Asphalt Junkies CLOSED AND GETTING OUR FIX (Page 81)

You can get them at any running store, or online at Amazon and such places.  I just gave a few away to some friends who wanted to use them in races.  Before you order one, wait for someone in this group to offer one.  I bet someone has a few just laying around.  Some races give them out as swag.  I'll look again tonight, but I think I'm down to my last one.

And holy moley, I just realized I still haven't sent my freebie to you John!!!!  Jeez, I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached.  My friends all joke and say never loan me money because I never remember to pay it back, but on the flip side get me to lend you money and I'll never ask for it since I'll never remember it was lent.

Well, when running a 5k you are able to force the issue mentally...to the tune of 7:40ish.  But in a triathlon you are (or at least this time were) closer to 9:00.  I'm sure that what you call 'force the issue mentally' is a case of your central governor kicking in.  Any idea what your HR was in the run? (i think you mentioned it didn't you?) and what HR did you see during your open 5k?  If they are comparable then I would suggest that it might be that you need more bike fitness?  But that's just an educated guess.

Hey Warren, can I borrow $5,000 for a couple of months?

Hey guys!

Thought I should check in and let you know I'm still around. I've been busy busy busy since leaving for France like a month ago, so I've been concentrating on getting things done and fitting in training where I could - I'm getting there and I'll update my training log in a little. The craziness meant I dropped the tri I was supposed to do this weekend from my schedule (good thing too since it was like 105 on Saturday). I'm trying to pick a replacement for the end of the month and still trying to focus on the HIM at the end of the season.

I've been following along as bust I can, but I'm going to have to go back and do some serious reading. It DOES look like you guys are all doing AWESOME though, its very inspirational to read.

:-D

John

HR was between 165-170 on the run portion of my tri but I didn't have a HR monitor when I did the 5k and 3 milers so I don't have the numbers to compare.

For now I'll just take it as a measurement of my current fitness and continue to build on it.

I did manage to knock 5 minutes off my time for the same course from one month of additional training so I'm very happy overall.

I'd have to agree with Jeff, and add something to think about.  Even though this is a "sprint", and the bike is "only" 16 miles, depending how close to the redline you push the bike, the run could be affected more or less.  This becomes more and more of a factor as the race distance gets longer, but even in a sprint bike pacing matters to some extent.  I liken this to when some people say a 5k is “all out”.  That person has never competed in an “all out” event or sport.  Or if you tried to run another 5k immediately after a 5k, what pace do you think you could maintain?

More bike fitness will definitely help, but you may also need to hold back just a tiny amount on the bike leg to fully realize your best overall time.  It’s amazing how much energy is conserved just going, say, 97% instead of 100%.  I think the level of bike fitness allows you to get closer to the redline for longer periods, but the truth is that if you push a bike TT as hard as possible you probably couldn’t even run a 5k, so bike pacing plays some part in the ability to run in any triathlon.

And no loan for you Dirk, in fact, I was hoping you were reasonably compensated for all that overtime and I was going to ask you for a loan toward my tri bike fund!

IT band is still giving me fits...just a 1 mile run this am and boom it hit...shut me down...  so I got on the stationary bike and rode.  I'm going to an orthopedic next week..unless my son's baseball team is still in the world series... in Mississippi. then I'll have to reschedule.  We are actually staying in TN but playing in MS.

Had a bad storm come thru last night so no swimming for me.

IT bands are tough.  I can't remember if you've tried this, but have you looked for someone who practices ART near you?  YMMV, but my first year running I had nasty IT issues to the point of deciding I just couldn't be a runner, and a few visits to an ART guy solved the issue and I've never had them again.  Good luck on the WS.

Tracy good luck with your sprint tri and have a safe trip up to Oregon . No doubt you will kill it like you normally do!

Go Tracy!! Have a great time and good luck!

I use an SPI belt my dad got as race swag years ago. As long as it's easy to put on and you don't have to keep fussing with it, anything will do.

It's official!  The paper says so.  My little area of the US is the "most freakishly cold place in the US" right now.  Yep.  I have the furnace going and socks on my feet.

The forecast for my race is in the upper 80's!  That's 25 to 30 degrees warmer than I'm used to!  I'm gonna melt! 

Come stay at my house to acclimatize - My A/C is broken and I believe the temperature hit 110 in here on Saturday. Needless to say, my wife and I spent the weekend at my parents house!

Tracy, be careful.  It doesn't mean that you are weak, just not acclimated....bu that 85 degree temp will be as hard and dangerous for you as 105 degree temps for me right now.  Treat that race like you would if it were 100 out...trust me on this.

Thanks Jeff.  I've been trying to formulate my plan of attack.  I don't normally put my aero bottle on my bike for a sprint but I think I might this time.  At least the water temps will be in the low to mid 60's.  I can jump in the river as soon as I'm done!

Speaking of things I don't normally do before a sprint......

I like to use Hammer Endurolytes during my long bike rides and long runs.  What do you think of me taking them in the few days before the race?  Will it help?  Hurt?

I have a theory it can hurt.  Here's my thought process:

your body has a balanced level of electrolytes.  A balance is maintained throughout changes in your body's hydration level by built in mechanisms to avoid getting out of balance.  Basically 2 mechanisms...increase electrolyte concentration or decrease electrolyte concentration.  Since the body can't control what you choose to ingest it uses these 2 methods (well, it CAN make you thirsty):

1) if you are low on electrolytes it will stop sending them out in your sweat until you get replenished.  This mechanism keeps you from having life threatening issues, but won't protect you from the annoying issues such as decreased race performance!

2) if you are high on electrolytes it will dispose of the extra through urine.

So what if you are dehydrated and high in electrolytes?  Still sends them out in urine at the expense of even more fluid that your body can't spare.

What if you are perfectly topped off with electrolytes and fluid?  If you then take more electrolytes, you lose some fluid so the body can get rid of them.

If you try to pack extra electrolytes in your body pro-actively before a hot, sweaty effort you simply dehydrate yourself in the process.

The best you can do is ensure you are topped off in the morning before starting, then try to replenish the electrolytes and fluid in the appropriate ratio throughout your effort.

If you race on a Saturday morning and aren't sure if you are low on electrolytes, sure take some extra the evening before but make sure to wash it down with a lot of water.  If by any chance you took too much relative to the amount of water you drank then you will wake up in the morning dehydrated a bit, but you can then drink straight water until you urinate clear and you are good to race.

I agree with Jeff, except I don't understand all the technical jargon, taking in a lot of extra sodium and other electrolytes can be dangerous if not performance sapping.  The best thing I think a person can do in maintain a healthy level daily sodium intake.  I think it's likely you already have enough to get you started for the race and than like you suggested maybe get some fluids on the bike, but just don't take to much that you cause bloating on the run.

And for the record, I think you'll be crushing the course on Saturday.

I have a report to make.

We have an new Junkie in the group (kinda).  My wife and I purchased a bike for her over the weekend and we have ridden together for the past 3 nights.  They have been short rides of only about 8 miles but she is really excited about riding and I am almost as excited to ride with her.  These have obviously been very easy rides for meas my HR won't even get to 100 BPM and I have a really difficult time even getting my cadence up to 70 RPM's because I have to soft pedal almost all of the time.  But the reward is spending time with Lis and getting to help her through the beginnings of cycling.

The bike we purchased is not what I would have liked to have bought her but it was what she insisted she wanted.  She test rode several bikes and almost all of them were hybrids except for 1 road bike I told her should at least try.  She definitely liked the feel of the hybrids because of the upright position.  She test rode a Trek 7.3, Scott Metrix and Sportster, Specialized Ariel but sttled for a Target bought Schwinn Trailway.  I would liked to have bought her the Trek but she insisted on the Schwinn.  Hopefully she will like riding enough that we can get her onto a better bike in a year or two.

Either way it has been pretty awesome to spend the added time with her and hopefully this is a continuing trend.

That's so cool that your wife is enjoying riding!  Yay! 

Thanks for the advice.  I think I'll stick with my original plan of putting the aero bottle on the bike.  When I'm going that fast for that short of time, I don't like to waste time reaching for the frame water bottle.  The aero bottle should let me take a quick swig in case I need it.

BTW....my race is on Sunday.  My toddler is going to smoke the Splash and Dash on Saturday! 

So cool!  I'm glad you guys will get to spend that time together.  I told Lisa that you are more than welcome to borrow 2 kids and a bike trailer to pull around to slow you down.  Lol.  I hope you have a lot of fun.