Asphalt Junkies Spring 2013 - Closed (Page 90)

I second Karl's statement - THANK YOU! Everyone's responses really have me thinking about how to prepare. My work is closed Friday and while most mommies will be doing Easter prep, I must admit I will be doing lots of tri prep (in addition to Easter prep, I've already done most of the Easter prep for my girls anyhow). 

I did my last 1 hr session on the trainer at 4:30 this morning and the time kinda flew by. I kept thinking about all the cold weather advice, my inventory of cold weather gear, and going through my head what I plan of wearing. I wish I had some of my spring snowboard gear right about now, I would just throw those pants and jacket on for the bike.

btw - it is 34° outside right now.

I have been keeping up on all of the posts but I have been a little covered up for a few days.

Jeff, It sounds like you had a great weekend with the girls.  I am inclined to agree with Karl that the girls get their athletic ability from someone who has DNA in a close line to theirs.  I saw the pics on FB but the ones you posted here are a bit larger and clear.  But I am wondering, di you throw mud in Morgan's eyes immediately before the pic?  She is sure squinting hard.

Warren,  I would like to have the natural ability to swim too.  I envy you for being able to post the times you are capable of posting when you do so little training in that discipline.  For everyone else that's been involved in that discussion, I think the biggest key is to make sure you stay on board with training and things will get easier.  Drills are certainly key to making your stroke efficient and strong but I can't say enough about completing long workouts.  My swims for 3-4 years have been in the neighborhood of 3000-3500 yards per swim and Think my race and TT's are fairly decent for the most part.  I also get only 3 swims per week on most weeks but swimming the longer overall distance in a work out has allowed swimming to be a strength.

Tracy,  Keep the cold water swimming!  I am not going to be a part of that unless it's a race!

For those discussing cold water swimming,  I agree completely with Warren's statement:  Fill the suit up with water and allow the water temperature to change (or use warm water as Jeff said) and it will provide an insulating quality to the suit.  I began doing this a couple of years ago when the water was pretty chilly and it made for a big difference.  And make sure you get your face in the water too.  Eliminating the first shock wave of how cold the water is will eliminate the initial stress to your mind and body and allow for a much better swim.

Jen, I have never completed a standalone Ultra but I was the anchor for an Ultra relay a couple of years ago.  I don't have time now but plug "Huff 50k" into the youtube search and watch some of the video's that have people running through water.  That was the year I did it.  It was thoroughly EPIC!  It was below freezing at the start of the race with a dusting of snow on the ground.   I'll post the links later if I have some time.

Finally Karl and Jen,  Good luck on Saturday and hopefully the weather reports will change for the better.  Just think of how memorable the race will be if you have horrible conditions and still complete the race.  You'll talk about it for the rest of your triathlon careers!

Wednesday weigh-in!!  I know I missed last week...not sure what the heck happened there.

For some unknown reason I was able to gain 3 pounds after a 4 hour bike ride and a 4-1/2 hour hike this past weekend.  I'm sitting at 7 lbs to go now.

Okay, so I can sort of contribute to the cold water triathlon talk because it's cold up here.  Like Warren said, it's not that we are any more tough than you guys.  For the temperatures you guys are talking about, I would do the following:

Swim:  Bring a 1 gallon jug of water warmed up to between 80 and 100 degrees, wrapped in a towel in the car to keep it warm.  Dump it down the neck of your suit AFTER you have the suit zipped up.  Make sure it gets everywhere.  I would do a little jogging before this race, but not do a big swim warm-up.  Get knee deep in the water and splash your face with it like ten times....yes ten times.

Bike:  Put an extra towel that you know soaks up water really well on top of your bike seat.  Grab that towel and quickely go over yourself getting any extra water than would take longer to dry.  Put on a jacket you are comfortable biking in and gloves.  Gloves will make all the difference.  If it's really in the 30's, you're going to want a cap under your helmet as well.  Yeah, we are talking about adding about 30 seconds to your T1 times...but let's be honest here, if you aren't going to win, be smart and not give yourself hypothermia, okay?

Run:  Take all of that off except for the gloves.

GOOD LUCK!!  I can't wait to hear about it!

Thank you Jonathan & Dirk!

Jonathan - What you described above is similar to what was going on in my head while riding the trainer this morning. I always fill up a gallon jug with hot water and wrap it. After every tri and the Tough Mudder, I poured it over me before drying off and changing into dry clothes. Looks like I will have two jugs this time.

Here is my plan (at the moment):

Swim - Take advice above + wear 2 swim caps. Do a little jog to get warm. Put vaseline on tops of my feet and hands. Attempt to unzip and peel off as I am exiting water.

T1 - Take 15 seconds and dry with extra towel. HAve powder on hand to cover arms and legs to help get clothes on and I fumble around with numb fingers.  Put on loose long sleeve base layer + jacket, beanie under bike helmet, and face gator if needed. Put on clear glasses. The long sleeve will be easy to get on and won't be tight. Put on socks and then running tights with zippers at the ankles and cycling shoes. Zip pants at ankles.. Attempt to snap bike helmet. Put on full finger gloves and run like hell to get warm to the bike start.  

Bike - Survive

T2 - Lose all the layers, or leave on long sleeves if needed. Switch helmet for running cap and sunglasses. Put on running shoes and race belt.

Run - Hurry up and get it over with.

Finish - Find car, pour warm water over me and change into dry clothes.

This means that I will likely be running in my swim bottoms since I don't want to wear swim bottoms + shorts + tights. And, I dont want to take off running tights and then put on running shorts. Maybe I will at least look like I mean business. SHould be hilarious to see me running in bathing suit bottoms and gloves on my fingers. LOL!   

You do realize how funny that was to me, right!? haha!

I'm not sure the powder will help.  Has anyone done that before?  The easiest way to go about putting clothes on when you are wet is to do it slowly. 

Do you have any bodyglide??  If you do, put some of that on the outside of the legs and wrists of your wetsuit.  That way when you pull the suit off and it goes inside-out over your feet/hands, it can slip off from the bodyglide on there.

Glad I could make you laugh about my jugs (Hahahaha... made another funny)... I do have Bodyglide. I'm wondering if I should get some hand warmers and have them warming my gloves before the start. That way, when I get to T1, my gloves will already be toasty.

haha....and if you were walking into transition with two jugs of water, I would totally be the one to say, "nice jugs."   

okay, I'm done.

I wouldn't worry about the handwarmers.  You still want to make it a simple process.  It's gonna suck a little either way.  You'll love it.  Seriously....no worries.

Jen, you gotta carry water for Pam and me too...lol  It is a LONG walk from my truck to the race. 

So that is the next question, how do ya'll carry all your stuff, shoes, wetusit helmet. glide, gloves, etc etc etc etc.

I have a big tri race bag I put it in but then I can't ride my bike w/ it???

I have a type of bag that I can put on my back.. it's not exactly a backpack, but I can carry it like one. (Not sure what the name for one of those is.)  Do you have a backpack? What type of bag do you have?

Oh wait, actually, I have used an actual backpack before too.

Umm Karl - I think my two jugs will already be big enough for me... (have at it Jonathan)....

I just carry duffel bag backpack style and usually wear my bike helmet. Maybe the long walk will be good for us. I'll be sure to wear a headlight this time too.  

Jen, 1 piece of advice for this race. 

They will not let you leave w/ our bike (or even in the transition area) until the last biker in and out of transition for the run.  You won't believe this but 1 person last year, sat down and leisurely ate a sandwich, went to the bathroon etc before leaving for the run.  So the advice is put your tri bag over the fence close to your bike.  When you take your sweats or whatever you are wearing to stay warm prior to putting on your wetsuit, put them there so you can get them to warm up after the race.

2nd advice, smile cause your face my freeze that way...lol

I should've taken big jugs to the Beaver Freezer Tri!!!!!

Hahahahaha!!!!!  (I couldn't resist!) 

I had to do a double check here to make sure I was on the correct website I thought I may have been directed elsewhere with all this talk about jugs LOL.

Jen I think you've got a pretty solid plan and you've gotten great advice from everyone here. Good luck to you, Karl and Pam this weekend. I hope you guys get a break and get some warmer weather but if not I have to say I have a lot of respect for you guys going ahead and doing this. I'd probably have second thoughts about getting into the water when it's that cold. 

I can vouch for Jonathan being "that guy".

Definitely opt for comfort and warmth over speed if it's that cold race morning.  You'll have something to talk about later for sure!

mambos - 2013-03-28 9:30 AM Beavers and jugs? I miss a couple of days and everyone loses it! . Good luck with your races, I'm sure you will not even notice the cold once the ice forms a protective covering. My Wednesday weigh-in came in at pepperoni and banana peppers, so no change again. on the training front, it's been a little slow this week. My running has stayed consistent but I have missed my bike and swims. I decided to take a few days off work and thought I could spend it getting some quality work-outs. But noooooo, Sara gave me a list so long I don't think I will ever see the light of day! These are supposed to be my vacation days!

Thanks Matt and to everyone else for their insight. A few folks are actually swiming at the lake tomorrow and I am going to try and join them, hopefully it turns out to be a good idea. I've offically decided not to do the triathlon in April or May, so after this weekend I will need to re-evaluate my training plan as the next tri won't be until August.

And Matt..... it was frozen beavers and big jugs just so we are clear! LOL.   

HAHAHAHAHAA!  Thanks Jen.  And in case you were wondering.  This is what a cold beaver looks like:

Hey friends, baby Claire had a few problems after she was born... high white blood cell count and possible infection.  Everything is going good now though.  As a precaution, they are keeping her in the hospital until Monday and running a culture while finishing her antibiotics.  She is developing normally and everything else is good... except being couped up in this hospital is driving me crazy!  I'm try to sneak away for trainer rides and showers at the house every couple days.  

You can see pics of her on my fb (too hard to post them here... ha!).  If we're not friends, add me: Will Hagle

jenbmosley - 2013-03-28 8:06 AM

mambos - 2013-03-28 9:30 AM Beavers and jugs? I miss a couple of days and everyone loses it! . Good luck with your races, I'm sure you will not even notice the cold once the ice forms a protective covering. My Wednesday weigh-in came in at pepperoni and banana peppers, so no change again. on the training front, it's been a little slow this week. My running has stayed consistent but I have missed my bike and swims. I decided to take a few days off work and thought I could spend it getting some quality work-outs. But noooooo, Sara gave me a list so long I don't think I will ever see the light of day! These are supposed to be my vacation days!

Thanks Matt and to everyone else for their insight. A few folks are actually swiming at the lake tomorrow and I am going to try and join them, hopefully it turns out to be a good idea. I've offically decided not to do the triathlon in April or May, so after this weekend I will need to re-evaluate my training plan as the next tri won't be until August.

And Matt..... it was frozen beavers and big jugs just so we are clear! LOL.   

Jenn.....I'm glad you got Matt straightened out. 

Jonathan.....You were a brave soul for doing a search to find that picture! 

RunningYogini - 2013-03-28 3:28 PM

jenbmosley - 2013-03-28 8:06 AM

mambos - 2013-03-28 9:30 AM Beavers and jugs? I miss a couple of days and everyone loses it! . Good luck with your races, I'm sure you will not even notice the cold once the ice forms a protective covering. My Wednesday weigh-in came in at pepperoni and banana peppers, so no change again. on the training front, it's been a little slow this week. My running has stayed consistent but I have missed my bike and swims. I decided to take a few days off work and thought I could spend it getting some quality work-outs. But noooooo, Sara gave me a list so long I don't think I will ever see the light of day! These are supposed to be my vacation days!

Thanks Matt and to everyone else for their insight. A few folks are actually swiming at the lake tomorrow and I am going to try and join them, hopefully it turns out to be a good idea. I've offically decided not to do the triathlon in April or May, so after this weekend I will need to re-evaluate my training plan as the next tri won't be until August.

And Matt..... it was frozen beavers and big jugs just so we are clear! LOL.   

Jenn.....I'm glad you got Matt straightened out. 

Jonathan.....You were a brave soul for doing a search to find that picture! 

Search???  That's a picture of his backyard!

Jen, your triathlon will be a piece of cake.

At least compared to this:

http://www.river-swimming.co.uk/pugh.jpg

Jeff - thanks, that puts it all in perspective.... not really...

Will - I'll be praying that baby Claire gets better quickly and gets to go home soon. Everything is so much better when everyuone is home and there are no nurses busting in all the time.

Hope all this works out well, and congratulations.  I agree that it's so much easier when you get home and settled on a routine in your own abode, without the interruptions.