Got Your Mojo WORKIN'! group - CLOSED (Page 16)

Wow, you've got a tough schedule for September.  Should be rewarding. 

Gene...just my 2 cents, but I was a total one side breather all last year! I decided to buckle down for a week and force myself to breath on both sides. VERY AWKWARD at first, but after a while I almost feel more comfortable on my weaker side now! I hear it is best to feel comfortable breathing off both sides, but I think it is a personal preference. However, I did notice all 3 of my open water races have courses that are counter-clockwise which means buoy spotting in going to be on my left as opposed to right (my strong side). You never know when you may need it!!!!

David

My HS swim coach taught us to forget specific breathing patterns.  Your breathing pattern should change based on intensity and duration of swim.   Ex: You might use every 3rd stroke (bilateral) during long swims at 70% but switch to every second stoke for interval sets at 90% effort.

Breathing pattern should be controlled by the exhale NOT the inhale.  The moment the mouth re-enters the water after the inhale, the swimmer should begin a comfortable exhale.  Just prior to the lungs being emptied, the swimmer should begin the rotation to initiate the inhale.  Breath should never be held and the exhale should not be uncomfortable.  Too many swimmers get caught up in "I breath every 3rd stroke", etc.  This leads to an unnatural breathing pattern and is not efficient in providing oxygen to the muscles & removal of CO2.  Using the exhale as the controlling factor is also another reason to learn bilateral breathing. 



Edited by bhc 2011-01-01 10:06 PM

When people talk about adding clip on aerobars to a road bike, do the aerobars have gear shifters or do you have to move your hands and shift the normal way?

The Big Ten took a beating today in all the bowl games.  But at least the BEARS will bring down the Pack today.  

Ah, we have a spinning instructor within our group.  Do you teach spinning or RPM? 

The clip on aerobars that I have seen do not have gear shifters on them.  My Tri bike came with aerobars that had the shifters in them.  I am sure you can get aerobars that have the shifters but  you would probably have to take the bike in to the bike store to have them redo the gear cables. 

ALEX -

I see there are some other answers to the aerobar quaestion, and I'll add that in my first set I too had a road bike that I retro-fitted with aerobars. They will not throw anything off, per se, but you will almost certainly have to make an adjustment in your saddle psoition, due to the fact that the 'bars will casue you to stretch out. My soulution was to get what is know as a "fast-forward" set post. While your current post is straight, the f-f one has a bend in it halfway up. this erves to perch the saddle more forward, thus accommodating your reach to the aerobars.

I am mostly useless at anything mechanical, but this was soemthing I actually managed all on my own. However, that triumph notwithstanding, virtually ANYTHING I need done now, I defer to the experts at my local bike shop. So, if you've got a good bike shop, think about using them to figure out how to fit you and new aerobars and your saddle into one very effective package!

And just re-reading your post, your question was about throwing off handling. Well, initialy they do --- but how and when you use them is completely up to you. it will take you some time to get used to the narrower position and the overall slight reduction of stability, but before too long you will be comfortable and able to handle your bike perfectly well.

JOHANNE -

John is right that clip-ons do not allow for ready conversion to adding shifters. I wonder, though, if the ones that have open ends, without plugs, is to accommodate shifters -- if one is willing to go through the bother of having everything "re-wired". Mostly, though, they are useful for cruising on flats, where neither shifting nor braking is required. Still worth it.....but less sweet that aerobars with shifters that come stock on so many tri bikes.

Bears....Packers.....ultimately it doesn't matter -- the Patriots WILL win the Super Bowl!

ROGER - Thanks for your good thoughts on this. I'd not heard anyone talk about breathing this way, but I'm going to practice it today at the pool.

STEVE -
Good Morning... Happy New Year, and thanks for ALL the excellent feedback!  As I said, for a "two fingered" typist you're incredible!

So, rolled into Reston about 9p after 12 hours in the car, and it was almost 60f (15c ish I think)... feels like spring!  Anyway, home and motivated, and catching up on the threads this AM.

Thanks for the feedback on the "PLAN".  That was what I needed to fill in the blanks.  Between your comments and those from Whato, I think I will start with the Gold.  I went back and forth and liked the idea of starting with something basic, but I think I have too many variables to make it work the best for me...  Also, I think the easier I make it, the less likely to have excuses.  It sounds like the coach options here could be great input.  I may check real quick to see if there's anything local to me, as the accountability is great (though yes it can be stressful), and face to face may be better still... so I'll lock this down later today.

Going to shoot Lisa a PM too!

Pool Access... yes.  My son is on a local swim team, and I take him to practices 3 times a week... The pool is open and available... no reason for me to not get in to one of the other lanes, and it's not that far away if I need to go more often.

Stationary Trainer... Nope!  Have spent most of my training time where 65f was about as cold as it got...  The weather will be a tough nut for me as I hate training indoors weather it be running or cycling.  So OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS on the Trainer... there's certainly a variety from basic to virtual.  What's the pro/con to using bikes at the gym?  Positioning or ?

Goals for the day... Quick stop by the gym for a weigh in (need to know)... Trainer, and Plan resolution.  Plus I'll go pull out all my gear... I think the bike is still in it's box from the move, and my workout clothes are buried under the secret stash of M&M candy wrappers...

THANKS AGAIN!

STEVE -
Missed one thing in my reply...
Injuries... I have been fortunate to have nothing major, but have frequently run into issues with my knees starting to hurt when getting into the running.  I have always backed down a bit when this happens, and the few times I've asked for advice from a Doctor I've been told that I was being too aggressive on my running efforts.  Hence the additional need to make sure I work into this gradually.

Cheers!
Bob

PS - PM'd Lisa!

WHATO -
Thanks for the input! That's where my mind was headed... there was even a "Custom" plan option on this site.  I put in the date for my first event, but then realized it had just sort of spread the distances and time out over the 6 months. 
See my post to Steve above, but based on the input from the two of you... I think I'll let someone help me put it together.  Then I can adjust it as I go too!
Cheers!

GENE -

Now THAT'S a good question! I have several perspectives on it, and then I'll comment on Roger's good response to you.

First, I breathe to one side, the right. I grew up breathing ONLY to the left, but then when I took up tri swimming seriously '00 and had a couple of lessons, the insrtuctor told me that I was better breathing to the right. So there I am.

Second, I spend some fair amount of time practicing breathing to the left, but it is no longer even remotely natural to me.

Third, I breathe every other stroke almost exclusively. That is, every time I have the opportunity to breathe to the right, I take it.


That's me. Most people will say that bilateral is best, simply because it promotes better balance and does not overload one arm and thus making it more susceptible to shoulder injuries. A further thought about this for triathletes is that occasionally they might face waves or having chop during open water swims, and need the ability to switch to the other side from the one they are most comfortable at; the ability to breathe bilaterally thus helps immensely!

I work at bilateral because I am NOT balanced in my stroke, with my body roll much more effective to the right than to the left. this might be why I sometimes "stray" during open water swims, and when thta happens it is always to the left, probably refelctibng that my right arm mechanics ar better and thus generate greater force than the left. Think rowboat --- pull harder on the right oar, and you'll swing more to the left!

For people who aren't 127% effective as bilateral breathers, they may be best-served sticking with their strength when in races, and that is what I do -- right side only. When in the pool, I spend maybe 15-20% of each session messing around with the left side, but that has never yielded results that encourage me to do it in a race. However, i have recently discovered that when I increase my stroke turnover I am better able to breathe bilateral, so that is a current focus.

I ahve found that for so many adults who are no to triathlon and who struggle with the swim, the are best served to concentrate on their best side and master that. Already in this group there are several people who worry about how quickly they get gassed, and for them the will feel more comfortable mastering bretahing every stroke on their strong side. I mean, every other stroke versus every third stroke........that much more opportunity to grab air!

As for the specifics of Roger's post, I really agree with his comments on the exhale controlling the breathing pattern. I mentioned this to Alex (I think it was) a few days ago, just the critical importance of exhaling fully before that oh-so-quick turn of the head to snatch some air. Too many people tend to actually hold their breath during much of the time their face is in the water, and so when they turn to breathe they first have to exhale, and then end up not inhaling sufficiently.

I also agree with rhe benefits of being "adaptable", that is, not having any one carved-in-stone breathing pattern, but adjusting your breathing to the distance of the race and to changing circumstances within the race itself. I am spending a lot of time of time on this these days, with my breathing being almost chaotic -- sometimes every other, sometimes every third, sometimes every fourth. In a way, this is almost liberating, being able to adjust to how I am feeling without being stuck in a rut.

What I just mentioned is controlled by my cadence (or maybe it controls the cadence?). This is also intriguing to me! When I increase my turnover, that seems to open up a whole range of breathing possibilities. I have played with increased cadence some in the past, but almost exclusively with my single-side, every-other-stroke breathing pattern. Now, i am liberating my breathing from its shackles, and seeing how it works when I allow it to do whatever it seems appropriate at the moment. Maybe the best way to say this is that a take air when I need it, not really paying attention to anything else, so that if I need a breath whikle I am rolling to my left, that's when I'll breathe. I would love to have a race very soon to try this out!

Finally, if you struggle at all with breathing, stick with your best side. If that is not a factor for you, though, work at bilateral as a way to balance your stroke. Beyond that, play around with all the other options!

I hope some of the above is helpful!

ALEX -

Oops! I forgot to answer your question about 10%!

There are different approaches to this, but the most common is to never increase weekly mileage by more than ten percent. So, if your mileage is currently 15 a week, next week you can bump it up to 16.5, and the following week to 18.1.

Some people also use it for their long run -- 8 miles this week, 8.8 next week. But becasue there is not exact science to this, it is likely okay to "round up" to the nearest whole and forget the .8 part; just squeak it up to 9.

Finally, some people do it on time, so if you run 60 minutes this week, you can go to 66 next week.

I should add that there is a lot of controversy about the 10% rule, with some people being religious about it, and others finding in utter hogwash. My view is that when I come off an off-season, or especially an injury, i will follow it for a while. But then once I'm in a really good groove with my running, i will not pay much attention to it at all. I think my Base is solid enough to withstand bigger "bumps" than ten percenters, so when the going is good.....I get going!

Does that help at all?

DAVID -

That's a good point about buoys, one I forgot to mention in my post to Gene. There have been lots of counter-clockwise races in which I would've liked to be able to see those buoys better! One was in huge swell at Musselman half-iron in '08, and there were times when the buoys to my left, combined with being deep in troughs, left me many, many strokes without knowing exactly where I was going!

Actually, the most dramatic effect of having buoys to my weak side was at Make-A-Wish Triathlon at Bethany Beach, DE. It was a 1500m point-to-point swim, going south to north, meaning that we had to stay to the left of the buoy lines. It was not a terribly wavy day, but enough so that there were numerous times I didn't see buoys when I sighted, with part of that being the sparseness of the buoys themselves -- maybe just five for the 1500m meters. Not helpful to me at all, but my reliance on breathing to the right with an equally-responsible culprit!

Just adding to the middle school girls discussion....

My daughter went through middle school in the mid-90s, with no drama. She has always been drama-free; we were very lucky!

I went through middle school in the early 60s, and I remember little drama at all. Others who went through it at about the same time --- am I gilding the lily, or was it really that blissfully copacetic (relatively-speaking....)?

Hi Bob,

Glad my post helped. I saw this one and wanted to suggest that knees are very sensitive, so build the time very slow! You'll get more workout time that way. I was the middle distance track coach (for my son's school) for a while. If you're starting out, obey the plan (assuming it was built by a knowledgeable person). Always no more than a 10% increase in time from one week to the next. And, never attempt to increase speed and time together. Additionally, never do your miles running on concrete - ever. Best surfaces in order are: proper track, soft trail, hard, trail, and then bitumen.  I never run on concrete - PERIOD. I don think I have a lot of strong opinions, however, running on concrete is crazy, simply, crazy for the knees.  

Finally, make sure you are landing on the midpoint of your foot not the heal. This is the technique aspect of running and is very important, you cannot run fast, at any distance, if you're a heal striker and produces way more pressure on those knees!  

Hope this is of some help,
Whato 

Take care,
Whato.
 

SHARON -

Glad you're back!

I must say that I am very impressed with the WOD you completed! Mercy! Please remember to let me/us know how the follo-wup in a few months has improved (as I am sure it will!).

Also impressive is your story, and how you have dealt with your weight -- both in terms of tackling it and accepting it. As your doctor (and I'm sure you) know very well, leanness or slimness or skinnyness doesn't automatically confer healthiness (or is it healthfulness?).
You are no doubt any easier patient for her than many of her "bonebags"!

I will try to direct you towards some ITB stretches, but many people say that there really is no adequate stretch for it. The ITB is a very thick band of fasciia, and fasciia does not stretch very well; or at least so some people say. But there are a couple I do when it affects me, and at the very worst they are uselss placebos and nothing that will hurt me.

I'm assuming that your symptoms are on the outside of your knee, and that the ache can almost penetrate to your innards when it is in full misery-mode. But some people get more symptoms at the hip. Let me know where yours affect you. I'm also assuming that going up and down stairs in no fun at all, huh?

My firs bout came upon me at about mile 10 of my first marathon, and I had absolutely no idea what was wrong. I just knew that it hurt like crazy, and the best I could do after a while was walk until the throbbing stopped, and then run again until it became excruciating. I finished in soemthing like 4:37, far and away my slowest marathon -- not exactley an auspicious debut.

After it I had a 10-hour drive home, made longer by stopping every 30 minutes or so to hobble into a grocery store, buy a bag of frozen peas or corns, and tape it around my knee. Because I had no real idesa what was wrong and what I was accomplishing with the frozen veggies, it was justt blind dumb luck that I actually did a very smart thing. I followed it with a few weeks of 2-3x a week physio for a few weeks, and I think I started running again about 16 days after the marathon. I was fortunate with that relatively quick recovery.

Missing races due to a late-breaking injury is awful....but I can never decide is if later is better than earlier (for the injury), or vice-versa. At least with later, all of the good training is in the bank -- just no place to spend it at the time! It is also helps when there are lots of races under one's belt when injuries hit, just because you don't feel as if you are missing a whole lot. The ITB flare-up in Dec '09 that kept me from the marathon was almost ho-hum. I had done lots of marathons, and it was kind of a half-hearted interest anyhow, planning the race, so I took it in stride (almost made me feel as if I had become jaded!) But the hanstring one, back in Nov '02, was a very bitter pill to swallow. The marathon was planned as a Boston qualifier, and I just had a ton invested in it -- physically and emotionally. It was awful missing it, but the happy ending is that I did the same race the following year and managed to qualify for Boston -- and it was INCREDIBLY sweet!! So, let's hear it for Delayed Gratification.

And hopefully that is how it will be for you. At some point you will do a marathon, and may it be everything you hoped for -- and more! At least in your favor, when it happens, will be all that more training behind you, thus likely ensuring a more successful race. That is definitely how I think it worked for me in th above situation!

BRENDA -

Thank your lucky stars there is a tax season for you......as that puts you on the list for a fall marathon.....which eliminates the risk of injuring yourself in a spring one and thus bludgeoning the triathlon season!

On a slightly more serious note, having big running races in the fall is a great way to segue from triathlon season into soemnthing other than feeling mopey and depressed. I had a 10km on Oct 17 and a half-marathon on Oct 23, and that was wonderful. Less wonderful, though, were several other road races gthat I had to scrap due to the half-mar activated a previoulsy dormant bunion. BUT, if you can stay healthy through late-summer and early-fall training, having a big old marathon to shoot for is ideal!

JOHANNE -

Exciting schedule -- full and diverse! That is a wonderful way to stay aggressively active while radically minimizing the chance of injury. The only potentially tough bit will be the first two -- half-marathon plus oly -- in Sept, but they should work well to toughen you up for Soma. What will help even more is the century two weeks after the oly, so thos three ought to really move you towards a nice Peak for Soma.

Just slightly over two months 'til Napa! Cool beans!!









Edited by stevebradley 2011-01-02 4:28 PM

Some scrap cedar and a piece of left over pine bead board, a $2 pane of glass, a few table saw cuts and I threw together this little shadow box






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box1-400.jpg (13KB - 17 downloads)

BOB -

Those workouts clothes will be easier to get at if the M&ms aren't so darned heavy, so -- gotta do something to reduce the weight (wink-wink, nudge-nudge ).

I think the pro of using a bike at the gym is it's better than nothing. The con is, as you say, positioning. Gym ones can result in some good work, but if you can't dig in on them like you can your own, then something is lost. (But still, something is gained!)

I have a Kurt Kinetic fuid trained, and I have been very pleased with it, This is it's 10th season or so, and it continues to hold up well. Kurt was new at the time I got mine, and the model I have might've been the one and only they offered, but since then they have become big players in the market. I think thre are at least three models for serious cyclists, so go to their websiet and see what's what. I will hazard the suggestion that the chartreuse model will work well for you; I will go there myself just to see if I'm full of beans about that!

As the fluid, they are just quieter than other types. The rest of your household might love you even more if you go the fluid route!

Let me know if you don't hear right back from Lisa. She has become a big presence on Facebook and less so here at BT, so if you don't hear back from her in a few days, I'll rattle her cage via email!

How amny opairs of windshield wipers did you wear out on your drive back. It poured and poured up here, but hopefully it got more clement for you as you migrated further and further south.

Nice pool situation you have! See, I was just out-and-out stupid having my kids in hockey instead of swimming. DOH!

JEFF -

Very, very nice! (It's so easy when you know how, huh?)

JEFF again -

Wanna come up here and attach a hose to the back of my washing machine? I just stare at it balefully, figuring that it's got me where it wants me, imposing its will on me by just flopping there on the floor, unattached. Sigh.