Andrew Haberkorn's Group - FULL (Page 16)

You can't beat that - congrats on the success.

From : http://www.physfarm.com/blog/?p=28regarding reverse periodization:





I have heard of reverse periodization which involved high intensity and then adding to that intensity with volume later in the training plan. However, what none of these references noted is that you better have years of a solid base. Adding intensity without your base is just asking for trouble. No different than all of the brand new runners starting out bare foot. Most will be injured before they make any real progress. This sport is about long term gains (look at the Kona winners - mid 30's). Unfortunately, there just are not that many short cuts.


What have I been up to? Bouncing off the walls while tapering for next weekend's marathon. I hate the taper.

This was the first time I really ever went to an event just to be a fan - it was totally fun and inspiring.  I was able to complete my own workout later on with the fantastic feeling of being part of something truly good. Good for each other and great for our health.  I had some other friends in Ben's race also...in 2008 I started to get healthy on my own.  Now I have a network - and they are doing amazing things every year, every time they push themselves. 

I feel like I'm back now - and I was able to run mile 1 at the gym in under 9 minutes, mile 2 at 9:13. I think this is a great start in achieving a 5K with <9:00 miles this year. I feel like I'm 1/3 of the way there .

David - Can't wait to hear about the duathlon!
James - I can feel the excitement re: the marathon...wow!

Edited by gcoller 2011-02-06 8:35 PM

Hey Guys - Not too much to report today.  I spent most of the day actively avoiding packing for my trip to the Boston area.  I'm couped up in a hotel all week while I'm at a class for work.  During my packing avoidance, I looked at a bunch of pictures from past triathlons in my area.  I can't wait for spring to arrive so we can get this show on the road.  Once I got to my hotel, I ran 1.5 miles on a treadmill.  I forgot how boring running on a treadmill is (although I am grateful that they have a fitness center here).  I plan on doing a few miles each night while I'm here.  Gotta keep going...

@gcoller - You're totally gonna be knocking out 9min/mile 5Ks.  We both are.  For serious.

@bledsoepatriot - Did you get a new bike?  

@everyone - You guys rock!

-dart-out-

 

just got my race report up from today, http://beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=241328

I had a blast, wish I had run just a bit faster, but don't we all?   I'm off to bed now!

Had a good weekend of training.  Did a 5.5 mile run, nice and slow, except for the last mile, because just out of simple pride and ego, did not want to do a 5.5 mile run in over an hour, so in order to do that I had to pace about a 9 min mile for the last mile which I was able to do...though I was gassed in the end. 
Did a 28 mile bike ride all along the French Broad River, which  for one, was beautiful, and two, it avoided most of the massive hills found out in the mountains.  And today I'm supposed to swim and ride again, and I missed my swim this morning because I left home too late, and my ride, which I planned on doing outdoors, is going to have to be on a trainer cause I forgot to bring my shorts with me.  Somehow I'm going to have to squeeze in the swim either at lunch or after work, before the trainer session. 

Primarily a bike weekend for me.  The weather is still a bit too cold/wet for me to head outside - though nothing like what some of y'all are having to deal with.  I dropped a dvd into my laptop and watched a "motivational biopic" wh ile on the trainer for 1.5 hours.  Managed to keep my cadence over 90 for the entire ride, with a few moments of 110+ during some of the more exciting scenes.  My bike computer said I managed a 20+mph pace average for the ride.  While I know I tend to have a faster speed on the trainer than outdoors, I belive this is my first 20+ on a trainer.  Given that it was also my longest ride on the trainer.... I'm pretty excited about it.

Sunday was my traditional Spin class, but since I arrived a bit early, I manged to add a nice 15-20 min session on the treadmill before class.  Class ended up being a bit of a struggle but I managed to push myself through it.  Not sure if it was from the late night trainer ride the day before or the preclass run, but my legs were spent.  

Also, I'm 4 weeks out until my next birthday, of which I set a goal to evacuate the Clydsdale division.  I'm really going to have to start watching my intake to hit my goal.  ? 

Nice work!  Thanks for the write-up.  Sounds like you had a pretty solid race overall.  To hit on a few thoughts/points you made...

1) It sounds like you ran the first run quite well.  It's extremely hard not to get caught up in the hype of the race and push too hard from the start.  You caught yourself, and corrected, which likely helped your race tremendously.  Well done!

2) Regarding the Gatorade:  I think you learned a valuable lesson here, and understand the rule of thumb - nothing new on race day.  Luckily, it was a short enough race you were okay, but definitely try to avoid that in the future.  What Gatorade were you drinking?  Was it endurance formula, or standard?  Curious as I like to give the Gatorade folks a heads-up when people have bad experiences (hopefully, it helps them with future product innovations).

3) One tip that may help your legs come around a little faster on the 2nd run...drop into an easier gear during the last mile (or so) of the bike and "spin."  It will help flush your legs and get them ready for some higher turnover on the run.  This will be especially helpful if you ride with a low cadence.  

Again, congrats on a great race!   

Nice work on the trainer!  Pushing yourself that hard (in the evening) will definitely leave you with an less-than-full tank for a workout the next morning.  The best thing you can do is get some food/protein in your body immediately after your evening workout so your body can start to recover quickly.

Keep up the good work and you'll be saying goodbye to the Clydes!
 

Whew.  What a weekend!  It sounds like a lot of us got some solid training in.  My weekend ended up being a bit tougher than planned, but I'm happy with it.

Friday - I ended up doing my double masters workout and got in 6500 meters.  My arms were dead, but I was happy with the workout.

Saturday - woke up early for another masters workout.  My arms were nowhere near recovered from the previous day, and the distance sets were tough to get through.  3500 meters.  I went to a local cafe and had breakfast, then immediately jumped on my bike for 4 hours of riding (solo).  Had a good ride, but my legs were DEAD afterwards.  Too much climbing.

Sunday -  I had signed up to pace one lap (9 miles) of the "Students Run L.A. Friendship Run."  The SRLA is an organization that helps underprivileged youth (mostly high school), by helping them train for the LA marathon.  The "Friendship Run" is an 18 mile race/run that serves as their longest training run in prep for the marathon.  It's an amazing program, and the kids are truly inspirational - over 3000 of them.  

The course was two, 9-mile, loops.  As mentioned, I was supposed to run the first 9 miles pacing at 9:00/mile.  We were moving along and I had a small group of kids that were determined to stick with that pace.  When I came around to the 9-mile mark - where I was supposed to stop and hand off to the other pacer - there was nobody there.  I couldn't leave these kids hanging!?!  I ended up running the full 18 miles and helping a few kids run under their goal pace.  It was so rewarding to see the kids sprint to the finish line ecstatic that they were able to beat their goals.  

Needless to say, my legs are sore today!  I had such a great time and can't believe that 3000+ kids are willing to put themselves out there.  Kudos to the kids and SRLA for such a great event!  

Have a great Monday! 

Man, I'm glad I wrote up my weekend workout before you did.  It's downright embarrassing compared to what you did...good lord!  I can't imagine planning a 9 mile run, only to wind up having to do 18!  Very impressive.  Sounds like a very rewarding day as well....really cool!

Re: the Gatorade, oops!  Sorry to be dissing a sponsor   Looking at the bottle, it's Lemon Lime  Perform 02.  In Gatorade's defense, some of the gastrointestinal issues were already in motion before I even had any of it, but it sure didn't help anything...  If I were to try it again, I'd probably cut it 50/50 with water and see if that's better.  Or just take a gel right before the start, and just use straight water during the race, as for a race that short I don't think I really need to replenish much.  Realistically, I'll probably just stick with HEED though, since I know it works well for me.

Interesting on the cadence thing, I probably did just the opposite!  The final mile was a slight downhill and wide open, I was pushing a pretty big gear at a farily low cadence.  And then the wrong turn just before T2, after that I didn't bother to downshift, just turned around on the trail and powered back up to speed out of the saddle.  Probably the opposite of everything I should have done!

No, no.  It's not dissing a sponsor at all.  I actually work for Gatorade's ad agency as well, so understanding the consumer's experiences (good and bad) can serve as purposeful learning.  At the end of the day, you should be using what's best for you.  It sounds like you know what that is (HEED).  

One promise I make to you and everyone here - I won't tell you to use a brand that I use just because they are a sponsor.  I'll give you my opinion, tell you why I believe in the product (if you ask or it's relevant), but won't tell you it's the best choice if it's not.  There are a lot of great companies out there making nutrition, wetsuits, shoes, etc.  I know what works for me, but that doesn't mean it works for you.

Try out the higher cadence next time you do a bike/run workout.  It might make a difference for you.    

norcal - congrats on the off road DU - I would love to try one of those. And the heart being low on the second run - fatigue. You just got worn out from the first run and the off road biking. Still, it sounds like you had a blast.

andrew - what distance races are you specialing? 6500 meters and then right back at the swim the next day. That is a lot of swimming!

me -

Sunday was last long run for the season. I ran 10 miles at my marathon pace – 6:50. I hit all of my numbers – pace and heart rate. However, I have some doubts. My legs were fine but the effort was definitely not as easy as I would have wished. I mean, I will have another 16 mile at that pace next Sunday. As I have mentioned, my goal is 2:59:XX – everything has to click just right. I need cold weather, no wind and a whole gut full of courage come race day. Since I have already BQ’d – I am going this year I do not have a plan B. I am either going to achieve my fantasy marathon time or go down in flames.

On a side note, I never drink sports drinks during a race. You never know exactly what kind they will be serving or how they are mixed. I have seen some 50 / 50 and some super thick. I prefer to get my calories from gels. I am not a big salt sweater so I do not have to worry about electrolytes very much – most gels just don’t have any electrolytes in them. Also, I don’t drink very well while on the run and I hate getting sticky – I find it a distraction and when I am racing hard I certainly don’t need any distractions.

Augh, all you runners make me sick! But that's why I joined this group...

I'm in the middle of my taper, so this weekend was a little easy. I did a 34 mile group ride but told the guys I wasn't going to pull at all (usually I do 20 miles before meeting up, then pull for about 75% of the group ride too). Life's SOOOO much easier at the back of the line! Sunday I did 8.5 miles on the trails at a 'good' pace. Pacing is tough on the trails because of the hills, rocks, tourists, etc. so the numbers don't compare to running on the pavement or forest roads. This morning I did 3.5 miles at my projected FM pace (a paltry 9min/mile) but incorporated HILLS. Tomorrow, an easy 6 (no big hills) at FM pace, possibly with a 3KM swim and Wednesday will be 2-3 at FM pace with some Fartlek intervals. Thursday will be swim only and Friday will be a complete off day before the FM on Saturday. One of these days I'll scope out the route, too. I've heard it's not exactly flat.

Taper kind of sucks, but hopefully I'll have extra energy for Saturday.

What do people do for pre-race fueling? Not the day of, but the days leading up to? My plan is fish with pasta on Thursday and chicken with rice on Friday. It's pretty much what I eat anyway, but with some additional carbs instead of salad. Back when I was a bike racer, I used to 'carbo load' but honestly it never seemed any different no matter what. That was one of the great things about being young.

Oh yes - I'm pretty much at my race weight now. I'm down over 30 pounds since I started training a year ago, and about 12-14 pounds since we started this group. My body comp scale tells me I'm around 6-8% BF, which seems about right. I was stuck at ~164 through the holidays but my wife wanted to lose some weight so we tightened up our diet with WW online. I was hoping to race at around 152 this year but am down to 149 now, and may go a little lower. Even with the lower food intake - let's be honest, it was mostly chocolate, pizza and burger intake - I haven't noticed any negative effects on my energy. Just wanted to toot my own horn a little bit, I haven't been this weight since early in my college years. I remember leaving a 6-pack around tum-tum many years ago, I just thought it was gone forever. Not bad for a 40 year old!

Congrats on the weight loss. How tall are you?

I have a little more upper body mass than most. I hover around 160 right now and I am 5’8" – I have some weight to give but find it difficult to get much under 160.

During taper you should eat just about the same. Remember that you are training less so you are automatically getting more calories than you are used to. Some people swear by the carbo loading and there is scientific evidence to support the claims. It is just that so many people do it wrong. Do not eat the huge bowl of pasta the night before – it might not hurt you but it sure won’t help you very much.

For me, I will just eat normal and actually try to reduce some of my fat intake.

You are amazing - I just read this to my husband (I hope you don't mind). Giving back feeds us all in different ways, and what a way you have found!  Thanks again for freely dispensing your professional tips and experiential advice as well.  I'm looking forward to another great week...I am humbled by my fellow thread members.

ok, everyone had a tremendous weekend!  I got a bike and some shoes, did my normal training as per my scheduled training program.  I was a little down on myself when I first read everybody else's training like man, I am not doing anything.  I did remember that a little over a month ago I could barely do a lap in the pool without feeling like my chest was going to explode not to mention the arms; today swam 450 and went directly to a bike and did a 28 minute ride.  What a great feeling.  Now I want to keep up with my program, stay consistent and use all of you as some great people to strive towards.  
CONGRATS to this weekends racers and good times to those that have events in the next week.  I am defiinitely going to get some type of race either end of Feb. or begin of March, have to see what is coming up.  GOOD NIGHT ALL>  

Thanks. I'm 5' 7" and also carry extra weight around the shoulders/chest (along with my thighs and calf's). I'll post a very unflattering pic at my first tri in June (at about 178), and a more recent pic from Nov (at about 162). Not sure if I'll have any from the mary this weekend but if I get one, I'll post it too.

For food, I'm eating what I normally would. No extra portions or anything like that, and we're very strict about measuring everything except fruit. Normally, we'd probably have salad instead of pasta or rice for one of the days.







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We are about the same - I measure most things and eat a clean diet. Congrats again on the weight loss.

Tim, you look terrific...great job. I was able to see a change in myself, though it has taken 2.5 years to lose this ten pounds, I feel as though I'm on the fast track to get down to the 160's.  I am 5' 8.5" and 180 right now :/ but shrinking "fast".  I was 226 when I had my daughter and I have a metabolism syndrome that I want to punch in the face.  When I worked out with my friend over the last few years, she lost all of her extra weight in six months (we worked really hard!) and I would lose a 1/2 pound only to gain it again. So, I'm really focused now and it's gotta go - I want to be as fast on land as I am in the water  

Here are some awesome recipes to help us all EASILY eat well in the morning (SO yummy!):

Runner’s World magazine published the following recipes in a humble little corner of their magazine, I almost missed them. Thank God I didn’t. Whoever wrote these got it right. I have a wicked sweet-tooth but want to be healthy.  The name of the article was “Light Before You Run” and the following were listed. I’ve added my own notes and I hope you try these. They completely rocked my socks off and the calories are quite low for each.  Warning: You may feel decadent and fancy-pants upon consuming.

 

Pumpkin Toast

I make this in larger batches to save time. 15 oz of part-skim ricotta to ½ can of pumpkin ( 2 to 1 ratio) Mix, heat in ¼ cup batches and spread on toast. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of brown sugar, all spice and cinnamon. Freaking delicious – tastes like pumpkin pie!

 

Berries and Cheese

Spread 1 Tbs of mascarpone cheese on a piece of toast, then top it with a heaping tsp of blackberry jam. Great antioxidants, great taste – feel like a gourmet J

 

Chocolate Strawberry Oatmeal

Cook up ½ cup of your favorite plain oatmeal how you like it. Add 2 tsp of chocolate chips (not milk chocolate…the darker chocolate has helpful antioxidants), top with ½ Cup of strawberries

 

“Baked” Apple Crisp

For this recipe, simply core an apple (recipe suggests a fuji but I personally think it comes out awesome with a mac), fill with 2 Tbs Protein Bear-Naked granola (highest available protein granola) and honey or maple syrup (drizzle). Sprinkle with all spice or nutmeg and cinnamon. Microwave in a bowl for three minutes, cut it up (it will be soft and warm…yum!), enjoy.

One of my first Tri's:

now(20 lb.s to go):

Jees Louise...sorry these are such big images!

Edited by gcoller 2011-02-08 8:49 AM

Great job everyone with the training and the consistency!  

I have been a little MIA.  I have been reading the posts, just have not had a lot of time to sit down and write.  I need to get better at it.  My training has been going well.  The last two weeks I have nursing a little "injury".  Did Hill running and sprints for two Sundays in a row.  That really irritated my left IT band.  I have never had issues with it.  I have spent the last two weeks really stretching it out, rolling it, using the stick on it and getting a deep tissue massage.  It is a lot better.  It does not bother me to run, my left leg is just a lot tighter then the right.  I think part of the problem is needing new shoes, 300 miles on the ones that I was running in.

I am running a 14k this weekend.  I am hoping to get a PR, which would mean I need to run it faster than an 8:34 pace.  My training runs,  I have been able to consistently hit 8 min miles and be comfortable, we shall see what I can do on race day.


Swimming is going well.  I have signed on with a swim coach to go in every other week and work on technique.  I have gotten my 100 pace down to 1:40, but for some reason can not get any faster.  I think it has a lot to do with my pull.  I am hoping that time with the swim coach will really help me out.

Did an hour of Yoga for athletes this morning, It was just what I needed.  Hopping on the trainer in a bit for some time in the saddle.  



 

That's awesome!  Only feburary, and already at race weight!  I really struggle with weight.  About 4 years ago I went from 225 to 175 over the course of about a year on diet changes alone, then settled at about 180, but have not been able to maintain it while excercising.

I really would like to be back to 175, I know I can do it and it's a reasonable weight for me (currently 190 as of yesterday, a 2 pound gain for the week ).  I am just so weak when it comes to food...  Especially around family (not my immediate family, I mean like parents, in laws, things like that).  At home, where I'm in charge of shopping and cooking, it's not so bad.  I just make sure I'm surrounded by good food choices all the time.

I just can't help but wonder how much better of a runner I'd be if there were 15 pounds less of me to carry around.  I plan to find out this year, though. 

Awesome. You and me both.