Why it isn't a good idea to (always) train with men

[Grog]

Very interesting article :

http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=13254

[mimitabby]

good article. but i immediately thought of the bathroom situation. they go ANYWHERE. I need a toilet unless we are truly out in the woods.:confused: :confused:

[WrensMom]

Mimi--one word for you--Freshette--check this out
http://www.freshette.com/usage.html
I have used one for years, particularly back when I used to have a motorcycle. They used to sell them at REI, but I don't know if they still have them there or not. It has saved me countless times.

Back on topic, I read the article, and I think it makes some good points. Of course, I am still in super-weenie condition, and it really doesn't apply to me right now:o

[mimitabby]

Wrensmom
wow, never heard of such a thing!! Thanks for sharing. i dont think i'm going to get one though.

and i'm not in that kind of condition either, but it's interesting to read women specific articles !

[Nanci]

Riding the brevet series, I learned about peeing. (On an MTB, you can almost always find convenient cover- road biking is way different!) First of all, if you're starting out in a big peloton you don't want to get dropped from, when the guys stop for their first break, usually as soon as they are decently out in the country- they just care about finding a fence line. So- I just back up to the fence and go- and I'm as fast as a lot of the guys.

Next, when you're trying to hold it, to get to a convenicnce store Control- what if the rest room is out of order? It's happened to me, and I've had to go out back and find either some woods or any sort of cover. It's just not possible to hold it till the next control which could be 30 mile away.

So it's a lifesaver to have wipes or tissue with you, and more balm to apply later, or, if worst comes to worst, it's better, I think, to dry off with the back of a glove rather than risk getting rubbed raw from left over sweat/pee. (Good reason to carry spare gloves on a super long ride!)

Nanci

[Nanci]

PS, nice article about our wimpy little hearts and iron-poor blood!

Nanci

[KSH]

Give me a cup, and I can pee anywhere, anytime.

[salsabike]

That was a really interesting article. And peeing is THE big issue for me, since I have the proverbial pea-sized bladder. I'll take any tricks and tips on that one that I can get. I asked my jock family doc if she could arrange for a transplant for a bigger bladder but she just snickered.

[Brandi]

Ok peeing in a kayak in the ocean is really hard! Since we are on the subject of peeing. Went out with dh a couple weeks ago early in the morning after having two cups of coffee. Well we paddled out and it hit me! I couldn't go back to the launch site. There were no bathrooms on the shore. So i thought ok I have this travel coffee cup I will scoot my butt up and use it. Not so easy! Our boats are the sit in type not sit on. I had to stay very balanced, try to get my pants down and pee in this cup. Anyway i had to wash out my boat when we got home! Didn't mention it to my dh, just said the inside needed a good scrubing! smelled musty to me I told him. I am not sure if the freshette would work in that situation. Besides that is a very pricey gadget there.

[WrensMom]

I haven't tried the freshette thing in a kayak, but I have used it on a small sailboat, and directed the pee into a plastic bottle to get rid of later. It's pretty slim, and when you get used to using it (a lot of it is the mental thing of relaxing the bladder muscles when you feel like you shouldn't), it's easy. It is kind of pricy, I guess, but it lasts forever. I have had mine for over 10 years now.

[Lenusik]

It is a very good article for me to read because constantly ride with my husband. I truly became faster and stronger because of that. But he has way more power. Our rides are definitely not every day race training, so I am never mentally exhausted. I cannot relate to this part. I know that he is physically stronger but I still believe that training with him helped me a lot. It is rather a motivational factor for me.
I do know couple of women who can beat the heck out of a lot of me riders in the group. These girls are super riders and not intimidated by any guy.
I would send this artcile to my husband and see what he has to say about it.

[Nanci]

Brandi, is it too cold to wear a swimsuit in the kayak and get into the water to go??

Nanci

[Nanci]

I'll never forget teaching a girlfriend how to pee over the side of a dive boat! :-)

[mimitabby]

Brandi, is it too cold to wear a swimsuit in the kayak and get into the water to go??

Nanci

it would be in the Seattle area!!!
ocean temps in the summer are in the 50's!!

[Brandi]

ok at campmor.com they have the freshette for cheaper as well as this http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=13827&memberId=12500226&storeId=226&catalogId=40000000226&langId=-1

[Lenusik]

This is totally funny. I definitely needed that on my recent fishing trip when I was on the boat for 12 hours without only 1-2 stops.

[Kathi]

It is a very good article for me to read because constantly ride with my husband. I truly became faster and stronger because of that. But he has way more power. Our rides are definitely not every day race training, so I am never mentally exhausted. I cannot relate to this part. I know that he is physically stronger but I still believe that training with him helped me a lot. It is rather a motivational factor for me.
I do know couple of women who can beat the heck out of a lot of me riders in the group. These girls are super riders and not intimidated by any guy.
I would send this artcile to my husband and see what he has to say about it.

Last year I would have agreed with you, as I almost always ride with my SO and the guys in our bike club.

However, this year is another story. Recovering from knee surgery and regaining my strength have given me a different perspective.

Since I spent most of my winter and until mid April on the trainer I built a really good cardio base, my exercises in PT brought back some of my leg strength but when I finally started riding outside and I tried to keep up with my SO. I couldn't do it. I was so worn out. I rode with my heartrate at a comfortable pace, wasn't overdoing it or so I thought. Everytime I rode at a pace that I was used to the next day I felt like I'd ridden a century instead of just 20 miles. Climbing and wind really did me in. Sometimes after a seemingly easy ride I was so tired that it took me 2 days to recover.

My therapist said I had not developed the muscular endurance I needed. I didn't want to get dropped by the group so I started training on my own. I used Chris Carmichaels book "The Ultimate Ride" as a guide, did his field test to determine the heartrate I needed to be training at, developed a program for myself, followed it and just rode by myself.

A couple of weeks ago I rode with my group again. One guy commented that the injury didn't hurt my climbing as I was climbing better than ever. I've noticed that too, when I climb my hrt is lower than it was last year, the climbs feel easier and when I did my first 56 miler last week I still felt strong at the end.

I"m still not where I want to be but I believe my results so far are due to leg work that I wouldn't have done without the injury, increased core strength and focused training.

Next year I'm seriously considering getting a trainer.

[Lenusik]

I"m still not where I want to be but I believe my results so far are due to leg work that I wouldn't have done without the injury, increased core strength and focused training.
.
It is definitely hard to recover and you seem to be doing great. Whatever it takes, I guess.
What I was trying to say, is that the article points out our diffrences in physical strength. I agree with that. But being mentally exhuasted is no better than physically. I do not allow myself to be dissapointed if my husband and some other guys are faster. That's just the fact of life. I am faster and stronger than some guys too. But, this is strong mental work as well. You are doing great, because you are mentally strong! This helps in your physical recovery.

[Dianyla]

This is totally funny. I definitely needed that on my recent fishing trip when I was on the boat for 12 hours without only 1-2 stops.
Every time I've been out fishing there is usually a 5-gallon empty paint bucket along... Or, you do the "dangle over the side without capsizing" trick.

[Lenusik]

Yeah, we had a bucket, but I still was not comfortable using it with two guys on the boat, plus it was rather wavy.

[dobielover1]

I've used a freshette for years while hiking, you never know who's going to pop up on the trail at a bad time....it took a few times to figure out how to relax, but I take it with me whenever I'm doing anything outdoors now.

[WrensMom]

it took a few times to figure out how to relax
Yeah, I actually practiced at home in the bathroom a few times before I used it in the field:rolleyes:

[kelownagirl]

Wow, I've never heard of that - very cool! I want one!

[Kitsune06]

There are several threads here already on the 'travelmate'...

in terms of training-

I have to agree- guys have way more power output... but when riding with the GF, she just HAMMERs it... I mean, I've been biking longer than she has, but her endurance is still *way up there* and once she warms up, no man is going to hold her back. ugh. *envy!*

[Geonz]

Overtraining is overtraining, whether it's 'cause you're riding with the men or whatever.

[Tuckervill]

Back 5 or 6 years ago or so, there was a website where you could learn in detail how to pee standing up without any kind of device. My friend said her grandmother was the long skirt-wearing kind and she regularly peed standing up. It entails lifting the labia and pulling outward, and the exact technique depends on your own personal anatomy.

I looked for the website again, because it was quite humorous in addition to being helpful, but most of the hits were ads for devices. Wish I had the link.

Karen