PLMsbr (JD) Group - FULL (Page 13)

That is pretty ridiculous... maybe it's time to talk to the facility mgr. I'd be doing some serious  hollering by now

Quick note about next month. I will be going to the USAT Level I Coaching Certification Clinic (in FL). Leaving Mar 11th, back on the 16th. I should be able to post while I'm there, though. I have the materials now, so I'll start looking them over and let you all know how many of the things I've been telling you are wrong

So in the pool this evening I guess I figured it out.   I had gone 2 months without swimming at all and had dropped the bike miles by 150 to 200 miles to allow for the run time and taper for the marathon.  This month I have upped the swim to 26,000 yards and upped the bike from 400, 400, 250 (previous 3 months) to 525 ish this month while running 110-120  miles.  So it  has just worn me down. 

In the pool I basically bonked after 2500 yards even though calories and hydration were not an issue.  I think I will do a double recovery week before increasing again.  It is more than just mental.  It is just hard to tell the difference sometimes, at least for us thick headed folks who think we can will ourselves to fitness 8).   

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.....

How's everyone else doing with the balence of too little vs too much? 

 Good for you, JD.  You'll be great.

I know what you mean about the headstrong part... we train so much for the mind to overcome the body; that sometimes we don't actually believe our bodies when they say enough is enough. The key for me is to always be following a plan. Even if I'm not training for a specific race (e.g. couple months before official training plan kicks in); I always do some level of planning. And I try to watch how much I'm increasing training both in terms of the overall volume of the week; as well as the individual distances. The 10% rule is good for individual distances (increasing your long distance workout by no more than around 10% at a time). I may stretch that a little (more for bike than run), but try not to go too crazy.

The good news is I don't think you're ever going to have to worry about your level of determination

If you take a look underneath my avatar, you will notice that I am now (finally) an official member At least now I can look back further than one week in the training logs! So, let's see how things are looking.

trinity: any updates on the pool situation? Looks like  you're getting back into the swing of things. You have your next race picked out? For me, I have to have a "next race" in order to motivate myself to build a plan and follow it.

baowolf: doing plenty of working out, as already discussed. Main thing I would suggest for you is not to think in terms of a full training load week after week. Allow yourself to build up mileage over time, and include recovery/taper weeks about every 4th week. You can even do that in 2 phases, a base phase to get to full mileage; then a build phase where start back at somewhat lower mileage but up the intensity. Build phase culminates in your peak phase (just 2-3 weeks) before your taper. The idea is to allow that ebb and flow to gradually build you up until you are ready to just explode on race day.

triscruggs: I don't know how you do it with all those night shifts, more power to you! You're doing the right thing by night trying to make up for lost workouts. Trust the plan and follow it, the payoff comes from the long-term consistency. I know you probably mentioned it earlier, but can you remind me which plan you are following? I think that's one of the things I should be tracking (lesson learned for me).

mtnbkr: I'd like to see more variety in your distances and intensity going forward. Some longer bike rides, and some shorter, high-intensity runs for example. Just roughly, I'd have long bike rides in the 40's for March, 50's in April, and 60+ in May; then taper going into the Boise 70.3. Also, same as above, remind me about the plan you are following and I'll log that so I can quit asking you

pac10er2: How are things going? I see that you had some bad leg soreness from your 2 hour run, then your logs kind of drop off. Hope things are OK... We both have 1/2 IM's targeted that first weekend of April, can't be having any injuries!

I had a relatively light week this week, as I just rested from the marathon the first couple of days. Eased back into running as the week went on, but nothing over 6 miles. Got back into swimming and biking on Wednesday. Finished the week yesterday with about 60 miles on the bike; which was a little harder than I expected it to be. With that 1/2 IM coming up in early April, I need to get in plenty of bike riding.

Hi Everyone,

I have been silent, adn I just updated my logs for the last 4 days.  I did a full on 60 mile ride the other day, it was tough but the biggest problem I had was my lower back.  I hate to admit this, but this is the first outdoor long ride I have done.  Everything has been on the trainer until now.  I did well for the first half, I kept it over 20mph most of the way.  The way back was much slower due to the headwind, and it just killed me. 

I am feeling okay about being able to finish my HIM in April, but based on how long it took me to cover the distance, I am going to have to dial back my expectations.  It took me about 3:15 to do 56 miles, so that seems kind of slow to me based on what i have heard from other people.  Also, the course is very hilly and my ride was pretty much flat, so that will add more time.

Anyway, I have done a lot of training, but now I am figuring out how far 56 miles is on a bike and it slapped me across the face this weekend. 

Hope you are all donig well, had to write this down so that I could work my way through it.  Good luck to you all with training, and JD has some really cool stuff going on.

My first/only HIM I completed in 3:15 ish with a very hilly course.  And 56 miles on hills kicks your butt on the run more than 56 on the flatt also.  At least you won't have the 105 F weather I got on my first.  On your first HIM really really really remember your nutrition.  You cant miss 100 cal on the bike and 100 cal on the run without paying for it at mile 12 on the run.... er um or so I hear.   Mumbles something about learning experiences.

Ya I am a abit in limbo in an 8 week gap between my Mary and IM plans, but am following the build recover model.  My pretty chart goes up for 3 weeks to 17 or so hours then drops down to 11 ish hours last week.  Hopefully I can do 13 ish this week and still be good.  I have a 10 mile race in 2 weeks, but it is like a C or D race so I am only going to taper that last week for it.  It would be neet to beat last year's time, but it wouldn't kill me if I didn't.  I have no idea how I did a 10 miler in 78 minutes last year, that seems fast for me even after a year of training 100 miles per month or so.       

mtnbkr: I'd like to see more variety in your distances and intensity going forward. Some longer bike rides, and some shorter, high-intensity runs for example. Just roughly, I'd have long bike rides in the 40's for March, 50's in April, and 60+ in May; then taper going into the Boise 70.3. Also, same as above, remind me about the plan you are following and I'll log that so I can quit asking you

JD...I can work on some shorter high intensity runs. How about my one long run/week? I've been doing 8 miles and am considering upping that to 9 next week. As the weather warms up I will be doing longer rides. I'm also constrained by time when I try to get a run and ride in, esp. before work. I can do a long ride and skip the run on some of those days.

No comment on my swimming...does that mean you feel I'm doing ok? I know we did talk about it in a PM.

I'm trying to follow the Free Beginner HIM 20 Week Plan.......again, thanks JD for your time and advice........Tom

The pool situation has no end in sight.  Their website now says they are hoping to reopen on March 9.  I am going on 4 weeks now with no swim and starting to get concerned.  I guess I am going to have to look around and find a pool to use in the interim in order to keep my swim fitness.

My next race will likely be my first tri on April 11th.  It is a reverse so that is going to make things interesting.

Some of my running is done on trails and I am having a hard time navigating the sand.  Does anyone have any tips for running in sandy conditions?  There is typically hardpack underneath anywhere from 2 - 6 inches of sand.  I struggle with this because my leg slips on push off quite often and is a big strain on the quads.  I know my upcoming race in April has a portion of sandy trail so I would appreciate any input.

triscruggs: I don't know how you do it with all those night shifts, more power to you! You're doing the right thing by night trying to make up for lost workouts. Trust the plan and follow it, the payoff comes from the long-term consistency. I know you probably mentioned it earlier, but can you remind me which plan you are following? I think that's one of the things I should be tracking (lesson learned for me).

 Those nights ruin me...  definitely one of the down-sides to my job.  Thanks for the time and advice, and for slapping down some cash to sign up to help out even more.  I put together a plan using the Triathletes Training Bible. Kind of a learning curve to using that book, they lay things out in very general terms, but I think I'm starting to put things together...

Pac10er - Nothing like flying through the early part of a long ride with the wind at your back wondering why everyone thinks riding a bike is so hard then turning around to realize you've had a 10 mph wind at your back the whole time!  Demoralizing...   

Mike, don't let one training ride get the best of you. My own 60 mile bike ride this was a little rough for me. I didn't want to bore everyone with too much detail, but I actually came back at 46 miles and did the last 15 on the trainer (was chilled, ran out of liquid and didn't want to go to gas station, etc.). If I had to base my expected performance on that... yikes. BTW, I averaged 17.6 mph when I was out on the road (with some hills). I expect based on past experience to go over 20 in the actual race. Your long training rides should not be pushing you as hard as race day, and never underestimate how big of a difference a good taper makes. When you train day after day after day, there is some fatigue there. A good taper and you hit the bike on race day ready to roll, very different feeling.

Since we're on similar paths (1/2 IM first weekend in April), we both have at least 3 more opportunities for long bike rides; plus plenty of shorter ones to add up the mileage. First time or two at the longer distances than what you are used to are always a little humbling...

And triscruggs hit the nail on the head about a tailwind going out and then headwinds coming back. That can just suck the life right out of you. I highly recommend looking up the wind conditions before a ride and factoring them into your plan. My rides are almost always headwind out, tailwind back; so I just keep a steady pace going out without killing myself or getting too excited about speed... then can gauge how I feel coming back and open it up a little bit more. If it is going to be headwind coming back, I'm extra careful about saving some physical and mental strength to deal with that inevitable feeling that I am plodding along at the world's slowest pace and making no progress

Less than 6 weeks - then you'll have a Half IM under your belt

Hey Tom, the plans on the site have tons of wisdom and experience behind them, so I'm sure you'll be good following that. I'll try to look that over for next week and see if I have any thoughts. The swim/run parts should work really well for you. For the bike, the reason I mention longer rides is because that is what I see as your strength. You do have to train your weaknesses, but don't give up that golden goose   If you feel the beginner plan is a little light in that area, then don't be afraid to do a little more than what they call for. Long runs of 8-9 miles are great. Swimming is coming along nicely, and we did have some discussion about that via PM... keep us all posted on how that progresses, though.

Glad I can be of help. If nothing else, just in giving some different perspective.

Bummer on the pool, hope you can find something to get in at least a swim or two a week. Sometimes local colleges or universities have open swim time for a small fee, just a thought.

Reverse tri sounds pretty cool, and also a little intimidating for a first tri! I'm sure you'll be fine; and the nice part of doing the swim last is there likely won't be as much thrashing around with other folks. Make sure you have your HR down and are mentally ready before jumping in the water - getting off to a calm start is the big key (in my opinion) to avoiding any panic feelings.

Running on sand can be a bugger. For me it's more of a strain on my calves than anything else.  There's more digging the toes into the sand, which seems to add extra work for the calves. And maybe a little more leaning forward. Not sure what else can be done, but maybe the others have some ideas.

Let me know if you have any specific questions or want any help (PM is fine). One thing I've done for myself is simplify it to a couple basic principles and allow myself some freedom. Maybe that's not the ultimate way to do things, but I wouldn't last long if I had to have everything too rigid. For example, tell me to do 5 miles of speed/interval work; that's great. Tell me I have to run .75 miles at 65% of LT, then 2 minutes at 70% LT followed by 1 1/2 minutes at 50%LT, followed by... !  My eyes just kind of glaze over at that point

My first tri was a reverse tri sprint.  It probably didn't help that I wasn't able to do any swimming for like 1 year prior to the event.  Needless to say the swim was tough after the run and bike, thankfully it was a short swim.  Just expect your arms to weigh 20 pounds each for the swim.  

Had a good run during lunch today, was able to do the full 7.25 miles at a decent pace (56:35)  without any fallout on the pace, well without any significant fallout.  The extra day of rest over the weekend helped, yay.    

Let me know if you have any specific questions or want any help (PM is fine). One thing I've done for myself is simplify it to a couple basic principles and allow myself some freedom. Maybe that's not the ultimate way to do things, but I wouldn't last long if I had to have everything too rigid. For example, tell me to do 5 miles of speed/interval work; that's great. Tell me I have to run .75 miles at 65% of LT, then 2 minutes at 70% LT followed by 1 1/2 minutes at 50%LT, followed by... !  My eyes just kind of glaze over at that point

You already helped out with that weekly schedule you laid out a while ago.  Most off my trouble was deciding what to do with breakthrough workouts.  I couldn't figure out what they are...  Are they the shorter, more intense workouts or do the longer, slower workouts that also push your limits also count?  I think I'm nit-picking a little, but I'm really trying to not over-do it.  I know that in order for me to be consistent, I can't get too crazy.  Otherwise, I start deciding it's more important to clean my office or watch another Seinfeld rerun than work out.

But I think I have that squared away.  One long workout for the run and ride, and one intense workout each week for each - the other 1-2 workouts for each discipline I'm keeping around cruising (zone 2 on the HRM) pace.  The swim workouts on this site are helping me avoid jumping out of the pool early because I can't stand staring at the black line any longer.  Now I've got to manage the increase in intensity that should come at the end of the Base period and throughout the Build months.

Will

Will - sounds like you're on the right track. I did the one long, one hard approach for most of the years I've been doing this; did great and enjoyed myself a lot. Right now I have some specific things I'm trying to do, but I will more likely than not get back to a less intense approach.

Sometimes in the pursuit of getting faster and faster, we can end up forgetting we are supposed to be enjoying ourselves! A lot of folks burn out quickly, and seem to forget they have the option to just not work quite as hard. Not like we're getting paid...

Cool... can't wait to hear about it! And pac10er2 has half im the same day (and I'll be doing mine). The following Monday we should have some good race reports