ShawnTX Member

A little late responding, but figured I would put it out there if anybody else is looking. I don't disagree with any of the statements above, but sometimes you just don't have the money to pony up for a good trainer. That was me when I first got started. I got the "Max Racer" made by "RAD" off of Amazon for about $80. It…

For me, the "A" races are IM Texas 70.3, IM Boulder 140.6, and IM Wisconsin 70.3. Boulder is my first full distance IM so that is really goal enough for me this year, but I am also hoping to take some significant time off of my 70.3 PR. My main goal is to be in a position at the end of the year to make a well informed…

I'm somewhat of a Garmin guru too and am a technology administrator so I might be able to help too but yes, please post the question. Don't worry, you won't sound stupid. There has been no shortage of people that have trouble with the learning curve on the higher end Garmin devices. They are amazing, but with that comes a…

I live on a custom blend of Infinite nutrition on long courses. Gives me everything I need (hydration and caloric) without me leaving anything to guesswork. Took me a year, and a couple of different formulations, before I got it dialed in just right. I should mention that I am on a ketogenic diet as well though which…

Sir Mighty Unicorn??? Haven't named mine, but might have to now lest I be left with that one! :smiley:

Same strategy here. Much easier to sell all the training hours to the girlfriend and family if it is wrapped around, "Hey, I'm taking you all to Cozumel!"

Awesome! War wounds! Glad to hear you are on the mend.

Thanks everyone for the input on the Challenge races. I'll have to keep them in mind as I look to set my 2016 schedule. 2015 is all short course from here on out. It is looking like Ironman 140.6 Cozumel is going to be on the 2016 schedule. Might be my first full, unless I get crazy and schedule something else before then.…

So sorry to hear that report! So far, I have been lucky and have never crashed, not even in training. Can't imagine the disappointment after so much prep. Hope the injuries are only superficial. You'll be back after it soon I'm sure! :smile:

I see a number of you doing the "Challenge" family of races. They don't have any down here near where I am at, but I am interested in hearing more about them as potential destination races. If you have been in one of these races, was it a good experience? How does it compare to IM branded races?

That's exactly what I did this past winter before I got my power meter. I can attest to the fact that it worked wonderfully. Got much stronger on the bike. The accuracy of the estimated power number (as compared to a traditional power meter) doesn't really matter. It is just a relative number for you to gauge how hard you…

Yeah, I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on that exact combo. Have been wanting to try out Qrings and shorter cranks since they have been creating a lot of buzz. Seems like it might hold some potential for me. My current setup is FSA rings w/FSA carbon cranks (175mm). I like the longer cranks on flats (worked great on the…

So awesome seeing everybody's schedule. Now I don't feel like the only race addict on earth! Here's what my season looks like at the moment: On the Schedule or Completed 03/29 - Historic McKinney - Sprint Tri 04/26 - IM 70.3 Galveston (Working on the race report) 05/16 - Cooper Fitness - Sprint Tri 06/07 - PlayTri Festival…

Great links @scott091501 I especially like this paragraph: "So you may ask, why did I train these guys to push higher cadences but at the same time have other pro athletes and most of my age group athletes going down the road in cadences between 66 and 74? Because what works for the individual is what is right."…

Don't be afraid of having to take a break during the race. Never view your first one as a "race" anyway. I still don't after 6 sprints. I am not at a level yet where I can compete for the podium so I just gauge my performance vs. my previous races and am happy if I am making progress. This is the race where you will…

Thanks for posting that @scott011501. Makes sense. Longer blocks for endurance and shorter for speed. I know I have to be very careful when working speed as it is by far the most likely time for me to develop a nagging injury. Knock on wood I have always known better and scaled back to allow some healing to take place.…

Don't overdo it though. People often put too much emphasis on cadence (both running and on the bike), then sacrifice good form to increase cadence, and end up injured. You are not a pro athlete, so you should not expect to have pro numbers. It is just part of the overall picture. For some, cadence might be an indicator of…

I don't believe you can train as efficiently when trying to push endurance and speed goals at the same time. It is like training in Z3-Z4, a gray zone. Sure you will get results, but not as good. I planned this season with a HIM on the front end (4/26) and all sprint/Oly's for the remainder of the year as I really want to…

I went a little overboard on this, but was happy with the results. I have premium memberships on BT and Training Peaks. TP is where I really keep track of my training progress. I took the basic HIM plan on BT and switched things around a bit to work with my schedule. Was easy to drag and drop things around, but not sure if…

You can determine a baseline run cadence by counting how many times your left (or right) foot hits the ground for a minute during a run. If you count 80, then your cadence is 160. This is really only informational though and not realistic to do continuously. A foot pod is the only real way to get good accurate data over…

New bike!!! Ready for the upcoming season! Have it fit and a couple of training rides in and this thing feels like a rocket! Cervelo P3 SL (Aluminum) Full Dura Ace drivetrain Mavic OpenPro Rims Continental Grand Prix 4000 wheels Vision cockpit Stock Cervelo seat FSA carbon cranks Carbon seat post Carbon forks CycleOps…

Sorry for the delayed response. Had a death in the family that has had me slammed this month. As for your question, it really starts on the road in my opinion. When riding on the road or in a race, ideally you would like to be in the 90-100 rpm cadence, but that is really a pro number and assumes you have a run cadence of…

Have seen a lot of really good videos for free on YouTube. I like watching Ironman Kona replays there too. Netflix and Amazon Prime are great too. I guess you just have to experiment and find what works for you. Those long Z2 rides can be a grind! :smile:

Yes, you will need those, but they are extremely valuable to your training. I picked up both as a package deal on Amazon. They run between $60-70 for the pair. Ideally, everyone would love to have a power meter, but they are still pretty expensive. For $70 + $10/mos. you can train a lot smarter and get estimated power on…

Trainer Road is only $10/month. Of the two, I view it as a more valuable training tool because of the metrics you get and the structured workouts. It is nice that it also can be overlaid over any video you might want to play (including Sufferfest). I tried both and ended up ditching the Sufferfest as it just wasn't for me.…

Couldn't have said it better. Have never heard it quite so succinctly. I'm stealing that! :smile:

Second for Infinite. I use a custom race blend and also their Recovery. Great stuff!

What that guy was talking about might be true for a competitive swimmer. If you were swimming a sprint, you might only breath every 6-8 strokes or more. As a triathlete, what you were doing is great. Even a lot of elites breathe every 3rd stroke for bilateral breathing. Some may do more, but there is nothing wrong with…

I have never seen those before. I'll have to look into them.

Love the bike. I am on a low entry level road bike with aero bars. I will be looking to upgrade for the upcoming season. I love Cervelos! They just look cool!