Asphalt Junkies Spring 2013 - Closed (Page 89)

I am not sure why but reading this statement this morning has me thinking about how my girls are almost 17 and 19, and really they aren't all that far from turning another year older.  A rush of nostalgia and melancholy seemed to enter my mind because of all the years gone by and the sweet, sweet moments that can only be remembered now.  

Yes Will!  Enjoy every single moment!!

Jeff, the acorns do not fall far from the tree...Congrats to you and you daughters!!!  I'm not on facebook so I can't see he pics but I know the muddy one needs to be framed...lol.

So sorry about your heal, is it ime to go ahead and bite the bullet and get it fixed.  I hate seeing you in such pain.

Tony I missed 2 weeks of swimming due to not having a pool and being sick...when i got back, I thought, dang have I ever even been in a pool!?  It will come back but will take some time, what happened to me was I remembered it being easy to swim and when I came back it wasn't and I fought it even more and got frustrated because it was supposed to be easy.

It is easier for me to glide but I'm really slow...I mean REAL SLOW swimming.  I like swimsmooh too but for me if I really extend my arms, they get real tired so I'm just extending them but not really stretching them real hard.  Also my left arm is so uncoordinated, it basically serves no purpose but to get in the way.  I also try to swim "downhill" and keep my chin next to my chest when I breath.  When I do that it is much easier...well for me...but I'm not a swimmer so ......

Karl - If these temps don't warm up, I have no idea how I am going to get through the tri this Saturday. I don't have a neoprene swim cap and I think getting my head under the water is going to be a challenge in the 60° water. The 37° air temp during this morning's runhad me thinking about Saturday every step of the way.

Karl it wasn't this bad this time around. It was much harder last year because I was still learning how to swim so it set me back some. Yesterday wasn't too bad to be honest. It took me some time to get settled that first 500m's but after that I seemed to do ok. I just treated yesterday as a kind of just get back in the pool and swim day and was not really worried about speed or distance. I just wanted to get back to swimming. I hear you though on the layoff. It seems like you start making good progress then you get the layoff and it is like starting all over again.

Oh geez. With cold air temp coming out of the water, be sure to think about getting layered up for the bike!  Well I would be thinking about that anyway.  Or else that could make for a cold and miserable bike ride.  I had one triathlon which the water temp was measured at 59/60 degrees, and the air temp was in the 50s. Standing on the beach waiting for the swim start was COLD (I was in a wetsuit)... in retrospect, I wish I would have warmed up instead of just standing around!  But I was too cold to be thinking about anything.  But actually, once the horn did blast for the start of the race, and we got in, the water didn't feel THAT cold (this is all relative, of course), I'm thinking probably because I was freezing my butt off waiting for the start!  That swim was actually kind of fun (it helped that I didn't have a time goal!) because the water was choppy and I was bobbing up and down riding along with the waves!!  But, that doesn't mean I want to do it again!

I tried quoting but it didn't work....

Anyway, Jen

Thank you for that insight. This one might be more about surviving than trying to set some awesome time and geting through T1 and T2 in less than a minute. Throwing the time issue out the window might really help me. I know I will be warm for the run, but going from cold water to cold air on the bike sounds dreadful. Going to start taking inventory of my gear tonight to see what I got. We really don't need much cold weather gear here ever.   

I've done a sprint tri a couple times called the Beaver Freezer.

~commence laughter now~

Yes, it was cold both times!  The second time I did it, it was spitting snow while on the bike ride! Thankfully the swim was a pool swim.  The run from the pool to T1 was about a quarter mile, though.

I didn't try to go fast in T1.  (That's where you will be challenged.)  I made sure I had full finger gloves, warm cycling jacket, neck gaiter, thin beanie for under my helmet and pull on leg warmers.  The run was tough but I knew it would be over soon enough.  My husband had a big parka waiting for me at the finish line.  You might want to pick up a couple of those one time use chemical hand warmer things.  Those are nice to put in your pockets at the finish line.

That's so wrong and so hilarious at the same time....

I don't have a warm cycling jacket or leg warmers. Might need to invest in those by Friday. Thanks for the input, much appreciated.

It's put on by Oregon State University.  Their mascot is the beaver.  I love their sense of humor.

This question is for Jeff and anyone else of couse. Have you guys ever done a 50 or 100 mile trail run? 

http://www.crueljewel100.com/index.html

Nope!  But how cool...

One of the guys in my cycling club does ultras.  He's done at least 1 100 miler and probably a few 50 milers.

I can predict my daughter Jordan will eventually migrate to these things.  She likes to go slow but long.  After she conquers her marathon I will bet she will move on to a 50k trail run and then who knows?

We northerners aren't really tougher, we're just too dumb to move south!

Everyone handles cold differently, so you have to know what works for you.  There are two kinds of cold being discussed here:

1. Cold water

2. Cold weather/air, and the bike in particular.

For cold water, I think it's important to get into the water before the race.  This serves two purposes.  First, you get some of that cold water in your wetsuit and then it warms up, creating a layer of insulation.  Second, you get that blast of lung freezing cold out of the way.  Everyone has some version of that feeling when you first get your head/face/body into really cold water.  You don't want that reaction to be the first thing you feel in the race.  Get it out of the way before hand.

For cold weather biking, you have to decide what you can handle, how cold it really is going to be, and how long you'll be on the bike.  I'd suggest arm warmers and leg warmers if you want the ability to take things off, otherwise just wear what you know keeps you warm enough for the duration you’ll be on the bike.  Gloves (not just biking gloves but real gloves) can be important if it’s really cold since braking and shifting are pretty challenging when your fingers are numb.  Remember that wind chill can really lower the effective temperature since you’ll be encountering a 15+ mph wind due to your speed alone.  The adrenaline of the race can really help, but you don’t want your joints to be too cold.

For those of you doing a cold weather triathlon, I wish I could give you real-life wisdom but I haven't done one.  The coldest being a 50 degree day with warm water.  From that experience I did find that at 50 degrees the temperature isn't a problem.  (short course!  HIM or longer and it WOULD be)  I just did the race in my tri suit and no extra insulation because transitions had to be super fast to be competitive.

I was very worried because I'd never go for a bike ride in 50 degree weather with 1 layer of lycra on me.  But in the race it didn't become an issue.  There is definitely a different ethos while racing.  Due to the bike speeds I was bone dry within 1-2 minutes so being wet wasn't much of an issue.  But if it had been raining, it could have been miserable.

As for cold water swimming...I've not done that.  I do think that my wetsuit would keep me warm.  If the wetsuit fits plenty tight then very little water even makes it in.  I have to PUT water in my wetsuit when I get in to allow it to relax.  If very cold I could either bypass that step, or do that on dry land first using warm water from a thermos.

Putting your face and head in cold water is definitely a challenge.  But if the rest of your body is warm it's made much easier.  It can help to wear multiple swim caps.  And it's a very good idea, for reasons of safety and panic, to get in the water first and submerge your head.

Since you need to get in your wetsuit well in advance of the start (because it takes so long) you should do that before beginning your warmup.  They are a real bugger to get on if you are already sweaty.  Once it's on you can go run while wearing it.  You will be nice and toasty when done, and this makes the thought of getting in the water almost inviting.

I have heard of triathletes, even world-class pros, keeping their wetsuit on in T1 and wearing it while on the bike.  The alternative is to be uninsulated in the ride which can be a real problem if it's in the 40s and raining.

And lastly, I recommend wearing gloves on the bike.  It's not for comfort, but because numb hands can't safely hold the handlebars and work the gears.  And another thing they can't do is unbuckle your helmet and put shoes on in T2.

A thin hat under your helmet can be the difference between being OK in only your tri suit and not being OK in only your tri suit.  But learn a lesson from me.  In the heat of the moment when you put on that hat...don't check off the 'helmet' line on your mental checklist.  Yep, I left T1 without my helmet once because when I put that hat on while rushing I didn't feel 'naked' without the helmet.

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Warren & Jeff -

Thanks for the feedback and tips on cold weather. I did not think that this would ever be a cold weather tri. Right now, the weather is calling for 44º air temp Saturday morning. We should get down to 30 tonight, and the lows are supposed to slowly inch up by Friday. To me, this says the water temp will be COLD and will potentially drop below 60º in the days to come. 

I had not thought about keeping my wetsuit while on the bike leg..... at this point, I am not against it either. Maybe I can put it on tonight and get on the trainer to see what it feels like.

Jen I know everybody has pretty much thrown out really good advice on dealing with the cold weather. I've only done one cold weather race my HIM last year. It was miserable for the bike. It was brutally cold, windy and pouring rain. Two things I would suggest is full fingered gloves like Tracy suggested. I didn't have those but thank goodness for the hand dryers in the bathrooms when I stopped LOL and arm warmers. Those arm warmers were my saving grace on the bike. It sounds like what you will really need is a cycling jacket though if it's going to be that cold.

One last thing when I came off the bike I was freezing I could not even unbuckle my helmet or tie my shoes so don't rush in transition try and get warm and make sure you don't forget anything. Also if you're not sure about the weather bring everything you think you need better to have too much stuff then leave something home you may need.

If you do this inside on the trainer you will freak out in 1 minute...perhaps before you are even on the bike.  It will be HOT!

Put your trainer outside tonight and do this.  It will be more representative of what you will be experiencing.  Actually, can you have a kid spray the garden hose on you too???

Please get some video of this!

Oh, and lastly...watch out for the potential of damaging the wetsuit against the bike seat on the inner thigh.  Perhaps put some vaseline on that portion of the saddle. (the damage done to neoprene by vaseline is dramatically overblown, just wipe it all off when done).

http://www.sostriathlon.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Aud3i.AuSt_.jpeg

Junkies, now ya'll have me scared to death!!!!!  This is supposed to be FL and we are going to be FREEZING!!!!!  I figured all the nothern Junkies would be used to this but NOPE!!! so how are us "thin" blooded folks supposed to handle it... 

I'm going to buy a wetsuit hoodie (I hope it is legal), I won't be in contention for a podium so i think it will be OK.  Should I get booties too???

I'm going to buy some cycling gloves too, I need a pair anyway.

I'm going to take my time in transition and put on a pair of compression tights over tri shorts (that should be an adventure) and put on a long sleeve shirt.  Then if I make it to T-2, I may take the tights off it it warms up.

Really, I appreciate all the responses, it really got me to thinking as I would have gone in "unprepared".

Not gonna lie, it is kinda funny that the southern folks are the ones talking about preparing for a cold weather tri!   Good for you for not backing out!  I'm pretty sure I would pull out!

I have a neoprene cap.  I haven't needed it in a race, but have used it to be prepared.  I noticed that it works great and is very weird in that it pushes your head right up out of the water.  It's like having a life-jacket on your head! 

It's not legal to wear booties.  Rules don't allow anything on your hands or feet.  But if you are warm everywhere else you should be fine.

You do know that if you put clothes on in T1 that it will be very, very slow and cumbersome because you are wet?  Practice it once.  Take a shower in your tri clothes (what will be under your wetsuit) and when you are done, rather than drying off just jump up and down for a while to shake off the excess like would happen when running or walking to transition.  Then put the planned clothing on and see how it goes.

If you still want to go ahead with that approach (and I'm not discouraging it) make sure to have an extra towel in T1 and take your time to towel off as best you can without hurrying through the toweling process.  It will then save time getting the clothes on.