RunningJayhawk's Mentor Nest - FULL! (Page 13)

Thanks so much for the hill tips.  I've never been able to get up out of the seat - probably because I'm too low resistance.  Somehow it never entered my mind to purposely make it harder to pedal.  I wish you could follow me for 20 miles (wait! I take that back! that would mean I just volunteered for 20 miles of hills!)

I had a great swim this morning - my first using swimplan.com with my correct pace and stroke count in there.  It did a fantastic  job of setting the right interval for me and gave me a workout that really seemed to be at a level I could push myself but sustain.  I upped my yardage to 2000yds and had NO shoulder twinges at all - first time for that in months!  I love swimplan.com!

Tomorrow I ride...probably in the rain, if the forecast holds...if I'm incredibly dedicated...yeah...it could happen...

Cheryl

I'm making a last minute, non-emergency trip to my mom's in NM. I'm gonna try to get a couple run/walks in but we'll see. Be back home on Tuesday.I am so ready to stop and stay home for a while. I'll be checking in but I hope everyone has a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day.

Angela--You should really consider going with your friend to do the Disneyland Princess half. As everyone says, running makes you a better runner. I can't believe that after some consistent training and adding in some interval runs, I was able to run the half feeling as good as I did. My next big challenge is an Olympic distance tri in July and the full NYC marathon on November 1--Yikes!!!

Edited by dsmallacomb 2009-05-07 8:08 AM

I got my foam roller in the mail yesterday and tried it out after my run.  Oh, I think I'm in love.  It felt so good.  It was kind of awkward to use at first.  I'm not the most coordinated gal.  But it'll get easier to use I'm sure.  My legs feel great today.  I will definitely be added this to my routine stretching after workouts.

I have a BT newbie question.  What do the stars next to each person on the left side in the forums mean?

Good morning everyone!

I got in a really good swim yesterday but felt out of it for the rest of the day. I don't know why but swimming really leaves me useless and even though I'm getting more fit in the pool I'm still a puddle of ooze after each workout. I felt sorry for my poor husband who was trying to make conversation with me in the evening when all I wanted to do was go to sleep!

I had a run and lifting planned for today but I'm feeling really tired and a bit run down so I think I'll probably skip the run and just lift. I'm excited for my rest day tomorrow and finally taking the new bike out for a ride on Saturday!

I had planned a short brick this morning but forgot I'd also committed to baking a cake with my little ones for teacher appreciation week.  We made a pineapple upside down cake.  Then I cleaned house (company coming this weekend)  I'm working until 9:15.  I'll do the trainer tonight, but probably won't run since it'll already be dark and I'm not reflective.

I notice the training log sports has an entry for yard work but not one for house work.   I think there should be something for aerobic vacuuming and endurance scrubbing!

Cheryl

I did a 13 minute swim today. My arms were a bit sore in the beginning but felt good after a few laps. My goal was to swim consistently for 13 minutes, without stopping. I stopped a few times just for a few seconds to adjust my goggles or take a few breaths. It felt good!
I actually just joined a rec complex today so I can use the lap pool.  It is a really nice and they have some cycling classes so that will be helpful as well!

Ok, after all the talk about foam rollers, I want one! I think that will be my reward to myself for finishing my semester (only one more week!)

Have a great day!

Happy Thursday everyone!!  Tonight I'm planning hill intervals on the treadmill.  For some reason, I'm really looking forward to it.  I usually vary my incline between 2-6%, which should get me pretty ready for my hilly course next week!

Barb - it was nice meeting you at the tri club meeting last night!  I'm super excited about my race now!  I get really pumped talking about it with other people who are doing it too

Erin - It took me a while to figure out pacing, too.  I find if I concentrate on slowing down and just reaching my stroke out longer rather than faster, I'm able to go for a longer distance without tiring too quickly.

Cheryl - You sound like me. . . A walking advertisement for swimplan

Lara - Have fun visiting your mom!

Dena - I think the stars have something to do with the # of posts you've made.  I read about it somewhere, but can't seem to find the link anymore.  I think you get a green star once you hit 25, then more when you hit higher milestones.

Margot - Yaaaay, can't wait to hear about your first ride with the new bike!!  Regarding swimming. . . are you breathing enough?  I found I can last longer and have more energy if I breathe every 2-3 strokes, whether I think need it or not.

Wow! It's Thursday already?!?!

That's a good thing, especially considering how badly the week started out...bad with a capital B-A-D. To be honest, today is the first day I haven't been in a total funk from the time I woke up through most of my work day. But seriously, I was hating everything and not in a good place mentally...which, the timing of that was going to suck if I didn't just suck it up and put positive thoughts toward the tri on Sunday.

Probably my only saving grace this week has been the workouts. A nice taper week with a short ride on Monday, easy run Tuesday, and a refreshing 850 in the pool Wednesday. Today's the last swim before the tri...just a 600. Wow. We drive 45 minutes each way to the pool. I'll be in the water a total of 15 minutes max today.

I am getting a bit anxious about the swim though...doing a competitive OWS for the first time. Yeah, it just never worked out to get an OWS practice in. Although a co-worker offered their man-made lake as a practice venue...but we'd have to dodge alligators, and frankly, I feel like I'll be a better swimmer with all my limbs intact and no OWS practice. Now I have swam in open water before when I surf & ski, but something tells me this will be a little different. I also have some anxiety about the bike portion. Seems the course has a nice hill and a couple additional rolling hills. The only 'hill' where I live is an overpass. I ride up and over it at least twice just about everytime I go out on the bike, so I'm hoping that's good enough prep for what I will experience on Sunday. Oddly enough, my 'weakest' discipline is the one that has me the least nervous. I know once I make it to the run, I will be good to go.

So that's my pre-race freak out and my return to existing as a human being again. Hope you are all having a great week of training and a great week in general.

Edited by roadrhino 2009-05-07 7:26 PM

I think they have something to do with how many posts we've made.  More posts, more stars, and fancier titles.  Ahh, found this in  "Users"

New user Member - 5 Posts 5Days Regular - 50 Posts 30Days Veteran - 100 Posts 60Days

Extreme Veteran - 300 Posts 90Days Expert - 600 Posts 120Days Master - 1200 Posts 240Days Elite - 2400 Posts 300Days Pro - 3600 Posts 365Days Champion - 4800 Posts 455Days

5000 2000

1000 500 100 25

Cheryl

I think I'm breathing enough, I do bilateral breathing every 3 strokes. Maybe during my next swim I'll try doing it every two (which might be hard since I've been doing bilateral breathing every 3 since I was like 8 years old) and see if that helps with the fatigue. Thanks for the hint!

That's how I was too!  I thought breathing every 3 strokes was the standard because that's what I was always taught growing up. . . besides it feels unbalanced if I only breathe every 2 strokes, since then I'm only breathing on one side. 

But one of my swim instructors recently commented on how I didn't look like I was getting enough breath on my longer sets and suggested I change my breathing to a 2-3-2-3 pattern (so I breathe twice on one side, then twice on the other side, etc).  It was kind of confusing at first, but I got used to it, and now I'm been able to go much longer without getting tired or having to stop.

Good morning, everyone!

It's something 5am here...and I've been up for 10 minutes trying to eat so I can crank out a good swim this morning. Ugh.

<---- one sleeeeeeeeeeeeepy bird.

I'm a sleepy girl this morning too.  Trying to get up the energy to do a 4-mile run before work.  I haven't been sleeping enough this week and my body is really feeling it.

I ordered a Garmin 405 from REI this week.  They're having a great sale right now.  My packaged arrived yesterday, but had everything in it except for the Garmin.  Oh, I was so sad.  So I went for a short swim which didn't feel very good.  Hopefully I'll get in some good workouts over the next three days.  It just feels like an off week. 

I'm so glad I got out to run this morning.  It actually turned into a great run.  That's going to put a whole new spin on the day.  After work, I'll go for a nice bike ride with the family.  And then, woo hoo, it's the weekend.

I breath 2-3 strokes to the left then switch and do 2-3 on the right.  It's definitely giving me more breath than when I do pure bilateral breathing.

I switched to bilateral just in January to help my shoulder heal.  It really lessened the shoulder pain and was worth the confusion of switching a 25year habit of breathing only to the left.  It almost feels natural now, though when I sprint I tend to fall back to left breathing.  It was really educational to learn how many of the swim things I was taught to do in the 80s they now know can cause injury and inefficiency.

Cheryl

Good morning and TGIF!!  Today I'm planning a swim/bike brick after work.  It'll be at the gym, since I don't have anyone to watch my stuff even if I'd wanted to do it in the lake/bike path

I think I'm going to try out my first bike/run brick this weekend.  Any suggestions for the first time?  It'll be a 45 min ride with a short run after.

The only thing I can think of is to start the run slowly first, then build up to your normal speed.  Especially if I'm ending the bike portion going hard (which I usually do), my legs are always a little wobbly coming off the bike.  The time it takes for me to change shoes might be enough of a rest for you to "reset" going into the run, but I tend to play it safe and start off a little slower at first.  It shouldn't take too long to get into your normal running rhythm.

...speaking of Garmins...since I'll be switching to an Oly training program in about 3 weeks...and subsequently a marathon training program at the end of August, I'm definitely looking to get a Garmin since my runs will be substantially longer and more frequent. I know the consensus is that the 305 is a good choice. Is there anything else out there (newer models, etc.) that I should consider, or is the 305 pretty much the standard bearer?


As for bricks, especially for the first time, I wouldn't go all out for the entire duration. Take the last 5 minutes of your biking and spin at a higher cadence with less resistance. Then gradually build up to a comfortable pace on the run...but take it easy at first. You'll feel the spaghetti-leg syndrome! I've also used my bricks to pseudo-simulate transitions as well, since of course, transition is the 4th discipline.

I've been eyeing up the 405 for the past 5 months.  I like the look of the 405 more than the 305 (more like a sports watch, less like a brick on your wrist).  REI is having their Anniversary Sale right now and the 405 with the heart rate monitor is on sale, plus there's a $50 mail in rebate right now too.  So it's about $140 less than it usually is.  I couldn't pass it up.  The one thing to think about the 405, the band is a bit big for a woman.  But Garmin also just came out with a newer model (405CX, blue) that has an optional fabric band which is supposed to fit better.  But that one is not on sale, so I'll just have to get used to the bigger band.

One other thing to keep in mind, Garmin also just came out with a new version of the Garmin, 310XT, that can go from water to bike to your wrist, so particularly good for triathletes. 

Good morning everyone!

It's been busy at work this morning so I was finally able to pop online. I got in a good run and lifting workout last night and today is a rest day. Ah, sweet rest day. This was my first week running after 6 weeks off so I'm pretty tired out. Tomorrow the hubby and I are planning a long bike ride outside.

Thanks for the tips on changing up my breathing to avoid getting overtired during the swim. I might try the 2-3-2-3 rotation, at least then I can continue breathing on alternating sides.

Happy training everyone!

Mmmm...I do like the look of the 405...because compared to the 305, I would bet I could shave off about a minute of my mile pace time since the 305 is so dang bulky looking. Maybe the hippo will grant me permission to spend a little money on one of those little toys.

Good Evening All,

Well, I just finished going through the checklist and packing the tri bag for the big race on Sunday.  We are leaving in the morning and will be staying in New Braunfels overnight. 

The nervous energy has really taking over today.  On top of everything else, I woke up this morning with a sore throat and a little conjestion.  I am doing everything in my power to will the sick bug away...please oh please stay away until after the race and then I can be sick as a dog.  I am taking vitamin C hoping to boost up the system.  Also, I am going to be hitting the pillow soon in hopes that a nice long night of sleep with help ward off any illness.

I wish everyone happy training this weekend.