Got Your Mojo WORKIN'! group - CLOSED (Page 11)

I think you're like 16 hours ahead, and it's summer there now?  You could hop on a plane and be here in time to join us for some fun in the snow!
On the other hand, alone can be the perfect time for some optimistic planning and getting revved up and excited about the year ahead!

STEVE -
Yep, we're in Huntsville, and were right in the middle of the Summit.  It was tame compared to what it was supposed to have been, and the security was incredible.  We stayed away while it was happening.  Some great improvements in the town though, completely rebuilt the rec center to serve as a media facility... then they never used it because they kept the press in Toronto!
I'm not in a school related position... I work from home and manage projects for a private equity group.  Come to think of it though, I could probably qualify for a school position considering how much time I spend there!
We're heading back to Reston tomorrow and should be home for dinner.  Will be off and running (or biking or swimming) on Monday with my plan which I'm still contemplating (will post that separate for feedback).  I will check in with hooslisa for her thoughts on my options, and maybe put out a post elsewhere for some feedback on the current state of the local area clubs.  As you can tell from my Bio I do best when I have some partners in crime.
Maybe you should do the Muskoka tri this year?  It's late enough in June that most of the ice should be out of the water!
I'm enjoying the information and commentary going back and forth!  Great Group!
Happy New Year to you!

Picking a Plan! Thoughts?

I'd like to use the BT system here and put a plan in place.  It seems from the posts that there are some good options.  I'm having trouble finding a good fit, but could be because I'm thinking too much in a box. 

My considerations are as follows:
- I have always been weak on the run, best at swim, second best at bike.
- I generally would get up every morning and do a short run, maybe throw in a longer run once a week, and maybe that's the problem is too many short runs... 
- I could probably get in the pool and do 600y/m now and survive, but I'd be struggling to do much more than a mile running without hurting myself. 
- Also, since I stopped doing any exercise in Sept I'm sure I'm up 20 pounds, and maybe as much as 35 since summer of 09.  I think I need to be about 15 pounds lighter before I get too aggressive on the running or I may end up injured.
- I'm somewhat time constrained.  I can do about 30 mins in the early AM, but it's dark, cold, and I'd be limited to running... or maybe biking if I get the trainer setup in the house.  I can get in about another 4x 1 hour blocks mid-week in the late afternoon and/or early evening.  Weekends are hit or miss depending on schedule.

As I look at the "Plans" the couch to sprint may be optimal, and I just may exceed the swimming, biking options.  I also like the 

Beginner Sprint - 12 Week - HR

NEW! Sprint - Balanced Lifestyle - 8 Week

Spring, Basic  - 12 Week - HR Zone Based

but don't think I could step up to the runs in the beginning, though maybe that's ok and I just log what i can do and feel ok about it?

 

Or, maybe I go to the Gold membership, do a custom plan, and/or get some help setting up so it's more exact to my needs/requirements?

 

Or, maybe I just take the best of the above, put it into excel and track it myself?

 

I'm a big believer in "Planning"... "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail" sort of thing... Though I'm also flexible (Not physically at the moment, I'm not sure I could even touch my toes... hmmm... I wonder if I can even see them?)

 

I feel like if I've got the plan online I can get more feedback and accountability.

 

So, thoughts anyone!?  Don't hold back!

LAURA! LAURA! LAURA!


Your first 10km --- very exciting! Have a heapful of fun with it!

What time is yours? Mine is at 6:45. I've never started a race on the 45.....unless it was a wave start in a tri where the official start time was 7:00 or 7:30. It will be about 5C (42F?), which means I'll be in tri shorts, just one long-sleeve tech top and maybe a whipity vest on top in case it drizzles......and NO SOCKS!! I love the idea of doing a run on Dec 31 sockless!

Anyhow, i think I'm cimmitted to doing this thing; at least, I'm all packed. I know I was in waffle-mode yesterday when I wrote you about this, but right now it just sounds like a hoot. No time goal at all (or at least not one I'm going public with ), other than to not set my heart on anything stellar. I guess it'll just be a 10km run with a few hundred spotaneously-acquired pals!

Have a good time at yours, and enjoy your well-earned champagne!

ALEX -

Sarah gave you some good swimming advice, and I will add more, probably later today. Stay tuned!

You probably know that this is my third group, and I know full well how many people are in your situation about breathing and feeling exhausted by the time they've done a length or two --- or maybe even just half a length. But 99.9999% of them come through this and go on to do gazillions of stress-free lengths, and that's where you'll get to, too.

For now, though, along with Sarah's thoughts I will add to more:
(1) Therea re several different commonly-used breathing patterns, and I'll tell you about them and you can experiment to see which works best for you.
(2) You mention exhaling, and that could be the big culprit. Many people actually hold their breath while their face is submerged, which means that in that quick second or two when they turn to breathe, they have to do two things -- exhale AND inhale. The goal, then, is to fully exhale while your face is in the water, so that the instant you turn to breathe you are ready to grab as much air as is possible. There is a very simple "drill" (can hardly even call it that!) to help with this; that'll be coming to you later as well.

Finally, try not to even think in terms of speed in the water. This is the perfect time of year to just get right at the basics of swimming and work at all of the finities that will make you more comfortable in the water. I spend the vast majority of my off-season swim sessions working consciously and conscientioulsy on swim refinements, and I do this every year, so I'm a big advocate of NOT aiming for speed or big yardage in the pool.

Congrats, above all , on getting out and doing that work yesterday -- both in the pool and on the 'mill!

SARAH-
I am pretty much dug out, we got around 2 ft here, I am upstate about 2hrs north of Manhattan.  The snow doesn't bother me too much, I grew up in South Dakota and 2 ft at a time isn't unusual.  

Thanks for the information on swimming, I will check out the website. I have started with a swim coach, she has helped me a lot but I think the breathing rhythm I need to find -- that and the sinking hips!  So much to remember when swimming to be efficient...

Thanks again!
Alex 

ROGER -

Nope, can't stretch ours to 37. We met in Jan/Feb '74, so that leaves it at 36. There really aren't too many people who are ahead of us in longevity, but you're two of them -- nicely played!

STEVE-
Thanks for the information!  Swimming is my toughest area, followed by the run.  With needing to lose another 40-50 lbs running is a challenge, I have been doing 1 min jog/1 min walk on the treadmill - I am up to 2 miles so I am getting better at that, as the weight goes down I am sure it will get better.   I think by the time I hit my first sprint in June I will be good for the bike and the run -- but I have to admit the swim is intimidating.  Once the spring rolls around I will hopefully get in some open water practice -- but before that I need to be able to breath comfortably.  I do know that if I swim freestyle for 45 yds and then do 3 or 4 side strokes to breath easier I can continue to swim for 100yds at a time without feeling out of breath so learning my breathing rhythm is key for me.  

This group is awesome, I love reading everyones posts and get very inspired to continue training hard.

Thanks!
Alex 

ALEX again -

Sinking hips? I've got a (possible/probable) remedy for that, too! Another thing to stay tuned for!

But until then, here's another broad thought: don't try to do everything each time you go to the pool. That is, focus on one or two elements and spend a good part - or even all - of the session on them. I don't golf, but it's commonly said that swimming is like golf in that there is a huge mental checklist to go through to effectively execute each stroke. The grand swimmers, of course, just do ot naturally without a checklist at all. For us mortals, however, the checklist is there....and sometimes even screaming at us to do this and this and this such and such a way. Nag, nag, nag!

I digress there a bit, with my original point being to not try to do it all in any one pool session. So, maybe next session on the breathing, the one after that on body roll, the following one elbow position, and so on. Before long you'll be able to "mix 'n' match" these, doing a few things each sessions (kind of like putting on your coat while brushing your teeth and searching for your keys).

And sometimes it is necessary to just get in the pool and swim a bit, heedless of anything other than your body flowing through the water!

JAC -

I owe you so many responses now that I feel the need for some serious atonement!

For now, though, I'll say that we'll try very hard to do our part to make 2011 better for you than 2010 was. I'm sorry that was a rough one for you. I get the feeling you have a heart as big as a house, and likely deserve a whole lot more than you received in the past year.

If I have my datelines and all quasi-correct, is it almost Jan 1 there right now? It's close to 9a.m. here. Jane will be in your neck of the woods in another few days, so i'd better spend some time figuring this out! Are you on Sydney time, or even an hour two away from that? It's all so confusing!

JEFF -

A Whole Foods Market, too?????

Hey Alex - and all non-swimmers.   I think, as others have said, that it will come... But here's something to consider.  Several years ago, when I decided to do the tri's, I hopped in a pool for the first time in almost 30 years... and swam 1000yards.  Yet when I went to do my first training run I think I was out of breath and on my knees at the end of 50 yards, well maybe it was a few hundred, but you get the point.  My training partner told me I was running way too fast, and needed to start off slower, work into a rhythm and pick it up a bit later into the run.  (BTW for a different thread that's when I got the HR monitor).  Anyway, I swam in High School and couldn't think of any reason why I shouldn't be able to do a nice easy 40 lengths, so I got in the pool and did it...  with running I was dreading it before I even started, and consequently on my knees after just a few minutes.  I think a lot of it is being mentally prepared, and not pushing it too hard.
Don't get me wrong, technique in swimming is huge too... but I've been really surprised at how many triathletes have a more than sufficient stroke, are in great shape, and just tank in the swimming... the few that I've had a chance to do practices with have gotten it with the mind over matter thing!  My advice has been to go as slow as you have to in order to get in the greater distance and build the self confidence.  This gives you a chance to focus on technique too.  The speed with swimming usually comes easier then because triathletes normally have the conditioning to pull it together.
Check your technique, but make sure you're not pushing your turnover too much and work up into it slowly, and believe that you can do it!  I'll try to do the same when I put on my runners Monday

WHATO -

You can NEVER write too much!

Frankly, i had gotten worried about you, wondering if you'd just decided to bail on the group. There were you and two or three others that went silent for a few days, and being kind of a mother hen about this, I got worried. Bruck, bruck!

Glad you're well, and that you survived a day of skiing without needing body immobilization afterwards! I'm also glad you know and love Mr. Smooth. I did a one-on-one with Paul back in '06, and it was far and away the best swim training I ever received. I'd welcome the chance to do another one with him, any time!

Hi All,

I have been reading your posts and I am very inspired by the kind of committment I see to improve but more importantly to not let life pass you by while you watch from the sidelines.  I started doing triathlons because I found running exclusively to be too hard on my body.  I also needed to lose some weight so running was not the best way to go.  I swam in high school so I thought that would be easy.  I joined the Y and started.  However, I noticed that I am the slowest person in the pool who is actually doing laps.  I need to find out what I am doing incorrectly because in the 4 triahlons I have completed, my swim was pretty slow.  It turns out that the bike is my best leg and that makes no sense whatsoever.  Running is always hard for me.  So back to swimming... I read Total Immesrsion but I guess I don't understand what he is saying or I can't translate it into practice.  I will look at the videos that were suggested and see if that helps.   
Anyway, I continue to learn from all of you and I am very hopeful that 2011 will be the year I can put it all together.  We'll see.

Ellen

GEORGE -

I'll try to periodically send some medical mojo your way, hoping to keep you healthy in '11. For whatever reason, i've had a remarkably healthy '10, both in terms of injuries and pestilences, and I sure hope it continues into....and through....and beyond....2011. So we'll see if we can get you that way, too; a couple of months being down and out with this and that IS a lot, to be sure.

LISA -

Nice surprise seeing you here.....and I'm over to the other site right now!

AHH, it's raining!  At least it's warm out (in the 40's F as well).  Steve, your times amaze me!  

I am going for it, even thought it makes me nervous.  I have run many 5ks and even a half where I was in the back or almost last.  And I've come so far with my running!  I have a feeling I will be towards the back of the 10k as well and that's hard mentally when I've been running for so long!  It's just a motivation to keep going and keep training harder!

My race starts at 12!  I plan on finishing in about 1 hour and 20 minutes (that is optimistic!).  I am not fast, but I'm getting faster! 

Good Luck everyone racing today and this weekend.  It doesn't matter what your time today is.  Just have fun at the event and soak up the atmosphere.  If this is your first 10K, it will still be a personal best. 

DuncanQH - Duncan
mathsgeek - Jac

Happy New Year to you!

You beat the rest of us into 2011!

Happy New Year to the rest of you Mojistas too! 

I am signing off until Sunday, when I suspect I will find that there have been 10 new pages added to the groups thread...

Cheers!

Stopping in to wish everyone a Happy New Year and Good Luck to everyone racing this weekend!!
Alex-
I have to agree with what everyone else has said about the swimming. I was a non-swimmer until last year and by non-swimmer I mean I had a panic attack if anyone even mentioned going in deep water!
Long story short I was having trouble last year with my breathing and always feeling like I was out of breath before I really even got anywhere! I took swim lessons this fall and she took it one small step at a time and by week 5 it kind of all clicked and came together breathing and all, before if I thought about my arms my butt sank (lack of kicking) and so on. I can now swim a straight 300yd without feeling out of breath or really tired, I am by no means fast but I figure that will come as I improve my distance. Baby steps!!!
Now my biking is another story anyone have suggestions on improving leg strength over the winter to increase bike speed? I am extremly slooooow on the bike

Happy training all!!!
Shannen

Edited by shannen 2010-12-31 10:54 AM

LAURA -

T minus about 2 minutes for your first 10km. Hot diggity!

I agree with John -- enjoy the vibe and the inevitable p.b. which will be your baseline for everything to follow. I'm looking forward to hearing how you found the experience!

BOB -

Ice off Fairy Lake by late June? Bonus!

The winter before the first edition of Timberman, back in '01, along came an email, mid-February, to anyone who had expressed interest in the race. The subject was something like "Lake Winnepausakee Update", and the message was "flat and white" I now suspect that that is a kind of old joke, but at the time, midway between my first and second seasons, I was highly amused by it.

ANYHOW.....

Your big post about plans is full of things to ponder, and a-pondering I will go. Give me some time to think some more about it, okay. For now, though, I'll give you something to think about.

The Gold membership is run by D3 Multisport, and I cannot say enough about that organization. I had first been "coached" via a different group in '01/'02, and it took me quite a while to realize that the programs I was receieving weren't just for me alone. That is, they were cookie-cutter, and I didn't want to pay so much for that service. So I quit, and then spent many months moping about it before I realized I just had to do my research better.

After a while I came upon D3, which hadn't been around all that long. I wrote Mike Ricci and he had just reached his coaching limit, but had hired a new coach -- Erik Cagnina. So, I got hooked up with Erik, and thta was far and awy the best thing that ever happened to my tri "career". Erik was incredibly responsive to me, and if an issue came up in the middle of a given three-week training block.....he just re-wrote the block to accommodate whatever had arisen.

that's a too-long story, but I'll keep it there rather than delete it just so you know what I think of D3. y point THERE is that if they treat the Gold members even remotely the same as I was treated, you will be, um, golden! I think the way it works for the Golders is that they can ask any question directly to one of the D3 coaches, and they will receive a direct answer. I can't imagine that Mike would hire anyone but the best, and one of his coaches, Amy Kuitse, is someone whom I have met, and who is very approachable, and who is a terrific triathlete. So if Amy is the one answering your questions, that should count for a lot!

Blah, blah, blah!

I will post this now, and then return to thinking about -- pondering! -- the rest of your post.

Oh! One more thing! Mentioning hooslisa must've served to conjure her up, because she "visited" here earlier today. Her post is on one of the last couple of pages, and from there you can PM her about options in and around Reston.

I shall return!

BOB again -

Pondering.......pondering........pondering........

You really do raise lots of good mind-food in your post, and my quick answer is that you can't go wrong with any of the three broad approaches you mention:
(1) Choose a plan from several options and see where it takes you.
(2) Go Gold, and hope on greater feedback and more accountability.
(3) Pick and choose, mix 'n' match, from the various on-line options, and craft the hopefully-perfect plan/schedule for you.

The first is a good option for many people, but it has its limitations. Remember from my last post the comment about "cookie-cutter"? Well, that's what those plans are, and while they work great for many, they can be frustrating when someone can't keep up in a given discipline. The workouts are tantalizingly THERE.....but just can't be attained. (At least not at that time.) You'd also have to make sure that what is offered is something that can fit your somewhat inflexible schedule (but maybe not as bad as you think it is*).

Remember too that we are not perfect creatures, and neither are the programs. It is good to keep in mind that "rules are made to be broken", and with whatever program you choose, don't get agitated if you miss workouts ahere and there. There is a point at which this practice becomes way counter-prodyctive, but within limits it is okay to miss workouts here and there. But more on this topic later!

The option is often the best for people who are severely time-crunched and just miss more scheduled workouts than they make. For them, it is best to judiciously choose what seems to be most approapriate, and slot it in wherever it will fit. Quite literally, i think, if you told your running history to twenty different coaches and asked what you should do for the next month, you would get 20 different answers --- and all the permutations on training that would come with it. So, if you went to a few of those programs you are considering and made some run choices drawn from them, that just might work really well for you. This also gets closer to what you say about maybe not being able to step up to the runs at the beginning, and the option to that being to do what you can manage, chart it, and carry on from there.

The middel one, as I suggested in the previous post, would satisfy a lot of your needs. It could be much more custom-made, and it would definitely come with greater accountability. But from having been the coached route, I can tell you that sometimes it is tough to be held accountable. mostly it worked exceedingly well for me, but there is also a guilt factor for some, and that comes in the form of worrying that you are letting down the coach, or that you just aren't doing enough. This can be a trap of sorts for people who are time-crunched, and so as I think about this more and more, and re-read and re-read again your post, i wonder if ytou might be best to hold on the Gold for a while. maybe take a month or two to see how well you can fit stuff into your life, and also see how well your body repsonds to what it is about to receive from you!

That brings me to the injury question -- what things have ailed you? You're right, that too much too fast is too often an invitation to injuries. With that in mind, I agree with what you suggest -- "maybe....too many short runs". Some short runs are good, as are periodic longer ones, but to start off hoping for one a morning might not be all that safe for you. (Then again, there are xxxx people who woke up this morning and ran for the 487th time, or the 6,309 time, or whatever, in a row, not missing a day since whenever. But I cannot do that, even now, without risking injury; I just need some run-rest days in the mix, to the tune of about three a week.)

*Looking yet again at your post, overall your time options are pretty good. I see 30 minutes in the a.m., and then possibly 4x60min during the week, and then to-be-determined on the wekends. If you can make those quality (broad scope, that!) workouts, that that's a decent time commitment. Not too shabby at all!

Do yu have a trainer, ready to be set up and ridden on? How often can you get to a pool? Where you're at now, a doable 600y, is a good starting place. As I have said elsewhere to others, there comes a point at which the swim distance limitations just disappear, and last week's 600y becomes next week's 800y, which in turns becomes the following week's 1100y. Zoom, zoom!

Has any of the above helped? I'm kind of thinking on my feet here, which given me rough-hewn and ponderous typing style is almost a perfect fit! Let me know if I'm zeroing in on the crux of the matter, okay?