HIM rookie FAQ (for dummies ..... Like me!!!)
As the date of my first ever HIM approaches (rapidly) there are still questions I have not found out answers to in the Wiki (that's how silly they are!!!!).
I guess many like me have similar "silly rookie questions" (from now on refers to as SRQ) and might find this forum helpful.
Help WSM's!!!!
Here are my first 3 SRQs
1) I guess I'm drinking too much liquid on my long bike rides since I can not do more than two hours with a "pit-stop" to get rid of the extra liquid!!!! How does one handle that during HIM race? Drink less? Or simply stop at the next station (where I guess there are portable toilets?).
2) Does HIM have the same 5 transition bags as IM? What goes in each bag (specially confused with the special needs bags).
3) During those long bike rides my butt suggests I use some extra padding. Is it ok to put an extra bike short inside the T1 bag and then get rid of it during T2?
Thanks for the advice!!!
Juan
Comments
1) either stop and use the porta-pot, or learn to go while still riding. There are advantages to both methods. I didn't learn the latter until IMKY last year (my 3rd IM). Since you are doing IMFL 70.3, I would be very, VERY hesitant to drink less. It will be very HOT and very HUMID for the race, and limiting your fluid intake could be wayyyyy bad.
2) Not one that I have been at. No bags at all -- transitions have been just like at your local sprint (all your stuff at your bike, no wetsuit strippers, no Special Needs Bags)
3) I would hesitate to do that. I know there are some that have, but multiple layers is inviting chafing.
I also would not use extra padding because of chafing concerns. On my TT bike there is less of a padding issue because some of the weight of my body is supported by my arms (compared to a roadie).
1. Make sure you use the porta-potty in both T1 and T2; that may be all you need.
3. Juan, take our word for it: Thin pads work best for triathlon racing - thicker pads like roadies use cause more chafing when we adopt the TT position. And the longer the race is, the worse the chafing will get!
1) do not limit your fluid intake in a hot race! It's not that hard to pee on the bike (while riding). Several long threads about this last yr... I'm in the camp that says if I'm peeing a lot, then my body has all the fluids it needs. There are plenty of people who would never do it on the bike though. I only do it in race rehearsals or during races and only while wearing thin tri shorts and no socks.
2) I've never been at a HIM that has transition bags. A few of them do it if there is a logistical reason, I think Rhode Island 70.3 uses them, and maybe Poconos and I'm sure a few others.
3) If I'm on my tri bike, I'm actually more comfortable now in my tri shorts. Less padding is worse in the beginning because your sit bones and soft tissue needs a while to adjust. However, after they do adjust (cal it a month or so), it's actually better for me to have less padding. And in an aggressive aero position the extra padding also gets in the way for me and bunches up a bit leading to the chaffing issues everyone else referred to.
My 2 cents:
1. Learn to pee on the fly. All the Big Kids do it. If it grosses you out, grab a water bottle and rinse off.
2. None of the IM multi-bag horsing around.
3. I've had success during HIMs double bagging: bike shorts over run shorts; strip off the bike shorts in T2 and go. If chafing seems to be problematic consider using Lantiseptic. You'll have to special order it from your pharmacist but the stuff will not wash off during the swim so you can get all the admin done pre-race. PBP and RAAM proven!
2. Vegas had transition bags. Racine and Steelhead did not.
3. I use tri shorts only, and in fact am more comfortable in tri shorts in general. But everyone's different on this dimension I assume.
Vineman 70.3 does as well.
Just a(nother) good excuse to ask da haus about a specific race you're thinking about doing, for logistics issues. I think, between all of us, we've all done every race in the country, if not world!
1, Empty bladder prior to exiting the water, get the heck out of T1 balls ass fast, drink , as noted, pee on the bike.
2,See, Scott's advice.
3. What ever you decide train that way so there isn't any surprises. Good tri shorts are golden, Desoto Forza Rivera plus we get a discount.
The BIG question remaining being: is there any "special technic to pee on the fly" or simply "relax and let it go"?
@Juan -- I learned at IMLoo out of necessity. You can read about here -- http://members.endurancenation.us/T...fault.aspx
Since then, I have minimized my shift to the right and concentrated on just relaxing. I find it easiest to do when I am already coasting so I try and plan ahead. In hot/humid races, I already sweat profusely (~50-60 oz.hr) so I don't worry too much about rinsing off right away.
One change I will work on this year is to try and emphasize the left leg so I can keep my cassette and derailleur "dry".
http://tntsdhrdenner.blogspot.com/2008/12/how-to-pee-on-bike.html
2. The race program will tell you all about the bags, and if not, then there should be someone at Registration who can answer all your questions. I have seen 70.3 races with no bags, and races with up to 5 bags. You won't have a special needs bag.
3. On the padded short issue, I think it's really a matter of (a) adapting your rear to being comfortable for 3 hours in tri-shorts; and/or (b) getting a good pair of tri shorts. Some have better padding than others. One thing about wearing 2 pairs of shorts is that you may get rubbing and bunched fabric were you don't want it.
One thing to add to the "peeing on the bike technique" thread here...Like Joe M. I learned how at IMLOO (an Iron-ic name if your english)....and concurr with the finding what position releives pressure...the rest takes care of itself if you really have to go....NOW my additional 2 cents.....Don't forget if you have a water bottle/bracket on the seattube....I peed all over mine.
I have been experimenting with different configurations on what to wear under the Tri-shorts (from swimming briefs, to compression underpants) and it looks as though the best configuration is NOTHING under the trishorts.
Any thoughts on the pros and cons or any better ideas?
Tks
Juan
Don't wear a thing under the tri-shorts. They are designed to be worn that way --- to do otherwise is to invite friction, chafing, and general discomfort.
Agreed. Don't wear anything under tri-shorts. However, you may want to apply some Body Glide on inner thights and other private parts to make sure you don't get chafing. Do this in some of your practice brick workouts to see how it goes. Don't try it for the first time on race day.
I have only done 2 IMs, and neither was perfect (by far). In both, though, I have had only one pit stop.
I know this is not the usual advice, but I offer it to let you know that there is a legit "your mileage may vary".
Mike, one further question regarding the lubricant recommendation: most of my disconfort comes from the "not yet fully adapted" sit bones. Should I try the lubricant also on the sit bones or just on other friction hot spots. Tks much,
One more SRQ (silly rookie question), this time about RACING TIRES:
1) how does one know when it's time to change TIRES?
2) Is there any advantage in racing with brand new TIRES?
I change tires when a tube gets a hole (goes flat) that I can demonstrate is due to a slit or hole in the tire. In other words, fill the tube with air, find the hole, line up the valve stem with the rim's valve hole, then see if the puncture is on the outside of the tube and corresponds to a spot on the inside of the tire which looks like a slit or a puncture. If I don't put on a new tire (when I get home) in a situation like that, odds are pretty good I'll get another flat tire soon enough, even if I put a "boot" (like a dollar bill or a Powe Bar wrapper) around the tube at the site of the defect to prevent another hole in the tube. Holes in the tube on the _inside_ of the tube are usually due to compression into a spoke hole, and are fixable by one of the following: correct pressure; new rim tape; avoid potholes.
Of course, it would be nice to change the tire _before_ that happens, but I haven't figured out a way to accurately predict - I get all sorts of nicks on the outisde of my tires, and can go hundreds of miles with them without getting a flat. It's only when there is something which goes all the way thru the tire (sometimes as small as a thin wire or staple), and even if removed, the resulting slit/hole causes abraision or the tube to get sucked into the tire that I get flats.
Here are some reasons to consider riding on "broken-in" (not new) tires: they are usually a bit looser - the bead is stretched out a bit - making them easier to get on and off if there is a flat tube; the sidewalls may be a little softer, making for a plusher ride; the rough bits (often a new tire has a thin strand of material in the middle) have been worn off, making for a possibly smoother ride; you've already stressed the tire and confirmed it is not a manufacturer's defect in terms of a weak sidewall, bead, or other problem which might bit you during a race.