jesswah's group - FULL of sexy triathletes! (Page 10)

(Popping you bubble)

Sadly, inside working hard, not outside training hard.    So here you go:

Training.... uh, what?  Yeah, I'll get around to that soon.

Weather.... I hate rain.  Yes, I am a wimpy Californian!  But also a female cyclist with a shockingly small wardrobe, therefore I find myself ill-prepared to deal with this wet weather.

Challenges... that goes with that whole training thing.. huh?

Toys.... yes, please!  Got some weatherproof gloves Sunday.  Gonna get some "highly-water resistant" pants tonight.  It's REI, so if I don't like 'em, I take 'em back!  Therefore, I hope to be doing a rainy ride tomorrow.  Just have to decide if I should take the full-on waterproof shell I wear every day (don't want to get it too stinky!) or the water-resistant ultra-light shell I hardly wear. 

It's really sad that doing data analysis and buying rain gear can be so exciting.  But it is!

I get that too.  I usually attribute it to that fact I swim in the morning.... before brekkie.  So by the time I get to lab, my stomach is grumbling.  I've starting taking a Nalgene bottle with some juice (pineapple-orange is the flavor of the week), and having that about every 10 minutes.  I'm still hungry, but it seems to help.  Maybe a snack before the swim?  Throw some nuts, granola bars, a bagel into your bag and eat it on the way over?

Hi all,

For those who do not feel well, I hope that you'll get back on your feet shortly! Take good care of yourself and be well.

I've got another question (I actually have an endless list of them), which I am interested to hear your opinion about:

How do you combine multiple training programs for different type of races?

To be more specific: Let's say I am on a training plan for an Oly tri in June which is about 3 weeks after a full marathon I want to race. For each event, I have a separate training program (which completely disregards the other).

How can I effectively train for both events?

Thank you in advance.

Ronen - I'm no expert as I completely lack the ability to follow any sort of plans - even ones that I make (made one 5+ weeks ago, very detailed, haven't looked at it since).  But I'll still give you my opinion on blending 2 plans together.

First, I'm guessing the marathon plan may have you running as much as 5-6x/week.  While great for marathon training, this may not fit so well into a multi-sport schedule as it edges out time for other activities.  The most important runs of each week will be your long run, a "tempo" pace run (race pace, but not at race distance), hill run if it's for a hilly course.  Sometimes recovery runs are good, but I prefer to do active recovery with a different sport.

The approach I would use would be to pull out 3-4 runs from the marathon plan (per week) and shove them into the tri plan.  It's not super important what order workouts are in each week, so you can throw stuff around to fit your schedule a bit.  Merging the 2 plans like this you need to be careful about what run goes where - unless you want to trash yourself with a long brick, don't be putting the long ride and long run on the same day.  Figure out what days (workout wise) are most physically challenging - don't put them back to back.  I try to schedule my workouts so that I have 2 hard days, 1-2 easy, 2-3 medium, and 1 off day.  I usually place the off day after one of the hard days, and an easy day after the other hard day.

When you taper for the marathon, cut back some on the swimming and biking as well so you're not fatigued going into the race.  Look at this as a recovery period in your training cycle - they can really do wonders for performance if you have been pushing hard (yes, I keep learning that one!).

After the marathon - take the running easy.  You should have sufficient running base to not worry much about putting in the long runs and focus instead on recovering.  Also take the first few days after the mary easy on everything.  I'd put your last long bike ~1.5-2 weeks before the oly, so you should be recovered enough from the marathon by then.

Hope that helps.  If not... maybe you could post a sample week for each plan?  Or you can use the Jessi approach and just wing-it!    Geee... what do I feel like doing today?

Thanks Jess, It definitely helps.

I guess that I need to sit down and go through the plans and see whether I can afford putting the time into the combined  plan...

Thanks again! 

I am still in the process of creating my new workout plan and while doing it, more questions come to mind on what Dream Chaser wrote (in bold above): How do you plan your race nutrition? In the upcoming half marathon I'll be racing - what should I do?

My plan was to use the hydration station's water supply and nothing else. Will I do better if I'd carry and consume extra gels (and what else?) ?

Any good article about nutrition during race?

Exactly - hydration needs vary a lot by season.  I drink tons in the summer, and very little in winter.

As for the gels - you really need to figure out what works best for you.  For a 1/2 mary, you probably won't need anything except water.  That being said, I personally am a big fan of carrying my own stuff.  Even for 10k-1/2 mary I'll bring a handheld bottle and a gel.  It's like having an emergency plan, and it also means I don't need to waste time stopping at possibly crowded aid stations.  It also means I can eat/drink whenever, which is how I train.

As far as the gel every 45 min, I know the packets of gel say that, but in reality for longer stuff you need 200-300 cal/hour.  1 gel packet every 45 min, at 100cal each only gives you 133 cal/hour.  Probably not an issue until you are out there for 3+ hours, but something to consider.  Also keep in mind that not all gels have much electrolyte content (Gu has close to nothing).  Summer running for me is 1 Gu every 20-30 min, and 2-3 endurolytes every hour, and all the water I can handle.

If you have a pocket, consider carrying 1 gel just in case.  As for water, use your best judgement.  If you drink lots or often during training, you may want to carry your own, otherwise you should be fine going AS to AS.

Heard of them.  Never really done one, other than a virtual tri on Runner's World last year.  We divided up (15min, or 30min), set a date, did our own thing and posted the results.  They sound fun, and I think they usually give you ample transition time.

I stopped by a running store yesterday that I'd heard of and had been wanting to visit.  While looking around, I overheard a conversation between an employee and a customer that has kinda got me down---

Now I have huge doubts that I can finish this thing.  My training has been limited mostly to the indoor track (flat and soft).

Hi everyone,

Here are my results:

Swim: Goal: 3500 yards; Actual: 4800 yards (137.1%)

Bike: Goal: 50 miles; Actual: 42.85 miles (85.7%)

Run: Goal: 120 min.; Actual: 146.04 min. (121.7%)

This weeks (1/28) goals:

Swim: 5750 yards

Bike: 60 miles

Run: 190 min.

Have a nice day everyone,

Ronen.