tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30741346.post7626155828206514672..comments2009-07-20T08:29:58.579-05:00Jen's Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10023786823554173197noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30741346.post-16688317159129952392009-07-20T08:29:58.579-05:002009-07-20T08:29:58.579-05:00Looks like you got the tri bug Jen ;-). Congratulations on your 4th race. You are right some days you have it and some days you don&#39;t. It is important to keep things in perspective and enjoy the moment.<br /><br />Few notes on what you write about:<br />1. Swimming in choppy waters - best is to find one side where you can breathe easily (there is always one that is better than the other (depending on wind direction). Lifting your head higher makes you tired. I also recommend to do freestyle around buoys - that is the most congested place in the water and breaststroking is not the best idea there - you may have people swim all over you ;-).<br /><br />2. Fueling - for shorter events you should be fine just taking in PowerBar or something of 200-280kcal before the race. And then water on the bike and run if you feel like you need it. If you feel that you may bonk take one gel with you on the bike and mix it in your water bottle or use Heed or Gatorade to get the 100kcal that the gel gives you. But in general you should be able to go without much fuel for 1 hour. Think about taking in the nutrition on the bike - best is about 10 minutes after you get on the bike and your stomach stabilizes from the swim. Also do not take much water or nutrition just before the run (about 5-10 minutes of the bike should be just plain water if you need it). Nutrition on the run is tough to deal with due to all the movement that your stomach it exposed to. In shorter races I try to take in all my nutrition on the bike and just sip water from about 10 minutes into the run.<br /><br />3. Aerobars - yeah it takes time to get used to them and I suggest to practice as much as you can outside on your training rides. In race when you feel close to losing control of the bike - reach for the handlebars and grab the brakes if needed. It gets easier with practice. Just keep at it.<br /><br />4. Not feeling well on the run - this run was fairly short and everyone suffered during at least the first 0.5 - .75 miles before they got their running legs. If you have not done many transition runs I suggest to practice them. They are fairly easy on the body - all it takes is to do long run paced run off the bike couple times a week. That way you get the body used to the feeling. After you are through few weeks of doing this you can insert some pickups into the runs or increase the intensity. Initially it is about the body getting used to the new feeling of going from bike to run.<br /><br />Great job on all the racing and have safe races for the rest of the season.kxuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16004697091903984115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30741346.post-81694050494998078862009-07-15T13:57:57.599-05:002009-07-15T13:57:57.599-05:00Congratulations on your FOURTH race! WOW.... can you believe you have done so much in the short time you have been back in the states? Seriously... some people don&#39;t even do this much in a life time.<br /><br />(((HUGS)) Take care of yourself this week.Brenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17373890474848211301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30741346.post-38491893754681993402009-07-14T22:14:45.746-05:002009-07-14T22:14:45.746-05:00i&#39;ve done several &quot;sprint&quot; tri&#39;s and it took me a while to realize that my late race fatigue was more about needing more water (ie dehydration) and my fuel (gatorade, GU, etc) was slowing down my ability to absorb it; i&#39;ve since figured out that i do better if i only drink water for anything under 90 minutes; i know everyone&#39;s different, but it&#39;s something to think about; thanks again for inspiring us with your journeyJKT13noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30741346.post-43485667345602508982009-07-14T15:25:41.909-05:002009-07-14T15:25:41.909-05:00Great job on Tri #4! Glad you got to enjoy the journey too!TX Runner Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13820410810670760913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30741346.post-4785631857331671072009-07-14T08:15:09.112-05:002009-07-14T08:15:09.112-05:00Congratulations! You are an inspiration. My goal is to do my first sprint triathlon in 2010. Need to work on my swimming and biking more. I like how you took the time to enjoy being in the moment. I&#39;ve been working on that as well :)Breahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07575500162184376565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30741346.post-49602624786618727732009-07-13T19:54:12.934-05:002009-07-13T19:54:12.934-05:00Great job Jen.Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09539846366897719977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30741346.post-741282031509158732009-07-13T16:55:51.480-05:002009-07-13T16:55:51.480-05:00I am always in awe of your support and encouragement for me....<br /><br />Thank you! It means so much...Jen's Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10023786823554173197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30741346.post-88611862546982448332009-07-13T13:21:18.303-05:002009-07-13T13:21:18.303-05:00You amaze me! You have an expensive hobby though :) Those races really add up!<br /><br />Did you start out slower on your bike? I am super slow. Like, 15 mph average slow. Are your riding routtes hilly or flat? I look forward to getting faster.<br /><br />I know I say this a lot, but you ROCK!Krissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15575167969139579132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30741346.post-40811866486643752062009-07-13T12:48:28.589-05:002009-07-13T12:48:28.589-05:00Jen, that is awesome! You have done 4 triathlons this summer, and no one can EVER take that away from you! You can look back on each of these events and be proud because you gave it your ALL (even when you were not feeling 100%). Amazing!!erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04087894658713504760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30741346.post-26724975860567132722009-07-13T12:13:27.983-05:002009-07-13T12:13:27.983-05:00That&#39;s a great quote. Congratulations!!!Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230997094889375925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30741346.post-40621801992032947152009-07-13T11:26:37.945-05:002009-07-13T11:26:37.945-05:00Great job! 4 triathlons already this summer, so that is a huge accomplishment!Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09781375451012608773noreply@blogger.com