Dirk's Junkie group - CLOSED (Page 11)

Great! Here is a quick bio:

USERNAME: Trigal38  Name: Dina

STORY: Lifetime fitness junkie. I've been running for 20 years, cycling for 15 and swimming for 10 years but all just for fun and fitness. No races, training plans, Heart Monitors or any of that until I started tri training. I was invited to visit a swim for fitness class at the Y a few years ago. Turns out everyone in the class was training for triathlons. This group encouraged me to attempt my first race. I guess that would have been in 2009. I raced 4 sprints and 1 OLY that year. Every race I thought "I think I can do better". 2010 I raced a lot of the same events but really wanted to get faster. It was a painful year with lots of races in crappy weather. I did not understand pacing and had a lot of painful races and was only a couple of minutes faster.

FAMILY STATUS: Happily married for 14 years. We have two young children. My son is 5 and daughter is 3.

Job: Part time everything. I teach preschool 2 mornings a week, Toddler Gym at the Y 2 mornings a week and the rest of the time I am a stay at home mom. I was a full-time preschool teacher for 13 years before we started a family so it's just in my blood!

CURRENT TRAINING: And this would be where I need the group. Injuries have left me a little lost as far as race goals. I'm entering my 4th year in the sport and I'm at a turning point. My body does not seem to be able to handle the hard efforts and I don't think I will be happy entering races and having all of my friends kick my butt. Not that I want to beat my friends but it's no fun to always be the slowest either.

THIS YEAR'S RACES: 2011 I switched focus to try a HIM. I went into the HIM training wanting to learn. I didn't care about results, I just wanted to understand myself and the sport a little better. I wanted to learn about pacing since I had such a hard time with that the year before. I joined some mentor groups, got lots of great advice, paid attention and met my goals. I won my age group at a sprint race right off the bat then finished my HIM with no major problems. No nutrition or pacing issues. Not fast but I did it. Downhill after that battling tendonitis in my foot which flared up during the HIM training then a spill on my bike in the fall that has caused lots of pain in my back. I was also a little burned out on 2 disciplines a day. I like s/b/r but I need balance so shorter events are probably better for me.  

2012 RACES: No race plans at the moment. Just trying to get better. I have not been able to put in much volume or hard efforts over the last couple of months which has left me feeling like a total slug.  As my back heals I hear that nagging voice in the back of my head. Maybe I'm not down for the count just yet .

WEIGHTLOSS: I don't have any weight loss goals or issues. I am always trying to tweak my overall nutrition by cutting back on sweets or salty snacks and eating more vegetables.

Here is My RR for the Dirt Dawg 8 Miler I did today.  This was my 1st trail run other than at the local park, and thats all flat.  Today's course was no where close to flat!!  I did enjoy the creek crossing with the temp at 21.  Finish time was at 1:29, I was hoping for closer to 1:20 but I will take it!

Welcome to the group John and Dina!

Group

Out of town for work last week - and could see BT but not able to enter notes with my iPad....will figure it out.

Weight loss: I'm on board with group for weight loss goal. Last year went 185-178/179. This Spring, goal is from 178/179 to 174/175. Goal to eventually range from 170-172. BT nutrition logger is the BEST - I've tried other loggers.weigh in 1/18..?

Nutrition: I've tried the "box and bottles" -and gels have a purpose - esp on longer workouts. But...from what I've read-and sounds like we all have a lot of experience - normal food is best. EX. Today, after my long run, we stopped for coffee, and I was home +- 45 minutes - had a PBJ sandwich and 2 fried eggs. Good protein and a little good fat.

Watches - I bought a Polar R300 a few years ago, advice from local shop. Footpod needs to be adjusted, and changed with every pair of shoes- its OK. Its what I have for HR as well. From what I've seen, and friends have- the Garmin is the Best.

Cold weather running: Today is was 15/light breeze. Ran 6.5 wearing Tech T, and a Sporthill top (used for XC skiing) and wind shorts and Hind tights, wool socks and regular shoes. windproof hat/neck gaiter (real nice on neck) and tech glove liners and wind cover. Roads were snow dusted and icy. all ok except for my hands.

we changed halfway - I changed tops/hat/gaiter/gloves. My thumbs were frozen. Fleece gloves were much warmer. Wore a therma wool top and running jacket, windproof hat/fleece gloves. ran another 8.5. All good-even with 2 totally different kind of tops. --layers are best.

I sweat a lot and like to be "in between" when I run - not cold - but definitely not hot.

Thanks: seems a lower HR on bike is normal - I'll just keep track and log and see how it goes.

Hotels:I don't mind the bikes - upright or even recumbent. But...I have a tough time getting in a run on a treadmill.... any treadmill secrets out there???

Just finished reading your race report. Sounds like a really fun race! How are your ankles today? I have that same problem (stretched ligaments in my ankles) and I also love running on trails.  I can't help myself even though I know it is not a good combo!

Great race!

pgrun - I have a tough time getting in a run on a treadmill.... any treadmill secrets out there???           

The treadmill is mind numbing isn't it? I remember one run last winter I was on the treadmill and my daughter wanted to watch cartoons. Pretty soon I realized I was racing Diego through jungle LOL. Sometimes if I have a longer run scheduled and the weather is bad I will do half on the treadmill and half outside. I've been known to run on snow, ice and in a thunderstorm just to avoid the treadmill.

Great race Matt, congratulations on the finish and on not freezing while you were out there!

Welcome Dina and John!!

I hate running on the treadmill so I don't do it unless I absolutely can't avoid it. Before I started really training last summer, I tried to get into running several times using the treadmill and I just couldn't do it. I usually rearrange workouts to avoid the treadmill if I need to. Or just run in the rain! It seems so much longer when the wall in front of you never gets any closer!!

Off to do a very cold long run. I'll talk to you all again when the ice has melted from my fingers.

John

Welcome to the group, John and Dina!  You picked a good one.

Congratulations on your trail race too, Matt.  Sounds like a fun and crazy time!

I do a lot of my running on the treadmill.  The only secrets I have are:
Lots of music on my ipod (I have a specific list for workouts)
I play games with myself in my head and change up the pace every so often

Can anyone tell me if I should be running on a slight incline on the treadmill?  I read that you should in order to compensate for lack of wind resistance indoors as well as the pull of the treadmill.  I hate doing it, but I will if that is what is best for my training. 

Thanks guys.  I'm never just spinning - it's usually a lot of Z2 work and some Z3 tempo thrown in, with spin-ups for brief periods up to Z5a - Friel's workout for early base.  I like the workout - it's just boredom and soreness.  My average from my last race was 20.6 mph.  Yes, I have cycling shorts and use chamois cream.  If I can't beat get past my 60 min barrier, I may get my bike setup checked, but I have a feeling that I can beat this mentally.  On the family front, I do nearly all of my workouts before the kids wake up or after they go to bed, so I feel good about my planning.

Both of you had good advice - I'll try standing up regularly and finding something more interesting to watch to keep me motivated.  I'll let you know how it goes!

Oh, and one question on the swim 200 TT you want us to do: Do we go all out for that effort?  I assume so, but I've never swam all out for speed before.  I'll be doing my TT tomorrow morning.  When I did my triathlon, I paced myself to keep my HR low for bike & run.  Not sure which approach you want us to take for the TT.

Curtis

Welcome Dina and John.  This is a great group - there's a lot of experience and engaged people.

Curtis

Sorry, been a little disengaged - VERY busy weekend.

Curtis, I agree with everything Dirk and Jonathan are saying about long bikes.  One other thing I use to help out.  Remember that a big part of what you are training is the mental side.  A HIM bike for us mere mortals is a 2:45 to 3:00 event at a "relatively" easy pace.  It takes a LOT of discipline and mental fortitude to get through such a long ride at the correct and even pacing level.  I use long trainer rides to remember that I need to keep the mental focus strong as part of training.  Also, as you know, long rides are training a lot more than just legs and lungs.  Necks, shoulders, hips, arms, and yes the butt, need to get used to those rides.  And those intervals help.  Good luck.

I'll try to check back in later, and welcome to the new additions.

trigal38

thanks for the note - yes its mind numbing - the only solution while traveling I can think of is better music in my ipod. At home, when is gnarly outside, I work out on my old Nordic Track ski machine - that gets a good workout in.

Thanks, Brenda and Jonathon.  That makes perfect sense.  I will start setting the treadmill to an incline today.  So just to recap... 6 runs a week at a really easy pace, about 3 miles each, slight incline on the treadmill.  Do I have that right?  I have a 5K in May that I would like to perform decently in.  When can I start doing some speedwork to work towards that? 

I'm not sure if anyone would be willing to do this, but I would really love if someone would take a look at my training plan and give me some feedback or even just recommend a good plan that has worked well for you.  My goal is a HIM in July (about 25 weeks away at this point, so I think I need to have a plan solidified in the next 5 weeks).  The Beginner Triathlete HIM plan is by minutes and not distance.  Maybe that's good?  I have always trained by distance in the past. 

There are a lot of treadmill questions out there.  You can tell the weather has broken on the cold side.

Boredom on the dreadmill is a major battle that some are willing to fight.  Personally I don't fight it frequently.  I will run in nearly any conditions or change my schedule around to avoid the hamster wheel.  This mornings run was 6 with a windchill of 0 and I developed frost on my eyelashes and hat that I was wearing.  It was awesome!

Anyway, a couple of ways to combat the boredom is to break the run down into segments of either different efforts or make it a hill workout.  If you can break the run into a couple of different runs of slightly less than what you are scheduled for twice during the day, that can be a way to break the monotony as well.  Say you had planned a 4 mile run on the treadmill at an easy pace, you could run 2.5-3 miles in the morning and another 2.5-3 after work at the same pace or the second one a little faster.  The idea being to give just a little more effort for the second run to get a similar benefit as one complete run.

Jeff uses the treadmill a lot and maybe he can help tomorrow when he looks at the weekends posts.

Allison, to answer your question, I would say that a 1-2% grade is where you should be.  This seems to be a much more normal feel than that of a 0% grade.  (When running at 0% I always feel like I am running downhill and it seems to provide more impact than I would like.)  Also, when running at a 1-2% grade it seems to mimic the intensity of running outdoors more closely. 

6 runs a week will provide you with a fair amount of run fitness but in order to get your run volume up to what you will need for a HIM you will need some longer stuff in there.  I think the 6 runs will get you ready for some speed work but personally I would wait until late Feb before doing any.  There are a couple of personal notes here; I think you would do better to run other distances than the same 3 miles every day, volume can be increased and fitness can be gained by varying the workouts.

1. Running the same distance will allow you some fitness gains but they will be a little more limited.  If your "A" race is a HIM, you can begin training for that now and get ready for the 5k at the same time.  Running the same distance day in and day out would seem to get boring, less challenging, to me.
2. Varying the distance will provide a boost in work load and, effectively, intensity without actually having "intensity workouts.  For instance:  I have done 3 marathons over the past 2 years and the volume WO's helped boost my speed significantly.  (My PR for a 5k at the beginning of my first mary training was 21:00 or 6:45 miles (4-7-2010).  While I haven't done a standalone 5k since that race I plugged my number into McMillan Running and I come out with a 6:26 pace for a new 5k race pace.  While this predictor is just that, a predictor, it has been fairly accurate for me in the past.)  I believe volume can be one of the best methods of achieving progress in the category of speed but varying the distance is the better method of achieving the goal.

Look at it this way, if you only do a certain distance everyday your body only develops the ability to run that way all the time.  In the weight lifting world, you need to vary the weights to get stronger by either pushing more weight or doing more reps.  But, more reps develops more muscle toning primarily not so much more strength.   By providing more weight the muscles need to adapt to larger loads.  In the same way adding distance to your runs provide the ability to adapt to a longer work load and the bodies ability to process O2 more efficiently.

I don't feel like I am really being as clear as I need to be.  (Where's Jeff with his physiological knowledge?  He can definitely word this to be better understood.)

Edit:

I was unable to see your planned WO schedule.  I will say that many on BT have used the time program over a distance type program and have been pretty successful. 

What I think you should do after looking at your logs is develop a longer cycling routine to get your volume higher immediately.  By that I mean begin to make adjustments to get your time on the bike closer to the 3.5 hours or so you may be on the bike.  Look at it similar to the way I am suggesting you do your runs.  Kind of a slow build to get the saddle time in.  Once the weather breaks you'll be ready for some outdoor rides and group rides too. I ride with 3 rivers velo sport (started last year) and this helped me learn a lot about cycling and it really developed a much better fitness.

I would also try yo get the swim volume up slowly too.  This should be done a lot more slowly than cycling though.  I think the risk of shoulder injury can be a little higher if you try yo increase this discipline too fast.

I don't have a lot of experience with training plans but I did follow the BT HIM plan last spring. I liked it. A lot of people are thrown off by the minutes issue. Since I didn't have a lot of experience with training plans it didn't make a difference to me. Just think of it as a guide. Training by minutes might become an issue if you are slower than the minutes in the plan. So say the longest ride might be 3 hours. If you are not getting close to 56 miles in that 3 hours then I would add some extra time. I raced a HIM aqua/bike the year before last. My bike fitness was not as strong. The longest I rode in training was 50 miles which I thought would be good enough. Turned out my legs gave out at mile 52 of the race. I was so happy I was not signed up to run!!!!!

I made a few changes to the plan along the way. Some of it was scheduling. I also added a lot more miles to the longer bike rides with my longest ride being 75 miles.

I really liked how easy the plan was to use. I downloaded it to my blog so all my workouts were right there every day. I moved workouts around to fit my schedule all the time. I would use it again in a hearbeat.

wbayek " have a request for everyone.  If at all possible, log your workouts on the site"

check -are you able to check my workout log?

thanks

Yup, looks good.

As Dirk says, I wouldn't necessarily do all your runs at the same distance.  The idea of 6 runs is just to run more, and to build the volume.  Starting at 15 minutes each day would only be to cap the total run time at 90 minutes for the week.  I strongly believe in the long run as a staple of running, even if you're training for the 5k distance.  In fact, some of the fastest 5k dudes I know are massive mileage people who do very little speedwork.  YMMV of course.  Personally, I am loving the 3:2:1 plan.  This is 3 runs at a distance, 2 at twice that distance, and 1 at three times that distance.  So this week for me, it's 3 runs at 27.5 minutes, 2 at 55, and one at 79 (not quite to the 3x yet, still building the long run).  But each week is building more mileage, so next week each one will bump a bit.

I also can't see a plan in your profile, so I don't know what you are planning to do.  I totally agree with Dirk that cycling volume is key to long course.  You want to be able to do a 56 mile bike and not be overly taxed.  Same with swimming.  The 1.2 mile swim needs to feel like a warm up, not a workout.  Also, nutrition becomes much more important than sprints or Olys, particularly if your expected times start approaching or going over the 6 hour mark.  This should be practiced, particularly on your long bikes, to get a plan which works for you.

We'll definitely be here to help out with your actual plan as the time draws near.

Wow!  Thanks for all of the feedback.  I am going to try to attach an excel file with my workout plan on it (we'll see if this works).  It has 3 runs, 2 bikes, and 2 swims each week, and I am working on modifying it to add 3 more runs in to get my distance up.  I was thinking that I would do a modification of this plan for the next 5 weeks and then switch the the BT HIM plan (which will give me 20 weeks).  I trained for and completed a century ride in about 3 months previously, so I am confident that I will be able to train to 56 miles on the bike.  I know that it's different when you throw in a swim beforehand and a run afterwards though! 

Thanks for the welcomes everyone.

So I’ve picked my first Sprint of the season: The Icebreaker Triathlon at Granite Bay California (near Sacramento) on April 15th. That puts me about 13 weeks out from race day. My next two races are another sprint on June 2nd and then the olympic distance race I’d like to do this year is on July 8th

I was going to wait until the last week of February to start one of the 20 week Olympic plans, but now I’m thinking about jumping into week 4 of one of the 16 Week Sprint plans. My current fitness level is above that level of running and perhaps a bit below that level of swim and bike.

What do you think?