2010 Molly's Mentor Group - IS ALL FULL UP (CLOSED) (Page 10)

I have a question, I am considering doing an olympic distance tri in August. How different in the training? I understand I will be spending a lot more time and going farther, but is it the same sort of stuff just longer?
  Sorry to hear so many of you are having crappy weather

Generally speaking the training will be the same (swim, bike, run) but longer distances. Also, you may find that an intermediate/advanced program will be more focused on building speed than building a base. An olympic plan should also include some shorter days with longer days being reserved for 1-2 days per week usually on the weekends. I believe this is your first tri season so my recommendation is to find an oly plan that is geared more towards a beginner rather than an intermediate plan. Even though the distances may seem somewhat short, building 2 events together can be very difficult if you don't start with a strong base. Alot of beginners approach bricks (two events together) with a somewhat "oh yeah no problem" attitude because they are used to doing longer distances at only 1 event (ie runners training for a marathon). It is something different to put 2 events or 3 events together in succession. Pacing, nutrition and a solid base are everything. I hope that answers your question and happy training.

I know I sent this link to Arno, but if anyone else is interested, this site has lots and lots of swim information, tips, drills, etc., plus you can download Mr. Smooth to your desktop and watch him swim (perfectly, of course) at different speeds and from different angles. http://swimsmooth.com/ If you join the blog, you get frequent tips sent to your email address. Pamela

Edited by ptri 2010-02-11 4:01 PM

great site on the swimming. Everyone is looking really solid and putting in good miles. Remember to keep up your nutrition and get plenty of rest. I will try to post some nutrition information during the weekend. Happy training.

Thanks for that link Pamela.  Neat site.  I especially like to observe Mr. Smooth at all angles of his swim stroke.  It really gives a good idea of what you may need to focus on, on your stroke.

Are your workouts balancing your whole body? I guess what I am asking, are you working some parts of your body more than other which is causing an imbalance in muscle strength? That can cause some issues. I use to have some back/hamstring issues and a PT told me it was partly due to my quads being stronger to the point that it was causing stress on my hamstrings. not sure completely why... Possibly try seeing a physical therapist.

Tania:

I don't agree with your statement about triathlon - you are doing just fine. Keep going and you will find that you will do very well in the sport. I looked over your logs for the last few weeks and can make a couple of suggestions for you and then some suggestions generally. First, you need to add some swimming to your workouts. I know it's tough. For me with triathlon, just getting in the pool those first few months felt like a major accomplishment let alone swimming any kind of distance with decent form. I dont know your swim background, but looking at your logs I see lots of running and biking with no swimming. You need to swim. The earlier you get to the pool, the more adjusted you will get to swimming and the better prepared you will be for triathlon. The swimming will also help you in a few other ways, and may help resolve some of the items you pointed out. Swimming will be less impacting on you but still give you a good workout. You wont feel as "beat up" from a swim workout as you may because the biking and running are still impacting sports. Additionally, I found that swimming changed my physical shape. I lost a lot of weight swimming quickly first because it was new for my body and second because I could burn lots of calories without the impact. Also, the swimming gave me that nice V-shaped back. Finally, swimming helped my breathing/cardiovascular VO2 which made the other sports easier for me. So as you can see, I recommend swimming even if it is just 1 time a week. Second, Type-A personality is good especially for triathlon. You have to be organized and in control to do well in this sport. You will find most of the top competitors in triathlon are very type A. Third, don't let life get you down. Things are going to come up and get in the way that will impede your training. As long as you don't let it derail you completely, you will do just fine in triathlon.

So now some general impressions. My coach often tells me that easy days should be disgustingly easy. Like super easy but longer than normal. Hard days should be hard - like fall down at the end of the workout cant go another step hard, but short and usually no more than 40 minutes. If you are going all out in every workout, you are going to burn out and simply you are not allowing your muscles to adequately recover. On the other hand, if every workout is super easy, you will never get to an anaerobic/fat burning area therefore, you wont see much in the way of weight loss if that is your goal. So the suggestion here is to pick 1-2 days per week where you are going a little shorter but all out. Intervals are a good way to accomplish the "all out" type of workout. Next general thought is that everyone needs to make sure they are taking at least 1 day of recovery each week. Again, your body needs to recover. For most of you I would recommend at least 2 days per week. Aside from the recovery aspect, again, keep in mind that most of us have families/jobs/lives outside of this sport. None of us are pros and this is supposed to be fun. Use your off days to spend time with your families or focus on something other than the sport. Finally, nutrition is key to proper recovery, weight loss and feeling good. I used to subscribe to the philosophy that I had to watch what I eat even during training and if I gained a pound or two I would cut back on calories - WRONG and recipe for disaster. I read from Tim DeBoom (Ironman Champ) that during training when you feel good eat, when you feel bad eat. What that means is you need calories on board to burn during your training sessions and if you are feeling icky during a training session it usually means your blood sugar is low and you need calories. Outside of training, most you can probably consume calories and your body needs them for optimal recovery and for your training. On off days, watch your calories and maybe cut back a little. On days where you are going long, don't be afraid to up your calories a little. Good calories though, fruits, veggies, salad, lean protein, carbs whole grains etc. Try to stay away from grease and super fatty foods. I personally "eat my way through the day" during IM training. I usually eat about every 2-3 hours. Little meals, like a yogurt and granola, apple and peanut butter, crackers with peanut butter, fish, lean meat, chicken salad etc. I eat about 6 times per day and it has also helped me maintain my weight. 

I hope this helps! Happy training.  

Is strength minutes in our training log just the amount of time you are lifting? I always feel weird putting that because I am not active the entire time. How do people log that?

Thanks for the advice Molly.  Tania, I felt that way last summer, when all I did was run and bike.  It was a lot of stress on my joints and hip.  I ended up with two different injuries last fall to my left quad and groin.  That's when I took my sister's advice and took up swimming in October.  Swimming has been a journey to say the least, but it has been forgiving on my muscles and joints.   I have a long way to go to be confident in the pool, but I have been injury free since taking up swimming.

I think you absolutely have it in you to do tris.      

I just include the rests in between my weight sets.  I don't do much, but if I do some arm and leg weights, than some squats, it may take me about 15-20 minutes.

Thanks guys. The only problem is I hate the idea of the pool and the closest pool doesn't have convenient times unless I swim for only 30 minutes and go into work an hour later. I am thinking of joining an Adult swim class at the end of March. If I can't handle the swim, my back up plan is a duathlon. I just am amazed how I find my muscles just don't adapt well. I also experience some leg swelling toward the end of the day. I am not out to lose weight, actually that would be a problem if I did but the idea of balancing out muscles is appealing.

I'm going to second (or third) the swimming recommendation, even if it IS only for 30 minutes.  That's all I can fit in with my current schedule, and it's enough (for now!).  I do have a swimming background, so it's a total enjoyment for me.  Once a week (most weeks), I drive 40 minutes each way to the pool, swim for 30-35 minutes, and get back to pick up my son from a program he's in.  It's amazing what that 1x/week will do.  So, I say, give it a try.   If you're not interested in the actual swimming part - try aqua jogging.  It's a great exercise too, but will be much easier on your joints.  

Don't give up on triathlon yet!   

Don't give up! It may be part of the natural cycle, I am going through something similar. My knee is finally fine!!!! and I have beginning PF (insert many creatively arranged swear words here). I can't run this week, and my heel still twinges so I suspect I'm off for another week after I see the PT Wed. I am on a wait list for orthotics (apparently the guy is great, they will be free, but this is the NHS and it will take 5 weeks). My swimming is slow, but form is improving so I am happy about that. My biking is so slow. It takes me 70 minutes to do 10 miles - but I am still on a mountain bike with nobbly tires and my house is at the top of a mountain so half of my rides are steep uphill. That should be okay. My first tri is in 12 weeks and I am starting to worry I may have to give it a pass if I can't get my bio-mechanical issues sorted. I'm not giving up yet, but I may have to wait until July. If I do complete in May I am sure I will come in last.

Edited by mhoerger 2010-02-15 6:18 AM

For those going through the "what am I doing this for mentally" a few thoughts. First, everyone goes through this at some point during training - even pros. At some point, no matter one is training for (IM, HIM, marathon, sprint tri, etc.) there comes a point where you think what the heck was I thinking or why am I doing this to myself or what am I doing this for. Even if it for a few seconds, a week or a month, those thoughts will cross all of us at least once during training, and they occur no matter how experienced you are. I still have them and sometimes at least once a session. Try to remember why you are doing this whether it's overall health, competition, something new, etc. Those thoughts will get you through. Second, try to think positive when you start the mental gymnastics. Positive thoughts will lead to positive results and you will find that positive thoughts will make your session a little better. There is always at least 1 positive thing to focus on no matter how bad you feel or how bad a session is going. Even if your positive thought is I can make it two more light posts running and then walk, you've gone that much further. Third, not everyone can win, nor does everyone want to win. Or stated another way, someone has to come in last. Even if that person is you, keep this in mind - you started the race, you finished the race. Even if you finish last it's still better than the person that DNF (did not finish) which is still better than the person that did not start which is still better than the person that did not train which is still better than the person that did not tri. Finally, from my experience, there is nothing like getting up the morning of race day, looking out at the transition area, feeling the energy and knowing that once you are done you will have bragging rights that not many people can claim. Enjoy the experience. This is fun. 

Ok, I have a question. Can I count all the miles I walked while on vacation (2.5-4 miles each day) when I am planning this week's runs? I missed a few runs because of the vacation, and I want to increase my runs, but I don't want to mess with the 10% rule. And, I am still flirting with the idea of doing a half mary in April so I need to get the weekly mileage up there as quickly as my body will allow. Thoughts?

I'd count the miles walked as "sport". It doesn't go towards the s/b/r totals, but shows up in your total exercise graph.

Today I am going to go to the gym, swim for 30 minutes and then ride the dreaded spinning bike for 40 minutes. I am posting here so I will be accountable and you can all call me names if I don't go.

The kids are off school and I've been slacking this week. The silver lining is that I feel so awful having not exercised for 2 days in a row. Surely that is a very good sign for someone who was barely doing anything 4 months ago.

so I went for a run today and was feeling great through a chunk of it and then I hit a hard hill section, my motivation went away. I remembered the post Amanda had about having that key motivating word and one of the words she put in there was "duck" It stuck with me, I started thinking duck and it was so funny I just ran up the hills no problem. =)

I stole this post from another member who is also mentoring this season. It includes links to calculators to help determine run paces. I checked it out and it seems to work pretty well.

Here is some nice running calculators for you guys to use. I do use them to 'know' what pace I should run at.

 

http://www.runbayou.com/jackd.htm

http://www.attackpoint.org/trainingpaces.jsp

and then help to calculate sweat rate:

http://www.trihardermultisports.com/THM_SwRate.aspx

 

Running calculators are nice because they are a very excellent judge of where you are at and what sort of paces you need to run to do a 4hr or 3hr marathon. Helps to show current potential.

 

I have a strengthening question... When I was younger I know a big thing was t not work opposing muscles in the same day... What is the accepted way now esp with a triathlon in mind? I have been just trying to work all major muscle groups at least once in a work out. Should I be focusing more on two or so areas at a time and get a harder workout or the more full body type?
 

Great thanks! I've been reading the Triathletes Training Bible and I have my base, build, and peak weeks worked out. So I will go back and match what you said up with it. I've been noticing that I've been gaining weight lately (my eating has stayed the same and my training has gone up time wise) and I have a tendency to bulk up when I lift, so I will start looking at toning down the weight. Thanks again