Tri Mark's Madness Group-Closed (Page 16)

Thanks for the great information!  I appreciate your detailed explanation.  I plan to pick up the book today.

Ellen

Kimberly,

Lots of stuff here.  I'll try to break it into points, but they may not necessarily be in order.

1.  Commit to the tri Kimberly!!!!!  Get a few key pieces of gear.

     a.  Tri shorts and top or tri suit.  It's not a swim suit.  Most tri's don't allow nudity, so changing is not an option, plus you'll lose tons of time.  Wear tri shorts and tri top, and you wear them from start to finish.  Tri shorts have either a small chamois or other friction minimizing device in the nether region, so you'll thank me later. 

   b.  Get pedals and bike shoes.  Riding in gym shoes or anything else on standard pedals puts a lot of strain on the mid foot.  Bike shoes have very stiff soles, fiberglass, carbon fiber, or hard molded plastic, so you don't strain the foot when you put force to the pedals.  The five fingers will kill you on the bike.  By having "clipless" pedals, which the they type you lock into (mountain or road are your two main choices with road having a larger platform to apply pressure to and theoretically more efficient but only one sided) you will be able to power the bike effectively on the up stroke with your glutes/hammies and not just mash downward with your quads.

2.  Assuming your tri has T1 and T2 in the same area, you will have all your stuff for swim to bike laid out, and then your running stuff will be behind that.  T1 you'll hop on the bike, T2 you'll rack it, switch shoes, put on a hat if you wear one, and then beat feet. 

I will be posting a link to the most thorough explanation of transitions I've ever seen.  It's even got some videos and pictures that illustrate points really well.  I cannot stress enough, you just keep it real simple in the transition, only bring what you need and respect the space of others.

Best transition the description I've ever seen.  Don't worry about the flying start and dismount if you're afraid.  I've been practicing them, not that hard, but looks scary to some.  My wife thinks I'm insane, but lots of folks are faster than me, so I need to be smarter and more efficient than them.  Put distance on them in the swim/bike and transitions.

Practice your transitions if you wear a wetsuit.  Over and over until you're hot and sweaty and FAST AT IT.

http://mdickson.net/tri_articles/transitions.html

I'll keep on eye on it and I'm sure that she will too.  That's very good information to have and a good starting place for a discussion with her.

I had my first marathon in February followed by my second HIM in March so I don't doubt that there could be some lingering something.  We we talked about my schedule she used phrases like "good long recovery" to describe April so I guess this is not entirely unexpected.

I really really really need to try on all things tri related.  The women's sizing is whacked.  I'm in my 40s and I'm a size 8 but in tri sizing that could mean L or XL. 

For that reason I would recommend going to your local tri or running store (Fleet Feet carries some tri gear) or REI and try on the clothing.

I have picked up some things from http://www.swimoutlet.com/ and http://www.6pm.com/ and http://www..com/.

I've been practicing the flying mount and dismount this spring.  It's really not all that hard.  I have the worst shoes in the world for it as mine are road shoes, not tri.  That just means they have two velcro straps and a ratchet at the top.  I don't do the ratchet and keep the velcro really loose and I can slide out on the dismount.  I'm going to work on it with the rubber bands this weekend and see how that goes for the flying mount. 

I do wish I had video of the mount at the Galena triathlon I do in May.  From the mount line you have exactly 35 feet and you're going straight up a hill.  If you don't clip in on the first attempt it gets ugly real fast.  Then you have the clowns who walked their bike down the hill to get it in transition and never once thought, "Gee, maybe I should be in the small chain ring on this 14% grade."  They start up the hill, try to shift, drop the chain, teeter once, teeter twice, crash. 

I've been practicing the "simplified" flying mount, like the guy in the video where you put a foot on one pedal and then swing the other leg over - like getting on a horse.  I'm afraid to try the "true" flying mount - afraid I won't get my butt high enough and afraid I might get it plenty high enough and land squarely you know where

On the flying dismount, I definitely prefer stepping through and putting my foot on the ground in front of the foot on the pedal (but to the side so the pedal doesn't hit it), rather than putting the foot down behind the pedal - it's a smoother transition to a running stride and lessens the chance of falling on your face if you are going a little too fast.   I've also found that, while coasting along with both legs on one side of the bike, you are a lot more stable if you keep your hip up tight against the seat.

-Ron

mark,

took your advice. just about 40 min of strength and stretching mixed in.  Early night and long run tomorrow.  Felt tired all today.  May have been the 40 hr work week i wasn't expecting, or really is a little fatigue from the race.

We'll find out tomorrow!

Mark, thanks for the nutrition tips.  I have 2 of Matt Fitzgerald's books (Racing Weight and Performance Nutrition for Runners) and I pulled them out tonight to skim over.  For the most part I eat fairly healthy and if I can get a handle on the nighttime eating then I think the weight would come off.  I just have to take responsibility for what goes in my mouth and remember it is my choice -- no one is forcing me to eat.

I do log my food daily on the Lose It app, but it's a good suggestion to under-estimate my calories burned.  Sometimes I think a workout gives me license to eat more and I don't necessarily need the extra calories.  I do 2+ hour workout days probably twice a week, but other days are not as intense.

I think I'll concentrate on: #1 snacking; #2 underestimating my calories burned; and #3 proper refueling.  That should help me get on track a bit.  Thanks for the tips!

Jacqui

I only have a little experience with bike or tri gear, but I agree the women's sizing runs WAAAY small. I always take a small or even extra small in shorts or pants but I bought a pair of small bike shorts and felt like a stuffed sausage.  Yikes! 

I just ordered a pair of tri shorts from Swim Outlet in a medium so I am crossing my fingers that they fit!

Jacqui

I had a pretty busy day today. I went to the gym and lifted weights, and did abs for an hour. After that I jumped in the pool for a quick 750 m swim. I didn't have alot of time I had to get to work. After work my buddy and I went for a ride he likes to do. I rode to his house then we road up highway 89 to Maddox "Steak house in Utah" There are rolling hills the entire route, you are either going up or down, very little flats here and there. At least that is what it felt like. The ride was 37.5 miles and we averaged 20 mph. That was the hardest ride I have every done as far as pushing my limits anyways. It was the one time I didn't wear my heart rate monitor, which might of been a good thing. I don't know if I wanted to see what I was averaging. We beat my buddy's best time by 2 minutes and we had a cross wind where it was calm when he did it. Need to get a good run in this weekend between a couple of parties we have been invited to. The rain is going to be back which I am not looking forward to.

Hope everyone had a great Friday

Yes you can swim in a tri suit.

Bike stores have clearance items where you can get good deals on year old shoes. After buying the shoes find out which cleats will work with that shoe and buy the pedals you won't. They come with cleats.

Wetsuits are manditory for water under 70 I believe, so it sounds like you might not need one.

Yes you would wear a wetsuit over your trisuit

Long or short is up to you, they say sleeves make you faster but you might have some shoulder discomfort. Xterra has a sleeveless for $99 or you can rent one for $69 or so.

I have never done a tri but the last thing I would say is Have fun!!

Most of that is right on.  The only exception is that I don't believe a wetsuit is ever mandatory.  I would not do a race in 64 degree water or less without one though.  Full sleeves may add a little resistance to your stroke as a wetsuit should be very tight, but you should probably go full sleeves for two reasons.  First, the bouyancy loss of a sleeveless is significant.  Second, if it's going to be really cold water, not having the sleeves defeats the purpose.  You'll freeze.

For shoes, you need to go to the local bike shop and make the decision on shoes and pedals all in one trip.  They'll help you out.  It's not all that intimidating once you see it all in person.  If the are not helpful, go somewhere else. 

Kimberly,

As far as the wetsuit, I would definitely stick with full length.  The ones for swimming are not like the half suit ones for water skiiing and such.  They have different features and different types of neoprene.  For water that cold, you want to do full length.  I have horrible shoulder issues, the wet suit makes swimming much easier and is probably better for tendonitis.  You sit much higher in the water, much less drag, faster, warmer, etc.  Where you should feel the added resistance is in your lats and triceps.  As for fit, you really want it tight, now wrinkles or folds.  One final note, THE ZIPPER GOES IN BACK.  Don't be that guy/gal walking around with the zipper in front trying to figure out why it doesn't feel so good (worse for dudes)!

I have a bunch of friends heading your way next weekend for the Illinois Marathon in Champaign.  I'm sure if you look around on the Internet there is a good bike shop down there.  The better bike shops will have tri gear. 

I'm off to pound out some distance today.  I have time goals set by the coach, should put me right at or close to 13 miles at my race pace, so I'll see where I'm at for next week's race.

Hey Jacqui, I think Mark covered it pretty well in his post. Personally, I recommend picking one or 2 things to improve on at a time. I get overwhelmed when I try to completely overhaul my bad habits and that's when I get frustrated and fail. Improving your carbs is a good place to start. Not sure what "bad carbs" you eat, but try getting rid of everything in your cupboard that is white. Replace white flour with whole wheat, white bread with whole grain, white pasta with whole wheat pasta and any cereals with things like oatmeal, shredded wheat (not the frosted kind LOL), even cheerios are better than a lot of other options. Whole grain carbs break down slower than simple carbs (white flours, sugar, etc) and provide fuel to your body over a longer period of time. This will also keep you full longer and hopefully curb those cravings. 

I don't follow a specific plan, but I do track my nutrition like Mark suggested. During the work week I plan my meals a full day in advance so I'm not standing around in the kitchen looking for what "sounds good". I also regularly stock up on bulk mixed greens and add them to almost everything I eat. Even egg whites or chili - I'll take a couple handfuls of greens and put them on my plate or bowl before my other food. Then I just put whatever else I'm eating on top of the greens. It adds tons of fiber and nutrients with only about 15 calories!

I struggle with my binges though too. The last 3 days I've been a little piggy and the scale is back up to 160. But I've got 2 weeks and I know I can behave myself and get back to 158 for race day. I try to take one day at a time and when I have a craving I can generally reign myself in by reminding myself about my training and my race and why I am trying to eat healthy.

Start a food journal or find one you like online (I use www.livestrong.com/myplate) and take a closer look at when & what you eat. Then modify from there.

Another thing I've been trying to follow during this training period is eating smaller, more frequent meals. Generally I've eaten 3 larger meals & 2-3 small snacks depending on my workout schedule. Lately I've been doing small pre- and post-workout snacks, and then my 3 meals and 2 regular snacks are all about the same size. For the most part it's been working really well! I'm almost never *hungry*, and when I start getting hungry I realize it's time to eat again. Also, drink lots of water. If you have a craving, especially late at night, drink a big glass of water and wait 15 minutes. 

Mark, 

Today is my Key Run. My training plan says 6x800meters w/ 2:00 recovery and that it should take me about 50:00 total. My training pace has been about 12 1/2 minute miles and I was thinking of aiming for 6:00 800m. Is that fast enough? Is there anything else I should focus on? I'm very new at breaking my runs into key workouts. Generally I've gone out and done my distance or time at a low to moderate intensity. Last weekend for my 5k I did 30 seconds at a faster pace, with 2:00 slow jog recovery, but that's as complicated as I've gotten so far.

2 Minutes is a lot of rest, so I'd say that pace is probably selling yourself short.  Make sure that you warm up well first too.  Do a nice slow jog for at least 10:00 to get loose.  I would shoot for 5-5:15 for your 800m intervals.  You can do this.  Remember, you're not going a whole mile at a time so you don't need to meter as much.  Treat each 800 like a mini race and negative split them.  Go 5-10 seconds faster on the second 400 than the first.  Shoot for the BEST YOU CAN DO, and each one should make your chest pound.  Don't quit, don't slow down.  The gains are made when you push through mentally and physically.  I tell myself each time it gets hard, "you can make it stop any time you want, you'll just know you sold yourself short today."  I literally repeat that over and over.

Let me know how you do. 

Henry,

Thanks for the nutrition tips!  It helps keep me motivated to hear what others are doing.  I also like the idea of adding a big handful of greens to most meals -- that is a great way to sneak in some extra nutrients!

Jacqui