Question:

Heart says (i), mind (ii). You? Jarno

   I agree to keep in the running, but it is a very good idea to mix in nordic skiing as well, especially if you free-style.  It works the cardiovascular system as well or better than running, and keeps most of your leg muscles in shape for running as well.  Try about twice a week.           A few years ago I was not having much luck in college track, even though I ran 30 mpw during the winter (a lot in an area with 300 in of snowfall).  Then one year I dropped my running to 10-15 mpw and skiied 40 min- 60 min 4-5 times a week, fairly hard.  I lost the 7 lbs my coach had been hounding me about and had the season of my life.         Incidentally, quit the skiing at least two-three weeks before your race.  It takes that long to mzximize the muscles for running again. Andy

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   I agree to keep in the running, but it is a very good idea to mix in nordic skiing as well, especially if you free-style.  It works the cardiovascular system as well or better than running, and keeps most of your leg muscles in shape for running as well.  Try about twice a week.           A few years ago I was not having much luck in college track, even though I ran 30 mpw during the winter (a lot in an area with 300 in of snowfall).  Then one year I dropped my running to 10-15 mpw and skiied 40 min- 60 min 4-5 times a week, fairly hard.  I lost the 7 lbs my coach had been hounding me about and had the season of my life.         Incidentally, quit the skiing at least two-three weeks before your race.  It takes that long to mzximize the muscles for running again. Andy

Thanks Andy for sharing. One question: why do you say ‘especially if you free-style’? The motion of the body and legs is much similar to running in classic style so wouldn’t it be a better ‘fit’ with running? As a former competitive (in my teens) skier I think that skiing regardless of style is good cardiovascularly so my only (but a seriously taken) point to choose free-stlye would be that equipment ’service’ is much easier and less time consuming with free-style. Jarno — The woods are lovely, dark and deep But I have promises to keep And miles to go before I sleep And miles to go before I sleep.  - Robert Frost

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Thanks Andy for sharing. One question: why do you say ‘especially if you free-style’? The motion of the body and legs is much similar to running in classic style so wouldn’t it be a better ‘fit’ with running? As a former competitive (in my teens) skier I think that skiing regardless of style is good cardiovascularly so my only (but a seriously taken) point to choose free-stlye would be that equipment ’service’ is much easier and less time consuming with free-style. Jarno

–I just seemed to get a better workout that way.  And I skiied very hilly terrain and hated herring-boning. Andy

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I always carry some toilet paper (this is no spam) with me for emergency situations.

With me it was a rather classic case of not doing what one preaches ("Runners are, in this respect, like racing drivers: there are those who have had a major shunt and there are those who haven

Question:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was thinking today about the time I was down in the subway tracks for training related to my job. After leading us around various tunnels for a while, the instructor made us wait until a train was approaching, and then step back into the alcoves carved into the walls. Just shallow semi-circles, these alcoves, just deep enough to hold a person, no more than 18 inches deep I’d guess. We had to stand there while the train was passing, close enough to reach out and touch, terribly loud and seeming to go on endlessly. One of those moments when time slows. Wanting to close my eyes but being afraid I’d lose my balance and fall. I decided to pretend I was a spy, who was being chased through the subway system like in some bad movie, and once I started pretending it gave purpose to my being there, and made it easier to take. And when it was over I felt the intensity of the experience, felt how psychologically and physically difficult it had been to stand still as the train passed, but that I did it, and it was just another random crazy moment in time.

I thought this was a really interesting post Kelly. Have you ever read The Mole People? It’s about the homeless who live underground in NYC. This reminded me of the book. It shows what our mind can do, the way you reconceptualized what you were doing, to get through it. I used my mind in this way when i did a triathlon a long time ago, imagining, visualizing, pretending. It really worked. I wish I could remember how to do that again. thanks for posting this. minx

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I was thinking today about the time I was down in the subway tracks for training related to my job. After leading us around various tunnels for a while, the instructor made us wait until a train was approaching, and then step back into the alcoves carved into the walls. Just shallow semi-circles, these alcoves, just deep enough to hold a person, no more than 18 inches deep I’d guess. We had to stand there while the train was passing, close enough to reach out and touch, terribly loud and seeming to go on endlessly. One of those moments when time slows. Wanting to close my eyes but being afraid I’d lose my balance and fall. I decided to pretend I was a spy, who was being chased through the subway system like in some bad movie, and once I started pretending it gave purpose to my being there, and made it easier to take. And when it was over I felt the intensity of the experience, felt how psychologically and physically difficult it had been to stand still as the train passed, but that I did it, and it was just another random crazy moment in time.

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heather what preceded your pull ,,, i am experienceing a tightness around my groin area and did not give it much thought ,, now that i have read your post and others i think i may be in the begining of one ,,,is that how your pull started??? clodzilla – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – For those of you following my miserable groin pull injury, I just wanted to let you know all is well now. It was a struggle keeping from running for 2 weeks. I made up for it by rewarding myself with a brand new pair of Rollerblad XTV’s. I also bought the CamelBak (water for those long rides) and a helmet (for the ONE time that I DO fall). I suited up and I swear that was the most comfortable ride! I even burned more calories doing that than walking/running. The cross training is the only thing that is saving me. My knees have been hurting slightly after a run/walk, so I started exclusively cross trianing on alternate days instead of doing light jogging. My knees are much better for it too. No more groin pain either! YAY! Thanks for all the well wishing. — Heather (who is extremely happy she is exercising pain free now)

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – For those of you following my miserable groin pull injury, I just wanted to let you know all is well now. It was a struggle keeping from running for 2 weeks. I made up for it by rewarding myself with a brand new pair of Rollerblad XTV’s. I also bought the CamelBak (water for those long rides) and a helmet (for the ONE time that I DO fall). I suited up and I swear that was the most comfortable ride! I even burned more calories doing that than walking/running. The cross training is the only thing that is saving me. My knees have been hurting slightly after a run/walk, so I started exclusively cross trianing on alternate days instead of doing light jogging. My knees are much better for it too. No more groin pain either! YAY! Thanks for all the well wishing. — Heather (who is extremely happy she is exercising pain free now)

I’m so happy for you! YOu just keep on keeping on! melvalena — Competition brings out the best in products and the worst in people.–David Sarnoff  Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts.  Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours

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Hi Heather, Someone asked me who sent me from alt.running to here and I couldn’t remember the name…. Now I know!!   Glad to hear you are getting over your injury.  I find I am a much more peaceful Mommy when I get my runs in (and now my swims and bike rides too). I am spending a lot more time here than the running ng, but still getting out for my runs.  I am starting training for a ‘My First Triathlon’ now and hopefully doing it Aug 11th.  I hear that rollerblading is a good exercise for ’saddlebags’ so I will be adding that to my cross training this summer. My oldest son rollerblades everywhere, so I shall tag along sometimes! See you on the trails fellow Mommy! — Helen Mom to Dylan 15, Lucas 6 and AmyBeth 3

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – For those of you following my miserable groin pull injury, I just wanted to let you know all is well now. It was a struggle keeping from running for 2 weeks. I made up for it by rewarding myself with a brand new pair of Rollerblad XTV’s. I also bought the CamelBak (water for those long rides) and a helmet (for the ONE time that I DO fall). I suited up and I swear that was the most comfortable ride! I even burned more calories doing that than walking/running. The cross training is the only thing that is saving me. My knees have been hurting slightly after a run/walk, so I started exclusively cross trianing on alternate days instead of doing light jogging. My knees are much better for it too. No more groin pain either! YAY! Thanks for all the well wishing. — Heather (who is extremely happy she is exercising pain free now)

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That is so awesome that you can workout now with out any pain! I’m really happy for you! Cathy! whateva4eva ** "I heard the best way to regenerate body heat is to crawl naked into a sleeping bag with someone whos already naked." "Maybe if it rains sleeping bags you’ll get lucky." Remove egetme!

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – For those of you following my miserable groin pull injury, I just wanted to let you know all is well now. It was a struggle keeping from running for 2 weeks. I made up for it by rewarding myself with a brand new pair of Rollerblad XTV’s. I also bought the CamelBak (water for those long rides) and a helmet (for the ONE time that I DO fall). I suited up and I swear that was the most comfortable ride! I even burned more calories doing that than walking/running. The cross training is the only thing that is saving me. My knees have been hurting slightly after a run/walk, so I started exclusively cross trianing on alternate days instead of doing light jogging. My knees are much better for it too. No more groin pain either! YAY! Thanks for all the well wishing.

Glad to hear it!  You have more get up and go about exercise than I and I am glad you are able to enjoy your activities without pain! -Aula

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Thanks. I was so scared about it after hearing about other people’s groin pull’s in the news group. I thought for sure I would be stricken with pain for months like others. (counting my blessings) I was SO depressed and upset for the 4 days that I did nothing but sit on my butt. It was hard. And funny to think about how most people dread the thought of exercise. I can’t wait to get up and do it! — Heather

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – That is so awesome that you can workout now with out any pain! I’m really happy for you! Cathy! whateva4eva ** "I heard the best way to regenerate body heat is to crawl naked into a sleeping bag with someone whos already naked." "Maybe if it rains sleeping bags you’ll get lucky." Remove egetme!

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yes ,, after an injury all the wieght i lost ,,,i found (looking at my bottom) clodzilla – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – For those of you following my miserable groin pull injury, I just wanted to let you know all is well now. It was a struggle keeping from running for 2 weeks. I made up for it by rewarding myself with a brand new pair of Rollerblad XTV’s. I also bought the CamelBak (water for those long rides) and a helmet (for the ONE time that I DO fall). I suited up and I swear that was the most comfortable ride! I even burned more calories doing that than walking/running. The cross training is the only thing that is saving me. My knees have been hurting slightly after a run/walk, so I started exclusively cross trianing on alternate days instead of doing light jogging. My knees are much better for it too. No more groin pain either! YAY! Thanks for all the well wishing. — Heather (who is extremely happy she is exercising pain free now)

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For those of you following my miserable groin pull injury, I just wanted to let you know all is well now. It was a struggle keeping from running for 2 weeks. I made up for it by rewarding myself with a brand new pair of Rollerblad XTV’s. I also bought the CamelBak (water for those long rides) and a helmet (for the ONE time that I DO fall). I suited up and I swear that was the most comfortable ride! I even burned more calories doing that than walking/running. The cross training is the only thing that is saving me. My knees have been hurting slightly after a run/walk, so I started exclusively cross trianing on alternate days instead of doing light jogging. My knees are much better for it too. No more groin pain either! YAY! Thanks for all the well wishing. — Heather (who is extremely happy she is exercising pain free now)

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Question:

It hit me the other day. Some of the most important lessons we learn in life don’t necessarily come from the classroom — or from the boardroom. Nope. I think most of the wisdom I have gleaned comes from the different transition areas I’ve found myself in over the years. Not only is triathlon a great sport in terms of fitness, but after 20 years of hanging around bike racks in places as diverse as Borneo, Tahiti, Switzerland, Guatemala, Kona, El Salvador, Chicago and Mission Bay, I have collected certain priceless nuggets that I use every day of my life. Appreciate the little things When it’s 100F out and you start running after an hour of swimming and six or seven hours of cycling, you feel awful. At that point in time, something as simple as an ice cube or a cold sponge can become the greatest gift on earth. No matter how prepared you are, you’re not You get to the race at 4 a.m. You leisurely set up your transition area and head for the starting line as calm as can be. Twenty minutes before your wave is ready to go, you hear what sounds like a gunshot and you just know it’s your tire that blew. You can either panic and feel sorry for yourself, or simply take care of the problem and move on. Make the best of the moment I learned this from six-time Ironman champion Mark Allen. During his six futile attempts to unseat Dave Scott in Kona, Allen had everything from mechanical problems to internal bleeding. In the book we wrote together (I keep the tapes from those interviews in a safe deposit box), Mark insisted that there will be days when you aren’t 100% for whatever reason. On those days, Allen always tried to get 100% out of whatever he had that day. If you are racing — or working — at 50% capacity for whatever reason, get 100% out of that 50% and feel good about the effort. Everyone hurts To read more, see http://www.competitor.com/997/editorial.html

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It hit me the other day. Some of the most important lessons we learn in life don’t necessarily come from the classroom — or from the boardroom. Nope. I think most of the wisdom I have gleaned comes from the different transition areas I’ve found myself in over the years. Not only is triathlon a great sport in terms of fitness, but after 20 years of hanging around bike racks in places as diverse as Borneo, Tahiti, Switzerland, Guatemala, Kona, El Salvador, Chicago and Mission Bay, I have collected certain priceless nuggets that I use every day of my life.

At least you had the opportunity to "learn" these lessons at some of the most exotic places in the world.  Many people,no matter how they try, are barely able to get out of their neighborhood.  You’re doing things people only dream about and wish they have the finacial stability to try to pursue these events.

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It hit me the other day. Some of the most important lessons we learn in life don’t necessarily come from the classroom — or from the boardroom. Nope. I think most of the wisdom I have gleaned comes from the different transition areas I’ve found myself in over the years. Not only is triathlon a great sport in terms of fitness, but after 20 years of hanging around bike racks in places as diverse as Borneo, Tahiti, Switzerland, Guatemala, Kona, El Salvador, Chicago and Mission Bay, I have collected certain priceless nuggets that I use every day of my life. Appreciate the little things When it’s 100F out and you start running after an hour of swimming and six or seven hours of cycling, you feel awful. At that point in time, something as simple as an ice cube or a cold sponge can become the greatest gift on earth. No matter how prepared you are, you’re not You get to the race at 4 a.m. You leisurely set up your transition area and head for the starting line as calm as can be. Twenty minutes before your wave is ready to go, you hear what sounds like a gunshot and you just know it’s your tire that blew. You can either panic and feel sorry for yourself, or simply take care of the problem and move on. Make the best of the moment I learned this from six-time Ironman champion Mark Allen. During his six futile attempts to unseat Dave Scott in Kona, Allen had everything from mechanical problems to internal bleeding. In the book we wrote together (I keep the tapes from those interviews in a safe deposit box), Mark insisted that there will be days when you aren’t 100% for whatever reason. On those days, Allen always tried to get 100% out of whatever he had that day. If you are racing — or working — at 50% capacity for whatever reason, get 100% out of that 50% and feel good about the effort. Everyone hurts To read more, see http://www.competitor.com/997/editorial.html

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Netters– Runner Triathlete News magazine has compiled a nationwide marathon calendar for October ‘97 to October ‘98.  This calendar lists race dates and contact information for more than 160 of America’s finest 26.2 mile runs. The calendar is available on-line at: http://www.runningnetwork.com/runtrinews You’ll find it under the Resources section.  It has been broken down month-by-month, for easier viewing. If you have any questions about the calendar, feel free to e-mail me. Lance Phegley Editor Runner Triathlete News

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What an interesting cross-post…… It hit me the other day. Some of the most important lessons we learn in life don’t necessarily come from the classroom — or from the boardroom. Nope. I think most of the wisdom I have

I believe that many people view school as a starting point (synchronous) at best, and not just an end in itself. gleaned comes from the different transition areas I’ve found myself in over the years. Not only is triathlon a great sport in terms of fitness, but after 20 years of hanging around bike racks in places as diverse as Borneo, Tahiti, Switzerland, Guatemala, Kona, El Salvador, Chicago and Mission Bay, I have collected certain priceless nuggets that I use every day of my life.

All the rest of us ask is that you not trash nice places. Appreciate the little things … something as simple as an ice cube or a cold sponge can become the greatest gift on earth.

Sure.  Every meal is a banquet…. Fur sure. "There must be a way to make these things smaller…."         –1941 No matter how prepared you are, you’re not You get to the race at… …. You can either panic and feel sorry for yourself, or simply take care of the problem and move on.

Self-proclaimed experts regularly get shot down in news groups. (rec.skiing.alpine is a good case in point.)  The knowledgeable go with the flow.  In r.b. we have had a fair number of your readers killed or die for various reasons.  No glory.  They were just our friends. Make the best of the moment … Everyone hurts

Everyone bleeds. To read more, see http://www.competitor.com/997/editorial.html

I rather like non-competing myself.  The rest of life has enough competition as it is.  The way to win isn’t to play other people’s games.

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Question:

Thanks for the information, can you tell me where I can get a Nytro catalogue (tele/address) and also for Steves Multisport. I live in Scotland so I don’t have access to this information over here. thanks again for your help. John.

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Can anyone help?.  I’m using a road bike for training and racing but need to move the seat forward but can’t find a 26mm diameter forward seat post. Does anyone know of a manufacturer or supplier. Preferably in the U.K.

If I am not mistaken, the Nytro catalog had a good supply of forward seatposts and a good range of sizes.  Also, Steve’s Multisport has a good number of forward posts. Rob — Ironman Canada 1998 Rob Blomquist aka TriDog Seattle, WA http://www.accessone.com/~robb

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HI John,         have you tried the new Profile forward seat post?? I know Total Fitness have them but undoubtly you could get one in Scotland. Anyway both Nytro and Steves have excellent web pages with prices on everything, http://www.nytro.com http://www.netaxs.com/~steves/ Failing that I might be able to help form Germany. I am english, I know how you feel, you see all the exotic stuff which is never available in the UK that easily. Still Germany is pretty good, the shop I go to has Softrides left right and center. Go to England and it’s "Softride sir?? No what you want is this Roberts…blah..blah" Oops I hope you don’t have a Roberts!! Fine frames, not much cop for triathlon though!! Chris — Chris Carpenter at the Max-Planck-Insitut fuer Polymerforschung voice: +49 6131 379217           : Quintana Roo, Just Roo it!!! fax:   +49 6131 379100           : Saucony,  Loyal to the sport www:   http://www.mpip-mainz.mpg.de/~carpent

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Can anyone help?.  I’m using a road bike for training and racing but need to move the seat forward but can’t find a 26mm diameter forward seat post. Does anyone know of a manufacturer or supplier. Preferably in the U.K. thanks John

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Question:

I may be wrong, but I’ll hazard a guess that you yourself will not choose a standard road bike for your next race bike, but will choose a tri specific bike, keeping your road bike as a dedicated road geometry bike. QRman

In theory I would like to say yes. But in reality no. The big factor in my case is the money I have invested in Zipp 440s and good training wheels (Mavic Open 4Cds). Almost all of the steep angle bikes have twenty six inch wheels. I cannot justify the money in upgrading a new frame and new aero wheels at the same time. I have decided to purchase a conventional geometery Carbon Fibre Frame with new components and just switch the wheels from my old bike. I will set one up as a road bike and one as a tri bike. The best solution? Maybe not but it is the most practical and cost effective. Dalton | Life is too short             |          __o        |     _/_     | | to just watch!!!              |        _`<,_   o   |  _/\  //_  | |Dalton Cote                    | ___o_         _   |   __  __<   | |Calgary , Canada               | ~~~~~~          /   |      ||      | |http://www.ucalgary.ca/~djcote |                        IRONMAN 97  |

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Has anyone had experience with the after market seat posts that turn conventional goemetry bikes into a bike with more tri-geometry riding positions?  Please let me know your thoughts.  Thanks. — //__ , Real triathletes don’t draft or wear wetsuits!

For some time I rode a slack frame with aero bars and could never get really comfortable. I then fitted a Profile forward seat post and dropped the bars(Syntace) to just about parallel to the ground(adjusting the bars IS important as your whole body position should change and not just your lower torso). The nose of the saddle is now directly over the crank. Immediate improvement. I felt much more comfortable and the power transfer was unreal. I am much quicker now. Handling is not great though and I would much prefer a bike with the correct geometry. FWIW get the post ASAP, fit it and tweak the bike until it works for you, unless you can spring for the real thing. I would, but we don’t get too many tri geo frame sets in South Africa. Hope this helps Dougal

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First I don’t think that there is no right or wrong position on position. Looking at photos of both top triathletes and cyclists there seems to be quite a bit of variation in positioning, even when performance is similar. Think of Obree, Boardman and Indurain. All three have held the world one hour record recently and all three men have very different positions on the bike when time-trialing. In triathlon consider Pigg and Zack. Both are very strong cyclists, but they have different positions. Finding the "sweet spot" is the key to successful cycling. For some this will be in a more traditional"road bike" set up with a slack seat-tube angel in the 72 – 74 degree range. For others it will be in a more forward position with a seat tube angle of greater than 75 degrees. I agree with Dan, that it is important to start out with the more traditional set-up and get the fundementals of spinning, power application and bike handling down before graduating to some of the more advanced positions. I have always had trouble understanding the concept that my friend Bert Sandie has put forward, regarding how the running muscles are better prepared for running in the forward bike position because they are "used more" while cycling. This is somewhat contradictory. Has their been any research done on this or is this just based on anecdotal info? Steve Fleck

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Maybe with more years of training, and/or starting at a young age, the "sweet spot" moves to a more acute angle?

I have two things to say about that: 1.  A position that is less efficient can be optimized through training, but is still less efficient.   You can’t train levers. 2.  As you know, pretty much every top triathlete, as well as plenty of road/time trialists (i.e., Boardman) road race in a traditional position while time trialing in a steeper position.  So pretty much every top racer has lots of classic position miles under him/her, and has developed that position. But I think what you mean is, what if someone chose a more acute position for time trialing, and spent years trying to optimize that position?  That is what we all did from 1986 through 1988. Steeper configurations arose out of the inability to generate power in an acute position, even after months and years of trying to make it work. QRman

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Just so nobody misinterprets me, I thought I should amend my previous post. That is, I’m trying to understand what the philosophy others use when approaching this issue. The perspective in cycling has always been that the seat position comes first (since you pedal with your legs), and the handlebars follow from that. I believe that the recent emphasis on aerodynamics has reversed this rule-of-thumb, that is, for TT-type efforts the aerodynamic positioning of the torso now dictates the saddle position, and as a result, seats have come further and further forward. However, I interpret previous comments in this thread to mean that some people believe that a forward seat position is better *in and of itself*. So, do some people really feel that way, and if so, why? (I’m already familiar with the argument that a forward seat position makes T2 easier.) Andrew "My-favorite-road-bike-had-a-72-degree-seat-tube-angle" Coggan

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – One of the major advantages that I and others that train in the club I belong to is that a forward position on the bike allows for an easier transition from cycling to running especially in Olympic distance races. Personally, in racing duathlons I haven’t been able to tell any difference, but my background is different than that of most multi-sport athletes, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m the exception rather than the rule. Certainly I’ve heard this reasoning many times before… To get back to the original question, however: do some people actually feel *more* powerful in a forward position, or simply not less powerful? If so, it implies that if they were road racing they should still be on a significantly steeper-than-average seat tube angle, and I’m wondering if this somehow relates to the type of athletic background people have coming into cycling…

Andrew, I agree with you that the forward positioning compensates for the more acute hip angle created in an aero position with standard geometry. I do feel, and I am (according to wattage testing on my computrainer) more powerful in a less acute or more obtuse angle in the aeroposition on a relatively flat to slightly hilly course created with a forward seat positioning.  If the hip angle remains the same compared with standard road bike positioning, with out aerobars,  then I am simply not less powerful.   In regards to the increase in wattage, I feel that it most likely is due to the increase in the range of motion of the glutes, and getting a greater contaction with them if in a less acute angle, and over or in front of the bottom bracket.  I also think that positioning can also feel different to individuals, due to anatomical differences, including variation in specific muscle development, skeletal length, etc… Gravity also plays a big part in the equation.  I still feel that climbing is better in a posterior position.  I feel more leverage, and ability to incorporate the hipflexors.  However, this position can be created by simply sliding you butt to the back of the seat if you are using a more forward aero position. Which position is better, can only be determined by what type of racing you will be doing; the terrain, if you need the bike to handle optimally, the type of position you will be riding in most (aero etc..). For example, and in answer to one of your questions, I don’t believe that a criterium racer would want an aeropositon or forward position for that matter.  The bike would not handle optimally, the aero position would not likely be needed due to drafting, and incorporating more hipflexor for spinning would be desirable.  Therefore, a more standard nonaero, standard seat tube angled bike would be desirable. If you are hammering on the flats, in an aero position, than move it forward to "feel not less powerful", or even further to feel "more powerful". Also the T2 theory seems to work for me.   If not in the aeroposition, aero geometry is definitely less comfortable than standard geometry.   In a short bike leg, I will have a tendency to want to ride further forward than in an Ironman bike leg.  Probably do to the need for more power and range in intensive muscle contractions. In regards to set up.  I like to position the fore-aft of the seat in relation to the BB first, at the height that I prefer, then stem length and aeropads to place me in my preferred aero position. Just spewing my thoughts! Gregg (open to your criticism) Trent

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Since Dan and I have had our differences on this topic before, let me start by saying that I don’t disagree with anything he just said. Rather, I have a question, and would like to be educated. That is, do triathletes who adopt a forward position frequently report that they actually feel *more* powerful this way? The way I view it is that, by opening up the hip angle, a forward seat position merely compensates, more or less successfully, for lowering the shoulders (as Dan aptly describes on his web site). However, if aerodynamics weren’t an issue, my personal preference (and that, I believe, of most roadies) would be to sit well behind the b.b., as this feels better to me. To answer my own question, perhaps people who actually feel better in a forward position are riding with too acute of hip angle already, even on a standard road bike w/ drop bars. Maybe with more years of training, and/or starting at a young age, the "sweet spot" moves to a more acute angle? Anybody care to comment?

One of the major advantages that I and others that train in the club I belong to is that a forward position on the bike allows for an easier transition from cycling to running especially in Olympic distance races. We have found that it is easier to start running at your desired pace not long after getting off the bike.  My personal feeling is that the forward position uses some of the muscles used in running so that when you get off the bike these muscles have not being sitting there unused for an a long period time and thus are not stiff, and they have not been overused to be tired, but just adequately warmed-up for running. IMHO, — |    WW      S. Bert Sandie      | |   /__     MPR Teltech Ltd     | |  | oo |    Burnaby, BC, Canada | |   __/   |  /|/|  

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Vaughn, Which seat post did you buy? Curious, Scott Rosen

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Has anyone had experience with the after market seat posts that turn conventional goemetry bikes into a bike with more tri-geometry riding positions?  Please let me know your thoughts.  Thanks. For some time I rode a slack frame with aero bars and could never get really comfortable. I then fitted a Profile forward seat post and dropped the bars(Syntace) to just about parallel to the ground(adjusting the bars IS important as your whole body position should change and not just your lower torso). The nose of the saddle is now directly over the crank. Immediate improvement. I felt much more comfortable and the power transfer was unreal. I am much quicker now.

ditto. an immediate improvement in fit and speed.

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One of the major advantages that I and others that train in the club I belong to is that a forward position on the bike allows for an easier transition from cycling to running especially in Olympic distance races.

One man’s experience: I do not yet ride dramatically faster on a tri-specific bike than my road bike with forward seat post, but I clearly run faster after cycling off the tri bike. The difference was immediate, and I have tested it in brick workouts and the experience holds up every time.

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Has anyone had experience with the after market seat posts that turn conventional goemetry bikes into a bike with more tri-geometry riding positions?  Please let me know your thoughts.  Thanks. — //__   , Real triathletes don’t draft or wear wetsuits!

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Has anyone had experience with the after market seat posts that turn conventional goemetry bikes into a bike with more tri-geometry riding positions?  Please let me know your thoughts.  Thanks.

I have used a forward seat post for triathlons for the last four seasons (usually in the top 5% of the bike splits). I found that it really helped in the fact that I was no longer having an intimate relationship with the nose of my saddle. I could get more forward and comfortable on the areobars. I know that people like QRman will say the tri bike geometry is more than just the seat post angle. But I feel that you can turn a conventional bike into a good tri bike with a forward seat post. You might have to adjust your stem length and aerobar length to get the proper fit (adjustable areo bars are a necessity). One thing I really like about a forward seat post is that during the winter I can revert to a conventional seat post and build my "cycling" muscles (butt, etc …) on the wind trainer. The arguement of specificity aside (I do ride most of the year in a forward position), I feel that the tri or time trial position on the bike is not necessarily the best one for developing into a strong cyclist – versus just a fast tri bike rider. Some thoughts, anyway. | Life is too short             |          __o        |     _/_     | | to just watch!!!              |        _`<,_   o   |  _/\  //_  | |Dalton Cote                    | ___o_         _   |   __  __<   | |Calgary , Canada               | ~~~~~~          /   |      ||      | |http://www.ucalgary.ca/~djcote |                        IRONMAN 97  |

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I know that people like QRman will say the tri bike geometry is more than just the seat post angle. But I feel that you can turn a conventional bike into a good tri bike with a forward seat post.

A post by another RST reader answers this perfectly: I felt much more comfortable and the power transfer was unreal. I am much quicker now. Handling is not great though and I would much prefer a bike

with the correct geometry. Handling is the main reason for the existence of a tri specific geometry frame.  You absolutely can achieve a powerful position by retro-fitting a standard road bike. One thing I really like about a forward seat post is that during the winter I can revert to a conventional seat post and build my "cycling" muscles (butt, etc …) on the wind trainer.

This is a very valid point.   May I say that I, along with pretty much everyone that we have ever sold a tri-specific bike to, would agree that a tri bike is NOT the best FIRST bike for a triathlete.  The first bike a triathlete should own is a standard road bike.  The SECOND bike a triathlete should own is a tri specific bike.  Your approach, which is to start with a standard road bike, and have it perform double duty by trading out seat posts, is the perfect way to go.  That way, if and when an athlete decides to invest in a more tri specific, and race specific, bike, he still has his standard road bike for non-aero bar training.   I may be wrong, but I’ll hazard a guess that you yourself will not choose a standard road bike for your next race bike, but will choose a tri specific bike, keeping your road bike as a dedicated road geometry bike. QRman

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One of the major advantages that I and others that train in the club I belong to is that a forward position on the bike allows for an easier transition from cycling to running especially in Olympic distance races.

Personally, in racing duathlons I haven’t been able to tell any difference, but my background is different than that of most multi-sport athletes, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m the exception rather than the rule. Certainly I’ve heard this reasoning many times before… To get back to the original question, however: do some people actually feel *more* powerful in a forward position, or simply not less powerful? If so, it implies that if they were road racing they should still be on a significantly steeper-than-average seat tube angle, and I’m wondering if this somehow relates to the type of athletic background people have coming into cycling…

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Since Dan and I have had our differences on this topic before, let me start by saying that I don’t disagree with anything he just said. Rather, I have a question, and would like to be educated. That is, do triathletes who adopt a forward position frequently report that they actually feel *more* powerful this way? The way I view it is that, by opening up the hip angle, a forward seat position merely compensates, more or less successfully, for lowering the shoulders (as Dan aptly describes on his web site). However, if aerodynamics weren’t an issue, my personal preference (and that, I believe, of most roadies) would be to sit well behind the b.b., as this feels better to me. To answer my own question, perhaps people who actually feel better in a forward position are riding with too acute of hip angle already, even on a standard road bike w/ drop bars. Maybe with more years of training, and/or starting at a young age, the "sweet spot" moves to a more acute angle? Anybody care to comment?

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Dalton, With reference to the below, I just got a forward seat post that I really like.  Could you (or anyone else) elaborate on your standard- better than forward-seating argument for cycling strength?  I’ve been wondering the same thing, and have been thinking about getting another saddle to make things easier.  After all, it’s trainer time, perfect for adjustments.   I like the forward position because it definitely makes the video- watching from the aerobars easier, but I can’t say for sure that it’s making the glutes stronger. Cheers, Vaughn – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Has anyone had experience with the after market seat posts that turn conventional goemetry bikes into a bike with more tri-geometry riding positions?  Please let me know your thoughts.  Thanks. I have used a forward seat post for triathlons for the last four seasons (usually in the top 5% of the bike splits). I found that it really helped in the fact that I was no longer having an intimate relationship with the nose of my saddle. I could get more forward and comfortable on the areobars. I know that people like QRman will say the tri bike geometry is more than just the seat post angle. But I feel that you can turn a conventional bike into a good tri bike with a forward seat post. You might have to adjust your stem length and aerobar length to get the proper fit (adjustable areo bars are a necessity). One thing I really like about a forward seat post is that during the winter I can revert to a conventional seat post and build my "cycling" muscles (butt, etc …) on the wind trainer. The arguement of specificity aside (I do ride most of the year in a forward position), I feel that the tri or time trial position on the bike is not necessarily the best one for developing into a strong cyclist – versus just a fast tri bike rider. Some thoughts, anyway. | Life is too short             |          __o        |     _/_     | | to just watch!!!              |        _`<,_   o   |  _/\  //_  | |Dalton Cote                    | ___o_         _   |   __  __<   | |Calgary , Canada               | ~~~~~~          /   |      ||      | |http://www.ucalgary.ca/~djcote |                        IRONMAN 97  |

– Vaughn Cooper Center for Microbial Ecology, Michigan State University East Lansing MI 48824 (517) 353-3953/3955 voice/fax

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Question:

BW- One problem; the Mark Allen/Paula Newby-Fraser video is not available any longer.  I tried to order for my brother & was told the manufacturer sold out and would not be making any more. For an even better alternative, there’s a program called ‘SuperSlow’ which provides the fastest, most intense weight training program available on the market that can be used by both runners or elite bodybuilders.  There’s a free website available (just seach on SuperSlow) that explains the whole program–just ignore their anti-aerobics blurbs. When I use SuperSlow, I can finish my whole body in 12 minutes or less (when using just Nautilus) or about 25 minutes using free weights.  Its also very, very adaptable to free-hand exercises such as push-ups, is far safer than traditional programs, and gives you more time to run! The only real problem with SS is its very intense; very few people tolerate the level of pain it induces despite the reduced amount of weight required to perform the exercises. Parker

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Marshall) writes: You’ll get much greater performance benefits if you exercise at least as fast as you use your muscles when running — that is if you train your leg muscles to move this slowly it’ll be hard to translate their strength into your stride, where you push back in a second or less. So the first few workouts go slow, but after that have at least some of the positive part of the exercise be fast — 2 seconds or less.  You can keep the negatives slow if you like.  If you’re doing the exercises properly, with correct form and good warmups, you won’t get injured. John Tomlinson New York, NY, USA home tel 1 (212) 362 1609 office tel 1 (212) 517 4900 Hello, I have to disagree with the recommendation to do strength exercises fast.   This is a sure road to injury.  I don’t think its correct to think of weight lifting as a specific exercise for improving running.  Its more a way to increase overall strength and strength balance.  Lifting weights slow won’t make you a slow runner.  Only running and running to improve speed will effect the way you run and how fast you run. Slow positive (4 seconds) and negative weight lifting movements are safer and result in greater muscle fiber activation which means you work the muscles more completely.  Lifting slowly also increases the intensity of the exercise which means greater strength. For a good reference page check out CYBERPUMP.  Lots of good info on lifting. Chuck Marshall

From the title Cyberpump it sounds to me like this book is about bodybuilding, not strengthtraining, but as I haven’t read it thats a guess. I have read a number of other good books on strengthtraining — one of the best being Power by Fred Hatfield. You’re right that doing negatives slower can greatly reduce the risk of injury — letting the weight down quickly can build up a lot of momentum with bad results for the joints.  But it’s entirely possible and beneficial to do the positives quickly, even explosively _PROVIDED_ you exercise in perfect form after a proper warm-up.  Look around at what top athetles in many diverse sports do — not only regular weigthtraining but Olympic lifts such as cleans (which _must_ be performed explosively and even plyometrics, a very high speed form of weight training. I’m dissapointed that people in this group are promoting what seems to me to be a very lame approach to strength training.  Imagine if an athlete in another sport was looking to try running as crosstraining. While it would be fine (and correct) to say "start slowly and don’t overdo it" it would be wrong to say "never run fast, running slowly is much safer."  After building some kind of base, you can get a lot of benefit out of running fast.  This slow positive thing in weighttraining is misguided. BTW, I didn’t say lifting weights slowly will make you a slow runner, I just said they won’t do anywhere nearly as much to make you a faster runner as lifting weights (the positives at least) quickly. John Tomlinson

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As a previous pure body-builder and now a runner/x-trainer, it is of my opinion (i.e. typical disclaimer) that slow positives are not only safer, but provide more of a benefit. Safer not only because you can concentrate more on form, but because you will be able to lift less weight when lifting slowly. Hope this helps.

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I have read a number of other good books on strengthtraining — one of the best being Power by Fred Hatfield. You’re right that doing negatives slower can greatly reduce the risk of injury — letting the weight down quickly can build up a lot of momentum with bad results for the joints.  But it’s entirely possible and beneficial to do the positives quickly, even explosively _PROVIDED_ you exercise in perfect form after a proper warm-up.  Look around at what top athetles in many diverse sports do — not only regular weigthtraining but Olympic lifts such as cleans (which _must_ be performed explosively and even plyometrics, a very high speed form of weight training. I’m dissapointed that people in this group are promoting what seems to me to be a very lame approach to strength training.  Imagine if an athlete in another sport was looking to try running as crosstraining. While it would be fine (and correct) to say "start slowly and don’t overdo it" it would be wrong to say "never run fast, running slowly is much safer."  After building some kind of base, you can get a lot of benefit out of running fast.  This slow positive thing in weighttraining is misguided. BTW, I didn’t say lifting weights slowly will make you a slow runner, I just said they won’t do anywhere nearly as much to make you a faster runner as lifting weights (the positives at least) quickly. John Tomlinson

Hi John, I wanted to respond to a couple of your statements… On your first paragraph, agreed, but the important thing to consider is you’re discussing something that is sport specific, not necessarily critical nor essential for an athlete who is not a strength athlete (powerlifter, etc.), let alone a runner. While many bodybuilders of the 40’s & 50’s used to do these moves, it was realized that the danger of many of these moves outweighed the benefits.  Why subject your your body to potential harm with the same benefits can be derived more readily through safer means? SuperSlow training, which is rapidly being recognized as a viable method of training, is in fact a viable means of lifting.  While distance running is built on a base before volume is increased, research has shown repeatedly with anaerobic training volume is detrimental to progress.  I was fortunate enough to meet some lifters in the local area, including powerlifting legend Ronnie Ray and two nationally ranked bodybuilder who use SuperSlow training as part of their routines.  Ronnie Ray used SS to break the 500lb bench press mark, naturally, at age 54.  Both bodybuilders placed high in the nationals in natural competition.  Please note Ronnie, in fact, admitted he’d been using SS since the 60’s and got injured when he switched to regular or traditional training methods.   I hope your views of lame approach, if you are applying them to SS, can be revisited.  I was a powerlifter and bodybuilder for several years before finding my true success would be through running.  During that time, I used similar training methods and experienced excellent results, despite the fact I am over 50% red fiber.  On the incline bench, for example, I was able to use a pair of 145 dbs and perform 3 reps at regular speed.  This was after using up to 110 dbs for 10positive/5 negative.   Parker Reed

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writes: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I have read a number of other good books on strengthtraining — one of the best being Power by Fred Hatfield. You’re right that doing negatives slower can greatly reduce the risk of injury — letting the weight down quickly can build up a lot of momentum with bad results for the joints.  But it’s entirely possible and beneficial to do the positives quickly, even explosively _PROVIDED_ you exercise in perfect form after a proper warm-up.  Look around at what top athetles in many diverse sports do — not only regular weigthtraining but Olympic lifts such as cleans (which _must_ be performed explosively and even plyometrics, a very high speed form of weight training. I’m dissapointed that people in this group are promoting what seems to me to be a very lame approach to strength training.  Imagine if an athlete in another sport was looking to try running as crosstraining. While it would be fine (and correct) to say "start slowly and don’t overdo it" it would be wrong to say "never run fast, running slowly is much safer."  After building some kind of base, you can get a lot of benefit out of running fast.  This slow positive thing in weighttraining is misguided. BTW, I didn’t say lifting weights slowly will make you a slow runner, I just said they won’t do anywhere nearly as much to make you a faster runner as lifting weights (the positives at least) quickly. John Tomlinson Hi John, I wanted to respond to a couple of your statements… On your first paragraph, agreed, but the important thing to consider is you’re discussing something that is sport specific, not necessarily critical nor essential for an athlete who is not a strength athlete (powerlifter, etc.), let alone a runner. While many bodybuilders of the 40’s & 50’s used to do these moves, it was realized that the danger of many of these moves outweighed the benefits.  Why subject your your body to potential harm with the same benefits can be derived more readily through safer means? SuperSlow training, which is rapidly being recognized as a viable method of training, is in fact a viable means of lifting.  While distance running is built on a base before volume is increased, research has shown repeatedly with anaerobic training volume is detrimental to progress. I was fortunate enough to meet some lifters in the local area, including powerlifting legend Ronnie Ray and two nationally ranked bodybuilder who use SuperSlow training as part of their routines.  Ronnie Ray used SS to break the 500lb bench press mark, naturally, at age 54.  Both bodybuilders placed high in the nationals in natural competition. Please note Ronnie, in fact, admitted he’d been using SS since the 60’s and got injured when he switched to regular or traditional training methods.   I hope your views of lame approach, if you are applying them to SS, can be revisited.  I was a powerlifter and bodybuilder for several years before finding my true success would be through running.  During that time, I used similar training methods and experienced excellent results, despite the fact I am over 50% red fiber.  On the incline bench, for example, I was able to use a pair of 145 dbs and perform 3 reps at regular speed.  This was after using up to 110 dbs for 10positive/5 negative.   Parker Reed

OK, lets get into some specifics.   It’s likely that for the abdominal muscles and muscles of the back, the speed of exercise is probably not very important because these muscles are used isometrecally when running — i.e. they don’t move your body but just stabilize it.  Slow training would probably be fine for this. For muscles that propel the body, I stand by my statements that you’ll get more out of exercising for sports like running, biking, soccer, swimming, if you do the positives quickly. It’s really sounds like this super slow training is something developed for bodybuilders and powerlifters.  You did both, so I assume you recognize that weight training can be divided into three types of activities: 1) Bodybuiling — using weights to affect the size and appearance of the body 2) Competitive weightlifting — weight training to be able to lift as much as possible.  This is further divided into A) powerlifting — which is usually a competition including the bench press, squat and deadlift.  Althought these exercises can be performed quickly if using a light weight, in competition they are done very slowly because of the amount of weight used.  B) Olympic lifting — lifts such as cleans, which must be perfomed quickly.  As I undertand it bodybuilders have moved away from Olympic lifts not because of injuries (as you say) but because Olympic lifts can not as easily be used to shapre specific muscles to get the _appearance_ bodybuilders are after. 3) Strength training for sport. We should be clear that in talking about weights and running, it is strength training for sport, not bodybuilding and not powerlifting. Ronnie Ray’s lifts sound very impressive (I can’t imagine lifting anywhere close to that amount of wieght) but you describe him as a powerlifter and bodybuilder.   I agree with your comments that both the fast running I refer to and intense weight training can be very detrimental to progress if overdone, but how frequently is a runner going to weight train? Probably once or twice or at most three times a week. John Tomlinson New York, NY, USA home tel 1 (212) 362 1609 office tel 1 (212) 517 4900

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Weight lifting will definitely make you a better athlete. You may gain some weight but it will be all muscle.  Try lifing weights on non running days.  If you want to run and lift on the same day, decide which is more important–lifting or running and do that activity first.  The exercise you do after will still be beneficial but to a lesser degree.  

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – writes: (snip) 3.  The slower the movement, the safer the exercise.  A good speed is 5 – 10 seconds on positives, 2 – 5 seconds on negatives.  This allows for greater concentration on form & not as much weight is required. (snip) Parker 5 to 10 second positives seem unreasonably slow to me if the goal is better athletic performance. You’ll get much greater performance benefits if you exercise at least as fast as you use your muscles when running — that is if you train your leg muscles to move this slowly it’ll be hard to translate their strength into your stride, where you push back in a second or less. So the first few workouts go slow, but after that have at least some of the positive part of the exercise be fast — 2 seconds or less.  You can keep the negatives slow if you like.  If you’re doing the exercises properly, with correct form and good warmups, you won’t get injured. John Tomlinson New York, NY, USA home tel 1 (212) 362 1609 office tel 1 (212) 517 4900

Hello, I have to disagree with the recommendation to do strength exercises fast.   This is a sure road to injury.  I don’t think its correct to think of weight lifting as a specific exercise for improving running.  Its more a way to increase overall strength and strength balance.  Lifting weights slow won’t make you a slow runner.  Only running and running to improve speed will effect the way you run and how fast you run. Slow positive (4 seconds) and negative weight lifting movements are safer and result in greater muscle fiber activation which means you work the muscles more completely.  Lifting slowly also increases the intensity of the exercise which means greater strength. For a good reference page check out CYBERPUMP.  Lots of good info on lifting. Chuck Marshall

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Weight training will help your performance as it helps strengthen muscles that have atrophied through running or disuse, therefore, your body is more balanced. I’ve been wanting to start a weight-training program, but really don’t know what exercises to do (I’d like it to complement my running). Do you have any suggestions for exercises that will encompass a total body workout, two or three times a week? Also, are freeweights better than the machines? I’ve heard, and this makes sense, that freeweights help strengthen some of the ancillary muscles that help with balance…machines don’t do this. Thanks. David J. Kanter Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.   USA

Short Tip:  Check out the video "Strength Training for Triathletes."  Paula Newby Fraser and Mark Allen demonstrate sport specific exercises and give you a program to follow (Strenght phase, endurance phase, power phase).  If you can’t find it in the back of Runner’s World or Triathlete, e-mail me and I will try to find the number. Long tip: Most machines stabilize the weight and confine you to a fixed arc of movement.   You are right in thinking that freeweights will also develop ancillary muscles.  Consider the bench press:  you not only have to exert force up and down, but most control movement of the weight side to side.  This is not so on a machine.  Use of dumbells also will ensure that each side of your body "pulls its own weight."  On a machine, the stronger bodypart is allowed to pull a majority of the wieght.  Using dumbells can help you with symmetry.         Some drawbacks to freeweights are that it takes time to set them up, and if you are lifting heavier weights you should really have a spotter, or at least someone close enough to help you out if you get in trouble.  If you are in a time crunch or work out alone, you might want to stick with the machines for the heavier exercises.  If in a time crunch, try forgetting doing any bicep work.  All the other exercises hit this area, and they are really the most useless muscles as sports go.  The triceps are the most important arm muscles for most sports.         If I had one tip to give about freeweights, it would be about squats.  There is nothing like squats to increase power to your quads and butt (technical term), but its also a great way to hurt yourself.  The force on your spine increases exponentially as your back departs from the vertical, so its important to keep your back straight.  Keep your feet should width apart and lean back into the bar to get started.  Also, you might want to wrap a towel around the bar where it contacts your shoulders (be careful to lay it across your shoulders and not the back of your neck).  Its more comfortable, and it won’t leave marks on your back from the knurled bar.  Never go down further than where your thighs are parallel to the ground.  Finally, remember when you are coming up to press up with your arms, like you are trying to press the bar above your head.  It really helps. BW    

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Weight training will help your performance as it helps strengthen muscles that have atrophied through running or disuse, therefore, your body is more balanced.

I’ve been wanting to start a weight-training program, but really don’t know what exercises to do (I’d like it to complement my running). Do you have any suggestions for exercises that will encompass a total body workout, two or three times a week? Also, are freeweights better than the machines? I’ve heard, and this makes sense, that freeweights help strengthen some of the ancillary muscles that help with balance…machines don’t do this. Thanks. David J. Kanter Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.   USA

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writes: (snip) 3.  The slower the movement, the safer the exercise.  A good speed is 5 – 10 seconds on positives, 2 – 5 seconds on negatives.  This allows for greater concentration on form & not as much weight is required. (snip) Parker

5 to 10 second positives seem unreasonably slow to me if the goal is better athletic performance. You’ll get much greater performance benefits if you exercise at least as fast as you use your muscles when running — that is if you train your leg muscles to move this slowly it’ll be hard to translate their strength into your stride, where you push back in a second or less. So the first few workouts go slow, but after that have at least some of the positive part of the exercise be fast — 2 seconds or less.  You can keep the negatives slow if you like.  If you’re doing the exercises properly, with correct form and good warmups, you won’t get injured. John Tomlinson New York, NY, USA home tel 1 (212) 362 1609 office tel 1 (212) 517 4900

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Caroline, A few tips: 1.  Do either full body workouts twice a week or perform a split routine three times a week to allow for greater recovery. 2.  Pick a single exercise for each bodypart, such as dips for chest & upper torso, and after warming up only perform one or two sets.  Any more than that is a waste of your time and energy. 3.  The slower the movement, the safer the exercise.  A good speed is 5 – 10 seconds on positives, 2 – 5 seconds on negatives.  This allows for greater concentration on form & not as much weight is required. 4.  If you do full body workouts, the order of exercises should be legs, back, chest, shoulders, arms, & abs last.  Since they are a stabilizer for the rest of your body, if you work out your abs first they won’t be strong enough to support you on your other exercises. 5.  If you split your routine, try chest, back, and abs one day & shoulders, arms, and abs the next. Weight training will help your performance as it helps strengthen muscles that have atrophied through running or disuse, therefore, your body is more balanced.  Look at triathletes such as Mark Allen or Paula Newby-Fraser; both are big advocates of weight training for its enhancement values.  Pure runners such as Lynn Doerhing or even the Kenyons include it because of the benefits it provides. Regarding your hams vs. quads, your body will dictate the amount of weight you should use if you pay close attention to your form and how your body reacts.  Don’t worry about the quads should lift 50% more than the hams; your body will balance things out naturally if you’re patient and listen. Your metabolism will increase from weight lifting as well.  Whenever you add lean muscle mass to your frame, your metabolism increases proportionately.  This because while running has a temporary affect on escalating your metabolism, lean tissue burns calories 24 hours a day.   Thats why natural (who knows about the steroid users!) 260 lb bodybuilders can consume 8,000 calories a day and still come in at 6% or less bodyfat; they’re metabolic machines! Most important, running has a catabolic affect on lean tissue if you run more than 20 miles a week due to increased cortisol levels. If you look at the gaunt appearance many runners have in their upper bodies, this is the reason. This is simply a natural biochemical reaction of the body to the ‘damage’ incurred from endurance exercise.  One means of combating/offsetting this is weight training. Hope this helps! Parker

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Dear folks, I have been in the gym for three months now due to a stress fracture of the pelvis that is healing slowly.  After beating the stairmaster, bike and rowing machines into the ground, I figured the only way to improve my workouts would be to add weight training. Since you all are runners, maybe you could help me out with some questions I have. 1) The trainer guy said for maximum fat burning I should lift before I do my aerobic activity.  He said something about muscles can’t work as hard when glycogen depleted.  He did not really understand that fat loss would be nice, but really is not paramount for me.  I want to be faster and less injury prone.  I don’t want to compromise my aerobic fitness– I want it enhanced by weights. So I am asking fellow runners should I lift before I do my 45+ minutes of aerobic activity.  Does it really matter? 2) How can using weights improve performance?  Does using weights on muscles used in running (hamstrings, calves, glutes) reinforce pre-existing imbalances.  My quads are pretty weak compared to my hamstrings.  Should I lay off my hamstrings and work my quads harder? 3) Do women really have metabolic increases by building lean muscle mass like men do?   Any other advice to a novice lifter? Sincerely, Caroline

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Question:

Looking to start national club system with one in each Tri-Fed region (12). Need help locating contacts in big corporations to find sponsor. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a Hewlett Packard (HP) Boulder or San Diego that had club uniforms, travel money, and race performance cash bonuses? Francisco, CA 94118 or call (415) 379-9367. (no email account)

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Eric I have just started developing a National Triathlon Club Directory.  I’ve had a good deal of response from r.s.t., and am just now seeing my letter regarding the directory in a few publications.  I hope to have a significant list put together by the end of summer.  If you or anyone else would like to send info about any tri-clubs that you are aware of, please e-mail, or snail mail to Austin Triathletes, 1806A Ford St., Austin, TX 78704. Thanks Rick Margiotta

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Question:

any data regarding qualifying for Hawaii Ironman as a 35-39 or 40-44 male.

It’s extremely competitive.  At a race like Gulf Coast (1/2 iron), you have to finish top 1 or 2 out of 50-100, or about 4:00-4:10.  At the olympic distance (1.5K-40K-10K), probably 2:00. #include "disclaimer.h"                |____|

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Are there other races that have a similar format?  i.e. having to win a place in a previous race (pro races excepted).  I believe that the Zofingen Powerman also requires you to qualify. What about the other Ironmans?  What about the shorter (saner races? Sean.

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I recently did the BAY STATE TRIATHLON and they sent me a fax of the "unofficial" results. I will give you the top 10 in you age group. Some of these people might have waived they qualifying spot, I did not get those results yet. Hope this gives you an ideal. 35-39         name    age     overall finish  time Brooks McQuade  36      24              2:54:27 JIM     MERCHANT 38     25              2:54:33 WAYNE   NICHOLS  39     35              2:57:05 JAMES  MORGAN   36      36              2:57:05 JIM     BOLSTER 38      40              2:58:33 JEFFREY RITCHIE 36      42              2:58:43 IAN PATTIE      38      47              2:59:44 MICHAEL OLICHNEY 35     49              3:00:04 STEVE HARE 37           55              3:01:37 ARNOLD GUERIN 39        56              3:01:55 JEREMIAN FITZGIBBON 37  64              3:02:56 RAYMOND KUSCHE  39      74              3:03:31 40-44 DAVID AHNER     42      45              2:59:23 JOE LEONE       40      46              2:59:32 TOM SHIMMERS    41      54              3:01:31 TOMMY PRESTON   41      82              3:04:49 BILL HAYES      43      84              3:04:54 BRUCE ROBINSON  43      85              3:05:22 FRANCOIS MARTEL 40      87              3:05:39 JAMES CARMAN    42      101             3:08:03

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| | Has anyone looked at the times people did to qualify in those races? | (I guess what I really mean is "what is the slowest time that still | gives you a good shot at qualifying?").  I’m especially interested if | any data regarding qualifying for Hawaii Ironman as a 35-39 or 40-44 male. | | Thanks in advance! | | -Rory Stuart | Rory, every year there’s a new list of the races which offer qualifying spots for Hawaii. The other Ironman races (Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Germany, and Lanzarote – Canary Islands) are always Ironman Hawaii qualifiers. A bunch (10 or so) of other, shorter, races (predominantly in the States) make make up the remaining qualifying races. It’s these other races that change from year to year. As for the Ironman races, they each offer something like 150 qualifying spots for Hawaii. Each age group gets its share (based on representation) of this pot of 150 spots. If my memory serves me (which it usually doesn’t) correctly, I believe the M35-39 group got about 30 Ironman qualifying spots at last year’s Ironman Canada, and I think a time of just over 11 hours would have claimed the last spot in this group. good luck! Chris — Ontario Telepresence Project, 2670 Queensview Dr., Ottawa, ON, K2B 8K1, CANADA

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<< Apologies in advance for a newby question — I know this is like beginning runners who have not yet even run a decent 10K time but are already asking about qualifying for Boston marathon, but here goes …   I know that to qualify for Hawaii Ironman (as opposed to getting in via lottery, etc…) there are a series of qualifying races, and one has to finish in the top x places in one’s age group in one of these races.  And, given variations in competition in these races, I imagine the times required to be in those x places must vary (considerably?) from race to race as well as from year to year.  But, it would help me to have a *rough* idea of what level of performance I have to aim for in order to qualify. Has anyone looked at the times people did to qualify in those races? (I guess what I really mean is "what is the slowest time that still gives you a good shot at qualifying?").  I’m especially interested if any data regarding qualifying for Hawaii Ironman as a 35-39 or 40-44 male. Thanks in advance! -Rory Stuart

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Yikes! In two weeks I’ll be competing in my third triathlon, but it will   include an 1/2 mile ocean swim. I’ve done a 1/2 mile swim before in a   lake, but I’ve never done an ocean swim. I’ll get to practice once in the   ocean before the race. Any tips? It’s the Sandman Triathlon in Aptos – any hints from those who have done   it before? Marilyn

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I did a sandman once in Jax, Fla.! The key is getting out past the waves and staying out there!   The one I did you start on the beach and then swim out past the breaking waves to a buoy and then swim up the beach to the second buoy and then ride the waves back to shore.  The hard part comes when you accidentaly veer into the waves and get pushed to shore before rounding the second buoy.  So keep an eye on that buoy, stay out there and swim hard!

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Yikes! In two weeks I’ll be competing in my third triathlon, but it will   include an 1/2 mile ocean swim. I’ve done a 1/2 mile swim before in a   lake, but I’ve never done an ocean swim. I’ll get to practice once in the   ocean before the race. Any tips? It’s the Sandman Triathlon in Aptos – any hints from those who have done   it before? Marilyn

Marilyn,         Yeah, get used to that wetsuit. And the ocean critters might scare you as well. One ocean swim is a must before you do the real one. There are currents, and the water is like ice. Good luck, as you can tell, I am not much of a swimmer…my least favorite part, especially in the COLD ocean!! Cheers, Linda

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