Experior and Slornow's Spring/Summer Mentor Group-CLOSED (Page 14)

Kind of quiet here today.

Continuous swim at lunch today.  Nice and easy......really don't enjoy these.  I got in a pretty good rhythm so it wasn't too bad. 1750 in 29:30 for about 1:41/100.  Easy 1:15 ride this evening.

Good luck to all the racers!  Hope everyone has a good weekend.

Randy

Hey everyone.   5hrs/sleep or less per night for the past several nights has wreaked havoc, but the end is in sight, and at least I've got nothing due tomorrow!

I've read through everything -- sorry to have missed out on some good conversations.  I'll throw my 2c in on some of the issues.

Lol.  Me too.  Major intersection, 5PM, slow inexorable fall to the ground.  Many laughs ensured, no doubt.  Glad to be of service...

I agree with Jason.  If you walk during a run, just keep the clock ticking and log it all as your run.

When I take a break during a run for any reason (usually to use the bathroom), I stop my watch and restart it when I start running again.  I usually make a note in my logs that I took a break unless it was just for a few seconds.

I agree with what others have said.  There is really no decent evidence that there are specific physiological benefits to doing bricks.  There are, IMHO, two god reasons to do bricks.  The first is to learn pacing.  Proper pacing off the bike is, for some (raises hand) very difficult.  If you know the pace you are trying to hit, then a mile after a bike ride is enough to practice hitting it.  My personal tendency is to go way too fast, but feel like I'm moving slow.  That's actually worse, in the long run (pun intended) than going out too slow.

The second reason to do bricks is that sometimes it's the only way you have time to get in the workouts.  In that case, I'd say (to address your question about order) that you should in general aim to do the easier workout second, or at least to be sure that you are relatively fresh for whichever of the two workouts is going to be harder.

For the second reason, I do quite a few bricks, usually bike/run, but sometimes run/swim/run and occasionally others.  I do bricks for the first reason typically only as part of a race rehearsal.

Fun!  Enjoy it!

Oh, and best of luck to all racers this weekend!

For me, last weekend of serious training prior to a HIM on in two weeks.  Probably long bike tomorrow and S/B/R on Sunday.  Not sure yet.  What do others have going on?

Blanda - 2012-04-19 9:30 PM There's a GEAR adventure race this weekend, but no sitter.

Sorry you can't race this weekend, Blanda.  I thought I was going to race, but it turns out I had the date wrong.  I guess that's more like stupidity than lack of babysitting...  Have a great weekend with the kiddos instead!

I'm going to an Army vs. Holy Cross lacrosse game at West Point. If nothing else it will be inspirational :-)

Hoping to get in a bike tomorrow and a swim on Sunday. 

I'm amazed at you folks doing triathlons this early in the season. Well, early for me at least.  Late May is the earliest I can find one my me. Not that I'm complaining. When is your off season?

Good luck to everyone racing!

Enjoy the game!

For triathlon, the off-season around here is Nov-Feb.  Races with pool swims begin in March and outdoor swimming begins in April.  I have done a late Nov or early Dec. running race every year (since I got into this business) then take Dec largely off and start training again in January, though injury threw a wrench into that plan this year.

Good morning everyone!  Doing power washing/cleaning this morning and then an hour run this afternoon. Enjoy your Saturday.

Randy

Did a full IM distance swim (pool) this morning.  Not very fast as I am a BOP swimmer, nonetheless I'm very pleased with not just my time, but my energy level.  I did not push too hard, and felt very strong coming out of the water.  My pace actually got a bit faster over the last mile.  No stops except for one quick adjustment of my goggles. 

This is a big hurdle for me mentally as I need to complete the full distance swim to boost my confidence.  IM Texas is 4 weeks out, and I love seeing the results of my training coming together.

Jimmy - Nice job on the swim.  The mental confidence is huge.

It has been a little work getting back into training.  Two weeks off was probably just a little too much.  My legs are blasted right now.  I am incorporating some strength into my training as I start up for training for AZ, and I am feel in it.  Anyone else do any strength sessions?  

Right now I am headed out for a ride.  Supposed to be a slower group.   Going to get some hills in today. 40 mile with ~4700 of elevation gain.  Good thing I have a bailout gear!  Have a great weekend everyone.

That is simply incredible...you have my respect.

Well, the 5K race I had planned this morning was a debacle. It was a small race, so I was actually hoping to be near the top. I'm not any kind of fast, but I figured a sub-25:00 time would do. I get there with my running buddy, and we're by far the oldest people there. He's 35 and I'm 32. The rest of the group was like a high school CC team, not encouraging. However, most of them were running the HM race, so I felt better once I found that out. Once the race started, the 5K field was really small. 

We ran for about 1/3 mile and then turned right. It was a trail run, and although hilly was pretty nice. We did a loop, came back to where we originally turned right and then started back toward the start...and then race was over! We got back to the start and all just stood there, with no idea what to do. I had been in mid-thought, feeling good about my pace and focusing on a lady just in front of me who I had decided was going to be my archnemesis-we had gone just over 1.5 miles and I was going to pass her at 2.5 if we were still close, but then we were done. No one had any idea where to go. The race director, a college kid, complained he had marked things so well, but someone somewhere had messed. So, that was that.

My buddy and I ran with some other participants (college girls, so we felt like real creeps) for about 3 miles or so just because we were there, but that was it. So, the race was a bust, but I counted it as a workout and I'll swim this evening. 

On the plus side, I stopped by my local tri store this morning and they had a pair of Asics marked down from $140 to $40, so that was a steal! I've been wanting/needing a new pair, but didn't want to spend the money, so I'm thrilled with that discount. I also got my trip top so I can start training for my race in the equipment I'll use, which is about three weeks away now! 

Jim -- great job with the swim.  I'm the same as you:  I have to do the distance at least once before the race.  I'm also 100% convinced that keeping the swim easy and relaxed is very important in ironman.  I've been studying the race results of IMWI quite a bit, and the guys (at least in my age group) who finish near the top do not have particularly fast swim times.  I think that's in part because they are keeping it easy.  The race really starts somewhere around mile 80 of the bike, IMO.  Judging from the splits I've seen, that's when the truly prepared begin to shine.

Bennet -- hope you enjoyed the ride.  Getting back into it can be a little tough the first few times, but your body will soon remember what training is like.  I think that bike rides are a very good way to get it back, by the way.

Rene -- Racine is much less hilly than Lake Stevens.  From what I can tell, they are both pretty venues.  Lake Stevens is probably a bit more of the 'vacation destination' than Racine, but Racine is nice.

Jamie -- too bad about the race!  At least you got in some quality running, and that's never a bad thing...

My foot injury is returning, but I think I understand how to handle it now, so hopefully it will be manageable this time instead of leading to a month off of running.  Great ride and run for me today.  Tomorrow is this year's first OWS, weather permitting.  The water's gonna be ccccccold!

Have a great rest of the weekend everyone!

Jim-great job on the swim. The thought of swimming that far non stop makes my mind numb.  I'm with you though. Got to know that I've done it before to feelconfident heading into a race.

Jamie-sorry about the race. Glad you got a workout in.

Bennet-you will bounce back quickly. Hope the ride went well.

Rene-I'm no help on the races you mentioned.

Michael-any idea on what is causing the foot problem??

I eatimated that my powerwashing  would take 3 hours...ended up close to 5.  Got it done and then had a nice run this evening.  Race rehearsal type workout tomorrow for bike/run.  Going to be really windy UGH!

Randy 

They're very similar.  Basically up and then down in both cases.  Quite fast courses in both cases.  Racine is ever so slightly more rolling in the middle, but really not enough difference to make a difference.  Racine is likely to be cooler.

I do strength sessions twice per week. Squat/Bench Press one day and Deadlift/Press the other.  It is supposed to be a conditioning-friendly program.  I've been doing it for two weeks so I can't say whether or not it works. Up until two weeks ago I was doing only weightlifting.

Strength training is great for overall conditioning and health, especially in those of us older than 40.  And for those with very serious strength imbalances (especially due to injury or even more so surgery) it is an important way to redress those imbalances.  I do it from time to time, especially in the off season.

For the generally healthy just wanting to get faster at S/B/R it probably isn't very helpful.  In general, we are not limited in our triathlon performance by strength.

Good luck to all of you racing! May weather be kind and you swift.

Bennet: I'm doing p90x to strengthen up. I have grown to love the off road triathlons and adventure races and it helps to have some muscle for hefting the bike and myself through jungle. I'm not beef caking out or anything, I've going for lean. More reps with lighter weight.

Hope you having a splendid weekend, guys!