Yanti and Lynn, Mentors of the Manatee Melee: FULL (Page 8)

I use diver brand waterproof MP3 player - not all the functions of an Ipod, but no worries about leakage - and they were around $50 for the player and waterproof ear buds.  Both the player and earbuds fit under my swim cap, so they stay in place and don't become a bother while swimming. 

OK - quick question for you open water swimmers.  I've done most of my swimming in a pool, so I've been doing longer pulls with glides and slower kick beat.  I saw something today that said in open water ocean swims, plan on decresing the glide, strengthen the last bit of your stroke, and increase the stroke count due to the waves.  What do you do?  Recommendations? 

Going to do some open water swimming in Denver in May, but both are lake swims, not ocean swims.  Thoughts?  Recommendations?  Not too concerned - figure I'll find a good pace during the 1.5 miles, but nice to know going into it what to expect and perhaps practice it.

Yanti- I hate that you have pneumonia.. How miserable! Hope you feel better very soon..

wow! congrats on the PR's and the 3000m swim! You guys make me feel so lazy on my Easter weekend I am still full from my family's traditional Easter brunch yesterday..

I did do something productive this weekend though! tried my first OWS.. It was in a lake and the conditions were pretty bad (for a first swim). There was 15-20mph winds where I was so the waves were larger than I was expecting.. I had my boyfriend follow me in a kayak and I just swam to the other side of the lake (in a cove) and back, which was about 500yds. I had to stop a few times, but I was suprised about how comfortable I was in the water.  It'll be nice to try it again once I finish all of my swim classes that I am taking..

I also went on a bike ride Friday, and I have a few questions for some of you more experienced cyclists.. I apologize ahead of time if they seem very naive:

1) When you are going down a steep grade downhill.. do you continue to pedal?

2) When you are climbing a hill, should you be increasing or decreasing your cadence? (this ones probably REALLY stupid, sorry!)

and 3) How important are clipless pedals? I thought for my first couple tris I'd be okay without them.. but I am starting to realize that EVERYBODY has them..

Yes. IF there are waves or chop, increase the stroke count (this will probably naturally cause you not to eke out that last bit of glide). The reason being that you're going to need a little extra control (your paddling arms have to act a bit like rudders) and you can't continue enough momentum at the very end of the glide for it to be worth the correction you will have to make to stay in a straight line.

I doubt this will apply in a lake, but some lakes can be surprisingly choppy (especially during a tri, when there are possibly a bunch of motorboats zooming about the course periphery).

I have no idea what 'strengthen the last bit of your stroke' means. If it means finish off the very end of your pull strong (like forcefully make sure your arm is straight down your body, extended as far as possible along your leg) the answer is unequivocally NO. You are not 'gaining' nearly as much force as just going ahead and pulling with your forward hand that is already there, and getting your lag hand back up and out quickly. There is nothing to be gained by finishing your stroke off with force. It will also likely throw your rhythm off.

The part of the stroke to really be strengthened is the early-vertical-forearm pull right after the catch. Your body, the hip opposite the pulling arm (by snapping back toward center in the roll), and your entire pulling arm are all set to create maximum forward movement at that critical point.

Hey, one of my BFFs in the whole wide world lives in Denver--need anything interesting to do while you're there? He likes beer.

Aw thanks! I'm slowly getting better. Honestly it's been the least worst of the four serious illnesses I've had in the past 10 months ...

1) Yes, if you feel comfortable doing so ('cause you will go even faster, and make sure your gearing is in the big ring. If you're not sure what that is, ask. What kind of bike are you on?). If you just want to stay safe and sane going downhill, slide back on your seat, tuck in, hug the frame with your knees if you need to, and ***FEATHER*** the brakes. Never apply the brakes fully or hard if you're going fast. You will 'endo' (as in your END will go Over the handlebars ...)

2) You want to try to spin up hills, meaning keeping a higher cadence. Low cadences going uphill are murder on the knees. To spin up, you'll want to be shifting into higher (easier) gears BEFORE you need to; if you wait until you're grinding on the pedals to shift, you will likely drop your chain.

3) For your first few tris, not at all. And it just seems like everybody has them. If you're fully committed to tri or cycling for a long time and you have the spare cash, then yes, go ahead and get them.

My thoughts:

1)  Basically, keep pedaling until you reach a speed your are comfortable with.  Take a break if you need one - even stand on the pedals and let your areas air out if you want.  Can "light" pedal and use the hill as a chance to recover or continue to "mash" the pedals and use the hill to catch-up / get ahead (if looking for the x factor).  However, every downhill is different so the race situation and how you feel should dictate if you pedal or not - no specific rule (but it is a race).

2)  THIS IS NOT A STUPID QUESTION and climbing technique is debated on an ongoing basis.  The best approach is keeping it the same cadence while working down through the gears - speed will slow some.  Smaller riders usually use the higher pedal cadence to carry them up the hill.  Larger riders (more power) will usually slow some and use their power in their legs to keep speed up - but this does cause latic acid build-up and can fatigue your legs.  Even then, cadence will still probably be above 70 rpm since it takes less energy at higher cadence.

3)  Clipless are VERY IMPORTANT - maybe.  Kind of depends on the bike - no point putting them on a cruiser, but if you have a 10 speed type bike or better - get some.  Not sure if you have flat pedals or clipped pedals but both have concerns that clipless will address.  Flat pedals:  Won't be able to reach higher cadence and feet can easily slip off.  Clipped pedals - they should be tightened after you mount (most people don't do this) - which means reaching for them.  Once in, they are harder to get out of in emergency situations.

If you have never ridden with clipless, get lower end ones and upgrade later - just make sure they have some "rotation" or "float" (how much you can twist your ankle back and forth before it unlocks).  As a beginner, it may be best to have a local bike ship install them and help get you set-up with them.  Some reasons they are important are:  1) can pedal at a higher cadence (~90 RPM is optimum) 2) permits both a pull and push stroke to use more of your leg muscles - less fatigue 3) they are safer overall.  You will also need to get cycling shoes.

Hope this helps get you going - feel free to ask clarifying questions.

PS - OVERALL, I hear that triathlon pedal cadence should be 80 - 100 with ~ 90 optimum (lower on uphill or head wind, higher downhill or tail wind).  90 is optimum since that is almost the same foot turnover that you should be using during your run.  Pure cyclists will go higher 100 - 110 since it is more efficient, but that takes practice and does not relate to a run cadence as well.

Cadence for cycling (actually swimming and running, too) is a personal thing--what works really well for one person may not work well for another. The range above is about right, and generally (although this will definitely happen from time to time, especially as you first start tackling hills) you don't want to be much lower than 50rpm going uphill. => sad knees

Nah, he's an old HS friend of mine whom my mom loves more than she loves me. Heh. He does 5Ks and 10Ks, likes to ski once in a while but not much else. He probably knows of good OWS ...

This is the world's awesomest post on swimming. Required reading for those who haven't, and required reviewing for those who have.

Bigfuzzydoug's 10 Points to Swimming

Happy Monday Manatees! Hope everyone had a great Easter!  I have a couple pages to catch up on -- but just wanted to pop in and say "Hey!" 

Way to go - congrats!  And an extra congrats to Jan!!

How did I miss this before??? (Oh right, hacking my lungs out)

SUPER BIG HIGH FLIPPER on both counts!!!

I've read this at least 10 different times over the past 6 months, and each time I learn a little more!  

I've had a real up and down week with my training.  I had a big biking breakthrough - I managed to drink while riding my bike!  Up until this point, I've had to stop when I needed a drink, as I was terrified of letting go with one hand.  I was starting to get worried that I was going to have a real problem come race day (and I still may!), but I think I'm headed in the right direction.  It wasn't as bad as I had feared.  Fear is still my main obstacle on the bike.

While my biking is going better, my swimming got worse!  I don't know if it is all in my head, or if I've actually done something to mess up my stroke.  But, I'm having trouble catching my breath after only short distances.  I thought I'd worked through this many months ago, but now I seem to have taken some steps backwards.  I went ahead and signed up for another set of 4 private lessons, starting next Monday.  So hopefully, my wonderful swim instructor can get me back on track.  Yikes!

How's everyone else's training going?

Hi there Manatees.  Hope everyone is making through their Monday after having a Happy Easter!  I got in a hard -windy as all get out- ride this weekend.  Now the storms are back for a few days, so I'll be stuck inside. 

Looks like I have a couple of pages of reading to do

LMAO!!! No, that's not the technique I meant. .  So, are you still having problems with balance and sinking?  Also, regarding the 'not many laps,' are you making sure you are releasing bubbles all throughout the time your head is under the water? (i.e. don't hold your breath.)

My Team in Training event this year is the Nike's Women's Marathon.  I really, really didn't need to know about all these food options for carb loading and recovery

Make sure you get to the point where you retrieve and return the bottle without looking down--i.e. by 'feel' of where your cage is.  When you return the bottle to the cage, make sure your fingers actually touch the cage and that the bottle is really in.  Bottles galore all over the course are common and are very dangerous if you hit one.  They get caught between your front wheel and the pavement and can turn you into a projectile. 

My swimming, and everything else, got worse this week too.  After 2 days, I realized I got some aliens living in my lungs.  So, now I'm killing them with meds.  Are you making sure you release bubbles throughout all the time your head is in the water?

Congratulations! How was the SF tri? Did you do it or just visit?

This last one will become very clear when you climb because the pull is very important when climbing.  And your quads will feel it right away if you're pulling correctly

Thanks!  The SF Tri is the Escape from Alcatraz and it is not until June 5.  This one was just a local run here in Pueblo.

I hope everyone had a good Easter if you celebrate it. Although, I think rabbits are non-denominational.   I had a fierce duel with a dark chocolate Wabbit and, I'm sorry to say, he lost.  But I made sure it was quick.

I got something going on with my lungs.  No fever or chills, just wheezing that makes it difficult to crank things up.  So, I was not able to do all the training I wanted this past weekend.  I took Sat. and today off and plan to resume tomorrow.  Hopefully, it will be gone soon! 

I hope everyone has a good week!