Yanti & Lynn: Manatee Madness Mentor Group CLOSED (Page 10)

Good evening all,

Sideways rain and wind here in WA last night and today, ick. Here is what my week looks like. 

Monday - Rest

Tuesday - 60 minute Spinning Class my thighs are still burning from this class," I will learn to love riding a freakin' bike if it kills me" (my mantra throughout the class).  I am learning a lot of new biking/spinning jargon in these classes.

Wednesday - 90 minutes swimming laps at the Y with the master swimmers, I am in the newbie lane. 

Thursday - 4-5 mile run followed by a 15 minute walk cool down.

Friday - If my legs are up to it 30 and run followed by 30 minute or more light swim or spinn bike. Up in the air still.

Saturday - 5-6 mile run with my Saturday morning running group.

Sunday - 60 minute a.m. Spinning Class follwed by a p.m. River Fitness Class.

Off to get ready for swim class.  Have a great night and a great Thursday!

Chris

??? Training blog can someone please explain how to use this and what we will be using this for?

Let's hear some thoughts on hiring a tri coach?  I have been looking into hiring a guy to get me through a HIM.  The coach I'm looking at has completed in 15 IM and atleast half of them have been in KONA.  The coach also has a masters in Phyisiology but, Im not sure on USAT certified.  What are the benefits to hiring a coach?  Most of the training will be done via E-mail and a few in person training sessions.  Any thoughts?  

Hey kgore,

I have aero bars on my Cannondale CAAD10 which is also a road bike.  I just put the aerobars on there and didn't think twice.  I didn't bother with put the shifters on the bar.  Your gearing sounds kind of strange though.  If your spinning and bouncing at 15mph at the highest gear then that sounds like some you have a super small front ring.  I ride a compact chain ring and even with a 12/25 cassette in the back I'll be topping out close to 27mph in the flats and not even close to being "geared out". 

As for the run, I can only say that I followed the advice I've seen elsewhere on BT of Run lots, mostly easy, sometimes hard.  Seems consistency was key.  I didn't do any speedwork and when I started running earlier this year I'd get to 2-3miles a run and be happy with with an 11min/mi pace.  I just kept running and now can hold a high 8min.mile for 4-5miles and still feel pretty good at the end of the run. 

Today turned out to be a rest day.  Between a long work day and a marathon hair color appointment I have nothing left to give.  My hair looks fantastic, though!

SRichards, I like having a coach.  It helps me to know I'm accountable to someone and to have my workouts planned.  The downside, at least in my experience, was my coach couldn't "see" that I was being seriously overtrained.  I'm trying a few weeks of an online tri coach now and I'm considering switching to a local coach I just found out about.

Jmkizer: Same for me, same username as on here.  I like that you can "spotify mail" share playlists.  I'll take a look at your tastes and see if I have anything to share.  I'm always up for new workout music.

As for tonight's workout, i'm hoping 30 minutes on the trainer are a possibility.  That couch is looking awfully comfy and I had some great pizza for dinner  I reallllllly need to work on my nutrition.  When i'm in the swing of things I love love LOVE working out, the more it hurts the better - but when it comes to dieting i'm a complete wuss.  I love my soda, my carbs, my sweets, and my PIZZA!

If I can go this training season with more wilpower on the diet and maintain a regular workout i'm sure i'll be beating my weight goals in no time.  But alas - i'm incredibly weak at dieting.

edit:: Posted a bunch of "chunky" pictures (read: current) of me. http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid=16231  I need tough love.

When you are spinning out even on your hardest gear, are you in the big ring up front and the littlest ring in the back?  Are you on a flat section of road? 

Zelda-Riffic   

The coach I will be looking at is somewhat local.  He lives about 60 miles from me and I'm always over in the area that he lives.  So, I'm thinking I'm gonna hire him, but not sure of what advantages there is in hire a coach.  I know that we have already talked about a nutrition plan for training/racing.  I'm concerned about the nutrionb part of training and racing.   I dont want to be the guy that BONKED...lol.

I hired a coach thinking that he would help me with nutrition.  He is not "certified" in nutrition and hence, probably because of liabilities, will only give me suggestions to try, not actual guidance.  Be very up front with what you want from a coach.  Ask lots of questions before signing.  I am not sure that loading a weekly plan and an occasional face to face is worth the investment.  Most coaches are not cheap but there are a lot of free or cheap training plans.  My questions to you would be:

1. Can you follow a training plan without a coach?

2. If you just need a accountability, then maybe find a mean training buddy.  Coaches don't hold your hand. 

3. What are you hoping to gain with a coach?  

Big Sur is a stretch goal.  I am now really doubting that I am capable of that goal.  It really sucks for me to have invested a 3 month minimum for coaching when I may change that goal. 

Hey guys,

I was able to a run on the treadmill before work.  I did a hill interval workout and boy that was a tough workout.  It was good to work hard but I definetely need to improve on hills.

Kate, I think in order for you to get faster in your runs is to run more and more often.  Run mostly easy.  Once you get a good base, incorporate some speed work in your running 1x/week(?).  Are you training for a specific distance?  Using a training plan is great as it saves the guess work at what kind of a run you need to do (i.e tempo run, long run, speed intervals ect...).  Also building a base in running is a gradual process.  Never increase your volume or intensity too quickly or it can lead to injury.  Sometimes it's hard because we want to see results.  But results will come.  Trust your body, trust the plan.  

Adrienne, I'm jealous.  I want to go to Florida.  Have a blast.  Tell us all about the Ragnar Relay.

Thanks for all the responses! 

On the bike--generally, on flat land the spinning occurs when on the smallest chain ring and the second to largest front ring--I can switch it to the largest one, which would help; however the gear shifting assembly gets cranky at a high speed and often throws the chain when switching the on the large gears. I will usually only use the largest gear when going down hill, and even then its iffy. My bike is due for a tune up as it is, as I bought it almost exactly a year ago...and it has 500+ miles on it. Honestly, it just feels like I am getting to fast with little effort--like I am stronger than the bike! I swear I am not being egotistical here, but that is the way it feels.

As for running, I was kind of leaning towards run often without HUGE effort....I have seen major change since I began last year---my avg speed back then on a treadmill was always 4.8 to 5.0 max; tonight I was comfortable running at 5.5-5.8. I am happy with my progress!

about the previous coach question: I found a 'beginner's triathlon class" through my tri club last year, and the coach of that class became a good friend of mine. Unfortunately, she moved to SoCal, so there was no more of the class, but she wanted to continue coaching me. We are now working together through Training Peaks online, and I think the expense is well worth it. She provides me with an in depth training plan, answers questions and due to my past experience with me last year, knows what I can do, what I've done, and what I most likely am capable of! That being said, I believe that working with a coach is a good idea--if you find the RIGHT ONE. While I have an idea of what I need to do, its nice to have someone who knows more than I do to help map out a plan. 

That's my .02 worth! 

Evening all,

I'm back home so hopefully i can get back to eating a cleaner diet then i've eaten the last week.  Of course, now I have family at my house as a bunch of us are going to the Notre Dame v Florida State bowl game tomorrow night, so nutrition will still be a bit tricky - especially since there will be the obligatory beer and pretzels at the game :0

To help counter-balance the calorie intake, I will get a 6 mile run in the morning; so that's about 480 calories to the good.  That should help a little!

Ann-Marie

Get the bike tuned up and tell them about this problem shifting into the big ring on the crank.  That should help.

I have the weirdest workout schedule.  I've been up since 615 am and now just finished tonight's run (11pm).  Felt good though but these long days at the hospital can be taxing.  Back to work in the am.  Have a full day of rounding and teaching of residents, PA's, med students.  I do love my job and can never see myself doing anything else.

Today, I have embarked on a journey I have NEVER thought I would do.  I spoke to a dietician and she told me about an app called "my training pal".  It's free and it is so easy to use to track calories in what I eat.  According to today's results, I am at a -1400 calorie balance (after running).  I am 6'1" and 204 pounds.  Would like to get back to 180 pounds.  I've been told that losing weight can in a sense be "free speed" if done correctly.  Despite everyone telling me how thin I look, I am obese by the BMI charts posted all over the hospital on every patient room in the chart rack.  I see this everyday.  I do question its validity as I don't believe it takes muscle mass into as much consideration. Any experts out there?

Anyhow, I've enjoyed reading the posts.  I don't have a tri coach.  I do have a swim coach now.  I use the mentor groups for motivation and accountability.  I'm pretty good at sticking to plans, although I often have to make modifications depending on work, family, etc.  I often think it would be a great experience to take 6 months off from work, hire a coach, and see what I may be capable of doing.  Just not practical for me at this time in my life. 

Kate:

I 2nd getting a tune-up.  If you're not riding the big ring up front then you're not out riding your bike.  It has a ton more speed in it and I guarantee that once you're on the big ring (and if you have the strength) you will be topping out way faster than 15mph.

All very true. GALLOWAY PLANS SHOULD NOT BE MODIFIED. They are LOW MILEAGE marathon training plans, and those carry a lot of risk if done incorrectly.  It's not just the plan: Galloway has set guidelines (which he does modify every few years from the data on dozens of thousands of runners using his plans that comes back to him) regarding how to set your training and marathon pace, which run/walk ratios, how to execute training runs and long runs.

I've not had the experience of any difficulty doing run/walk even on crowded training routes and races. My transition is also quite smooth, though, and there's not a huge difference between my running and walking pace.

Au contraire. Higdon and Galloway do have slightly different takes on run/walk, but this is Higdon's:

"Walking Breaks: Some grizzled veterans offended by the Jeff Galloway walkers grumble that the marathon was meant to be run, not walked. Don't listen to them! Walking is a perfectly acceptable strategy in trying to finish a marathon. It works during training runs too. While some coaches recommend walking 1 minute out of every 10, or walking 30 seconds then running 30 seconds before walking again, I suggest that runners walk when they come to an aid station. This serves a double function: 1) you can drink more easily while walking as opposed to running, and 2) since many other runners slow or walk through aid stations, you'll be less likely to block those behind. It's a good idea to follow this strategy in training as well. In Chicago, the CARA class that trains on the lakefront finds water fountains (also known as "bubblers") every mile, or more often. Runners stop frequently to drink. Classes that train elsewhere in the suburbs don't always have easy access to fluids, but are taught to wear a water belt and also stop frequently to drink. You will lose less time walking than you think. I once ran a 2:29 marathon, walking through every aid station. My son Kevin ran 2:18 and qualified for the Olympic Trials employing a similar strategy. And Bill Rodgers took four brief breaks (tying a shoe on one of them) while running 2:09 and winning the 1975 Boston Marathon. Walking gives your body a chance to rest, and you'll be able to continue running more comfortably. It's best to walk when you want to, not when your (fatigued) body forces you to."

Morning chaps and chapesses,

Today is my rest day (hurrah) and so i thought that i would pay a little attention to my diet/nutrition instead of getting nervous about how much my training was going to hurt my pudgy little body.

I would welcome advice on the type of food to eat prior to training, how much of it and how long before i start.

Yesterday i ate a salmon sandwich (white bread) 30 mins before my run at 9am, nothing more before my bike ride at 1250pm after which i had french fries and curry sauce! I then ate nothing more prior to my swim at 4pm. I then ate my main meal at 7pm Jacket potato with chinese vegetable noodles. Dont all snigger at once.

Reading that back to myself makes me realise how wierd i sometimes am. Oh dear.

 In my defence i am not always this strange but we do have miscellaneous items to clear from the freezer prior to our next shopping trip which coincidentally will give me the opportunity to buy in some proper food, hence the request for advice. Please bear in mind that my current exercise levels are quite low compared to some of yours (please refer to my training log as proof) and i am hoping, no, determined to lose some weight.

Allen

Indeed. Good mention on Galloway too. Looong training plan. Good for what it is and if it fits, but long.

I'm going to add a couple more clarifications. When Higdon talks about using walk breaks, he points out that fatigue is too late. So yes, walk breaks when needed, but fatigue isn't the determination of need. The point is to stave off fatigue.

His recommendation is to take walk breaks at aid stations (or whenever you're drinking). However, he also says in training that if you can't keep a comfortable pace running, to start using walk breaks in training (before fatigue sets in).

So, correct. Hal Higdon's plans were not written specifically for walk breaks (whereas they are fundamental to Galloway's plans). But he points out they're perfectly compatible with any combination of walk breaks, and thousands of people have successfully used Higdon's plans with planned walk breaks.

I don't see your pic in your training log, but I'll kiss the frog anyway. Great job on your training so far!

PRE TRAINING NUTRITION (and post training too)

Unless you're getting faint during your workouts, you don't need any specific pre-training nutrition. Just eat whatever you eat normally whenever you do.

Once you get a couple of months into the Pates program, your workouts get long enough that you may need, say, a carb gel or some sips from a sports drink during. But also maybe not, since you'll have worked up to those times/distances.