Gray Guys/Girls Masters Focus Triathlete Forum (all levels welcome)--CLOSED (Page 12)

So I have developed my training plan for January and February.  The only real specifics are Scott's swim sessions.  My runs just say recovery, speed, and my 'hill loop'.  My bikes are commuter oriented during the week and my group ride on Saturday.  There is a gap in January when we are headed out of town.

I'd be interested in some suggestions for speed run sessions.  My Thursday morning Luna Chix track workouts will not start until April so I'm in need of some inspiration for my Thursday runs.  

Also, some ideas for my morning commute other than what I have.  My evening commutes I do not try to get a real training session in --- as I am always reflecting on the day or getting a workout in battling a stiff headwind (this happens on about 50% of my rides).

I've yet to build in step back weeks or rest days.

Thanks!

So I have developed my training plan for January and February.  The only real specifics are Scott's swim sessions.  My runs just say recovery, speed, and my 'hill loop'.  My bikes are commuter oriented during the week and my group ride on Saturday.  There is a gap in January when we are headed out of town.

I'd be interested in some suggestions for speed run sessions.  My Thursday morning Luna Chix track workouts will not start until April so I'm in need of some inspiration for my Thursday runs.  

Also, some ideas for my morning commute other than what I have.  My evening commutes I do not try to get a real training session in --- as I am always reflecting on the day or getting a workout in battling a stiff headwind (this happens on about 50% of my rides).

I've yet to build in step back weeks or rest days.

Thanks!

Tsvi -

Where to in L.A.?  Maybe we can meet up and do an OWS unless your gonna be out towards Santa Monica - that's hours away.  Just so you have something to look forward to - it was 75 and sunny today.  Not a cloud in the sky.

Hi Charlotte -

Glad to see you back!

Ahhh! So the truth comes out!  You WERE sandbaggin'!!!  

No worries Steve, I suspect your training time will still consistently be at the top of the chart!

I started doing these same warm-ups back in November.  I did them for about a week then had a somewhat forced layoff and a cold for a couple weeks.  Looking forward to really getting back to it and applying these.  Here is a link to the website I got all the information from - http://strengthrunning.com/2010/05/elite-core-and-dynamic-warm-ups-a-comprehensive-guide/.

That made me remember, a couple of you have asked how the family is doing.  For those of you new to the group, our youngest son and his family were struck by a drunk driver in the first part of November.  Drunk was killed in the accident, son and daughter-in-law were seriously injured, grandkids, thank goodness, had only minor injuries.  Grandkids had been with us while Mom and Dad were in the hospital.  Mommy got home after only a couple days then went to her parents for a few weeks - she was only semi-ambulatory what with the cast  and all.  Our son had nearly a 6-week hospital stay and was released.  He is still recovering, but doing better each day.  Grandkids went back home to mom and dad the weekend before last.

Thanks to everyone that has asked.

Opps!  My bad!  Sorry, I completely mis-interpreted what you were saying in your earlier post.

I still think doing a 'turn-drill' is a good idea, with a couple modifications.  We use to do turn drills at least once a month so nothing wrong with doing them.  For the next couple weeks, you might do it first thing after your warm-up.

The problem is that you are slowing down as you approach the wall to make your turn.  Maybe a lack of confidence with your turn?  Don't want to bang the heel of your foot (or worse) on the wall?  Yeah, I know, that hurts.  You can take some comfort in the fact that I still occasionally miss a turn and come up short or have the dreaded heal strike.  So, for the drill, take the wall out of the equation.  Push off, get up to full speed, and do a turn, yep - right there in the middle of the pool, and swim back to the wall.  Do that 3-4 times, then do your normal workout.  What that will do is give you confidence doing the turn at speed.  You would have just proven to yourself that you can do the turn at speed, so all that is left is adjusting your turn point to hit the wall properly.  Note where you begin your turn in relation to the 'T' and your set.  Do that every workout for the next week or two, then do it at least once a week after that for a few weeks or until you are very consistent with your turn.  Then do the drill once a month or so.  It is a good idea to occasionally focus on the fundamentals even though you are doing turns in every workout - the specific focus does help to keep things sharp.

As far as incorporating IM work into your workouts - there are pros and cons to doing so.  We can take the next hour and talk about the pluses and minuses and probably not be any closer to knowing which way to go.  I think, at the end of the day, it comes down to this - How much time do you have for swim workouts and are you training with a team and/or coach full time?  Your going to be swimming freestyle in a triathlon, so you need to be doing freestyle for the bulk of your workout.  When you get to the heaviest swim training days later in the season, that means 1-2 hours of freestyle per workout or more depending upon your race distance, 3-4 times per week.  If you want to add IM, it will be on top of that.  Next, butterfly is even more technically demanding than freestyle, so if you don't have a coach, it is going to be VERY difficult to learn to do it properly.  I can talk someone through freestyle, it is much more challenging to do the same with butterfly.  Breaststroke and backstroke are, technically, about the same as freestyle.  You can take time during your swim workout to learn strokes that you won't be using in competition, or you can devote your swim time to getting more efficient and faster at the stroke you are going to use.

I am a fan of getting the biggest bang for your buck in training and I am kind of old school in my approach to swim training.  I don't do a lot of drills and I rarely recommend anyone else do drills.  When I was putting in over 300,000 meters per month, I would kick MAYBE 500 meters per month.  I absolutely disagree with using fins EVER in a workout.  I think, to get better, a swimmer needs to swim what they are going to swim in a race, and swim a LOT of it.  When I was swimming in competition, I swam individual medley as one of my events, so I trained all four strokes.  Now, I swim in triathlons.  I only train freestyle.  I think everyone should have a 'go-to' safety stroke, but beyond that, I think, unless you have a great deal of time and more importantly, a coach, you should probably stick with freestyle.  I don't think the advantages outweigh the potential downsides.

I imagine there may be some different opinions so I would love to hear contrasting views.

Originally posted by wsummerhill

Originally posted by k9car363

Originally posted by tkatzhyman

I’m off to Los Angeles for a 8 days next week. I’ll be able to do some swimming and running there, bike training will start when I get back

Tsvi -

Where to in L.A.?  Maybe we can meet up and do an OWS unless your gonna be out towards Santa Monica - that's hours away.  Just so you have something to look forward to - it was 75 and sunny today.  Not a cloud in the sky.

I am so hating you right now Scott! It is -12 here now! Yuck!

If it's any consolation, it is going to be unseasonably cool for southern California the next couple of days, I think it is going to drop all the way to 69 by Thursday.  Brrrrrrr. 

Thanks!  I will get these targets into my training plan.  I will try to follow them.

So the big chill has hit the DC area.  No bike commute yesterday and today.  Erred on the safe side.  My face actually hurt by the time I got to the office after a 2 block walk from the parking garage.

I've had issues with my left hip the last couple of years too.  The chiro's been able to fix it for me - hopefully it won't come back again.  He also had me work with a personal trainer for a short time - working on strengthening my hips and lower body. 

I can't hit 115 cadence on the trainer.  My plan yesterday called for increasing cadence up to 120 - I could only get up to 110 and that was only for a couple of seconds at a time.  My legs just don't go that fast.

  I absolutely disagree with using fins EVER in a workout.  I think, to get better, a swimmer needs to swim what they are going to swim in a race, and swim a LOT of it.  When I was swimming in competition, I swam individual medley as one of my events, so I trained all four strokes.  Now, I swim in triathlons.  I only train freestyle.

Big chill here too.  High yesterday was -3*F.  Today we're supposed to get into the teens but at least the wind has dropped.  I'm home from work again today (college has been closed due to weather and road conditions).  My upper back is sore today.  Not sure if it's from the workout yesterday or the 30' I spend shoveling snow - probably a combination of the 2. 

Scott,

I avoid using fins because they irritate my achilles too much --ever since the gastrocs injury a few years ago my achilles are very sensitive and my first indicator to QUIT anything.  Once in a while I will use my Zoomers for a short kick set or other drills....mostly I use my swim paddles from Finis over a lot of those swim drills because I found while I could "do" the drills fairly well that never translated into my actual swim.  Why spend 300-400+ yards doing things that don't really change how my stroke works?