Barqhead's Group - FULL (Page 13)

I just finished a short bike ride about 45 to 50 minutes, around 13-14 miles.  If the weather is nicer tomorrow I plan on doing a longer ride.

I'm trying to get up the nerve to go run 7 miles now... I won't feel like doing my long run tomorrow if I also plan on doing a long bike ride.

For me, I'm about half of what Pam is training at .. my longer bike rides are around an hour or so and my long run is 7 miles.

Makes me wonder if I bit off more than I can chew by signing up for the Augusta HIM.

barqhead - 2009-01-24 2:11 PM

esc - 2009-01-24 1:37 PM Color me jealous.  We had a smallish break in the cold but the streets were just to mucky to get out on the bike.  The artic wind made it's way back into town last night and it's in the teens again.  I get the feeling I'll be on the trainer for at least a few more weeks. 

It pays to live in the South in the winter.

X2

Pam is also training for a full.  You and me ~ a half.  You will be able to handle it.  We still have eight months of training.

Recent injuries have not forced me into exploring new areas of fitness:  yoga and pilates.  I am thinking that most of my injuries / sore areas are coming from not spending enough stretching and just overall lack of flexibility.  In addition to my IT Band, my biceps femoris (tendon that connects the hamstring to to calf on the backside of the leg) has been sore.  I know my hamstrings and calf muscles are extremely tight on a regular, non workout day.  Nevermind after training.  I am going to try to incorporate this new area into my weekly routine.  I'm going to try to go 1-2 days per week.  I have spoken with several guys who rave about it.  So, I figured, why not give it a shot.  For now, I'm going to get my bike fit rechecked and take it easy on the biking and running and really focus on stretching properly.

...sneaking into the room....Hey all -hopefully you guys haven't kicked me out - sorry for the disappearing act. Being self employed is tough & plays @#$$ on any spare time sometimes....I know ...I know "Cry me a river" right? Everyone has things in life that can take away from our training time - difference is you guys have found a way to stop those intrusions or at least hold them at bay - I continue to let them subdue me into submission.

Anyway - I am back - agian - providing ya'll will let me play I'd like to re-join the group and give this another shot. Hope everyone is doing well - I'll be updating my goals this week and doing some reading on the groupls activities.

Got a 3 mile run in this morning - feels great! kinda cool morning with a slight misting rain - I love running in the rain!

Day 1 behind me!  

Welcome Back!!

I don't know what kind of Mentoring load Pam has, but I say - the more the merrier!

Good choices!

I wish I had more time or else I would take Yoga and/or Pilates as well.  I've taken these classes before and they will definitely work you ... they are esp. good for your cross-training days ... and for us guys who tend to be a little less flexible ... it is extra tough but something that we really need.

Another thing to look into is finding a good massage therapist.  I go to one on a pretty regular basis and it helps me immensely.  I used to suffer from plantar fasciatis pretty bad and aftera few sessions of getting my feet worked on I haven't had that problem.

When I get flareups that seem like it might be an IT band tightening up, or my piriformis, or calves, or back ... I schedule a visit and most times a good deep tissue massage works out the knots and kinks.

I totally agree on the massage, ART, and/or whatever therapy you can get.

Being a current 255 lbs, when I first started back into exercise seriously I was 313 lbs. and around 265 lbs. when I started tri training ... and so with that much stress on my limbs and joints, I would not have been able to continue on each day they way I did if it were not for the regular therapy sessions.

Congrats on the 14 miler ... I like your description of the Tin Man walk ... never heard that one before... I always call it the Frankenstein walk ... which is what I do a lot of times after a hard run or a hard leg session in the weight room.

I, too, suffer from tight hamstings and calf muscles.  It's sometimes bothersome on the bike because I have a hard time keeping my heels down.  I pedal with my toes pointed towards the floor which I think is part of the reason my shins are tender. 

I've been reading up on flexibility and stretching exercises recently and something that I keep seeing mentioned is hydration.  Your muscles will be less supple/flexible when you're dehydrated.  So just a little reminder to try and get enough fluids.

Pam,

As you know I've got the new tri bike and have been spending the past couple of weeks getting adjusted to it and how to ride it properly, etc ... I think I have it figured out and the fit/geometry is pretty close ... what I was sitting on the saddle (after talking to a few other guys) is apparently correct and I'll just have to get conditioned for it.

But time is coming up short now - close to time to get serious.  I've looked at several training plans here on BT, I upgraded to Silver so I could access more and also get the swim videos.  I think anyone is able to preview all the plans, but I've cut and pasted some I'm looking at and will paste them here at the bottom.  I would like to get your opinion as to the best choice to use until I start the HIM plan.

At first I was thinking the Winter Main w. bike focus - but I don't think I can get that many days in with the weather, time of day constraints, and no trainer.  Then I thought the No Fluff plan might be good ... but the more I looked at it I thought it might be a little too aggressive right now .. but was going to go with it.  Then, just tonight I saw one called the Sprint to Olympic Bridge .. which might be just perfect.  Since I plan on doing an Oly as a warmup to the HIM, this might be perfect to get me to Oly shape, and then it finishes just in time to start the 20 week HIM plan, but I wanted you to look them over and tell me what you think.

Thanks!

Sprint to Olympic Bridge: 12 Weeks

This program should be used for an athlete who is coming off a sprint and:

- They have a very strong base of 4-6 months of consistent training

- They have a strong swim or run background

- They have trained for at least 9-10 hours per week

This program is an advanced plan to bridge you from a Sprint to an Olympic Distance triathlon with the confidence that you can complete the race without difficulty.

This program can also be used to lead you into the D3 Half-Ironman Distance plan.

Plan schedule

The schedule consists of at least 3 workouts per week in each sport, 2 days of strength training and core work too. Most weeks have 4 days of cycling. The maximum volume is 13 hours toward the end of week 9 while most of the weeks are 12 hours with the easier weeks at 8 hour +/-.

Calendar

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/trainingplans-calendar.asp?printer=1&planid=408

Volume Graph

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/trainingplans-volume.asp?printer=1&planid=408

The basic premise of this program is to help you improve your VO2 max and threshold. If you are using this plan during the winter, you can start your specific training in the spring with a nice improvement in your speed.

Schedule
This plan has 3 workouts per week, per sport and 2 weight training sessions. The weekly hours are from 8-10.5 hours. This program can be used leading into any of the other D3 programs such as the 12 Week Olympic Distance, Half or Full Iron Distance races.

Calendar

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/trainingplans-calendar.asp?printer=1&planid=3573

Volume Graph

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/trainingplans-volume.asp?printer=1&planid=3573' 

Get ready to ride lots! This plan will raise your bike LT while putting you in the saddle 4-5x per week. This plan will peak at 9 hours of riding and 14-16 hours overall per week. Since this is a bike focus program, your run and swim will be maintenance only (2-3x per week). This program is appropriate for a second year or greater Sprint, Olympic or 1/2 IM athlete who is looking to improve their bike performance. The athlete must be able to bike for at least 1:30 hours and should be able to complete 4-5 bike workouts per week.

Plan Schedule

The program starts out with around 4 hours of biking in the first week and progresses to around 8-9 hours of biking per week seven weeks later.

This program includes swim and run workouts as well, although these are not the focus of this program. The swim and run workouts are primarily to maintain current fitness (2-3x per week), while the bike workouts take PRIORITY.  

Calendar

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/trainingplans-calendar.asp?printer=1&planid=918 

Volume Graph

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/trainingplans-volume.asp?printer=1&planid=918 

Half Ironman Plan: 20 Weeks

This program should be used for an athlete who has competed in some Sprint and Olympic Distances Races, is looking to move up the Half Ironman Distance and:

- They have a very strong base of 4-6 months of consistent training.

- They are well balanced in all three disciplines.

- They have trained for at least 8-10 hours per week.

Thanks for the hydration reminder.  I have been reading quite a bit about hydration and flexibility too and drank plenty before and during my swim, but did not drink anything while stretching / weight training.  I might try my first yoga class tomorrow @ 8:30 followed by pilates at 9:30.

Hey guys, i am back after my bout with this virus or whatever it was that attacked me this past Thursday.  It is a serious strand of whoop a** that put me down for quite a few days.  I just got the fever gone over the weekend and starting to get some of my appetite back.

Anyway, getting back into the swing of things today and will be back out running.  Hope everyone is doing well, and from reading the forum it seems everyone's training is going well.

Glad you're feeling better!

Thanks for all the comments about me feeling better.  I feel like a new man!  I went out and ran (short run day) yesterday.  My plan called for a 29 min run, I got the whole 29 minutes in with no problem and covered about 2.48 miles.  From my logs, that is the fastest two and a half miles I have run to date.  The first half mile (all up hill) was faster than average for me, and it only got faster from there.  The middle mile and a half I was running was faster than normal, and at times was around 9 min mile speed.  However, that last half mile (all up hill), it felt like my legs turned on me and just didn't want to go.... I struggled.  My cardio felt great, breathing was well under control and not hurting at all, my legs just felt like jello!  Over all, i was pleased considering I was coming off an illness.

This ever happen to anyone else?

I generally only get jello legs when I've gone out too hard.  Great example, I raced a 10K in November - first ever 10K - and I went out too fast.  By the end of the race even teeny, tiny little ant hills felt like they were going to be my undoing.

My guess is, you were so happy to be over the sickness and out running, that you went a little too hard.  You may feel completely well, but your body is probably still recovering.  While it's true that exercise positively impacts the immune system, it is also true that stress has detrimental effects.  Too much, too soon is a stress on your body and can equal a relapse.  My advice: continue to get plenty of rest, plenty of fluids, and maintain a healthy diet.  Ease back into your workouts and stay in z1/z2.  The worst thing you can do is rush back into a heavy workload.