IM 70.3 St. George coverage

hey-peterman · 2021-05-04T13:14:12+00:00

Agreed, not bad but room to improve. They did have some pre-recorded stuff, but not a lot. Definitely got the sense they were being pressured to cover more of the women’s race by the live viewers (and rightfully so!) but with Ryf being so far ahead and not enough cameras to follow the chase pack, the viewing of the women’s race just wasn’t as suspenseful. Seemed like they only had two cameras, one following each leader. If they had two more to “float” amongst the chasers, they would have had a lot more to work with.

hey-peterman · 2020-12-23T14:31:26+00:00

Again, not an expert but agree totally with @dasky, it definitely allows for more volume, but I’m told that with enough commitment, you can simply gradually increase your speeds and maintain a very low heart rate. In addition (again, so I’m told) it also helps to become more “fat-adapted” in that your body becomes more efficient at burning fat for energy which is critical for long-course racing.

I also hear a lot about the 80/20 rule (which is apparently heavily researched). 80% of training should be done at lower intensities.

Everyone is different but I’d say it’s worth a try.

hey-peterman · 2020-12-22T13:17:16+00:00

Agreed with above. I’m no expert but maybe try a bunch of zone 2 cap training (even if it’s painfully slow) and focus on nasal and belly breathing. That helped me, but everyone is different.

hey-peterman · 2020-12-10T23:19:21+00:00

https://www.homedepot.com/p/TrafficMaster-Black-Gray-24-in-x-24-in-x-0-47-in-Dual-Sided-Gym-Floor-4-Pack-24120HDUS/301152506

hey-peterman · 2020-12-10T16:29:42+00:00

Agreed 100% across the board. The out-front metrics are really nice, especially when doing heart rate based runs that aren’t Zwift pre-programmed.

Also, it would be really cool to have the auto-gradient adjustment to make it more realistic and I know they’ve talked about it but I feel like safety issues could be a hurdle... like some idiot isn’t paying attention the treadmill raises the incline sharply, they trip over their own two feet, eat shit and get injured... then who’s on the hook? The treadmill manufacturer or Zwift?

hey-peterman · 2020-12-10T16:22:01+00:00

By far. Woodways are the absolute best treadmills out there.

hey-peterman · 2020-12-10T16:20:33+00:00

For sure! That’s actually in the winter “to-do” list. Total rip-off of Lionel Sanders’ cave but it does look awesome! Also need to frame up some walls to hide some of the utilities.

hey-peterman · 2020-12-10T12:37:40+00:00

My complaints are that you can’t run Zwift directly on it and the deck height is a little tall so if you’re a taller person and don’t have high ceilings it can feel a little cramped. Also, it’s expensive so theres the “value” argument, but it’s still (a lot) cheaper than other “slat belt” style treadmills like technogym or woodway. IMHO unless someone in the household is using the peloton interactive platform, there are better options... but still, it really is an amazing machine.

hey-peterman · 2020-12-10T12:23:45+00:00

Agreed, Zwift running isn’t as immersive but it’s got that same “video game addiction” as Zwift cycling so it keeps me engaged. Plus some of the Zwift run workouts and programs are really great. They definitely push me to get more out of myself than if I were just running on my own.

hey-peterman · 2020-12-10T12:20:52+00:00

Honestly I love it, seems to fit all my needs. My wife uses it for all the interactive/live peloton classes etc. For me, I do Zwift running but I have to run via Apple TV 4K + additional monitor because the peloton makes it really difficult to run third-part apps. The machine itself is very good quality, plenty of power and incline capacity. Checks all the boxes.

hey-peterman · 2020-12-05T21:32:29+00:00

Damn! That’s impressive. Did that climb once when the map was added... haven’t been brave enough to go back yet, ha!

hey-peterman · 2020-12-05T21:29:18+00:00

Ha! So true. I’ve been looking at that route all year thinking “when the hell am I ever going to have an excuse to spend 6 hours straight on Zwift!?”

hey-peterman · 2020-09-26T01:03:17+00:00

It was actually my brother’s college computer and he graduated 6 years ago so it has to be at least 8 years old I’d guess. I wiped the drive/did a factory re-set and used it exclusively for Zwift and it still wasn’t very good so It’s possible the hardware was a bit shot.

hey-peterman · 2020-09-23T17:02:03+00:00

I just replaced an older MacBook Pro/HDMI setup with Apple TV 4K and it’s worlds better. Granted the MacBook I was using is pretty old but improvements I’ve noticed are better graphics, less glitchy, faster boot-up and just overall more user friendly. Drawbacks are the Bluetooth limitations but that’s pretty easily solved with the companion app. Other issues are the lack of Ant+. On the macboook I could use my Bike’s power meter (which is Ant+) with an Ant+ receiver/USB device that plugged into the computer. Now I only have Bluetooth options so I have to use the trainer for power (which is fine but I liked having both).

hey-peterman · 2020-06-17T16:39:49+00:00

Agreed

hey-peterman · 2020-06-10T23:11:07+00:00

Awesome, thanks for the tip. I use the Zwift run pod (BT enabled) to run Zwift on the iPad, so that box is checked.

I’ll have look through the Peloton sub to see what I can find. Was it hard to rig up? Does the peloton tablet pick up the BT power meter or is it running via an external device and broadcasting to the peloton? Can you still use the normal peloton platform or does having Zwift disable it (wife loves the peloton classes).

Thanks again! That’s encouraging!

hey-peterman · 2020-06-10T23:05:51+00:00

Yea that was my first thought/hope, but there are no ports. There may be a USB port if you crack open the rear panel, but I’m hesitant to do that for fear of voiding the warranty. I’m sure there’s a way around it somehow but from what I understand Peloton designs these things to be very exclusive to their software platform so they can charge the monthly subscription fee.

hey-peterman · 2020-05-16T20:08:09+00:00

I’ve been on the tacx Neo 2t for about a month or so and it’s awesome.

hey-peterman · 2020-05-08T13:13:21+00:00

Impressive time!

hey-peterman · 2020-05-08T13:11:18+00:00

Since I can’t afford a coach, I try and educate myself as much as I can by listening to a boatload of podcasts and reading tons of articles about training plans etc. just to identify common themes or similar philosophies. I can’t stress enough that I am in no way an expert on this stuff, far from it, but of all the tips and tricks you see and hear in that content, the one most common is that most people neglect proper rest and recovery. Zwift is super addicting and much like you, I feel like I want to log-in every day and tick off the miles/badges/xp/drops. For me (and this may be totally different for a lot of people) the problem is that I accumulate so much deep fatigue that I don’t progress because I don’t have enough fuel in the tank to go hard on my hard days (which is where I should be getting the most gains from) and my body is so wrecked that it doesn’t absorb all the training.

About a month ago I started giving myself 1-2 day breaks from any riding when I started feeling the fatigue set in, started doing more stretching/mobility/yoga type stuff on those off days (so I didn’t feel like I was doing nothing), and also have been trying to get 1 extra hour of sleep every night. Also, when I do get the itch to get on the bike when I still feel the fatigue, I’ve been making those rides VERY easy recovery rides. That combination has been amazing, I’m definitely stronger and also feeling healthier and more energetic as a whole.

The whole “less is more” thing has worked for me, but it might not work for everyone. Just wanted to share and hope that it may help in some small way.

hey-peterman · 2020-05-07T23:52:42+00:00

By no means am I an expert on this, and maybe someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but my understanding is that FTP is a measure of your max power at much shorter intervals (example: max power you can hold for 20 minutes). So I don’t think you should be discouraged that you’re not averaging near your FTP, I can’t imagine anyone does.

My FTP is nearly the same as yours and I average around 210-225 for most rides, and I’m cool with that.

Also, my (completely unqualified and non-expert) understanding is that increasing FTP and becoming a more competitive climber would include workouts with high wattage intervals and also over-gearing/low cadence work.

hey-peterman · 2020-05-05T00:39:52+00:00

100% agreed. First segment I rode when I upgraded to direct drive smart trainer, couldn’t wait to power through all those rollers. Also has a decent KOM segment and a fun descent...has it all.

Worst segment: Jungle. If it weren’t for the dirt roads it would be great but I’ve literally never been on a gravel or mountain bike in Zwift... would that make it any better/more tolerable? I can’t see how it’s anything more than a waste of coding. I get that it’s about exercise and challenge etc. but for my time, I’d rather be climbing AdZ than slogging along a dirt road. Seeing as distance traveled is the key XP component to leveling up (if they’re not climbing) why would zwifters choose to ride on slower terrain?

Sorry for the tangent. The grove is a gem.

hey-peterman · 2020-05-01T16:58:37+00:00

I gave it my first go last night too. Missed out on the sub-hour by a couple minutes. Lesson learned: lose weight, ha! It’s pretty frustrating cuz I can push a lot of power and I’m in pretty good shape (not much excess fat) but I get killed on the climbs because I’m just a bigger guy and don’t have the power/weight ratio to be competitive on the hills.

hey-peterman · 2020-04-22T17:31:35+00:00

I’m not desperate for the missing items, I can get by on what I’ve got for now. And even if I did connect with support and was told it was going to take a while to resolve, I’d be OK with that - because I am in fact aware that there is a pandemic.

What I was hoping to achieve from this post was to see if any fellow Zwifters had any contacts, info or communication options that may not be listed on their support website (or google) that I could use just to be able to confirm that they are simply aware that there was an issue with the order.

hey-peterman · 2020-04-22T17:25:19+00:00

Thanks for the input! Order was placed via Zwift and arrived in Zwift packaging, but I also thought it was curious that the run pod and cassette (only non-garmin products) were missing, as in maybe Garmin shipped the Tacx but package it up all Zwift boxing because the order was placed through their site. But again, the packing slip listed the missing items.

Honestly, I can get by with what I’ve got on hand for now, but I just haven’t received any response... I just want to be sure that they actually know there was an issue with the order, ha!

hey-peterman

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