The Good Mood Cookbook

Oryx

As you lean into a corner your inside pedal always has to be up. It makes sure it cant clip the ground and adjusts your centre of gravity. I already knew this but having a mancunian madwoman coach yelling 'foot up!' from behind you as you fly downhill does focus the mind.

Oryx

Now if anyone can tell me how to push off on one leg and get on the bike while moving I'd be grateful too! We did rolling start transition practice but lil ol numpty me had to stand and watch. I couldn't get on the bike, let alone into the shoes!

griffin100

Oryx wrote: »

As you lean into a corner your inside pedal always has to be up. It makes sure it cant clip the ground and adjusts your centre of gravity. I already knew this but having a mancunian madwoman coach yelling 'foot up!' from behind you as you fly downhill does focus the mind.

Corner like you're on a motorbike - inside leg up and knee slightly out. Relax the body and look a couple of metres ahead at where you want the front wheel to go. Tilt the bike over but keep the body upright as much as you can. That said you should really try and pedal through every corner otherwise you lose speed and have to work to get it back again. Cadence is a personal thing.

BennyMul

I find the key to conering is simple, brake before the corner, try not to brake in the corner and use both brakes, control speed until you can see the exit, and only look where you want to go, when you are nervous you tend to look towards where you dont want to be and that draws the bike that way.

also just spend time on the bike the more you are on it the more second nature it becomes,

Oryx

Good advice lads, thank you. I have been trying the 'brake going in accelerate out' thing in corners. I'll know I'm getting somewhere descending when I can counter steer too. Some of the guys last week were phenomenal at going downhill, totally fearless, zipped past me like I was stopped. I was keeping the pedals horizontal for straight parts when not pedalling, as it was easier to lean forward. Is this correct?

I had relied on my rear brakes too much in the past, and thankfully I've got used to using both now, the front has more stopping power. I thought using the front would make me lose control, but its the opposite.

I also learned when riding on someone's wheel, to look through their bike to the road ahead, rather than at their wheel, that way you can see their gearing, the road surface, and you're watching them for changes. It might sound obvious, but you can find yourself staring at the rear wheel when you're not used to it. Then they slow to take a drink or whatever and you're into the back of them. Not entirely relevant to non draft tri, but group rides are something I need to do more of just from a skills and effort pov.

BTH

Oryx wrote: »

when I can counter steer too.

Counter steering is awesome!!

If you want to know how to descend then you need to follow Interested wheel. To be fair to him, he can't climb so needs to make it up on the way down......

griffin100

I think Nibali is a phenomenal descender - I'm a big fan.

I always remember this 'bunnyhop' in the Giro from 2011 - how to deal with a bad surface at 80kph.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuGzA_o0HBc

Oryx

BTH wrote: »

Counter steering is awesome!!

If you want to know how to descend then you need to follow Interested wheel. To be fair to him, he can't climb so needs to make it up on the way down......

I think I need to learn to climb better, first. Oh, and sprint. And the rest of it. But descending is so much fun.

RacoonQueen

I'm brutal at descending. Fly past people on the way up and then they take it back on the way down

Oryx

RacoonQueen wrote: »

I'm brutal at descending. Fly past people on the way up and then they take it back on the way down

Two other female cyclists last week could wipe the floor with me (and half of the guys) on everything but descents. It was the only time I could catch them. One poor chap had a P5 with electric brakes and the thing was useless downhill, particularly in the wet. He ended up changing to a dog of a hire bike instead.

Oryx

Turbo last night. Used the tt bike for a change of scene. The gearing has been adjusted for my road wheels and it really didnt like the cassette on my turbo wheel at all. Hopping all over the place and driving me mad. Still got an hours set done, longish intervals of decreasing time and increasing intensity.

Swim this morning. Didnt attempt a lot of distance, stuck to repeating the drills we were shown last week. They are all about improving catch and rotation, which is where I am weak. I got told I am swimming well by one of the sharks though. So my slow concentrated effort must have looked better than my usual wham bam thrash up the pool. 1400m

Oryx

Early group xc run. I sleep-ran the warm up. This was one of those days when I left my head at home in bed. 15 min w/u then 50 min fartlek, one minute on one minute off. My IT band is giving mr gyp and it felt like someone filled my legs with lead shot. No speed in me but I slogged it out. Just over 10k incl the slow warmup.

Oryx

Today I did the Blackstairs adventure race. Just cos it was local. And cheap. Its a funny little race. We got blessed by the local priest at the start and the marshals were local lads tearing around on quads. It all made for an entertaining day.

I was happy on the first 10k mountain run, and the 9k bike after that was a doddle. But then, oh dear. It all went wrong. Into a single kayak. I haven't been in one in years. So I huffed and puffed and zig zagged up the river. I was praying for the turnaround that never came. Turns out there was no marshal and no buoy just some spray paint on a rock, so loads of us missed it. Did 4.5k instead of 3. I was never so glad to get back on a bike but by then I was well out of the running.

The next leg was 26k bike. Hilly. The hills were grand, the wind was a worse problem. The roads on this section were interesting to say the least. Id say the cattle that use them even have to pick their steps!

The second run was steep. Then steeper. Then oh my god will this ever end steep. Heavy underfoot through rocks and bracken. (My dodgy ankle is now re-swollen.) It was hot and I was parched. Someone had placed a bottle of water at the top at just the right spot, and I said to hell with germs. The thing saved my life.

The last bike, described as flat, was not. And it was windy. But the legs were fine and I got around. A short jog around a football field got me to the finish in 4.46. Slower than planned what with the kayak debacle but it was a good days training and a grand tour of some really pretty countryside I would never see otherwise.

At last, a good race to break the jinx this year!

Dory Dory

^^^ Whoop whoop!!

Kurt Godel

Sounds like a blast Oryx. When you're happy, this forum is happy, so a good omen for 2013.
But...

Oryx wrote: »

We got blessed by the local priest at the start ...

...no buoy just some spray paint on a rock, so loads of us missed it.

Lost and in need of guidance... Where was the sky fairy then, eh?

Oryx

Kurt Godel wrote: »

Sounds like a blast Oryx. When you're happy, this forum is happy, so a good omen for 2013.
But...



Lost and in need of guidance... Where was the sky fairy then, eh?

The sky fairy, in his or her eternal wisdom, decided I needed more kayak practice, and lo, the turnabout disappeared.

They were also busy ensuring my bike didn't puncture which was something of a miracle.

Actually I laughed aloud when everyone on the start line crossed themselves. Could only happen here! But quaintly nice in a Fr Ted way.

RacoonQueen

Oryx wrote: »

The sky fairy, in his or her eternal wisdom, decided I needed more kayak practice, and lo, the turnabout disappeared.

They were also busy ensuring my bike didn't puncture which was something of a miracle.

Actually I laughed aloud when everyone on the start line crossed themselves. Could only happen here! But quaintly nice in a Fr Ted way.

Did you? Gas, only in Ireland.

Oryx

55k bike with a friend this morning. Nice and easy just to loosen out my stiff legs. Even stopped for tea midway. The home leg was tougher, into the wind and hilly. But it did the job. Legs feel a lot better.

Oryx

You know you've got doms bad when you stretch in your sleep and the pain wakes you up.

Took my stiff self to the pool this morning and did 1600 of drills and technical stuff. Even though I wasn't up for any speed it was a productive swim. I was gliding and catching better by the end.

I think today will involve lots of stretching though. God I ache.

Oryx

Another early swim. Partly because I don't want to run on these legs right now and partly because I really need some quality swim time. I also missed a turbo last night but I'm not lazy. No sir... not me... well okay maybe a little...

I started a pyramid set 100 to 500 and back again but ran out of time so the last bit was short. 2450m. I've broken down my stroke to try and correct my poor catch technique so everything was slower today, and weirdly my body position went to pot. It's always the same. Fix one thing and something else goes wrong. I wont panic though. It'll come.

Oryx

Got into the irish sea for my first (irish) ow dip of the year. Apart from a bit of brain freeze it was a pleasant surprise. Not half as cold as I expected. I didnt stay in long as I was with someone who wasn't handling it well (first ever ow swim) and it was very stop start. But when I did get my head down and swim it felt really good, it was the first time I could feel the suit helping me. I enjoyed it and I hadn't expected to. Short and to the point: 500m in under 20 mins total.

RacoonQueen

I got in on Monday and it didn't feel to cold. I got a bit panicy though so didn't stay in long. Never wear new goggles for the first time getting into the sea

Oryx

RacoonQueen wrote: »

I got in on Monday and it didn't feel to cold. I got a bit panicy though so didn't stay in long. Never wear new goggles for the first time getting into the sea

Not if you want to see where you're going.

This week has been all about the swim. Back into the warmth and comfort of the indoor pool for this mornings session. Warm up of the sculling drills I'm doing to improve my catch, then 17 x100 hard. Hard for me that is. Not the sharks around here. Object of this session was sustaining the effort through the sets and not losing form. I was coming in around 2mins for each with 10-15 secs rest. Yeah yeah I know I said hard but it's all relative and my new stroke has cocked up my speed (but not for long).

2450 including s/d. Loved this set.

Oryx

Friday pm
Turbo with friend. A technical set first with lots of drills then a main set of 2x (6mins 75 cad 80%, 3mins 90 cad 85%, 2mins 90 cad 70%) I was tired and really felt this. It was much harder than it should have been.

Saturday am
11k run. Steady, nothing special. Really tired today. Probably still a hangover from last weeks race. Actually stretched afterwards which I'm usually lax about.

Oryx

Long bike today. Out at 6am with the club wonderwoman (the same lady that pulled me along through all my long bike training last year). I thought the weather would lift. It didn't. It rained instead. I was underdressed and freezing for the first two and a half hours. But what can you do but suck it up and get it done? Tea at halfway thawed me out and the temperature did rise slightly for the rest of the ride. Bloody rain didn't stop tho.

The wind on the way back was a chore but I'm surprised at how comfortable I felt. Do I need to work harder? Hell yeah. But I did on the last ten miles - uphill and windy. Ugh. Finished with an empty tank ready to stand at the fridge and gorge like a savage But I was disciplined and made a sandwich. On a plate.

80 miles in 5.45. Not stunning. But adequate.

Wonderwoman contined on to do another 30 miles with a one hour barefoot run in the middle. Shes 20 years older than me and my heroine.

Dory Dory

She's 20 years older than you? She's my heroine too then! Wow.

Oryx

Dory Dory wrote: »

She's 20 years older than you? She's my heroine too then! Wow.

Youve no idea how impressive this lady is. I credit her with getting me around im bike. And it's her turn this year.

Oryx

Easy day yesterday. Kettlebells in the evening after a day of domestic drudgery at home, (which seems to have made no appreciable difference to the cleanliness of my home, I don't know why I bother). I stuck to a 12kg bell which was maybe a teensy bit light but I hadn't done a class in about a month and I wanted to be able to move today. 8 minutes of non stop swings sorted the men from the boys, but then the men were swinging 24kg. All in all it was a handy class, so next time we do those lower moves like swings and dls, Ill go up in weight.

Turbo this morning. An hour of high cad work, 1 min reps @ 80, 90, 100 cad repeated ad infinitum. It's my weakest thing at the moment. I can mash gears no problem but spinning wears me out. I noticed when group riding that I spin slower than most, and that's why I get left behind, always dead last on the flat, but not so on climbs. Hr was high zone 2, low zone 3 for most of it.

Oryx

Club swim. My first one in a month. So you can imagine how thrilled I was to learn from the coach that tonight was a 1500 tt. But funnily enough I wasn't as fretful as I would have been in the past. Just got in and got on with it.

It was a troublesome swim. Ten lengths in I inhaled a gobful of water and had to cough up a lung at the end of the pool. Then my nose clip came off so another quick stop for that. My hat kept slipping so more fussing with that, and finally a cramp pushing off the wall that stopped me dead and made the girl behind me swim into me. Not my cleanest effort. But the time was still a small improvement (31.28) on my last tt. So god knows what I might do on a night where I really put the boot in and nothing goes wrong.

Shows that I am improving even if its painfully slow. So I'll keep at it. I'll get that sub 30 yet.

Kurt Godel

Did you get any feedback on how you paced the 1500m? (clock or coach)