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lkagop's Training Group
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 2008-05-06 2:59 PM |
Supersonicus Idioticus  2439    Thunder Bay, ON |  Subject: lkagop's Training GroupLet me welcome you to my group. My name is Greg, and I have tri'ed for one season and swam competitively for 14 years, a sport which I officially retired from last month (and not a Micheal Jordan retirement either). I train recreationally this year now that I finally graduated from university and things will be a bit shaky as I transition. But regardless, I too struggled through my first triathlon, trained hard and overcame my deficiencies to destroy two more that season. As for weightloss (since Ron requires me to talk about this), it has fortunately never been a huge issue. However, I have often been a few pounds off my optimum, and in a world where championship horses are not raced if they are +/- 3lb off their best, I do know a thing or two about losing those last few lb. Join my group because this BT group is the next best thing to meeting your training partners at the pub for a post-run drink (plus fewer calories). Also, for every spot that isn't filled up, I will hunt a mockingbird down out of sheer disappointment  . But seriously... you will enjoy this group more than others, and will get some good advice for whether you are looking to just finish or beat the field. Edited by So Fresh So Clean 2008-11-07 2:47 PM |
| 2008-05-09 4:50 PM in reply to: #1385359 |
Regular 72 Studio City | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - OPEN Hey, Am I the only one jumping on the bandwagon this late? I've just gotten word from my dr, that it's OK for me to start running again. It's been a year and a half since I've been training for tri's, but have been training for cycling..which has been awesome and I found a new love. BUT, I really want to get back to tris. So I thought this would be a good place to start. So where to start? I don't know if I'll be tri'ing this year since I need to start running again, but this is definitely a great place to get motivated! |
| 2008-05-10 7:12 AM in reply to: #1385359 |
Master 1887  Loveland, Ohio | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - OPEN Hi, Greg and tdemayo. My name is Lora and I have my very first tri June 28. It's a 1/4 mile swim, 12 mile bike and 2 mile run. I come from neither of these sports. I started to have bad knee pain after every run and quit for a while to strengthen my legs and heal. Then I found ChiRunning, which I've been doing for about a month, and I have zero knee pain after a run. Regretfully, I've been putting off getting my bike fixed and joining the Y, so I've really just been focusing on running. (Insert hand-slap here.) The good news is that my bike will be fixed next week and my sister opened up her pool already; I just have to deal with colder than normal water. I am a shoo-in for dead last but I will have the time of my life. I was in a January mentor group and want to do it again. Thanks for your willingness, Greg, to open up your group. - Lora |
| 2008-05-10 12:12 PM in reply to: #1385359 |
Expert 1557 Austin, TX | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - OPEN I know I am a late entry as well, but would like to join this group. I am brand new to the world of triathlons. I've always been the "run a few times a week just to stay in half-way decent shape" type of person. For the past 4 years I've avg'd about 4 running races per year (mostly 5k and 10k). I decided last year that I really want to do a tri. I am a little over weight (6'00 210lbs), and am trying to get down to about 190. I am not actively trying to lose the weight, but know it will be slowly coming off the more I train. I just started swimming last summer (for the first time ever), and bought my first road bike in Dec. I am really enjoying it. I finally signed up for 2 sprint tri's to keep me motivated. One is June 22nd and the other Aug 3rd. I found a training program on this website and tweaked it a little to fit my schedule. I just started training officially about 2 weeks ago. I am really excited and look forward to any help/advice that anyone wants to throw my way. I am still learning about this website and all its features. **Is there a way to flag this forum or link it on my main user page so I don't have to keep searching for it every time I want to look at it?** Edited by chichitao 2008-05-10 12:24 PM |
| 2008-05-10 11:43 PM in reply to: #1385359 |
Supersonicus Idioticus 2439 Thunder Bay, ON | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - OPEN Welcome tdemayo, Ikagop, Chichitao !!! I can see already this group going well! Late entries are never rejected in my books... I can't recall the number of them I've had (and how I rocked some of them). And fortunately there are no late fees for this group. Let me start by saying that I am both a relaxed and aggressive motivator - I like to put up challenges like seeing who can do bricks this week, or who can do intervals in a workout above race pace - and I like to let you do your own thing. Regardless, get ready to kick some butt. Now down to specifics: Tdemayo: Glad to hear you've recovered!! Well at least you have the 'ok', which means there might be sensitivity with your knee/ankle/whatever-it-is. I just had a similar experience, and I know how hard it can be. But you're going to surmount this obstacle with ease... my psychic Ms. Cleo instincts tell me so. This psychic instinct also says that you should register for a tri. Sure, you might not be 100% at the time, but the motivation will stop you from being in limbo for months (the disclaimer associated with my $0.02 will be written up and formalized later, but I'm sure you can assume what it reads). Ikagop: Oooh... first tri!! I'm sure you'll have many questions, most of which I will answer with "you have to experience it to learn."... sorry :S I too read the Chi Running book. I REALLY like it, though you seem to have more success with it than I did (I have a little pain). So we have a running specialist eh? (yes I'm canadian...eh) Don't worry, we'll motivate you to pick up that bike and get into the pool. For example... I would entice you with the mental clarity that comes with a nice long bike ride to yourself - I am crafty like that  Chichitao: I am impressed with your running background. 1) because the consistency has been there for years, and 2) running is my weakest leg and I know the benefits of its speed (also you get to pass people heading into the chute at the end of the race). Congratulations on signing up - it's a really tough thing to do, but it makes training all the easier! You're going to have to post a copy of the training program so we can anticipate the good work you will be doing! Glad to see you are enjoying the bike! I'm sure the first time you "opened up" on a road made you ecstatic. As for the swimming, well, just ask any question you may have - chances are if I don't know the answer you either tried out for Beijing as a swimmer, or are over thinking things too much. As for flagging the forum... not to sure on that one. But what I do with BT forums is remember the number on your address bar (for instance, Cup of Joe is 5#, Triathlon talk is 1#, and the mentor group is 115#... sometimes it's easier to type it in. Until the next time I come on BT, which is usually no more than a 3 day absence, kick that training in gear because you'll need it to take on my 'challenges.' Ciao |
| 2008-05-11 2:41 AM in reply to: #1394580 |
Expert 1557 Austin, TX | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - OPEN I am using the "Original Sprint" 13 week training plan from this website. Although, when I started I only had 8 weeks until my first race, so I had to jump straight to week 5! I need to play around more on this website. There are a lot of features that I didn't even know existed. |
| 2008-05-11 3:29 PM in reply to: #1385359 |
Supersonicus Idioticus 2439 Thunder Bay, ON | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - OPEN chichitao - Sounds great! My only advice is to forgo the rest week of week 6 and 7. You usually want three weeks of good work then a rest week, so 5,6&7 should have higher volume, then rest week 8. Then 9, 10, and 11 should have decent volume. From there week 12 should taper back and week 13 should be much less volume too (we can talk about the taper when it comes). A two week taper is a bit large for only having trained for 8 weeks, so maybe the first half can have some decent volume. But the point is clear - you are quite fit to be jumping into a training plan at week 5. Nice job!!! |
| 2008-05-11 7:33 PM in reply to: #1385359 |
Regular 72 Studio City | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - OPEN Hi Everyone! You are right Greg, I do need to sign up for a tri. We have a tri-club (several of them) in my area and at least one has sprints 1 sunday a month for the entire summer, so I really don't have an excuse. I guess I don't have to run the 5k and can walk to start.. I've really been into the road biking. We had a great training ride today - 20 miles at a 17mph average speed. Lots of rolly-pollys and 2 or 3 good climbs; overall though a pretty flat ride. It was a great endurance ride. It looks like we have a nice group and look forward to being motivated by all of you! |
| 2008-05-11 10:13 PM in reply to: #1385359 |
Supersonicus Idioticus 2439 Thunder Bay, ON | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - OPEN 20 miles at 17mph?? very nice!! And be careful the race doesn't re-injure things. I'd hate to be the instigator of that. But all-the-while... very nice news! |
| 2008-05-11 11:05 PM in reply to: #1385359 |
Master 1887 Loveland, Ohio | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - OPEN Chichitao: If you want to flag this group, I would just add this page to your favorites. I have a couple forum pages with which I do that. tdemayo: I would totally sign up for one of those tris. If I wasn't registered for this one in June, (because I'm way behind on training) I'd be telling myself, "Well, just sign up for the one in September" and so on, and so on - and I'd never get one done. I'm looking forward to coming in dead last because at least I'll have done it. Greg: I'm getting air in my tires on Wednesday and will take a ride around town. |
| 2008-05-11 11:05 PM in reply to: #1385359 |
Master 1887 Loveland, Ohio | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - OPEN Chichitao: If you want to flag this group, I would just add this page to your favorites. I have a couple forum pages with which I do that. tdemayo: I would totally sign up for one of those tris. If I wasn't registered for this one in June, (because I'm way behind on training) I'd be telling myself, "Well, just sign up for the one in September" and so on, and so on - and I'd never get one done. I'm looking forward to coming in dead last because at least I'll have done it. Greg: I'm getting air in my tires on Wednesday and will take a ride around town. |
| 2008-05-12 2:28 AM in reply to: #1395587 |
Expert 1557 Austin, TX | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - OPEN Greg - thanks for the advice on changing my rest week. I didn't even realize there were rest weeks except for the 2 taper weeks at 12/13. I was wondering if I really even needed to taper? I can understand slowing down a little 4-5 days before the race, but 2 weeks? Does that really work? Ikagop - that was a great suggestion about saving this entire page as a favorite. I did that and it is much easier. Have fun on your bike ride! Tdemayo - I would also concur on signing up for a race. I had plans to do a tri last year, but never signed up. And guess what, I never pushed myself to train for it b/c I kept telling myself "one day off won't hurt", and then 3 weeks later I was still taking that one day off. I would try to start back up again and it would be like starting over. That's a pretty awesome pace on the bike, 20mi @ 17mph. Great job. |
| 2008-05-12 10:36 AM in reply to: #1385359 |
Supersonicus Idioticus 2439 Thunder Bay, ON | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - OPEN lkagop - I remember hearing a story about Alex Baumann (double olympic gold medalist in swimming). In his first 400 meter medley race as a kid, his only goal was not to be lapped. He ended up lapping the entire field. I'm just saying that maybe your prospects of coming in last aren't real - and it is always good to make your goal something that is 'ahead' of you, and not focusing on something 'behind' you. Chichitao - So now we get into the whole philosophy of a taper. A taper does two things: 1) it rests your body from the hard work it has been doing, and 2) it gets your body and mind mentally ready for racing. For instance, this year when I was getting ready for my A-race, when I started tapering, sure I lowered the volume, but I began doing repeat 50m swims with a goal time of 29.5sec (because I needed that speed to break 2minutes in the 200m) among other race speed sets. At about one week before the race, I was able to visualize myself throughout my race going 1min 59sec speed, which was quite amazing because my visualization skills are not that great. So how does this apply to you? Well your body does not need that much rest since you have not been training for months and months, but you do need to get race-ready. That is why I was thinking the first week of taper should have some race-specific workouts and some decent volume, and the second week should be a real rest. (do keep in mind most swimmers taper for three weeks). Triathlons are different from swimming in that a large emphasis is placed on endurance and not speed, but my first triathlon experience is that I was able to do the distance, but going race-pace for the bike really made the run tough. |
| 2008-05-12 12:46 PM in reply to: #1396379 |
Expert 1557 Austin, TX | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - OPEN When you say "race-specific" workouts...does that mean doing the exact distance at race speed? Should I try to do all 3 events/workouts (all at once) at any point before the race? On another note, I am curious how most people's training times differ from their race times? For instance, doing a 500m swim in training I can usually do it in about 10min, 14mi bike in about 45min, and a 3mi run in 28min. This would put me at about 1:30 for my total race time if I just combined those numbers (w/ about 7min for transitions). Should I be expecting a significant slow down? Speaking of transitions, what are good times for a first timer? If i annoy anyone with all my questions just give me a good *SLAP*! Thanks! Edited by chichitao 2008-05-12 12:51 PM |
| 2008-05-12 2:01 PM in reply to: #1385359 |
Pro 5761 Bartlett, TN | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - OPEN Too late for another?? |
| 2008-05-12 9:10 PM in reply to: #1396887 |
Master 1887 Loveland, Ohio | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - OPEN jford2309: Welcome! Chichitao: You've asked some really great questions so keep askin' away! Greg: Thanks for the encouragement about being dead last. There's only one way to find out... |
| 2008-05-12 9:43 PM in reply to: #1385359 |
Extreme Veteran 547 Atlanta | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - OPEN Room for another? I'm doing my first tri in 3 weeks ( a sprint), and have 2 other sprints, a century ride, and an Olympic planned for the season. I never thought I could do a tri, but I did my first duathlon last year (an Xterra) and I loved it! So, in January I decided I was going to use my tax refund to buy a road bike. And I'm so glad I did. This year I've done a half marathon in March (2:17), and an Aquathon and a 10k last month. I set up my own training based on a lot of what I've read here on BT. I'm pretty much following a sprint plan from BT, but after my race, I'd like to step it up to the Olympic. My goal is to do a HIM next season. As much as I love all this training, I was never too much of an athlete. Just ran or went to the gym randomly to not feel completely lazy. Weight isn't really too much of an issue for me (5'8", 135), but I am trying to be more toned (which I seem to have some issues with that I'm trying to figure out). I've found a few people around to do some training with, but I feel like I don't want to keep annoying everyone with all my beginner questions. lol. I'm so pumped for my first races, and just want to keep it going. Thx! |
| 2008-05-13 9:34 AM in reply to: #1385359 |
Supersonicus Idioticus 2439 Thunder Bay, ON | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - Closed (...ish, send me a pm) First of all, welcome to the new people. It seems we have increased the overall experience in this group, and you know what that means: when you're surrounded by excellent people you tend to do better. So just a warning to the newcomers: I am not your average personality. Maybe I should have been diagnosed with a cognitive disorder as a child. The best way to approach me is to think of me as mentally crazy as Beethoven (minus the genius). Now let's get down to business: Chichitao: No, this does not mean doing the whole distance at race speed. The only time you will be able to put out race speed for race distance is during race day. The workouts heading into the race should have small portions of it (say 5 times of 2 minute intervals with plenty of rest in between) at or above race pace. That way your body learns what it's like to have your feet move that quickly. For your second question, I heard somewhere it is good to do the distance of each event on separate days before your first tri (mind you at a slower pace). I don't think this is necessary to complete the race, but it's always a good confidence booster. But since you are asking about all-legs-at-once, it's up to you. It would have to be maybe 3 or 4 weeks before your race and not the same distance, but it would definitely get your mindset in the triathlon mode (and your transitions would be faster too). Your question about race times differing from training times is absolutely moot. The reason I say this is because every competitive swimmer knows that when you are thinking about times during a race and not about racing faster, you always swim slower. I will answer the question only because it might help your pacing for the race (after all, expecting the race to finish in 1h50min but actually finishing in 2h10min would kill you). My experience is that (except for the swim) I race faster than I have ever trained. I normally cycle at about 29km/h on a good day, but I race at 33km/h, and I run at about 5:20-5:30minutes per km, but I race at about 4:50minutes. That is why you want race pace workouts. As for transition times, it depends on the layout of the transition, but 2 minutes for T1 and 1:00 for T2 aren't bad. Mine were 1:38 and 0:48 on my last tri. A good idea is to have a mental plan in your head for your transition and write it here in this thread. We can critique it to prune things you don't need. Jessica: The point of the mentor program IS to annoy people with beginner programs. Now from your experience, it doesn't seem like you are that much of a beginner, but your confidence is. Which is funny, because a 2:10 half marathon time is AMAZING!! And you've already done multisports before. So when I hear you are following a sprint plan, I am thinking maybe you could take on more? You see, 'the original sprint' plan is designed to give you an exercising base and when race day comes, you have enough ability to get through the distance, but you haven't progressed much beyond that. You could tweak some of those workouts to make them serious efforts so that your lactate control is better and so you can handle hills etc. But don't do yourself disservice by saying 'you only train not to feel lazy'... YOU ARE AN ATHLETE!!! Now if I may gain a consensus, can we all forget about weight issues? We are all going to be training, and I think the weight will fall in line. If it doesn't, then we can talk. But I feel there is too much unnecessary pressure with weight. Because here's another story of mine: I was at a competition in Montreal, and I did not make finals for the 400m freestyle. My buddy did, and he was swimming beside someone who had about 15lb more around his waist than the other swimmers. In fact, some people were calling him Lardo. But he challenged my buddy in the race. He went 4min19sec, my buddy went 4min 18sec, and I went 4min 26sec. So there is your humbling experience that says you can compete regardless of weight. I think I covered everything above, but if not then shout out. (and jford, I am not ignoring you. I have looked at your logs and everything is impressive! Good luck on your tri coming this weekend, and if you have any questions then ask in this thread or pm me). Ciao. Edited by So Fresh So Clean 2008-05-13 9:37 AM |
| 2008-05-13 10:23 AM in reply to: #1385359 |
Extreme Veteran 547 Atlanta | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - Closed (...ish, send me a pm) Well, I'm sort of following the basic sprint 12 week (with 3 days of each sport, 2 strength days, 1 off day). And my off day is usually filled with something else. I'm working at about week 8 or 9 right now. I've just started doing multiple workouts in one day a few weeks ago, so I feel like I need a little more time to get used to it. I've been handling it fine, but I know my body is more tired than normal, even with 8 hours of sleep. Thanks for the words of encouragement. Maybe after the first tri I feel more like an athlete. Oh, and I should maybe warn you now, I'm on BT ALL THE TIME. Oh, and hi to everyone else! I look forward to seeing all of your progress. It's going to be a great season! |
| 2008-05-13 10:44 AM in reply to: #1385359 |
Pro 5761 Bartlett, TN | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - Closed (...ish, send me a pm) Thanks for the welcome! Name: James, 36 years old, married, father of 2 great boys (7&8). Not entirely new to Triathlons, although it has been awhile (9 years exactly). I quit dipping cold turkey in Mar 07 and decided it was time to get back in shape. So I picked out several Tris I wanted to do this summer. 1 under my belt so far, and 6 more and a duathlon scheduled. I started really swimming last October 07. I could complete 3 consecutive laps at that time, so it has been a battle to work on the swim. The bike and run and something I have always done, although it was mostly mtn biking and the new skinny tires still scare me alittle! I have been training by using my own plans, and taking bits and pieces from workouts I see on BT.com. One day it might be sprints in the pool or long swims, or bricks with the bike/run. I have an OLY Tri this sunday (1 mile swim, 25 mile bike and 6 mile run) that I feel I am ready for physically, mentally I am not sure. I always got into a funk the week before racing for some reason. Edited by jford2309 2008-05-13 10:45 AM |
| 2008-05-13 1:27 PM in reply to: #1385359 |
Pro 5761 Bartlett, TN | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - Closed (...ish, send me a pm) Also wanted to add that I added you all to my friend thing so I can keep up with your logs. Please add me and give me a kick in the butt every now and again! |
| 2008-05-13 7:31 PM in reply to: #1385359 |
Extreme Veteran 329 | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - Closed (...ish, send me a pm) Hi guys, I hope I am not too late as this group sounds perfect. I am completely new to tri having only purchased my bike a couple of weeks ago and 1 month ago having my first swimming lesson (at 39 years of age!!). I have been running for a few years and have been doing taekwondo for the last 17 years or so. I live in Australia and have 2 children and 2 step children, a husband, 2 cats and a dog I started out a couple of weeks ago and got a whole week and bit of solid training under my belt before I became injured which has meant I haven't been able to run or bike or do taekwondo for 3 weeks now. The good news is this means I have made some ok progress on my swimming over the last few weeks. I am out for the rest of this week but go back to my physio on Monday and hopefully will have the all clear to begin running and biking again. I really look forward to getting to know you all more over the coming weeks and months. |
| 2008-05-14 8:56 AM in reply to: #1385359 |
Extreme Veteran 547 Atlanta | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - Closed (...ish, send me a pm) Help! My race is in 16 days. My plan was to really push it this week and next, and then taper the week before. But the past few days, I feel so slow and my body feels so tired. Not all the time, but when I'm trying to train. This morning I couldn't swim more than 100 at a time without feeling like I needed a rest. And yesteday my bike was really slow and felt like I had no power. So the question is, do I take a few rest days/easy days now, and then try again next week, and still have my taper? Or do I push through the next week and a half like the original plan? |
| 2008-05-14 8:46 PM in reply to: #1385359 |
Supersonicus Idioticus 2439 Thunder Bay, ON | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - Closed (...ish, send me a pm) Jessica - This is a very good question. The lesson to be learned from this experience is to always be a week ahead of the game... because you MIGHT get sick, and you ARE going to feel too sore to workout, and you MIGHT get injured throughout your season. Fortunately for you, you have been doing amazingly up until now, so a bit of rest won't hurt you. Like I said before, a taper is where the quality of your workouts increases even though the distance drops. So it is better to recover from the sluggishness sooner so you can get on with your taper, rather than push yourself more towards physical insanity and try to recover before your race (plus, you would need more time to undo the extra damage of pushing yourself now). 16 days is plenty of time to get yourself ready, and I don't think there is any need for worry. mmh - WELCOME!! You see, that's the beauty of tri... whenever one sport doesn't work for you on a given day, there are two others to choose from. Glad to see you have the 'tri bug' So you have only had one swimming lesson? And you call yourself Australian?? Well I hope you recover well, and that triathlon was not the reason for the injury (if it is, there are 30 people on this site who will give you 40 opinions). Oh, and congratulations on the family! (that sort of thing usually goes unsung these days). jford - Nice job on the cold turkey! I don't have that will power. And that is an impressive race schedule this season too. And don't worry about the swimming thing. Everyone says that it just 'clicks' one day and you're set. And good luck with the Oly tri. And if you KNOW you are physically ready, then don't worry about the mental part. Just pretend you are some world class triathlete with a mind that is as tough as nails. Happy training everyone! I go for a run tomorrow. |
| 2008-05-16 2:40 AM in reply to: #1385359 |
Extreme Veteran 329 | Subject: RE: So Fresh So Clean's Group - Closed (...ish, send me a pm) Hi Greg, Injury is apparently overuse - pmpf!! I have actually had 4 swimming lessons, I had one a week for a month. What sort of Aussie am I ? - gets worse - I lived by the beach for the first 36 years of my life!!! On a peninsula ! so I had surf beach and bay to choose from!! I am kicking myself now that I didn't get into it years ago. I now live in the hills! |
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