After buying my garmin 310xt I dont even use a bike computer anymore. Everything I could want is on the watch.

Hope everyone is having a good weak. I ran just shy of 5 miles today at an 8:07 pace. I'm pretty happy with that. Puts me ever closer to my 7:30 pace  5k goal.

Howdy All!

I have been doing a bunch of research on Tri Suits. If you have a medium to small build one piece is the way to go. If you are a draft mule like myself, go with two pieces. As far as brands go, Tyr seems to have the most technical stuff on the market, at a mediocre price. If you are on a budget, the BT gear is the way to go. In fact it may be the best anyway, just based on the global picture of price and performance combined. I can't really say that for the $30-$40 more for Tyr that the chamois, breath-ability of fabric will make that big a difference in times. The BT gear has really good technical specs, and is hydrodynamic as well. It looks like the BT put a lot of thought into their selection. With the exception of a pocket here in there, the BT stuff is top notch. I did find out that the BT shorts have one pocket in the center rear. The jersey has one pocket in the center rear. Everything else seems standard. Tyr shorts seem to have two extra pockets(one on each side, and very small), and the jersey has the normal 3 of a cycling jersey. In the long run, I will probably end up with one set of each, as both have their merits. If you are doing something long, the TYR may provide more storage for nutrition, and the chamois will definitely make the ride more comfortable. If you are looking to save a few bucks, and still go new, the BT gear is unbeatable.

Michael, thanks for the recommendation on the Xterra wetsuit. I just can't decide between full or not. I am leaning to sleeveless, but don't know for sure how I will react in 60 degree water. My personal lowest temp for recreation. Anything lower better be a supported ice dive. I am watching the water temps, and plan on testing it soon. 

Hope everyone is having a great week of training. It is my first week of the official 16 wk plan. So Far I am on target. I am making improvements on the run, but my body is also sore from the bulk of the weeks schedule already being done. I can tell that I can adjust to this schedule in another week or two, but I still have a lot of hard work in front of me. I am finally getting comfortable with bilateral again, but pacing is a whole different story. More time will resolve that. I am pleased with my bike improvements. I can now ride a 15 -16 mph pace on that 50# beast of a MTN bike, and maintain a MHR of 145. That is my switching point from zone 3-4. I could tell that I can get that down to 138-140 range, my comfort zone.

Happy and Healthy training the rest of the week.

Maybe we can all find a night to be online together for a beer and some chatting/blogging. I am open any day of the week, just let me know.

Thanks for doing the tri suit research, Brian. I'll probably stick with my tri shorts for this year, but I got a shinny new Zoot top to go with them...... I'll be looking goooooood out there.

Regarding wetsuits, four arguments for going sleeveless:

1. They're less expensive

2. They restrict the swimming arm motion less

3. I'm yet to be cold during an OWS (though I have a race coming up that I'm a bit concerned may change this)

4. You can always get a set of arms to add to a sleeveless suit. Not so much vise-versa.

hey Michael are you doing a Spring Summer group.  This is the a great group and I would love to see it continue. 

Thank you for all research on wet suits. 

Thanks for everything!

My knee, as it turns out, is just going through a little ITBS. I should be better soon!

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the gear feedback. Very helpful. Question: What is the reasoning behind one versus two piece tri suits, especially in relation to small/medium build?

I took the plunge and bought a two piece Zoot today (full retail - about $150). The only other brand they had was 2XU; it did not seem to fit me as well.

I did my first "real" brick on Wednesday. Rode for an hour (*very hilly* area) and then ran 6 miles. My legs felt very rubbery at first, but seemed about normal after the first mile.

Dr J,

For me it is all about fit. I wear a L or XL depending on brand for shorts, but a XXl/3Xl for my chest. One piece suits just don't have that kind of variety in sizing.

For me, the one-piece is a no-go in case a pit stop is needed. Maybe the thinking is similar to the bib-shorts for cyclists, which I'm guessing is to keep them in place? But I've not had trouble with my shorts moving out of place. So the real answer is, I don't know. But I'm a male, so I'm required to bumble out an answer. I'll be in tri-shorts and top until they give me a reason to wear something else.

So, on the heals of my BS answer.... I'm glad to hear that this group has been useful. I've enjoyed it. I honestly didn't know that there was an end date or that there were new groups forming. I'm happy to keep this group running for as long its useful to you all. Sound good?

Spring Fever 2011 Race Plan April 17th.

Pre-Race:

2 mile bike ride to begin warm up.  Set-up transition area, check tires and gears for best start gear.  Lift tops on water bottle tape nutrition to top tube. 

Warm up slow jog to keep legs warm.  10 pushups, 10 crunches.  Swim 200 easy swim.  

Go to the bathroom before race start. 

 Swim: 400 Meter

Swim is a snake swim, finishes into a 15 yd swim up a ramp. 

Goal: 7:45 from start to transition area.

 T1:

Shoes on bike get jersey, number and helmet.  Now Run! 

Goal: 50 secs or less. 

 Bike 12.2 miles:

First mile relatively flat the down hill 5 miles.  Turn and 5 mile uphill flat finish. 

Goal 34 min.  Avg speed 22 mph. 

 T2:

Shoes and go.  Goal 45 secs or less. 

 Run: 2 Miles

Flat course run 7:30 miles for a 15min total. 

 Total time.  58:30

Michael I would like to see the group continue. 

Handy, Solid plan. I wish you the best. You can do those times!

Micheal, awesome schedule. I would like to know more about scheduling A,B, and C races. Being my first year, I only have one A race, and decided to put in a couple of testers just to see how I was coming. Is there a set rule on how close an A or an A and B should be done together? Is it practical to have an A race of several different types? Like maybe A's of a Tri, a 10K run, a century, and then mix others in either for testing or fun? Is it practical to do like a C, sprint tri, and then two weeks later do an A sprint or Olympic tri? I am not sure where my race plans for next year will take me, but with the new confidence of knowing that I will be able to complete a 10k by 12/31/11, I will be open to more possibilities. I am kind of letting my mind think about an Xterra event, or maybe a ski/paddle/bike type event in the adventure series. I have also been thinking about some snowshoe 5k's for winter training. Either way, I know I like the challenge of the tri's, but feel the other stuff will appeal to my adventurous side.

I hope everyone is having a great week of training. I successfully made it through my first of the 16 week plan. It was long and tough, but I got through. I was quite fatigued to start this week, so I cut back on the weight lifting and yoga till my body adjusts a bit more. I accomplished a long time goal today. I ran my first non stop 3 mile run. Took me 40:22, and I am happy with that. Considering my first nonstop mile was done around Jan. 15, 2011 @ 14:30, I have made huge improvements. I finished strong the last .25 mile at 5.5mph, felt good. I will be running that pace comfortably before long.

Keep training hard and safe.

Just looked at my start list my race is packed with some local elites.  I am looking forward to the challenge and will let you know how it goes. 

Brian,

You can do a C race two weekes before your A race.  You need to have your traing plan to focus toward the A race and the C race is more of a training challenge.  It will not be your best race but that is not it's meaning.  I have a C level Olympic scheduled later that will be at the end of a build session for me.  That means I will be working on endurance and not speed so I plan on using the race to check my fitness at distance not for Placing.  hope that made some since.  You need time between A races to get in a full training session between races.  Hope that helps some. 

Brian -- congrats on reaching the running goal! That's huge. I remember well when I started running after quitting smoking and working through the pain in the lungs. Keep up the good work.

As for building a schedule, usually 1 or 2 A races per season. The schedule gets built around those, and you taper fully for them (about a week for a sprint, up to three weeks for an IM). A few more B races, which are important, you'll definitely do, and you do a mini-taper for (eg., today I start tapering for my B race on Saturday). C races are take it or leave it... no taper -- full workout even the day before, and maybe the day of. If you don't feel right, you could skip it, no big deal. These can pepper your schedule, but I'd leave at least a couple weeks between races, because completing a race means pushing your limits, which means long recovery time, and because they're suboptimal training sessions, because you're not in control of how long they are.

I like the plan of mixing it up and doing some adventure-style races. I've done a couple pretty basic adventure races, and they're a lot of fun. I could definitely see going in that direction. Speaking of which, I was at the Banff Film Festival last week... have you heard of the Swiss Machine? Check this guy out... it's incredible: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUWBbepsdmY

Dave,good luck this weekend. Can't wait to hear how it goes.

Amazing,

I bet there are some elites that are happy he love free climbing. From the looks of his training, he would make a great ironman.