SCIFT group (Short Course is Fast Twitch)! (Page 8)

I just started week 3 of Jorge's plan on Trainer Road myself. I got everything (trainer, subscription, cadence sensor, etc.) all at the same time so I've never ridden a trainer any other way. Although I can easily see how it would be hard to push yourself without it. I don't know how people can watch movies and such on the trainer. I have to put something on that I don't have to concentrate to much on. Sportscenter, the evening news, or the Golf Channel  is about all I can handle.

Crag is hell. I want to kick the monitor at the end when he says something like, "That wasn't so bad was it?" B.S. it wasn't!

Edited to add: I really miss being able to coast.

Pretty quiet around here. How about some November totals. I'm doing mine based on time that way brigby doesn't make me look so bad. (hehe)

Run: 8hrs.

Bike: 5hrs. 30mins.

Swim: 30 mins. Yikes!

Ok, mine are below.

SWIM: A big Fat 00 hours and 00 yards. 

And yes, you can tell I'm slow in biking.  Well, running too.  And have I mentioned, I'm almost DFL in swim too?  But, as an excuse, I hate the contact in the swim so I pull my head out of the water, legs drop, and I wait for all of the people to leave me so I can swim unobstructed.

What? I missed something in there.

Swim: 19,850 yds

Bike: 492 miles

Run: 295 miles

I like to swim. But it seems to be the most easily disrupted of the 3. I should have twice this for the month. Getting sick, tired or strong neck pains. Don't know what I did, but could hardly turn my head late Sunday, so had to skip Masters. Happened a few times the last couple months. Funny thing is I almost never had anything go wrong when I was heavily swim concentrated in July/August, hitting ~20,000/wk. Incredibly high volume for me.

But then I like to run more than swim. And I really want to build up my running. Biking is my favorite. Slowly yet steadily building that back up. Getting in a couple efforts a week now, on top of riding more consistently. Sweet Spot level instead of Threshold, but this can do quite a bit if you're willing to put in the time at it.

November totals for me:

Swim - 7hr 48min 30sec (28,044 yards)

Bike - 21hr 12min 46sec (184 miles + lots of time on the trainer)

Aquajog - 2hr 47min (the bane of my existence!)

Run - 1h 10min 17sec (6.74 miles) -- not a lot, but more than I've done since July!!

Swimming and I have this love-hate relationship.  I dread it and wish I didn't have to swim....but the moment I get going, I love it and get the endorphine rush by the end of the workout.  I've been kind of stuck at this 1:40-1:45/100 range for a couple months now and I'm looking to push through it....but I also have a lot of improvement to make on the bike (hello, Jorge's program) and obviously need to be getting my running fitness back....so I'm not sure I realistically have the time/motivation to devote to getting much faster at swimming right now.

Girl, that is some serious training time.  And all I can say about the swim is WOW!

Everyone thanks for the advice regarding PF.  I rested it, exercised, iced, stretched (which I really think helped) and noticed so much improvement.  Went out for a couple of test runs and noticed that everything was going ok as long as I continued with all of the things.  A massage helped where she really worked on my tight hips and hamstrings.

So yesterday, I did my 50k.  Yay!  I would have pulled out if there were problems but, other the typical "I'm really tired at mile 21", it went pretty much according to plan.  Hubby came and did the last 10K lap with me and I LOVE him for that.  He was so encouraging!  Now I'm going to do ez biking and ez walk/running for a couple of weeks and then I'm going to have lots of questions about improving everything especially biking and swimming but dang, I've got to get my run speed up too. 

Congrats, Pink!  Nice work and sooooooo glad to hear you've got the PF under control

Anyone else do any SBR'ing this weekend?  Knocked out a TrainerRoad ride (one of Jorge's plan rides) and a short run yesterday, then a 60 mile ride this morning....now to find some food!

Awesome job Pinkster!

How long did it take you?

TrainerRoad Friday night, 6mi. run and swim on Saturday, and a 4mi. run today.

I have to tell you my time?  Shoot, you'll kick me out of Fast Twitch then.  It was 6:20:30.  I was hoping for about 10 min quickier but I was pretty much gone the last 10K lap.  I'll be so happy when I can stop making mental mistakes in the longer races. 

Thanks ya'll for the nice words.  I'm looking forward to recovering and then working on tris.  I'll be honest, I may decide (Good Lord willing and the creek don't rise) to attempt the Tally Marathon in Feb and then it will be my last long course.  I'm looking forward to changing my focus, my life, my training, and my goals for a more balanced approach.

S, B, & R on Saturday. 3,650 yds in the pool, 3 hrs on the trainer, and a short run. Today was a pair of 1 hr runs and 3,800 at Masters.

 3 hours on the trainer? That's not human. After 1 hour my butt is so numb I can't wait to get off the darn thing. How the heck do you do 3 hours? Pink running for over 6 hours!? That's just as crazy.

Very impressive, both of you!

I built up to it and am rather particular on the position. May seem like I'm being too fussy when picking out shorts or the saddle, but then I can do things like this better. It also helps to stand frequently. Every few minutes to start. And as you get stronger on the bike, you put out more power. As you put out more power, there is a little less weight on the seat as it's going into the pedals.

How long did it take you to work up to that point?  I started on an Adamo Road saddle that did NOT work for me at all.  I'm now using a Cobb V-Flow Plus, which is much better, but I'm not sure if it's not the saddle for me, or if there is no such thing as "the saddle". 

I have some minor chafing sometimes....but my big issue is bruising.  Even if I skip a week on the bike, I come back and the bruising is still there.  When I don't take time off, it doesn't seem to get worse, but it also does not seem to get better. 

I've only been riding a tri bike for 50ish hours, so not that long in the grand scheme of things....but having a bruised crotch for 50+ hours also isn't terribly comfortable   [does not impact me any time other than when I'm on the bike...]

I have a hard time standing on the trainer, my cadence and power jump all over the place. I guess I just need more practice.

I get some chafing as well but if I use chamois cream it is seems to take care of it. I don't get bruised just numb. Like when your foot falls asleep from lack of circulation. Both sides, my rear end , as well as, little Westy and the boys to put it gently. I was going to try a new saddle but maybe I just need to spend more time on the bike. I didn't seem to notice it on outdoor rides, maybe because I would stand from time to time while coasting etc..

I did get fit (spent good money to get fit prior to purchasing the bike....then came back after getting the bike and had him set it up and check it out for me). 

Let me define "bruising"....they are not visible bruises, but my bones are very tender when I'm on the bike.  I assume they're bruises, but they are not visible.  With that definition, would you suggest making a follow-up appointment with my fitter, or is this something that's normal?  I've tried two different saddles....new saddle has pretty much eliminated the chafing issue, but the soreness really hasn't changed (plus, I often feel like I'm "on fire" down there when riding...).

Maybe. Are you shifting gears at all when you stand? Most find it works better to go up 1-2 gears. Especially when at an easier effort, there just isn't the resistance to support your weight, so the pedal just kind of thunks right through the downstroke making it difficult to keep control.

I'll usually be up 30-60 sec at a time. And if you're getting sore, try for this every 5 min. Maybe a touch more often. And start standing early, before you really feel much of anything.

I've been riding a lot for quite a while, so trying to think of how to quantify it. Thinking of saddle changes, and it might take a few weeks to a month or so(?) to get most of the way used to it. Might be a little less some times. There hasn't really been an "aha!" type moment and it doesn't seem linear as more adaptation happens earlier on. I'm thinking that somewhere like in the 2nd to 3rd week of using it that things should feel noticeably better than when you first tried it out, but may not necessarily be as good as you want yet. It could be better by way of being able to ride more before wanting to stop, though still having the same feeling at the end.

Trying to fit a saddle can be a little complex or frustrating at times. The prongs or channels in the newer ones can really throw people off on what they're looking for. I *think* for an Adamo, much of the issues have to do with the prongs being too wide for some people. They're rather particular to angle adjustments. A slight turn can really affect the feel of mine. You also have to sit way farther forward than on a normal saddle. You might be there with the description of the soreness. You should know you're out on the prongs as they are holding the weight.

That Cobb model is a little more versatile in that I *think* you can use the back end of the saddle, and also sit up more forward with it. I didn't like it because of the way it bows in. The front edges pressed up too much no matter how I angled it, very uncomfortable for me. But others love it.

Something I've heard about is that there could be various connections or muscles down there that haven't really been used before and with the split saddles, they're now called into action. That could be part of the soreness you're feeling. I've had that at times too, similar to bruises, but no actual marks. On previous saddles I've had, the saddle was just too firm for me. Months of use and I still couldn't fully adapt to it. With the Adamo, it took some riding time. I had to ride a bit shorter and stand more frequently at first, until I built up more of a tolerance for it. Don't ride until it's unbearable, if you can help it.

Saddles really aren't going to be *comfortable* in the same sense as the recliner chair. It's more that they'll be fairly tolerable and not a distraction from other aspects of riding for quite awhile. And that's with making sure to stand up every so often, make sure the shorts fit well, and build up some tolerance for it. Still, shouldn't be as sore as it sounds you are getting after riding it a few times.

Somewhere "hot down there" was mentioned. This is largely a friction issue. Chamois creme will help with that. Also make sure the shorts fit well and match up with the saddle ok. This is something I need to do as the pad doesn't seem to match up that well now. Not as well as I'd like. Make sure your hips are square. Might need someone knowledgeable to look at you. I don't find using something like knee position to be very helpful. Make sure hips aren't rocking or twisting (much) while you pedal.

brigby, thanks for taking the time to write all that up!  I really appreciate it.  I think I'm going to shoot some video of myself (both from the side and the front/back) to see if I notice anything glaringly wrong....like my hips not staying square.  I feel like they do, but I've learned many times over that what you feel and what you're actually doing are not always the same!

I'll give the chamois cream a try again as well.  I haven't used any since I got the new saddle since I wasn't having obvious chafing issues....but if it will take care of the fire sensation, I'm all for it!