IMLP Race Report - Ryan Miller
Rather than report here and deal with reformatting, I'll just link to the post on my blog:
http://kickingryansass.blogspot.com...recap.html
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Rather than report here and deal with reformatting, I'll just link to the post on my blog:
http://kickingryansass.blogspot.com...recap.html
Comments
Nicely done! Great to see you out there!
See you Lake Placid in 2013!
Take some time off, then.... get your bike fit! Getting more aero will save you lots and lots of time. Running...go short on the shorts, the long leggings are way to hot, get wet and heavy and slow you down.
Sign up for the EN OS program in November too! Bike speed is on the way.
Great first IM!
@Cary - yeah it was good to run along with you and Paul at the beginning. One thing to see a bunch of EN kits, another to have a buddy for a few miles (even though it was against EN protocol
@Tom - I'm assuming the bike fit suggestion is from the pictures where I wasn't in the drops or on the bars. When I first got my bike, I did have it fit relatively conservatively because I was (and still am) fairly new to cycling. A few weeks before the race I checked and saw it had two spacers on the headset, and I was considering whether to drop one. However when I looked around, I saw the recommendation was 1 spacer for HIM and 2 for IM. Perhaps that is with a tri bike, and not applicable for a road bike? If you happen to see this comment (or anyone else reads this and has input), please advise and let me know
As for the CX pants - I was debating whether to wear them due to the heat. However, I had definitely run with them in hotter weather during training. I've found that as long as there is air circulation around them, they might actually be a touch cooler due to wicking action. When I crossed the finish line, they had very little retained moisture, so weight was negligable. Of course, YMMV with that kind of thing - a very hot humid day with mid-day sun, perhaps not.
I don't think we went against protocol if we all had the same pace goals and didn't let the other two push or pull the pace. I think it helped with three tri geeks looking at their garmins saying "we need to slow down" and "hey, we need to take 30 steps" or "lets start running". The fact that we separated after about 5 or 6 miles means that we really did go at our own pace and didn't try to "keep up" with the others.
Re: CX Pants - when i saw those things on your legs I was saying to myself "What is he thinking!" - I kept it to myself and I didn't ask any questions as i didn't want to get in your head while you were in the race, but I was curious about the decision to wear them.
I'm sure you weren't the only one wondering whether I had tweaked by that time or not by wearing them
However I realize that in situations like an IM transition, sometimes you gotta just let go of that level of control.
My bike fit comments do come from the picture. I may be off, but looking at the pic, I just can't imagine you looking comfortable in the aero position. It's not just about the spacers. Take a look at some of the videos on TTbikefit.com then take a couple of pictures of yourself and compare. Their website also has a link to a joint venture ebook between them and EN. It's a rather lengthily read, but you'll be a whole lot more knowledgeable after.
Sorry to hijack your race report again - great race!
I have been thinking about getting some video/pictures of myself on the trainer and posting for review. It's been about 2 yrs now since the original fitting, and in that time I've gained a lot more flexibility overall via yoga - and as I've gotten more experience on the bike, I'm sure the fitting can be tweaked.
I appreciate the feedback (really!) - you have a lot more cycling experience than me, so if I look uncomfortable, then I'd venture to guess there are some tweaks to be made
aero helmet, rear disk cover for your wheel, shave your legs
Possible bottle in between the aero bars - most people do this. I personally don't like it and just use the bottle reach for stretching out the back. It's a conscience decision to give away free speed.
Can't tell from the pic but I'd guess you should also pick up race tires/tubes.
@Tom — does shaving your legs really give you some free speed?