Yes! I do feel often that weight is on the perineum more than the sit bones when I go aero. Will see what is available at the store when I go for the fit.
So I ordered one of these, I can understand what Joe is saying about being present and I don’t plan to wear it during intervals or drills but that long steady stuff I think anything that gets me in the pool more consistently even if its not 100% will improve my swimming.
I’m just jealous 
Thanks! Good to know hat more or less maps to what I’ve got. I just got a stryd a couple of weeks ago and was struggling with setting up the zones as seem to be a few differing opinions between stryd/ jim vance etc. These zones make sense and more or less map to the zones I’ve previously used based off threshold pace
While bike fits are expensive, IMO unless you are very aware of how something should feel and what something should fit like, its pretty difficult to “eyeball” without experience. Kinda a catch 22; you need experience to eyeball or know what a good fit should be like, but you need a good fit to gain experience and time in the aero position.
Make sure to voice your concerns to the fitter and explain the issues. For that price I would expect a full fit session and a follow-up session, but its in line for a full bike fit at least in Canada. When I did my first TT/tri bike purchase, I got a fit first, then narrowed my bikes down. However once you are dialed in, you can either change stuff around yourself to make the fit better or do small visits to the fitter (should be much cheaper) to try and dial yourself in. Also nice because you can look at other bikes for upgrades and you can know for sure if you are gonna fit or not; allows you to buy bikes you cant actually hop on and see, and if you can recreate your fit on a different bike it will fit.
If its not too much of a pain to do, try increasing the Pad y (bring the pads or entire cockpit up) and see how that feels. It takes a long time to get comfortable in aero and if you dont train it, you will never be comfortable. I basically do everything other than VO2 max in my aero position and it has helped me get pretty aggressive in my position. No way I could run my current position if I never trained in it as much as I do. Also I do deadlifts which seem to help a TON for keeping strength and preventing lower back pain from riding in TT. Something to consider.
Also worth noting that you should try and find a “good” fitter, as in ask around and don’t worry about the amount per-se; not all fitters are made equal (similar to coaches) so you could pay for someone to operate some fancy machine to do the fit, but without some really good training or experience, the fitter may or may not be worth much.
Alternatively if you are strapped for cash post pics of your fit from the side (assuming you have it set on at trainer) and we can provide some advice on improving the fit. Note that its not going to be as detailed as a fitter, but theres lots of us on here that can help. Alternatively if you can handle getting roasted by people, post on Slowtwitch. Theres a bunch of legit expert fitters that regularly post on the forum and will give really good advice (example Eric has helped a ton of people with Cervelo fit advice) but again, you are gonna get roasted by people as well…
I found mine on SlowTwitch - meant I knew we were on the same page before even calling him.
In fact it’s been so long I should probably schedule a “check up”.
So how do I figure my TSS? I ride 70.3 between 80-85% ftp. How do o calculate what tss that would be?
As mentioned further upthread, this helps in post race analysis when you know the time it took and the IF you out in, and when you know yourself well enough or use bestbikesplit to predict time on course as well.
If it’s your first 70.3 then it’s telling you that you’d better be sure that you’re coming in around 2h30 if you’re planning on putting in an 85% effort.
Also, and to be honest I hadn’t really thought of this until now, let’s say you know you can do 3h at 0.8 effort on a flat course, and your next race is hilly and likely to add fifteen minutes, you should pace a little easier at .78 or .79.
And that’s the cool part about why the chart is, sort of, circular: If you’re doing 85% and you’re not coming in at 2:30, then you’ve overextended, because it means you’re not going fast enough, basically. Put another way: your 85% won’t result in a 2:30, meaning your TSS will be too high, meaning your run will suffer.
It’s hard to gauge TSS from prior races. I was only using TrainingPeaks with a coach, and ftp wasn’t tested often, or updated in TP regularly.
My Galveston race in 2018 was spot on. I estimated my ftp and rode at 85%. TSS was 190 and my time was 2:36. Almost to the minute on the chart. And I ran really well off the bike. 1:38.
I did Chattanooga in 2018 and estimated my ftp a bit higher, but didn’t change it in TP so my TSS and IF were super high (in TP). I rode almost the same time, but on a hillier and hotter course. And I had unexpected quad cramps like 15 minutes into the bike. With the heat and Chattanooga hills, my run sucked.
Augusta was this past September. I got hit by a car August 2018 and missed several months of training, so my ftp was lower for that race, but it was still high in TP from prior beat efforts. So my TSS for that race was only like 150 with a super low IF. I guess I can play around with BBS and see what it tells me…
This is my first week using plan builder for gulf coast 70.3 in May. Today was my first brick and I felt great off the bike. I usually run pretty strong. But it’s been a while since I’ve had speed in my legs. Only a 15 min brick, but the speed was coming easy and it didn’t feel taxing. Felt like something I could have maintained for a while. I’ll take it!
Until the bike fit and before trying out different saddles, I would adjust the angle of current saddle. Pointing it down a bit (but not enough to causing you to slide fwd) might help.
Also it takes time to get used to an aggressive aero position: so instead of 30min non-stop, you could try to increment to longer and longer periods over weeks. 10–>15–>2x10min -->20min … Still it;s most likely a saddle and/or fit that will solve this.
On my TT bike, i use an Adamo ISM (split nose). It was night and day compared to the stock saddle my tribike came with. (On my road bike, i upgraded to a Pro Stealth and love it but then I’m not in aero on it)
How to calculate TSSand then use this chart:
TSS = time (in hours) x 100 x IF^2
So let’s say you could choose between riding at 80% and do it in 3hours
or at 85% and 2h45 (i picked random numbers to explain the math and choices - use bestbikesplit or practice rides to get actual numbers).
2.75h x 100 x 0.85^2 = 199TSS you would be in pink zone : it’s fun until T2+30min then you walk another 2h.
3 x 100x 0.8^2= 3x100x0.64=192 TSS so you would be in yellow.
And then you remember you’re not a strong HIM runner, and you could ride @ 0.77 and be a bit slower on bike split ( 3h06 ) and get on the grey zone for runner with good preparations.
3.1h x100x 0.77^2 = 184 TSS and you run a 1:45 half marathon instead of walking some of it in 2h30
You’re 21min slower on the bike but 45min faster on the run.
So would you rather optimize your HIM time or just your bike leg?
I’ve finally hit a downswing and it is not pretty. I pushed myself a bit further than prescribed in anticipation of a 3 day business trip. On that trip I managed to squeeze in a short and a long run (6k & 18k) but the rest was three full days with meetings, dinners, plane travel, alcohol and little sleep. Since then I feel terrible, I’ve gained 4 pounds on that trip,
I could sleep all day and eat everything I can get my hands on. It‘s like im falling ill without all the primary symptoms of an infection.
The answer is probably more rest, more sleep, good food and then things will return to normal quickly, I just needed to vent and ask for sympathy.
Also, please tell me that I should not worry about my weight. Ever since I dropped the last five pounds I’ve began entering into an unhealthy relationship with my bodyweight. It is tempting to try and lose weight again because there are some numbers on the scale that I like better, but rationally there probably is no difference between 68 and 66.
Don’t do it and don’t worry, it makes much less difference than you think to your race time, pop over to bestbikesplit get your prediction then use the -5kg/-10kg option. I thought I’d save chunks of an hour over long course, when it’s like a minute or two. The wind makes more difference easily.
Big weight loss and building power do not go together, your body needs the resources to respond to the training and adapt!
You’re like what three/four weeks away from race day, NOW is the time to settle. TRUST the training. You’ve done the long hours, quality food, rest, sleep, kit maintenance, these are the priorities now. 
I think that’s common where you get chronically fatigued but you’re nailing workouts. Then you take a couple rest days or recovery week and all of a sudden you find yourself in a funk.
Today … I’ve actually been for a SWIM.
I just wanted to put that out there.
It wasn’t far, just 1000m @ 53spmm … but it’s a swim … in January … From me 
I loved the 2019 thread, and shared how I tried and ultimately just failed to KQ. I always find it extremely motivating to read everyone’s training and race tales.
I’ve decided to take 2020 off triathlon racing. I’m still going to train, but will probably look to do an ultra marathon as my A-race instead.
I haven’t been on the bike or swam at all since my race last October. I wondered for a while if I’d entirely lost the bug, but I’m happy to say I can feel it coming back. The dream is still alive, even if I won’t be trying to achieve it this year.
Good luck to everyone in your 2020 Ironman and long distance endeavours.
Was a great performance to get 5th M40-44 after the last minute cancellation of Gurye though, right?
I’m sure there’s a lot of people on the thread this year that would benefit from your experience, so don’t be a stranger, plus there’s the Running 2020 thread