triOK's Group - CLOSED (Page 9)

Yep... that's it.  Recovery is the part of the stroke where your arm isn't doing work anymore.  Its when you take your arm out of the water...

OK... so here's the group so far.  Sorry guys but I didn't catch some of your first names.

grnidone

firstriguy (Aaron)

Medusa_Ann (Leslie)

erhoffma (Erin)

gator22 (Kirk)

willie05 (Bob)

Afletcher

rperissi

erjellum (Eric)

kriscrn (Kristen)

vmax3000 (Vanessa)

Kazho

and last but not least, Marvarnett (Dan) <--- our resident stud.

Robyn,
I believe the term Stud must be watered down if you're referring to me.  :P  But Thanks!

Swim drills are vital to swimming faster and longer.  That's one major change I've done this year and I believe it's in part helped me get faster.  The other part was adding 2 sessions a week.  Shark fin, finger tip drag, and zipper drill (you take your thumb and run it along your side as your hand exits the water and it going back to the front) also help with your glide.  Remember the you get a bit of propolusion after every stroke just by letting your body do the work. You stroke, glide, stroke, glide, breath.  The drills let you "feel" the glide while working on form like high elbow, etc.  I'm not a swimmer, but that's what I take from those drills.

Bike MPH.  IMHO (In my humble opinion), too many people (including myself) get caught up in this.  Case in point, last weekend I did a 23 mile TT (time trial) and I averaged 26 mph.  I did one a couple of months ago and averaged 24.  The difference was that the earlier one had a 20+ mph wind and some hills. 

Here is what to pay attention to when riding.  CADENCE and smooth pedal stroke.  Become efficient at pedaling the bike.  I see so many people grinding up a hill in a gear that they can barely hold 60 rpm (assuming they are not in their easiest gear) and I fly by them because I am at 95 rpm (revolutions per minute).  Not only did I not fry my legs grinding up the hill, but it keeps my HR down and I go faster.  Smooth pedal stroke is something that I really still need to work on. 

Here is a way to check your pedal stroke.  On your trainer or on a flat, non-traffic road and NOT pulling a trailer. ;P  Clip out of one pedal.  Now pedal your bike with just one leg.  I bet 95% of us will have some "dead spots" in our stroke.  Mine is from the 9 o'clock to 12 o'clock.  You can work on that by doing 3 - 4 sets of one leg drills every other ride.  Do them for 30 seconds each leg with 2 min recovery starting out.  Don't start off with tons of sets, but build up to them. 

So, in short, don't worry about speed, worry about form and becoming efficient and EATING on the bike.  And now that I have taught you that...just make sure you at least say Hi to me as you fly by me during the bike leg.  It's the least you can do.

Sorry.  No offense to anyone, but anyone that can average 26 mph in a 23 mile TT is a stud.  That's the way it is.

Dan, I think I want to do a time trial but I have never done one.  Tips?

Ok....please don't give me "happy sunshine", please give me your honest thoughts.  I have a decent amount of training time for the next 4 weeks.  I have had my eye on a HIM that is in 4 weeks.  I can swim 1.2 (as long as weird freaked out thing doesn't happen again!), I have ridden 55 miles a few times and am getting better....still slow, and I have run 13.1 twice (mini-marathon in May and last May).

Here's my real question:  what do you think about the possibility of my doing this HIM in 4 weeks?  1+1+1=4 when it comes to tri's - Just because I can do all the parts does not necessarily I can do them all sequentially and back-to-back.  This HIM is in Muncie, Indiana where it will be stupid hot and really humid (that's what I am training in though).

Thoughts?  Thanks

No offense taken.  I am the furthest thing from a stud.

Kirk still dreams about having a David Hasselhoff body.

Could you do it?  Yeah, probably.  Would I do it?  No way.  You are risking serious injury.  4 weeks of training time doesn't account for at least 2 weeks of taper.  You will suffer during that race, and IMHO, if I am going to race your need to do what is necessary to make sure that you are going to enjoy yourself.... even if that means sitting it out until next year. 

My opinion:  Don't do it.  If your heart is set on a HIM, do one later in the year and take the next 4 weeks to up your volume slowly, and correctly.  THEN find a HIM to smash.

Why don't you volunteer instead?

Oh, don't make me bring back The Hoff avatar!!!

Believe it or not, as I was driving in this morning I thought I would put "Look like David Hasselhof" in my Long Term Goals for a laugh! 

Either one = Ew!  

I am searching more for a cross between Napolean Dynamite and Spiderman.....