Gordo Byrn's Group - FULL (Page 10)

12/25/08 

Easy run with the wife first 2 miles.  3.1 miles, total.  32 min. 

holy heckaroo was the Y packed today, you'd a thought it was January 2nd. 

goodness me.

got in a 17 min run and 40 mins of ST. 

i decided to do a 'sort of' tempo run today, and still pay attn to my HR.

HR data:

start  78   3.8 pace

warmup/walk - @ 10 min:  108  increased to 4.0

run - @ 4 min:  128   decreased to 3.8

@ 5 min:  106  increased to 4.3

@ 9 min:  133  decreased to 3.8

@ 10 min:  116  increased to 4.5

@ 14 min:  135 decreased to 3.8

@ 15 min:  121 increased to 4.3

@ 17 min:  130 decreased to 3.8

@ 18 min:  112  decreased to 3.3

cooldown/walk - 5 min

End - 106

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GORDO!!!

Not much going on at work so I thought I'd get caught up with some other "business". 

NAME: DeputyDawg aka Dee

STORY: I had always been very active and involved in a number of sports with a particular fondness for hockey.  I started weight training in university and kept that up very regularly.  It is very important in my occupation for me to be strong and fit.  In the mid nineties I started running and biking as well with a goal of eventually doing marathons and triathlons. I’m not very confident in my swimming ability so I started going to the pool and doing TI drills.   I completed two duathlons (albeit very slowly) in the late nineties as well as a few 5 k races and 2 ½ marys.  I just loved the way I looked and felt about myself back then.  Something happened to me around 2001 though I don’t quite know what.   It was like a switch turned off inside me and I stopped with my working out routine. Sports have even slowly dropped out of my life as well.  I have yet to lace the skates up this season.   Every time I try to start getting back into a routine, it only lasts briefly.  Dr’s tests for sleep apnea, thyroid, iron deficiency etc have turned up negative so it appears this is all mental instead of physical.  I still dream of running marathons and competing in Ironman events.  The only way to get there is thru consistent training and I have to figure out a way to fight thru the mental blocks which are preventing me.

Happy Birthday Gordo!!! What part of the Great White North are you from?  I'm a Torontonian by birth who relocated to Niagara Falls 17 yrs ago.

I want to try to get back into working out in the mornings.  I've been having lots of issues with getting adequate sleep lately.  Either not being able to get to bed early enough or not being able to fall/stay asleep.  Would there be anything wrong/detrimental to forcing myself to get up after 3-5 hrs sleep to get my workout in?  Would the benefits of the workout outweigh the lack of sleep? 

I did 30 minutes on the trainer at the gym, Average rpm's = 91, total miles = 6.14, ave HR = 124... then I jumped on the TM for 5 minutes at an easy pace.

I'm still not understanding pacing on the bike - it seems like there are so many variables, Is it about spinning fast in a high gear, or to get to the point that you can spin fast in a lower gear? What is my goal?

gots me a HRM watch.  its not fancy dancy, but it will get the job done.

hope everyone is enjoying the day after.

 I laughed out load with your point on the spandex!  This looks like a great session.  Don't sweat the speed -- focus on the right decisions and your performance will take care of itself.

 Nice session.  The fact that you are developing the ability to go easy is a very useful development.

 g

 I like your strategy for developing the capacity to go a little bit further, rather than faster.  If you stick with the moderate approach (in terms of intensity) the speed improvements will happen naturally.

g

Cardholic - 2008-12-24 7:13 AM

	30m 26s 6.37 miles 12.56 Mi/hr	Min HR: 76 Avg HR: 128 Max HR: 138
5:21 AM

Today was all about my new cadence sensor... I tried to keep the cadence between 60-70 while keeping an easy (but not too easy) spin... On my last ride, my ave HR was 119, this time the Ave is 128... should I be aiming lower or keep the spin where it is or both? Average Cadence 63 rpm's according to Garmin Training Center (I wonder why BT doesn't show that info?)  HR Data (The zones I created are the same as my running zones, so I have no clue if this is correct - RHR = 49) 0% - 60% 117 - 130 10m 28s 60% - 70% 130 - 144 20m 05s 70% - 80% 144 - 157   80% - 90% 157 - 171   90% - 100% 171 - 184

 This looks good -- with the zones -- using the same will be fine for now.  Overtime, you'll learn how your different aerobic gears feel.

 With cadence, spend some time including periods of higher cadence -- something you might want to try is alternating periods of higher cadence.  If you are rolling 60-70 rpms normally then start with lifting to 80 rpm.  Over time, you can develop your comfortable range up towards 90s.  This will also help your running cadence.

g

 Thanks!

 I'm from Vancouver and went to University in Montreal.

 For me, working out in the morning was the easiest way to get my training going and build the consistency habit.  Chronic sleep deprivation isn't a good thing (especially if your job requires coherency!).  However, short term, I find that the best way to have a good night's sleep is to ensure that I get up in the morning.  

It is a psychological game that I play with myself... Do I want to have a good night's sleep?  Yes.  Well, then I need to get up now.  I have that conversation with myself.

 Same deal with training... Will skipping this session make me feel better?  No.  Then I might as well do the session.  Now... when I am feeling flat, I give myself the ability to dial it down after 15-20 minutes.  However, I always start and always do something (even if it is just a walk).  That's the nice thing about making a warm-up part of your routine.

g

 #1 goal = train daily & eat right

 ===

 As for the bike, over the next five years, aim to become comfortable with a range of efforts, with a range of gears.

 Always remember that doing is much more important than what you do.  Once you have established a habit of doing, you can fine tune the what-you-do.  It's really easy to get bogged down in the what-you-do.

 From your posts... you are doing the right thing.  Keep it rolling!

g

Nice long run on the beach today. Running on sand is more difficult than I remember, but it was a great workout and it was nice not to have the pounding of concrete. No hills was a nice bonus.

Heart rate management was good today. Felt really great all around. Could have gone much longer...

58:10 - 4.21 miles (13:49 pace)

12/26/08

Got a 3.3 mile run in - negative splits.

Question:  Not looking for distance or times but what might a typical four week cycle look like during the base phase? 

# of swims, # runs, # bike efforts, # bricks? 

Happy belated, ol'man!  Welcome to the Masters Division..... 

15 min swim, 60 min spin....

i was a different Y today, so lots of unknow variables...

add on top of that, a new fangled HRM watch.

today, i was certainly out my comfort zone, even got lost finding my way to the women's locker room.  nonetheless, this was a drive worth taking.

the swim wrkout was pretty straightforward.  no HR data to report, mine doesnt work in water.

here's the basic data from the spin:

start HR 106 - thought this was high going into a workout, but then considering....i had just finished up swimming and climbed six flights of stairs to get to the room where class was being held. 

AV HR - 135 - this number actually surprised me, i thought it was going to be higher, but glad to see when it all averaged out, i was under the top end of the Mod Hard range (139) overall.

PEAK - 176 - i remember the moment i hit this number, and thought to myself, time to dial it back.  took a bit longer than i expected to get back 'in range'...but i got there eventually.  ill definately remember what that number feels like....

GORDO, is that something that improves over time, your heart rate being able to adjust 'quicker' WORKING INTO ONE ZONE AND OUT OF ANOTHER...

the instructor had the class spend a good 20-30 mins id say working at 80% of MHR  - so for me, w a max heart rate of 185 (as per runnersworld.com) - so the goal was to hang out in 148-157 range, consistently -

i soon found out, no small task, but a worthy challenge nonetheless. 

the HRM was fabulous. totally worth being 'nice' all year to get it - it was super to have the 'ready data' at my wrist, 

so fascinating to watch how changes in cadence, resistance, standing vs sitting et al affected my HR.  (what can i say, im easily amused....)  but balancing that out, being focused on the task at hand (i can see where it gets all to easy to be 'immersed' too much in the data....)

this is such an interesting process...

learning curve is still large, but ill gettin' the hang of it....

ttow!

Did a walk only workout today.  Here's the breakdown:

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w/u 10 min @3.0 mph, 0% incline, avg hr 102

1 – 15 minutes @ 3.2 mph, 1 % incline, avg hr 113, max 119

16-30 minutes @3.5 mph, 1 % incline, avg hr 114, max 120

31-45 minutes @ 3.8 mph, 1 % incline, avg hr 124, max 129

Should I keep doing workouts like these for a few weeks with no running?  Are the paces ok or should I be changing them up more and going faster?

Dee

3.3 miles today.  Took over 36 min.  I'm starting to get heavy legs....I can

run this route in under 29 min. on a good day.  Do I push thru, bike/swim

tomorrow, take a day off?

 Thanks for the b'day wishes.

 In terms of structure -- aim to get to 3x each sport each week.  Whether you run after the bike (brick) or just run on your own... counts the same, in my book.

 g

 Yes, your speed of adjustment (downward) can be an indication of fitness.

Likewise, an elevated heart rate (absent aerobic effort) can be a sign of stress.  While we use heart rate to approximate "work" -- at times, heart rate is doing a better job of measuring stress.  This is an important aspect of moderate heart rate training -- it limits the work you do in a training session but (more importantly) limits the stress you place on yourself when you start an endurance program.

 g

 Dee,

 This looks a lot more moderate.  TIPS...

If you can sit 125-135 without running then that is great for the next couple of weeks.  You'll find it a TON less stressful as well.  

By the end of minute #10, aim to get yourself over 120 bpm.  You can play with speed and grade to do that.  See how you progress - use how things "feel" to be your main guide but aim to keep things over 120 bpm once you've warmed-up.

 In terms of pace per HR, right now, it looks like your walking will work great for you.

 Keep us posted how things progress.

g

If you are tired then consider what made you tired -- learn from fatigue.  Did you get tired the right way?  I like to ask myself that question.

Fatigue is normal, and desirable (it is what improves fitness, when combined with rest).  See how you feel tomorrow and adjust if necessary.  A good night's sleep can do wonders.  Sounds like even if you feel great, you will want to moderate tomorrow's training.

g

Swim Cords- I was looking at the swim cords, thinking about getting some with the pool being closed for a couple of months. But I have no idea which resistance to get. How would I go about determining which one?

Gonna work on getting some HR numbers this week. 

Saturdays spin wrkout breakdown:

10 mins: Warm Up - low resistance, easy cadence

10 mins: worked up to increase HR to 70-75% - increase resistance, increase cadence but kept it steady between 80-90 RPMs

25 mins:  worked to increase HR to 80%, and hold throughout this portion of the wrkout - simulated 'rolling hills' 6 intervals, flat ride to seat climb to standing climb back to flat ride, each time increasing resistance at each 'hill'  continued to work on keeping cadence consistent, and HR at 80%

10 mins:  working HR down to 70%, reducing resistance and slowing cadence.

10 min:  Cool Down&Stretching  no resistance, easy cadence, off the bike to stretch.

 Go light resistance -- you can always move away from the wall to make them tougher.

 g