Older&Wiser Group - FULL (Page 9)

Hi all,

Congratulations to Rose who set a PB and is now up to 12min of running.   Congratulations to Malinda who had 165min of running this week, a PB based on the charts for the year.  Congratulations to Lynne who, I believe, also set a PB for her longest bike ride, a 50miler yesterday.  Congratulations to Jennifer who had some amazing 100 PB swim splits this week and swam a continuous 1400 today, her longest ever.  Congratulations to Wolf who set a PB with 602min of training this week while on vacation!  I’m pleased to report that I too set a PB, a 2.5hr long ride yesterday, my longest bike ride ever in my life, trainer or otherwise.  Can you believe it – we all set some kind of a Personal Best this week!!  So each gets a √ this week for continuous improvement. Here are the FINAL standings:

I honestly didn’t know at the beginning what, if anything, these awards do.  After all, we're too old to care about paper awards that don't mean anything.  But in looking back, not only do they provide a nice segue for my weekly summary post, they show at a glance how far we’ve come, highlight the successes of our members and motivate us.  Moreover, I see now the award descriptions capture the essence of training – toughing it out, raising the bar, "swatch" like consistency and continuous improvement, which is pretty cool especially when we get a breakthrough.  At times, training gives us a chance to chill out and enjoy the moment, and be young at heart as our hearts actually get younger than our biological age through training.  And through it all, we always keep in mind the BIG PICTURE, as that is what being Older&Wiser is about.  So Congratulations to Wolf for winning the 2007 overall Older&Wiser title.  Wolf’s creative training methods and workout discipline, his eloquent words and stunning pictures have all been most inspirational over the past wks and have helped the group tremendously, so thank you Wolf.  Most importantly, CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE who has done such a fantastic job over the last 12 wks.  A team is only as good as its members, and if it weren’t for everybody helping each other and inspiring each other, we could not have accomplished what we had.

Mentoring has been more time-consuming than I had expected, but well worth it, considering our accomplishments to date.  I’m privileged to have been your mentor and am so proud of all of you.  The end of my 12wk mentoring commitment coincides with the tax season, so work is where I now must focus my energy, in addition to training and life. Even though I can no longer commit to posting twice/wk, I see no reason why you can’t continue to post on this thread.  Regardless, DON’T YOU SLACK OFF on me and more importantly, on yourself - I’ll continue to log and check up on your logs, and hope we will continue to learn from and inspire each other.  And of course, you can continue to PM me if you want.  I look forward to reading your race reports in the upcoming months.

Besides the "essence of training" awards and the inspirational pics, two unique features of this thread brought to you by yours truly, don’t forget we still have our "collective wisdom" post here, which has many tips that should continue to help us for months to come. One more tip -

Now you can now go to my Mentor Pic Album and vote for your favourite(s).

Happy training…

Hi all,

Just want to thank everybody for your kind words.  Otherwise very busy at work.  Congrats to Wolf and Rose for your weight loss.  I'm now a silver member, so I imported the Int Oly Program onto my blog, together with weather forecast, very cool.  If anyone is interested, you can go to my blog, drag cursor to the date and check out the details of the Int Oly program.  I'm really following my own program, became a silver member to support BT as I'm so impressed with their site.

Hi everybody,

So I survived personal tax season, but corporate busy season is just around the corner.

Malinda, I hope you’re feeling better.  One thing I’ve concluded is that at our age, we’ve to do everything in our power to rehabilitate an injury to make sure it’s fully recovered, or it’ll come back to haunt us.  It does take longer to recover now that we’re older, so patience is key.  Go to physio and do all rehab exercises recommended, even if they appear lame.  Don’t forget to keep active so your muscles don’t atrophy.

Wolf, so glad to see you back logging.  What an exciting bike adventure, thanks for sharing.  I always think those into adventure racing are missing the point, they go so fast and miss all the adventure, while you take time to savour every bit.

Lynne, congrats on your Wildflower Ride.  Good luck on your half-marathon this weekend, if you’re doing it.

Jennifer, are things slowing down at work so you can start training for races yet?  You’ve been really consistent, great job.

Rose, looks like you're very consistent with your swimming.  Keep it up.

So I ran in the 10th anniversary of the Sporting Life 10K today.  Got a nice ring to it, don't you think - 10K, 10th anniversary, Sporting Life!  I set a 10K PB 9yrs ago at the 1st Sporting Life 10K.  Not quite a PB today but quite pleased with the result.  Race report is up.

Hi group, esp Wolf, Malinda and Rose,

Please tell me that you’re all working out, just that you haven’t been logging diligently!  You’ve done great for the first few months of year, DON’T LET ALL THAT HARD WORK GO TO WASTE. 

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK that you were doing and let’s rededicate ourselves to our goals. 

Lynne, don’t know if you’re doing your first tri of the season this weekend.  If so, GOOD LUCK!

Try to resume logging and inspiring each other.  Ron has confirmed that we can continue using the existing thread even though the 3 mth mentor program that started in Jan is over.   There are new mentors coming on board (May – Aug new mentor program) so if you want to switch, feel free.  I do not plan to open up this group to new people, but if you have questions you want to discuss, fire away, workload now back to normal for me.

Yeah, I got our "collective wisdom" post back as first post of the page!  This is now updated.  As I said before, don’t get overwhelmed by it.   Pick what’s relevant and come back periodically for new ideas.  Don’t try to do all of it all of the time, just some of it some of the time, or even all of the time, or all of it some of the time.

Links: group summary,  progression to injury free running,  buying running shoes,  setting yourself up for success,  cycling tips,  award standings,  

The following is based on our discussion.  Let me know of any errors, omissions, etc…  I've set up links to some of our key posts above, so people don't have to search all over for it.  If there're other ones you'd like me to link, let me know.

SWIM:  General Tips:

1. Have someone (swim instructor, coach, experienced swimmer, etc.) look at your stroke and offer suggestions.  Or even have others videotaped your stroke.
2. Do sets / drills instead of lap swimming – Contrary to popular belief, practice does not make perfect, it only makes permanent.  Laps and laps of swimming with poor form only reinforce poor technique.  Only perfect practice makes perfect, and drills are the keys to perfect practice.  Doing sets / drills / other strokes also reduce risk of overuse injury because they give your system valuable rest in between (eg arm drills let your legs rest, kick drills let your shoulders rest, seconds in between sets let your system rest, etc).
3. DRILLS DO NOT HAVE TO BE DONE FAST! They should be done as slowly as you need to do them correctly.
4. Find some feet to follow, whether in the pool or in a race – Everybody knows about the benefits of drafting in open water swimming, you can swim faster with less effort and save time on sighting.  But even in a pool, if you swim behind a person that’s slightly faster and try to reach for their toes on every stroke, it forces you to swim faster with a long efficient stroke.
5. Check out the strokes of better swimmers.  The better the swimmer, the lower the stroke count, almost always under 20 per 25m.
6. Count your stroke/lap so you become more aware of your efficiency.
7. Swim against pace clock so you become more aware of your pace, and whether a stroke modification is working.

Technique / Drill Tips:

1. Swim downhill - Think about pressing down towards the bottom of the pool with your chest. (Not your head, just your chest.)  This will help get your legs/hips up.
2. Swim taller - Each stroke, say to yourself, "The most important thing I do with my hand is lengthen my body. "Reach! Reach! Reach!" This will give you a longer stroke and a longer, sleeker vessel, allowing you to slice far more easily through the water.  But remember to press your chest down and swim downhill or this technique may seem impossible.
3. Swim from side to side - Think of swimming as rotating your body on an axis from side to side.  Breathe by rolling your body to where the air is – rather than lifting or turning your head.
4. Swolf - swim golf, trains you swim faster with the most effective stroke count.
5. Lots of swim drill videos at this site
6. The classic drill for high bent elbow recovery is the fingertip drag drill, click on video here - Aside from the nice bent elbow recovery, the video shows a very nice long stroke, arm is stretched and straight before underwater pull and body rotates on an axis from side to side.

7. Stroke count can also be reduced if you delay your pull, i.e. don’t start pulling right away, wait till your recovery arm is at 10-11 o’clock position, but not quite a full catch-up. They call it "front-quadrant swimming".   The video mentioned in 6 demonstrates this quite nicely too.

Check out the ultimate tri swim training video by accomplished triathlete / coach Wes Hobson.

One stroke at a time:

"Effort - The spirit to win and the will to excel are always measured one stroke at a time"

Just keep swimming swimming swimming (click for audio clip)

 

Staying Motivated - Tips The following are tricks I’ve used over the years to stay motivated - [Mostly from http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/1996/07_96/y_ex.htm & http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=540] 

Staying motivated is tough for all exercisers—even true jocks. A variety of techniques, though, can help you stick with it.  Pick and choose the ones below that suit you.

• Register for a race.    Racing keeps us training.   It provides focus, a short term goal, something to look forward to.  Putting $$MONEY$$ down to register for a race has a way of giving a little extra kick when the training goes stale.
  
• Celebrate success. Reward yourself for sustaining an exercise program.  Pat yourself on the back.  Buy that finish line race picture.  Eat a special meal, or treat yourself in some other way—a new jogging outfit, perhaps.  
• The 5min rule. If you're feeling lethargic, tell yourself you'll just do a 5min workout. Then, once you are up and out, you probably will decide to do a full-blown workout.
  
• Have a plan.   Plan ahead so you know what you’re supposed to do on a daily / weekly / annual basis.  The failure to plan is a plan for failure.  BT Programs are great.  
• Set a higher goal. Gain satisfaction from achieving goals. Try to jog a bit farther or for a bit longer than the session before.  But don't fret over minor setbacks—improve over weeks and months.
  
• Distract yourself. When working out on an exercising machine, read, watch TV, or listen to tunes.  But don't wear earphones when exercising outside near traffic.
  
• Buddying up. By working out with a partner, you can inspire and encourage one another—and spend more time with a friend.  BT mentor program does wonders.  Or join a tri club, running group or cycling club.
  
• Change quickly. Change directly from work clothes into workout clothes. This will keep you from getting sidetracked.
  
• Variety is the spice. Use a variety of activities to keep things interesting. Triathlon training is varied by its very nature.   Also, change the duration or intensity of your workout.  Or try new scenery.  Or try something totally different, skiing, volleyball, yoga…
  
• Logging in. Keep a diary of daily exercise accomplishments. It will help you track your progress and can serve as reinforcement.   BT Training Logs are great for this purpose.
  
• Wake-up call. Exercising first thing in the morning means only one shower and dressing session. But remember that not everyone's body—or mind!—is suited for it.  If you have a heart problem or may be at risk for one, check with your doctor first.
  
• Straight expectations. Fitness takes time. If you've put on weight, don't expect it to disappear in 3 weeks!

Keys to successful weight loss / maintenance – the following is based on our group's discussion and the 7 habits of highly effective dieters by Professor Jim Hill, who started the National Weight Control Registry where the average individual has maintained a weight loss of 67 pounds for five-and-a-half years:

1. Keep trying. Most people, over 90%, failed many times before they finally succeeded. 
2. Don't deny yourself. Eat a little bit of everything but in moderation.
3. Weigh yourself often, say every week. No denial. Don’t get too worked up about a pound or two. But when it creeps up, time to cut out the wine and cheese.
4. Exercise an hour a day. You can’t lose weight and keep it off by dieting or exercising alone.
5. Get other bits of physical activity into the daily routine.
6. Eat a low fat, high carb diet, research shows this is the most effective diet for keeping weight off.
7. Eat five meals a day starting with breakfast.
8. Do a race that’s the same every year. Racing keeps us training. The same race makes it easier to compare our fitness level year over year and with others in our age group.
9. Train with a BUDDY, provides camaraderie and mutual support. Join the BT mentor program.

Older&Wiser Group - Patricia, Wolf, Lynne, Jennifer, Malinda, Rose, Jeff, Angelo

Sounds great, Jennifer.   Pool swim for first tri of season - great way to get your feet wet, pun intended.  You can always coast on bike after swim, then walk if you're tired, BUT I think you'll do much better than you think.   Take it easy, start slow, and have fun...

Congrats to Lynne, who raced her first tri of season on Sat, followed by 8mi race on Sun where she placed 2nd in AG.  Way to go, Lynne.  I can't wait to race myself.

Following in Lynne's footsteps, Jennifer raced her first tri of season on Sun, followed by 5K race on Mon.  I don't know how you do it, back to back.   That's amazing.   Congrats!  I usually crash the day after a race.  The swim thing is a bummer.  But this is only first race of the season, it'll get better.  And your hubby is absolutely right - in the overall scheme of things, all we're talking about is a min, won't even bump you up one place.   I agree - more LSD, more bricks would bode well for races later in the season.  All in all, completing a 1.5hr+ race w/o walking and a podium finish for the first race of the season, followed by another 5K race the next day, pretty good result for the first race weekend, I'll say.   You can go to your race log - , there is an option on the left bottom half of page where you can copy all the SBR times of any race to your training log.

Congrats also to Lynne who set another 10K PB on the weekend.  Yeah, tough group you're in, sub 50 and placed 4 of 10, 18 of 73 women.  Sometimes small races are like that.   Larger races will give better relative percentile #'s, but not absolute #'s, because of a more representative population. 

Hubby decided yesterday he wants to do a half-mary in Sep.  We save $20 by registering yesterday, so now both of us have registered for the Toronto half.  S/B interesting.

Thanks for posting race reports.  Wolf, please sign in, we miss you.  Happy training. 

Jennifer - nice pic of you and your daughter at the "Human Race".   Tell me she's sore the next day... no fair if she ran faster w/ no training and not sore the next day!

I'd didn't know group existed until I pushed Patricia7's BIO.  After reading her bio I'm impressed!!!  Any words to me from you, Patricia, are highly valued.  And this comes from an old man who's wife thinks he's a bullheaded, know-it-all.....lol.