Shellback1998 2012 Group FULL (Page 15)

Just be careful with spin classes though. Don't get to hyped up with all the music and jumping around and in the 3rd position. and speed. You're cadence should be consistent 80-90 RPM. Make the class a workout and a purpose. Not just for a burn.  I personally would do spin class, but stick to my plan of riding for that particular day. I always stay in my HR Zone that my plan calls for. I just go to Spin class to break up the monotony of my bike rides.

Always keep an look out... Look at craigslist!

Very impressive.  My totals for January are as follows:

Very nice. Are your biking totals outside? I so wish some of mine were. Love my trainer and feel like I've made great gains on it but man I want to feel the wind again and not get off the bike wetter than master swim.

Keep up the good work.

Thanks.  All of my biking is inside on a trainer (probably until April or May).  I know what you mean about using the trainer. 

Nice job.  Hope the knee feels better soon.

I have looked up websites of bikes I read about and WOW who knew that A bike could cost upwards of 10 Grand!!!!  I am learning.  So, here I sit 2 weeks into training for my first Sprint and loving that I have a purpose and am learning 3 sports.

I also wonder how to figure out when/if I should get a different bike.  I am borrowing my mom's bike which I pick up next week.  I will post a picture and hope to get advice on what to do to make it comfortable for my first Triathlon in June.  

I am comfortable knowing that it isn't the most high tech and probably isn't optimal for this sport. What I am wondering is when you knew you would need a different bike to participate in Tris AND how you determined which bike to start with/what budget to plan.

Thank you for any information you care to share!

And I love reading what you all are posting about your totals, but must admit it seems a bit foreign right now. I know I will get used to the language and numbers, but right now I look at your posts and just see lots of jibberish.  When a number hits me (hundreds of miles ran), I realize how "small potatoes" I am in this sport.

I really am impressed with the abilities of people on our "team."  Congratulations for staying the course in your chosen sport!  Your efforts will pay off!!!

When you're committed to the sport and want to continue improving times, is when I suggest getting a new bike. It's always best to get a bike fitted to you. It will also prevent injury. But in the meentime, enjoy yourself and what the sport has to offer. Buying a bike is a big investment. 

Keep in mind, each one of your runs, bikes and swims will eventually add up to those numbers. The members posting, might just have more experience. Keep up the good work 

I've been posting my workouts to logs on this site since the last week of Feb last year. Go look at my logs and you'll see I wasn't doing the huge volume a year ago. If you're consistent and train in your zones to avoid injury it will happen for you as well. We all start out at the same point. It's up to you where you take it.

Just get your mom's bike fitted to you and they'll tell you if it you HAVE to have something else because it doesn't fit for some reason.  If you don't have to get something new and you're not rolling in money, I'd ride that bike for as long as your mom can do without it   Of course, this is all assuming that you're out there to compete and participate, not specifically to win....

As for totals for the month, mine started really low and that's why I'm still doing it.  If you start slow and make yourself happy doing it, you'll KEEP doing it until you're able to be happy doing more of it   Kudos to you for jumping in both feet with a smile on your face!

Are you talking about recovery? If so, Yes after races, You'll often find me with either compression socks or compression calf sleeves. If, after long runs or 70.3, I basically live in compression pants. I also take ice bath's and do a lot of recovery exercises, very very very easy bike etc

Depends, I don't usually icebath unless it's greater than 10 miles running. But I've heard 1 min per mile, I've heard at least 15 mins... Trust me, it's tough... The first couple of times I did it, I think I was in there maybe 10 mins and was cold... 

Make it as cold as you can.  I just start the tub, cold water... then I get accustomed to that, then I have 5 gallon bucket of ice next to me I just pour in when I"m already in the water. 

Also note that not everyone is training for the same distance race, some of us are training for Sprint Tris, others Olympic, 1/2 or Full Ironman.  Thus, our training totals will be different depending on what we are training for.

Yep no doubt. Last year I did three Olympics and my totals reflect that distance. This year doing 2 HIMs the volume is much greater. The larger point still is don't worry about what others are doing and just compete against yourself to improve a little every week. Then you look back and think wow I've come a long way. Short term it doesn't always feel that way and we get ourselves into over training.

Great advice guys!

swimming.  I really want to be able to breath on both sides but I always feel short of breath.  I can go HARD 50 yards while breathing on both sides but any more than that no way.  Even when I go super easy after a few laps I start needing to double up on one side and eventually I just give up all together.

Is this something that will just come in time or is this just the way my lungs are?  Are some people destined to never breath bilaterally?

Just need to build up the lung capacity, have you don't any hypoxic training

DropSquad-

I swam in high school and I know I have a favored side (right), but my coach threw kickboards at me if I only breathed on one side. That will break you of breathing one-sided [for the record those things are not very aerodynamic so it never hurt, it was just a reminder since I couldn't hear him yelling over the splashing]

One thing that helped me was realizing that I always prefer to turn my head to the right, like when I'm sleeping on my stomach or laying down to watch tv. Try consciously turning your head to the weak side when you're doing other activities. It will help stretch out those muscles and stay more relaxed when you do breathe on the weak side, which will let you take in more air.

First off you don't need to be able to swim bilaterally for a race. You just need to be able to breath on either side. If the course has all left hand turns you'll end up breathing to the left, right to the right so that you can spot properly. The only way you'll switch is going around a buoy or when passing/being passed. At that point you only need to breath bilaterally for one stroke.

Next there are drills to build up this capacity.

2 X (4X25 breath every 5, 4, 3 and two on each length) 5 seconds rest between lengths.

4X50 bilateral breathing ten seconds rest between laps.

When swimming in general you should go up breathing to your right and back going to your left, or vice versa. This way you develop swimming on both sides equally and on race day it won't be an issue.

I prefer breathing to my left. I'm just much more fluid to that direction. Given the choice I'll always breathe in that direction. My three Olympics last year the first was left hand turns, the second right hand turns and the third was a straight line where you could easily site in either direction. I swam the first and third almost exclusively breathing to the left. The second race I swam the first three-quarters almost all to the right. Once I hit the last buoy the shore was to the left and thus I went all to the left my preferred side.

Hope this helps.