Ran a 10k in June (3 Viewers)

[Ned]

WTF

 

[Dexter]

WTF

Move along. Nothing to see here.

 

[Sand]

WTF

I smell fraud afoot here.

 

[Darrinll40]

Darrin: check all your measurements, prior to getting yourself into a 58 cm bike. There is a very good chance that is a bit large for you. This link is a really good fit calculator.

____________________________

My RACE Report!!!!!!!!!!

Pre-race

I ended up spending the night at the race site, as I needed to pick my packet up the night before (no day of pick up) and didn't want to drive 2 hours each way, 4x. I got to bed good and early (9:45) as I was a bit sleep deprived, and amazingly fell right to sleep. At 12:17am, the frick'n air conditioner in my room went off and woke me up (it was louder than loud), as it did at 3:34. Both times I thankfully got myself right back to sleep, and actually woke up feeling awesome at 5:00 am (transitions opened at 5:15). I got my morning duties taken care of (twice!), got a shower/shave, and felt rejuvenated, and very ready for the day. I made it to the transition area at 5:50, and learned that they were sorted by race number. Since I was one of the last to register, my slot was near the very end (furthest away from T1 exit/T2 entrance = it sucked!). I got all my gear set-up and a fantastically run-stalking-worthy girl in our shoot put a big pink X with tape at the entrance, and in front of her spot (her's was right next to mine ). This was an awesome trick, as it really helped to find our transition spot. They had the water open for swim from 6:20 to 6:40, so I took a dip in the river which felt more like a bathtub (90 degrees!). Race meeting was from 6:45 to 7:05, and first wave went out at 7:10. The weather was hot and humid (duh, it's Texas in July!).

Swim

The entire course could not have been more beautiful, but the swim course was especially cool! The swim was in the middle of two bridges that crossed the river, which were all lined by spectators yelling and screaming for you (awesome to have inspiration in the water!). The swim was a water start, as the depth of the water was really deep as soon as you got in. Like an idiot I was one of the first one's in our wave (pink caps ) to get into the water. I treaded water for almost 5 minutes (time between waves) and could feel my HR escalating while doing so. Horn went off, and I started very cautiously, as I knew I'd be slower than most. I breast stroked a good 20 meters then started swimming. After about my tenth stroke, somebody literally went right over the top of me, from my blind side (I breathe left only). Unfortunately, it was right while I was taking a breath, and I went under a good foot, with my mouth wide open. I took in a good gallon of the Brazos river (I'm likely poisoned for life!), and could not get myself to stop coughing/gagging. I took a good minute to just tread water, to get back in the race. I kayaker came up to me to see if I was alright, and after trying unsuccessfully to talk to him I just gave a thumb-up. Unfortunately, I was breathing very heavy, and purping (chunks) quite a bit. I spent the next half+ of the 1,500 meter (which is a heck of a lot longer than I remember!!) struggling with breathing. At the last turn of the counter-clockwise course (a big square), I finally started to get some rhythm, but was stuck behind very slow people. I got around them, but in doing so, I also got way off course, prior to getting back on. I got out of the water, with great assistance from volunteers (needed for all), and was disoriented and woozy (which I expected).

My swim time was a pitiful 37:23. I actually thought it would be around 40:00, as it felt that slow. I was thus, more than 2 minutes behind where I wanted to be.

T1

To get from the swim to the transition area required 7 switchbacks which was unfortunately an extremely narrow path. Since I was in the second to the last wave, the only people that were going up the ramps in front of me could have given a rat's ### how quickly they got up. I frustratingly attempted to get around the chunkies ahead of me, but was not very successful. Once I got to the transition area all went really well. I got my socks on (Yes 2Young, I was also sporting the ever cool 2xu sleeves already!) really quickly, and got out of there and on the bike in great shape.

My T1 time was 2:55 which was actually pretty fast considering the obstacles in front of me. Again, I knew I was slow, but didn't know how slow. I was now (unknowingly) almost 3 full minutes behind where I wanted to be. I now knew why last year's times for both transitions were soooo slow.

Bike

The bike course was beautiful. Gently rolling hills, decent pavement except for one stretch (had to go over it twice) of chip seal, and amazing scenery (all country roads, much of it with full canopy cover = shade!). My bike goal was to keep all miles under 3:00 and to average 22.0 MPH, while not overextending myself to help with the run. While I didn't have a HR monitor (I don't have the cool one you have 2Young), I know my HR stayed waaaaay down the entire ride. I felt amazingly great and thoroughly enjoyed all 25 miles (+.2 according to my watch). Only one bike passed me (beautiful Cervelo with disk wheels and a young-buck on it), and I loved passing at least 100 (of course everyone who had speed was waaaaaay out in front of me as they kicked my butt on the swim. I did have 3 miles in a row (into the wind on chip seal) that were 2:58-2:59, but had no problem keeping all miles under 3:00 (20 mph). I had a tail wind coming in the last 7, and felt like I was on cruise control, as I kept my average right at 22.0 mph. My legs greatly thanked me for not pushing it!

Bike time was 1:08:48 = 1:12 faster than predicted/goal (this is with the extra .2 which is likely me just not doing the tangents really well.



T2

T2 was pretty straight forward, though I was in the far corner only three rows from the very end, and in the dismount area was quite a ways from the entrance. I had predicted 1:30, and was happy with my 1:55, as it was a clean in and out.

Run

I've been dreading this run for a full month, as I haven't acclimated to the heat really well, and the 300+ feet of climbing in a 3 mile stretch (miles 1.5 to 4.5) was more hills than I've done in quite awhile. My legs wanted to fly coming off the bike, as I had approx. 100 rpm cadence over the last 2 miles of the bike ride in preparation. Through mile one I was shocked how flat it was, and was content with an 8:23 first mile. I had planned on running an 8:30 to start, but my legs were feeling great. I picked it up a bit for the first half mile of the second mile, and then I found the hills They were steep, winding, and wicked. I powered through mile two at 8:31, and still felt pretty darn good. Mile three was 100% uphill and I had to walk at one point (as did everyone else I could see) as the elevation at one switchback was brutal. There was a downhill stretch to end that mile and I was really happy to run an 8:47. The turnaround was right after that mile = mile 4 was mostly downhill!!!!!!!!!!! I did some math in my head, and told myself I needed an 8:13 to make that crazy two mile stretch be at 8:30's and went for it. While my quads took a beating on the descent following the ascent, mile four was 8:11 (back on pace!). Mile 5 was hilly for only the first half before hitting the flats and was a nice 8:21. I expected to bonk by now and was shocked that all was a go for mile 6! This mile included a bunch of switchbacks over almost an approximate quarter mile to get up to an old expansion bridge that was the finish line. Mile six was completed at the very top (in 8:11!!) and I passed a guy in my age group in the middle of it!! The last .2 down the bridge with a GREAT chute of spectators was at 7:45 pace.

In all nobody in my age group passed me on the run and with the course being even hillier than I anticipated, I was ecstatic to run it in 51:56 (4 seconds faster than predicted) I'm ecstatic that I had zero cramping during the run or bike (toes cramped on the swim), and even with the extra time in transitions and in the swim, I ended up within 2 minutes of my predicted time (goal was 2:41; ran 2:42:54!).

Thus, other than screwing the pooch on the swim, it was an amazingly awesome race. The support was phenomenal, the course surprisingly beautiful (amazingly beautiful!), and the spectators were great. I hope to make this an annual event

Excellent race report, and an excellent race. Did you ever find out who it was that tried to drown you?

Fit Calculator, I measured in inches so I am assuming that is what the results are in.

The Competitive Fit

Seat tube range c-c 52.6 - 53.1

Seat tube range c-t 54.3 - 54.8

Top tube length 54.2 - 54.6

Stem Length 11.2 - 11.8

BB-Saddle Position 69.5 - 71.5

Saddle-Handlebar 53.2 - 53.8

Saddle Setback 5.9 - 6.3

The Eddy Fit

Seat tube range c-c 53.8 - 54.3

Seat tube range c-t 55.5 - 56.0

Top tube length 54.2 - 54.6

Stem Length 10.1 - 10.7

BB-Saddle Position 68.7 - 70.7

Saddle-Handlebar 54.0 - 54.6

Saddle Setback 7.1 - 7.5

The French Fit

Seat tube range c-c 55.5 - 56.0

Seat tube range c-t 57.2 - 57.7

Top tube length 55.4 - 55.8

Stem Length 10.3 - 10.9

BB-Saddle Position 67.0 - 69.0

Saddle-Handlebar 55.7 - 56.3

Saddle Setback 6.6 - 7.0

Of course I am not sure what it all means. I even read the explanations and without diagrams I am clueless.

 

[Sand]

Fit Calculator, I measured in inches so I am assuming that is what the results are in. The Competitive Fit Seat tube range c-c 52.6 - 53.1 Seat tube range c-t 54.3 - 54.8 Top tube length 54.2 - 54.6 Stem Length 11.2 - 11.8 BB-Saddle Position 69.5 - 71.5 Saddle-Handlebar 53.2 - 53.8 Saddle Setback 5.9 - 6.3 The Eddy FitSeat tube range c-c 53.8 - 54.3 Seat tube range c-t 55.5 - 56.0Top tube length 54.2 - 54.6 Stem Length 10.1 - 10.7 BB-Saddle Position 68.7 - 70.7 Saddle-Handlebar 54.0 - 54.6Saddle Setback 7.1 - 7.5 The French FitSeat tube range c-c 55.5 - 56.0Seat tube range c-t 57.2 - 57.7Top tube length 55.4 - 55.8Stem Length 10.3 - 10.9BB-Saddle Position 67.0 - 69.0Saddle-Handlebar 55.7 - 56.3Saddle Setback 6.6 - 7.0Of course I am not sure what it all means. I even read the explanations and without diagrams I am clueless.

Probably the 56cm, though that you really need to be in between 53 and 56 in that bike.

 

[pigskinliquors]

Darrin: It says a 56 cm frame will be plenty large = likely what you should purchase. I looked for the person who mowed me down, but it was difficult to figure out who it was since the she-beast had a pink cap on, and all I saw of her was the back of her head, swimming away from me

2Young: I was rocking in the 2XU's! I could feel a little current on the third leg (going the opposite direction of the start), but it wasn't bad.

BnB: Lol at the slower than me! I can't wait to see what place I actually finished in

___________________________

Here's some cool pic's from last year's race:

Spectators on one of the bridges during the swim.

Exit from the water to start climbing to T1

Starting the climb to T1

Somebody's backside!!

Start of the hilly section

Finish on the bridge

 

[2Young2BBald]

2Young: I was rocking in the 2XU's! I could feel a little current on the third leg (going the opposite direction of the start), but it wasn't bad.

Saw the FB shot (BTW, you look frigging happy/proud BIG time), the 2XUs have to be one of the best racing inventions EVER and have changed things for me for the best. BTW, I keep wanting to hold my girl over my head after a big event and always forget. I had a chance to talk to a guy today who did Alcatraz last week. This may have to be the next destination event after The Chase!

 

[wraith5]

Sorry about the f'd up formatting on the last page, gents. That would have been thanks to my outrage at Tri-man's injury update.

PSL - fantastic job!!! I agree with 2Y about the bike shot - very cool.

2Y - congrats to your daughter!

On Sat I wasn't feeling a run in the morning once the storms let up, so I pushed the run back to today and got about an hour in on the bike trainer instead. Only averaged 84 cadence, but kept it at 90 for the last 15 minutes. It was actually nice to get some bike time on the weekend for a change.

Today was 10 miles, final "long" run before the RnR 1/2 next Sunday. It was about 75 degrees and 70% humidity - felt cooler because of a decent breeze and some shade on the out & back route I took, but I still dropped over 3 lbs of sweat. Averaged 8:25s with just slightly negative splits.

This week I crossed 800 miles on the bike and 600 miles running for the year - I'm at 39 and change swimming. Would have been kinda cool to hit all 3 of those in one week...

I made it official and signed up for the Bangs Lake Oly Tri on 8/8.

 

[wraith5]

Anyone have a good recommendation for clip-on aero bars?

 

[pigskinliquors]

Anyone have a good recommendation for clip-on aero bars?

I don't have a direct recommendation, but make sure the forearm rests lower all the way to your handlebars (you don't want them any higher than the top of your handle bars). 2Young: Awesome that your daughter got to hold the gold!!! Wraith: way to train through the weather, and best of luck with your half next week.I'm off to WI for a much needed trip to see my family, and don't know how often I'll be able to check in. Best of luck to all with training and racing. With it 100 degrees here today, I can't wait to get me some Midwest summer weather!

 

[SFBayDuck]

I had a chance to talk to a guy today who did Alcatraz last week. This may have to be the next destination event after The Chase!

That's supposed to be a great one. Although the running up the sand stairs towards the end doesn't look too fun. Not that I know anything about Tris, even though I hang out here in the official Tri thread all the time.

 

[Sand]

Anyone have a good recommendation for clip-on aero bars?

Profile Design T1+ or T2+, depending on what you like.

 

[Darrinll40]

Darrin: It says a 56 cm frame will be plenty large = likely what you should purchase. I looked for the person who mowed me down, but it was difficult to figure out who it was since the she-beast had a pink cap on, and all I saw of her was the back of her head, swimming away from me

2Young: I was rocking in the 2XU's! I could feel a little current on the third leg (going the opposite direction of the start), but it wasn't bad.

BnB: Lol at the slower than me! I can't wait to see what place I actually finished in

___________________________

Here's some cool pic's from last year's race:

Spectators on one of the bridges during the swim.

Exit from the water to start climbing to T1

Starting the climb to T1

Somebody's backside!!

Start of the hilly section

Finish on the bridge

Thanks to you and Sand for the bike size advice. I am going to find and visit a bike shop on Friday to see what they say. If I can find a bike that will work and will last a few years I may just pick one up.

 

[FUBAR]

Charlottesville International Tri yesterday, brief report:

First, I did the Kansas HIM a little over a month ago. I ensured I had a good nutrition plan the week leading up to it and during the race, I hydrated well the few days before and ensured I slept well the few days before it. I had a plan for how I was going to do it and I followed that plan pretty well. Overall the event was excellent and I crushed my previous HIM. For the ChIT, I did none of that.

It seems weird to me that the proportions of the legs are so different, swim is 75% of a HIM while the bike and run are just over 40%, not really important here but it struck me as odd. Anyway...

I live half an hour from the site, so I left around 5:30, after eating a bowl of cereal and brought a banana to eat 30 minutes before the event. I met a couple guys who shared their rack with me, this being an open rack event, it was somewhat important to get a good spot. After racking the bike, getting the chip and marked, we had about 45 minutes to spare, so we BSd for that time and they told me some decent routes around here and I might do the tri-club with them.

Start of the swim, in the water at 730, 3 waves 4 minutes apart, with only about 175 participants. clockwise swim which didn't matter all that much to me as I'm a bilateral breather. I treat my swim as basically a warm up, no need to push too hard but I stretch out my stroke and relax. As usual, I was about average in my wave, finished ahead of half, behind half, and the top swimmers from the 2nd wave caught up. The guy next to me was in wave 2, being 8 years older, and we were in T1 together. He actually started the bike before I did, as my transitions aren't quick enough just yet. Overall decent swim, felt pretty good, the lake was clear enough, calm, and pretty easy to get around in. So far so good.

T1: like I said above, I need to work on my speed here if I'm ever going to compete, but I didn't forget anything, so good enough.

Bike: I liked the route but I'm still getting used to the constantly rolling, with some steep, hills. I should fix my shifters as right now if I change my front cog, the gears slowly shift over (don't lock) and the chain rubs against it, so I don't switch that gear. Not that big an issue, it might make me a little faster but with these hills I wouldn't have spent too much time in the big cog anyway. 23.5 miles, 1:16 total time, about 18.5 mph. With a 15 year old bike, the placement of the shifters, the hills, and not using the big cog, I'm happy with that. There were no aid stations on the route which is okay at this distance, but I only brought one water bottle and one Gu, should have planned better as I was starting to get dehydrated. It was close to 90 degrees already and humid.

T2: no issues here, although I'll be sure to practice taking off my shoes on the bike. I half-attempted it, realized I was going to crash if I did, so I didn't. Got to the rack, changed shoes, grabbed my chomps and took off.

Run: trails which I prefer to run on when I can, but I've never gone from bike to running on trails and I was surprised by just how much difference it makes. I'm guessing most will agree that your legs feel different after the bike, and on the road I'm used to it but trying to with that run on an uneven trail with roots all over is a unique experience. So I started off slower than usual to get adjusted. It took until after mile 2 to get my legs back, at which point I came out of the woodline, saw the aid station (did I mention I was dehydrated?), looked up and promptly tripped over a root. Luckily I caught myself in a push up, and didn't hit my knees or face but my left hamstring got a pretty bad charlie horse. With the aid station right there I walked it off while drinking gatorade and water. Started running again and felt alright all things considered. At this point the trail gets rather steep, so almost everyone is walking it. This would happen fairly often for the next 4 miles. Things aside from that and knowing I'm dehydrated are going just fine around mile 4.5, where I pass 4 guys on the trail and one minute later trip on another root this time I gash my right knee against another root, start bleeding, and my right hammy gets its charlie horse. Walk it off again, I'm close to finishing so I don't care about the blood, just keep going. Finally I finish at roughly a 9:30 pace, slowest I've run in a long time. I'm practically covered in dirt, bottom right leg is covered in blood, but hey, I finished.

Not my best event by a long shot but it just shows the need to train more on hills and gives me an excuse to run more trails. Turns out I finished in the top 1/3 overall and about the middle of my age group. All things considered, I'll take it.

 

[FUBAR]

Somebody's backside!!

That's a cool pic

 

[Darrinll40]

Charlottesville International Tri yesterday, brief report:

First, I did the Kansas HIM a little over a month ago. I ensured I had a good nutrition plan the week leading up to it and during the race, I hydrated well the few days before and ensured I slept well the few days before it. I had a plan for how I was going to do it and I followed that plan pretty well. Overall the event was excellent and I crushed my previous HIM. For the ChIT, I did none of that.

It seems weird to me that the proportions of the legs are so different, swim is 75% of a HIM while the bike and run are just over 40%, not really important here but it struck me as odd. Anyway...

I live half an hour from the site, so I left around 5:30, after eating a bowl of cereal and brought a banana to eat 30 minutes before the event. I met a couple guys who shared their rack with me, this being an open rack event, it was somewhat important to get a good spot. After racking the bike, getting the chip and marked, we had about 45 minutes to spare, so we BSd for that time and they told me some decent routes around here and I might do the tri-club with them.

Start of the swim, in the water at 730, 3 waves 4 minutes apart, with only about 175 participants. clockwise swim which didn't matter all that much to me as I'm a bilateral breather. I treat my swim as basically a warm up, no need to push too hard but I stretch out my stroke and relax. As usual, I was about average in my wave, finished ahead of half, behind half, and the top swimmers from the 2nd wave caught up. The guy next to me was in wave 2, being 8 years older, and we were in T1 together. He actually started the bike before I did, as my transitions aren't quick enough just yet. Overall decent swim, felt pretty good, the lake was clear enough, calm, and pretty easy to get around in. So far so good.

T1: like I said above, I need to work on my speed here if I'm ever going to compete, but I didn't forget anything, so good enough.

Bike: I liked the route but I'm still getting used to the constantly rolling, with some steep, hills. I should fix my shifters as right now if I change my front cog, the gears slowly shift over (don't lock) and the chain rubs against it, so I don't switch that gear. Not that big an issue, it might make me a little faster but with these hills I wouldn't have spent too much time in the big cog anyway. 23.5 miles, 1:16 total time, about 18.5 mph. With a 15 year old bike, the placement of the shifters, the hills, and not using the big cog, I'm happy with that. There were no aid stations on the route which is okay at this distance, but I only brought one water bottle and one Gu, should have planned better as I was starting to get dehydrated. It was close to 90 degrees already and humid.

T2: no issues here, although I'll be sure to practice taking off my shoes on the bike. I half-attempted it, realized I was going to crash if I did, so I didn't. Got to the rack, changed shoes, grabbed my chomps and took off.

Run: trails which I prefer to run on when I can, but I've never gone from bike to running on trails and I was surprised by just how much difference it makes. I'm guessing most will agree that your legs feel different after the bike, and on the road I'm used to it but trying to with that run on an uneven trail with roots all over is a unique experience. So I started off slower than usual to get adjusted. It took until after mile 2 to get my legs back, at which point I came out of the woodline, saw the aid station (did I mention I was dehydrated?), looked up and promptly tripped over a root. Luckily I caught myself in a push up, and didn't hit my knees or face but my left hamstring got a pretty bad charlie horse. With the aid station right there I walked it off while drinking gatorade and water. Started running again and felt alright all things considered. At this point the trail gets rather steep, so almost everyone is walking it. This would happen fairly often for the next 4 miles. Things aside from that and knowing I'm dehydrated are going just fine around mile 4.5, where I pass 4 guys on the trail and one minute later trip on another root this time I gash my right knee against another root, start bleeding, and my right hammy gets its charlie horse. Walk it off again, I'm close to finishing so I don't care about the blood, just keep going. Finally I finish at roughly a 9:30 pace, slowest I've run in a long time. I'm practically covered in dirt, bottom right leg is covered in blood, but hey, I finished.

Not my best event by a long shot but it just shows the need to train more on hills and gives me an excuse to run more trails. Turns out I finished in the top 1/3 overall and about the middle of my age group. All things considered, I'll take it.

Nice report. Sounds like you had quite an adventure. I tried to run a trail once and vowed never to return.

And no footballguy would care about the blood.

 

[2Young2BBald]

Charlottesville International Tri yesterday, brief report:

First, I did the Kansas HIM a little over a month ago. I ensured I had a good nutrition plan the week leading up to it and during the race, I hydrated well the few days before and ensured I slept well the few days before it. I had a plan for how I was going to do it and I followed that plan pretty well. Overall the event was excellent and I crushed my previous HIM. For the ChIT, I did none of that.

It seems weird to me that the proportions of the legs are so different, swim is 75% of a HIM while the bike and run are just over 40%, not really important here but it struck me as odd. Anyway...

I live half an hour from the site, so I left around 5:30, after eating a bowl of cereal and brought a banana to eat 30 minutes before the event. I met a couple guys who shared their rack with me, this being an open rack event, it was somewhat important to get a good spot. After racking the bike, getting the chip and marked, we had about 45 minutes to spare, so we BSd for that time and they told me some decent routes around here and I might do the tri-club with them.

Start of the swim, in the water at 730, 3 waves 4 minutes apart, with only about 175 participants. clockwise swim which didn't matter all that much to me as I'm a bilateral breather. I treat my swim as basically a warm up, no need to push too hard but I stretch out my stroke and relax. As usual, I was about average in my wave, finished ahead of half, behind half, and the top swimmers from the 2nd wave caught up. The guy next to me was in wave 2, being 8 years older, and we were in T1 together. He actually started the bike before I did, as my transitions aren't quick enough just yet. Overall decent swim, felt pretty good, the lake was clear enough, calm, and pretty easy to get around in. So far so good.

T1: like I said above, I need to work on my speed here if I'm ever going to compete, but I didn't forget anything, so good enough.

Bike: I liked the route but I'm still getting used to the constantly rolling, with some steep, hills. I should fix my shifters as right now if I change my front cog, the gears slowly shift over (don't lock) and the chain rubs against it, so I don't switch that gear. Not that big an issue, it might make me a little faster but with these hills I wouldn't have spent too much time in the big cog anyway. 23.5 miles, 1:16 total time, about 18.5 mph. With a 15 year old bike, the placement of the shifters, the hills, and not using the big cog, I'm happy with that. There were no aid stations on the route which is okay at this distance, but I only brought one water bottle and one Gu, should have planned better as I was starting to get dehydrated. It was close to 90 degrees already and humid.

T2: no issues here, although I'll be sure to practice taking off my shoes on the bike. I half-attempted it, realized I was going to crash if I did, so I didn't. Got to the rack, changed shoes, grabbed my chomps and took off.

Run: trails which I prefer to run on when I can, but I've never gone from bike to running on trails and I was surprised by just how much difference it makes. I'm guessing most will agree that your legs feel different after the bike, and on the road I'm used to it but trying to with that run on an uneven trail with roots all over is a unique experience. So I started off slower than usual to get adjusted. It took until after mile 2 to get my legs back, at which point I came out of the woodline, saw the aid station (did I mention I was dehydrated?), looked up and promptly tripped over a root. Luckily I caught myself in a push up, and didn't hit my knees or face but my left hamstring got a pretty bad charlie horse. With the aid station right there I walked it off while drinking gatorade and water. Started running again and felt alright all things considered. At this point the trail gets rather steep, so almost everyone is walking it. This would happen fairly often for the next 4 miles. Things aside from that and knowing I'm dehydrated are going just fine around mile 4.5, where I pass 4 guys on the trail and one minute later trip on another root this time I gash my right knee against another root, start bleeding, and my right hammy gets its charlie horse. Walk it off again, I'm close to finishing so I don't care about the blood, just keep going. Finally I finish at roughly a 9:30 pace, slowest I've run in a long time. I'm practically covered in dirt, bottom right leg is covered in blood, but hey, I finished.

Not my best event by a long shot but it just shows the need to train more on hills and gives me an excuse to run more trails. Turns out I finished in the top 1/3 overall and about the middle of my age group. All things considered, I'll take it.

Great report Hopefully there was a race photo company on site to at least capture the finish. That'd be a keeper!

 

[The_Man]

Here's the short version of my runs this weekend.

Saturday: set out to do 6 at my goal Marathon Pace of 7:40. Did them at 7:38, despite high heat by being smart enough to start slow and run a negative split.

Sunday: 11-mile long run, cut it off at 9, with temps in the mid-80s and dew point in the upper 70s by 8 a.m. Kind of an eh effort.

Long version - for anyone interested.

Saturday: Got up at 6 a.m. on Saturday to try to achieve my 6-mile Marathon pace (7:40) run before temps started climbing past 100. Was already mid-80s when I started before sunrise. My focus was to keep my HR as low as I could for as long as possible. I've become convinced that right around 160 bpm is where my lactate production spikes sharply upward; once I get past 160, HR seems to quickly rise to my max and I bonk. Right on pace for the first 2 miles with HR undercontrol, but third mile is somewhat uphill and my HR started to climb. So I stopped worrying about pace and managed to keep HR at 158 - my time for the mile was 7:54.

Fourth mile was back downhill and I was again at goal pace, but HR kept inching up past 160. In Mile 5, I slowed back down to try to get it under control again. Finally with about 1.25 miles left in my run, I realized I could run slower and miss my goal but keep the HR down, or I could just kick my own ### and run as hard as possible for the rest of the run knowing that I could go all-out for the 10 minutes needed to finish, even if would be incredibly hard and painful. So of course I went for it. Finished Mile 5 at 7:45 then did Mile 6 at 7:12 to finish with a 7:38 average time. In the last mile, I also sent a new all-time high for my HR, getting up to 175 (173 had been my previous max).

Sunday: Didn't get out quite as early as Saturday for my planned 11 miles. It was so hot (dew point in the upper 70s) and all I cared about was taking it slow and steady. Did great for the first 3 miles, but Miles 4 and 5 are pretty uphill and once climbing those got my HR revving, I could never get it back under control. By the time I swung by my house for my last water bottle, it was already in the upper 80s and I just decided to call it a day. I'm a little disappointed in myself, as it's becoming clear to me that my speed is pretty decent but my endurance is for crap - and yet of the two weekend workouts, I emphasized and killed myself on the speed one, then bailed on the endurance one. Hopefully the weather will continue to cool a little and I can start paying more attention to endurance.

 

[pmbrown_22]

Great racing PSL, Duck,and FUBAR. Also some really good work being put in over the weekend.

As for me, I did a 5 mile recovery run on Saturday and a 15 miler on Sunday. I think the Sunday run averaged about 9:40 per mile. I did not think this was so bad as it was 80 when I started and already pretty humid. Interesting site as I did pass a barefoot runner out on Sunday, which is something that I had never seen before. He had a very interesting gait and stride. He was running on the sidewalk and seemed happy as can be. I know that some of you have tried this or are trying this now, but I had never seen it before. Only read about it.

Another question for the masses. I have a 70 oz. Camelback and really think for the summer, I need more liquid out on the road. Has anyone ever taken a bigger bladder and tried putting it into another pack. I want to try and get a 100 oz bladder and put it in the pack that I have. Will this work? Anyone have any experience doing this before?

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I'm a little disappointed in myself, as it's becoming clear to me that my speed is pretty decent but my endurance is for crap - and yet of the two weekend workouts, I emphasized and killed myself on the speed one, then bailed on the endurance one. Hopefully the weather will continue to cool a little and I can start paying more attention to endurance.

Sorry to hear about the bonk, but you've got lots of long runs in front of you to make up for it. You and I are following vaguely similar programs, except I modified mine to separate the intermediate pace run from the long run. I completely understand the rationale for doing them back-to-back, but my goal pace (9:09) is way more conservative than yours, and I enjoy the long runs enough that I don't want anything to interfere with the ability to finish them off strong. You posted this before, but remind me: which race are you training for? For some reason I thought you were doing TCM -- like me -- but it sounds like your event is later in the fall.______________________________________My wife and son are out of town for a couple of days, leaving me alone with my 8 year old daughter. Originally the plan for yesterday was to take her with me to the campus Wellness Center during open swim, so she can swim while I do a 9-miler on the treadmill. I've been trying to avoid the TM as much as possible this summer, but I'm very reluctant to leave her at home alone for that long, plus TNT was doing a Lord of the Rings marathon so at least there was something good on tv. Unfortunately, we found out that the pool is closed on weekends during the summer -- after we got there of course -- so I ended up doing a quick 5 by my house instead. Hopefully I can get my 9 in late this afternoon after my wife gets back.Luckily, we haven't had the brutal heat that you guys have been having. When I ran yesterday at 2:30 or so, it wasn't even 80 and the humidity didn't seem to be an issue. In fact, I've been deliberately trying to do one 5-miler or so per week outdoors in the middle of the afternoon just to get a little heat acclimation. A lot of you guys are going to be machines once it cools off.

 

[BassNBrew]

Here's the short version of my runs this weekend.

Saturday: set out to do 6 at my goal Marathon Pace of 7:40. Did them at 7:38, despite high heat by being smart enough to start slow and run a negative split.

Sunday: 11-mile long run, cut it off at 9, with temps in the mid-80s and dew point in the upper 70s by 8 a.m. Kind of an eh effort.

Long version - for anyone interested.

Saturday: Got up at 6 a.m. on Saturday to try to achieve my 6-mile Marathon pace (7:40) run before temps started climbing past 100. Was already mid-80s when I started before sunrise. My focus was to keep my HR as low as I could for as long as possible. I've become convinced that right around 160 bpm is where my lactate production spikes sharply upward; once I get past 160, HR seems to quickly rise to my max and I bonk. Right on pace for the first 2 miles with HR undercontrol, but third mile is somewhat uphill and my HR started to climb. So I stopped worrying about pace and managed to keep HR at 158 - my time for the mile was 7:54.

Fourth mile was back downhill and I was again at goal pace, but HR kept inching up past 160. In Mile 5, I slowed back down to try to get it under control again. Finally with about 1.25 miles left in my run, I realized I could run slower and miss my goal but keep the HR down, or I could just kick my own ### and run as hard as possible for the rest of the run knowing that I could go all-out for the 10 minutes needed to finish, even if would be incredibly hard and painful. So of course I went for it. Finished Mile 5 at 7:45 then did Mile 6 at 7:12 to finish with a 7:38 average time. In the last mile, I also sent a new all-time high for my HR, getting up to 175 (173 had been my previous max).

Sunday: Didn't get out quite as early as Saturday for my planned 11 miles. It was so hot (dew point in the upper 70s) and all I cared about was taking it slow and steady. Did great for the first 3 miles, but Miles 4 and 5 are pretty uphill and once climbing those got my HR revving, I could never get it back under control. By the time I swung by my house for my last water bottle, it was already in the upper 80s and I just decided to call it a day. I'm a little disappointed in myself, as it's becoming clear to me that my speed is pretty decent but my endurance is for crap - and yet of the two weekend workouts, I emphasized and killed myself on the speed one, then bailed on the endurance one. Hopefully the weather will continue to cool a little and I can start paying more attention to endurance.

Please be careful out there. Pushing the hr in these kinds of temps could lead to heat stroke.

 

[BassNBrew]

Charlottesville International Tri yesterday, brief report:

First, I did the Kansas HIM a little over a month ago. I ensured I had a good nutrition plan the week leading up to it and during the race, I hydrated well the few days before and ensured I slept well the few days before it. I had a plan for how I was going to do it and I followed that plan pretty well. Overall the event was excellent and I crushed my previous HIM. For the ChIT, I did none of that.

It seems weird to me that the proportions of the legs are so different, swim is 75% of a HIM while the bike and run are just over 40%, not really important here but it struck me as odd. Anyway...

I live half an hour from the site, so I left around 5:30, after eating a bowl of cereal and brought a banana to eat 30 minutes before the event. I met a couple guys who shared their rack with me, this being an open rack event, it was somewhat important to get a good spot. After racking the bike, getting the chip and marked, we had about 45 minutes to spare, so we BSd for that time and they told me some decent routes around here and I might do the tri-club with them.

Start of the swim, in the water at 730, 3 waves 4 minutes apart, with only about 175 participants. clockwise swim which didn't matter all that much to me as I'm a bilateral breather. I treat my swim as basically a warm up, no need to push too hard but I stretch out my stroke and relax. As usual, I was about average in my wave, finished ahead of half, behind half, and the top swimmers from the 2nd wave caught up. The guy next to me was in wave 2, being 8 years older, and we were in T1 together. He actually started the bike before I did, as my transitions aren't quick enough just yet. Overall decent swim, felt pretty good, the lake was clear enough, calm, and pretty easy to get around in. So far so good.

T1: like I said above, I need to work on my speed here if I'm ever going to compete, but I didn't forget anything, so good enough.

Bike: I liked the route but I'm still getting used to the constantly rolling, with some steep, hills. I should fix my shifters as right now if I change my front cog, the gears slowly shift over (don't lock) and the chain rubs against it, so I don't switch that gear. Not that big an issue, it might make me a little faster but with these hills I wouldn't have spent too much time in the big cog anyway. 23.5 miles, 1:16 total time, about 18.5 mph. With a 15 year old bike, the placement of the shifters, the hills, and not using the big cog, I'm happy with that. There were no aid stations on the route which is okay at this distance, but I only brought one water bottle and one Gu, should have planned better as I was starting to get dehydrated. It was close to 90 degrees already and humid.

T2: no issues here, although I'll be sure to practice taking off my shoes on the bike. I half-attempted it, realized I was going to crash if I did, so I didn't. Got to the rack, changed shoes, grabbed my chomps and took off.

Run: trails which I prefer to run on when I can, but I've never gone from bike to running on trails and I was surprised by just how much difference it makes. I'm guessing most will agree that your legs feel different after the bike, and on the road I'm used to it but trying to with that run on an uneven trail with roots all over is a unique experience. So I started off slower than usual to get adjusted. It took until after mile 2 to get my legs back, at which point I came out of the woodline, saw the aid station (did I mention I was dehydrated?), looked up and promptly tripped over a root. Luckily I caught myself in a push up, and didn't hit my knees or face but my left hamstring got a pretty bad charlie horse. With the aid station right there I walked it off while drinking gatorade and water. Started running again and felt alright all things considered. At this point the trail gets rather steep, so almost everyone is walking it. This would happen fairly often for the next 4 miles. Things aside from that and knowing I'm dehydrated are going just fine around mile 4.5, where I pass 4 guys on the trail and one minute later trip on another root this time I gash my right knee against another root, start bleeding, and my right hammy gets its charlie horse. Walk it off again, I'm close to finishing so I don't care about the blood, just keep going. Finally I finish at roughly a 9:30 pace, slowest I've run in a long time. I'm practically covered in dirt, bottom right leg is covered in blood, but hey, I finished.

Not my best event by a long shot but it just shows the need to train more on hills and gives me an excuse to run more trails. Turns out I finished in the top 1/3 overall and about the middle of my age group. All things considered, I'll take it.

Congrats on whipping the weather's ####. It was beyond brutal racing conditions this weekend.I stay away from the trails because of these same issues. More power to Duck and Pappa, but I'd spend half the season on IR if I ran trails regularly.

 

[wraith5]

Great Job, FUBAR!! I didn't realize you were part of the HIM crowd - most impressive.

Not that anyone wants to wipeout, but finishing in the top half of your AG with some dirt & blood going on is kinda cool.

 

[wraith5]

The_Man - nice job on the Sat run. For a while there I was thinking we were pretty close on our running, but I don't have that kind of speed anymore. Back in May I was close, but it's all gone now. Congrats on how well you've come back!

What was your speed on the Sunday run? I'm wondering if your perceived "lack" of endurance is tied to how hard you're pushing the pace.

 

[wraith5]

Another question for the masses. I have a 70 oz. Camelback and really think for the summer, I need more liquid out on the road. Has anyone ever taken a bigger bladder and tried putting it into another pack. I want to try and get a 100 oz bladder and put it in the pack that I have. Will this work? Anyone have any experience doing this before?

I've got a handful of Camelbaks, but I've never switched the bladders from one to another. Looking at the 70oz running models, I'm not sure they will allow much more volume than 70oz, but if the bladder fits inside the pack you may be able to pull it off (looking at the Octane, I'm guessing it might not fit). The model I've used for longer runs in the past is the "Lobo," which isn't exactly sleek, but holds 100oz. When I finally switch to marathon mode after these next 2 races, that's the pack I'll be busting out for my long runs.

 

[El Floppo]

Silver lining of our fire... our new, temp home for the next few months is only a few blocks from my original tri-buddy and more importantly, Central Park for running and biking. Now I just have to find my gear buried in our storage space somewhere. Might finally be my excuse/reason for getting back into things.

 

[Darrinll40]

Silver lining of our fire... our new, temp home for the next few months is only a few blocks from my original tri-buddy and more importantly, Central Park for running and biking. Now I just have to find my gear buried in our storage space somewhere. Might finally be my excuse/reason for getting back into things.

I was very sorry to hear about what happened, and you and your family have been in my thoughts ever since. You may as well use the silver lining and get back into it, I know your advice and other posts will be more than welcome here.

 

[BassNBrew]

Silver lining of our fire... our new, temp home for the next few months is only a few blocks from my original tri-buddy and more importantly, Central Park for running and biking. Now I just have to find my gear buried in our storage space somewhere. Might finally be my excuse/reason for getting back into things.

 

[Third]

So this seems to be evolving into a very "tri-heavy" thread...you guys are animals.

I've seen some improvement in my strength and speed in the past month thanks (I think) in part to the hill repeats I've added to my routine once a week. I've started with a 2-mile warm-up, and then head to the hill. I have a hill on my street that is about a 15 degree incline, probably 250 yards. I'm running them hard, probably about 85% effort, and then slowly jogging to the bottom and repeat. It ends up being about 40 seconds up the hill, 90 seconds down, no rest. Started with 5 repeats and am up to 7 now, with a mile cool-down. I'm really feeling stronger on the hills in my regular runs.

Gearing up for a nighttime 5K this Saturday.

 

[wraith5]

Silver lining of our fire... our new, temp home for the next few months is only a few blocks from my original tri-buddy and more importantly, Central Park for running and biking. Now I just have to find my gear buried in our storage space somewhere. Might finally be my excuse/reason for getting back into things.

I was very sorry to hear about what happened, and you and your family have been in my thoughts ever since. You may as well use the silver lining and get back into it, I know your advice and other posts will be more than welcome here.

I have these visions of you spraying down your patio furniture with the Towering Inferno going on somewhere above your head. Absolutely insane.

 

[Darrinll40]

So this seems to be evolving into a very "tri-heavy" thread...you guys are animals.I've seen some improvement in my strength and speed in the past month thanks (I think) in part to the hill repeats I've added to my routine once a week. I've started with a 2-mile warm-up, and then head to the hill. I have a hill on my street that is about a 15 degree incline, probably 250 yards. I'm running them hard, probably about 85% effort, and then slowly jogging to the bottom and repeat. It ends up being about 40 seconds up the hill, 90 seconds down, no rest. Started with 5 repeats and am up to 7 now, with a mile cool-down. I'm really feeling stronger on the hills in my regular runs.Gearing up for a nighttime 5K this Saturday.

I think it is mostly a summer thing, I want to see them do a tri in Chicago in December. That would be fun to watch.

 

[The_Man]

The_Man - nice job on the Sat run. For a while there I was thinking we were pretty close on our running, but I don't have that kind of speed anymore. Back in May I was close, but it's all gone now. Congrats on how well you've come back! What was your speed on the Sunday run? I'm wondering if your perceived "lack" of endurance is tied to how hard you're pushing the pace.

El Floppo, welcome back!Ivan, I'm doing the Marine Corps Marathon on Halloween.Wraith, you're one of the guys I was thinking of when I said I needed to step up my running if I was only doing one sport, compared to three. Our running is just about the same, but your swimming is incredible. I did go tubing with my kids yesterday, which was my first water workout since the beach last summer.Speed on Sunday run was 9:23 per mile on my hill course. I really blame the heat more than anything. My average HR was decent - 144. Two weeks ago I ran the exact same 9-mile route and also averaged a 144 HR, but my pace was 8:49. Pretty good indicator of how running in these kinds of conditions affects your performance. I could have run the last 2 miles if I had really wanted to, but just opted on the side of getting out of the heat.

 

[wraith5]

So this seems to be evolving into a very "tri-heavy" thread...you guys are animals.I've seen some improvement in my strength and speed in the past month thanks (I think) in part to the hill repeats I've added to my routine once a week. I've started with a 2-mile warm-up, and then head to the hill. I have a hill on my street that is about a 15 degree incline, probably 250 yards. I'm running them hard, probably about 85% effort, and then slowly jogging to the bottom and repeat. It ends up being about 40 seconds up the hill, 90 seconds down, no rest. Started with 5 repeats and am up to 7 now, with a mile cool-down. I'm really feeling stronger on the hills in my regular runs.Gearing up for a nighttime 5K this Saturday.

I think it is mostly a summer thing, I want to see them do a tri in Chicago in December. That would be fun to watch.

As long as it's indoors, it won't be a problem at all. I hope all the tri talk isn't discouraging pure runners from joining into the discussion. I'd like to think we've just broadened the scope of the thread as opposed to really changing the focus.

 

[Darrinll40]

So this seems to be evolving into a very "tri-heavy" thread...you guys are animals.I've seen some improvement in my strength and speed in the past month thanks (I think) in part to the hill repeats I've added to my routine once a week. I've started with a 2-mile warm-up, and then head to the hill. I have a hill on my street that is about a 15 degree incline, probably 250 yards. I'm running them hard, probably about 85% effort, and then slowly jogging to the bottom and repeat. It ends up being about 40 seconds up the hill, 90 seconds down, no rest. Started with 5 repeats and am up to 7 now, with a mile cool-down. I'm really feeling stronger on the hills in my regular runs.Gearing up for a nighttime 5K this Saturday.

I think it is mostly a summer thing, I want to see them do a tri in Chicago in December. That would be fun to watch.

As long as it's indoors, it won't be a problem at all. :( I hope all the tri talk isn't discouraging pure runners from joining into the discussion. I'd like to think we've just broadened the scope of the thread as opposed to really changing the focus.

You would have to hold the whole tri inside. Swim 100 laps, get on a stationary bike for 20 miles, then run 25 laps around a quarter mile track. I wonder if they would count the time you are standing around waiting for one of the 30 bikes to open up.

 

[pmbrown_22]

The_Man - nice job on the Sat run. For a while there I was thinking we were pretty close on our running, but I don't have that kind of speed anymore. Back in May I was close, but it's all gone now. Congrats on how well you've come back!

What was your speed on the Sunday run? I'm wondering if your perceived "lack" of endurance is tied to how hard you're pushing the pace.

El Floppo, welcome back!Ivan, I'm doing the Marine Corps Marathon on Halloween.

Wraith, you're one of the guys I was thinking of when I said I needed to step up my running if I was only doing one sport, compared to three. Our running is just about the same, but your swimming is incredible. I did go tubing with my kids yesterday, which was my first water workout since the beach last summer.

Speed on Sunday run was 9:23 per mile on my hill course. I really blame the heat more than anything. My average HR was decent - 144. Two weeks ago I ran the exact same 9-mile route and also averaged a 144 HR, but my pace was 8:49. Pretty good indicator of how running in these kinds of conditions affects your performance. I could have run the last 2 miles if I had really wanted to, but just opted on the side of getting out of the heat.

That is great. I had similar experience on Sunday where I went swimming with my kids as well. I was going to come and brag how I got in my first combine workout. Have to keep up with all the three discipline stars out there. You guys are amazing in what workouts you can do.

 

[2Young2BBald]

So this seems to be evolving into a very "tri-heavy" thread...you guys are animals.I've seen some improvement in my strength and speed in the past month thanks (I think) in part to the hill repeats I've added to my routine once a week. I've started with a 2-mile warm-up, and then head to the hill. I have a hill on my street that is about a 15 degree incline, probably 250 yards. I'm running them hard, probably about 85% effort, and then slowly jogging to the bottom and repeat. It ends up being about 40 seconds up the hill, 90 seconds down, no rest. Started with 5 repeats and am up to 7 now, with a mile cool-down. I'm really feeling stronger on the hills in my regular runs.Gearing up for a nighttime 5K this Saturday.

I think it is mostly a summer thing, I want to see them do a tri in Chicago in December. That would be fun to watch.

As long as it's indoors, it won't be a problem at all. I hope all the tri talk isn't discouraging pure runners from joining into the discussion. I'd like to think we've just broadened the scope of the thread as opposed to really changing the focus.

You would have to hold the whole tri inside. Swim 100 laps, get on a stationary bike for 20 miles, then run 25 laps around a quarter mile track. I wonder if they would count the time you are standing around waiting for one of the 30 bikes to open up.

They already exist. I did a Lifetime Fitness event last December. Everyone did 10 minutes swimming, 10 minute transition, 30 minute spin bike, 5 minute transition & a 20 minute treadmill run. You are scored points according to how much distance you covered in each, against the other racers. If you were the best runner out of 30 men, you received 30 points. Most total points wins. As I recall, they had an over 40 & under 40 division. It was fun stuff & I'll be looking to do a few this winter.

 

[Darrinll40]

So this seems to be evolving into a very "tri-heavy" thread...you guys are animals.I've seen some improvement in my strength and speed in the past month thanks (I think) in part to the hill repeats I've added to my routine once a week. I've started with a 2-mile warm-up, and then head to the hill. I have a hill on my street that is about a 15 degree incline, probably 250 yards. I'm running them hard, probably about 85% effort, and then slowly jogging to the bottom and repeat. It ends up being about 40 seconds up the hill, 90 seconds down, no rest. Started with 5 repeats and am up to 7 now, with a mile cool-down. I'm really feeling stronger on the hills in my regular runs.Gearing up for a nighttime 5K this Saturday.

I think it is mostly a summer thing, I want to see them do a tri in Chicago in December. That would be fun to watch.

As long as it's indoors, it won't be a problem at all. I hope all the tri talk isn't discouraging pure runners from joining into the discussion. I'd like to think we've just broadened the scope of the thread as opposed to really changing the focus.

You would have to hold the whole tri inside. Swim 100 laps, get on a stationary bike for 20 miles, then run 25 laps around a quarter mile track. I wonder if they would count the time you are standing around waiting for one of the 30 bikes to open up.

They already exist. I did a Lifetime Fitness event last December. Everyone did 10 minutes swimming, 10 minute transition, 30 minute spin bike, 5 minute transition & a 20 minute treadmill run. You are scored points according to how much distance you covered in each, against the other racers. If you were the best runner out of 30 men, you received 30 points. Most total points wins. As I recall, they had an over 40 & under 40 division. It was fun stuff & I'll be looking to do a few this winter.

Amazing. I think I will stick with running and biking.

 

[SFBayDuck]

Silver lining of our fire... our new, temp home for the next few months is only a few blocks from my original tri-buddy and more importantly, Central Park for running and biking. Now I just have to find my gear buried in our storage space somewhere. Might finally be my excuse/reason for getting back into things.

Thought you were going to say the silver lining was that you were moving back to Marin.

I've seen some improvement in my strength and speed in the past month thanks (I think) in part to the hill repeats I've added to my routine once a week. I've started with a 2-mile warm-up, and then head to the hill. I have a hill on my street that is about a 15 degree incline, probably 250 yards. I'm running them hard, probably about 85% effort, and then slowly jogging to the bottom and repeat. It ends up being about 40 seconds up the hill, 90 seconds down, no rest. Started with 5 repeats and am up to 7 now, with a mile cool-down. I'm really feeling stronger on the hills in my regular runs.

Soon as I get my ITB back under control, this is being added into my routine. I do a lot of hilly trail courses in both my short and especially my long runs, but don't actually run hills very often. I need to get stronger there, and while out there for four hours on Saturday I was thinking that I've been meaning to start incorporating hill repeats into my training, and I need to stop putting it off.Now if I can just get this ITB back in shape. Still really sore today, 2 days later. Bought a foam roller yesterday and used that last night for awhile, damn that hurts. Also have been icing 2-3 times a day, and bought one of those velcro straps that goes above the knee with some extra padding that goes right over the ITB for compression/keep it from moving around as much. I'll see my PT on Wednesday, see if there's anything else I should be doing, and probably get an ultrasound treatment while I'm there. Sounds like weak hip flexors is a contributing factor, so I need to get my rubber band back out and do my exercises again. Frustrating to get hurt my first race back, trying not to get too down about it and hope it's a short term setback that doesn't affect my 50k plans for this fall.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Darrin -- Our Wellness Center sponsors an indoor tri that's structured almost exactly like what 2Y2BB described. They have to stagger starts for the pool swim anyway, and there are enough spinning bikes and treadmills that there's no shortage.

[My wife and son are out of town for a couple of days, leaving me alone with my 8 year old daughter. Originally the plan for yesterday was to take her with me to the campus Wellness Center during open swim, so she can swim while I do a 9-miler on the treadmill. I've been trying to avoid the TM as much as possible this summer, but I'm very reluctant to leave her at home alone for that long, plus TNT was doing a Lord of the Rings marathon so at least there was something good on tv. Unfortunately, we found out that the pool is closed on weekends during the summer -- after we got there of course -- so I ended up doing a quick 5 by my house instead. Hopefully I can get my 9 in late this afternoon after my wife gets back.

So immediately after posting this, I thought to myself "You know you're not going to want to go out for a hard 9 miles at 3:00. Why not just go ahead and do it now while you're in the mood?" I live on a 1/3-mile gravel loop, so I decided just to run around it 27 times. This figured to work out pretty well, since my daughter can see me from her window. And I was going to stop for water a couple of times anyway, so I'd be able to check in on her.Now, I've lived in this house for a little over 11 years. You might think that since I live on what is essentially a track, I'd have done this before, but you would be wrong. As I learned, running on this loop is not all it's cracked up to be. First of all, the southern ends of the loop plug into a state highway. There's not a giganitic amount of traffic, but there is some, so I don't want to wear my mp3 player. This means that running my little loop combines the repetitiveness of running on track with the tedium of no music. In addition, by mid-morning the trees around the loop provide absolutely no barrier from the sun. Plus there's a 15-20 mph wind out of the south, so I get to experience that every lap. And finally, I get to make a couple of unscheduled stops to pick a rock out of my shoe. Other than that, it's ideal.Anyway, I'm aiming for an 8:30-8:40 pace, which is a good pace for me, but a little-b#### pace for most of you. To relieve the boredom, after a couple of miles I decided do the ~80m sections on the north and south ends hard, aiming for sub-8:00 strides. I didn't always hit those, but at least it broke up the monotony a little. Despite turning in the first mile at a wretched 9:05, I was able to finish with an overall 8:35 average pace, right what I was hoping for.This leaves me with a SDO tomorrow, a 5-miler on Wednesday, another SDO, and 19 on Friday.

 

[FUBAR]

Thanks all, photos aren't available yet, we'll see what they get.

Looks like I finished 8th in the age group, out of 19. 44th male out of 101.

 

[Darrinll40]

I just talked to a guy at a LBS and they sell KHS brand bikes.

For the price range I gave him he suggested Flite 220 and 250, though he does have a bike he made for a similar price. I am going to see him and the bikes on Friday, so any input from you guys would be valued.

 

[Darrinll40]

Darrin -- Our Wellness Center sponsors an indoor tri that's structured almost exactly like what 2Y2BB described. They have to stagger starts for the pool swim anyway, and there are enough spinning bikes and treadmills that there's no shortage.

That will teach me to attempt to mock tri events.

 

[Sand]

I just talked to a guy at a LBS and they sell KHS brand bikes.

For the price range I gave him he suggested Flite 220 and 250, though he does have a bike he made for a similar price. I am going to see him and the bikes on Friday, so any input from you guys would be valued.

Have a look, but I have no idea what the "Microshift" components are. I'd want either SRAM or Shimano (the two big brands). You'd never be able to find parts for whatever that is.If you are stepping up to a $600 bike, I'd rather see you get something like this. The 56 should fit pretty good from what I see. Pigskin and BnB can probably offer good suggestions, as well.

 

[Darrinll40]

I just talked to a guy at a LBS and they sell KHS brand bikes.

For the price range I gave him he suggested Flite 220 and 250, though he does have a bike he made for a similar price. I am going to see him and the bikes on Friday, so any input from you guys would be valued.

Have a look, but I have no idea what the "Microshift" components are. I'd want either SRAM or Shimano (the two big brands). You'd never be able to find parts for whatever that is.If you are stepping up to a $600 bike, I'd rather see you get something like this. The 56 should fit pretty good from what I see. Pigskin and BnB can probably offer good suggestions, as well.

Another LBS suggested the Trek FX 7.1.

If I can find a good one I would like to get it from a shop for service purposes. But nothing is written in stone, not even purchasing one.

 

[Sand]

I just talked to a guy at a LBS and they sell KHS brand bikes.

For the price range I gave him he suggested Flite 220 and 250, though he does have a bike he made for a similar price. I am going to see him and the bikes on Friday, so any input from you guys would be valued.

Have a look, but I have no idea what the "Microshift" components are. I'd want either SRAM or Shimano (the two big brands). You'd never be able to find parts for whatever that is.If you are stepping up to a $600 bike, I'd rather see you get something like this. The 56 should fit pretty good from what I see. Pigskin and BnB can probably offer good suggestions, as well.

Another LBS suggested the Trek FX 7.1.

If I can find a good one I would like to get it from a shop for service purposes. But nothing is written in stone, not even purchasing one.

If you are looking for a hybrid there is nothing wrong with going that way. I'd rather that one than the KHS hybrid due to the standardized componentry.----

On my end I have been trying to ramp up to get ready for a tri August 14th. Yesterday was my 16th straight day of either swimming, biking, or running. Last week I topped out at 21 run miles, 116 bike miles, and 6000yds swimming. Slacking on the swimming. My penance is 3,000yds today - no running today due to that brutal 63 mile ride yesterday. Still, a good run of training that I plan on keeping rolling until taper time.

So the question is on the bike leg of the tri (16 miles, pretty darn flat) do I go for 23.53 mph?

 

[Darrinll40]

Have a look, but I have no idea what the "Microshift" components are. I'd want either SRAM or Shimano (the two big brands). You'd never be able to find parts for whatever that is.

If you are stepping up to a $600 bike, I'd rather see you get something like this. The 56 should fit pretty good from what I see. Pigskin and BnB can probably offer good suggestions, as well.

Is the differnce between the Nouvo 2010 and the Acele 2010 worth 130 dollars?

I am not trying to be cheap. I just don't understand the difference. Pretend I voted for George Bush's second term and explain it to me.

 

[Darrinll40]

So the question is on the bike do I go for 23.53 mph?

Dare to dream of 23.54 mph?

 

[Darrinll40]

If everyone posting in the thread today would just give me a 1000 dollars I could get this.

 

[Darrinll40]

So what exactly do those tri bars do for you? And if they are on my bike and I don't do tris can I be arrested by the tri-police?

I ask because I can afford this.

 

[El Floppo]

So what exactly do those tri bars do for you? And if they are on my bike and I don't do tris can I be arrested by the tri-police?

I ask because I can afford this.

The bars put you in an aerodynmic position for doing time-trial racing/riding. If you're not doing tris or timetrials, there is no reason to get them.