Andrew Haberkorn's Group - FULL (Page 15)

I made it to the Masters Swim class/practice/gathering this morning.  I had spoken to the coach yesterday briefly, so it was nice to have her recognize me (as the new guy) when I showed up. 

Turns out there were 4 coaches there today (usually only 3 - but one of the PM coaches dropped in).  Also, this Masters swim group has only been together for 2 weeks now, although many of the swimmers have been meeting together informally for several years. 

I gave the coaches a very brief update on my swim skills (hard to use the word skill when describing my swimming prowess), which mainly consisted of no organized swim training in 30 years.  I've done three tri's in a pool, so I was able to give her my 300m times.  (2009=6:38, 2010 = 7:03 & 6:08). 

We did LOTs of drills, most of which were completely new to me, but we were in the water for the full 1.5 scheduled hours.  I shared my lane with two other swimmers, who both had to leave 1/2 way through the session, thus pretty much leaving me lots of one-on-one time with the coach.

Sorry to ramble on, but I had a great time and can't wait to make it back for the next session.  Dissapointed that my schedule means I'll have to wait until next week before I can return.

My tapers follow the general guideline you've laid out - less milage/yardage/etc., more intensity.  That being said, it is important to keep yourself in check.  It is normal to start feeling really energized and strong (oddly enough, it's normal to feel like crap too! ha), it is your job to make sure you keep the intensity at a level where you are just fine tuning and NOT getting your best performance in practice.  I love the phrase "The hay is in the barn" for the week(s) leading into a race.  At this point, you aren't going to gain much, if anything, but you sure can mess it up if you aren't smart. 

Assuming your body is used to the intense workouts, the above plan sounds solid.  Just don't try to do something new that might cause you to be sore, push yourself too hard, etc.

 
 

You are a stronger man than I!  Nice work! 

Way to be smart about this.  No need to push and potentially make the ITBS worse before the race.  Much easier said, than done.  

Have you tried rollers and the trainer?  I've never jumped on rollers, but I want to check them out.  Do you have a preference?   

 

First, congrats on the weightloss.  It is REALLY hard to stay disciplined in the winter.  Don't worry about the doughnut slip - you have to do that every once in awhile or you will go CRAZY!  My personal belief is if you don't gain weight in the winter, you've done a great job.

Regarding the wheel...while it's true a wheel will wear down quicker on the trainer than the road, you don't need to swap tires.  If you have two different rear wheels (and cassettes), then it might be worth it to use one for the trainer exclusively since it's an easy swap.  Personally, I use my standard rear wheel/tire on the trainer and when I ride outside.  I just pay close attention to the tire and make sure I'm not riding it when it is completely bald/worn out.  It isn't worth changing the tire every time I ride inside/out.

Make sure you climb back slowly on the running.  Better to take your time now than to push too early and end up with the injury sticking around all season.   

 

I have really laid off of the running for the past week. I let my structured training plan slide to the side and just picked up a few miles here and there.

Today at lunch I did a 6 mile practice run at M (marathon) pace (6:50). It was cold and windy and started out rough (no pain though). But then I got in my groove. I had a great 6 mile run.

6 miles @ 6:45 -
1. 6:50
2. 6:53
3. 6:47
4. 6:39
5. 6:39
6. 6:37
MORE IMPORTANT - NO PAIN !!!

Also, I have rollers and a trainer. To me they have very different purposes. I am not 'real' comfortable on the rollers so I am not able to perform hard structured workouts. On top of that I am not able to zone out either. I get done and I am mentally exhausted. However, I do think they are excellent for building bike handling skills - I have a long way to go.

The trainer on the other hand - it is all structured and hard. No easy minutes.

Hey guys/gals!  

I'm happy to report that my partnership with Xterra Wetsuits is official as of yesterday!  I'm really excited to be able to wear and represent a brand I believe in during my first year as a professional (in addition to the brands I've already started partnerships with).

Now, my reasoning for giving you this update is not to toot my own horn - trust me, I wouldn't put you through that.  I only tell you this because with this partnership, I am able to offer family and friends a discount on Xterra products (it is slightly better than the BT code offered).  I know a handful of you are/will be looking at new wetsuits, and I'd be happy to help you out if you decide Xterra is the best fit for you.  There is absolutely no pressure, and I would prefer you go with the suit you are most comfortable with - Xterra or not.

If you're interested, let me know and I'd be happy to help (now or anytime throughout the year).

Drew 

Thanks for your thoughts on the trainer/rollers.  More importantly, congrats on the pain-free run!  If the leg holds up in cold/crap weather, you are likely doing whatever you need to keep it ready for race day.  My ITBS used to be a lot worse on cold days. 

Drew - congrats on the XTerra partnership - I just received a wetsuit as a gift this Christmas (sleeveless   Also, I think everyone should toot their own horn...errr, that is...pat themselves on the back in public. I seriously think it's good for everyone involved. You're extraordinary and we want to hear about it. 

On this train of thought...check it out! I'm in the promotional video! Just a few secs after the guy chomping a turkey leg, I'm one of the "bunnies" in the mud !!

http://warriordash.com/

I prefer the rollers to the trainer. No setup needed and it feels much closer to riding on the road. It take some get used to. I would highly recommend them.

Hey everyone,
I haven't posted in a really really long time.  I couldn't keep up with the thread so I just disappeared from it.  Anyway, I'm going to try and start again, plus I'm losing interest in the main forum.  Seems to be getting too nasty in there for my taste.

Anyway, I'm back on the horse after missing a week of training from being sick. Tried to come back too soon and wound up worse, so i just took the rest of the week off. That was last week.  Started up again monday and have been going solid.  Have done 2 a day's all week, and after today I can't wait for my day off tomorrow.  I hope i'm not doing too much, to the point of burnout.  But I'm enjoying myself so far, except for running.  Living in asheville the running is just brutal.  There is no break from the hills(mountains).  Course the trainer is kicking my butt too.  Swimming is going great, as usual.  Never been a swimmer, but it just seems to come natural to me. 
 
Anyway, thought I'd finally chime in so you knew I was still around.

Welcome back, RookieIM.  Let me catch you up on what you've missed...everyone here is a badass.  That's really it.

I can't really comment on whether you are "doing too much" with your two-a-days as I'm not familiar with how you were training before you got sick, but it's always best to ease back into things.  IM Arizona is a LONG way away, so you don't want to do too much, too soon.  If you're having fun and your body is handling it okay, keep pluggin' away.

Don't be a stranger.

Drew 

Drew - Congratulations on your deal with Xterra!  That's truly awesome.  Are we going to see you in Xterra ads in Triathlete magazine?  It sounds like things are really coming together for you.  I hope you kick some major butt this season.  Oh, and if any of your sponsors are looking for BOP age grouper type representation, send them my way.

I took Tuesday and Wednesday off.  We were pretty much snowed in and I've been running like a mad man lately so I didn't feel guilty.  I got a run in this evening and I plan on running and swimming tomorrow after work.  My brother found a 4 mile race near us on Saturday morning.  I'm pretty stoked about that.  I love races.  I'm not competitive (in the sense that I'm going to win anything) but I really like running with other people and collecting t-shirts.  My goal for Saturday's race is just to have fun and run strong.  I'm not too concerned about the time.

Tonight I bought a USAT membership and registered for a couple races.  Here's what I have lined up for 2011:
2/27 - Hyannis 10K (registered)
3/19 - Holyoke St. Patrick's Day 10K (need to register)
4/17 - Wrentham Duathlon (registered)
5/8 - Sudbury Spring Sprint Triathlon (registered)
6/12 - Westfield Wave Sprint Triathlon (need to register)
6/25 - Whately Police Sprint Triathlon (need to register)
8/7 - Greenfield Sprint Triathlon (need to register)

I'm sure I'll end up doing some 5 & 10K road races along the way too.  I was planning on registering for everything tonight but the USAT membership, 1 duathlon, and 1 triathlon added up to more than I was expecting.  Triathlon is an expensive sport.  It ranks right up there with skiing.  Yikes.

Welcome back RookieIM.  I love reading everyone's updates.  You guys are really rocking and rolling.  It sounds like we have quite a few strong swimmers in this group.  It reminds me that I need to hit the pool more often.

 
 

Hey Andrew, thanks.  I'm actually training for an olympic in may right now. I did it for the first time last year and was very unhappy with how I did.  It was also the first olympic I'd ever done, so I didn't know what to expect, so I really want to improve this year. 
Over the past couple months I haven't really been training consistently due to a marriage and a move.  So I've really jumped back in. But after a week I feel good. Tired as hell, but my body feels fine.  Amazingly, this is the first week I've run outdoors in a long time, and I ran tues, wed, and yesterday, and my runs improved every day...tues I ran 3.2 miles in 36 minutes, then the same route, with some add ons, yesterday I ran 4.4 miles in 42 minutes.  So I saw a huge improvement, so that was exciting. 

Hey Drew-

Congrats on the XTerra sponsorship, that's great! It's always nice to get some help and recognition for your hard work.

I have a training question for you. Are you familiar with reverse periodization? I have been following a Lydiard-style training schedule, with mostly LSD work working up towards more speed work as the even draws closer. My friend (who is also a coach) told me he has started a reverse periodization schedule with some his athletes for the running portion. He said the benefits are that the speed carries through the season and it leaves additional energy to work the bike harder as races approach.

I'm thinking about trying that schedule and see how it works for me this year. What are your thoughts?

Thanks-
Tim

I joined up with an "Advanced Adult Swim Lessons" group last night. I guess the folks (about five of them) had already had 3 or so lessons and I joined in for last night and 2 to 3 additional lessons. The total cost will only be 15 bucks for me!  I really learned how to glide in my stroke last night.  I had a hard time letting go of "well, if I'm not working hard then I'm not trying hard.." until the instructor retorted, "Keep trying hard then..you won't go as fast, but it's up to you."

 I saw her point.  I was flying! I don't know how fast I was going, but when I measured myself against an innocent lap swimmer after the session, I noticed that I passed him like nothing when I was gliding and that I hung at his pace with 2X the effort when not gliding.

Next week, the rest of the students are going to work on flip turns and various strokes. Since I've got those down, I asked her if I could continue to work on and assimilate the glide into my silly brain.  She said yes, and I'm hoping the rest of the class doesn't think I'm a show-off because I was a lot faster than the others.  My thought is that in spring track practice I know I'll be BOP so, for swimming I get to be FOP

Thanks for the kind words.  In all honesty, being fast is actually quite far down on the list of reasons why companies sponsor athletes.  It's all about what you can do for the brand.  The key is putting together your thoughts in a unique, smart way.  FOP/MOP/BOP doesn't matter if you have what they are looking for.  I'll let them know you're interested though!

Let us know how the race goes this weekend!  You have the right mindset of having fun first - the second this stops being fun, I'm done!  It's actually been so long since I've raced, I'm wondering if I forgot how to do it!

Your schedule looks solid, and yes, this is not the cheapest sport.  With race fees, equipment, etc. the bank account definitely takes a hit.

Good luck this weekend! 

That's great that you're seeing improvements on your run!  As you hinted at, consistency is key, so expect to continue to make gains if you keep at it.  Just remember to back off every once in awhile so your body will let you continue to improve.  I stick with a 3 week build, 1 week recover for the most part.  2 week build/1 week recover works for others.

Thanks.  Your question is an interesting one.  If I'm being honest, I'm not familiar with reverse periodization.  From your post, it sounds like he is having his athletes do speed work earlier in their training cycle and then moving to more endurance work as they go on?  Is that accurate?  I'd be interested to hear the thought process behind it.

My initial reaction is one of "oh, well that could cause XYZ problems," but I also can think of some instances where it might make sense (i.e. training seasoned veterans who already have a solid base under their belt).

Let me know if you can.  I'm always eager to learn.  For the record, I follow a plan that is similar to yours. 

That's GREAT!  It sounds like you had one of those amazing breakthroughs that make swimming "click" in your mind (or at least get you started down that path).  Definitely continue to take advantage of the instructor as it sounds like she is giving you solid advice.  If possible, you should see if she can video tape your stroke so you can watch - it's funny/useful as you will feel like you're doing one thing, but actually doing something completely different.

The toughest part is being disciplined enough to continue with the change.  Muscle memory is a funny thing, and it is so easy to slip back into your "bad habits."  Take the time to get used to the stroke before you try to push yourself too hard.  You are much more likely to go back to your old stroke when tired (since you are thinking about not dying, vs. your stroke).  I say this, being the most guilty of it out of everyone here.

alright, my final workout is in the bag, I'm packing to head out the door in about an hour.  Spending the weekend with family celebrating Grampy's 102nd birthday tomorrow!!   He still lives on his own, and drives.  Amazing, wish he was on my side of the family...

Sunday is the duathlon, I'm real excited about it.  I'll report back on Monday!
david.

Ok, was hectic day, work was crazy and I got no training in! Was planning on sleeping in a bit and doing afternoon run, never happened. I plan on swim and bike tomorrow and hopefully hit the masters swim group on Monday. I also plan on trying if weather permits to get on the road. Got a bike now and ready to roll!

My race this morning was a smashing success.  4 miles in 38:40 (by my watch) for an average of 9:40 per mile.  I was hoping to average about 10 minutes per mile so I'm really pleased with my time.  The course was chocked full of hills and in the past, hills have completely killed me.  They still took a lot out of me but I just told myself to keep going.  Grace was at the finish line cheering me on.  I was totally surprised.  I didn't recognize her at first and thought she was just another adoring fan 

I'm super stoked to be able to see the results of my training.  I'm feeling like a champ.  Life is good. 

Good luck in your duathlon!  I can't wait to hear how it goes.