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Women's Only Clinic Topics
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Hi Y'all!

I am trying to start some "Women's Only" nights at the tri/bike store that I work at.
I'm compiling a list of topics, clinics, and information that would be fun and informative to cover.
What would YOU like to hear about? I am open to all suggestions, even weird ones.

Drawing Board:
Women's only nutrition (bring in a sports nutritionist to talk ONLY about female endurance athlete's specific needs)
Q & A Panel with a Female Pro Triathlete. What is the lifestyle like? Challenges in a male dominated sport?
Pro's and Con's of 'Women's specific gear'. Bikes, shorts, nutrition, etc, what's important and what's not.

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Isaiah 40:31 - Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint.
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Re: Women's Only Clinic Topics [onyurleft] [ In reply to ]
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Sounds like a great thing you're putting together; assuming your audience will be primarily first-timers? Here are my thoughts.

How to fix a Flat.
Understanding your Bike: how to use quick releases, how to remove rear wheel (horizontal dropouts are a B*tch!). Maybe a primer on gearing.
Pre-race day prep: what to pack, how to set up your transistion area
Basic cleaning and lube of bike

My experience is to be specific as to what time a topic will be presented; for example if the evening is from 6-10pm the Nutrition talk is at 7pm (or, maybe later, after they've eaten all that pizza, lol)

Anne Barnes
ABBikefit, Ltd
FIST/SICI/FIST DOWN DEEP
X/Y Coordinator
abbikefit@gmail.com
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Re: Women's Only Clinic Topics [ABarnes] [ In reply to ]
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Bike Maintenance 101
Effective Training – Quality training vs. Quantity (more hours and miles)
Racing Efficiencies - fastest ways to mount and dismount on the bike, tips and tricks to improve transition times.
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Re: Women's Only Clinic Topics [onyurleft] [ In reply to ]
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OK - this is WAY out there but in one of the women's health talks cover how to deal with your period during a race.

This came up in an ultramarathon mailing list I'm on and it turned into a long thread. Some great advice and suggestions. It is hard to bring up but once the conversation starts it is a good one. And very womens specific :-)

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce
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Re: Women's Only Clinic Topics [onyurleft] [ In reply to ]
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IMO, there are two basic philosophies of "women's only" clinics:

1. "Girls are different than boys"
--clinic ideas then are things like:
"saddles, paddles, and wheels" -- all things that require some thought for women vs men in terms of size, anatomy, weight, etc. Paddles = swim, if you have swim stuff in the store.
"sports bras -- separation or squish" ... see current thread on this
"down there" -- dealing with saddle sores, shaving, chamois cream with a bit of "kick"
etc.

2. Female empowerment
things like:
"Dirty mechanics" -- switching cassettes, replacing the chain or brake pads or cables yourself, taking the bike apart to fit into a suitcase that meets regulations for checked baggage (e.g., rustersports), adjusting the derailleur
Climbing and descending
Mountains & Trails (mb or cross)
Handling in a group (get some cones and do serpentines and such in the parking lot...)

And, at the end of the night, be sure to run the margarita mile. ;)
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Re: Women's Only Clinic Topics [Gee] [ In reply to ]
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There's some great ideas there. I started in triathlon from a masters swimming back ground and netball (ball sport) and so i knew nada about cycling... i still know very little but i'm getting there. The information i would have liked at the beginning was basic bike care, what the gearing means (ie, how many teeth, how many cogs, how long your cranks should be) because i find there's a lot of techno speak out there and i am lucky my bike shop let me ask daft questions without laughing (at least not in my presence) but it's quite daunting to not know all the ins and outs of the the bike i spend so many hours on. (FYI YouTube taught me much of what i know now including how to change a flat, how to change bar tape, and what the crank sizing means etc- it's a great resource but impersonal).

Great initiative you have in getting the classes started - well done :)
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Re: Women's Only Clinic Topics [onyurleft] [ In reply to ]
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besides everything already mentioned, a self-defense clinic might be good.
we are all running and riding out there, and it is great to learn basic self-defense skills.

and besides, i believe every girl/woman should know self-defense. actually even more important than knowing how to fix a flat.
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Re: Women's Only Clinic Topics [onyurleft] [ In reply to ]
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Honestly, I don't think the stuff beginner triathletes need to hear is all that different between men and women. The nice thing about an all-women's environment is that it can be less intimidating and more friendly (e.g. the women's forum vs. main forum). The 'women's only' stuff is getting to be ridiculous and little more than a marketing ploy. (ugh the last shoes I bought I was forced to buy in a color called "diva pink." shoot me now.)

Cover the basics:
Training for efficiency and consistency
Nutrition for the training, racing and post-workout
Recovery
Gear: the essential, the optional, the frivolous
Importance of a good bike fit
Managing sport and life (THIS might be more 'women's specific') but everything else is pretty generic.
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Re: Women's Only Clinic Topics [npda] [ In reply to ]
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npda wrote:
Honestly, I don't think the stuff beginner triathletes need to hear is all that different between men and women. ....


I admit, I am curious why everyone (no complaint about you personally, npda, this is something in other posts and certainly in my home tri club) assumes that "women's only clinic" always means "beginner." Is it the word "clinic" that triggers "beginner" in people's minds, or "women's"?

I admit, my FB newsfeed pretty regularly shows cutesy photos of my female friends who are training for Ironman, in some sexy or "clueless" pose while two or more guys from the group ride change their tires ... but I can't help wishing for more ADVANCED women's clinics, too, especially given that the OP lists one of the recently-named-top tri shops as her website.
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Re: Women's Only Clinic Topics [Gee] [ In reply to ]
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Gee wrote:
assumes that "women's only clinic" always means "beginner." Is it the word "clinic" that triggers "beginner" in people's minds, or "women's"?

Excellent observation! I assumed it was a beginner's clinic based on the topics the OP suggested (i.e. women's specific products; what works and what doesn't). Advanced women triathletes have pretty much figured this one out by now, or they are on a sponsored team and get deals on certain products so you just use those anyway.

Yeah. I hear you. It's kind of like the triathlon community has two ways to view women triathletes- either they are very, very good or they are idiots that need mansplaining and help with everything. The middle ground tends to get ignored.
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Re: Women's Only Clinic Topics [onyurleft] [ In reply to ]
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Here's my thoughts -

How to get started in bunch rides - riding with the boys is one of the fastest ways to get fitter, stronger, better on the bike but often a bit indimidating to roll into an established bunch. It's a male dominated culture with its own rules and norms not disimilar to the corporate workplace. Basic bunch etiquette, how bunch dynamics work - and get out there for a bit of focused practice - riding pace lines, tight formation etc.

The importance of bike fit and women's bike geometry - I tend to see far more womens on bikes that don't really fit them and it would possibly be a good topic for anyone contemplating an upgrade, so they don't get shafted by a shop trying to offload a bike on them that's not quite right.

Heart Rate training for womens - took me forever to get an idea of what zones I should be working in an as many of the models seem to be male physiology specific and assume womens are just small men. We're not - our cardiovascular systems run at a bit of a different pace (I reckon). Present some of the different models for discussion.
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Re: Women's Only Clinic Topics [JenSw] [ In reply to ]
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JenSw wrote:
OK - this is WAY out there but in one of the women's health talks cover how to deal with your period during a race.

This came up in an ultramarathon mailing list I'm on and it turned into a long thread. Some great advice and suggestions. It is hard to bring up but once the conversation starts it is a good one. And very womens specific :-)

Get a cup. http://www.femininewear.co.uk/menstrual-cups-2-c.asp
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Re: Women's Only Clinic Topics [blackthugcat] [ In reply to ]
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I love the cup. After you go to a cup, you can never go back... it's the best particularly for swim/cycle.
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