bcagle25's Endurance Ninja's - Closed (Ninja school is in session) (Page 9)

I would definitely vote for aerobars for road bike, easiest and most cost effective speed you can add/buy.

justinfss - 2012-01-23 3:29 PM Just wanted to say I really like the 200m sprints in the pool suggested earlier! I did five today and it made the swim go by so quickly. My times aren't the fastest @ 3:15-30/200m, but I can see doing a lot more of these as part of my swims. Ben, you asked earlier if my arms ever were sore, but I never really get that after a swim. I feel a little tired and I usually feel it a little in my core, but not in my arms.... What am I doing wrong? hopefully I get some more tips/coaching after we get back from vacation when I join up with the masters program.

Justin, glad to hear you enjoyed the 200's. Feel free to mix them up too and throw in some variety ex. 200's (100 free/50 kick/50 back) etc. Soreness shouldn't always be the outcome, but if you feel it in your core that is great b/c that means you are engaging your core. Do you feel any muscular fatigue? If not, that is a sign you may be ready to up the intensity of your swims, or volume, if you are ready. But don't increase with every swim you do, rather look at the big picture over and entire week. Glad to see you are doing Masters, it really is a valuable program for swimming. We dont have one here in La Crosse, but the group I am swimming with is getting bigger and bigger each week, with some very accomplished swimmers, makes me hungry in the morning to really push myself.

Went to see the orthopedic doc today, she diagnosed my shoulder pain as shoulder impingement syndrome, so it sounds like I should be able to recover with some RICE and PT work.  She offered a steriod injection, but thought I should be able to recover without it.  I decided not to do the injection, but am second guessing myself now.  I go back to see her in 3 weeks for a check up.  I did some yoga tonight to stretch and no pain.  Still have pain when lifting arm, but not as bad as first week, so hopefully these are good signs of recovery.  I'll probably lay off the swimming for this week again and she said lower body strength and core work was ok to do.

Hope you all have a great week!

Here is my quick take on bikes.

Road: Great if you are looking for multiple purposes, tri's, road races, group rides, leisure, etc. The big differences with a road bike are vast, but some to point out are, not as steep of a seat tube angle, better handling overall, lighter, and more versatility. Matt made a great point about throwing on some cliip on aerobars for a cheap tri bike option with a road bike. Lots of beginners and not as serious triathletes use this route.

TT (tri) bike: Steeper seat tube angle, more compact, more aero position. This frame choice is better suited if you are more into triathlon then anything else. It is a bad bike for group rides, not as great at handling, a bit heavier too. Most triathletes I know have a road bike and a tri bike, and those that just have a tri bike, ride more for triathlon then anything else. I personally like the steeper seat tube angle on these frames and usually perfer the aero position, more comfortable for me. Having a tri bike is more of a single committment since it is not as versatile as a road bike.

This is really some of the basics in a nutshell.

After a week off it is back to the swim squad tomorrow morning eaerly. I was emailed the set tonight and it is a hard 4k effort using paddles, should be a real killer. I'll report back and post the set too, if anyone wants to try it, or modify it to their liking and ability.

P.S. Paddles are great but something that you need to be very careful with as they can easily cause an injury if using too big a paddle. Most triathletes do not know the correct size to use, if uncertain go with the smaller choice.

After a week off it is back to the swim squad tomorrow morning eaerly. I was emailed the set tonight and it is a hard 4k effort using paddles, should be a real killer. I'll report back and post the set too, if anyone wants to try it, or modify it to their liking and ability.

P.S. Paddles are great but something that you need to be very careful with as they can easily cause an injury if using too big a paddle. Most triathletes do not know the correct size to use, if uncertain go with the smaller choice.

Ali, trail runs are great, glad to hear you enjoyed yours. The one thing I love/hate about them is how much and how fast the scenary changes, makes the run go faster, but seems like you cover more ground

These two clips blew up on twitter yesterday, if you need a good laugh check them out, really right on with both. lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMCkuqL9IcM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5KrktnXG1Y

Here was this mornings swim set, a tough one for sure

Warm-up of 400swim, 200kick with board, 300pull, 4x25 building to moderate effort on 15sec rest.
Transition Set: 8x25 alternating easy and fast on 5sec rest
Mainset:
4x200 pull with paddles easy on 10sec rest
100 easy choice on 15sec rest
3x200 pull with paddles moderate on 15sec rest
100 easy choice
2x200 pull with paddles moderate-fast on 20sec rest
100 easy choice
200 pull with paddles fast on 30sec rest
100 easy choice
Easy cd after.

I know numerous people (swimmers) have said you should do all the strokes.

Why?

I still don't get it.

I'm NOT a swimmer, there's only one stroke I use in tri's, so why is there this encouragement to do strokes that won't be used? Variety? Stave off boredom?

Oh great! I secretly really want them.  A friend of mine recommended Profile Design.  Is there anything in particular I should look for when buying?

I'm the same way.  I don't switch strokes often but if I do it's because of boredom or because I think I should at least try another stroke.  I go switch back pretty quickly though.

For my first road bike, I bought profile design jammer clip on. I really didn't know much at the time I bought them, but my friend recommended profile design as well.  I found the PD jammers to be more comfortable and easier on the wrists, but that's just me.  Aerobars are like bikes, you have to pick what is most comfortable for you.  There are two basic shapes, the ski shape and the s shape.  They range from simple styles with fixed extensions all the way through to combinations where all the parts of the bar are adjustable.  I would suggest getting ones that have some ability to make adjustments in pad position and changing the length of the extensions.

I tried adding aero bars to my road bike last year and was not a big fan. It seemed to tweak my knees. I had never been fitted on that bike so maybe that was part of it. I also did not give it much of a chance. It seems like you could pick up a used set fairly easy to give them a try and see how you like them.

Tonight I got my run in while focusing on cadence for my first time. Turned around and ran a fairly easy average of sub 9 min/mile pace for 4 miles. That is the best I have done! Who new paying attention to technique pays off I always read up on swimming and cycling but never have paid much attention to running until recently. 

Anyone ever had the inside of their knee get warm when running?

It felt like there was a heat pack right between the upper and lower bones in the knee after my last couple of runs. There's mild discomfort, wouldn't call it pain, yet.

Just curious as to what it might be. Right knee is fine, left knee is sending some odd signals at the moment. It's fine by the next morning.

Hoping it's not a bursa issue.

Brad, what was your cadence at? I have been focusing on my cadence as well some this winter and I am around the 160-170 range. I have noticed the more closely I pay attention, the higher I can get my cadence up and in turn, run better, faster, and most importantly more efficiently. 180 is the "gold-standard" to have your cadence at.

And yes technique is huge in triathlon, something many athletes overlook.

Since we are talking about technique here are some drills you can do to work on technique with biking

Single leg drills: While on your trainer, unclip on foot and spin your cranks entirely with one leg. Good technique will be a flawless 180 degree rotation. This is a great way to learrn how to pedal efficiently and not have any "dead spots"

Count steps: Just like mentioned above a higher cadence promotes a better running form. It will force you to shorten your stride a bit, have better foot positioning as well, great way to stop heel striking.

Downhill running: While most think hill runs need to be uphill, downhill running can be benefical too. Can help to teach how to run with your core and hips, while keeping a slight forward lean. Learning to run downhill can also decrease the chances of injury as so many people heel strike and barrel down hills with little to no control of their body and thus give the potential for a lot of damage.

Stroke count: refer to my post on swimming drills, but this is a great way to build a better reach and pull phase in your stroke.

Why do people run hills, trails, different surfaces, etc. Not just for varierty but to incorporate and focus on different muscles.

Swimming different strokes does the same with swimming. It also lets your body get a better feel for the water, you learn how to balance your body better, you are targeting different muscles. Butterfly is great for the entire body, more then any other stroke. It is also great to build that "explosion" in your stroke. Roatation with yourt body is big here too. With freestyle you should be getting good rotation in your body, and swimming other strokes helps to promote that body rotation (think swimming free to back in one length). Of course it also adds another dimensions to swims, makes it more fun, and promotes another challenge to yourself.

heh...i hate see little kids times. Seriously kids can downright swim at young ages these days. I really wish I did take a break from swimming at 9 when I started at 4 or 5 years old, I could be a lot faster these days.