Basic Skills for group riding!

You don't have to be a competitive cyclist to enjoy the benefits of group rides. Utilized correctly, regular group sessions can motivate you, improve your fitness and make any ride more enjoyable. However, if you lack the technique or the fitness to ride with a group, the experience can be frustrating and leave you riding alone. In a worst case scenario, lack of skills causes you to crash, perhaps taking others down with you.

To help you get started, let's look at a few group ride basics.

Finding a group for you
When you search for a group to ride with, find out their general policies. Some meet for "no-drop" rides. This means that no rider is left behind and you can count on an experienced rider to stay with you. Inquire if someone in the organization teaches group riding etiquette.
Another option is to join a drop-in ride. These often begin in the parking lot of a local bike shop, with the pace of the group determined by the individuals or specific goals of the ride. Often, there are designated A, B and C groups to accommodate differences in riding speed.

The third most common choice is a race thinly disguised as a group ride. These are usually the fastest and most aggressive rides available. These rides are for very experienced cyclists and carry catchy names like, "Everyone Gets Dropped", "Ride Till You Puke" and "Wednesday World Championships." You have been officially forewarned just by reading the title.
Your local bike shop is a good place to start if you're looking for a group ride in your area. Most are associated with a club, bike shop or racing team.

Basic skills
A few basic skills are needed in order to successfully ride with any group. You must be capable of riding a straight line, controlling your speed, anticipating possible problems and watching the road ahead of you. At the same time, be alert for activity in your peripheral vision.
Hold your line -- If you have watched a professional cycling race, you know that every rider needs to "hold a line." This means that cyclists need to be capable of riding a line parallel with the edge of the road.
Practice this skill by riding 12 to 24 inches to the right of the white shoulder line while trying to keep parallel with that line.

The slipstream -- Some group rides practice staying together as one large mass -- more or less -- with little movement among the group.

Other group rides incorporate pace lines -- or some version thereof -- into their sessions. In its most basic form, a pace line occurs when one rider pulls a line of other riders behind them. Each person follows the rider in front of them by staying within a few inches to a few feet of their leader's rear wheel. This area of least wind resistance is known as a slipstream.
Staying in the lead rider's slipstream is called drafting. Riders that are in the draft position save upwards of 30 percent of energy compared to the lead rider. If you've ever had a chance to draft, you know that riding 20 miles per hour is significantly easier when you're following rather than leading. The difference is even more pronounced in a head wind.

Control your speed -- The lead rider in a pace line can stay at the front for just a few seconds or for several minutes. When you join a group that is rotating the lead position and it is time for you to lead, resist pouring on the gas to show everyone how strong you are. A pace line is happiest when the pace is steady. Fast accelerations or jerky braking motions disrupt the line and can cause a crash.

Keep eyes and ears open -- The first person in the group can see clear road. Thus, they need to point out road hazards -- as do the rest of the people in the line. Pointing out hazards and verbal communication skills are important. For this reason, do not use headphones in a group riding situation.

When you are following someone, avoid getting a visual fixation on their rear wheel. Look several feet ahead, keeping the distance between your front wheel and the rider ahead of you in your peripheral vision. Watch for road hazards as well as motion to either side of the pace line.
Listen for cars approaching from the rear. A rear view mirror mounted on your helmet or glasses can be very helpful when watching for cars.

Maintain the pedaling motion of the other riders in your peripheral vision. Watch for sudden changes in cadence -- this usually signals some sort of problem.
Anticipate problems -- If you are riding in windy conditions or it is a hilly course, anticipate changes in the group or peloton. When the peloton changes directions, sometimes the weaker riders are no longer sheltered from the wind and they fall off the pace. The same is true for a hilly course. Riders that can usually stay with the group on flat roads can fall off the pace on a hill.

Get accustomed to watching for signs that a rider is struggling. This includes having difficulty finding the right gear, breathing like a steam engine or constantly looking over their shoulder.
You don't want to be stuck behind a struggling rider if you are feeling strong. Pay attention to the signals so you can maneuver yourself into a good position.

Practice

This column just scratched the surface of group riding skills. Once you master the basics, you should continue to hone your skills. A good resource on mass riding is Racing Tactics for Cyclists .

Remember: in group rides smart riders often have the advantage over strong riders.

By Gale BernhardtFor Active.com

Felt Great!

Landen rode his bike and I ran to the YMCA he did really, really well then we swam, Landen is a little fish! If he keeps that up he will be kicking my butt in no time "but then again I don't know if I would let him jk : )"

Workout for today is a 50 min run and a 2150 swim then go out to eat with your buds! My swim felt great my arms were a little tired from the weights yesterday but we made it.

NOW - Get outside an live it up in the great weather!

My day started out great!

Today started out great, met some friends at the Y at 6:00 am and ran 3 miles, taught my spinning class at 7:00, did some abs, weights and then some of us went out to eat “that’s the best”!
It was 62 degrees out my sister picked up Landen and I went for a ride I was feeling great! I did the Coulee Region Duathlon course again I was feeling great but then I got my heart rate up way to high - when it gets to 193 I start to get sick today I couldn’t get it down every time I would pick up my cadence my heart rate would go up it was unbelievable, I had to slow way down take some deep breaths and watch my heart rate go down but then it would go right back up so I backed it off then went for a 20 min. run that went fine.

Later in the day I had a terrible headache, sick to my stomach, I even took a nap, man oh man I felt like crud. Time for a doctor call on Monday we have to recheck the medication that could have something to do with it.

“There is always something going on however, you can never let those little somethings get in the way of your goals!"Unless it’s your family, in my case those little somethings are my children that I love so very much"!

Have a fantastic night!

It was 61 out today, I had to get out and ride; so I got the big dog out "The Extreme" - this is my Trek Madone 5.9 I just love this bike. I rode for a hour and 25 min. and did some small sprints "ok" big sprints up hills this felt great! Then I rode down one of the hills at 57 mph..... I know that was way to fast, really fun and really dangerous but I don't think about it until I'm done.

I do have to add, my legs were on fire from my boot camp class Thursday "WOWZA"

Swimming was really fun I had to work with 2 people in the pool and then it was my turn. I swam

400 warm up
12 x 25 drills
6 x 150 - adds that is 50 slow, 50 med 50 fast
12 x 25 kicks
and 450 cool down

I did have to use my fins for most of it I only have so much time.. Like everyone else

Have a great night!

6:00 am some people are running from the YMCA Onalaska tomorrow if anyone would like to join us!

Thursday Training

Today was great Boot camp class was way fun lots of running, squatting, planks, push ups, Lungs, high knees and much much more. I love teaching that class! However, no one got sick :)

Training today is 1 hour bike and a 50 min. run and I feel great- I did 45 min bike outside and my run was outside, I do teach a running class tonight so I will go over a little on the run but that's how it goes.

OK I will tell you .. I did swim today, I was feeling great! I was thinking I couldn't swim on Tuesday because I was so very, very sick "again thanks to Outback", but then maybe I needed another day off But not that way!

Think about this the next time you work out:
"You never lose until you quit trying."
Mike Ditka

I was going down S on my bike, this is what I was clocked at weeeeeeeehooooo would that be wild and stupid "in a nice Polite way"

You have to listen to this one on Youtube! Don't skip it...
Sara Reinertsen

These are cool!

http://www.youtube.com/IronmanTriathlon

Training went great today!

I was able to teach my class without feeling like I was going to puke or pass out, ran 50 min. with 2 sprints 20 sec. long and swam 2200. I'm back whooohoo

Have a great day everyone!

INSPIRATIONAL POSITIVE THOUGHTS

Allow Your Own Inner Light to Guide You

There comes a time when you must stand alone.

You must feel confident enough within yourself to follow your own dreams.

You must be willing to make sacrifices.

You must be capable of changing and rearranging your priorities so that your final goal can be achieved.

Sometimes, familiarity and comfort need to be challenged.

There are times when you must take a few extra chances and create your own realities.

Be strong enough to at least try to make your life better.

Be confident enough that you won't settle for a compromise just to get by.

Appreciate yourself by allowing yourself the opportunities to grow, develop, and find your true sense of purpose in this life.

Don't stand in someone else's shadow when it's your sunlight that should lead the way.

What a day!

Training has been great, I feel good with my base; however I needed to take 2 days off and that stinks!
Today I was support to ride my bike for an hour and a half but instead I almost couldn't’t make it through my spinning class, Last night I took my boys to Outback Stake House for supper, to make a long story short I asked for coffee and asked our waitress if they had flavored cream, she said yes. We placed our order and I was sipping on my coffee all the sudden I was getting light headed and feeling a little crappy, dizzy and just YUCKY! I couldn't figure it out, when we got our food served I asked the new waitress if I could get a new cup of coffee because this one I had didn’t taste right then I asked the BIG question “can I get some flavored cream with that” she said “we don’t have flavored cream” “Oh gosh I figured the coffee had alcohol in it” I knew I was getting sick to my stomach my nose was tingling and my body felt like crud!
To find out the cup of coffee had a ton of alcohol in it. I do not drink I get really, really sick.
Tyler and Landen had to pack up their food and we had to go I was getting sicker and sicker by the min. Tyler doesn’t have his drivers license yet and he had to drive his sick mom home; I puked in my truck down the hall of my house and I had my face in my toilet for 15 min. after we got home. I have never felt this bad for a long time.
Tyler had to help me put Landen to bed and I went to bed it sucked…

This morning my alarm went off at 4:15 am and I though OK I feel good however, I got out of bed and the room was spinning “oh gosh” here I go. I went to the gym praying a spinning instructor would be there to teach my class and I could go home but there wasn’t I had to teach “WOWZA” that was the longest 45 min. ever I couldn't take today off from Personal Training which that isn’t that bad because I don’t do that much, but I had to miss out of 3 of my other classes. That STINKS!

So anytime you go to a restaurant and you want a coffee make sure you put in your own flavored cream.. J

Time for some good sleep and wake up feeling great tomorrow.

Tuesday

Today was going to be my swim and ride however, I swam on Sunday and that was so good. Today I rode my bike for 1 hour and 45 min., run outside 45 min. at a nice easy pace :) and did some weights! I have to watch my running, I run with my clients outside when it's 40 degrees so I have another 4 miles to run today!

I think the hardest thing is not overdoing it!
But I feel Great! :)

"Training Smart, Danni you’re still in the base training, that's what I keep telling my self"!

Have a wonderful day; stay positive with everything you do! Being negative will get you no where!

Monday

Every Monday is going to be my day off from training, that means: I need to warm up my muscles and stretch.

Training Smart!

Crash has got it bad! Stevo is working on his mental training for Ironman in Las Vegas "Must be ruff"

Hey, Stevo get away from that pool and do some real training with those legs.. Have fun Sunshine!

I can't wait to do this again!

Jayde make sure you touch or it doesn't count!







Do you think it's cold?





Water Fight, guess who would do that!


Run Ron Run!

This is great!

By Matt Russ
The phrase “in the zone” is used a lot in sport, but what does it mean? My take is that it is a heightened sense of awareness in which the athlete is focused, performing optimally, and in tune with their body, both physically and mentally. In short, they are on top of their game. So how does one get into their zone during a triathlon?
There is only one optimal pace for each athlete; basically, the quickest means to get from point A to B. The first step is determining what that pace is. This is going to be predicated on your experience, knowledge of conditions, tactics, and most importantly, training. Do not expect to race substantially faster than you have been training, as your fitness level will determine your pace and speed. Your pacing system may be based on your heart rate, power on the bike, or speed and it will vary with course, race length, and event type. Once you have your pacing strategy figured out, the most important thing is to adhere to it. Situations may arise that may cause you to adapt your pacing strategy, but if you are chasing down every athlete who passes you, you are off your game and into theirs. An athlete who is in the zone controls their own race. "VERY TRUE, REMEMBER THIS WHEN YOUR OUT THERE RACING"
Every athlete is nervous, excited, or mildly anxious before a race. An athlete that is in the zone knows how to mitigate this anxiety and use it to their advantage. They take some time to visualize their success, how the race will unfold, and practice transitions in their head. They control and channel this energy and put it to productive use. They stay positive and remove all self doubt or conflict. :)
Once the starting gun goes off, the “zone” athlete is on autopilot to some extent. They react but do not overreact. They keep their emotions at bay and are in the moment. They remain focused even if things do not go as planned and are intrepid and unshakable. There are numerous examples of athletes who have crashed, or had a mechanical mishap and go on to win the event. These problems are out of an athletes control and must be treated as such.
During the race, the “zone” athlete follows a process. This means carefully monitoring heart rate, cadence, power, form, and nutrition to use the right amount of energy at the right time and not have anything left over at the finish line. Their economy does not fade as much as other athletes. I can often determine if my athlete stayed in the zone by their post race data. If it is very stochastic or faded on the run, I know they did not pace correctly, chased other athletes, or generally did not stay focused. The athlete in the zone moves quickly but methodically through transitions without fumbling. They do not “forget” to eat or drink, but fuel and hydrate precisely according to their plan.
Racing can be a very emotional experience, but emotions can work against you, or even defeat you. It is a skill to channel your emotions and mental energy into speed. And, like any other skill, it must be learned and practiced. Successful athletes are very adept at using mental skills such as visualization and positive self-talk to put themselves ahead of the pack. This starts by identifying mental limiters just as you would your physical limiters and then converting the negative into a positive. Set a reasonable expectation level and measurable goals. It is okay to dream big but your goals should be specific, performance-related, and attainable. Create a race mantra for yourself to play over and over in your head. Consider the personal reasons you race, what drives you, and what your reward will be; then go doggedly pursue them. Another characteristic of successful athletes is that they enjoy racing and have fun. This perhaps is the greatest reward of all.

"Make the plan, work the plan"

"Plan your race, race your plan"

24 Weeks to Ironman!

Ironman is going to be here in no time, today is my official first day of training!

I did my body weight, fat%, measurements, and all that jazz! I'm going to really, really watch my nutrition and stick to the plan "no over training, just smart training"!

I will be doing a base training of 8 weeks in this phase I will build my aerobic capacity with lots of workouts at moderate aerobic intensity, build endurance with long workouts on the weekends, and, secondarily, develop power and efficiency with stimuli including swim sprints sets, cycling power intervals, and running strides "I am a Forefoot runner so this will be my BIGGEST CHALLENGE however I love challenges! :)"

My first day was Swimming:
400 easy
12 x 25 drills 10 sec rest
7 x 100 mod inten. 5 sec rest
12 x 25 kick only that would be with the kick board 15 sec rest
400 easy - I did do some intervals training my son Landen he was swimming with me, Landen wanted to race me across the pool, so we did that every other lap he had his fins on he's my little swimmer and soon to be my little Triathlete.

Landen can do 10 laps in the pool it's so cool to watch him grow.

"Life is short, Live everyday like it's your last, and love every min you can"

This is great!

Take a look, If you have time!

http://www.212amovie.com/

Polar Plunge Photo's!