Funked Up Triathletes (Sprint, Olympic Focus) Group - Closed Until Next Season (Page 15)

I find it hard to find the time/focus/desire/whatever to train in a discipline I won't be using in my next event, so completely understand your struggle to get in your 2 bike days.  You might want to try a pattern where you jump on the bike right after your runs and do an easy 15-30 minute spin as your cool-down.  That'll serve both the purpose of letting the body slowly come down from the run exertion and will help keep the bike muscle memory in place.  Spend some time in aero if that's how you race to keep the back stretched out too.  Think of it not as bike training, but as a part of your HM training plan to stay healthy.  It's a bummer you have to put the bike plans on hold, but life does get in the way sometimes.  Fear not on the pricing, however, there will be dealers stuck with last year's models even into spring and summer (heck, I JUST got a 2012 version!), so you should be penalized financially for waiting.

John, great to hear the bilateral breathing has become a part of your arsenal!  I've decided to get back some swim fitness before I try to get the weak side breathing going.  I'm of two minds on it.  On one hand, if I get some fitness back I'll have more aerobic swim capacity and it won't be as drastic in terms of oxygen deprivation.  On the other hand, if I just do it from the beginning, it'll be something I HAVE to do, but I'm afraid it'll be such an effort I'll find excuses not to do it (like I already have).  Swimming is getting better.  Today I did 4x400 intervals at a pace of about 1:50/100.  The pace is a bit slower than what I was doing during the HIM training, but that comes as no surprise.  And I was able to do the whole workout without having to resort to paddles to baby the healing finger - so I view that as a good sign.

On drills I worry that because I don't know what I'm doing, and I can't actually see what I'm doing, that I'll be doing things wrong and ingrain bad habits.  That being said, even those less than perfect habits would likely be an improvement on what I'm doing by not doing them.  Hmmmm.  I'm going to give that more thought.  Another issue in this area is that I think I don't really know how to feel I'm making progress.  When I swim an interval of a certain length, I can compare it to previous intervals in terms of SPL, time, etc.  If I do a high elbow recovery set of drills, the improvement comes further down the line and likely gradually as the drills are repeated.  This is an issue with how I view things I guess, and I've got to figure out how to deal with it.  I did see a post where you recommend the teeter totter drill, can you give more detail on that?

On the plus side had a productive day today with a swim, run, two dog walks, smoked a batch of almonds, made up a batch of Peanut Butter Beast recovery bars and dehydrated 20 lbs. of apples!

I've struggled with balance, especially when I tire, so thanks for your advice and that link to Coach Robb.  I like his approach of stopping mid-lap when you feel your feet/hips sinking and do the pencil drill to get that lovin' feeling back.  I may get a chance to focus on this a bit more over the next week or so as I've managed to strain my left hammie.  Don't think it is too bad, but since it's off-season, I'm going to try and convince myself that it is OK to take extra rest time from the bike and run and let it heal.  It's a bit of a bummer though as I was feeling that I was making good progress in both areas. Yesterday was a 41 mile ride at an HR average of z2.1, only touching 3.0 for one brief second, and at an average speed of 20mph which is the best I've done on this particular training ride.   I'm not quite sure what brought it on as I've not been pushing it too hard on the workouts or stretching out the distances unreasonably.  Oh well, it is what it is and a wakeup call that I need to back off a bit.  Perhaps my 20-week winter plan will become a 19-week plan . . .

Injuries are a part of the game it seems, both traumatic and overuse.  In the past I've struggled mostly with the overuse, like you pushing through and sometimes getting away with it, sometimes not.  This year it has been a long list of non-overuse (broken toe, brain tumor, dislocated/broken finger, bruised heel, shingles) and only my current hamstring strain falling into the overuse category.  I find it interesting how much a part of my life, and me, my training has become - and the way it effects me when I have to back off.  Staying off the bike and off the running trail is hard to do, kind of like during a taper when you feel the energy bubbling up with no outlet.  Knowing it is the RIGHT thing to do doesn't seem to make it any easier.  Anybody have any tricks for dealing with this?