Question:

I am unclear on if she was only admitting to taking steroids since she had switched to bobsled or if she admits to taking them at the time of her disputed positive as a runner.  It sounds like the former from the article.

Based on the local coverage here in Finland (and we are very objective about our neighbors in Sweden ) I would guess that she admits taking them now and ‘anyone can think anything they want’ (her own words) about the mid 90’s incident – which is just short of saying I did it then too. However – the way LE came out and admitted everything does set a good example for all found guilty of doping. There have been so many ridicilous court room battles over doping cases (you are free to contemplate where, sufficies to say that in my country too) that in her darkest hour she did shed some light too. Jarno

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Athletics-Engquist admits taking banned substances STOCKHOLM, Nov 4 (Reuters) – Former 100-metre hurdles world and Olympic champion Ludmila Engquist admitted on Swedish national television on Sunday to having recently used banned steroids. The 37-year-old, who after she quit running in 1999 switched to competing nationally in two-man bobsleigh, said: “I have taken forbidden substances. It was incredibly stupid. It hasn’t helped at all, it’s only made things worse.” More…from Yahoo at: http://sports.yahoo.com/m/sa/news/reuters/20011104/reu-engquist.html Ken Ken Parker Runner’s Web <http://www.runnersweb.com A running and Triathlon Resource Portal

Cool.  Not that she took the banned substances, but that she simply ‘fessed up and said "I did it."  No excuses. dave

Response:

I am unclear on if she was only admitting to taking steroids since she had switched to bobsled or if she admits to taking them at the time of her disputed positive as a runner.  It sounds like the former from the article.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Athletics-Engquist admits taking banned substances STOCKHOLM, Nov 4 (Reuters) – Former 100-metre hurdles world and Olympic champion Ludmila Engquist admitted on Swedish national television on Sunday to having recently used banned steroids. The 37-year-old, who after she quit running in 1999 switched to competing nationally in two-man bobsleigh, said: “I have taken forbidden substances. It was incredibly stupid. It hasn’t helped at all, it’s only made things worse.” More…from Yahoo at: http://sports.yahoo.com/m/sa/news/reuters/20011104/reu-engquist.html Ken Ken Parker Runner’s Web <http://www.runnersweb.com A running and Triathlon Resource Portal

Response:

Athletics-Engquist admits taking banned substances STOCKHOLM, Nov 4 (Reuters) – Former 100-metre hurdles world and Olympic champion Ludmila Engquist admitted on Swedish national television on Sunday to having recently used banned steroids. The 37-year-old, who after she quit running in 1999 switched to competing nationally in two-man bobsleigh, said: “I have taken forbidden substances. It was incredibly stupid. It hasn’t helped at all, it’s only made things worse.” More…from Yahoo at: http://sports.yahoo.com/m/sa/news/reuters/20011104/reu-engquist.html Ken Ken Parker Runner’s Web <http://www.runnersweb.com A running and Triathlon Resource Portal

Response:

Question:

as soon as i saw the post with the zipper complaint (and ones to follow) i thought that it could be fixed by a small piece of cloth, and then i read emilio’s post proposing just that.    i was surprised, however, that it seemed to be a staple-like item the zipper manufacturer added (put in a lot of 100 suits out of 40,000, i believe).   my experience with this sort of thing in other clothing has been that the irritation came from a heat-searing of the plastic end of a zipper so it wouldn’t ravel.   the remedy was the same: just cover it.     the other posts backing desoto quality and service say the same things i’d say.   they’re tops, which is why i buy them.   peggy mcd-c

Response:

[snip] here’s the bummer of it, that for de soto, for me when i was building QRs, and for others, YKK is the only zipper maker you can use.  nobody else makes a decent zipper.  every now and then, once in 4 or 5 years on average, YKK makes a boo boo.  they build a bad batch of sliders, or teeth, whatever.  nobody has the time to stress-test every piece of raw material pre-production.  you just use them.  then you have a problem like emilio’s skinsuit. emilio will show good faith with his customers, like he always does, and that’ll be the end of it.  he’s still the best tri-clothing maker out there. oh, and peggy, i did a taste test this week:  braeburn, pink lady, cameo, macintosh.  it was a pink-lady/cameo tie. slowman

Response:

Ah, something *really* important!  What about Fujis?(are they really different than Braeburns, though?) If you lived around here(Chicago) I’d also have you try local Cortlands-very tart, lots of crunch. Scott "don’t get me started on grapefruit" Hoffman — You got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there. — Yogi Berra Before you buy.

Response:

Emilio makes great triathlon clothing, period.  But, the best part of his business, and he did mention this, is the customer service.  He offered to customize a skinsuit for me earlier this year.  Nice guy and great business man, and excellent triathlete. I would think that another solution is to place the zipper on the back like a wetsuit. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – [snip] here’s the bummer of it, that for de soto, for me when i was building QRs, and for others, YKK is the only zipper maker you can use. nobody else makes a decent zipper.  every now and then, once in 4 or 5 years on average, YKK makes a boo boo.  they build a bad batch of sliders, or teeth, whatever.  nobody has the time to stress-test every piece of raw material pre-production.  you just use them.  then you have a problem like emilio’s skinsuit. emilio will show good faith with his customers, like he always does, and that’ll be the end of it.  he’s still the best tri-clothing maker out there. oh, and peggy, i did a taste test this week:  braeburn, pink lady, cameo, macintosh.  it was a pink-lady/cameo tie. slowman

Before you buy.

Response:

Ah, something *really* important!  What about Fujis?(are they really different than Braeburns, though?) If you lived around here(Chicago) I’d also have you try local Cortlands-very tart, lots of crunch.

fujis are good — a poor man’s pink lady.  i was on a long ride in the eastern part of san diego county about two weeks ago and i stopped at an organic fruit stand.  they had a lot of little fujis and i bought a bag of them and started chomping.  these being organic, they weren’t sprayed, and so a little protein buried itself into my carbohydrates.   this added crunchiness to an already crunchy apple, and no doubt aided my muscle recovery. i’m not familiar with the cortland.  i favor crunch, and high juice content, but i’m not a fan of tartness.  but i’ll reserve judgement pending an actual test. slowman

Response:

Just a little apple recommendation:  for lots of juice and good crunch try the Macintosh.  Most cider in the Northeast is made from them. Before you buy.

Response:

As long as we’re on this apple thing, I want to cast a vote for Winesaps. Loads of crunch (downright hard!) with real apple flavor and aroma, not just sweetness. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Just a little apple recommendation:  for lots of juice and good crunch try the Macintosh.  Most cider in the Northeast is made from them. Before you buy.

Response:

You kids and your sweet tooths.  Get a Granny Smith, BEFORE it’s ripe. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – As long as we’re on this apple thing, I want to cast a vote for Winesaps. Loads of crunch (downright hard!) with real apple flavor and aroma, not just sweetness. Just a little apple recommendation:  for lots of juice and good crunch try the Macintosh.  Most cider in the Northeast is made from them. Before you buy.

Response:

You kids and your sweet tooths.  Get a Granny Smith, BEFORE it’s ripe.

sweet tooths.  is that right?  sweet teeth, otoh, doesn’t sound right.   we need the grammer police to come to the rescue. slowman

Response:

Question:

A female friend is going to live in Sydney for 6 months and would like to know if there are any running clubs in the city. Does anyone have any links or information? Thanks Chris.

Response:

Try this: http://www.sydneystriders.org.au/index.shtml. Ken A female friend is going to live in Sydney for 6 months and would like to know if there are any running clubs in the city. Does anyone have any links or information? Thanks Chris.

Ken Parker Runner’s Web http://www.runnersweb.com/running.html A running and triathlon resource site

Response:

My brother-in-law would never forgive me if I didn’t give his club a plug as he builds their web site as well. the address is: http://www.accsoft.com.au/~miller/bushrunners.htm Stew Church

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Try this: http://www.sydneystriders.org.au/index.shtml. Ken A female friend is going to live in Sydney for 6 months and would like to know if there are any running clubs in the city. Does anyone have any links or information? Thanks Chris. Ken Parker Runner’s Web http://www.runnersweb.com/running.html A running and triathlon resource site

Response:

Question:

I’m looking for some help to prepare my first Ironman. I raced since 1993 in the OD and last year I did my first LD triathlon. I training about 20-25 hours/week. As duathlete I took part to many Powerman races. Anyone can give me some suggestion, or tell me where, in the web, can I find something interesting about? Thanks! www.paolalenzi.com * Sent from AltaVista http://www.altavista.com Where you can also find related Web Pages, Images, Audios, Videos, News, and Shopping.  Smart is Beautiful

Response:

I would suggest the FAQ as your first location.  Go to www.deja.com and do a powersearch for the FAQ in rec.sport.triathlon A good book to buy is Serious Training For Endurance Athletes, By Sleamaker & Browning.  It is available at www.amazon.com If you have specific questions then you can post here.  The people on the list are quite friendly. Good luck, gordo

Response:

I’m looking for some help to prepare my first Ironman. I raced since 1993 in the OD and last year I did my first LD triathlon. I training about 20-25 hours/week. As duathlete I took part to many Powerman races. Anyone can give me some suggestion, or tell me where, in the web, can I find something interesting about? Thanks!

Check out the following website: http://members.spree.com/supercoach/ Good luck!  If you’re already training 20-25 hours a week, I’d be careful about burning out.  I think my max week ever was 20 hours! TriBaby                                     _                                   –    o      ’             –  __o       –    </_  `     ‘         –    <         – __/    /o_         – (()) (())        -  / "Real triathletes don’t draft." http://www.stanford.edu/~brooksie *New to triathlon?  Check out Hulaman’s Simple TriTips:  http://www.hulaman.com/triathlon/tritips.html    

Response:

Question:

Anyone know of a triathlon in the St. Louis, MO area or Southern Illinois area during July?

What distance?  The South County YMCA triathlon is Jully 11.  It’s a 1/4 mile swim, 13mile bike, 3 mile run.  Contact is Kevin Schwartz at (314) 849-9622. Ray

Response:

Try South County YMCA.  They have a 500yd/12m/3m sprint in early July. Early August, Woodriver, IL (close to St. Louis) has a 500yd/12m/4m Tri. Babler State Park, Babler Beast 500yd/12m/3m sprint mid July.  September (Labor Day weekend) Lake St. Louis Tri 1/2m/20m/5m jjm – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anyone know of a triathlon in the St. Louis, MO area or Southern Illinois area during July?

Response:

Anyone know of a triathlon in the St. Louis, MO area or Southern Illinois area during July?  

Response:

Anyone know of a triathlon in the St. Louis, MO area or Southern Illinois area during July?

Afraid I can’t help you there, but do you know of anyone in the area who needs a tri bike?  I have one for sale.  Please email me if you do.

Response:

Question:

What is the location of the breakfast? The Kona Ranch House, 75-5653 Ololi Street.

Don’t know who I should be sending this RSVP to. Count me in for the breakfast, also my roommate please. He’s a non RSTer but, I’ll let him sit with us. Kona Ken

Response:

Due to a conflict with the women’s masters breakfast the same morning, I’m changing the RST breakfast to Wednesday morning – 9am. Please R.S.V.P. by Wednesday if you plan to attend. I need to confirm our reservation before I leave town. Thanks, Meika

Response:

: Due to a conflict with the women’s masters breakfast the same morning, : I’m changing the RST breakfast to Wednesday morning – 9am. Please : R.S.V.P. by Wednesday if you plan to attend. I need to confirm our : reservation before I leave town. This is Kona, right?  Ack, I don’t arrive until Wednesday evening  :( Jason — Jason Mayfield, Arlington VA Persist, Persevere, Deny, Pursue, Pain, Survive, Ignore, Endure, Strive, Laugh, Cry, Live, Prevail, Scream, Sweat, Bleed, Sustain, Learn, Ascend, Give, Get, GO!  342 Days Until Ironman Canada ‘99

Response:

I arrive at 11:00 am…..too late for breakfast Hey Jason, where are you staying? Lynne – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -: Due to a conflict with the women’s masters breakfast the same morning, : I’m changing the RST breakfast to Wednesday morning – 9am. Please : R.S.V.P. by Wednesday if you plan to attend. I need to confirm our : reservation before I leave town. This is Kona, right?  Ack, I don’t arrive until Wednesday evening  :( Jason

Response:

What is the location of the breakfast? Thanks Keith — Ironman Triathlon Wetsuits Website: www.ironmanwetsuits.com toll free order line: 800-897-6464 international calls: 804-288-6000 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Due to a conflict with the women’s masters breakfast the same morning, I’m changing the RST breakfast to Wednesday morning – 9am. Please R.S.V.P. by Wednesday if you plan to attend. I need to confirm our reservation before I leave town. Thanks, Meika

Response:

: Hey Jason, where are you staying? I’ll be at the King Kam, which will therefor by default be party central I just got back from the ticket office, and have plane tickets in hand! Let the party begin! Aloha, Jason — Jason Mayfield, Arlington VA Persist, Persevere, Deny, Pursue, Pain, Survive, Ignore, Endure, Strive, Laugh, Cry, Live, Prevail, Scream, Sweat, Bleed, Sustain, Learn, Ascend, Give, Get, GO!  342 Days Until Ironman Canada ‘99

Response:

What is the location of the breakfast?

The Kona Ranch House, 75-5653 Ololi Street.

Response:

Wohoo, Party! King Kam it is!  Name the time for the festivities to begin! this race, I’m not hiding out in my hotel room for race prep! Laura – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – : Hey Jason, where are you staying? I’ll be at the King Kam, which will therefor by default be party central I just got back from the ticket office, and have plane tickets in hand! Let the party begin! Aloha, Jason — Jason Mayfield, Arlington VA Persist, Persevere, Deny, Pursue, Pain, Survive, Ignore, Endure, Strive, Laugh, Cry, Live, Prevail, Scream, Sweat, Bleed, Sustain, Learn, Ascend, Give, Get, GO!  342 Days Until Ironman Canada ‘99

Response:

Me too, I don’t get to Kona ’til 8:00 p.m. Wed. night, rats. Oh well, see ya’all at the carbo-loading party. We Are having an Rst table — right??? BTW, having done a week of quality stuff, it’s taper time again! Love being lazy. Laura – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I arrive at 11:00 am…..too late for breakfast Hey Jason, where are you staying? Lynne : Due to a conflict with the women’s masters breakfast the same morning, : I’m changing the RST breakfast to Wednesday morning – 9am. Please : R.S.V.P. by Wednesday if you plan to attend. I need to confirm our : reservation before I leave town. This is Kona, right?  Ack, I don’t arrive until Wednesday evening  :( Jason

Response:

: Me too, I don’t get to Kona ’til 8:00 p.m. Wed. night, rats. Oh well, see : ya’all at the carbo-loading party. We Are having an Rst table — right??? We certainly should!  Does anyone know if it’s possible to get tickets to the party?  I wouldn’t want to miss out… Jason — Jason Mayfield, Arlington VA Persist, Persevere, Deny, Pursue, Pain, Survive, Ignore, Endure, Strive, Laugh, Cry, Live, Prevail, Scream, Sweat, Bleed, Sustain, Learn, Ascend, Give, Get, GO!  342 Days Until Ironman Canada ‘99

Response:

Cool.  Things in Kona are still pretty quiet.  I expect to see a lot more tri-types arrive Saturday and Sunday. Right now, (at 10:45PM HST) it is 81 degrees, and has been warm all week.  The water temp is perfect, but there is a lot of chop and swells due to a storm out to sea.  The surfers are loving it.  I am told that it’ll pass in a couple days.  Will it stop me from swimming in the morning…no way. BTW, the Kona Ranch house is a great choice for breakfast.  Make sure you have a BIG appetite. Augie Calabrese The Ironman Diaries are at: www.augie.calabrese.net – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Due to a conflict with the women’s masters breakfast the same morning, I’m changing the RST breakfast to Wednesday morning – 9am. Please R.S.V.P. by Wednesday if you plan to attend. I need to confirm our reservation before I leave town. Thanks, Meika

Response:

Question:

I’ve never biked for exercise before, although I ride my bike a fair amount during the summer, but I would like to compete in a triathlon 10 weeks away.  CurrentlY I run about 45m – 50m a week (pass two weeks a 50 although no speed stuff yet, starting that tomorrow).   I plan on dropping my mileage to 35 miles a week and adding 3 days of bicycling. I saw somewhere a mileage chart like this: week 1          10 10 10 week 2          10 15 10 week 3          15 10 15 week 4          10 20 15 week 5          15 20 15 week 6          20 25 15 If this is a good progression how should I change it for weeks 7,8,9 and 10.  If it isn’t good what would be a better 10 week plan.   Matt

Response:

You sure run a lot more than I do. I compete every race I can, including 1/2 ironman distances. I very rarely run that much. I usually do an average now (winter) of 15-20 a week, rarely over 35 even during the season. I ran a 1:39 at Vineman 1/2 Iron distance last year on training like that. I would say cut back to 20 miles run a week and get out on that bike. As a runner only you do not have any other regular choices for exercise. If the tri you are doing has a 10 mile bike then the run is probably not over 5 miles, probably a 5k. You sure don’t need 45-50 miles a week for that. As fast as you might go on the run there,if you don’t cycle well enough you will be left in the dust on that leg. I would get out there and ride 3 x week as you say and cut back on the running. You want to feel good on the bike, not overly tired. Plus you want to be able to go hard. Also throw in a few "bricks." Do 15 miles on the bike and then run IMMEDIATELY 2-3 miles – hard. This might be a wake up for you if you have never done it before. Don’t leave this unique "brick" experience to the day of the race. Ken (Treemoss2)

Response:

Question:

I have just started riding with my new (used) front J-Disk (JDF) wheel.  It is in excellent condition with a Conti Sprinter Tubular.  I am noticing that the front of the bike seems to me to be skiddish, that is almost wobbly!  Is this because of the deep section?  Is it because the wheel is so light?  Should I give it some more time in training before I abandon it?  It is preventing me from riding at my capable top speeds, especialy down even small hills for fear that I am losing control.  Please advise! — Mercer Craft

Response:

My spinergies do weigh significantly more than lightweight conventional racing wheels. If the rims are the same overall weight, and the same number of spokes are used, and the weight is truly distributed more towards the hub, then the moment of intertia will be reduced slightly. But these conditions are not often true. The material required to make the aero shape on a deep rim is usually enough to make them weigh more than a light conventional rim. And many aero wheels (though certainly not all), such as my Spinergies, have an aluminum rim as weighty as a conventional wheel to hold the tire anyway (especially on clincher wheels), in addition to the extra material required for the aero shape. These wheels achieve lightness more by reducing the number of spokes and the weight of the hubs than by making the rims lighter. These statements are certainly true for aluminum deep section rims, and for many composites as well. Some of the composites, however, are extremely light on the rim despite their aero shape, and they get that lightness by, for example, eliminating the aluminum tire bead and braking surface in favor of carbon-fiber gluing and braking surfaces for sew-up tires only. Generally, though, fewer spokes requires the rime to be structurally stronger between the spokes, which usually adds weight. But, of course, in triathlon we gain much more from the aero shape, which affects work output at a steady speed, than we lose from slightly more weight (even on ther rim), which only affects work output during acceleration (which includes hills). Is it any clearer? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m not trying to disagree or anything, but I can’t right off think of any reason why deep-section wheels should be more nervous because of speed. More nervous in a crosswind, sure. But deep section wheels are relatively weightier on the rim, which should contribute to stability at higher speeds. The reason is that the wheel has a higher moment of intertia, and therefore… <snip Now I’m confused…  I thought that the benefits of deep sections wheels came from both their aerodynamic advanatges _and_ less angular momentum. Less angular momentum resulting in easier acceleration etc… I was under the impression that if you compared two rims of identical weight, one deep section and one conventional, then the deep section rim would have a _lower_ moment of inertia, as more of the rotating mass is closer to the axis of revolution. Thus, the only way your assertion makes sense is if an aero wheel actually weighs more (stationary) than a conventional wheel – is this true? I’m quite willing to be overruled here, as I probably know less about bicycle-wheel design than I do about physics… Andrew xxx

Response:

Well fortunately(maybe unfortunately?) bicycle design is required to obey the laws of physics.  And you are correct, the closer the mass is to the center of the rim, the lower it’s moment of inertia, and the lower your moment of inertia, the better your acceleration.  This is only true for wheels of the same weight(actually mass).  I would also think that typical deep section wheels are heavier than normal box sections. One thing that I have heard is that Aero wheels can generate a lateral force in an angled head wind similar to the lift force of an aircraft wing.  This could be a source of nervousness or instability as this force oscillates due to the changes in wind speed and direction. Eddie – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m not trying to disagree or anything, but I can’t right off think of any reason why deep-section wheels should be more nervous because of speed. More nervous in a crosswind, sure. But deep section wheels are relatively weightier on the rim, which should contribute to stability at higher speeds. The reason is that the wheel has a higher moment of intertia, and therefore… <snip Now I’m confused…  I thought that the benefits of deep sections wheels came from both their aerodynamic advanatges _and_ less angular momentum. Less angular momentum resulting in easier acceleration etc… I was under the impression that if you compared two rims of identical weight, one deep section and one conventional, then the deep section rim would have a _lower_ moment of inertia, as more of the rotating mass is closer to the axis of revolution. Thus, the only way your assertion makes sense is if an aero wheel actually weighs more (stationary) than a conventional wheel – is this true? I’m quite willing to be overruled here, as I probably know less about bicycle-wheel design than I do about physics… Andrew xxx

Response:

I’m not trying to disagree or anything, but I can’t right off think of any reason why deep-section wheels should be more nervous because of speed. More nervous in a crosswind, sure. But deep section wheels are relatively weightier on the rim, which should contribute to stability at higher speeds. The reason is that the wheel has a higher moment of intertia, and therefore…

<snip Now I’m confused…  I thought that the benefits of deep sections wheels came from both their aerodynamic advanatges _and_ less angular momentum. Less angular momentum resulting in easier acceleration etc… I was under the impression that if you compared two rims of identical weight, one deep section and one conventional, then the deep section rim would have a _lower_ moment of inertia, as more of the rotating mass is closer to the axis of revolution. Thus, the only way your assertion makes sense is if an aero wheel actually weighs more (stationary) than a conventional wheel – is this true? I’m quite willing to be overruled here, as I probably know less about bicycle-wheel design than I do about physics… Andrew xxx

Response:

Deep section wheels by their very nature are more nervous the faster you go, This may or may not be exaccerbated by the dynamics of your frame and the rest of your bike.  More practice will help, a less deep rim will mis behave less , something like a J2 from Hed. Deal with it Love TomP

Response:

I’m not trying to disagree or anything, but I can’t right off think of any reason why deep-section wheels should be more nervous because of speed. More nervous in a crosswind, sure. But deep section wheels are relatively weightier on the rim, which should contribute to stability at higher speeds. The reason is that the wheel has a higher moment of intertia, and therefore a higher gyroscopic stability. Of course, gyroscopic inertia is a minor contributor to stability on bicycles, with frame geometry and material properties being very much greater factors. So I thought that maybe the material properties of a deep-section rim might override the increased gyroscopic inertia, as it does with a solid disk. Perhaps one might argue that a very stiff structural rim won’t have the shock absorption of a lightweight rim with spokes. But that doesn’t jibe with my experience, which says that Spinerys, with a very stiff structural rim and very few spokes, are much less nervous than very light 32-spoke racing wheels. And a disk is not more nervous (sans crosswind), it’s just more uncomfortable. Am I missing some basic point? Could you explain your thinking? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Deep section wheels by their very nature are more nervous the faster you go, This may or may not be exaccerbated by the dynamics of your frame and the rest of your bike.  More practice will help, a less deep rim will mis behave less , something like a J2 from Hed. Deal with it Love TomP

Response:

What exactly do you mean by skittish? If the front of the bike wobbles at speed – I had that problem once too, and it was scary. At 30 mph or so the bike began to wobble violenly starting with the front end. It all ceased when I got a new headset. So you night want to consider this. Not sure, then, swap out the J wheel you are using and put on a regular wheel. Does the problem still occur? Is your tire glued on straight, or is there a deviation in its tread line. Never heard of this but I’d check it. Also check hub and spokes. Who knows? I think the definitive test though would be to see how things go with another wheel and compare. Good Luck

Response:

Question:

I’ve been watching Ironman on TV for years and this was the best show ever.  Great drama; great human interest stories.  Only problem – How did Haley get in?  Why not you?  Why not me?   Charlie Sursa

Response:

Am I the only one how thinks that the coverage was terrible?

Well I can’t dissagree with you, all your comments are justified however I think we should be happy that the sport received the 2hour coverage on a Saturday afternoon during football season.         The thing that stuck out in my mind was how they focused on the doom and gloom of the race. The coverage of a top athlete like Paula was un called for, no one deserves to be put on display like that, she and the sport deserve better. There are a lot of athletes that go to Hawaii and don’t half die trying to get to the finish line, we didn’t see any of them. A race like IM should not be reduced to soundbite mentality however if thats what sells thats what the network will show.         Whats left, write NBC, thank them for the coverage and suggest what you would like to see next year. Lousey coverage is better than no coverage at all. How about that Bell add? Wayne

Response:

I got real tired of the weird camera angles and MTV crap, but most of the coverage was good. The best scene (photographically and dramatically) was the shot of Karen Smeyers rounding the corner (Alii Drive?)  with PNF in the foreground. You could see how strong she was and how PNF was starting to waver badly. Great camera shot of a pivotal moment. I got a kick out of the Bell Hemet commercial – the one with the shot of a helmet being strapped on a brain. I kept wishing the camera (and everyone else) would leave PNF alone. That she was able to finish with such dignity despite the carnival of fools around her was a real tribute to her character. Mike Tennent WebRunner Running Page — Southeast USA Race Calendar 200+ listings. Advertise your race. FTP Race Apps, FAQ http://www.webrunner.com/webrun/running/running.html

Response:

You have to realize that most of the people watching the IMH coverage today are not triathletes and that the media has to make the show interesting for everyone and not just us who know the names and the game.

Although I thought the program lacked in areas, I must admit that it kept my not-very-interested-in-triathalon, "Why would anyone want to do that?" wife riveted for 2 hours. again someday…after I race there.  And I bet alot of those couch potatoes who viewed this race today are toying with the idea that maybe they just might work towards that sprint tri in the spring!

And so it was for me 2 years ago. ITB syndrome ruined my hopes of my first tri before my first 3 mile run that summer, but remembering a finisher that was fifty years my senior really stuck with me. In fact, it stayed with me long enough to enter my first (sprint) tri last summer.  It was quite a rush. After watching the IM on TV this year, I still know I’ll never try an IM, but recently I’ve been thinking – if I keep going through the winter – maybe an olympic distance…  ;-) Jordan

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I thought the show was informative and entertaining.  Of course as triathletes we’d probably like to see more hard-core race coverage, controversy and more insider commentary. Newby-Fraser is a good commentator, maybe now that she is retired from Hawaii, she could add something to the show. I would have liked a post-race interview with Hellreigel–what a race he had. Damn! A new Terminator. Maybe T2.  I was rather distressed about all the dehydrated age groupers teetering and tottering near the finish, but I guess that is reality for that race. I hope none were hurt too bad. — JJ

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It was DRAMA.  NBC couldn’t stage the event as a dramatic miniseries – but Paula and the other featured "dramatis personae" surely helped NBC try. The show (SHOW) was for general consumption, not designed for our analytical eyes.  Personally, I found it entertaining and dramatic.  I viewed it with friends, noise, beer and food.  It was inspiring to me.  It may cause others to take up the sport, as previous IMH broadcasts did. Nevertheless, I would like to see footage which is more analytic, showing the equipment, preparation and racing form of the participants.                                                       Byron

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| Newby-Fraser is a good commentator, maybe now that she is retired from | Hawaii, she could add something to the show. I thought here comments at the end – "I’ve given lots to this race" – and her demeanor were positively zen-like I really hope, now that she won’t compete at IMH anymore, that she doesn’t come away from this last race with long lasting regrets. She gave it everything she had, and the last time it just wasn’t enough.  But, boy, did she ever have a good run of success there! | I would have liked a post-race interview with Hellreigel–what a race he | had. Damn! A new Terminator. Maybe T2. 24 years old and the heart of a lion! Even though he was caught, didn’t he better his own Ironman marathon PR? Having now watched the race (on TV) I agree with QRman, he did win. I was skeptical about all the pre-race Germans-uber-alles hype. But now I say, "more power to them!" They’re tough, they’r brave,and if they keep pushing the bike they may even break up that perrenial IMH bike pelleton. Chris — Chris Passier             |  splish splash.. splish splash.. splish splash.. Bell Northern Research    |  squeak creak.. squeak creak.. squeak creak.. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada   |  flap flap puff.. flap flap puff.. flap flap puff

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Failure, IMHO, is a personal standard.  I was inspired.  I rode over a century the next day, and for the last 25 miles, an uncomfortable climb, I thought of that elderly man collapsing and reaching out to touch the line.  It put my pain in perspective.

Remember in my post that I placed the word failure in quotes.  I appreciate the effort of the people that crawl across the finish line; however, my point is that coverage of those who "had trouble" does not encourage the non-tri person to give it a tri. If I was into sky-diving, and I wanted others to become interested in it, I would not recommend them watching 2 hours of people crashing to the ground in unopen shutes.  I believe the same applies to IMH. Mike from Memphis  

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…snip…   I was rather distressed about all the dehydrated age groupers teetering  and tottering near the finish, but I guess that is reality for that race.  I hope none were hurt too bad. snip…

jj; We know the coverage was not for us, but the dehydrated age groupers represent a tiny minority.   Unfortunately, they were singled out and covered exclusively, as though this is what we all look like.  My mother, who was there to watch me in ‘93 thought the coverage made it look quite different from what she remembers. The media made us look bad on this one.  The 1200 who crossed the finish line straight and strong, with smiles on their faces and fists in the air must have sneaked in between camera shots. Oh well, I still liked the coverage. |       Ray Plotecia            | |       Image Control           |

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… Watching all of this "failure" …

Failure, IMHO, is a personal standard.  I was inspired.  I rode over a century the next day, and for the last 25 miles, an uncomfortable climb, I thought of that elderly man collapsing and reaching out to touch the line.  It put my pain in perspective. Just a thought. Hue Rhodes

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how can anyone complain about the coverage by NBC? put the ironman logo before the TV, and you have a marriage between the race and MTV. yes,it was lava rock n’ roll. by my calculations, the show featured:         –the world’s largest triathlete         –the world’s youngest triathlete/Ironperson         –the world’s oldest triathlete –the world’s most victorious triathletes the packaging was done for entertainment value, not necessarily sports   value. would they cover the world series or superbowl that way? i got that lump in the throat watching the last 20 minutes,when the drama took over and the fancy Oliver Stone "Natural Born Killers" editing subsided. it was moving, touching, real. I’ve been to the Ironman seven times in different capacities, but this show wrung out more drama than ever before. would make a great mini-series.

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Overall, I’d give it a thumbs-down. Like others, I got unnerved by all the MTV-like camera work, cutting in, moving around.  Like most of the rest of us who train semi-seriously, I would’ve liked longer, uninterrupted shots of them hammering.  Since we’ve all spent countless hours doing just that ourselves in training, we would’ve appreciated it from a technical standpoint, and we would’ve been able to relate to the pain the atheletes were going through.  But we have to realize all the flashy camera work was done to appeal to the non-triathletes. I also didn’t like all focus on all the hurtin’ people crossing the finish line, e.g. the guy who couldn’t run straight or stand up and collapsed at theend, just barely touching the line.  This reinforces the image that we’re a bunch of masochistic nutcases. I think more on the technical aspects would’ve been good for both the triathlete and non-triathlete.  How does a world-class athelete train? How do you keep your energy stores up during a race?  What about those funny looking bikes?  I think they should’ve followed a normal age-grouper, talking about how they qualified, and then trained for the big event.  To me at least, this would’ve been better than the Darryl Haley aspect, since I relate more to the working-class person juggling training with family responsibilities than I do an ex-football star with nothing else to do but train (although this isn’t meant to take anything away from Haley’s accomplishment). Dave Wiesenhahn     |               Feel it all with a willing heart IDA                 |                 Every stop is a place to start Alexandria, VA      |  If you know how to play the part with feeling                     |                                           J.B.

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I would bet that this IM show wins an Emmy as it has in the past.   I though the show was good for the sport and could not wait to see it since I could not be there. I think I’ll que it up on the VCR and watch it again.Prime Shine Express Car Wash  Anything is better than the ITU coverage. –

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    As a gen-x’er, I happened to love the editing style that NBC used, (but being raised on MTV, I would!). We really do have to keep in mind that we (triathletes) are not the only ones watching. NBC has to entice others to watch. If they didn’t, the race would never be aired. As usual, I could have done without the human interest stories. The only one truly worth the videotape was Bustos’ bit…and my goodness, did they ever use a lot of tape! How many times did they show the loop of the crash? I, like many, enjoyed the drama of the Newby-Fraser collapse, but after seeing the camera in her face for all that time, felt as if I were just another rubber-necker. The situation also seemed a lot like the Julie Moss scene…will it make our sport seem reckless, like something for maniacs with a death wish? No doubt, the entire coverage was aimed towards all those people who have made MTV Sports and other "extreme" sports shows popular.   — | Jonathan Acey Albert             | | University of Florida            | | http://grove.ufl.edu/~acey       |

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Obviously these are the words from some real stud !  anyone who gets to see the Ironman from the back of a BMW is #1 in my book.  In fact, if this guy had a carbon fiber bike, he would be an even better stud.  You are right about the many many incredible stories at IM- few could be better than some dude from California roaring down mountain roads at 50mpg though, especially while towing some babe from Australia on his wheel.  The only guy that could do all this is the one and only "Thrill Hill"- maybe some day, Dr. Eyeguru, you will be half the man as he. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I thought it was the best coverage in years.  I believe the general public will get a real taste of the rigors of the course and the lengths that the athletes must achieve to be at the top of this sport.  If they had 12 hours to do a mini-series on the race we could see profiles of all the great personalities in the pack.  We could see the great race that Cameron Widoff turned in on his first trip to Kona, the catch-up bike act that Jeff Devlin performs each year, and the interesting story of the Debooms. The fact is, the big stories were Paula’s dramatic collapse and Mark running down a strong Hellriegel.  On those stories they did a bang-up job and they should be congratulated.  The human interest stories of Darryl Haley and the incredible comeback of Christian Bustos were really fantastic.  Man, waddya want?  There are hundreds of great stories to tell each year.  The best way to get all the poop is to show up in Kona on race day.  Volunteer and you will have a time of your life.  Just call the Ironman office and they’ll set you up. Randy Hill

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Poor, poor Ironman viewers.  You mean NBC didn’t have time to do an in depth special on everybody’s best friend and favorite pro?  Sure, we all would’ve loved to have the broadcast run by a triathlon expert, but can’t you just enjoy it for what it was?  It was probably the 2 best hours of triathlon coverage ever on national TV.  They finally gave the event the respect that it’s due.  So they only showed the top few pros and selected others, as well as the customary staggering age-groupers. Would you rather they show everybody prancing across the line like they just finished a 10k?  New viewers certainly have an appreciation for the rigors of this sport.  Personally, it was better than I expected and I truly enjoyed the show.  Let’s try and be half-full instead of half-empty for a while, folks.  See you at IMC!! -jay clark

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 Am I the only one how thinks that the coverage was terrible?

cut… No, you’re not, but coverage was really not that bad. Yes, too many segue’s, too many Bustos-getting-almost-killed replays, and too much effort to make Paula look like Julie Moss, but consider this: The good directors are all busy covering football and baseball in October.  So they send some new guy who is trying to show off his skills as an artist.  Therefore we get strange camera angles, pictures of the pain, and wacky journalism.  Ok, these people haven’t a clue on the real meaning of our sport, so what?  We did get on, we did mostly get an uninterrupted 1 1/2 hrs of prime sports time on TV. We triathletes already know what happened, so the racing didn’t need to be that suspenseful for us. They are doing their best to show the sport and give their sponsors the most bang for their buck, even if it means playing to a perceived sick public who watches football for the injuries, hockey for the fights, and car racing for the crashes.  (here come the flames) BUT HOW ABOUT THIS: Darryl Haley was the star of the show.  As much a I disagree with giving away slots, David Yates may have hit a homerun with Darryl.  Here is a guy that more sofa spuds will watch than will watch any number of Mark Allens.  If we are concerned with generating interest in our sport and in the Ironman, Darryl may be the best thing that happened to us since Julie Moss. |       Ray Plotecia            | |       Image Control           |

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I thought the NBC coverage was great, I’v wanted to do a triathalon for a long time and have been swimming for the last 2 years in a masters program to work towards my goal, which is not the Iron man but a shorter course. As a 40 year old machinist, who today is tired and sleepy because of a 2.4 km swim in a pool last night….the coverage really showed the personal struggle involved in the whole event. I am not a top athlete, children, car payments, working 45 hours a week , overtime and a sore knee that was injured almost 20 years ago may not ever allow me to compete in any serious way in a triatholon but I’ll still bike to work 15 km each way 3 or 4 times a week, swim with the master 3 times a week, and go for runs once or twice a week all the time in the back of my mind hoping I can do it. Someday I probably will, but till then, the NBC coverage was exiciting, got my intrest up, and for this part time couch potatoe, was allot of fun. Email From Ken Toews Nepean Ontario Canada                               o,    o__              o_/|   o_.                              </     [/              [_|   [_ —

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I think for the general public the coverage was superb.  I really liked it.  If you’re into "age group results" don’t expect to get that from national TV.  NBC doesn’t cover much PooDunk State football either . . . —    LSC (aka Larry Chapman)    (303) 229-3117

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IMO, this was the best coverage from NBC in the past several years. There were a few things I did not like (15 replays of Bustos accident, too much time looking at Paula on the ground), but it was far and above a better show than the past three years. I plan to write to NBC again, this is the first year I will actually thank them for good coverage. Cathy Corning

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I thought it was the best coverage in years.  I believe the general public will get a real taste of the rigors of the course and the lengths that the athletes must achieve to be at the top of this sport.  If they had 12 hours to do a mini-series on the race we could see profiles of all the great personalities in the pack.  We could see the great race that Cameron Widoff turned in on his first trip to Kona, the catch-up bike act that Jeff Devlin performs each year, and the interesting story of the Debooms. The fact is, the big stories were Paula’s dramatic collapse and Mark running down a strong Hellriegel.  On those stories they did a bang-up job and they should be congratulated.  The human interest stories of Darryl Haley and the incredible comeback of Christian Bustos were really fantastic.  Man, waddya want?  There are hundreds of great stories to tell each year.  The best way to get all the poop is to show up in Kona on race day.  Volunteer and you will have a time of your life.  Just call the Ironman office and they’ll set you up. Randy Hill

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You have to realize that most of the people watching the IMH coverage today are not triathletes and that the media has to make the show interesting for everyone and not just us who know the names and the game. I too could have edited out most of the "artsy fartsy" stuff…and yes, where was the women’s race (except for Paula and Karen)??  But ya know, I still got all choked up and shed a few tears when they showed the finishers crossing the line..and I taped it, and I’ll probably watch it again someday…after I race there.  And I bet alot of those couch potatoes who viewed this race today are toying with the idea that maybe they just might work towards that sprint tri in the spring! Lighten up-and have fun! Cheryl

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cheers Sam

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Am I the only one how thinks that the coverage was terrible? I have motion sickness from all of the stupid camera angles, fast motion, slow motion, glimpse of a shoe, then a face, then an arm, ect. One of the great races in the history of the event and we get to see maybe 3 min. of bike coverage that you can actually watch. And what about the rest of the top finishers? I really would have liked to see atleast one clear shot of Glah, DeBoom, and all the others but it seems to the networks that these guys don’t even exist. And for the other top women it is even worse. I kept waiting for them to show the race at actual speed but it never happened. I don’t know how we can get it across to these idiots that the race is interesting in and of itself and they don’t need gimicks to get peoples interest, especially this year. It is a major let down as a fan of the sport to have to suffer through coverage they I don’t know if I can stand to watch again. Let’s hope that next year we get a better deal, because this year was pointless.

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Question:

Has anyone worn a heart rate monitor during a marathon to monitor pace? If so, did it help, or would you recommend relying on "instinct" instead?

I used one during Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth MN on June 19 and found it very helpfull. I usually go out too fast and suffer later. It still is a bit of a problem as it takes awhile for the heart rate to reach the the value that you will want to run at, but I think after a few trials you can determine good values for the first mile or so of the race. Despite the temptation to ignore the monitor because I felt so "good", I was able to run with negative splits – second half about one minute faster than the first half. At age 62 I needed an average heart rate of about 138 to finish in 3:12, but I think everyone would have to use a marathon to calibrate the monitor for his own heart characteristics. I have never felt better after a marathon than I did at this race, so i’ll continue to use the monitor. I use it in shorter races also.    Greg Prom                         Honeywell Systems & Research Center    Tel. (612) 951-7358               MN65-2500    Fax  (612) 951-7438               3660 Technology Drive —    Greg Prom                         Honeywell Systems & Research Center    Tel. (612) 951-7358               MN65-2500    Fax  (612) 951-7438               3660 Technology Drive

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Newsgroups: rec.sport.triathlon,rec.running

Has anyone worn a heart rate monitor during a marathon to monitor pace? If so, did it help, or would you recommend relying on "instinct" instead?

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Newsgroups: rec.sport.triathlon,rec.running Has anyone worn a heart rate monitor during a marathon to monitor pace? If so, did it help, or would you recommend relying on "instinct" instead?

Yeah, I friend of mine uses his HR moniter all the time to race 1/2 marathons and above. In his last two marathons he set his moniter to `beap’ if he went above or below 5% of his threshold level. On both occasions he has run well (2.30 and 2.33) and was able to negative split the latter race. He finds the benefit is that it keeps him from going too fast early. Relying on instinct may not be `as good’ as I think most folk tend to go too fast early in a marathon. In Peter Coe and David Martin’s `Training Distance Runners’ (A supurb book for anybody interested in training and physiology for elite performances), they say, any deviation of 2% from `ideal pace (i.e. just under threshold) will result in a slowing down toward the end of the marathon. Just my 0.02 worth. Tim

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A couple questions for the net:  - do many of you triathletes/runners get massages done and if    so why, what the benefits/hazards, etc  - if massages are good, when are they most effective    - during peak training    - at taper    - after a hard race    - etc — Brendan R. Leitch                           Bell Northern Research Ltd. DMS Supernode Distributed Operating Systems       (The Big Nerd Ranch) Voice: (613) 763-9425            FAX: (613) 763-8864         ESN: 393-9425                  ESN: 393-8864 Surface Mail: MS 145, P.O. BOX 3511, Station C, Ottawa, Canada, K1Y 4H7

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