MJEWEN Spring 2013 Mentor Group - CLOSED (Page 10)

Ken - The last race I had I was passed by everyone on a bike except an overweight 14 year old on a bike with fat tires. There is no story here ... just offering a little self deprecating humor.  

I'm hoping the brackets will tweak my performance. Biking is the weakest portion for me. My goal this year was to get to an 8 1/2 - 9 minute mile running and to get my bike speed up to 18-20 mph. I went from 13 mph in October and now it's about 15 mph. That is why I signed up for the 100k races the next two weeks. I have to spend more time in the saddle and just slowly build up endurance and speed. Over the next year or so I should get to a respectable result. I'm happy that my running and swimming times are improving but those are disciplines whose environment I can control. It is difficult to get on the road for 3-6 hours for a distance ride unless riding with a cycle group in a charity event, and I'm not there yet mentally to do it on the trainer for that amount of time.  I'm still new to the triathlon thing and am doing my part to improve. (except this morning- it's raining and I have made an executive decision to enjoy a cup of coffee and NOT run in the rain).

Bill- Holy Cow! 25 mph for an hour? That's impressive - and really fast. 

Terry - I know how you feel on the bike it is a weakness of mine too.  The first multi sport event I raced was a duathlon.  I'm a pretty strong runner so after the first run I was in about 5th place overall.  I thought this multi sport stuff is cake.   Right out of T1 I passed a guy on the bike and then I got passed 21 times in 15 miles without ever passing another person.  I figured out real quick I better get better on the bike.

I'm behind on reading posts I've been pretty busy at the state wrestling tournament but it is finally over.  I can now concentrate on training.  I plan on getting back in the pool on Friday.  Even though I can't stand swimming I can't wait!

Went to the pool this morning.  I haven't swum since 9/22/12 which was my 70.3 last year and all I can say is WOW!  I have lost everything I'm starting back at square one.  I only swam 1100meters this morning and it about killed me.  Have I told everybody yet how much I HATE SWIMMING!

I hear ya.  I'm guessing your swim type is probably same as mine... arnie:  http://www.swimtypes.com/

They say "Arnies" are sometimes triathletes that view swimming as a necessary evil  

Cool site!

I'm not sure which one I am.  I do fit a lot of the arnie characteristics but I think I may be an overglider too. 

My training plan says I'm running 19 miles tomorrow with 10 at marathon pace.  Its cold outside here, so I'll be on the treadmill for about 2 and half hours.   

Need to find a good movie to download to my ipad... that helped me get through the long run on the treadmill last week with my sanity intact.

Excited to see what ten miles at goal marathon pace feels like though.

2.5 hours on a treadmill - I can't imagine that!!  Can you tell I'm still upping my running distance.

The weather here is improving.  Nice weekend for a bike ride this afternoon - hill work.  And  a long (for me) run tomorrow - 7 miles.

Oh - and I'm still trying to wrap my mind around that 25 mph speed on the bike.  Only in my dreams or going downhill  Have a great weekend!

Doing a 100k bike ride tomorrow: "Tour de Cure" for Diabetes. I may do a 2 or 3 mile run off the bike and see how it works out.  The weather should be great....It was 86 a few days ago and a front came in so now its 55 and cloudy. Great weekend for a bike ride.

I wasn't able to do much for the past 2 weeks except my home brewed p90x style-workout.

2.5 hours on a treadmill! Not sure what is more impressive - the physical or mental aspect of that. I wouldn't be up for either.

For you treadmill runners, do you always run on a bit of incline? I recently heard that it was good to set the incline to 1% always for the best approximation of just flat outdoor running.

No races for me this weekend. My intermediate yoga class this morning was hard, lots of hip stretches, good for me. Then swimming this afternoon. This is my first time in the pool since January!

Cool site, it says I'm the kicktastic. I'm actually not a super strong kicker, but I definitely am working on a better swim kick from the hips rather than the knees. I can swim for a long time, but I'm slow. My average is 2 minutes for 100 yards, and that always drops for OWS, because 1) my sighting is not good and 2) I really don't swim as hard at a triathlon as I do in practice. That seems strange, but I am kind of worried about getting too tired, getting anxious and things like that, so my mantra is just "steady" rather than really swimming strong.

KenL-Mentally 19 miles would be very tough for me on a treadmill.  The longest I have ever done on the dreadmill is 14mi and it seemed like it would never end.  The only thing that saved me was about 8-9miles into the run a guy started running on the treadmill next to me and we started talking about different races we had done and were signed up to do.  Although I always looked foward to race pace/long run days during Pfitz's plan.  Two reasons 1. if I could can pull those runs off I felt very confident on race day that I would hit my goal time 2. It was a great time to work on nutrition plan.  Good luck with run let us know who it goes.

Terry - Let us know how the 100k goes.  I can't wait until some to the charity rides start around here.  They are always fun to do and some of them are really good deals too.  My favorite one around here is at the end of July when it is extremely hot which is really nice to have a 100k ride with rest stops so you don't have to worry about running out of water.  Also, you get a t-shirt and they feed you a spaghetti dinner when your done all for $25.

Melissa - I try and avoid the dreadmill at all costs but when I do run on one I always set it at 1% incline because I heard the same thing you mentioned.  I feel your pain with sighting in open water and it is not because of lack of practice.  I do ows at least once a week once it warms up but since I only breath on my right when the buoys are on my left hand side it makes it tough.  During my 70.3 last year it was a rectangular course done counter clockwise which is not good for me.  When I came out of the water I looked down at my Garmin and I had just swam 1.5mi talk about off course!

Swimming - one of the drills that our coach has us do is to breathe only to the west (insert your direction here) side of the pool.  That way, you have to practice your off side while swimming one length of the pool.  I've gotten pretty good at breathing on both sides.  I was swimming in the Colombia River Gorge last year (re:  windy, windsurfing, kitesailing).  We thought we had started early but the wind and chop came up fast.  I would have drowned had I not been able to breathe on my off side.  Another drill that he suggests we do while OWS is to breathe 10 left then 10 right with a sight or two thrown in for practice.

Another thing that he tells us not to do is to go to the pool and just swim lap after lap after lap, etc.  That's the sure way to boredom and promote bad form.  He says to do some form of workout mixing it up with fins, hand paddles, snorkel, pull buoy, board, drills.  I use his workouts and I can say I don't get bored.  I was supposed to check my distance time quite awhile ago but I just haven't gotten around to it.

Melissa - I'm slow too!  I haven't checked my time for a long distance since last fall.  I hope that all of the swimming that I've been doing this winter has helped.  My goal is to be as fast as my wife.   I can tell you that I'm not there yet.  We started swimming together but she was a natural.  Her form is perfect.  Damn! I'm continually working on my form.   That said, I enjoy swimming A LOT!  I used to hate it but now that my feet are actually at the surface and I've learned a bunch of technique, it's enjoyable.  I figure that as I continue, I will have to get faster.  I also learned last year to start slow, especially if I can't swim a few hundred yards to warm up.  I get this feeling that its hard to breathe when I start a swim but then it goes away.

I know that I'm less experienced than most of you but I wanted to share some of the things I've learned from my coach.  I've seen him swim.  He was the first pro out of the water last year at the Boise 70.3 and did a 48:26 time at Ironman Arizona.  He's fast!

OK - wish me luck.  I'm supposed to do a 7 mile run today.  That's a big order for me.

The swim type website was great. I am a swinger lots of swimming and have developed bad habits.

Two and a half hours on a treadmill is very dedicated and I understand the need for that when the weather is bad. I don't think I could put that much time in I would have to have someone next to me to keep me going for that long. 

I took a few days off from training due to a high school retreat that I was assisting in leading and that lead to teenager hangover from the retreat due to  no sleep. Which lead to another few days off from working out. In reality I think it was what I needed because I ran 15 minutes and then walked three and then ran for another 15minutes with no pain( I was waiting for it really) when I went back to the gym  So I am renewed for working out and the guys at work have talked me into doing the 10mile ride for special Olympics for the police department. That will be coming up at the end of this month. I am scared and excited for it since most of this is uphill riding and I am going to take a test ride to see if I will make it or die trying.

The weather here in AZ is getting better so I am about ready to give up on the gym and head out side and start running. There is a nice three mile loop near my house that I am going to conquer first and then start to make it longer. I am starting to make peace with running which is good it is maybe not so bad after all.

I amazes me to read about all of your training schedules  and races. It inspires me to keep going with my training and that this really can happen for me.

Emilie good job on being in the Junior High environment. My husband is a JR teacher/coach and back up administrator. It is a tough and thankless job sometimes but in the long run very rewarding.

The ride today was spectacular. It was cold for us this morning - 44 degrees and drizzling. Ride start was 48 and no rain and the sun came out from the clouds at 7 (I started at 8-ish)  It was sunny, and no clouds for almost the entire race. There was a very strong wind today.

I learned alot today about cadence, pushing big vs small gears, staying aero and fueling. I bought a cateye cadence computer for the bike- and learned that if I keep, my cadence at 80 in a smaller gear, I can keep up and have more leg strength than pushing a bigger gear. I was able to stay aero for much of the time - necessary in the wind. Fueling was good, I ate bananas, chewy granola bars, Hammer gels, orange slices and felt really good throughout the ride. 

I had read all these things many times, but usually will make any excuse NOT to get on the saddle and ride for distance. This was an exercise in keeping my cadence between 70-85 (the cateye is actually a very good reminder to stay on task), drinking every twenty minutes, and fueling every 45 minutes introducing solid foods into the mix. Staying aero is easier now that I have dropped 17lbs since October. I had some vegan electrolyte mix in one drink bottle and some accelerade in the other.

I went out with the B group for the 100k but quickly learned that I could not keep up at 18-20mph. (Next time I'll try to keep in the middle of the pack so that I can experience the draft and maybe that will help).  So I linked up with about 8 others who all kept the same pace. It was a pleasure riding with them. All was good- the last ten miles or so we met a very strong headwind which had us all creeping along.

The food afterward was great- black bean and chicken tacos from a local restaurant Tijuana Flats with some every good hot sauce. They gave us all a t-shirt and a finisher medal. It was a really good day.  I did not run afterwards. I got home had a PBJ, chocolate milk and a nap - woke up and watched the last few minutes of the Heat and Knicks game.

BTW- for all you HS football fans....My HS- St Thomas Aquinas in Ft. Lauderdale will open next year season against Miami Northwestern HS. They have 11 State and 3 National Championships between them. Many have been waiting a very long time for this one......

I posted the data from Garmin on my logs. 64.17 miles. time 4:09. Avg speed 15.4mph. 

KenH-Man I wish I had a swim coach with those credentials.  To be honest I wish I just had a swim coach.  The nearnest swim coach is about an hour away from me. 

Emily - Glad to hear your recovery is going well.

Terry - Sounds like you had a great ride!  Last year I bought a Garmin 910 and it was the first time I had a cadence sensor.  It sure gives you some good data to find out where your sweet spots are.

I went out for a 27mi ride this afternoon.  Had great weather with temps in the mid 60's but very windy 20-25mph winds the entire ride.  Tomorrows plan is to wake up before work and run for an hour and then after work drive 30min to the near by town with a pool and get a swim in.

As I mentioned I was in Atlanta for 6 days, traveling with my wife for work and we stared a little extra.   I did get in 2 cool & damp runs but I got to run in shorts and long sleeves.  Temps were low 40s on the days I ran.  We spent 16 hours traveling on Tue due to a mechanical issue and snow in Chicago - not a fun day.  

We leave for Sarasota, Florida in 2 weeks.  I have a road bike rental reservation and hope to ride almost every day. Plus some runs and ocean swims followed by a few beers in the evening.  Can you tell I'm really looking forward to it?  I don't think we'll be riding outside yet here in SE MN, we have 6-10 inches coming tonight thru Tue.  

My basketball officiating season is done, so now I'll get into a more steady training routine. I'll be starting to train in 2 disciplines multiple times a week.  Our weather guy said we gain 90 minutes of daylight in March plus the hour for daylight savings time so spring is on the way!   

Terry - It's great to hear about your rides/races during my off-season.  Another nice write up on your 100k.  You will get faster as you build you bike base.  On the bad side is the easiest gains are early, it does get harder to get faster after a certain point but especially with biking there is a very ceiling, unlike swimming and running which have more limiters.  So keep at it!   I agree a cadence monitor is a great tool.  I find I typically train in low to mid 80s and race in the low 90s.  Not such an issue in Fla but the cadence monitor helps ti remember to shift early and often on hills.  Definitely want to spin up the hills in an easy gear at a high cadence.   

Ken - Nice job on your 30 sec improvement on the mile time trial. 

KenL - 2.5 hours on the dreadmill is amazing as others have said.  I'm with Emile, my longest treadmill run is 14 miles, that was the winter I was training for Boston.  Luckily I was able to run outside (although bundled up) for most of the winter.  

Melissa - No treadmill incline for me.  It's different enough from running outside I don't worry about it. I too have seen the 1% helps equate to outside running.   

Emily - Nothing wrong with a little break to help rejuvenate.  As I mentioned above I just had my own little break.  

Mike - Sounds like a good trip you have planned to Florida.  I love ocean swimming in the last several years we have taken a family vacation to Hawaii and Jamaica and both times really enjoyed my time swimming in the ocean.   The beers don't sound bad either it is hard to beat a couple of cold ones sitting on the beach in the evening time.  Just watch out for the sink holes in Florida.

Terry - the ride sounds fantastic in so many ways - from a fun experience, rewarding training ride, you learned a lot... sounds really great. When you say you were in aero, were you on your bars? Were a lot of people riding on aero bars?

Emily - great to hear that you are feeling healed and ready to train! That 10-miler sounds like a great goal for this month.

Ken - start slow is great advice for the swim. How was the 7-miler?

Mike - ah, that ocean swim followed by a beer does sound kinda nice!

Regarding the swim and starting slow, it seems to take me a good 10 or 15 minutes to get warmed up, so sometimes I feel tempted to quit early when the problem is that I'm just not even warmed up yet. I had a coach for 6 classes last year, actually right before Christmas, but I have forgotten a lot of what she told me. when I am back in the water, it sort of comes back to me. I should have taken notes!

Good swim this morning, and a nice 5.5 miler over the weekend, plus work seems to be easing up a little bit, which will allow me to plan ahead for training.