enginerd's group - CLOSED (Page 8)

re: camelback during race - I'd say anything you need to do to stay hydrated is cool by me, although you won't find many who use camelbacks on races.  You may want to see how many water bottles you have and where aid stations are and you may find you can get enough fluids from what's available on course.  But again, if a camelback floats your boat, who cares what anyone else thinks.

Donner Lake is a pretty tough race (I have a lengthy race report from last year) in a gorgeous venue.   You are at 5000 or so elevation so that's tough.  The bike has a big (but scenic) climb straight off the bat, rolling downhills before the turnaround, which means rolling uphills on the way up.  The run is a little bit longer at 6.5mi, but you run around the lake.  Those small hills on the back stretch will seem like small mountains.  But when you are done, the sun will be out and you'll be at the shore of Donner Lake and it will be fantastic.

I can't even remember the last movie I saw!!!

Being sick sucks!!!  I'm bored and I want to train!!!! 

Must've been the last Harry Potter Movie with my son...  We're more DVD renters

I watched a hilarious (not meant to be) C level creature feature called Ice Spiders.  Bad acting and giant spiders attacking people...

 Working on my run cadence, thanks for all the run feedback.

 Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

I've been watching TV for almost all of my waking hours since yesterday morning, and yet I have not watched a single movie, probably for the same reason I haven't spent much time on BT - complete and utter laziness.  Fortunately I work a 9/80 schedule and had today off anyway. 

I usually only get sick about once or twice a year, but I think this is the 3rd or 4th time in the last 6 months.  I wonder what that's about.  At least it happened this week and not last week!!!

Hi Robin.  I think I left you an inspire about this, but for everyone else out there - sometimes getting sick can be a sign of overtraining.  When you are in an overtrained state, your immune system can become depressed and make you more susceptible to getting sick.  Also, after a big race, your body's immune system will likely be depressed for 4-6 hours afterward.

I can remember doing Donner Lake as a tuneup 3 weeks before Vineman last year.  After Donner, I got sick after not having been sick for over a year.

As I get closer to my big races, I get very paranoid about germs.  I try very much to avoid touching my eyes and nose with my hands.  I use hand sanitizer too.  I take airborne (actually the walgreens generic version wal-borne) prophylactically, and take zinc at the first sign of not feeling well.

I had a fellow BTer ask me some advice on his cycle training for half IMs next year.  Here's the advice I gave which may be useful to some of you:

A couple thoughts. First, aside from hill climbing, you'd pretty much always try to keep your cadence up because it is more efficient from an endurance perspective.

Second, it depends on your goals and what you mean by "better" cyclist? What is the limiter you are trying to address? Is it endurance? If it's that, the volume you have outlined (two weekend rides) should help address that. Remember, building your endurance/aerobic base can be done at relatively low intenisty. (As a reference point, I do almost all of my century rides with my wife and we often only average 10mph).

If it's hill climbing (which is present on both IM Cal and Wildflower), then you'll need to develop leg strength which will coming from climbing hills, and/or high intensity of some kind, and/or strength training. Last bit I'd add, aside from your weekend rides, is consistency in training. I'd say you'd want to be biking at least 3 days (if not more if possible) out of the week with your long ride once a week. One general measure of this would be your total bike volume a month let's say. I'm not exactly sure what a good target would be. Maybe 400 miles or maybe even 500? Not that you have to do this every month, but to work your way up to something like that as you near your IM Cal.

To be frank, I considered myself a weak cyclist after my first season and spent my second season (last year) and obviously much of this year already working on that and I think it's paid off. You have plenty of time before IM Cal and Wildflower and I know you have some cycling events so you can definitely develop your cycling quite a bit in that time.

Hope this helps. It's not gospel, but it's the best I know from my experience. 

Sorry you're sick.  The flu season this year has been brutal.

Last movie I saw - St. Ralph.  Thumbs up. Obscure Canadian film about a high school aged boy in the 1950s with a dream of winning the Boston Marathon.  Kind of sickeningly sweet, but I really enjoyed it.

Ok, it wasn't in the theater but last night I watched Apocalypto.  Moderately disturbing, but a decent movie.

I think I might go for a short ride today, and maybe lift some weights, which I haven't done in awhile.