Destination MoP is FULL (of motivation!) (Page 15)

Hey everyone, hope you all are enjoying a wonderful weekend and none of your read this until Tuesday.

One of the things that I realized today was how much my weight plays a role in my running. I would really be doing myself a favor if I could drop the extra weight. I am constantly comparing performances from last year when I was 10lbs lighter and I'm getting discouraged. 

So with a weekend full of family and food, I'm planning to get lots of exercise and watch my food intake very carefully, and wash it down with a G2 cocktail. :-) Great weekend to commit to healthier eating. My garden now has ample supply of baby spinach and green lettuce, all the better to make salads with. 

I have a long bike planned for tomorrow 56 miles to my parents house for the weekend festivities. I'm hoping not to have "practice" tire changing during that ride, but should the event arise I will be prepared. 

Water temperatures will dictate if I get my first OWS Sunday or Monday. 

Thanks.  I had a chat to the swim coach at the tri club session today and he worked out my strokes per minute (it's currently 50, which is apparently really slow...).  He's told me that I have a really long stroke already, so what I need to do is start at about 48, and do 2x50m at that to get used to swimming with the beep.  Then to increase the cadence one at a time for 2x50m until I find my time for 50m gets worse (or plateau's).  At that point I reduce it to the highest number that was still showing an improvement on time and swim at that cadence for a month.  Then do the whole thing again.  As you say, this is going to take some time to show an improvement, but what I really don't want to do is mess up the lovely technique that's taken me 6 months to develop!

Stu, thanks for the links to the articles.  I've been avidly reading any new articles that come up.  I found the video really helpful, and have had several sessions working on getting my stroke as long as possible.  The problem I've had is that I can get down to 14 strokes per 25m length (which is at the bottom of the range for my height), but I never seem to be able to reduce the time.  The coach suggested the wetronome as a way to train myself to move my arms faster.  I'm a very lazy swimmer!

Cadence training is most commonly used in cycling, for which you can get bike computers that incorporate cadence monitors etc.  My understanding is that a cycling cadence of around 90 strokes per minute is considered to be optimal.  I have to admit that cycling is the only discipline I don't use it for, so don't know so much about it, although I'm thinking about trying out the wetronome on the bike to see if it helps.

I started running to music in about February after I saw a link to audiofuel on the london marathon website.  I downloaded a free sample and tried it on my short run and immediately improved my 2 mile time by about 3 minutes.  So then I downloaded their long run tracks and have been using them ever since.  They are music that has a specific number of beats per minute which you run in time with.  On the ones I listen to there are also little running tips and motivational stuff aimed to help with marathon training.  They do different speeds which are aimed at people with different levels of running experience etc.  I started with the medium intensity one, but it's starting to feel slow now, and I've already downloaded the first hour of the high intensity one, which I'm going to gradually change over to.

For swimming, as I said in my previous post, cadence training has been suggested to me because I'm a lazy swimmer, and at the moment if I try to increase my stroke speed my technique goes out of the window.  So the idea is to increase the tempo very slowly so that I maintain technique while also training my body to move faster.

The best thing about it for all disciplines is that it allows you to train at a steady rate without having to concentrate on it (once you get used to moving in time with the music/beep you just do it without having to think much), and you can think about other aspects of what you're doing.

I hope that's a reasonable explanation.  If anyone disagrees with anything I've said please say so!

Check to see if your arms are relaxed while you bike with elbows bent.  There should be very little weight on your hands.  I problem that I have, especially when I get more tired on the bike is that my arms tend to support my upper body weight rather than keeping the weight back on the seat.  If your arms are relaxed, it is also much easier to move them around a bit.  See if that helps some.  Your hands may also just be getting used to riding a bunch.  Gloves can help some too.

56 miles... AWESOME!  Same as HIM :-)

Quite right about the weight.  It's great b/c losing weight (to get to a healthy weight for you) is a win win win... it lowers all kinds of health risks (including the impact on joints, etc.), it improves your running performance, and you can train more (faster and longer).  Here's a cool little calculator that will estimate your improvement in run time all things being equal, but with different weights. 

Calculate Time improvement with weight loss

I moved from Clydesdales last year to age group this year.  Huge difference in run speeds relative to the bike and swim.  I used to be just a tad weaker in run vs. the other disciplines in the Clydesdales... in age group... it is a glaring weakness :-)

Another resource on weight and nuitrition that I found pretty good was Matt Fitzgerald's book, "Racing Weight".  Here's a link to it on Amazon.  It's a little too intense for me, but as usual, was able to glean some helpful advice.

Racing Weight

I did a nice 24 mile bike today.  Lost 4 lbs of water weight.  Looks like we're in for a week of 90s here.  Not my idea of good training weather.  Hope to get out early tomorrow for a 4-6 mile run... just doesn't seem right on the long weekend ;-)

Hope everyone has a good Memorial Day weekend. 

Stu

I can't speak from experience, but my husband has had great success with Nike minimalist shoes.  They're not barefoot shoes, but they have very little (almost no) cushion on the heel, so as he puts it, he gets "instant feedback" if he stops with midfoot or forefoot striking.  They may be worth trying out if you want to try something in between.  Apparently, a bunch of people on his forum use them.

Here's one more music link to add to the "mix".

jog.fm

Sometimes the internet just amazes me :-)  One of those "duh, of course they'd have sites for this" moments.  Thanks for the links!

How often is everyone running with music?  Just wondering because I used to listen to it all of the time and I kinda miss having it.

I rarely listen to music when I run because I worry about how hard it is to run without it; but I am attempting the tempo running later this week.

Hi all,

I completed my first OWS this weekend off the beach of NC.  I didn't have much to sight on other than stay to the left the breaking waves (I did take one in the face at one point).  Water temp was about 75 so no wetsuit needed.  Everything went pretty well on the swim.

Also completed 2 bike rides on some very flat back country roads (< 10 cars in the hour ride) over the vacation weekend.  Much different than the rolling hills/traffic that I am used to.

One issue on the weekend, seems that my bike (while on the car roof rack) hit a bird on the drive home.  No damage but was a bit of a mess.

how was everyone's weekend?

-Steve

When I started running, I always listened to it but knew I'd have to give it up for races. Then, one day when my iPOD wasn't charged & I was dreading my run (b/c of the lack of music), I discovered I ran much faster without it.  (Kind of like when I dreaded running outside, hated it at first & then grew to prefer it over the treadmill).  It's pretty rare for me to run with music now, though I definitely want to look into some of those cadence training items people have posted.  I do tend to count my steps & then start over when I get to 100 [I read about that taking your mind off the pain, but I find it's just something for me to focus on].  On the treadmill yesterday, I was finding that I usually do in the 130-140/min range, so I'll be interested to see where I should be and work to get there.

Just to underscore the importance of hydration for the group, I did a little experiment this morning.  I weighed myself before and after my morning run.  As it turned out, I lost 5.2 lbs of water on the run in a little over an hour.  That's over a 1/2 gallon of water.  That number surprised me... I was expecting a couple of lbs, but not 5, even on a warm morning. So, if you're going out for over an hour in this heat, be prepared.  In fact, you might even try that experiment to see how much water you lose on a run / bike.  And again, hydration is not just a drink some water after you're done running thing to do, but a drink more water all the time during training season.

This public service announcement is now complete... thank you for listening :-)

I never listen on the bike (outside), and only on runs in one particular neighborhood where I don't have to worry about traffic and dogs.  So that's mainly about safety.  On the treadmill though, it is a lifesaver.  I really should say I used to listen to music... unfortunately about 2 months ago I forgot to take my mp3 player out of my pocket when I washed my shorts... ooops :-)  It definitely helps keep me going on the long runs.

I run with music all the time.  Some races allow music - so I do run with my iPod.  Other races don't.  I haven't found the transition from music to no music bad.  My legs are so used to going at a certain cadence now that no music is ok.

I run with music set at 180 beats per minute for most runs.  When I started out I was at 170 beats per minute and had to take pretty small strides to keep this up.  Over time, my cadence, speed and stride length have increased.  My speed work is set at 182 bpm or higher.  

I do all my long runs with music.  My medium runs usually have music, but at a slightly higher cadence (it's about 155-165bpm for long runs and 165-175 for shorter runs).  I do one session a week at the track where we do intervals and I don't listen to music.  And I never race with music (none of them allow it).  So a bit of a mix.

Thanks for the reminder on keeping elbows bent.  I was very conscious of this yesterday and my hands did not get numb.  Now to work on that core strength to ride that way all the time! 

May Goals Recap

My focus is on preparation for the Washington DC Tri (Olympic) on June 19^th.  1^st goal = finish, 2^nd goal = faster than Nation’s Tri last year, 3^rd goal = 2:50:00.  Feel good about upcoming race.  Feel prepared for the swim.  Think I am stronger cyclist than last year.  Run might be an issue if achilles and calf flare up again between now and the 19th.

Swim goal:  2 x week with at least one workout equaling 1,600 yards.  Work on extending my swim sets to sets of 300 yards rather than 100 yards each.  Did get in swims 2 x week but only extended sets to 200 yards.

Bike goal:  (1) Commute to work except on days with doctor’s appointments or nasty weather.  (2) Make two segments of commute each week a ‘workout’ commute.  Sprint between stop signs to extent possible given other bike traffic and pedestrians along bike trail portion.  Note: I don’t work hard on my commutes in general unless it’s windy since I like to enjoy this part of the day in a reflective manner.  (3) Get in long weekend rides each weekend.  (1) Commuted to work by bike whenever I could.  (2) Sporadic on the 'workout' commute.  (3)  Two long weekend rides.

Run goal: Focus on speed 2 x week and long 1 x week.  Able to focus on speed early in the month.  Long runs fell by the wayside.  Had calf and achilles issues.

Nutrition:  Eat something with high nutrional value before leaving work on bike commute day so I don’t raid the refridgerator before dinner.  Continue morning routine of lemon juice w/ warm water & daily routine of cran-water.  Be alert when eating empty calories.  Keep spaghetti night to 2 times this month.  Try drink, iskiate, as described in Born to Run.  Use coconut oil in next batch of morning glory muffins.  Mid-month had complete breakout with respect to nutrition.  No spaghetti (amazing!).  Having iskiate once a day pretty much.  Used coconut oil in banana bread.

General:  Be flexible with daily planned workouts.  Be prepared to shift workouts around during the week if needed.  Continue to do yoga for runners routine (20 minutes) every evening.  Fell off the yoga bandwagon - need to start this again.

Thanks Melanie!  I was just about to post that we've wrapped up another month... how did everyone do on May goals?  What are your goals for June? 

Stu

May Goals Recap

1. Prepare for first Triatlon on 9/17.  I feel that I'm on track, swim and bike are doing very well, run needs work.

2. Complete training as per plan.  Completed 40 of 41 training sessions for May.  The only one I missed was due to pool closure.

3. 1 OWS.  Completed 1 OWS (1/2 mile) off the coast of Holden Beach, NC.

Milestone Goals Met in May:

A. complete > 800 yard swim with < 2min/100 yard pace.  Met with my OWS on 5/29 (880 yards with 1:59/100).  note: I did have a slight tail current, but I'm taking it.

May Metrics:

Completed 152 miles of training.  Wow!  If you told me that i would complete that much milage in my first month of training I would have said you're crazy.  OK I'm ready for June, lets do it!

-Steve

3-4 days of running / wk (T/W/F/Sun)-YES
7 days of swimming / month (T/F)-NO=5
2-3 days of cycling / wk (M/Th)-NO

2 x per week exercise class-YES
get below 195lbs-close, saw it before shower, but re-weigh after is above???

June Goals

Wash DC Tri June 19th.  1st goal = finish, 2nd goal = faster than last year's Nation's Tri, 3rd goal = 2:50

 Help daughter train for Iron Girl Columbia.  Swim 1 x week, Run 1 x week, Bike 1 x week.  20-30 minutes each session.

Stu

Great point on hydration.  If hydration and nutrition are not correct you can kiss any type of 2+ hour event goodbye.  I experimented last year quite a bit and tracked my SWEAT RATE (EXTREMELY IMPORTANT).  I did this several times.  You can track sweat rate by doing exactly what Stu stated.  Weight yourself before and after a workout.  You take this figure typically in ounces or pounds and subtract what you consumed during the workout.  This is your sweat rate.  When you know your sweat rate you can begin to replace a portion of what you loose.  YOU CAN ONLY REPLACE A PORTION.  NEVER ATTEMPT TO REPLACE ALL THAT YOU LOOSE OR YOU CAN GET INTO TROUBLE REAL QUICK BY OVER-HYDRATING ALSO.  I did this in various temperatures and conditions to ensure I had it locked in.  It saved me on my first HIM.  I bonked a few times in the middle of the summer doing only 1 - 2 hour workouts in 90 - 95 degree heat.  I did not hydrate enough but was able to complete a HIM in almost 7 hours by planning out my hydration and nutrition. 

There are a few great articles on the site about hydration, sweat rate etc.

Hope everyone is doing well.

tom