Jackjack's group - closed (Page 16)

 

Ladies, an FYI,

Jackie got more than hardware.  She won the race.  Top female finisher! 

Edited by Ridgelake 2009-06-08 4:39 PM

Wow! That's awesome!! I didn't understand what "hardware" meant- now I get it! Great job Jackie!!

Heidi
Sorry, you should have asked!  That's what I'm here for.  Hardware means a place - like an age group place as well as overall place.  Most tri's have little plaques or something for top 3 in each female and male age group.  This is what people refer to as "hardware".  Usually the age groups are 5yr gaps but depends on the race.  Occasionally it goes further than 3 places too, for the bigger races.

Dee -- congrats on the tri, glad the water ended up being a nonissue.  The possibility of such conditions would have been taxing enough for me!

Jackie -- WTG girl!  smoke 'em!

Thanks all for the cheers.  I have a race report done: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=163158
Today I'm all sore - mostly my arms and shoulders - I guess I used them gripping the bike as I tackled the dirt and hills.  I'm hoping that's all it is -- not a injury from swimming rearing its head.  I swam this AM, letting my legs get a rest.  Tomorrow I'm planning to be off hiking - with my 2&4 year olds and another 4yo and his mom - so nothing too strenuous!   Probably soem creek play and playground time.

-Cynthia

Wow Jackie that's awesome!

Cynthia - I'm back on for June 20th.  I've tutored some to earn the money for the entry fee, and I got my butt out on my bike - all I have to do now is convince my parents to let me have the car for the morning.    Hopefully that won't be too challenging.  I'm really excited!!!

Good morning Ladies!

What's every one got planned for today?

I'm scheduled for a long swim-but tuesday at the pool is the worst day of the week. The entire evening is filled up with water aerobics and synchronized swim-it leaves 2 lap lanes for the entire night. I try to avoid it.

So, my plan is to either hit the treadmill (it's raining hard here all day), or get to the pool and get out before 4pm. Not easy to do with work. I'll have to rearrange some things.

I did get out on my new bike yesterday, for the second time! I love having a road bike. It's so much faster than my Coda!

Good morning!

I took my mountain bike out for 2 hours this morning and will hit the pool tonight for 45ish minutes.

Which gym do you belong to that you have problems getting a lap lane? Sounds like the Y. I had to quit the Y because it was making me crazy and join a gym that actually had lap lanes available. I am at 24 hour Fitness and there only 2 hours all week long that the pool is used for water aerobics, so I am almost guaranteed a lap lane.

Have a great day everyone!
Tomorrow morning I'm going out for my "key run" workout of the week- 70 minutes. I hope I get to bed early tonight so I can wake up and eat before that run.

Dee

Dee- It is the Y. Usually they are great at having enough lap lanes. It's an 8 lane pool, and there are generally at least 4 reserved for laps. Tuesday night and Saturday  afternoons are the two exceptions to that.

Morning Ladies

How is everyone getting on with their training.  I took Monday off after the race and yesterday went for a short run with the dog and then swimming in the evening. It felt good to be back in the pool.  This masters group I am in now does so much more than just freestyle (which my old masters group tended to focus on) and whilst it's not directly relevant to triathlons (where most of us do freestyle) it has made me feel much more of a "swimmer".  It feels great to be able to swim all 4 strokes confidently.  This time last year there is no way I could have done a 400 IM and whilst we don't do them often at masters I wouldn't back away now.
So, if any of you are looking to improving swimming I highly recommend a masters group.  And if you have a choice there is bound to be one to fit you.  I know some people feel intimidated but they cater for a wide range of swimming abilities and "masters" really just means "adult".    Rachel seems to have found a good one too!


I spent some good time (far too long!) planning out the rest of my season and doing a training plan for myself.  Got the bones of it and now need to just insert the detail.  I'm actually going to base it on one of the du plans from this site and just add in my swimming.

So where is everyone?  It is kind of quiet around here (with a few exceptions).  Let us know how you are getting on.  Have you fallen off the training wagon?  Just come and tell us and let us help inspire you and motivate you to get back on.  CONSISTENCY is so key to this sport.    If you think you haven't got time to do your 40min (or whatever) workout just get out there and do 10-20.  It all helps build up.

Hope to hear from you all soon.
Jackie

Good morning
I woke up with the roosters at 5:00 am and ran 7.75 miles.
Really... I heard a flock ? of roosters along the trail from some house across the creek.
Lots of birds and wildflowers in bloom this morning, along with a cool overcast sky. Perfect for a long run!
I ran out the first 2 miles with a group, then I split off and kept running - I turned on my ipod and just ran. I felt really good, especially the last few miles. I had the usual breaks so my dog could say hi to 4 other dogs and jump in the lake on the way back.

So my friend and I are going to switch races in September.. we have teamed up and will race the 24 hours of triathlon relay as a 2-person team. So that has changed my overall training focus more towards endurance, which I enjoy. This will be a good test to see if I want to train for a (gulp) full IM next year.
I am doing a 3 week on: 1 week off cycle of training.
So for 3 weeks I increase my time by no more than 10%, really focusing on my long workouts in each sport. Then I take 1 week and drastically decrease my time by up to 50%.
It follows the same principles of training like I would do for a longer endurance running event like a marathon, except you apply it to all 3 sports at the same time.
I am working out some details and trying to spread out my long workouts so I avoid the whole "weekend warrior" thing.

The 3:1 cycle fits perfectly with my next race. I can work for 3 weeks, then do a 2 week taper for the olympic race on July 12th. This is a big race mentally for me. I bonked hard on the run last year due to the heat.

Have a wonderful day! My oldest has tennis practice this morning then we are going to build a monster fort in the house since it will probably be raining. Pizza lunch in the fort !!!!

First:  I just registered for my first triathlon!  June 20th! 

Second:  Dee - when you say 3 wk on, 1 wk off cycle training, what does that mean?  do you just not cycle at all the fourth week?  or is it an easy week?

Third:  I am planning on a swim today, a 5 mile run tomorrow, another 4 mile run on Saturday and a really mini tri on Sunday to figure out what it feels like to get on a bike wet, and really get into a running rhythm coming off the bike.  .... Then what should be the plan next week?  Normally I would do a run on Tuesday and thursday, a swim on wednesday.... and some kind of weights and yoga and hiking on monday and friday.  Can i just stick to that?

Fourth:  Who has random advice for the first timer? 

Thx... I hope everyone has a great day. 

Dee- Pizza lunch in a fort sounds like great fun!! And, great job on the early morning run!!

Diana- I have no general advise. But I'm curious to hear what others have to say.

Di,   When Dee said cycle I don't think she meant as in bicycle.  She meant a general training cycle/ round which is build up (in her case endurance by about 10%) for 3 weeks, then back off for a week (so in total a 4 week cycle).    This is common in triathlon training where you go for 3 weeks of training (often getting harder/longer each week) and then a recovery week where you decrease your training load significantly.

congratulations on your first tri - yikes 2 weeks that's really jumping in to it!  You'll do fine and if your aim is just to finish I wouldn't worry too much about adjusting your training/ tapering.  However general advice - I wouldn't do weights in the couple of days (or more) before the race. 
For a Sat race I would take Thurs completely off, and do a short cycle and run on the Friday to check all feels OK, bike ready with a couple of faster bursts to make sure my muscles are firing well.  Yoga, hiking all good.  Before Thursday just stick to your normal plan -although you don't mention biking.  I'd get out on the bike sometime that week too.

I'll add any first timer tips when I've had a think and let everybody else give their advice.

http://208.177.25.18/0/47449/196/47449-196-006f.jpg

I'm the muddy one.
on the left.

1st- Yippee!!  now we'll have to figure out how to meet up!

2nd- I think Jackie has got you answered though I'll add, often week 1&4 are the same workouts.  week 2 is 10% more than week 1, week 3 is 10% more than week 2, and the repeated workouts of week 4 allow you to see some improvement as compared to week 1, as well as give your body a small rest.  Week 5 is then continues as 10% more than week 3, week 6 10% more than 5... shower, rinse, repeat.  Hopefully one of our explanations makes sense!

3rd- I'd curtail your Thurs/Fri workouts somewhat, you want to have fresh legs on Saturday so make your workouts lighter.

4th-  if you wear socks while racing, put them on while setting up transition.  Then ROLL them off and place left sock in left shoe, right in right.  You'll find that rolling socks ON to your wet feet is easy.  Pulling socks onto wet feet is a means to improve your cursing.

-cynthia

Morning all

Cynthia that picture is great - that is SOoooo muddy.

Just to add to Cynthia's comment on week 5 of cycle (ie start of next 4 week cycle).  Moving up by another 10% in week 5 after recovery week is fairly aggressive.  I tend to do week 5 more in line with stuff I did in week before recovery (ie week 3) and then build up.  But everyone is different.  A 4 week cycle is not the only way to do it. Some people need/prefer more recovery so things like 3 week cycles (2 week build, 1 week recovery) is not unusual either.
I'd say try the basics while you are figuring out what YOUR body needs and can cope with.  Running is actually the only thing that I would say should more strictly adhere to the 10% rule too - because it is so stressful on your body.  If you swim/bike a few more minutes more than your "10%"  it really wouldn't matter too much so don't get too hung up on all these numbers.
Having a plan and being consistent is 90% of it.

So, today I managed to drag myself out for a short run with the dog before hubby went to work.   I need to get into this routine for when the kids are home from school (which is less than 2 weeks away).  I love it when I get out there but I am not  very good morning person.

Hope everyone has a good day.  Garden weed attacking is my priority for today.  The inlaws arrive in a week so got to get it looking pretty.  And I love to be out in my garden anyway.

Come on ladies - let's have some tips for first timers.  What would you have found most useful to know or most useful thing you knew going in to your first tri.

I'll add a couple (the sock one is great - I put talc in my socks as well to help them go on even more easily)

Transitions - lay your area out at home and practice them so you know what you need and in what order.  A small towel is about the area you will get usually - use a small towel to lay your stuff on.  Also useful to wipe any grit off your feet.  This made a huge difference to me mentally.  I also visualise it in my head til it seems smooth and flowing

Bike - make sure you leave your bike in an easy gear to start pedalling out of from transition

Course - know the course before hand.  If you can't swim/bike/run it before hand, then at least drive it if you can so you can note landmarks and terrain.

OK more please

Great muddy picture! That race looks like a blast.

Training cycles: Let me get a little more specific here... I add up the total number of minutes I have spent riding and running for any given week, and I add up the total distance I swim in any given week. Those are my base numbers. The only reason I use distance vs. time in the pool is because I lose track of time since I am a talker and usually wind up chatting it up with whoever I am sharing a line with that day So we have the base number.

Week #1: Increase by no more than 10% in each sport: run, bike, swim
Week #2: Another 10% increase based upon my numbers from week#1
Week #3: Another 10% increase based upon my numbers from week #2
Week #4: Recovery week! I really use these recovery weeks well. I take my workouts down 40-50% from my week #3 numbers. I still like to do 3 of each, but they are much shorter. If I'm really wiped out, then I will skip the 3rd workout. This leads me into my next training cycle feeling really good and recovered.
Week #1 of next cycle: Yes, I normally do a repeat of week #3 above. Sometimes I will take up my bike or my swim, but not my run due to my injury history and the fact that running really beats me up.

I hope that helps. I am somewhat of a number freak, so I enjoy structuring my training based upon math and logistics. Other people go by feel, so whatever works for you!


First timer advice:

- Do a walk through of the ins/outs of the course. Walk down to the lake, then walk up and through where you be entering the transition area. Then tag your bike, walk out where the "bike out" is, then walk in the "bike in". Then tag your bike again, walk out the "run out" and finally walk through the finish chute. Does that make sense? You will want to know where your stuff is in relation to the course and the ins/outs. I will count the # of steps I take to get to my bike.

- Get a stick of BodyGlide. Use it everywhere, especially on the area around the top of your wetsuit. I slather it on my neck, armpits, ankles.. anywhere you might have the slightest chance of chafing. It will help you get your wetsuit off also.

- Get some plastic wal mart bags and put them over your feet then slide your feet/legs through the wetsuit. I did this at my Friday race and my suit was on super fast.

- Have an extra bottle of water to rinse off your feet before putting your socks on.

- Put all your bike stuff inside your helmet so you don't forget it: chapstick to put on, sunglasses, gloves if you use them, gels if they are not already taped to your bike.

- Warm up before the swim for at least 10 minutes. Get used to the water, calm down your breathing.

- After your rack your bike, change your shoes (if you are changing), then grab anything you are taking on the run (water bottle, visor, race number belt), and put them on while you are running. You can do that 2nd transition in under 1 minute if you grab and go.

- Most importantly: HAVE FUN!!!! You have worked hard to get to this point. Enjoy the race, enjoy the atmosphere, make some new friends. You will do great!

Today is a rest day for me. We have tennis lessons this morning and then a nice long list of errands to run, including a happy meal trip for the boys Father's Day is coming up soon, so don't forget to get something for the guys in your life !!!

Wow you guys... thanks so much for the info on training cycles (laughing a bit at my initial misunderstanding... )  That's so helpful, and I never really thought of things progressing mathematically like that.  Being an MIT nerd, this strategy is going to make me feel a lot more confident! 

Cynthia - i LOVE your picture.  priceless.  where do you live again?  if we're going the same direction, maybe you'd like to carpool? 

i like the sock rolling tip.  jackie - are you saying that you usually take a small towel with you to dry off your feet, or that you only use it to practice with the right amount of space?  i don't know about you guys, but I get blisters running in wet socks... and i know nothing about biking wet.  that's an experiment to be tried this weekend.

i know i'm not really prepared to do this... but i figured... i'd better now while i had the chance!  with all you guys for advice!!  i'm training for a half marathon for the rest of june/july... so this is probably my only tri until august. 

i don't think i'll be able to get down to the course at all.  i have a feeling that this will cause chaos, but so it goes.

Wow-Those are all incredibly good tips! I would've never thought of most of them. It makes me want to get out and go this weekend.

Cynthia- that Muddy Buddy picture is awesome!!

I'm going to try for a long bike ride today, but I have to go pick up my oldest from her nanny job. It's almost an hour each way. So, we'll see how I do.

Sorry for being MIA. I have been training but we've had a lot of other minor hiccups this past week. Including a car accident yesterday, thankfully everyone is ok but my car is pretty banged up. So I am without transportation for now, which really sucks.
I am pretty shaken up still about it, so I think I am planning a nice long run this afternoon and some lifting to distract myself. Tomorrow morning I'm planning on going for a 12 mile ride and then in the afternoon I am attending an open water swim clinic. We are then camping for the weekend. The plan was to bring our mountain bikes, but since we now are taking my husband's car I'm not sure that will work.
Next week's plan:
Sunday: indoor soccer game PM
Monday: Bike 14 miles AM; open water swim PM- hopefully
Tuesday: Bike 16 miles AM; soccer game PM
Wednesday: Run 4 miles AM; Bike 12 miles PM
Thursday: Swim at pool AM; Bike 10 miles PM
Friday: lift AM, run 2 miles PM
Saturday: Off
Hope everyone has a great weekend, and be safe!
Jenny

Jenny, so glad you are OK.  You're bound to feel shaken up for a while after something like that.

Di (I think asked the question -can't scroll back up from here   ). I actually use a towel to mark my transition area and lay everything out on it - marking my space.  I have never needed to use it to dry off but have just stood on it to wipe a bit of grit off.  By the time you have run from swim to transition there isn't much wetness left on your feet and your socks mop up the final bit so, unless it is raining you won't be riding or running in wet socks (yuk horrid thought).  I can't run without socks (tried it all sorts of ways and shoes) so I always put them on in first transition now.

Great tips from Dee (the one about walking in and out is VITAL - I have seen so many people go the wrong way). I'll add another whilst I remember

- the wetsuit - when you stand up to get out of the water or whilst jogging to transition start taking your wetsuit off. You can unzip it get the top bit off before you get to transition.  Then all you need to do is get bottom bit off - use your feet to help slide it off your legs and ankles if you can.

- please practice a bike/run brick or two before the race.  They needn't be long - just adding a 5-10min run after a bike would be better than nothing.  You just don't want to be surprised at the feeling of running off the bike for the first time on race day

Jenny-Sorry to hear about your accident. But I'm glad you are okay.
-Heidi

Jenny- I am sorry to hear about your accident. I am glad everyone is okay.

So here is something I found kind of funny (although my hubby wasn't so amused).. He was taking my bike out of the garage for me and scraped it against my nice Xterra. I said "hey, don't scratch her- she's my baby.".
He mistakenly thought I was referring to the truck until I informed him I wasn't worried about the truck getting scratched, just my bike.


Riding wet on the bike: don't worry about being wet. You will be mostly dry by the time you get your helmet on, and any excess water will dry really fast on the bike.
I use my socks to get the grit off the bottoms of my feet and then I put my socks on.

Well, the boys and I got our list of errands done today. They were so well-behaved that we made a special trip to the kid's section at Barnes and Nobles and they each got a brand new book. They are my little bookworms and I love it !

Have a great day!
Dee