Barqhead's Group - FULL (Page 9)

I bought my Nimesis from Bikesdirect, when I got it, took it to the LBS and had them put the wheels, bars and seat on and tune it up, then went back for a fit.....total cost was a little over a grand for the bike and a hundred to have it tuned and fitted.  I love the bike and Bikes Direct are great to deal with.

I really need to start picking up my run mileage again ...

I'm planning to do a 7 miler around Salem Lake either Sat or Sun ... if I end up picking up a bike tomorrow then I'll probably get in a good ride this weekend ... Sat is supposed to be 30% chance of rain and a little cool ... but Sunday is supposed to be Sunny and around 60 degrees ...

... so even though it will be hard to resist riding on Sat after getting a new bike ... I may just put in something short ... get used to clipping in and out, etc ... (never used bike shoes or clipless pedals) ... and save the long bike ride for Sunday ... which means 7 mile run on Sat ...

BTW,

Great news on your upcoming vacation ... hope your family has lots of fun!!

And, talking about biking ... what would be a good starter plan for me?  As far as actual riding outside, I've done 16-17 miles a few times ... at a somewhat moderate pace ... half around a trail and the other half on pavement ... and this past week I've put in 50 mins / 17 miles and 45 mins / 14 miles ... on the Stationary Bike ...

...so ... what kind of mileage or time I spend on the bike for the next few weeks?   .. and while I'm waiting to start a 22 week HIM plan ... would doing a bike-focused Sprint plan be a good idea or is there something better I should do?

Thanks!!

Supposed to have an hour and a half bike ride today, but it was raining when I got up.  Hopefully the rain will go away an I can still get my ride in.  If not, i will settle for a run.

Barq, have fun at Disney... the kids will have a ball.  My daughter is now 13 and I promised her a cruise when school is out, she is really looking forward to that!

Okay everyone,

I went ahead bought that Felt S32 today, and took it for a short test ride today at Tangelwood Park.

I've not spent much time on it yet but I'm loving it.  The handling is quite different from a Hybrid or other bikes I've ridden - but it is schweet!  Got to going so fast down one hill that I scared myself ... I moved my hands from the aero bars and back to the outer bars just so I could have my hands on the brakess!

Then I spent some time in one of the parking lots doing Figure-8's and seeing how sharp I could corner or lay the bike down without losing my balance .. practice un-clipping a few times, etc ...

I as actually planning to get in a long run today and a long bike tomorrow ... but I've been so excited about the bike and took more time then I thought getting it setup ... I may run out of daylight hours .... if that happens I'll get in a treadmill run later this evening ...

... I should be out running now ... but had to run back home and tell everyone.

Here is the link to the Bike Porn thread I posted:

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=144075&posts=2#M18996853

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Congrats!!!  That is one sexy machine!

Thanks!!

Well, since I've dropped some serious cash now I had really go take my training serious as well ... going go head out for my run now ...

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Thanks everyone!

Got back a little bit ago from my run, did indeed get in a 7 miler.  It was a little slower than I wanted it to be, but expected since this is the first outside run in about 2 months and the first over 4 or 5 miles in over a month.

Came in at 1:26:15 for a 12:19 min per mile pace ..

Had spent probably 20 minutes or a little more biking today, about half the time riding the other half in a parking lot doing Figure 8's, practicing sharp turns and leans ... trying to see how far I can lean it over without losing balance or the wheels losing traction ... practiced clipping in and out some...

The weather is supposed to be around 60 degress and sunny tomorrow, so will try to get in a relatively long ride for me ... say maybe 17-20 miles I hope.

I like Pam's idea about finding a circuit starting from home, and then expanding it as my miles get longer ... this is such a good idea ... never too far from home in case something happens ... and this beats loading the bike into the car rack every time and driving 15-20 to the park or this one nearby small town to ride.

Nice bike Kevin.  I'm sure you will love it.  I'm jealous!  

Workouts are going to suffer this weekend (although my weekend includes Monday).  Run today (Sun. 4-5 miles) and an outside ride on Monday (25-30 miles).   

Have some great family time in Disneyworld Pam! 

I've got a bike route that gets me 25 miles or so from my house and a run that can take me as far as I want from my house.   At one point, while doing a couple small bricks, I would leave my running shoes  and even work on my transition from bike to run.  Works well for me.

barqhead - 2009-01-11 5:36 PM Wahoo!! I did all 10 miles I didn't set any land speed records, but I did it! Sorry, just had to share. You don't know how much I was dreading this run.

Way to get it done!  Some days I think getting out the door is half the battle, especially if you're particularly dreading a workout.

barqhead - 2009-01-11 5:36 PM Wahoo!! I did all 10 miles I didn't set any land speed records, but I did it! Sorry, just had to share. You don't know how much I was dreading this run.

Great job, and I echo what ESC said ... just getting yourself out the door or to the gym some days is half the battle ... this sport known as triathlon is just as much mental toughness as it is physical toughness.

Just as an FYI, I did get in that first real bike ride today.

According to my car's odometer, it was 18.2 miles and took about an hour (not the 20 miles or so I was hoping for ... but I don't have a computer for the bike yet ... but at least I know about how much more road to add on next time.)

Took a quick stop at mile 13.8 to eat a banana and give my sore spot a rest, then at mile 14.2 was at the end of a busy road, had to unclip, stop, turn bike around and head back.

So, my overall average pace may have been a tad bit more than 18.2 mph.

Due to some great advice from my friends here, I was able to find a way to sit on the seat without squishing the boys ... I think I found that spot called the "taint" and it got pretty sore ... but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be once I got off the bike ... but we'll see in the morning.

I got scared a couple of times going down some hills ... I was going faster than I ever had ... or at least it seemed that way ... and since I was in aero and not able to keep my fingers on the brake levers ... well .... I also need to learn how I'm supposed to steer in aero ... I'm assuming I should be using my hands on the aerobars where I grip them at ... but many times it felt like I was steering with my elbows or forearms instead ... that were sitting on the arm rests ...

Finally, the weather was rather chilly and windy ... and going down one hill I got hit with a gust of pretty strong wind and it blew me over some ... luckily I was in the middle of the lane and it blew me over to the white line ... had I been just a couple of feet from the shoulder I think it would have blown me right off the road ...

I definiely need to work on and improve my biking skills and knowledge.

barqhead - 2009-01-11 5:36 PM Wahoo!! I did all 10 miles I didn't set any land speed records, but I did it! Sorry, just had to share. You don't know how much I was dreading this run.

Great job on the 10 miler!!  X3 on the mental toughness of triathlon.  How does your ankle feel today?

Pam~

Wanted to get your thoughts on flip turns.  I do them when I am doing intervals since it is more "speed driven".  If I am doing my longer swims, I don't do them b/c I don't want any advantage with a push off.  I typically touch and turn, trying not to take a breath during the turn. (Obviously I don't grab on to the wall either.)  What do you think?