Question:

Check out Keiths Triathlon Shop www.keithstriathlon.com been in business over 6 years and specialize in taking care of new triathletes John – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – HI fellows i am seekin also triathlon equipment like clothing and parts for the bike (bottles and food included) … may anyone name me addies of online shops where i can find such items? i am thinking of a big triathlon supporter/supplier that is known and well-tried. cuz where i come from (Germany) we have only  a very small and below standard choice ( like 2 aerobars in a bike shop maybe  )  i dunno why there is such a lack of triathlon supporters and info-centers. i might ask sum professional german triathlets like Lothar Leder but i dont wanna bother them with stuff like this .. i think they dont buy equipment in shops or online shops anymore its their sponsors take care that they have all so if u now sum useful links plz reply asap THX greetings Daniel Franke for chat: ICQ: 92930130 or /server irc.los3r.com  /join #psycotic-warez  /msg DATTY for a chat  thx

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try this store it is great people are friendly and they really know what there talking about! online store isnt up yet but you can call in orders until they are! http://www.strokesnstridestrifactory.com

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – HI fellows i am seekin also triathlon equipment like clothing and parts for the bike (bottles and food included) … may anyone name me addies of online shops where i can find such items? i am thinking of a big triathlon supporter/supplier that is known and well-tried. cuz where i come from (Germany) we have only  a very small and below standard choice ( like 2 aerobars in a bike shop maybe  )  i dunno why there is such a lack of triathlon supporters and info-centers. i might ask sum professional german triathlets like Lothar Leder but i dont wanna bother them with stuff like this .. i think they dont buy equipment in shops or online shops anymore its their sponsors take care that they have all so if u now sum useful links plz reply asap THX greetings Daniel Franke for chat: ICQ: 92930130 or /server irc.los3r.com  /join #psycotic-warez  /msg DATTY for a chat  thx

Response:

HI fellows i am seekin also triathlon equipment like clothing and parts for the bike (bottles and food included) … may anyone name me addies of online shops where i can find such items? i am thinking of a big triathlon supporter/supplier that is known and well-tried. cuz where i come from (Germany) we have only  a very small and below standard choice ( like 2 aerobars in a bike shop maybe  )  i dunno why there is such a lack of triathlon supporters and info-centers. i might ask sum professional german triathlets like Lothar Leder but i dont wanna bother them with stuff like this .. i think they dont buy equipment in shops or online shops anymore its their sponsors take care that they have all so if u now sum useful links plz reply asap THX greetings Daniel Franke for chat: ICQ: 92930130 or /server irc.los3r.com  /join #psycotic-warez  /msg DATTY for a chat  thx

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Question:

Does any know the date of the 2001 Muskoga Triathlon? Is it still an IM qualifier?

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Muskoka?? No date yet, but it looks like Trisport will have it posted before too long: http://www.trisportcanada.com/ Ray

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Muskoka Triathlon tentative date according to Subaru Triathlon Series is Jun16th and 17th.I think you could take that too the bank. —                                   –    o      ’             –  __o       –    </_ `     ‘         –    <         – __/    /o_         – (()) (())        -  /

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Does any know the date of the 2001 Muskoga Triathlon? Is it still an IM qualifier?

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Question:

I’m doing the Disney half….. (OK I’m a wimp) but I’ll buy some if the man decides to do a run of them… brian Keep in mind my idea..wearing them at the disney marathon….

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ok it seems many of you know of these shorts…some like them some dont… I’m a fat slob right now..I look silly running anyhow but I’d love to own a pair.. actually I’d spring for 2 pair…who else would like a pair????? Keep in mind my idea..wearing them at the disney marathon…. perhaps if the performance you give wont get you noticed…the shorts will…   {the movie 101 Dalmations}    John Hansen  Sarasota  Fl.

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The Dalmatian shorts sounds like it is in keeping with the Disney spirit. However some of you may know Farol from Gainesville. He has had a Dalmatian costume for years. In fact we had Dalmatian head (arm) bands a couple of years ago so we could recognize each other. Dont let this dissuade you from getting the shorts, it lends to the festive atmosphere. Charlie

Response:

I’ve never seen them, but would be in the market for a pair or two. ) Jeff Larson

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -ok it seems many of you know of these shorts…some like them some dont… I’m a fat slob right now..I look silly running anyhow but I’d love to own a pair.. actually I’d spring for 2 pair…who else would like a pair????? Keep in mind my idea..wearing them at the disney marathon…. perhaps if the performance you give wont get you noticed…the shorts will…  {the movie 101 Dalmations} John Hansen Sarasota  Fl.

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I guess interest in these is not to great……oh well thanks for responding any way RST ers…  John Hansen  Sarasota  Fl.

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Good try J!  I will keep asking on my end too.  I will post RST if we make them so you get first crack at them. Emilio De Soto II Triathlete/President and Designer De Soto Sport Triathlon Clothing Email me for a free catalog

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Question:

And, they happen to sponsor one of my very favorite pros (Melissa Spooner),

I’ll second that. David

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Hmmm! This is interesting?  Maybe I wasn’t clear – so let me try again -fwiw. Ralph Lauren seems to be pretty smart to me.

Yes they are smart…but even smart companies make mistakes.  Specially when going into new markets.  Ask K-mart mgmt. when they start the now chapt. 11 Builder Squares. With the strong  Advertising and limited quantity of products he’s creating quite a demand for his sfuff.  That way he can sell his limited gear at a huge price and people will shell it out.

This is an interesting concept…limiting quantities of product to increase prices is know as a supply manipulation (or in academia they refer to elastic or inelastic demand models for products) Unfortunately, you can not reduce supply of a product and be very successful in raising your price unless you monopolize most of the market that is basically homogeneous.  In short, clothing (or more specifically, tri-clothing) is not a homogeneous commodity with few competitors like oil. So, the probability of having such strong name recognition among triathletes (say, like gatorade and/or coke)that you can reduce supply to gain a price advantage is in the low probability range of succeeding.  Or as tri-baby put it more eloquently, some people won’t buy a product just because a fashion designer puts his or her name on it. So, I guess your supply-demand to price relationship is not on target (or, I miss understood your statement – wouldn’t be the first time I’ve misunderstood something) Now this is really interesting: It seems like to me that most people are complaining because they cant get his product, that seems like a strong demand to me. I’m sure though it was planned like that, to create a demand for a year or so and then unleash the product, so we should probably be seeing an increase of RL stuff pretty soon.

Complaints about NOT FINDING your products is not the same thing as complaining ABOUT your products.   If Ralphie planned on keeping his newly introduced products out of the consumers demands then perhaps he is being successful.  However, If I went to a new restaurant who said they were not serving their food because they wanted customers to come back with there friends just chomping at the bit to try out the menu —  well, let’s just say I would go to closes other restaurant.  In short, If you want to sell your product in the future, you have to sell in the present.  If you can’t supply the product – you will not have customers.  That’s a pretty basic concept of Sales/Marketing.  Research has shown unless it is a necessity or one of a kind product, people will seldom go to extremes to buy a product.  That is why competitors exist. But I’ll stick with my Desoto Powerskin suit.

Finally, you mention Desoto (a competitor)and have just described everything I said in a whole bunch of words.  Your a genius:-). I wish rlx polo the best – the success of their products can directly influence the sport of triathlon.  fwiw – Joe Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

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Ralph Lauren seems to be pretty smart to me. With the strong  Advertising and limited quantity of products he’s creating quite a demand for his sfuff.  That way he can sell his limited gear at a huge price and people will shell it out. It seems like to me that most people are complaining because they cant get his product, that seems like a strong demand to me. I’m sure though it was planned like that, to create a demand for a year or so and then unleash the product, so we should probably be seeing an increase of RL stuff pretty soon.  But I’ll stick with my Desoto Powerskin suit.

Response:

This was an excellent post with some interesting insight.  Ironically, I just happened to see one small rack of "PoloRLX" clothing at a local bike shop the other evening.  Didn’t look at it to speak of, however, because when it comes to bike gear I stick with the folks who have been in the business a lot of years.  That doesn’t include a "fashion" giant that slaps its name on whatever it thinks it can sell. On the other hand, though, I appreciate the company’s sponsorship of the sport.  And, they happen to sponsor one of my very favorite pros (Melissa Spooner), so I suppose I really ought to consider supporting them. Just ramblin’. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Does anyone know where I can order polo triathlon clothing? — Ralph Lauren Polo Triathlon Clothing – RLX POLO SPORT Good question?  You see lot’s of expensive advertising in various tri- mags and the only ref. to further info. is an 800 no.   Only problem with the 800 no. approach is that it’s ability to provide information is base (more or less) on your zip code.  Which is o.k. if you live in an area where the zip code indicates a "relevant" population. So, if you live in a low populated area(or,foreign country) your access to polo tri products seems to be limited if it exists at all. Ralphie L. seems to have made one fundamental mistake of business. Never advertise a product you can not sufficiently distribute in both quantity and quality through sufficient distribution channels. (That’s just a "non-folksy" way of saying "know your market"). Seems as if Ralphie L. seems to have minimize his distribution channels (he doesn’t seem to have a web site showing tri-gear either).  For example, look at the responses to this question over a two day period.  Lot of advertising dollars spent and very little interest if you use rst as an indicator.  Something tells me you can find polo’s tri gear on sale in the near future – not because of a bad product (I assume) but because of a lack of planning in the distribution process will result in an excess supply. Hope I’m wrong – but another tri-sponsor may have shot himself in the foot. fwiw…joe – If anyone finds a web site re: RLX polo sport tri gear posting that sight would be nice? Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

– Tri-Baby                                      _                                   –    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    

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They also sponsor Tim & Tony DeBoom. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This was an excellent post with some interesting insight.  Ironically, I just happened to see one small rack of "PoloRLX" clothing at a local bike shop the other evening.  Didn’t look at it to speak of, however, because when it comes to bike gear I stick with the folks who have been in the business a lot of years.  That doesn’t include a "fashion" giant that slaps its name on whatever it thinks it can sell. On the other hand, though, I appreciate the company’s sponsorship of the sport.  And, they happen to sponsor one of my very favorite pros (Melissa Spooner), so I suppose I really ought to consider supporting them. Just ramblin’. Does anyone know where I can order polo triathlon clothing? — Ralph Lauren Polo Triathlon Clothing – RLX POLO SPORT Good question?  You see lot’s of expensive advertising in various tri- mags and the only ref. to further info. is an 800 no.   Only problem with the 800 no. approach is that it’s ability to provide information is base (more or less) on your zip code.  Which is o.k. if you live in an area where the zip code indicates a "relevant" population. So, if you live in a low populated area(or,foreign country) your access to polo tri products seems to be limited if it exists at all. Ralphie L. seems to have made one fundamental mistake of business. Never advertise a product you can not sufficiently distribute in both quantity and quality through sufficient distribution channels. (That’s just a "non-folksy" way of saying "know your market"). Seems as if Ralphie L. seems to have minimize his distribution channels (he doesn’t seem to have a web site showing tri-gear either).  For example, look at the responses to this question over a two day period.  Lot of advertising dollars spent and very little interest if you use rst as an indicator.  Something tells me you can find polo’s tri gear on sale in the near future – not because of a bad product (I assume) but because of a lack of planning in the distribution process will result in an excess supply. Hope I’m wrong – but another tri-sponsor may have shot himself in the foot. fwiw…joe – If anyone finds a web site re: RLX polo sport tri gear posting that sight would be nice? Share what you know. Learn what you don’t. — Tri-Baby                                      _                                   –    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

– Bernie Hall                                            o                         __o          </_                         <        __ /       /o__      (0)  (0)           /

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Does anyone know where I can order polo triathlon clothing? — Posted via Talkway – http://www.talkway.com Exchange ideas on practically anything ™.

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I saw some polo gear on my last trip to Nytro in Encinitas. You could try their website at www.nytro.com awp in sd

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Does anyone know where I can order polo triathlon clothing? —

Ralph Lauren Polo Triathlon Clothing – RLX POLO SPORT Good question?  You see lot’s of expensive advertising in various tri- mags and the only ref. to further info. is an 800 no.   Only problem with the 800 no. approach is that it’s ability to provide information is base (more or less) on your zip code.  Which is o.k. if you live in an area where the zip code indicates a "relevant" population. So, if you live in a low populated area(or,foreign country) your access to polo tri products seems to be limited if it exists at all. Ralphie L. seems to have made one fundamental mistake of business. Never advertise a product you can not sufficiently distribute in both quantity and quality through sufficient distribution channels. (That’s just a "non-folksy" way of saying "know your market"). Seems as if Ralphie L. seems to have minimize his distribution channels (he doesn’t seem to have a web site showing tri-gear either).  For example, look at the responses to this question over a two day period.  Lot of advertising dollars spent and very little interest if you use rst as an indicator.  Something tells me you can find polo’s tri gear on sale in the near future – not because of a bad product (I assume) but because of a lack of planning in the distribution process will result in an excess supply. Hope I’m wrong – but another tri-sponsor may have shot himself in the foot. fwiw…joe – If anyone finds a web site re: RLX polo sport tri gear posting that sight would be nice? Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

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Question:

Are we talking about the limitations of a computer program, or the philosophy of a certain approach to training?

<<What’s speculation is the claim that it measures that your aerobic system is "fully developed". So far you haven’t presented any evidence that that’s the case. Regarding the MAF Test, it correlates very well with respiratory quotient (RQ) – the amount to fat and sugar burning at specific heart rates. In the previous example, if your run pace is 8 min per mile and you improve to 7 minutes at the same heart rate, most likely you are burning more fat (as measured by RQ). The idea of building your aerobic system is to increase fat burning, which results in more speed. A plateau at a certain pace (or RQ) MAY mean you’ve developed you aerobic system, depending on other factors – some of which are not determined in any program. Even when working with an athlete one on one there are limitations (and therefore speculation) – it’s the nature of working with people. <<There are two separate issues here: 1. Arranging that people choose appropriate total workout volumes. 2. Arranging that there’s programmed rest periods so that athletes The program includes off days. This is encouraged. <<The second purpose is the one served by the down weeks in the SERIOUS program (or for that matter in the program recommended by Martin and Coe). Are you saying it’s necessary to take an extended time off during your program? If that’s the case, I don’t agree. I prefer to balance training and recovery on a day by day and week by week basis by having one or sometimes two days off each week. If the recovery is not sufficient, your MAF Test will show that. What do you mean by the "SERIOUS" program? I’ll try not to read into that. << Now, are you saying that the Pigg program attempts to serve this purpose, in which case please explain how, since you haven’t above. Or, are you arguing that this purpose is a bad idea? As noted above. Phil Maffetone

Response:

Are we talking about the limitations of a computer program, or the philosophy of a certain approach to training?

Well, they’re intertwined. The program reflects the philosophy, but some of the limitations of the program are of course unique to it being software. To the extent that the software faithfully reflects the philosophy, the discussions should be very close. <<What’s speculation is the claim that it measures that your aerobic system is "fully developed". So far you haven’t presented any evidence that that’s the case. Regarding the MAF Test, it correlates very well with respiratory quotient (RQ) – the amount to fat and sugar burning at specific heart rates. In the previous example, if your run pace is 8 min per mile and you improve to 7 minutes at the same heart rate, most likely you are burning more fat (as measured by RQ). The idea of building your aerobic system is to increase fat burning, which results in more speed.

This is evidence that improvements in the MAF are correlated with improvements in fitness. I’m not objecting that assertion. A plateau at a certain pace (or RQ) MAY mean you’ve developed you aerobic system, depending on other factors – some of which are not determined in any program. Even when working with an athlete one on one there are limitations (and therefore speculation) – it’s the nature of working with people.

Yes, I agree with this. But the primary question is whether the plateau is a _good_ indicator of whether you’ve fully developed your aerobic system. For this to be a good test, the rate of false positives (athletes who it claims are fully developed who actually are plateauing for some other reason) has to be fairly low. So far, I haven’t seen any evidence that it is. <<There are two separate issues here: 1. Arranging that people choose appropriate total workout volumes. 2. Arranging that there’s programmed rest periods so that athletes The program includes off days. This is encouraged.

Again, if you’d leave in more of the context of my messages, this would be clear:         In essence, I think periodization means two things:         1. It’s scheduled.         2. It involves programmed rest.         As far as I can tell, the Pigg program has neither of these on the         cycle scale (Though of course it does on the week scale.) What I mean by that is that while the Pigg program encourages you to take _days_ off, it doesn’t include any real week to week variation in training load within cycles. I.e. for every three week block that the program schedules, the training volume for any given week is essentially the same. <<The second purpose is the one served by the down weeks in the SERIOUS program (or for that matter in the program recommended by Martin and Coe). Are you saying it’s necessary to take an extended time off during your program? If that’s the case, I don’t agree. I prefer to balance training and recovery on a day by day and week by week basis by having one or sometimes two days off each week. If the recovery is not sufficient, your MAF Test will show that.

No, I’m saying that a common feature of training programs is to have weeks of reduced training load. For instance, in a 4 week cycle, one might do a 23,26,29,22 pattern, with the first week at 23% of the total cycle volume, the second week at 26%, etc. with the last week intended as a recovery week. AFAICT, the Pigg program doesn’t do that. So I’m assuming you believe that this is unnecessary. What do you mean by the "SERIOUS" program? I’ll try not to read into that.

Sleamaker and Browning’s "SERIOUS Training for Endurance Athletes" No doubt, you can see why I got tired of typing this and just abbreviated it to SERIOUS. -Ekr —

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be happy to discuss the different training approaches that we eventually discussed (or at least started). I’ve lost the threads – my mistake. Phil Maffetone

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<< A better way to say it is, you train your aerobic system until you’ve developed  it fully. <That’s speculation. What’s measured is a lack of improvement. Are we talking about the same program? This is the Mike Pigg program sold by PC Coach, developed by me.

Yes, we’re talking about the same program. The information is based on laboratory tests I’ve done over many years. The MAF Test, a vital part of the program’s assessment process, measures improvements in speed, e.g. as you progress you’ll measure a faster pace at the same heart rate (if you’re doing the program properly). For example, you may start out running at an 8 minute pace and two months later be running at a 7 minute pace.

I agree that it measures improvement in speed. That’s my point. What’s speculation is the claim that it measures that your aerobic system is "fully developed". So far you haven’t presented any evidence that that’s the case. Most programs just give you a "cook book" schedule, like a magazine article, "how to run a faster marathon." Now that’s dangerous. There’s no individualization.

I absolutely agree that this is a problem. <<Can you point to a similar function in the workout plans generated by PC Coach under the Pigg triathlon plan?

It would be a lot easier if you wouldn’t snip so much of my message. What I said above this is "As I’ve indicated before, the SERIOUS program quite clearly has down weeks which are intended for rest." Phil, I don’t think that you and I are talking about the same thing here. There are two separate issues here: 1. Arranging that people choose appropriate total workout volumes. 2. Arranging that there’s programmed rest periods so that athletes have time to recover. The second purpose is the one served by the down weeks in the SERIOUS program (or for that matter in the program recommended by Martin and Coe). Now, are you saying that the Pigg program attempts to serve this purpose, in which case please explain how, since you haven’t above. Or, are you arguing that this purpose is a bad idea? There are athletes who try to combine this program with other ideas they have about training. This does not work. One either follows this program completely, or does not – a little of this and a little of that won’t usually work with this one.

I’m not sure what you’re trying to say here, Phil. I never said I did anything of the sort. What I said was that I didn’t feel the program worked for me. That said, I don’t believe that what you suggest is workable. The software just isn’t sophisticated enough to determine what’s going on with your training. (This isn’t intended as a criticism; it’s an incredibly hard problem. I’ve thought about it a lot and I don’t think I can do much better.) Consequently, you need to make judgement calls, (for instance, is this plateau in my MAF the result of overtraining or does it mean it’s time to switch) which aren’t easy to make without having some theory of what you’re doing. -Ekr —

Response:

<<…But the Pigg triathlon plan has the opposite sort of theory. Consider the case where you’re in base-building mode. You keep working at essentially the same intensity until you’re no longer improving. A better way to say it is, you train your aerobic system until you’ve developed it fully.

That’s speculation. What’s measured is a lack of improvement. << Note that this likely means that you need to rest, but instead the MAF switches you over into "anaerobic" mode which doesn’t give you an opportunity to rest. Not true. A main focus of the program is the need to rest/recover.

I’m sorry, Phil, but I don’t see that. I’ve used the program, and I didn’t see it making any efforts to ensure that I didn’t overdose on too much mileage. As I’ve indicated before, the SERIOUS program quite clearly has down weeks which are intended for rest. Can you point to a similar function in the workout plans generated by PC Coach under the Pigg triathlon plan? << In my case, this was a recipe for overtraining. It’s nearly impossible to overtrain on this program if followed properly.

This strikes me as very close to tautological. It could be argued that for any training program, if you follow it properly, you won’t overtrain. It seems to me that a good measure of a training plan is whether or not it’s straightforward to follow in such a way that you don’t overtrain. I didn’t find this to be true for this program. -Ekr —

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<<…But the Pigg triathlon plan has the opposite sort of theory. Consider the case where you’re in base-building mode. You keep working at essentially the same intensity until you’re no longer improving. A better way to say it is, you train your aerobic system until you’ve developed it fully. << Note that this likely means that you need to rest, but instead the MAF switches you over into "anaerobic" mode which doesn’t give you an opportunity to rest. Not true. A main focus of the program is the need to rest/recover. << In my case, this was a recipe for overtraining. It’s nearly impossible to overtrain on this program if followed properly. Phil Maffetone

Response:

<< A better way to say it is, you train your aerobic system until you’ve developed  it fully. <That’s speculation. What’s measured is a lack of improvement. Are we talking about the same program? This is the Mike Pigg program sold by PC Coach, developed by me. The information is based on laboratory tests I’ve done over many years. The MAF Test, a vital part of the program’s assessment process, measures improvements in speed, e.g. as you progress you’ll measure a faster pace at the same heart rate (if you’re doing the program properly). For example, you may start out running at an 8 minute pace and two months later be running at a 7 minute pace. <<I’ve used the program, and I didn’t see it making any efforts to ensure that I didn’t overdose on too much mileage. There are questions in the program that must be answered intially regarding your race goals and how much time you have to train (based on your job, family, etc.). One of the goals is to make sure your schedule matches your needs with a total time (it’s not based on miles) that will not lead to excess training. Most programs just give you a "cook book" schedule, like a magazine article, "how to run a faster marathon." Now that’s dangerous. There’s no individualization. That’s what we did in this program – make it more interactive so it better matches each person’s needs. <<Can you point to a similar function in the workout plans generated by PC Coach under the Pigg triathlon plan? As noted above. It’s built into the program from the very beginning. Actually, the biggest complaint of the program is that there’s not enough training time. Athletes almost feel too rested. Most say, however, that despite this, they race very well. And, the reason Mike’s name is on the product is because it really is how he trains. There are athletes who try to combine this program with other ideas they have about training. This does not work. One either follows this program completely, or does not – a little of this and a little of that won’t usually work with this one. Phil Maffetone

Response:

I’m using it and I love it.  The maf test feature provides the best data set for improvement I’ve seen.  Its a pretty flexible system that allows you to answer a few questions, it sets up the workouts, and you adapapt them to your liking.  You can also drag and drop special workouts like longrer runs or bikes like mario did.  Some critics will say they got slower using this program.  If you just consider one element and isolate it you might get slower.  like if I compare a 5k time from last year to a 5k time after using the program a few months.  This system trains you for hours of consistant work, in all three events as fast as posible without self destructing. good luck mike

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I’m using it and I love it.  The maf test feature provides the best data set for improvement I’ve seen.  Its a pretty flexible system that allows you to answer a few questions, it sets up the workouts, and you adapapt them to your liking.  You can also drag and drop special workouts like longrer runs or bikes like mario did.  Some critics will say they got slower using this program.  If you just consider one element and isolate it you might get slower.  like if I compare a 5k time from last year to a 5k time after using the program a few months.  This system trains you for hours of consistant work, in all three events as fast as posible without self destructing.

The real issue here isn’t PCCoach but rather whether or one wants to follow a constant work type training plan (as used in the Mike Pigg Triathlon plan) or whether you want to use a periodized training plan (SERIOUS Training For Endurance Athletes is a good example). The Mike Pigg Triathlon plan basically has two modes, aerobic and anaerobic. Switching between them is based on plateaus in the MAF test. Periodized plans, by contrast, tend to have a segmented training year (base, intensity, race) based on when you have races scheduled. Additionally, some weeks will be easier than others. I used PC Coach with the Mike Pigg plan for a year and found that I didn’t improve much and that I was overtrained and sick a lot. As a consequence, I didn’t find the MAF to be useful because I had trouble getting consistent unbiased results. By contrast, I switched to a SERIOUS based plan with a higher weekly training load and still improved. Obviously, it’s hard to isolate any one factor, but I’m much happier now. Note that this isn’t a criticism of PC Coach the program, which I think is a fairly good product. It’s simply that the triathlon module they supply doesn’t meet my needs. In fact, for a while I considered writing a SERIOUS based training plan for PC Coach. Naturally, YMMV. -Ekr           eTrain: training software for SERIOUS nerds.               http://www.rtfm.com/tri/etrain.html

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Erk wrote The Mike Pigg Triathlon plan basically has two modes, aerobic and anaerobic. Switching between them is based on plateaus in the MAF test. Periodized plans, by contrast, tend to have a segmented training year (base, intensity, race) based on when you have races scheduled. Additionally, some weeks will be easier than others.

Just for the record PC coach does peiodize by changing the type of training intensity based on data recieved on the maf.  This is periodization its just a different kind than used in the serious program.  The serious program has a periodization that lowers workload on certian weeks of the month rather than on personal data.  Both systems can be effective but their both periodized. Pc coach also takes races into acount by lowering workloads or adapting workouts etc. for race weeks.  I think the serious program is a great program I just wanted to give the pcoach its fair shot out thre. Thanks mike

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PLEASE don’t email me and post to the newsgroup. I invariably get the email first and then end up replying twice. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Erk wrote The Mike Pigg Triathlon plan basically has two modes, aerobic and anaerobic. Switching between them is based on plateaus in the MAF test. Periodized plans, by contrast, tend to have a segmented training year (base, intensity, race) based on when you have races scheduled. Additionally, some weeks will be easier than others. Just for the record PC coach does peiodize by changing the type of training intensity based on data recieved on the maf.  This is periodization its just a different kind than used in the serious program.  The serious program has a periodization that lowers workload on certian weeks of the month rather than on personal data.  Both systems can be effective but their both periodized. Pc coach also takes races into acount by lowering workloads or adapting workouts etc. for race weeks.  I think the serious program is a great program I just wanted to give the pcoach its fair shot out thre.

I think you’re punning on the word periodize. The basic idea of the serious program (and of most modern athletic training, for that matter) is that performance gains are achieved by progressive increases in training to overload followed by rest. That’s what I mean by periodization. But the Pigg triathlon plan has the opposite sort of theory. Consider the case where you’re in base-building mode. You keep working at essentially the same intensity until you’re no longer improving. Note that this likely means that you need to rest, but instead the MAF switches you over into "anaerobic" mode which doesn’t give you an opportunity to rest. In my case, this was a recipe for overtraining. In essence, I think periodization means two things: 1. It’s scheduled. 2. It involves programmed rest. As far as I can tell, the Pigg program has neither of these on the cycle scale (Though of course it does on the week scale.) -Ekr

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I’m curious if anyone has used the Mike Pigg Triathlon software package from PC Coach, particularly in preparation for an Ironman-distance race. Thank ya, John

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Hi John, I’m curious if anyone has used the Mike Pigg Triathlon software package from PC Coach, particularly in preparation for an Ironman-distance race.

I’ve used it with some minor modifications. While the concept of switching from aerob to anaerob and back using the MAF-test works quite well I thought that the longest run and cycling sessions were too short (I don’t think 1.5h running sessions are sufficient for an ironman). Nevertheless, my preparation went very well and overtraining was never a topic… Ciao, Mario — Mario Illgen, TU Chemnitz-Zwickau "It’s a perfect day to throw back your head and kiss it all goodbye…"

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Question:

50 year old runner/biker looking for swimmer in SF Bay area for team triathlon competition in SF Bay Area. My swimming is lacking – - can’t do more than 50 yds, although I can run 18 miles! Very frustrating!

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So does it need to be in your age group?  I’m not sure how the relay thing works, never done one, but I can swim like a dolphin and would be perfect for a relay.   I’m 25 and female — so I don’t know if that works.  Which tri are you talking about?  I don’t live in the Bay Area, but I’m often in town visiting my folks and could make a special trip for it. Let me know. Courtney Thomas

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50 year old runner/biker looking for swimmer in SF Bay area for team triathlon competition in SF Bay Area. My swimming is lacking – - can’t do more than 50 yds, although I can run 18 miles! Very frustrating!

Try contacting the Golden Gate Triathlon Club. I’m sure they can set you up!  Visit their site at:  http://www.ggtc.org

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Question:

<<I missed the first five minutes, and for the rest of the show I couldn’t figure out if the comentator was John Tesh or Andy Karsten. You mean ADRIAN Karsten, but actually it was neither: Al Trautwig was the voice.

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Hi, PMJI, but I thought I’d ask about the penalty box thing. I get the impression that it actually helps the athlete, especially if it comes at a time they need a quick recoup, but are normally too proud to take one. When I was doing long distance trainings, I’d find that the odd stopping for that broken shoelace would actually give me a third wind, (or more), and improved my attitude as well. Does that mean I was under trained? Hard to tell; possibly. But I was wondering what others might think. The obvious outcome is ‘risking a penalty’ to get that breather. — regards, Bruce _____ BaDge

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Joe, I have IMH tapes back to 84.  They have been played and played and played. They are great for those mid winter trainer rides.

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HATED  IT.  I’m not terribly thrilled with NBCs coverage.  We took over a bar that had multiple TVs and asked a bunch of folks (athletes and non-) and one guy came over to me  and asked where the women were in the race. I told him to wait we’re coming. Eventually. I found myself watching the race through my friends eyes and I was embarassed.  The coverage, as usual, did not do justice to the race. One couple that watched it also went over to Hawaii to watch me and they both said that NBC didn’t come close to capturing the race. I have done the Ironman 11X and I eagerally wait for the TV coverage and so often I’m disappointed.  The viewer has no idea there is fierce competition in the amateur ranks. How inspirational can you get if you profile Missy LeStrange (didn’t she come in 15th female OVERALL a couple of years ago…she’s in her 40s… I think she pretty amazing and inspiring.)  Wouldn’t it be nice to seen the training day of the Ironman competitor..the training involved (both pro and amateur). NBC should go to Florida and film the Mad Dogs training. Go to Boulder. Someone must have distracted me when the mother and daughter were on because I didn’t get it.  The Olympics were covered the same way…an overload of profiles and weak on substance. I know I should appreciate the fact that we’ve made it to TV but I would like to see the Ironman and it’s athletes taken more seriously and  not be considered a sport of extremes. ALOHA,  Lesley Cens-McDowell

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Finally, NBC delivered the best IMH coverage I have ever seen by their network….

Liked it, but didn’t love it.  Some of the "personal" stories were kinda corny.  I think they could have portrayed these same stories a little better.  Would have liked to see a little more on what type of training both pros and age groupers perform.  I think that would let a few non-tris have a better understanding of our dedication.   I would also like to see more of the actual race – and from a more "present" time frame.  It felt like I was being told a story of "The Great Big Race" which happened a long long time ago, instead of something that is happening right now. Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy the show, taped it, and will replay it as soon as I friends from my old town perform "Operation VCR Liberation" from my Ex.   –Eric   Just my $.04.  (Inflation)

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I was impressed with Al Trautwig.  I thought he did a better job that Phil Liggett did last year, and I am a big Phil Liggett fan. Trautwigs announcing seemed to assume that the viewer had a basic knowledge of the sport and its history.

        I also like Liggett and Trautwig, and as someone else mentioned Trautwig’s voice just adds a sense of validity to the telecast.  I like his voice and people seem to recognize it.  Mark Allen needs to get a little caffeine in him!  He was like the teacher from "Ferris Bueller’s Day Off"  "Bueller?   Bueller?" Also, I’m sure we were all shocked to see, ITU protests to the contrary, that anti-drafting rules could be enforced without ruining the broadcast;).  I actually thought that the penalty box added something to the strategy aspect of the race. Chuck Berghoefer

I like the penalty box idea and that athletes are notified immediately that they have a penalty.  That allows them to factor that into their strategy.  Also the coverage in the penalty box was great including the interview with PNF (I think a lot of others would not have liked being interviewed at that time but PNF was great about it!).  Can you imagine a hockey player being interviewed in the penalty box?

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After reading all the posts about the coverage on NBC, I must say that here is what NBC (or the producers of the show which I think was the Ironman organization) needs to do: 1) Have more age group coverage 2) Have less age group coverage 3) Focus on my favorite athlete (which means them all since we each like someone different) 4) Have fewer commercials 5) Have more up close and personals 6) have fewer up close and personals 7) Pick music that I like (of course no one else would like it) Now for a few REAL suggestions: Ironman should release a series of videos from the footage (they taped every virtually second afterall).  The videos could focus on various areas of interest like age groupers, the pros, the "inspirations", families, etc.  Sell the videos to make more money (hopefully to keep costs down at the race itself or provide more benefits to the participants). I also think that it would have been a smart marketing idea to promote Ironman qualifiers or have a number (or web site) at the end to get info on training or qualifying or for the lottery.  How about at the end a scroll of all the 1997 qualifiers, nice way to promote the sport! I also think that with this event having occurred almost 2 months ago, most of the people on this NG new many of the details of the race so these were rehashing old news.  If only the coverage could come closer to race time, but then NBC paid big money to carry Notre Dame football and pro football on the weekends (and I bet they make more money for the network as well).

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I thought the coverage was very good, and much better than last year, but there are a few things I’d like to see:    - Unlike the majority RST opinion, I do like athlete profiles.  In fact, I’d       like to learn a little bit more about how these guys train (without       getting too technical, so as to bore non-Tri folks).    - I would like to see a "normal" 40-hr/wk working class person profiled,      family, kids, training, and all.  This would should us mortals that we can      do it too.    - I love the drama at the end.  I thought last year’s was better.    - Didn’t care too much about the dramatizations of PNF at the beginning.      They could have done a replay without the "echo" effect.    - How about a short segment on race operations, the volunteers, etc…    - During the Olympics, I like Bob Costa’s trivia…how ’bout some of      that too.    - Now that IMH is a worldwide event and has a huge following, it’s time      to see some IM trivia questions, like the advertisers do during ball games And finally…how many of my fellow RSTers record these IMH broadcasts and replay them "ump-teen" times while riding the stationary bike trainer?!  :) Regards, Joe

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HATED  IT.  I’m not terribly thrilled with NBCs coverage.

No one ever said the coverage was perfect. But, since you mentioned that you watch it every year, I would think you noticed that the coverage was much better this year than previously. Also, if you hate the coverage every year, have you been writing to NBC every year to explain why? I write a letter to NBC every single year to give them feedback on what I thought of the race. Cathy Corning

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I thought the coverage was fabulous.  I think the reason the show was so appealing was that the actual event was very competitive.  Paula getting the penalty, trading leads on the run.  The rookie picking it up in the energy lab.  It sure beats watching Mark Allen out in front all day (no offense to Mark Allen).   I missed the first five minutes, and for the rest of the show I couldn’t figure out if the comentator was John Tesh or Andy Karsten.  I still think they’re actually the same person… Joe Jankovsky

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I like the penalty box idea and that athletes are notified immediately that they have a penalty.  That allows them to factor that into their strategy.  Also the coverage in the penalty box was great including the interview with PNF (I think a lot of others would not have liked being interviewed at that time but PNF was great about it!).  Can you imagine a hockey player being interviewed in the penalty box?

But thats the difference with most of the pro triathletes I have met, they are very personnable and layed back even on race day. Maybe thats be cause triathletes dont grow up with everything given to them like the major sport players do, and no multi million dollar contracts either. TriRef

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I thought they should have called it "Paula Newby Fraser’s Ironman show". There were other people at the race right?

I agree.  Why spend time on the best triathlete ever, setting the record for most IMH wins? — "The wrinkles only go where the smiles have been." — J. Buffett

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I agree that the coverage was some of the best that it has been,

however, that doesn’t make it perfect.   The networks still worry that this sport is boring to the average dude

on the couch.  So, they spend 80-90% of their time doing "up-close and personal" commentary, i.e.  what Dave Scott thinks,

Paula’s opinions ad-nauseum, and spend very little time actually covering the racing. When I get around to it, I will replay my videotape and use my stopwatch

to determine how much of the 2 hours was the Ironman show and how much of that was actual real time racing.  I’ll bet

that I get less than 10 percent. Well, it was an entertaining show anyway.

All very true.  I can tell you that almost a full 30 minutes was commercials, ’cause I sat there editing them out as I taped it. I imagine my other post on the IMH broadcast may have sounded somewhat Pollyanna, but I think we do need to give NBC a break sometimes and thank them for the things that they DID improve and the points on which they obviously listened to our collective input from last year. I, too, would really appreciate more age-group coverage.  How much time would it take to explain that it isn’t a free ride to come do Ironman on a lark, and that there is a strict qualifying procedure?  One minute, tops. I think it’s an important little detail that gets left out regularly. Not to take anything away from the Bowdens, but I bet there are many stories more interesting out in the age group ranks.  I must say, though, that I appreciated the honest emotion of the elder Bowden when she choked up with pride over her daughter’s achievements. Yeah, they overdid the Paula thing, but they gotta use as much "drama" as possible because, after all, it *IS* television.  Paula’s own dignity overcame the corny presentation, I felt.  But I admit to being biased there. I found myself asking "What the hell happened to Greg and Karen and Peter??" at the end.  They bothered to cover Dave Scott’s fifth place finish, but ignored the great performances of those three athletes. Hellooooo! At any rate, the fact is that there will NEVER be a "perfect" Ironman broadcast; such a thing would probably be as long as the race itself!  To cover every incredible story, every worthy athlete, every subtlety of race strategy and nuance of experience would be a monumental work.  Yes, we can continue to make suggestions and provide NBC with constructive criticism, but it’s also important to let them know we appreciate their efforts.  And a great deal of what they did was EXCELLENT!  In fact, most of it was excellent, I felt; there just wasn’t as much of it as we’d ALL love to see.  So, if we can’t have it all, I’m happy to get the quality that we did get. Pollyanna?  Gawd, I hope not!!! Tri-Baby                                      _                                   –    o      ’             –  __o       –    </_  `     ‘         –    <         – __/    /o_         – (()) (())        -  / "REAL Triathletes don’t draft!" http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~brooksie        

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I agree that the coverage was some of the best that it has been, however, that doesn’t make it perfect.   The networks still worry that this sport is boring to the average dude on the couch.  So, they spend 80-90% of their time doing "up-close and personal" commentary, i.e.  what Dave Scott thinks, Paula’s opinions ad-nauseum, and spend very little time actually covering the racing. When I get around to it, I will replay my videotape and use my stopwatch to determine how much of the 2 hours was the Ironman show and how much of that was actual real time racing.  I’ll bet that I get less than 10 percent. Well, it was an entertaining show anyway. |       Ray Plotecia            | |       Image Control           |

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Finally, NBC delivered the best IMH coverage I have ever seen by their network. There was great focus on the race, not just the men but also the women. I personally thought the first five minutes of the show were a real turnoff, watching Paula’s 1995 problems. But after that, we saw lots of race action, heard some great voice over by the competing pros, and didn’t have to suffer through too many gooey interviews. I thought NBC actually covered the athletic competition instead of trying to turn it into a freak MTV entertainment event. Hopefully when they air the show again in a few months, my VCR will be behaving better… Cathy Corning

Cathy, I could not agree with you more.  Perhaps someone know’s and could post NBC’s e-mail address so that this year, for a change, we could bombard them with praise. Lucy

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I thought they should have called it "Paula Newby Fraser’s Ironman show". There were other people at the race right?

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The networks still worry that this sport is boring to the average dude on the couch.  So, they spend 80-90% of their time doing "up-close and personal" commentary, i.e.  what Dave Scott thinks, Paula’s opinions ad-nauseum, and spend very little time actually covering the racing.

I am no big fan of excessive "up close and personal" stuff (definition: the 1996 Olympics).   However, I thought NBC struck a good balance between race coverage and the behind-the-scenes aspects.   When I get around to it, I will replay my videotape and use my stopwatch to determine how much of the 2 hours was the Ironman show and how much of that was actual real time racing.  I’ll bet that I get less than 10 percent.

I disagree.  I’ll say 50-60%, a decent %.   -Rolf — Some call me Rolf…                             I tri…                                                  Looking to 1997…  IMC ‘94 – 14:06:47    IMC ‘95 – 11:58:35        IMC ‘97 – 10:45:00

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Finally, NBC delivered the best IMH coverage I have ever seen by their network. There was great focus on the race, not just the men but also the women. I personally thought the first five minutes of the show were a real turnoff, watching Paula’s 1995 problems. But after that, we saw lots of race action, heard some great voice over by the competing pros, and didn’t have to suffer through too many gooey interviews. I thought NBC actually covered the athletic competition instead of trying to turn it into a freak MTV entertainment event.

I agree completely.  It seemed like NBC was treating the race more like an athletic event like the Indy 500 or the Masters, than a human interest spectacle.  There was a lot of emphasis on strategy, for example, when Paula cut Natasha off at the aid station. I was impressed with Al Trautwig.  I thought he did a better job that Phil Liggett did last year, and I am a big Phil Liggett fan. Trautwigs announcing seemed to assume that the viewer had a basic knowledge of the sport and its history. I know that some people wanted more age group coverage, but I think that jumping to the age groupers might have disrupted showing the flow of the race.  If NBC keeps this emphasis on the race itself, it should help the viewership to grow with the general audience, which will hopefully benefit all of us in the long term. Also, I’m sure we were all shocked to see, ITU protests to the contrary, that anti-drafting rules could be enforced without ruining the broadcast;).  I actually thought that the penalty box added something to the strategy aspect of the race. Chuck Berghoefer

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You are right, Cathy.  Greater focus on the competition rather than lifestyle sidebars made this year’s IMH coverage considerably better than it has been.  I liked it a lot. However, like others I would have appreciated just a little less pro focus and a little more of the "common man" (of course, this term is nonsense in IMH–all competitors are "uncommon," but you know what I mean). I have throught a lot about why triathlon and especially Ironman events and most especially IMH are unique and special.  My conclusion, you ask? Because true amateurs compete in world class events with the world’s top pros.  You see few amateurs in the U.S. Open Golf Championship, much less other PGA events, or in the U.S. Open Tennis Championship, much less other top tennis tournaments.  You see no amateurs in pro football or pro basketball or pro hockey and even the collegiate versions of these events really don’t feature amateurs in the sense I am referencing.  Even in track and field  the pros and/or world class athletes usually constitute the field in major events.  Yet in triathlon, truly amateur age groupers of varied abilities make up the great bulk of the field in most events (except those increasingly being staged basically for media consumption only).  About the only other sports that seems truly open to all comers are closely rated to triathlon: mountain biking and marathoning, for example. Thus, I think NBC is missing a bet by not making even more of the age groupers in IMH.  Yes, they refer somewhat to them, especially the more extreme examples (the disabled and old, for instance).  But I think some more focus throughout the coverage, not just at the finish line, would better tell the world what triathlon is really about. Just one former reporter/editor’s opinion… –Tri-Hard

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You are right, Cathy.  Greater focus on the competition rather than lifestyle sidebars made this year’s IMH coverage considerably better than it has been.  I liked it a lot. However, like others I would have appreciated just a little less pro focus and a little more of the "common man" (of course, this term is nonsense in IMH–all competitors are "uncommon," but you know what I mean). [snip] Thus, I think NBC is missing a bet by not making even more of the age groupers in IMH.  Yes, they refer somewhat to them, especially the more extreme examples (the disabled and old, for instance).  But I think some more focus throughout the coverage, not just at the finish line, would better tell the world what triathlon is really about. Just one former reporter/editor’s opinion… –Tri-Hard

I personally agree with your comments concerning amateurism and would enjoy more coverage of the age group competition. However, wouldn’t more age group (common man) coverage require that more of the show be dedicated to the "lifestyle sidebars" whose demise is being celebrated so much here on RST? Chris

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Speaking of age-group coverage at IMH, I believe it was 1993 when they showed 3-4 age-group contestants training and getting ready – I recall a woman riding a stationary cycle before work, or possibly at work – and then referenced them during the broadcast. I think this is an excellent device. Just taking pictures of random age-groupers has to be deadly for television folks – no character development. But if they invest the $$$ in selecting and visiting some "average" Ironman contestants during training, the great story of how hard it is to prepare for this would make for a compelling tale. And if one of those people didn’t make it to the starting line, or they DNF because of injury, equipment failure, or a hellacious bonk, that would be fine, because that is what the race is all about. Brian Sullivan

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snip I have throught a lot about why triathlon and especially Ironman events and most especially IMH are unique and special.  My conclusion, you ask? Because true amateurs compete in world class events with the world’s top pros.  

snip I agree.  The book "Iron Will" does a fairly good job of pointing this out. This is the reason that lottery slots are still awarded. I also would like to see more age groupers on TV.  I think NBC did a good job of portraying the event as a race rather than just an entertainment event. They really tried to make it exciting by showing people being passed and explaining some of the strategy. I’m glad that athletes of all ages and varied backgrounds are able to compete. But, if you watch TV, it seems that there are the young pros, the ‘Iron-Gents’, and the handicapped.  It might just be my selfish desire to see my peers, but I’d like to see a more accurate reprensentation of amateurs on TV. My girl-friend, who saw only the last few minutes, (the part normally reserved for showing dramatic finishes) thought it highlighted what a difficult event it was.  Personally, I thought it was over dramatic and sappy, but it shows how two different backgrounds (girl-friend does not do tris) see the same thing. I missed the beginning – Who was the main announcer (besides Mark Allen)? The voice sounded real familiar, probably from the Olympics.  I thought lent some type of validity to the sport – having such a recognizable voice. The spot on the mother-daughter combo was good, if not too long.  I thought that depicted the sport’s history pretty well.  The father doing the race long ago, the mother then becomming involved, and finally the reluctant daughter making a career out of it. The voice overs were also a great idea.  I thought their timing was a little jittery but what a great addition to watching someone race. Finally, glad that NBC addressed the drafting issue.  They spent some good time showing what happens when you break the rules without creating villains out of PNF and Luc. So, great job NBC!  Great to see great strides going forward. — Tod Meinke All comments and opinions expressed are those of my employer and not my own.  Please sue them and leave me out of it.

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Finally, NBC delivered the best IMH coverage I have ever seen by their network. There was great focus on the race, not just the men but also the women. I personally thought the first five minutes of the show were a real turnoff, watching Paula’s 1995 problems. But after that, we saw lots of race action, heard some great voice over by the competing pros, and didn’t have to suffer through too many gooey interviews. I thought NBC actually covered the athletic competition instead of trying to turn it into a freak MTV entertainment event. Hopefully when they air the show again in a few months, my VCR will be behaving better… Cathy Corning

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I thought that the Ironman did the production using NBC equipment and personnel and that the air time was bought by the organizers who then sold ad space.  Please correct me if I am wrong. So the kudos should go to IRONMAN.

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Question:

Dan, you da man! Now only if I could swim well enough to not look like a Fred in my gift from God, er… QRman.   Okay, back to lurking! — Gabe da Grad Student   http://www-inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~gmoy/

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5.  Regarding Rolf Arands and his public lambasting of me, all his claims are correct.  We treat 9 out of 10, or 19 out of 20 (I don’t know) people correctly, but a few fall through the cracks, and Rolf was that one.  We deserve everything bad he said, and I have no heartburn about it, because what he said is the truth, and you can’t be too upset when the truth is told about you. Frequently the OTHER truth is told about us, which is that we do offer pretty good service most of the time, and occasionally we go way beyond the call of duty.  It is only fair that when we screw up that is made public as well.

I am one of the masses of well treated, also, as this summer I had chafing on my neck from a full suit, and you offered to replace it, sight unseen.  I was blown away by you standing behind your product and being gracious to me.  I turned out that I had to learn a new way of tucking and zipping to keep the zipper flap off my neck, since I have had no problems what ever from the suit. BTW, when I get a triathlon specific bike (‘98?) it will be a QR.

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have returned from my travels– and travails– and am picking up where I left off.   I have the following comments to make: 1.  Ironman was really cool this year, and we sold a lot of stuff. 2.  Aquaterra was really cool also, and our guy (Riccitello) won, he says he’s pretty sure it was because he was riding the best mountain bike, which happens to be called the Quinterra.  Jimmy, maybe your legs and lungs helped. 3.  I’ll put up a full description of the Aquaterra, which was quite epic, and will also be putting up our Ironman survey results. 4.  All schwag has been sent to contest winners, and congratulations. 5.  Regarding Rolf Arands and his public lambasting of me, all his claims are correct.  We treat 9 out of 10, or 19 out of 20 (I don’t know) people correctly, but a few fall through the cracks, and Rolf was that one.  We deserve everything bad he said, and I have no heartburn about it, because what he said is the truth, and you can’t be too upset when the truth is told about you. Frequently the OTHER truth is told about us, which is that we do offer pretty good service most of the time, and occasionally we go way beyond the call of duty.  It is only fair that when we screw up that is made public as well. QRman You are the man….Dan Great products…Awesome customer service…….and a nice Cheers! Sam

What he said.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have returned from my travels– and travails– and am picking up where I left off.   I have the following comments to make: 1.  Ironman was really cool this year, and we sold a lot of stuff. 2.  Aquaterra was really cool also, and our guy (Riccitello) won, he says he’s pretty sure it was because he was riding the best mountain bike, which happens to be called the Quinterra.  Jimmy, maybe your legs and lungs helped. 3.  I’ll put up a full description of the Aquaterra, which was quite epic, and will also be putting up our Ironman survey results. 4.  All schwag has been sent to contest winners, and congratulations. 5.  Regarding Rolf Arands and his public lambasting of me, all his claims are correct.  We treat 9 out of 10, or 19 out of 20 (I don’t know) people correctly, but a few fall through the cracks, and Rolf was that one.  We deserve everything bad he said, and I have no heartburn about it, because what he said is the truth, and you can’t be too upset when the truth is told about you. Frequently the OTHER truth is told about us, which is that we do offer pretty good service most of the time, and occasionally we go way beyond the call of duty.  It is only fair that when we screw up that is made public as well. QRman

You are the man….Dan Great products…Awesome customer service…….and a nice Cheers! Sam

Response:

I have returned from my travels– and travails– and am picking up where I left off.   I have the following comments to make: 1.  Ironman was really cool this year, and we sold a lot of stuff. 2.  Aquaterra was really cool also, and our guy (Riccitello) won, he says he’s pretty sure it was because he was riding the best mountain bike, which happens to be called the Quinterra.  Jimmy, maybe your legs and lungs helped. 3.  I’ll put up a full description of the Aquaterra, which was quite epic, and will also be putting up our Ironman survey results. 4.  All schwag has been sent to contest winners, and congratulations. 5.  Regarding Rolf Arands and his public lambasting of me, all his claims are correct.  We treat 9 out of 10, or 19 out of 20 (I don’t know) people correctly, but a few fall through the cracks, and Rolf was that one.  We deserve everything bad he said, and I have no heartburn about it, because what he said is the truth, and you can’t be too upset when the truth is told about you. Frequently the OTHER truth is told about us, which is that we do offer pretty good service most of the time, and occasionally we go way beyond the call of duty.  It is only fair that when we screw up that is made public as well. QRman

Response:

Question:

10 years ago everybody said it was essential that you stretch both before and after you run. Now I’m told that pre-run stretches are not advised as stretching cold muscles leads to injuries. I’ve always hated stretching before I run preferring instead to run at a slower pace until I’m warmed up. What is the current consensus on this. Are pre-run stretches ok or not ok? Ray Kittle

        I’m not sure if the response is open to personal opinion, but I like stretching before and after running just because it feels good and wakes my body up a little bit.  I’ve never injured myself stretching. Matt Chiglinsky http://www.voicenet.com/~mattc

Response:

10 years ago everybody said it was essential that you stretch both before and after you run. Now I’m told that pre-run stretches are not advised as stretching cold muscles leads to injuries. I’ve always hated stretching before I run preferring instead to run at a slower pace until I’m warmed up. What is the current consensus on this. Are pre-run stretches ok or not ok? Ray Kittle

Just moved and got a new massage therapist. We started talking about running (she is not a runner) and stretching & she asked if I stretched before running. I said "No, I belong to the school of thought that says not to stretch cold muscles."  She replied "How about chaning to a different school for a while?" She suggested easy stretches in bed in the morning and espeically the one where you pull your knee to your chest. My neck /shoulder still hurts (stress…stress….stress…) but I do get going on my runs a bit better. Mike

Response:

:10 years ago everybody said it was essential that you stretch both before and :after you run. Now I’m told that pre-run stretches are not advised as :stretching cold muscles leads to injuries. I’ve always hated stretching before :I run preferring instead to run at a slower pace until I’m warmed up. What is :the current consensus on this. Are pre-run stretches ok or not ok?         A track coach in high school once said to the team, "You can’t stretch too much.  You can stretch too HARD, but you can’t stretch too much."         I think some *gentle* stretching before running is a good idea, as it helps to loosen you up.  If you’re going to do speedwork or a race, follow the gentle stretching with some gentle running, then more stretching, IMHO.         It seems to work for me. — Regards, Chris BeHanna

Response:

Can anyone tell me where there might be a site or other place that has a good stretching program?  I feel about as limber as a steel rod sometimes, especially in my lower back.  Any help will be appreciated.                       In Him,                    Blake Thompson

Blake: -I would suggest investing in stretching time before and after your run (5 to 10 minutes each session – the most rewarding for injury free running). (I am about to run in my 10th marathon.  I stretch religiously). – I recommend an excellent classic  book called "Stretching" by Bob Anderson.  It’s an 8 1/2" x 11"x 1/2" paperback. Costs about $15. Gives you stretches for most sports as well as stretches for morning, at work, etc.  with both excellent drawings as well as technical detail.   – I’ve implemented his "before" and "after" running stretches which I’m convinced are the best way to prevent running injuries (especially knees).  Not only does stretching maintain good range of motion (which is limited and stiff for most runners) but also it helps to strengthen week areas e.g. knees and back. I would nearly equate stretching with nutrition.   – I would add the following achilles stretch before and after each run: 1.  while standing straight, a foot or so away from a wall, prop the front of your right shoe about 4 inches up the wall while keeping your heel on the ground (with your left foot extended flat on the ground two or so feet from the wall) 2.  lean forward to cause your achilles of your right foot to lengthen 3.  hold for 20 seconds. 4. reverse to the other foot against the wall and repeat for 20 seconds. Regards, Kerry

Response:

10 years ago everybody said it was essential that you stretch both before and after you run. Now I’m told that pre-run stretches are not advised as stretching cold muscles leads to injuries. I’ve always hated stretching before I run preferring instead to run at a slower pace until I’m warmed up. What is the current consensus on this. Are pre-run stretches ok or not ok? Ray Kittle – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – There is an "everything you ever wanted to know about stretching" link on: http://www.slip.net/~leeway/trilinks.html scroll down to other useful links. Regards, Lee Rudin San Francisco Bay Area Triathlon Training Sites http://www.slip.net/~leeway/

Response:

There is an "everything you ever wanted to know about stretching" link on: http://www.slip.net/~leeway/trilinks.html scroll down to other useful links. Regards, Lee Rudin San Francisco Bay Area Triathlon Training Sites http://www.slip.net/~leeway/

Response:

Can anyone tell me where there might be a site or other place that has a good stretching program?  I feel about as limber as a steel rod sometimes, especially in my lower back.  Any help will be appreciated.                            In Him,                         Blake Thompson

Try "http://www.tms.tribune.com/fyiowa_fitness/strindex.htm" I used to have a pain in the knee after a 30 min jog, but ever since I read an article on the internet about stretching, I don’t have any pains after jogging. It worked great for me. One simple thing to remember to excercise all your joints at least 10 min before and after a jog to get maximum benefits without injuring yourself. In fact, just do a search on "Stretching" on the internet and you will have more advice than you can read. All of them preach the same technique. Good Luck! Warm up, Rao

Response:

10 years ago everybody said it was essential that you stretch both before and after you run. Now I’m told that pre-run stretches are not advised as stretching cold muscles leads to injuries. I’ve always hated stretching before I run preferring instead to run at a slower pace until I’m warmed up. What is  the current consensus on this. Are pre-run stretches ok or not ok?I aspire to do a slow warm-up, while wearing a track-suit unless it

is really hot, of approx 800m-1200m (2-3 laps of a track) prior to stretching. I find stretching cold difficult. I feel much better when I do this prior to the actual workout. I remember pulling something when I got lazy once. I find my legs less reponsive when I don’t stretch. Don’t be fooled to thinking that it is a warm day so you don’t need to stretch. I’d be very interested in what is recommended by experts as I am only going on what my coach used to say when I was younger. Paul.

Response:

Can anyone tell me where there might be a site or other place that has a good stretching program?  I feel about as limber as a steel rod sometimes, especially in my lower back.  Any help will be appreciated.                            In Him,                         Blake Thompson

Response:

Can anyone tell me where there might be a site or other place that has a good stretching program?  I feel about as limber as a steel rod sometimes, especially in my lower back.  Any help will be appreciated.                       In Him,                    Blake Thompson

W. Blake: – I recommend an excellent classic  book called "Stretching" by Bob Anderson.  It’s an 8 1/2" x 11"x 1/2" paperback. Costs about $15. Gives you stretches for most sports as well as stretches for morning, at work, etc.  with both excellent drawings as well as technical detail.   – I’ve implemented his "before" and "after" running stretches which I’m convinced are the best way to prevent running injuries (especially knees).  Not only does stretching maintain good range of motion (which is limited and stiff for most runners) but also it helps to strengthen week areas e.g. knees and back. I would nearly equate stretching with nutrition.   – I would add the following achilles stretch before and after each run: 1.  while standing straight, a foot or so away from a wall, prop the front of your right shoe about 4 inches up the wall while keeping your heel on the ground (with your left foot extended flat on the ground two or so feet from the wall) 2.  lean forward to cause your achilles of your right foot to lengthen 3.  hold for 20 seconds. 4. reverse to the other foot against the wall and repeat for 20 seconds. Regards, Kerry

Response:

Question:

Can anyone tell me what happened to 220 Magazine? I no longer receive issues and their # is disconnected. Sleeper

Response:

I just got in the mail a letter stating that it will be distributed in a another sports related magazine as an insert. If you want a refund, e-mail Bill at: Regards, Lee Rudin San Francisco Bay Area Triathlon Training Sites http://www.slip.net/~leeway/

Response:

Can anyone tell me what happened to 220 Magazine? I no longer receive issues and their # is disconnected. Sleeper

220 US is out of business. No office, no phone, no people. 220UK is apparently still operating. Maybe they can help you out. 220 po box 613 Swindon SN14TA England ph. 011-44-1793-533-713 — JJ Jeffrey Justice Oceanside, CA

Response:

I just got in the mail a letter stating that it will be distributed in a another sports related magazine as an insert. If you want a refund, e-mail Bill at: Regards, Lee Rudin

True. But it ain’t 220 folks.  That’s Bill Katovsky’s (yet another ex-Triathlete editor) Multisport Mag. Too bad it couldn’t stand on its own because it is pretty good. — JJ Jeffrey Justice Oceanside, CA

Response:

Are they still in business in UK?

Can’t really help a lot here, lest to say that the magazine is definitely still in business here in the UK, certainly as of last months edition. Andrew

Response:

Anyone know what happened to 220 Magazine.  I subscribed, received one issue and then that was it. I believe they have gone out of business – at least in the US.  I also had a subscription that suddenly stopped midway – no notice, apology, nothing.

This is sad, but definetly true.  I was doing there web site for them. Pat

Response:

There must be someone out there who knows the owners of 220. You vendor-people who bought ads for example. And someone must have spoken to these owners about the US mag. How can they justify stealing all the unfulfilled subscription money and not even offering the UK version to US subscribers? There was a little buzz about a lawsuit a few months ago, but the amount per person is so piddly that it isn’t even worth the trouble. But is anyone still doing business with 220? Are they still in business in UK? What kind of credibility do they have since they are now thieves? That isn’t too strong a word. They took money and promised a service. They didn’t deliver that service. That is theft. A more polite term might be fraud. Just amazing that they would not even think of a way to transfer the liability to Inside Tri, or Triathlete, or something. Brian Sullivan

Response:

Anyone know what happened to 220 Magazine.  I subscribed, received one issue and then that was it.

Response:

Anyone know what happened to 220 Magazine.  I subscribed, received one issue and then that was it.

I believe they have gone out of business – at least in the US.  I also had a subscription that suddenly stopped midway – no notice, apology, nothing. Sue Baker Orange County

Response:

I just recieved a free copy of 220 in the mail and wanted to thank JJ and company, as well as offer some constructive criticisms. Overall, I like the magazine and will probably subscribe once I move. I’m also pleased to see a few r.s.t.’ers on the staff (I also saw a bunch in the top ranks of Tri-Fed…does r.s.t. rule the U.S. triathlon world?). The attention paid to age-groupers or "local pros" is fantastic! Keep it coming. The only negatives I saw were in regard to layout and design. I didn’t think the cover looked all that great, though the graphics inside were attractive. Also, a few photos inside were out of focus, badly cropped, etc… although I’ll take a slightly out of focus picture of an age-grouper over another well-done promo shot of a pro any day. Lastly, in the article on Alec Rukosuev, the tracking on the first interview question is so tight that the question is illegible. Take heart though, 220. These are very minor glitches in a fine magazine, and ones that only someone who knows a bit about publishing and graphic art would catch. Keep up the good work, and I look forward to seeing your magazine grow. — | Jonathan Acey Albert             | | University of Florida            | | http://nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu/~acey |

Response:

I concur with Jonathon.  The July issue of 220 is a winner. Unlike the "other" glossy tri magazine, 220’s articles are interesting, different, and informative.  I find myself reading every article.  Congrats. JJ, where can we get one of those cool 220 t-shirts (as modeled by Ralph Perry and Katie Knight-Perry on page 56)? Cory H.

Response:

I also read every word of 220, but I have to confess I could do without movie reviews. Give me another two pages of race results, pictures, or ads showing too-expensive cool bike stuff and leave the movie commentary to others. Brian Sullivan

Response:

I also read every word of 220, but I have to confess I could do without movie reviews. Give me another two pages of race results, pictures, or ads showing too-expensive cool bike stuff and leave the movie commentary to others. Brian Sullivan

Hey there is more to life than triathlon ( blasphemy, I know) but i liked JJ s approach to the sport, for most age groupers it is an enhancement to our lifestyles not a buisness as portrayed in other venues. 220 presented triathlon as fun and i like that  attitude. PS. JJ is it true your gone? Bruce Platt

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