I finally bought a power meter! Getting ready for Ironman STG. (3 weeks left!)

[@terrillford7784]

Hey I got those same power pedals. Wait ,I got them because of one of your older videos. You the man JT

[@XX-is7ps]

“The sine wave of confidence”. God I can relate to that, I haven’t heard it so succinctly expressed before but it 100% hits home for me, I can be convinced that I should be riding in the world tour one day and despondent at my lack of progress and general terrible fitness the next. I find that that self-belief can really impact my motivation to train as well, in that if I believe that I’m bossing it my motivation to push onwards and train harder and longer rockets. If I have a bad day it can be crushingly demotivating and I have to rely more on determination rather than motivation to achieve any kind of training consistency. I wonder if everyone goes through this?

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

Dunno about everyone, but I sure do. There are days you're like, "F it, I'm the best ever!" and then days where I'll like... ride 90mi and then run 18 and be like, "Well I am a complete failure, this is awful." It's really weird. I think "Trust the plan" is the general succinct advice, but it's sure not always that easy. Motivation can be a really killer, especially this past year.

[@LaskeyHart]

I got the same PM about a month ago ... LOVE them (plus, love that I can save up and "upgrade" my UNO to DUO by just paying for the Right side pedal later on. MAJOR props to Favero for that option)

[@mlegrand]

Good smart affordable power meter choice. Power meter on the bike has really helped me pace IM races in the past. Super helpful

[@oldanslo]

Re: single-sided vs double sided PM. The other questions are whether you fatigue at different rates on each side because of your leg injury and whether your imbalance is power dependent (higher power, higher imbalance or vice versa). Nice to see familiar roads on your channel.

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

Yeah, also true. I talked about that and then cut it from the vid, was getting a bit nerdy even for me, ha. But you're very right, and I suspect that I do 'lean' onto my right leg more over time. I actually even have a visibly different amount of muscle even; if anyone has an imbalance, I'm probably one of them. And that's awesome! Yeah, been really looking forward to actually getting out and ridign on the roads lately.

[@vincentslusser9205]

Sounds like you have a good plan for the swimming and running slow build. I would consider sprinkling in some 2 to 3 hour outdoor endurance bike sessions. Any more than 3 hours would most likely give diminishing returns. Maybe every other week for an outdoor endurance bike session. And sign up for that race. You got this

[@endurancesweat]

Great to see your training progressing well. You have a very good approach re: frequency, consistency, intensity. Terrific choice on the Assioma's. Been thinking about getting a pair of dual-sided for myself. "Surf the highs. Persevere through the lows."

[@hh65flyer]

What was the break-though on swimming? I really need one! LOL

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

Ha, don't we all! This weeks wasn't anything brand new, it was mostly that my body was remembering things I know from the past. I really need to do a video about swimming. I try not to talk about swimming too much because I'm a pretty crappy swimmer overall so I don't like giving advice on it too much. However, I also think it's valuable to capture those feelings as a relative beginner vs someone who's done it for 15 years. When I was very very new, the really big things that helped me out were: not kicking like crazy (it can use huge amounts of O2), really focusing on keeping my body level in the water (can you backfloat? Learn to backfloat, then rotate on your stomach and learn to front float. That's sorta how swimming should feel) and lastly, taking *full* breaths, not just breathing out like half and 'topping up.' That just sends you down a spiral of breathing harder and harder until you have to take a break.

[@hh65flyer]

@@JustinDoesTriathlon Excellent! I tried the half-breath thing recently and it seems to work but only for short duration. I would really enjoy a swimming video from your perspective. Bozeman Tri, June 20th. Come on over! :-)

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

I *love* Bozeman; gorgeous area.

[@SrRickyBobby]

Chelan man long course usually in July. Black Diamond put on by raise the bar used to do a long course not sure if it will be back with Im 70.3 Washington taking place in september just down the road from there. If you are looking for shorter races. Lake wilderness triathlon in maple valley first weekend in June has both a sprint and Olympic distance.

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

Awesome! Will look into them all, thanks

[@ludwigbarnes3058]

I know where you’re at on Lake Washington. One of my best friends lives on the lake. Well. Used to. Moved recently. Love Seattle. Be there in 3 weeks

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

Awesome! What a view I bet they had. Out of my price range for sure, but a gorgeous spot. And yeah, it's a great place to ride. Kinda gross for 7 or 8 months, but mannnnn these next 4-5 are 😍

[@Crossfire044]

just upgraded from a left only crank to the assioma duos. totally worth it. power from the duos is within .2% of my kickr's reported power, which makes it easy to nail intervals and compare indoor and outdoor efforts. also, one thing i've noticed is my l/r balance fluctuates by 1-2% depending on the day and shifts by another 1-2% as I move through different power zones. so left only power will be inherently variable, even if you're not trying to compare to another power source

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

That's a really tight spread too... Nice

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

Spring for the dual sided PM. For the couple hundred dollars vs feeling not entirely satisfied down the line, it's worth it to just rip off the bandaid and have a full and accurate experience with the duos. Having all the disparities between smart trainer power, indoor power assioma and outdoor power assioma can be a little brain bending. Having accurate numbers that you can count on will help to set those mental benchmarks and expectations indoors and out. Not to mention if you do want to jump into a Zwift race or event, you're not going to want to sacrifice watts to insufficient readings and switching to smart power will confound your training metrics. Just my two cents 🙂

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

Haha yeah, you're probably right. I don't care about Zwift at all, but consistent power numbers are 💯

[@kevinlui3403]

Nice! Re: UNO vs DUO I think you have a legitimate reason as to why you would benefit more from the DUO since you have some degree of power discrepancy between your legs. Since you have power indoors you could compare the numbers and correct for that in your head while outside, but I would probably upgrade to the DUO at some point (maybe when it's on sale?). I ended up getting the mostly discontinued PowerTap G3 hubs laced to DT Swiss wheels when it was on sale a few years back because it was total power output and I needed indestructible wheels at the time, but long term am considering getting the DUO (or waiting for power to be a standard package on bikes) since these wheels are pretty heavy.

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

Yeah, spot on, I think you're right. In my outdoor ride with the pedals, I think I confirmed to myself that dual is probably ideal for me. I'm not... wildly imbalanced, but just by feel and HR, I could tell I wasn't getting a proper output. Seemed down 15-25W or so.

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

Update: Got the duos. Initial testing is showing me at appx a 41/59 imbalance. Yikes. 😬

[@kevinlui3403]

@@JustinDoesTriathlon Whoa that's wild! That means you theoretically have a 9% potential power increase :)

[@FunkyFaulc]

I feel you. I finally just got rid of my Speedplay pedals and switched to the Garmins so I could swap between my road and Tri bike. I had a powerTap wheel but I didn't want to have to swap that between bikes and worry about chain/cog wear rates.

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

Totally get it. Sometimes it feels like hot potato with all the devices and things. Going for a ride involves like 17 chargers and a procedure manual 🤣

[@galenkehler]

Single side PM is 100% for personal training use, the only reason to need dual side is to compare to other people (ie. racing, ego, etc)

[@KdM_BigRingBubba]

I've definitely thought about getting some power pedals. I'm waiting to see if the Favero spindles come out that are compatible with my existing Ultegra SPD-SL pedal bodies.

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

Yeah! Certainly looks like something is coming. If I was on spd-sl I would have waited for those too

[@TalkativeMime1]

Really hope the Oregon half stays around I’ll be in rotations for school but I am from Oregon and really would like to do it next year.

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

I bet it will at least 2 years; they don't like putting a race in for just a single go. 🤞

[@imterribee]

I’m surprised you didn’t already have a power meter. I think the power meter and heart rate monitor go hand in hand when understanding what’s going on with your body when you’re training. I am definitely better about letting my body recover when I see I’m pushing less power even though my heart rate seems higher than it should be. It would be impossible for me to notice if I didn’t have a power meter. I’m excited to see what you think as you start comparing all the data you begin accumulating during your training. 😁

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

Yeah! I ride a really thin line between being pretty nerdy about training, but also being WAY LESS into the data than a lot of triathletes. I like data, but the level of 'into data' that some people get is just too much for me. It's awesome, and very effectual I'm sure, but just not that fun for me. I've been riding for so many years based on RPE and HR that I have a very good sense of my own output. But undeniably, a PM is clearly 'better,' and as I get closer and closer to trying to optimize my race plan, then it makes more sense. Of course, STG is going to be a shit show regardless, but for this year and next and the years after that is. :) And you're very right re: the correlation between power:HR. Super interesting stuff.

[@konstantinosroditis8414]

1. I have the same pedals. Double is way better. It gives you so much more data. 2. St. George - I did it in 2019. You want to have at least an 11-28 on the back, but a 11-30 might be better. The climb around 40 miles is a bit nasty, and I saw people fall off their bikes. So practice hills a bit if you can. Running is even more hilly and has plenty of steep hills. Do a few mid-range runs on hills. The swim is not too bad, and the water temp was not terrible; I've had worse, but it isn't warm either. When I did St. George, it was in the 90s, so look at the temp to decide what helmet to wear. You might be better off with a road helmet with more ventilation. Hope this advice helps those doing St. George.

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

1) Yeah, I think you're right. 2) Very helpful, thank you! I've never even been to Utah, so it's gonna be a shitshow top to bottom for me no doubt. I've got an 11-28; I rode a 12-25 when I lived in the rockies so thankfully I'm used to pretty tall gearing. But yeah, that's about a k non stop right? So that'll be fun, haha. Similarly, I'm not spoiled by warm water for sure; bein from the rockies, even if it hits 60 I'll be pretty content. I love cool water; Those first 5 minutes are brutal, but then it's great. Appreciate the advice!

[@EnduranceJay]

I am busy looking at getting some and struggling to decide on whether I get just the one side or the duo too 🤷‍♂️ just looking to pace during the race and think through power it’s the best option

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

Honestly I'd probably just grab the duo. I'm going to. I think... I mean, objectively you CAN just use the uno, absolutely. But the Duo does remove some variables. It's good to keep perspective and remember that 670 is still a shit ton of money for pedals, buuuuuuut being able to get dual independant pedals for 670 vs a solo for 470 is not... outrageous.

[@EnduranceJay]

@@JustinDoesTriathlon I agree makes more sense to get just get the pair straight off. Thanks again for the video 👊

[@bonn1771]

speedplay power will be nice but waiting to see the price point, I enjoy my powertap p1 pedals i have dual. i enjoy it also do the new race if it is close to you!

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

If Speedplay comes in at like... $900 then I'd probably regret the Faveros, but if they land at that 1000-1200 range... That's just eye watering.

[@bonn1771]

@@JustinDoesTriathlon i figured same as garmin spd ones

[@stevendaddyrue8026]

I’m doing the best in the west 70.3 in October, if it happens it’s in Corvallis, how was St George? Also for the carb full empty stomach, would you recommend carb loading and trying it on a long bike session to see how i adapt to it?

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

STG was great! Heard nice things about Corvalis, but have never been. Re: empty stomach, yeah, for it to 'work' you defintiely have to be fully carb loaded, otherwise you just have an empty stomach and no energy. The crux of it is understanding that you are drawing on your stored glycogen for energy, and that food in your stomach isn't contributing. Once you get working, though, start taking in carbs.

[@stevendaddyrue8026]

I will give it a try, I will also look for the full vid on empty stomach carb loaded racing you teased about on the last video when you get it out

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

@@stevendaddyrue8026 It's up! It's the one titled race week nutrition or something right before STG 👍

[@cdxcsfu]

I snagged a g3 powertap hub recently while buying a used bike. Just did my first ever full hour FTP test. Absolutely brutal

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

Hahah that means you did it right! 🤣🤣 I've done one rode at 1.01 IF; effing brutal

[@cdxcsfu]

@@JustinDoesTriathlon I think mine ended up at 0.96. Clearly didn’t go hard enough. Also, doing my first sprint in 2 months. Thanks for the content. It’s been super helpful coming from a running background

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

@@cdxcsfu Hey anyone who says .96 is easy should go do it lol. And for sure!

[@trainingwithjohnnyshots]

Thanks for the info on the pedals. I was debating on them, now I know I am going straight to the duo’s. Good job and good luck. What bike computer are you using. Was there a huge difference in power when you were out on the road compared to trainer.

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

Yeah, I would. Also, I emailed Favero about exchanging for the Duos, and they told me that I needed to either do the upgrade kit or sell these on Ebay, soooooooo this might be a terrible experience. So yeah. if you're on the fence, grab the Duos lol

[@thenerdymamil8557]

I am waiting for my IQ2 power meter pedals. They will be double-sided for a much lower price. However, I might be too old for serious training by the time I get them 😜 Anyway, my priority will be to re-learn swimming when (if) the pools here re-open.

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

IQ2: hottest new release of 2047. 😬good luck!

[@mjaquebec]

Hey Justin, just ordered the same pedals this weekend! How long did it take for yours to arrive?

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

About a week!

[@EfirdStrong]

Awesome vid. Did you mention in a video that you were from NC? Did I make that up?

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

Haha, no you didn't! Not originally from, but lived in CLT for the past few years. Moved out to Seattle in late 2019 and plan on staying here. :) NC is great for training though; mild winters and (hot) summers vs cool and wet for 8mos and then 4 beautiful months lol

[@billcodey1430]

Justin, is that a polar OH1? Do you feel it gives accurate HR? Sometimes I feel as though mine is under-reporting. Whats your experience been?

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

It is! I haven't directly compared it so I can't 'know' it's accurate, but it has 'felt' very very accurate for me. I've never seen it catch any cadence locks or read way out of bounds. Linked at the end of this comment is a study validating the accuracy of it, and it's actually very very good. Now, having said that... Just because it can be very accurate doesn't necessarily mean it is. Optical HRMs have more potential issues depending on your skin, hairiness, how tight you keep it, and seemingly whether Mercury is in retrograde. I fully believe that you might not have great results with it. I actually only bought it because my chest strap HRM got nabbed off of my bike out of a transition ( 🙄 ). Generally speaking, I prefer chest straps. The battery life is functionally forever (like, a year+) and they're hyper reliable. Downsides are comfort for some people. Optical HRMs have really become 'the thing' over the last ~2 years, but broadly speaking, I still prefer straps. So that's a long way of basically saying: I like it, it works well for me, and I probably wouldn't buy it again. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6532910/

[@mycroft9921]

What are you doing to get your swim up, I have been training consistently for the last 2 years on swim and I can barely do a 500 without completely falling apart and dying

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

Well with swimming, if you can make a coach happen, then that is always the best possible advice I can give. A swim coach is SO freaking valuable. But having said that, I know that's not always an option, so a couple things. One, look up the Ruth Kazez 0-700 and 0-1650 plan, and read all the text she wrote at the top of the plans (and read it like 5x, it's SUPER good stuff.). I really learned to swim using her plans and also by watching videos of swimmers and picking individual things to focus on. If you've been swimmnig 2 years and struggling with a 500, that is almost certainly a technique issue, not fitness. The better your technique gets, the less and less work you really do (for the same speed, of course.) I just wrote this to someone else as well, some more specific tips: . I try not to talk about swimming too much because I'm a pretty crappy swimmer overall so I don't like giving advice on it too much. However, I also think it's valuable to capture those feelings as a relative beginner vs someone who's done it for 15 years. When I was very very new, the really big things that helped me out were: not kicking like crazy (it can use huge amounts of O2), really focusing on keeping my body level in the water (can you backfloat? Learn to backfloat, then rotate on your stomach and learn to front float. That's sorta how swimming should feel) and lastly, taking full breaths, not just breathing out like half and 'topping up.' That just sends you down a spiral of breathing harder and harder until you have to take a break.

[@vanik67]

Hi Justin, Save the money and stick to the single sided power meter for the reasons you gave yourself. Only if you want to do something about your imbalance, then invest in the Duo Good luck 🤞

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

Very very true. It's tough! I *want* the more accurate numbers from the duo, but objectively solo is 'good enough.' Tricky!

[@osint6372]

FAVERO ASIOMA DUO - THE BEST.....Get it and dont think about it

[@kevinroa2919]

Thanks Justin. Can you set-up a PayPal/BitCoin so we can donate money?

[@terrillford7784]

Eff do both Ironman events

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

:D DO IT LIVE

[@darraghmcb]

No slow-mo awkward unboxing video?

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

Next time 🙃

[@osint6372]

You mean do both IRONMAN'S.....Hmm no, I would pick the best location.......and go there.....

[@rickweaver8965]

Hagg Lake Oly

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

Just looked that up, that looks awesome!

[@sethjohnson5840]

Do it