Beginner 1/2 Ironman Plan Group (Page 123)

This is outstanding list. I'm thinking it's #5 for me, but It may be #1 as I ride on some rough roads with much chewed up asphalt.  I took a look at previous 2 flats, and on had whole on opposite side of valve, inside.  Another was on the side of tube midway away from valve.  I ran my finger on inside of tire, to feel for sharp object, and didn't feel anything.  The psi on pump says 90 psi when I pump up before each ride.  I may be f'ing up the tube uppon assembly, as I'm complete novice and could possibly be to rough on tube.

I have week long taper this week where I'm staying off of bike, but will figure out after mary on Saturday.  I have some serious bike miles to log between now and August, and don't plan on continuing with a flat each ride.

Thanks for all the tips BT

Good luck with the flats and the marathon!  I am so hurting after the tempo run (2 X 26 min tempo/4 minute recovery) in Week 7. Think this was one case where the Garmin might have been a good idea. Have no idea what pace my "tempo" was (I really don't get what RPE 6 is) but in this heat/humidity it really, really hurt. Essentially felt like hurling twice, flirting with heat exhaustion the whole way. I was able to hold a steady effort for both so guessing it was maybe HM pace, but it sure didn't feel good. Heat index above 100 so that could be part of it. It's not the most suitable workout for conditions here LOL, even at 5:30 AM. Felt like I was just hauling steam into my lungs and trying to extract oxygen. I need gills! So glad there is nothing more like it ahead. Hoping to get in the pool this PM which should help recovery.

Correction on the master's swim site--we are both wrong. It is http://ntcmastersswim.blogspot.com/

I can't get it on my home computer as blogspot is blocked by the firewall here; can only get it using the proxy server on my work computer so just checked it here. (Working most of weekend).  For reference, I usually do the "B" workouts, and the times and recovery intervals work well. My threshold pace (1000m time trial pace) is about 1:40/ 100 meters. "A" is for true fish, C for slower swimmers. (Or just do the B workout and add some time if you aren't fast enough to hit the times but have good endurance.) Saturdays I usually do the Monday "endurance" workout--looking forward to one in a few hours to break up progress report torture--much worse this my run this AM!

HIM minus 3 weeks, I am soooo tired.  Got one more big week and i've run out of steam.  Managed a 87min run today, took all my willpower and motivation.  Anyway she got her done.

Had cousins over for dinner tonight so did lots of cooking, eating and drinking, now for some sleeping.

Happy Mother's Day to one and all - if you don't have a mother, be nice to someone else's - here I am!

Jo

x

I did it! 25 minutes run, 93 km bike (aiming for 90 but it ended up that way with loops), 25 minute run. The first run was absolutely miserable; everything hurt. The ride was okay but very dull. Really missed my bike buddy. Kept hoping one of the local cyclists, a colleague, SOMEBODY would come to the industrial park and I could at least chase them if not ride with them, but not a single cyclist ever showed up, just some leering, pimply youths on motorbikes. The last 25 minute run actually felt pretty good. I will never figure out what makes this body tick.

Going stir crazy. I have done the entire weekend's workouts (long tempo run, long swim workout, long brick) totally solo, as in not even seeing anybody else out there doing a workout. Ready to start talking to myself. Want to cry when I read about people going to masters swim, group rides, tri clubs, etc. Only four more weeks of this solitude, thank goodness. Week 7 done; Week 6 fun awaits.

Going to take myself out to brunch as it doesn't look like my cat is going to do it to thank me for parenting!

well Mothers Day was spent changing tires - practice practice practice, hey I'm good at this now!  Woohoo!  Probably never get a flat now!  Even getting back wheel on and off a few times for good measure.

Now training today was supposed be this crazy sh*t...

Run 4mins, bike 10mins, run 4mins - x 8.

Mmmmm just didn't feel the love with that routine, I don't have transition issues, don't care about them, I think getting from bike to run is relatively easy, take your helmet off, change shoes, put hat on, have a drink, race number off we go.

Anyway so instead I ate lots of mummy day chocolates had a cup of tea and did 45mins on the trainer...all I could manage!  hehe!  Sometimes it's just TOO hard!  I am human it seems.

Congrats on the flat fixing mastery. I still really need to work on that, esp. the back tire. I know how but it's very slow. Clumsy, and not at all mechanically minded.  It might have to wait till I get home to Oregon and don't have a kitten in the way. (Putting together the bike was like a giant game for him.) I saw that workout and there is no conceivable way to do it solo here except with stationary and treadmill in a gym, which kinds of negates the point of practicing transitions. (Assuming that is the point. If it's not, I guess I could do that.) Maybe possible if someone could watch my bike in the industrial park, but I don't think any of my friends, even the occasional triathletes, would be into it for a two-hour workout! And no way am I leaving my road bike unsupervised in this city, even locked, even for four minutes. So I'm probably giving that one a miss, too. I've done several sprints and Olys and know the basic transition routine, unless you're in it to win it or set a world record, who cares about super-fast transitions in a HIM? I'd rather take a little more time and make sure I have everything I need to do and feel my best on the bike and run. 

Happy Mothers' Day to all. Not a mom myself but surrogate mommy to lots of students and cats!

I wish we lived close by to each other, I'd ride round that industrial park with you!  And you could ride round the boring track with me

Feeling a bit flat today, Monday morning, it will improve...I am always like this Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, then I get enthused again!

Tonight I got swim squad and I think I'm doing some Stairmaster workout with the owner of the LBS - he has developed a great workout he said, come down Jo!  So here goes nothing!

first 25K was yesterday, and went well.  Slightly 'under-budget' at 9:20 pace for a total of 2:26.   I'm a new runner and decided at mile 12 that "maybe I have a marathon in me".  

As part of being an under-informed newbie, I went home stoked and immediately hopped on my bike.  Then my 11 year old wanted to run (read: dad-inspired good lifestyle example thanks to tri) and so run we did.  NOW---- my quads are smokin' and I'm having a hard time walking up stairs.  getting worse as today wears on.

Stretching a bit.  Some wine.    What else should I be doing ?   I'm lucky, no pain or injuries whatsoever.  The BT plan is working !  But, the soreness...

1-  should I re-start my bike program tomorrow ?   Should I take another day off ?

2-  what else should i do to heal ?

My proposed 1/2 iron is June 10, I have two "float" weeks and then the two taper weeks.

Suggestions on all the above from all of you experts would be significantly appreciated.

Oh, your kitty thanks you every time he/she climbs into your lap and purrs at you!  They love us,they just don't always know how to show it!!  Hope you had a great brunch.

For what it's worth, I think your brick/du is amazing, solo or not.  My longest bike to this point is 50km, so 93 seems pretty far away at the moment, especially with a 25 min run on either side!  I have to say, I enjoy the masters swim, but running and biking I prefer solo.  And I DO talk to myself .  Sorry you are having to do it all alone when that is not your preference though.  Think of all the mental toughness training you are getting in!

ETA: whoops, didn't see your second post re mental toughness before writing this!

Take a day off.  That's more mileage than your used to.  Use a foam roller on quads and calves.  Ibuprofen 3 every six hours.  It's always worse the second day, but light workout wil be good to loosen everything back up and then you should be ready to hit it hard again the next day.

Congrats on the distance milestone.  You do have marathons in you.  If you can train a HIM, you can train a marathon.  Easy-Peasy.

Did the 6 X 500m--actually kind of pleasant until the.....incident. Endurance stuff between "easy" and "threshold" is my forte, and the 500 free was my event in HS so I'm good at pacing it. Alternated easy and moderately hard; went great until the middle of the last easy repeat when I was nearing the wall, took a deep breath before my flip turn (yeah, I cheat!) and got a lungful of something really nasty and chemical--not the pool water. Stopped in surprise--the lifeguard was soldering metal and had burned some plastic.  (He's forced to be there for faculty swim when he'd clearly rather be coaching privately elsewhere. Rarely on deck and when he is, has been known to build cell phones, land toy airplanes in pool, etc.)  Gasped, choked, told him to get his latest project (sparks were actually flying INTO THE POOL) out of my zone before he killed me. Managed to finish the set but my throat is still burning and I can hardly swallow. Don't know what I'd say if I went to the clinic--uh, I was swimming and I inhaled some toxic chemicals....I used to love the pool as it was safer and less eventful than the other training venues, but now not so sure!

Kevin, good luck with the marathon. My only advice--don't start too fast!

A Question for the runners.... (I'm working real hard on being a runner, but my running experience is less than 1 yr)

I've never had an injury (other than road rash) biking, or swimming, after a bike or swim workout muscles  may be sore, but joints tendons etc... are all pretty much pain free.

Running that just isn't so, after a run things other than muscles are  sore.

Is this normal for running?

If its normal how do you draw the line between an injury that needs extra rest and  special attention and normal running wear and tear that just needs rest and recovery?

How do you personally draw that line?

For example: My Achilles and right ankle has been off and on sore for a month, not so sore that it effects my life or bothers me once I'm warmed up. I started icing the Achilles after running and it seems to have helped. I've also started doing the eccentric(sp?)  strengthening exercises for that,do I need to do more? Slow down the run?  

My personal pain tolerance is very high and I know I can drive myself too far, I'm just trying to be smart about this. Running is completely new to me .

I've been running since age 10, so I guess I qualify as a runner LOL. Running is much higher-impact than biking or swimming, so you have to build up more slowly to avoid injury. For example, I recently did an 85-mile bike ride with a friend, having never ridden more than 63 before, an increase of more than an hour. I would NEVER do that with my long run! Typically I build it up by 10-15 minutes every 2-3 weeks when training for a marathon or half. You also need to introduce speedwork in very small doses, only after you've built a good endurance base, since running faster not only increases impact and accelerates muscle fatigue, but changes your biomechanics, so the potential for injury is high. Personally I don't think much run speedwork is needed when the goal is simply to finish a HIM. You should be doing most if not all runs at an easy, "conversational" pace. I am doing some tempo runs (the ones in the BT plan and sometimes my own fartlek workouts) at this point because I also do shorter races and run-only races, and I've got a big base.

Sore muscles are pretty normal for most people and not cause for serious concern; if it's joints, you need to build with greater caution. There is a greater or lesser potential for injury depending on your weight, biomechanics, surfaces you run on, etc. I would follow run days with a swim or bike day so you can recover before the next run. When I can, I try to get in the pool as soon as possible after a long/hard run. Where I would draw the line between "training sore" (actually, I rarely get that from running, except races or really intense speedwork, but if I did) and "injury" would be if the soreness is changing your stride. Then you risk not only aggravating the original problem, but injuring something else. I would take a few days off; if it lasted more than a week, try to get medical attention from a doctor, chiropractor, or even a massage therapist with a sports background.

As you mentioned, it can help to ice potential trouble spots (knees, achilles, anywhere you've been injured in the past) after running, even if you aren't sore. Stretching before (dynamic or "moving" stretches) and after is useful. You could also experiment with running surfaces and shoes. I don't know your size but if you're a bigger/heavier runner then it would be less wear and tear to get in some running on grass or dirt rather than pavement. I have some chronic issues from non-running-related injuries that can sometimes be aggravated by running; I've found glucosamine supplements help a bit; friends who have chronic knee issues swear by them. For some reason they seem to dehydrate me, so I only take them after long/hard runs. You could try those as well. 

 Hope this is useful.

Lot of factors here pbreed.  How much and how intense are you training?  How much of a base do you have?  How have you been increasing on intensity and distance. 

My experience with achilles injury always for me come when I have a pretty good base, but run one long brutal run at too fast of a pace and increasing too far of distance from one long run to the next.  When I was training to make college wrestling team, they had us run a half mary to qualify, and I had previously gone 10 miles one time at a slow pace.  I sprinted that half mary, and ended up with achilles injury that lasted over 1.5 years because I never rested and had a high threshold for pain like you.  It was so bad that when I walked across a room, you could audibly hear the achilles stretching like a ribbon  "riiip"  with each step. 

I will always taper back if I feel anything more than muscle soreness.  If I have pain in my joints, My next run will be at a much slower pace, and shorter distance than originally planned.  If I have to, I will take a day or to off.  It's just not worth it. 

I ice each night 20 min on, 20 off 2x by submerging foot in bucket of ice water, this is great for swelling of achilles, or arthritis of joints in foot.  I take Ibuprofen every 5-6 hours to help with pain and inflamation, and slowly build run back up if it's an injury.  If it still bothers, keep icing, reduce usage.  Swimming is a good low impact workout while injury is recovering.  It will not go away w/o taking care of it.

My .02

So the rest of the week for me has to include the following:

Swim +30min Bike (Wednesday squad then trainer)
3 hour bike, 20min run(Saturday or Sunday weather forecast dependent)
30min bike, 2 hour run (Saturday or Sunday weather forecast dependent)

That leaves a 90min ride....I am out Friday night when I would usually fit that in.  So my options are probably early morning Thursday or Friday - yikes, have to be on the bike by 4.15am in order to get off by 5.45am so I can shower and beautify before work.....

Oh well!  I think Thursday morning will be the go.

Wow--what a ride! Sounds absolutely epic. The testosterone dynamic on group ride is really something. The groups here don't allow women, nor do the local bike races. There is one woman who occasionally tried to ride with the local "peleton"--she's probably the top female long-distance cyclist in SE Asia, and they just try to drop her.

Swim plus bike plus run here. (Week 6 stuff.) Plan said to do the swim workout several hours before the bike/run brick, but that's not the way my life and pool hours work. Compromised by doing the swim and going back to my classroom to do an hour and a half of work before the brick. Swim felt so-so, bike (30 minutes fairly easy, 15 minutes harder) felt okay, run felt awesome. No idea why. Maybe because it was semi-cooler after an afternoon storm. Seriously felt I would set a 5K PR if there happened to be a race going on which, if course, at 7 PM on a Tuesday evening in Ho Chi Minh City, there was not. Whatever--had a great run. Don't get those too often at my age. Will never, ever figure out my body--I only feel good when I'm least likely to. Maybe I just warm up really, really slowly?????

Wow.  Lots of really inspiring runs and rides.  AFA, Jo, Grace, HR, you guys are awesome and I'm sending you virtual high fives!!

Races are just around the corner and I'm starting to freak out a bit.  The self doubt is starting to creep in a bit.  Few people will ever work so hard for one day and its scary.

Its very close to "hay is in the barn" time and now I'm  getting worried about my goal time.  I set out three years ago with a goal for my HIM.  Missed it by 10 minutes due to stormy water conditions.  Repeated the plan and was ready to crush that goal when I got really, really sick.  Like cancer, you might die kind of sick.  Last year was the get your feet wet again year and rejoice that you can still get out there.  This year I want to prove something and beat that goal.  I feel like I have been given a second chance and I have an obligation to fully utilize that gift.  What worries me is I have a similar 5k goal that I've recently missed by three seconds and a half marathom goal that I missed by eight seconds.  I'm having nightmares about missing my HIM goal in a similar fashion.  I guess whatever happens happens but.............

Holy, cut yourself some slack man!  Missed it by 10 min due to stormy conditions = hit it.  Missing 5k goal by :03 and half mary by :08 after beating cancer = hit it!  In my opinion, just getting back out there, not living life in fear, is fully utilizing the gift.  Not everyone would.  You are inspiring to others as others are to you.  Hang in there!!