TEAM RFP (Relentless Forward Progress) CLOSED (Page 14)

I do use the Precors at the Gym. Will have to check out the Omron. doing a quick search they are not too expensive.

My resting HR is 52-54. I haven't checked a walking heart rate. Will have to see where I fall with that method.

Thanks.

I'm certain they've introduced you to my favorite drill for timing, the three-quarter catch up.

I also heard something that really helped me to get a good catch - imagine my hand reaching over a wall that comes within a foot of the surface from the bottom, placing my palm against the other side and pulling myself forward. The water actually started to feel solid.

The HR info here is good stuff. The fitter we become the lower our HR is doing the same task. Great measure of how we are improving. Testing every 4 to 6 weeks is a god idea. Just run the same course at the same pace and see what your average HR does. Or bike the same course. Watts on the bike are better for this because the conditions outdoors can change - wind etc. But you get an idea.

I read Freil's HR book some more last night. He said the reason we avoid zone 3 is because it is the zone where athletes always wind up if they aren't careful. We go too hard on easy days and not hard enough on hard days. In response, we don't get the adaptation we need or the recovery we need. Still, zone 3 won't always be avoided nor should it be. For example I did a workout on the trainer yesterday that was 4 X 15 mins step up every 5 mins from 75% to 85% to 95-100%. My HR was at the top of zone 3 at the start but soon slide upward into zone 4. Really good workout. 5 mins in between each set. My HR dropped to 110 or below within 2 minutes which they say is a good sign of fitness.

I'm running to but SLOW. Working on speed and hills. Blah. It will come. Galloway is likely on the half IM. Run a mile, walk through the water stop, run, walk like that. I'd like my hip to last for a few more years.

Tried Reiki for the arthritis for the first time. Interesting. Anyone ever try that? I keep an open mind.

The gang on the Big Bang kept hitting refresh because they were trying to buy tickets. It so reminded me of us trying to register for an IM on the computer. Just watch the first five minutes and you will understand.

Yes, volunteering at Chattanooga means I will be signing up for 2015.

What program does everyone use to enter your training schedule? I have been spoiled with my coach entering the workouts in Training Peaks and each morning an email is delivered with my workout so I was hoping I could make up my own schedule and have it sent to me however you have to have a premium account. I am looking for a program where I can enter my workouts for a few weeks at a time.

How did the 5k go?

I do all my running by HR. Keep my longer runs strictly in Zone 3 and hill/interval work I hit zone 4 and 5 during short intervals. I would not encourage everyone to try this as a lot of theories dont suggest Zone 3 work, but it is working well for me.

Finished 8.5 miles today at 8:10 per mile...all in Zone 3 in a fasted state. Finished strong and felt I could have gone much longer. Only time will tell if I get burnt out or start getting injuries. But, consistency and keeping to the 10 % rule is invaluable, IMO.

Looking forward,

Todd

Todd - I also do my long runs in zone 3. It works for me and I notice that I can just keep running. The only thing that I don't like is my pace. It tends to be much slower but that's OK for now. Great job on the 8.5 miles. I did 8.25 but at a much slower pace. All the ice on the roads slowed me down a bit.

Scott, I'm not familiar with the 3/4 catch up. I'll look it up. I'm interested in anything that will help with speed!

The 5k was not beautiful, but thanks for asking. I guess I have to appreciate that I took so much time off with my back, and still am not running much at all. Also, my coach pointed out that often, going from pure endurance to speed just 'isn't going to be pretty'

All in I think I was just under 33 (32:50) :-( oh well.

I prefer doing a very strict catch-up drill complete with a moment of gliding in the superman position. I believe drills must over emphasize whatever you're trying to correct in order to be effective. 3/4 catchup is pretty much how you should always swim. The full catchup drill teaches a few more things:

1) Stroke timing. Like any catch-up drill the primary purpose is to delay the catch & pull. This is very important because pulling early means you're doing bad things. Either you rotated, which puts your recovering shoulder in the water and creates tons of drag, you didn't rotate enough, which puts huge amounts of stress on your shoulder joint as you start the pull, or you're pulling across your body, which throws off your balance, wastes energy on sideways motion, and creates an ineffective "paddle" that misses lots of water.

2) Balance. The full catch-up drill forces you be laid out parallel and rotated on your side to breath. This is the hardest part of the drill for a beginner because it stops you from using your stroke to do bad things. Your leading arm should be pointed straight ahead and cannot be used to compensate for poor body position while your other arm recovers. This was a huge issue for me when I started swimming half a year ago. I would pump my leading arm to lift my head out of the water. It's terribly inefficient behavior. You waste energy pressing down, put stress on your shoulder, waste more energy kicking to compensate, and create extra drag.

3) A Strong and Efficient Pull. This drill slows down your stroke rate and lets you focus on the catch & pull. That pause after each recovery means you start the catch & pull when laid out like superman, facing the bottom of the pool, and probably not going very fast. You have to pull hard to maintain momentum. I like to make mine borderline violent :-) Grab the water and rip it back. This is a big part of the secret to a great catch. Drag goes up as a square of velocity. Double the speed at which your hand moves and you will catch 4 times more water.

4) Streamlining. The pause after recovery gives you a chance to focus on the feel of the water when streamlined. Watch the bottom of the pool and pay attention to how quickly you slow down. Try to find a way to maintain as much momentum as possible. Get your ankles together and point your toes back. Keep your head down and face the bottom. Get your biceps against the side of your head. Puff up your chest. Make it a game to see how few strokes it takes to get across the pool.

Well this turned into a book. Can you tell I love this drill? It hits so many things all at once. It's always part of my warm-up. I'm still very new to swimming like a swimmer so this is all fresh in my head.

Hi all!
Hope weekend training went well! Mine was solid on Saturday but I learned a major lesson on my Sunday long run: make sure you aren't out of body glide. Going without it for 12 miles then jumping in the pool for 2200yds... well let's just say I am happy today is my rest day. Other than that snafu I held strong for my first 3 weeks of training and now have a relatively easy week. My new bike got here last week! (Trek Speed Concept series 7!) so I scheduled a bike fit per suggestions, does anyone have any tips for minimizing costs? Alright, have a great Monday/week!

Helen

Nice job Helen!

I spent Superbowl Sunday with approximately 20 thousand other runners in Huntington Beach, Ca!! CRAY-ZAY! Heard there were approximately 11 thousand women and 8 thousand men running that morning, not to mention the 40 thousand spectators ( Not sure I believe there were that many observing but still, wow!)

2:07 and ITBS held at bay! Whoohooo!!! No pain. Sore today. But really happy with that run. Next up is Sprint Duathlon.

Nice job Helen!

I spent Superbowl Sunday with approximately 20 thousand other runners in Huntington Beach, Ca!! CRAY-ZAY! Heard there were approximately 11 thousand women and 8 thousand men running that morning, not to mention the 40 thousand spectators ( Not sure I believe there were that many observing but still, wow!)

2:07 and ITBS held at bay! Whoohooo!!! No pain. Sore today. But really happy with that run. Next up is Sprint Duathlon.

3/4 catch-up is much more like the swim stroke than the catch-up drill which overemphasizes the glide, which you're trying to avoid. Check swimsmooth.com. I'm sure they talk about it on a video clip somewhere. The pull starts when the recovering hand is about the cheek. The body's roll is the power from the hips, not the arms. A good exercise is to do 25 with 3/4,25 with swim. or 50/50. The key though is to think of the body powered by the roll, not the arms, which tires you out.

As for running in zone 3, no one said we can't. They just say it won't help adaptation and recovery as much as running in zone 2 and 4. They also say Zone 3 is where uncoached athletes gravitate. There are lots of testimonies out there that folks found Zones 2 and 4 far more productive than 3. 2 seemed too easy, 4 seemed too hard. But they were surprised when they tried it.



Edited by IceManScott 2014-02-04 6:41 AM

I ran with speed workouts last night. 10 minute dynamic warmup and 30 minutes from 10 mins/mile to 8:20/mile. Averaged about 9:15. Good stuff for me. Arthritis is manageable this morning.

Doing strengthX4/week even if it's only 15 mins. Kettlebells. Helping the hip, glutes, etc.

I did 4 X 15 minutes with 5 mins each 75, 85, 95-100% Saturday LTs on the bike for 90 total and 90 in zone 2 at IM and half IM pace on Sunday. I have to commit to a race soon so I can start with recovery weeks. But the early base phase is going well.

Swam with the coach Sunday. Slowly building endurance while working form. I am going to try to get to Masters next week. Tough with the snow storms (7 more today) and work at 7:30.

Have a great week.

Hi Folks, 2000m in the pool this am. Couple of questions:

1. After my swim I'm having some pain radiating from the base of my left thumb and into my wrist. Hurst especially when I rotate the wrist. Pretty sure it relates directly to something I'm doing in the pool because it subsides an hour or so after I'm finished. Any thoughts on this?

2. Has anyone here followed or used the total immersion stuff? What have you found most useful (cds, books etc.)? They're having a clinic in philly later this month. Cost os around $300 which seems steep but I'm considering it.

Thanks and have a great day.

Todd R.

Personnaly, I would avoid any Total Immersion lesson unless you are a very beginner. The TI stroke is not condusive to OWS nor speed and will develop an easy, relaxing glide stroke...not what I am looking for in my stroke. A whole lesson without referecne to improving pull and catch is counterproductive, IMO.

Just my cp,

Todd

KTC - I'm old school - I use an Excel spreadsheet! It simple and I don't have to work very hard to maintain it

I promised myself that I would be better this year at keeping up with everyone's posts...FAIL. Sorry all, I don't own a cell phone so I have to dedicate computer time which is very hard in my line of work (developing reports/queries/equations on the computer all day long). I can't stand to see my computer by the time I get home. I'll try to catch up with everyone soon but know that I'm still plugging away and you guys do motivate me!

Impossible to say without video but there use to be a school of thought folks wanted their thumb to enter the water first. Frowned on now due to shoulder troubles, etc. Haven't really heard about the thumb issue.

I have a TI video. I think someone in the group did TI clinic a few years ago. I think they sent the video around. Can't remember who. But I don't think the basics are a lot different from what USAT teaches but for open water, as was said. TI swears by their methods in OW too to reduce stroke count. I think good form is good form. Before spending money I usually try to list what I need and then rank the importance. Sometimes things just go by the wayside because they aren't that important considering other things I need.

KC did the Total immersion and is the guy to talk with. From what I remember he really liked it and found it useful.

Just checking in. Work picked up again but I was able to get my Trainer Road FTP test done this morning. Lasy hear for Racine 70.3 I was at. 238 FTP. Today I tested at 209. I was not that upset seeing as that thia year last time I was at 199 so it gives me he to kick some butt until 2/26 and then have a quick rwcovery and hopefully still salvage this season.

I had a scare on Saturday when my 2 yr. Old's fever spiked to 105 and he had a seizure in my arms. Never been so freaked/stressed in my life as I thought he had stopped breathing. He did this with my wife right before christmas when he had thw flud. Very scary but all is good now.

Gonna hit the pool tomorrow am if I can make it through the snow...

G'day Team,

Found a great article on nutrition for endurance - http://www.hammernutrition.com.au/info-centre/top-10-biggest-mistakes-endurance-athletes-make/

And another one on why sugar is bad for you - http://www.hammernutrition.com/knowledge/146-reasons-sugar-ruins-your-health.287.html

Also had my first run back yesterday, only 10 minutes but my achilles and calf held up like a champ. I finally feel like a triathlete in training once more now that I can do all three disciplines again. Ride and swim tomorrow, cannot wait.

Edited by kruzmeister 2014-02-05 1:35 AM