New Year New You...reopened for late comers (Page 14)

Good information (and a lot of it) :-)

Hi everyone!
I'm brand new to this site, so I hope I'm following protocol. I would like to join this group.

NAME: Tiffany

STORY: I just registered yesterday for my first triathlon ever (June 2014). I don't consider myself an athlete, and I'm presently not in great shape (I let myself slide over these last few cold months), but when I put my mind to it, I can get in pretty good shape. I've done several 5K's over the last five years (with only a couple under 30 minutes) and 2 10K's (1:10 and 1:03). I'm not fast, and though I'd like to get faster, I never hope/plan to compete at winning speeds.

FAMILY STATUS: I'm a 39-yr-old happily married woman, married for 13 years with 6 kids (ages 12, 11, 9, 7, 6, and 4), a dog, a cat, and a new kitten.

CURRENT TRAINING: I'm just trying to get back into the habit of regular exercise right now. I try to workout 4-6 days a week. Cardio (walking and running on the treadmill at various inclines) and strength training. After this month, I plan to start incorporate swimming (at the local college) and cycling (outside when the snow and ice is off the roads). I am not a good swimmer ("I only dog paddle!" -Fezzig, Princess Bride), so I'll need to work on form as well as stamina.

THIS YEAR'S RACES: Well, I just signed up for the tri in June. I have a hometown 5K I'll be doing in July, and a 10K in August (if I get in). I may do an additional 5K here or there, but that's all I have planned.

WEIGHTLOSS: Last summer, I got down to my goal weight (though I could have lost 3-5 more pounds, I think) in time for my high school reunion, but slowly gained it back. So I have about 15 pounds to lose again.

Thanks for having me in this group.

Great news (at least for me it's great)
Even with all the chaos that has been going on with cakes, personal emergencies, and everything else, I managed to some how drop down to 196.5 lbs (as of today). That's almost 10 lbs lost with only 15 lbs more to go. I think I'm going to celebrate with ice cream tonight!!!

Some notable things
Riding to/from work, I'm noticing that I can hit a harder gear more often and approaching a comfortable state. This gear gives me an extra 2mph cruising speed. Hopefully, I can maintain that gear for the whole commute one of these days. I can hit 30+mph easier to beat a green light without having to get off my seat. I'm also noticing that with wind conditions not in my favor, I'm still maintaining a decent pace (usually nothing below 16mph and using the same gear just slower rpm's). I'm feeling results :-)

I think that my body is adjusting to the new routine and starting to reverse what I've done for the last 20+ years of doing almost nothing :-)

I've come across some articles (magazines) that I'm going to paraphrase over the next couple days.

One is "Sofa to Sprint in 9 Weeks". Another deals with 101 tips for Bicycling. And there are still more :-)

Hope everybody has a great February.
Has there been changes in goals for this month for anybody? Any additional goals for February?

February Goals:
- lose more weight before April (5-8 lbs for February will keep me on track)
- Cycle harder and continue integrating long rides when possible
- Increase my base cruise from 17-19 to 18-22 (environment conditions pending)
- Stay on track with my cake orders (2 more this Saturday, 1 more next Saturday, wedding cake in April, another cake also in April; thought this was just going to be "part time" LOL)

Tiffany,

Welcome to the group (once approved by Neil)
Congratulations on entering your first triathlon :-)
There's been a lot of discussions about swimming and encourage you review them. Hopefully they will help you out.

Look forward to hearing about your progress :-)

Hi Tiffany, great to meet you and welcome to the group. Don't worry about not considering yourself an athlete, I know exactly what you mean and congratulations on entering your first triathlon. Good to hear that you are getting back into regular exercise, will set a good foundation, sounds like you have a busy schedule with your children and animals to fit in.

There's lots on here already on swimming, I'll gladly set post some advice on building your stroke, plus I'm about to undertake a basic swimmers course so it will be good to test the learning.

looking forward to working with you. Neil

Great going David, keep at it and keep baking those ace cakes!

Great so pleased you enjoyed it and sure will post more soon, will dig my files out!

Yes definitely worth checking out to give you peace of mind

What happened to the Broncos, blown away!

Hey Virginia hoes the recovery going, legs feeling ok now?

Hi Rob, good question. I personally take a little bit of fuel every 15 minutes which can is usually an energy drink, half a gel, some jelly beans etc. I’ve found that this keeps my energy levels pretty steady, and I don’t get any problems. I struggled with gels for a while until I found a brand that I liked, HIgh5 (not sure if they are available in the US), worth trying a few different ones as they are a really efficient method of getting fuel into the body. Remember to drink before you feel thirsty otherwise it will be 'too late' your body will already be struggling. Good old water is a good supply too, I tend to have a mouthful after a gel. Hope this helps, use training to experiment, its all part of the learning.

Welcome Tiffany from a fellow tri first timer! If you are weak in swimming get in the pool as soon as possible as this seems to be the toughest nut to crack. Its all about technique and more than just gaining fitness.

You have plenty of time so build up gently and try and avoid those injuries! Looking forward to seeing your progress.

Rob

Rob's goals for February;

1. Swim 200m in one go without stopping
2. Continue the Half Marathon plan I'm on and avoid running induced injuries
3. Increase core workouts from once a week to 4 times (core strength lacking)

From Bicycling magazine March 2014 issue pg 54-63:
101 Ways to Completely Ride Better

Tips 1-6
1) To avoid muscle soreness and fatigue, don't hunch your shoulders. Tilt your head every few minutes to stave off tight neck muscles. Better yet: Stop to admire the scenery.
2) By sliding rearward or forward on the saddle, you can emphasize different muscle groups. This is useful on a long climb as a way to give various muscles a rest while others take over the work. Moving forward accentuates the quadriceps, while moving back emphasizes the hamstrings and glutes.
3) If you're not comfortable taking both hands off the bar, after pulling an arm warmer down with the opposite hand, use your teeth to pull the bundled fabric the rest of the way over your wrist and off.
**FREE SPEED**
4) Don't move your upper body too much. Let your back serve as a fulcrum, with your bike swaying from side to side beneath it
5) Keep your shoulders behind the front wheel axle. Too much weight forward makes the bike hard to handle and could cause the rear wheel to skip up into the air
6) Pull on the bar with the rowing motion to counter the power of your legs. This helps transfer your energy to the pedals rather than into wasted movement

More to come later :-)

From Bicycling magazine March 2014 issue pg 54-63:
101 Ways to Completely Ride Better

Tips 7-12
7) If you don't have a chance to slow for an obstacle such as railroad tracks or a pothole, quickly pull upward on the handlebar to lift your front wheel. You may still damage the rear wheel, or it might suffer a pinch flat, but you'll prevent an impact on the front that could cause a crash.
8) Beware of creeping forward on the saddle and hunching your back when you're tired. Shift to a higher gear and stand to pedal periodically to prevent stiffness in your hips and back.
9) Relax your grip. On smooth, traffic-free pavement, practice draping your hands over the handlebar. This not only will help alleviate muscle tension, but also will reduce the amount of road vibration transmitted to your body
10) Periodically change hand position. Grasp the drops for descents or high-speed riding and the break-lever hoods for relaxed cruising. On long climbs, hold the top of the bar to sit upright and open your chest for easier breathing. When standing, grasp the hoods lightly and gently rock the bike from side to side to sync with your pedal strokes. But always keep each thumb and finger closed around the hood or bar to prevent yourself from losing control if you hit an unexpected bump.
11) Handlebar width should equal shoulder width. A wider bar opens your chest for breathing; a narrower one is generally more aerodynamic. Pick the one that favors your riding style. Position the angle of the bar so the bottom, flat portion is parallel to the ground, or else points just slightly down, toward the rear hub.
12) If you're leading a paceline up a hill, keep your cadence and pedal pressure constant by shifting to a lower gear.

Still a lot more to come :-)

Preventing Fatigue On A Long Ride

http://learn.performancebike.com/bikes/advice/riding-tips/general-c...

I've been creeping for a while, and since some of the groups opened up again, I thought I'd join in!

NAME: Vanessa

STORY: I have a good friend who does an Olympic distance triathlon every year, and for the past 2 years, my husband and I have gone to cheer him on. Both times I thought, "This is something I would love to do" but then I never did anything about it. This year, I decided I needed less words and more action.

I always considered myself athletic in high school, but it didn't occur to me that I was no longer an athlete until I started preparing to train. I forgot what it was like to strive towards a goal and see the results of your hard work - things that I now realize have been missing on a personal level. The progress I've seen in the pool for January (being unable to put my face in the water to being able to swim 500m) has been so encouraging. I am doing my first triathlon not only to regain my fitness, but to also rebuild that confidence in myself; To know that I can put my mind to something and rise to the challenge.

FAMILY STATUS: I am 27 years old, have been married for a year and a half and have a 1 year old pup!

CURRENT TRAINING: I'm just trying to build my base at the moment. I've been getting to the pool about 3 times a week and swim anywhere from 500m to 1000m (and adding distance as I progress). I have also been doing some strength training. I'm hoping to start spin classes soon, but I have patellofemoral syndrome in my knee and am worried about irritating it. No running at the moment due to my knee.

THIS YEAR'S RACES: I am doing a sprint triathlon in Kelowna, BC in August! I am considering doing another one sooner as a practice run.

WEIGHTLOSS: I could stand to lose about 20 lbs (currently 150lbs)

Welcome Tiffany and Vanessa,

Just reminding everyone to record your training. It's a great tool for our moderator to give you feedback on which direction to go. When it comes to training records, I've learned to record everything. At the end of the year, I love to compare my totals to past years and see progress. Also fill out your race report so you can compare races from year to year.

We had great weather this past weekend and even got in 20 mile ride on Sunday. Got to ride without my leg warmers for the first time this year!

Snow forecasted for this weekend and next week so I'm still wishing for spring.

NAME: Luis

STORY: I am 37 yo from Mexico, married and with two lovely girls ages 5 &7. I want to start doing triathlons for the following: about 1.5 yrs ago (July-2012) I got a weird disease (Guillain-Barre) which left me in bed and not able to move legs or hands for two months, after which I had to learn to walk back again. I tried last year to start running but felt pain and doctors recommended me to delay running but keep swimming (I had swam as part of my therapy and enjoyed it sporadically prior to my disease as well). I added some bike last year as well but had to regain muscle (still do but much less) so it was harder than normal and ran out of breath. This year I decided to do a triathlon around two years after my disease to "graduate" from my disease and get in better shape than I have been in years (I used to do strenght training before but no cardio other than the sporadical swim I mentioned earlier).

CURRENT TRAINING: I am slightly working on my jogging (wouldn't call it running at this point) using a C25k app, mixing swimming and bike around 2 - 3 x per week along with weight training since I had to recoup muscle mass that I loss.

2013 RACES: Nothing, due to my disease I ended 2012 using a cane and slowly was able to regain normal walk in the first part of 2013. I did swim the swim portion of two small sprint tris for a friend that only rides and bikes, and this is where I got the idea of doing a tri just to prove to myself I could do it.

2014 PLANNED RACES: Definitely a short sprint in May and a regular sprint in October, maybe mix one or two short ones in there depending on how I feel/progress.

WEIGHTLOSS: Not really, maybe a couple of pounds, but definitely not part of my main goal

WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD MENTEE: Just thought this would be a good way to keep motivated and get helpful hints for a newbie.

Hi. I'm Chris. Is it too late to join the group.

I don't have much of a story. Just trying to get myself in better shape and decided to start running again 2 weeks ago. I need a goal to help keep me focussed and I've always wanted to do a triathlon. I have a bike and joined a local gym with a pool. I have no idea what I'm doing but I'm doing it. Anyways…I just saw these groups and thought it might be a good place to learn and help cheer others on.

Thanks.

Great that you were able to get a good ride in.

You're absolutely right about logging your training/activities. Unfortunately, I haven't been on top of my training like I should be. Have had some personal distractions that has consumed quite a lot of time =(. I have two more cake orders going out tomorrow and one next week Saturday. Fingers crossed that I get a small break and get back into the gym 3-4 times a week. Miss it =(

btw: Southern California was hit by some cold weather with rain (had to ride in it yesterday to get home). Feel sorry for everybody once that storm hits East coast area ='(

Welcome to the group Vanessa, Luis, and Chris (once Neil approves :-))

Hopefully all of us can help each other in reaching our goals.

Vanessa, I didn't read the article, but some information in here might help with your knee http://www.runnersworld.com/health/patellofemoral-pain-syndrome-run... Ease your way into running and pay attention to what your body is telling you. Don't want to irritate/injure yourself right when you're just starting ;-)

Luis, sorry to hear about your disease (Guillain-Barre). At the same time, very impressed on how determined you are with getting back to a routine that most of us take for granted. Keep up the great work and look forward to seeing/hearing your progress. :-)

Chris, I have an article that I'm going to start posting information about on Sunday. Sofa to Sprint in 9 Weeks. It includes some pointers and some workout information. Keep yourself moving :-)

Thanks David.

I actually went to a physiotherapist yesterday and he told me that my tight hamstrings could be contributing to the problem. I have never been flexible in my legs (my hamstrings are REALLY tight) but I never made the connection between the two. He gave me some strengthening exercises (for my quads, which will help stabilize my knee cap) and some stretching exercises for my hips, quads, hamstring and glutes.

No running for now, but he said that an elliptical is an option, as long as I don't experience any pain. Swimming is great for my knee, and biking is still a possibility.

Here's hoping I can see some improvements in the next couple weeks. I could be back to running in 4-6 weeks.

That's great that you're working together with your doctor. (fingers crossed) Hopefully you'll be running in the 4-6 weeks that you are shooting for.

With bicycling, as a suggestion, make sure you get fitted if you haven't done it already. Over and under extending the leg because of bad seat position can put quite a lot of stress/pressure in the knee area. Once you are fitted, you can work with getting minor adjustment to improve comfort, power, and other aspects of riding.

I don't know if this might be a possibility. Have you thought about walking/jogging in the pool? I don't know if that might irritate or actually help strengthen the knee area without having the high impact.

Edited by [email protected] 2014-02-07 3:33 PM

David....thanks for the welcome and I look forward to your article...I'm going for a run today....basically I'm swimming, running, and cycling, about 2 times per week each...following one of the balanced sprint distance routines for beginners....the run times are not very challenging for me so I'm adding to those but everything else is pretty good.

Thanks Again!...