Beginner 1/2 Ironman Plan Group (Page 106)

That is a great story - I can totally relate ! When getting my gallbladder out, the nurse told the new one coming on shift - "her bpm is low because she's a triathlete - isn't that cool?" Love it Popsracer - I'm hooked on even numbers also. And if there's a locker labeled '12' - it's mine

If you pay at the bronze level you can edit your workouts on the calendar.

Congratulations, Jojo!  It sounds like you're doing amazing in and out of the water.

I finally healed up from my dentist appointment on Monday and hit the roads hard today.  Already rode my bike into work (~21mi in ~1 hr).  Going to ride my bike home as well but stop by my fun run group for a 5mi run before I get all the way home.  Thursday night bricks FTW!!!

That's great.  You sure are fortunate to have such a great opportunity to OWS with others.  It is pretty rare around here to have groups OWS train together.

Glad to hear you're healed up and back at it.

You must live at the top of a hill or maybe just in a hurry to get to work.  That's flying.

Very fortunate indeed - this squad is made up of triathletes and serious distance swimmers (coach won Manhattan marathon swim three times).  We even have a bronze Olympic medalist triathlete on the squad - I only see him from the back from a distance as you can imagine!

I live close to the beach and it is actually possible to train year round.  Me and a neighbour are going to keep going through the winter.  OWS squad finishes in two weeks and is back in the pool but we will go at the weekends just a 2km casual swim.  Very lucky indeed. 

Wow is right.  That is very fast.  Good job.

Thanks POPSRACER - always nice to get positive feedback!  we occasionally do time trials at squad but just per 100m I started at around 2mins last time Coach timed us I was 1.50 and he reckons I was held up by people in front.  so actually 1.42 sounds right - my aim is to get that down to 1.30.  I feel like my stroke is coming together finally.

Beauty last night I had my own lane, jumped in and just powered away - I checked the time when I started and when I stopped.  Didn't rest between any of the laps also a first for me.  Really happy right now!

Jo Jo, MRFRANKS - y'all are getting seriously smokin' FAST! (Popsracer - 'you must have been going downhill'... hilarious!) I PR'd twice last week - in running. Running is such a struggle for me, but I get faster each year, and what more could I ask for?  I think I can say that I can run 9:30 pretty consistently after a warm-up mile, and that is truly thrilling to me.

I'm inspired by the positive outlooks and concrete success of this group. Nice job, guys!

I usually don't focus too much on nutrition unless I'm going over 90 minutes continuously and then I keep things pretty simple.  I buy gel in the bulk bottles and use 5 ounce flasks that I mix either 3 parts gel to two parts water or four parts gel to one water.  Its easier to take down when diluted.  Three ounces of gel is worth about 270 calories which is about what most people body's can digest in an hour.  I figure a flask an hour at 3 parts gel.  I bit longer at 4 parts gel.

For hydration, I try to get in at least 20 ounces per hour on the trainer.  I sweat like crazy on the trainer but rarely go over 90 minutes.  If I am running longer than 90 minutes I have a Fuel belt and carry a couple 8 ounce bottles.  I like G2.

It is very important to work nutrition/hydration into your training so you have it down before your race.   An HIM is long enough that nutrition/hydration is really key to giving your body what it needs over the course of a pretty long day.  You may want to find what is offered on the course for your race and use those products to see if you can tolerate them.  If not than find out what works for you and carry that with you during the race.

Also, some people tolerate hydration/nutrition better on the bike than run.  Know what your consumption limits are.  If I drink to much on the run I get a very bloated feeling and likely will throwup.  Practice all this on your longer workouts.  Come race day when you are four or five or six hours into the race it will make a huge difference.  Everyone is different and you just have to figure out what's best for you.

And good job on your running.  Sounds like you are having a real breakthrough there.  Isn't it a great feeling to be better today than you were yesterday.

Could you send some of that this way?  We still have mid-40's, rain, and wind forecast for the next week.

It was gorgeous out today.  I'm still running at 5:00 am though, and it was 30 this morning.  only had to wear 2 layers.  No hat or gloves though, that's always a bonus.

I started Total Imersion program 2 months ago.  I used to just put my head down and go, but I peaked at 2:00-2:15/ 100 on longer swims, and that didn't seem to improve.  I'm now trying to put TI principles into workout, but it is so different to what my normal stroke was, that it is difficult.  I was swimming 1- 1.4 mile long swims in the pool.  My times were not improving however.  I was at about a 42 min/ mi pace.  but now, I have been spending so much time pressing my bouy and working on technique drills, that I barely got in the 2400 this morning.  I do see and feel the benefit to the TI swimming drills, but am having a hard time getting them from the drill to my swim stroke, and feel like it's taking alot of time and effort to learn a new technique.  Does anyone here have experience and or advice in this area?

I did the first several TI drills when I started about 4 months ago.  Once I got to the triple zipper (or something like that) I just started swimming, because it was taking me forever as well.  Are you using the book?  My understanding is that they are teaching it a bit different now, ie more 'real' swimming earlier on (I seem to remember that you are basically told not to swim, just do drills in the beginning in the book).  Anyway, it did take awhile, but I have recently noted my times improving (from 2:15-2:20 to 1:55-2:00).  I feel sometimes like I take one step forward and two back, but then I seem to have a week of leaps forward.  Hopefully it will be the same for you.  Keep at it!  I recently joined a Masters swim as well, is that an option for you?

I am using the book.  I'm up to pressing buoy on the side.  Then I will go side to side, (triple zipper, I think).  What you wrote is basically how I feel with less swim.  Now when I go to do a set of 400, I get fatigued, and form starts to break up after 200.  Then I break the set with drills, and never really feel as though I'm gaining.  I swim early, and am limited to working out at certain times do to life/family commitments, so Masters may not be option.  Thank you for the encouragement.  It helps to hear someone who is working through it.

Riding TO work isn't bad, only ~900ft of elevation climb.  But riding home is ~2200ft of elevation climb yet holds my fastest time so far this season (57:57, 21.35mph avg).  Granted I had the help of a nice tailwind all the way home.  Biking is defintely my strongest of the 3 sports but my run is starting to catch up this year.  Averaging a 7:45/mi on my runs the past month at RPE 5-6.

Coincidently I'm doing the same as popsracer, only practice nutrition on long runs, rides, or bricks. 

I tend to stick with Clif Bars/Powerbars and Powerade on the bike then gels and Nuun on the runs.  I find it easier to digest on the bike than the run hence the food and sugary drink.  During the run the Nuun goes down easier than the Powerade and I rely on the gels to compensate for the nutrition missing from the fluid intake on the run.

Jojo, I wish I was as fast a fish as you!  I just did a 1000m TT (long course) this morning and got just over 20min (20:02).  Good thing I'm quick once I'm on land!