-
Ryan Vaart replied to the topic I can't see! Goggle care… in the forum Half Ironman Program (HIP) for Paid Participants 4 years, 12 months ago
El cheapo solution = a drop or two of baby shampoo in each goggle. Smear it all over the inside. Give them a good swish or three in the water before putting them on. I use this every morning in the pool and at countless races. It’s cheap — easy… and you get an extra bottle of shampoo out of the deal 🙂
-
Ryan Vaart replied to the topic Tips for Riding in Wind in the forum Half Ironman Program (HIP) for Paid Participants 5 years ago
Jason — I do think that a deep front wheel can be a bit more difficult to get used to in crosswinds than a shallower rim, but I don’t necessarily think you need to go all the way down to a box rim. I don’t find a moderately deep rim (up to about 60mm deep, like a Zipp 404) to be all that much different than a box rim. But I’m also pretty s…[Read more]
-
Ryan Vaart replied to the topic Tips for Riding in Wind in the forum Half Ironman Program (HIP) for Paid Participants 5 years ago
Best advice I can offer is practice, practice, practice… There’s nothing better for your confidence and skills than to ride in windy conditions (note that a steady wind = easier than gusty wind) with any/all of your race gear, including your wheels. However, I can’t pretend that I would have gone out last weekend — 30+ mph is well beyond a…[Read more]
-
Ryan Vaart replied to the topic Bike crash & injury in the forum Ironman Program (IMP) for Paid Participants 5 years ago
Injuries are no fun, but I will say that there is usually a silver lining in there, somewhere. You’ve put in a bunch of work already, and as long as you stay positive and listen to your doc, you probably won’t find yourself “falling behind” nearly as much as you think you will. A bit of rest and recovery, and you’ll be chomping at the bit to g…[Read more]
-
Ryan Vaart replied to the topic IM Ireland + Enervit in the forum Races 5 years ago
I went ahead and ordered a box full of Enervit goods, since shipping was ridiculous whether I ordered a little bit or a lot. Initial review of the drink mix is that the lemon flavor tastes a bit like Minute Maid lemonade mix + Flintstones brand vitamins + a healthy dose of fine gritty powder texture. It’s not horrible, but you won’t find me s…[Read more]
-
Ryan Vaart replied to the topic Long Ride Options in the forum Half Ironman Program (HIP) for Paid Participants 5 years ago
Good list of rides! Is the midday ride still happening over at Hains Point? There used to be a lunch group (mostly roadies) that would do loops during the lunch hours…
Also, does the team have a regular Sunday ride these days? I usually put in my long runs on Saturdays and a Sunday ride would generally be far preferred…
-
Ryan Vaart replied to the topic Power meter? in the forum Ironman Program (IMP) for Paid Participants 5 years, 1 month ago
I reckon Coach will recommend using heart rate in addition to power, if you go with a powermeter. No argument from me there — both are useful info.
That said, I’m a long-term convert to power. I started using a Powertap hub-based wheel back in the early 2000s when they first came on the market. Today, I’m using a Power2Max crankset (h…[Read more]
-
Ryan Vaart replied to the topic Half Ironman On-Bike Nutrition in the forum Half Ironman Program (HIP) for Paid Participants 5 years, 1 month ago
As far as bento box/bags go, I’ve used an x-lab: https://www.xlab-usa.com/stealth-pocket-300.html and also the Torhans: https://www.torhans.com/collections/aero-bento/products/bentox
The Torhans looks nicer, but it’s been a struggle to get it to fit the frame the way I want it to. It’s got a soft rubber top so there’s no need to zip open/closed…[Read more]
-
Ryan Vaart replied to the topic Cycling Cleats/Pedals – Difference? in the forum Half Ironman Program (HIP) for Paid Participants 5 years, 1 month ago
Speedplays and SPDs might be cousins, but they’re definitely not the same. Unlike SPDs, which have a small solid cleat on the shoe and a spring-based retention system on the pedal, Speedplays have a large surfaced cleat on the shoe that includes a wire spring while the pedal has no moving parts at all. Speedplays are remarkably light compared t…[Read more]
-
Ryan Vaart replied to the topic Cycling Cleats/Pedals – Difference? in the forum Half Ironman Program (HIP) for Paid Participants 5 years, 1 month ago
Since nobody has mentioned them yet, I’d encourage you to at least take a look at Speedplay pedals. They’re two sided, making them about the easiest pedals I’ve ever used to get into and out of, and you can choose how much “float” they allow (i.e., how much you can twist your heels side to side freely without clipping out). They do pretty well i…[Read more]
-
Ryan Vaart replied to the topic IMMD Sold Out in the forum Ironman Program (IMP) for Paid Participants 5 years, 1 month ago
I hope all who wanted to got into IMMD! But for those who didn’t, I’m happy to answer any questions about Chattanooga. As a survivor of one of the hot years at IMCHATT, I can say it’s a really fun town and race — especially for those who don’t love the swim. It’s a downstream river cruise — in 2017, the river was running fast enough that I’…[Read more]
-
Ryan Vaart replied to the topic Bike Nutrition Experiments in the forum Ironman Program (IMP) for Paid Participants 5 years, 1 month ago
This is such a great topic to talk about, and I really really really hope everyone gets out and experiments with a bunch of these options. I’m pretty fortunate when it comes to fuel – my stomach is pretty tolerant of almost anything I jam into it. Bananas, gels (thumbs up to Honey Stinger gels for taste, price, and ease of opening), granola b…[Read more]
-
Ryan Vaart replied to the topic Long rides on the bike trainer? in the forum Ironman Program (IMP) for Paid Participants 5 years, 1 month ago
I’ll cop to having suffered through a 4 hour trainer ride this winter, but once things get warmer/dryer, no way am I going to miss out on getting outside. There’s just nothing like getting used to the winds, hills, potholes, drivers, and other riders while cruising in your aerobars!
Now, as one who has lived in Shirlington in a townhouse and…[Read more]
-
Ryan Vaart started the topic IM Ireland + Enervit in the forum Races 5 years, 2 months ago
I recently saw that we’ve got a good sized group of folks headed to Cork for the 2019 Ironman Ireland. I’m looking forward to meeting a bunch of you along the way!
I understand that the on-course nutrition will be Enervit gels and fluids. I’d like to train with some of this stuff, but I’ve not been able to find it in any online stores without s…[Read more]
-
Ryan Vaart replied to the topic Aero Bars and Trainers in the forum Half Ironman Program (HIP) for Paid Participants 5 years, 2 months ago
As a former cyclist (and terrible time trialist), the longest I could ever tolerate on a road bike + aero bars was about 20 miles. Definitely have someone who knows how to fit you set you up right, or you’re going to be setting yourself up for a very very uncomfortable 56 miles of racing (not to mention hundreds of miles of training!).
As for a…[Read more]
-
Ryan Vaart started the topic Snow day plans? in the forum Ironman Program (IMP) for Paid Participants 5 years, 2 months ago
So I’m curious — what does everyone do when we get a midweek snow day? I’ve been moving my long-ish mid-week bike trainer rides to those days, but haven’t been willing (yet) to brave a run in the snow/sleet.
Ryan
-
Ryan Vaart replied to the topic Power meter? in the forum Half Ironman Program (HIP) for Paid Participants 5 years, 2 months ago
I came from a bike racing background, so was an early adopter of the power meter, dating back to something like 2003. Back then, I had a rear-hub based power meter from PowerTap — it actually still works, but lives on my road bike. When I truly got into this triathlon thing a few years ago, I bought a Power2Max crank-based powermeter. It, to…[Read more]
-
Ryan Vaart replied to the topic Kick Off Meeting – Monday! in the forum Ironman Program (IMP) for Paid Participants 5 years, 2 months ago
It was really great to meet some of you gals yesterday! I’m looking forward to a great season and seeing you all have great races this year!
-
Ryan Vaart replied to the topic watch recommendation? in the forum Half Ironman Program (HIP) for Paid Participants 5 years, 2 months ago
Really interesting feedback on the accuracy (or lack thereof) of the wrist-based HR.
I’ve been using a Garmin 920XT (no HR) for some time, and have pretty much no complaints… except that it doesn’t have a HR monitor built in! I used a MIO wrist-based optical HR monitor along with it for about a year (and set it up to send the data to the…[Read more]
-
Ryan Vaart's profile was updated 5 years, 2 months ago
- Load More