Gray Guys/Girls Master's Focus Triathlon Mentor Group--Now Open (Page 13)

Just got back from the pool.  Did my longest swim workout to-date and it kind of wore me out - I need a nap now.  Scott - I'm actually using your Sprint Build 3x plan - working on week 2 right now.  The 6 x 100 at STP was a little tough and I slowed down during the second 3 x 200, but I think I'm doing OK with it.  And I like it better than the longer swims and all the drills that were on the plan I was using previously.  

Tomorrow I'm hoping to load up the bike and head to the park for my first outside ride of the season, and my first outside ride with the clipless pedals.  Wish me luck - I really hope I don't fall over too many times (I expect it will happen at least once).  The plan is get in about an hour long ride.  Depending on how that goes, I may follow it with a 4 mile run.  

Have fun at the run tomorrow!
Janet

I got an interesting email this morning.  Seems I earned an invitation to the 2016 USA Triathlon Duathlon National Championships because of my 1st place AG finish at the duathlon I did last June (I think there were only 2 of us in my AG).  It's in June in Bend, OR.  It would be interesting to go and see what it's like, but with my race in Ohio in August I don't think the budget will allow for a second trip this summer.  It's nice to be invited though - probably the only time it will ever happen!

Janet

Hope all had a good weekend.  The weather here is gorgeous this week and so I switched up my cycle training a bit by doing a hard 3x9 workout and will get in a couple of long, easy paced rides this week. I'll work in some swim time but don't want to do too much as my first race of the season is this coming weekend. 

Hope all have a good week ... stay focused, work hard and 'play' hard with your training.

Today I swam for an hour which included a 1000m TT.  We don't do them often but I was pleased to knock off about 5 secs/ 100m.  Then I ran for an hour and actually had a pretty enjoyable run.

The rest of the week is pretty typical for me finishing our spin sessions on Saturday with a 3 hour aerobic trainer ride.  Then I'll be taking the bike outdoors.  

Hey Chris,

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner.  

Right now you're building your aerobic base so there is no problem repeating a week, multiple times if need be.  You want each new distance or increase in speed (when that time comes) to be a slight challenge, but not impossible.

The problem you are having regarding pace, going to fast, and technique degrading if you slow down is a common issue.  I say all the time that technique and fitness are two sides of the same coin.  On the one hand, especially for a new swimmer, it is important to develop proper technique.  On the other hand you need to build fitness, using proper technique.  That creates a bit of a Catch-22.  You need proper technique to develop good swim fitness, but you need good swim fitness to develop proper technique.  At this point, take your time, the priority is technique.  If you fatigue to the point that your technique breaks down, take an additional 30-seconds rest.  If that does not restore technique, take 5-minutes rest.  If that does not restore technique, get out of the pool, go home, and try again tomorrow.  There is absolutely NOTHING to be gained by swimming with poor technique.

Please forgive me, I don't remember how long you have been swimming.  If you are a relative newcomer to swimming with a purpose, there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking it slow and repeating weeks.  Part of what you are doing is building confidence.  If you aren't comfortable advancing to the next week, which will be more challenging, then repeat the current week.

Hope that helps.

Janet,

I probably have already said this, but it is worth repeating -

I think triathletes in general do far too many drills.  My personal opinion is - if a qualified coach/instructor prescribes a drill for a specific and identifiable problem and can clearly explain how the prescribed drill will address the problem then drills have their place.  Otherwise, volume will be far more valuable.

I hear on almost a daily basis how people are spending half or more of their available workout time doing drills which prevents them from getting sufficient volume in - then they wonder why they struggle with the swim on race day.  

Sorry Chris!  I should have gotten back to your so you didn't find yourself in this situation.

I think you will be better served going back to week-5 for the remainder of the week, and maybe next week.  You want the 6 x 100 w/60" rest to be a challenge, but not impossible.  It sounds like you would not have been able to continue if you hadn't increased the RI.  Increasing RI is fine if your technique breaks down and you just need that extra bit of rest towards the end of a set.  However, if you had to increase RI in order to finish the set, that is a pretty good indication you should repeat the week.

Repeating the week actually has some advantages - a) having done the workout a couple times, you are familiar with it and can really focus on technique  At the end of each lap, ask yourself - is my entry correct?  Am I reaching full extension at the same time I achieve maximum rotation?  Am I finishing my stroke at full extension by my thigh?  b)  You will have that many more yards in the "fitness bank" and will have a bit more swim fitness to apply to the longer workout.

Good luck!

Hey George,

5-seconds/100m is huge!  Good job.

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Great work George ... sounds like one of those days where you had all the mojo working!

I still think going back to week-5 is the better alternative.  If you are having to extend the RI because you are tired, you will benefit from the week-5 workouts which work on technique and building fitness in a way that makes it much more likely that you will stay aerobic.  Going to the 6 x 100's can easily have you anaerobic with the corresponding stroke degradation and fatigue.  If you are anaerobic, and it sounds as though you probably are, your technique would be breaking down long before you become aware that your technique is breaking down.

This early in your swimming career, the over-riding concern should be building proper technique.  To most effectively do that, you need to be aerobic and swimming distances that are commensurate with your fitness level.  There is absolutely no shame in repeating a week.  Trust me on this, there will be plenty of opportunity to push yourself when you get in to a build plan and start working on speed.  When that day comes, you will long for the opportunity to repeat a week!

Yay!!  Less swimming drills.  I'm all for that except there is a catch-up drill that I don't mind doing once in a while.  It lowers my stroke count to 21/23 per 25m. I just find it hard to continue for any distance.

Tonight was a fun 20 minute TT on the bike/trainer.  I rode it as hard as I could trying to maintain 102 rpm cadence which put me at about mid Zn 4.  In the end I averaged 99 rpm and 29.5 kph.  A bit lower than I was aiming for but my best effort yet.  By the end I had nothing left and couldn't spin even to cool down.  Once our time was up I was completely done.  I wanted to quit but it sure felt good to finish.

Looking back at previous TT I can see that I've increased my average pace and cadence with each TT.  Nice to see some improvements.  However, I am very glad that I don't have to do any running TT.

Bike Cadence - Finishing the TT tonight with my cadence at 99 rpm for the duration of the TT I was wondering how important cadence is to enhancing bike fitness.  Is it worth working on or does it make any difference.  I'm hoping a higher cadence will allow me to ride as fast or faster but with a lower energy expenditure.  Any thoughts or opinions?

Thanks Scott and Dorm - I was pleased with my Swim time yesterday (22:50/100m).  I'd really like to knock my time down to 2:00/100m.  Kind of daunting though.  Hard to imagine being that much faster.

Nice weather here this week, with temps in the mid to hi 70's.  Sooo, I got out on the bike for a 24m ride - albeit it was very windy.  My last 4 miles were dead into the wind ... isn't that the way it seems to always shake out?

Dorm

George,

There is a LOT of debate over what the optimal cadence is.  Some people prefer a higher cadence, some prefer a lower cadence.  The generally accepted thinking is that optimal cadence is in the 80-100 RPM range.  A higher cadence results in a lower force per pedal revolution, so theoretically "easier."  (Tell that to Chris Froome as he pedaled up La Pierre Saint Martin in Stage 10 of last year's Tour de France while pumping out 397 watts at 97 RPM!  Yeah - easy.).

Personally, I think even, smooth application of force across a range of RPM's is more important than riding at a specific cadence.

Yep, that or you have a headwind on the way out, and then at the turn-around, the wind shifts 180 degrees and you have the wind in your face on the way back in.  Days like that is why we love riding - right?

I had the same thing last Sunday (although my ride was a lot shorter) - 3 miles into the wind on the way out, I struggled to keep 13mph.  The way back was nice though, 17+ mph and I didn't even feel like I was trying (17mph is usually a pretty fast ride for me).  Felt good to be outside though!

Good luck!!!

Looking forward to the race report.

Hi all ... my first race of the year is complete.  It was a blast and a good race for me ... slow - but good!

Race report is here: http://beginnertriathlete.com/RaceLog/races-edit.asp?raceid=281469