Amschrod's Group - FULL (Page 13)

That was a very nice ride you had on Saturday! Dressing for the bike when it's cold out can be difficult because you're cold when you are going fast, and then when you slow down you get too hot. Fingers and toe definitely get cold easily, so you are right about the gloves and socks. That is really great that you could have a nice ride like that with your husband. I am hoping to get my wife out on our local "rail trail" this Summer for some easy recreational rides.

The bike handling will come quickly with more time in the saddle. Don't forget to lean when you corner. Headwinds are good for you because they make you stronger. Think of them like something you can beat because you are strong!

Anthony

I hope you all had a good weekend. Saturday morning I had a pretty good swim, and I also tried some of the core exercises at the Y. To be honest with you, I felt a little awkward doing them in front of people since I am kind of uncoordinated. I know no one was really looking at me but it seemed like they were since all the treadmills were facing my direction. I know it's stupid of me, but I do have a shy streak. I think I will get a stability ball and do them at home with my wife and start doing them regularly this week.

Today I had a great run. It was the last of 4 races in my local runner's club 5K Winter Series. Since my goal for my half mary in 2 weeks is much more important to me, I haven't really been racing these. Instead I tried to work them into my training plan that I have been sticking to very well. This week I had 2 long runs on the schedule: 12 mile lsd on Sunday, and 10 mile with some speedwork on Thursday. I switched them around, so today I basically did a 2 mile warmup, the 5K race at around my 10K race pace, and 5 mile cool down for a total of 10 miles.

I am very very pleased with my running today. My combined time for about 10.1 miles was under 1:34 and I would like to reach the 10 mile mark in my race somewhere around 1:32 so I am feeling pretty good right now. I just have to remember to trust my training and have confidence in my abilities at my race.

Anthony

Anthony,  great job on your running.   You should be starting to taper soon eh?  Sounds like you are right where you want to be in your training- hope your race goes well.  The core exercises are a little awkward.  I am glad I do them at home so no one has to see me, even my dogs look at me funny.   I was hoping to get a 3-6 mile trail run in today but I decided to sleep a little longer instead.  Its funny, the more I get into my training and feeling fit, i really feel weird when I take a day off.   The 3 egg omlet and homefries I ate for breakfast didnt help much either!  At least I got a little activity in this evening.  I finally made it to a volleyball game (have been out of town for the last 5 weeks).  We lost both matches but played well and had fun.

Keep those abs a working everyone!!

Have a great start to the week

Paula

Nice run, Anthony!!  I ran three times this week and still only got a little over 9 miles!!  I've really got to get back into the running during the next two weeks!!

Paula, I have never even attempted a ride in the cold...I'm such a wuss!!  Good for you!!  When is your tri??  I think you might have the first tri of the season.

I'm going to do my 3rd day of the Abs challenge tomorrow.  I did one day at home and one at the gym, and liked it at the gym better because they have the weighted medicine balls there, and my children weren't "helping" me!

So, Anthony, I've been working on my HIM training plan, and I think I've got the first 2 weeks worked out.  I'm going to run it by the coaches and see what they think.  Here is a link to my calendar if you want to check it out and put in your .02.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/index-monthly.asp?memberid=106091&year=2009&month=3

Have a great week everyone!!  I finished the last of the two recitals tonight, and it went well.  I have a flute quartet concert coming up March 11, but that will not require as much practice, so I should be back into the swing of things with training!

Thanks, I am feeling good. Don't really start to taper until next week, although this week is a little easier than last week. I feel great, especially considering this past week was the heaviest of the whole plan.

I am glad that I am not the only one who finds them a little awkward!

Personally, I get a little antsy on days off. Volleyball sounds like a great time. I sometimes wish I could manage to squeeze in a team sport like maybe softball.

I'm trying!

Thank you, it really felt great.

I've been a wuss this Winter also. Less than 3 weeks until Paula's tri, and I am starting to get psyched!

Well done being consistent with the abs.

When I clicked on that link it was blank except for today's workouts. Maybe that's for actual rather than planned? I am just about done with my plan, but I spent most of today trying to straighten out some financial aid stuff for my college kid.

Very nice, a flute quartet just sounds so pretty!

Anthony

So, in trying to work out my plan there is one thing I forgot about. It's getting lighter in the morning, but daylight savings time is March 8th, so it will be dark again at the time i like to train. I have gotten completely used to running in the dark, and I really kind of enjoy it, but I don't know about cycling. Once I get about a mile from my house, there are no streetlights, and mostly woods, dairy and horse farms, so it's really pretty dark. Fortunately, there is hardly any traffic, and I am very familiar with the roads, so I think I will get a better headlight and give it a go!

There's one thing completely off topic that I have to brag about. My youngest, who is 12 and in the 7th grade, decided last year that he wanted to play percussion in the school band. It turns out he's pretty good, and this year they had him audition for all county band. Only 4 kids out of about 15 percussionists were picked to audition, so I thought that was pretty good. The audition was Saturday, so we don't know how he did, but it's like they say about the Oscars; it's an honor just to be nominated

Anthony

Anthony, tell your son I said congrats!  That is quite an honor.  If he makes it, he'll have a blast.  All-county festivals are really fun and inspiring for kids.  

 Here is my second attempt at my first two weeks.  I'm also going to show it to the coaches and see what they think.

2 B: 1h 00m  S: 1700.00 Yd 45m	3 R: 1h 00m	4 B: 1h 15m  S: 3100.00 Yd 1h 00m	5 R: 45m	6 B: 1h 00m  R: 45m	7 B: 1h 30m	8 R: 1h 20m  S: 3500.00 Yd 1h 00m	S: 8300.00 Yd 2h 45m B: 4h 45m  R: 3h 50m
9 B: 1h 20m  S: 2300.00 Yd 30m	10 R: 1h 00m	11 B: 1h 15m  S: 3200.00 Yd 1h 00m	12 B: 1h 00m  R: 40m	13 S: 3300.00 Yd 1h 00m	14 B: 2h 30m	15 R: 1h 30m	S: 8800.00 Yd 2h 30m B: 6h 05m  R: 3h 10m

  The first week is weird because my mom and sister are coming in on Thursday and leaving Sunday, so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to get in.  I'm not going to stress about missing any though, since it is just the first week.

Hi guys

I thought it was time to catch up with everyone as I have not been on here much lately. The illnesses that have plagued us seem to be lifting so it is a good time to get some training in. I still seem to gravitate towarsd the bike so I need to get to the pool and swim some more. Heavy rain here in N Cal this weekend so my wife and I went to the gym, instead of me running on the road. Treadmill was OK but the room was a little warm for a hard run, still I did 4 miles in 30 mins. 

I think I have found a tri I will sign up for - the UC Davis sprint in April. It is one a a series held amongst the colleges on the area (Davis, Stanford and Berkeley) but it is open to the public too. The course is 750 yrds swim in a pool, 18 mile bike and 4 mile run. I like the idea of a pool swim for my first tri as I don't need to buy / rent a wetsuit.

J

Thank you very much. He's a very good student, but unfortunately doesn't take much interest in school, so I am happy that he found something that he really enjoys.  

 Here is my second attempt at my first two weeks.  I'm also going to show it to the coaches and see what they think.

 

2 B: 1h 00m  S: 1700.00 Yd 45m	3 R: 1h 00m	4 B: 1h 15m  S: 3100.00 Yd 1h 00m	5 R: 45m	6 B: 1h 00m  R: 45m	7 B: 1h 30m	8 R: 1h 20m  S: 3500.00 Yd 1h 00m	S: 8300.00 Yd 2h 45m B: 4h 45m  R: 3h 50m
9 B: 1h 20m  S: 2300.00 Yd 30m	10 R: 1h 00m	11 B: 1h 15m  S: 3200.00 Yd 1h 00m	12 B: 1h 00m  R: 40m	13 S: 3300.00 Yd 1h 00m	14 B: 2h 30m	15 R: 1h 30m	S: 8800.00 Yd 2h 30m B: 6h 05m  R: 3h 10m

The first week is weird because my mom and sister are coming in on Thursday and leaving Sunday, so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to get in.  I'm not going to stress about missing any though, since it is just the first week.

Looks good with a nice total volume well spread out. I was wondering, on the 6th will that be a bike/run brick, or will you spread out the 2 workouts? I also like to do a long run and a long ride on the weekend, but I prefer to do my run on Saturday and ride on Sunday because the first 5 or 10 miles on my ride feel like a nice "active" recovery from my run. That is really an individual thing, though, especially considering your legs are considerably younger than mine

Very wise not to stress out about a missed workout here or there. It's a long path that we are on, and our busy lives do occasionally throw us a minor obstacle to deal with.

Anthony

Good to hear that you are getting better, and were able to get in a nice run. Boy, I need to get to the pool more as well!

Sounds like a good plan and a lot of fun. I wish there were an early season tri around here with a pool swim.

Anthony

Just thought I would share as there is a long thread going on the main forum about spouse support -

My wife came home from her pilates class last night when I was on the bike trainer, she got out of her car and said to me "You are looking skinny these days - but it could just be the shorts"

Bless her for noticing!

J

Kelly,  dont you ever get to rest during training???  Doesnt seem like any off days built in.  I dont know if I would have it in me mentally to train that much for that long of a time- Good luck-hopefully it will rub off on me!

I was a slacker today.  I was supposed to run this am and bike tonight on the trainer.  I woke up before the alarm, went to the bathroom and crawled back in bed for another hour.  Hubby offered to buy dinner out so there went the trainer ride.  I feel like I have been training for running since september (1/2 in nov and 1/2 in feb) and I am not that into it right now.  I need to get in gear since my first tri is in a few weeks.  I got a pool pass for a week at a normal sized pool and meet with my coach on thurs.  I WILL run tomorrow morning and bike fri am.  I got my tri tank and shorts that I ordered from nashbar tonight.  They seem great exept for one thing- there is PINK on it!!!  I HATE pink!  Didnt notice it in the pic or the description- ugh.  I am too lazy to send them back so blue and pink it is for a while.  The local Try Sports store sent me an email to become a "Try Sports Ambassador" 15% off anything in the store and special discounts on Try Sports gear and Believe Achieve gear.  I will give it a shot, maybe if I become really fast they will just give me the gear!  Orange is way better than pink!

Julian, congrats on being back in the world of well being- hope the sickness is all gone and the weather clears up.  Hope the tri works out for ya. 

How's the abs going everyone?  I have been slack with that too (

Paula

Paula - don't let my 5 year daughter hear that you don't like pink - in her world EVERYTHING has to be pink!

Keep up the running there, I made it out at 5:30am this morning, so I am feeling very proud of myself. Bike tonight too!

J

That's great that, not only did she notice, she commented as well!

You just hit a major goal in a big race, so it is natural to slack off a little bit. However, you have now slacked enough, so it is officially time to get it in gear 

I am looking forward to hearing how this goes, and what your coach has to say. 

That's the spirit! 

So i guess you don't like pink Personally, all my athletic clothes are either grey, white, or black, this way no matter what I put on it always matches.  Wish I had a tri store near me

How's the abs going everyone?  I have been slack with that too (

Unfortunately me too. I will finally stop by at Wal-Mart on the way home this evening and pick up a stability ball.

That made me laugh because my daughter was the same way. Then she hit her teen years, and everything was black or red

Nicely done getting out at 5:30! Doesn't it feel great to get in a workout so early?  Sometimes I wonder what people who see me early in the morning think. Then I realize they are going to work, and I am playing

The one thing I really like about running early in the day is thinking about nothing. Just not worrying about work, money, etc etc... I can just flow along, listen to the birds in the trees and concentrate on my pace. I can't wait for the spring forward time change so I can get the bike out on the road in the early daylight. I have no confidence (or trust in the local drivers) to take the bike out in the dark

J

Morning work out are the best- I agree.

I hit the regulation size pool this morning with my coach. Oh dear god, the pool I have been swimming in is a fraction of the size of what it should be.  I have been swimming 5 laps for a 100, it should be more like 6 or 7!  My time was 1:43, 1:46 and 1:47 today.  A far cry from the 1:10 in my pool!  I felt like I was going to die on the last 25-  My form goes all to hell and I am sooooo tired.  Guess I have a lot of work to do before the 14th.  It was a really good experience for me (not my ego) and I will have to reconsider my gym membership when my current one is up. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend- supposed to be 70 tomorrow and possible SNOW by sunday- UNREAL!!!

Paula

So, Paula, those times for 100 yds are still not bad at all--esp. after not very much swimming!!  You're going to do great!  I'm loving Masters swim.  I can only go once a week, but it is really fun.  An hour in the water goes by so fast!!

I love morning workouts, too, except for the getting up part!  Once I'm up and out it feels great, but I really don't like to get out of bed! I agree, Julian, that I don't trust crazy drivers to be out on my bike in the dark.  During the summer, I try to be out between 6:15 and 6:30 on my long weekend ride.  That way I don't miss too much of family stuff.

You're right, Paula, that there's not a lot of rest in the plan, but I think there are days within the week that are so-called "active recovery" days, meaning easy training days in Zone1 or 2.  I think I will just take a day off if I feel like I need it.  I'm not going to sweat it during the first two months of training as long as I'm hitting the key workouts. (That, by the way, is straight from the lips of one of the BT coaches--my gold membership at work!  Makes me sound like I really know what I'm doing, huh? )

I know exactly what you mean. No worries, and it's just me, the road, and the world around me.

I agree with Kelly; those are some pretty good 100 times! When you say you felt like you were going to die and your form gets bad it does make me think of a few of things. Make sure you are breathing enough.  Don't forget to glide a little. Also, make sure you are not kicking too hard. For me and a lot of triathletes the kick is more to maintain body position than for propulsion. Since the legs are such large muscles, you can really use up your oxygen if you are working them too hard. I'm not saying don't kick, and the triathletes who are really good swimmers kick just as well as people who only swim, but for a lot of us we have to be careful to not burn ourselves up by putting too much effort into the kick. Hope that made some sense! I also hope i didn't make you think you can forget about kicking. I don't want to get in trouble with your coach

Anthony

That does sound like fun; I have got to try it sometime.

I know what you mean. Especially in the Winter when it's chilly outside that nice cozy bed! But once I get up, I am ready to rock and roll. 

I do the same thing. Luckily, everyone in my family is a late sleeper, so if I get out by 6, and can get in 3 hours, and they are just getting up when I get home.

You're right, Paula, that there's not a lot of rest in the plan, but I think there are days within the week that are so-called "active recovery" days, meaning easy training days in Zone1 or 2.  I think I will just take a day off if I feel like I need it.  I'm not going to sweat it during the first two months of training as long as I'm hitting the key workouts. (That, by the way, is straight from the lips of one of the BT coaches--my gold membership at work!  Makes me sound like I really know what I'm doing, huh? )

You absolutely do sound like you know what you are doing. Hit the key workouts, make sure you don't go too hard on the recovery workouts, and make sure you rest. For me, if I feel like I need a day off, I will still do a little something even if it's not as much as I planned. As I said before, "active" recovery really feels good to me, especially since it's a little harder for me to recover than it is for you young folks

Anthony

Hope everyone had a good weekend.  Its cold and rainy here- no bike or run outside today.  I cant move very well either.  I went to Myrtle Beach on fri to hang out with my cousin.  She is the assistant women's soccer coach at Coastal Carolina U.  We went to the gym where a nice work out was planned by the strength and conditioning coach.  I can barely move today!  I haven't done much strength training in a while and it shows.  It felt great (to be done!).  I got a little time on the bike on friday too, when it was warm and sunny.

I had some good news on Friday.  I have been selected by the Try Sports store to be on the Try Sports Team.   As a Try Sport Ambassador, I get 15% off store purchases, have to wear the "Beleive. Achieve" gear for races and training when possible and participate in promo events for the store. Sounds like a good deal, I think (hope) they give us the gear because even with 15% off, the store is still pretty pricey.  This is the same store I was complaining about a few weeks ago, about not fitting in etc...  Maybe this will help.  I am waiting for some more details before I commit to it.  I think there are different levels of support from the store, I of course will be at the lowest level but I think its pretty cool to be a "Team Member" even though I haven't done a Tri yet.  We'll see how it goes.

 Anthony, thanks for the swimming tips- only 2 weeks until the big day- I need all the help I can get!  Are you getting ready for your big race??

Paula

Paula, that's great news about the tri store.  Congrats!!

I finished my second week of abs tonight.  How is every one else doing??  I might try to add part 2 this week (but no promises.)  HIM training officially starts this week, and my mom and sister are coming in from Florida on Thursday through Friday.  I'm glad it is just the first week, so I don't have to be freaked out about missing anything. I also joined the Spring No-Sugar challenge in the hopes that I can finally lose the last few pounds.

So Anthony, I've got a training/nutrition question for you.  It seems like the general rule is if you are training 90 min. or more, you should use some sort of nutrition (gels and/or drink.)  What do you do?

Have a great week, everyone.