Ernesto's group - CLOSED (Page 12)

The coach where I swim has been encouraging us to practice breathing every third stroke, that way you are alternating your sighting to each side without any extra major effort.  Even though I practiced it a number of times, I ended up not doing it for my Oly tri this past weekend since I felt more comfortable just breathing on my strong side and then just following the mob in front of me.  

Just wanted to share my joy.  I completed my 1 Mile Challenge tonight and ran 6:56!!!  47seconds faster than 6 weeks ago!  I am still so new so I will enjoy these PR's as they are coming!!!

Jen

Congratulations Jen, great time and very well done and like you said, it's nice to see the quick progress one is capable off at this early stages.  

While racing you should breath every time your left enters the waters (or right if you're a southpaw). That way you keep your body completely aerobic for the entire swim. This in someway taxes your speed a bit (about two secs per 100y) BUT it will set you up for a better bike and run.

Remember that billateral breathing is a swimmer's thing and it's good, but not necessary for us triathletes. This was told to me by Chris MacCurdy (triathlete and former Olympic swimmer) that happens to be my swimming coach.

Thanks Ernesto, this makes sense and great swimming coach you have there!

Separately, a question on running and bike cadence - I started using yesterday for the first time my Garmin footpod to measure running cadence and came out with an avg cadence of 82 spm. What should be a good cadence level to shoot for on the run?    

On my bike I have been following cadence a little longer and try to shoot for a 90-100 rpm based on some articles I've read, any thoughts on this level?

Finally, how is your week going overall?  You've mentioned it was a hard week at work, so is it getting any better and have you been able to relax in your remaining trainings?

Gracias y saludos!

Gabriel

Chris, 

How is the Paleo diet for you.  I struggle so much with nutrition(ask anyone who reads my link on my BT log).  The foods I eat and organic and homemade for the most part except when I'm pushed for time but I know I can't loose by body fay percentage  until my food intake is correct.  I've been reading about the Paleo diet for some time and was wanting to get some personal insight.  

By they way.....GOOD LUCK!!!!

So, for those of you that have been there:

How exactly does one watch an Ironman and see the person you came to watch?  I understand showing up at the start and the finish.  It's the in-between that I'm sort of wondering about.

Don't push for hard paces Mike, this is your own body so you need to find paces that will take you to the end of the workout without taxing you to the point that you will not be able to do the next one because you're exhausted and/or sore.

New trainings will bring new muscle pains (remember shin splints when you started running?). Try to rest your muscles. You have to as be dilligent about recovery as you should be about completing your sessions.

Speed training is GOOD, it is what teaches the body new paces and creates the neuro-muscular connections for that to happen. However this type of training has to be done sparingly when you start training for tri's. Much more important, you need to create an aerobic base, this is done by gradually increasing the LENGHT of your workouts, but not the intensity. Actually, you should be going slower than your usual pace. The challenge has to be in the duration of the workout.

Chris and Jen, you guys sure are putting up some blistering paces!  Did you have a pretty good run to begin with when you started training for triathlons?  How long did it take to get where you are now?  Did you focus your running with different techniques or just slog through the miles until you eventually got better? 

Mike

Mike, 

 I really started running only since spring of last year.  For me, the most important thing to getting faster was having a younger, faster running partner (although I will never tell him that) who pushed me to run faster on our relatively short lunchtime runs (about 4 miles).  

If you look at a "standard" runner's training plan, there are four kinds of runs. 

1) Tempo run (usually 1 day per week).  Relatively short distance where you really try to run fast.  This is what I usually did with my friend, and each week we would try to go faster than the last one.

2) Speed work (usually 1 day per week).  Intervals.  I believe these helped me enormously.  My usual is pick a pace that is a real struggle to do a mile in, run 1 mile at that pace, walk for 2 minutes, repeat, say, for a total of four miles.  Ernesto is pushing me to shorten the distances and increase the speeds and number of repeats.  (I'm now doing half mile intervals).  But the key (at least for me) is to push yourself to do it this week faster than last.  

3) Long Runs.  These are supposed to be slow.  So for me, while I might do intervals at 6:50 or a tempo run at 7:20, I will do a long run at 8:30.  The pushing yourself here is how long you can go, not how fast.   (Although you need to work up distance slowly).  I just started doing these this spring.

4) Other runs.  If a runner runs, say, six days a week, then the three days not doing speed, tempo, or the long run are just to get "base miles" in.  The idea is that these should be relatively slow and not too long.  So for me, about five miles at an 8:30 pace or slower if that's what my body is telling me.   I've never really run more than 3 times a week until very recently, so I haven't done these much, and I doubt I will much more this season, since after this race, my next race is a tri and I'll have to substitute bikes and swims for runs. 

But I think the key for me at least was to really push it on the speed two or three days a week.  Constantly try to do better in regard to pace than last week (or not get dusted by my running partner as badly).

And lastly, my big "Eureka moment" was about cadence.  At one point, it occurred to me that you can't go faster by just powering through and pushing harder.  Instead, I needed to significantly increase my footfalls per minute, and do it quite purposefully.  If my Garmin is telling me I'm not keeping up with my goal pace for that mile (or interval), instead of thinking "run faster", thinking "get the feet moving." For me, I listened to "Turning Japanese" so much (180 beats per minute) that I can replicate the beat at will in my head and get the feet to follow (well, at least if the wheels haven't fallen off the bus). 

Hey Ernesto,

just finished finals, back at the blogging and data collection.

I got a question, maybe its obvious but not shure.  Can I aproach my bike trainning whith the same strategy as run trainning? meaning can I do tempo and intervals (hills) in the week and long rides on the weekend? 

Also, how much gatorade or carb drink do l need to take and how often? l dont take any until the first hour or so, then I take a couple of oz every 15 min, but as I get closser to the end I take like 10 oz or more cause of the craving..  is this because l take to little during, or because l know l'm about to finish?

Thank you !!  looking foward to cheering you on woodlands Tx, doing my best to be there as volunteer

Good race.  Chip time, 1:38:01.  (The .01 kills me.) Garmin time 1:38:15 since I forgot to turn it off at the end.

Garmin distance 13.2. 

Splits 7:42, 7:32, 7:30, 7:26, 7:30, 7:29, 7:29, 7:31, 7:24, 7:18. 7:16, 7:20, 7:14, 1:27 (but last one was actually 1:13). 

Beat my training partner by a minute.  Race report to follow.  Here's my garmin connect file. 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/85564145

Thanks for all the help and encouragement everyone!

Good race.  Chip time, 1:38:01.  (The .01 kills me.) Garmin time 1:38:15 since I forgot to turn it off at the end.

Garmin distance 13.2. 

Splits 7:42, 7:32, 7:30, 7:26, 7:30, 7:29, 7:29, 7:31, 7:24, 7:18. 7:16, 7:20, 7:14, 1:27 (but last one was actually 1:13). 

Beat my training partner by a minute.  Race report to follow.  Here's my garmin connect file. 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/85564145

Thanks for all the help and encouragement everyone!

Good race.  Chip time, 1:38:01.  (The .01 kills me.) Garmin time 1:38:15 since I forgot to turn it off at the end.

Garmin distance 13.2. 

Splits 7:42, 7:32, 7:30, 7:26, 7:30, 7:29, 7:29, 7:31, 7:24, 7:18. 7:16, 7:20, 7:14, 1:27 (but last one was actually 1:13). 

Beat my training partner by a minute.  Race report to follow.  Here's my garmin connect file. 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/85564145

Thanks for all the help and encouragement everyone!

Good race.  Chip time, 1:38:01.  (The .01 kills me.) Garmin time 1:38:15 since I forgot to turn it off at the end.

Garmin distance 13.2. 

Splits 7:42, 7:32, 7:30, 7:26, 7:30, 7:29, 7:29, 7:31, 7:24, 7:18. 7:16, 7:20, 7:14, 1:27 (but last one was actually 1:13). 

Beat my training partner by a minute.  Race report to follow.  Here's my garmin connect file. 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/85564145

Thanks for all the help and encouragement everyone!

Congratulations Chris, very impressive performance, glad to see that you were able to come in under your 1:40 target and also beat your training partner !

I have a 1/2 M next weekend which is supposed to be the toughest 1/2 M in Guatemala (in the city of Coban) due to the many hills and hot humid weather.  I will use your performance as inspiration and see if I can break my January 1/2M PR of 1:52.

Cheers,

Gabriel