Gray Guys/Girls Maturing Triathlete - Always OPEN (Page 17)

Hey Bryan,

The bug is certainly going around the Gray Guys/Gals, I think you're the 5th or 6th one to get sick.

Hope you're feeling better.

Janet,

Try this.  Who knew?  

(proper scale use.jpg)

So let me make sure I have this straight - you froze your backside off in the water, then rescued a fallen rider, battled head winds on the bike, then had a bad run - and you still stood on the podium?

(well-done-clipart-6.jpg)

Hi Janet,

Of course!  I will be happy to offer some thoughts.

In a perfect world, you would build up to 1.5-2.0 times the race distance 3-4 times per week.  For an Olympic triathlon that works out to 2250-3000 meters (or 2500-3300 yards) three to four times per week . . . in a perfect world.  Of course, most of us don't live in that "perfect world."  We have jobs, and spouses, and kids, and all those pesky things that prevent us from training as much as we would like.  With that in mind, you want to strive to get as close to that target as you reasonably can.  Note also that I said build to that yardage (meterage?).  Ideally you'll get that volume for a couple of weeks two to three weeks before the race (allowing yourself time to taper/peak for the race).  You've got 10-weeks.  If you can get weeks 7 & 8 near that volume with weeks 1-6 a gradual build to that volume you will be well prepared (weeks 9 & 10 would be reduced volume but increased intensity).

That sounds like a lot, but consider this, if you were to start with workouts around 1200 meters per session and added just 11% each week - which you can safely do for swimming - you'd be swimming workouts of nearly 2400 meters by week 6.

If you can't do 3-4 workouts with that volume, do what you can.  The closer you can get to the target - the better.  You probably can get more time in the water than you think you can if you really tighten the time belt.  You're only talking about a few weeks and you will thank yourself on race day when you come out of the water fresh.

You can also mix up the intensity a bit which I'll talk about in a little bit.

Obviously you know you should be doing intervals.  You don't have to do 200's.  You can do 100's or 50's.  I'd rather you do shorter intervals and keep your technique good than do longer intervals and your technique break down.  Early on, when you're really working on endurance, you want shorter rest intervals.  

You should determine your current swim threshold pace so you know you are training at the proper pace.  I know you've done the test in the past, but in case you've forgotten, here's the procedure - 

http://bscmultisport.com/blog/2017/05/22/how-to-determine-your-swim-threshold-pace/

Once you know your STP, then build your workouts around that.  Early on, when doing endurance sets (technically termed extensive endurance) you can swim at STP+3 with 15 seconds rest.  So, say for example, your STP is 1:45/100 yards (the same applies if you determine your STP in a long course pool using meters).  STP + 3 would be 1:45 + 0:03 = 1:48.  Add to that the rest interval - 1:48 + 0:15 = 2:03.  Round to the nearest 0:05.  You would swim 100's at a 2:05 interval.  Meaning the leave interval is 2:05 and the target pace is 1:48/100.

If you wanted to do 50's, half of 1:45 is 0:52.5.  Add 0:03/100 or 1.5 seconds to determine target pace - 0:52.5 + 0:01.5 = 0:54/50.  You aren't swimming 100's so you don't get 15 seconds rest, you only get 10.  So 0:54 + 0:10 = 1:04.  Round to the nearest 0:05 and you get 50's at a send off of 1:05, with a target of 0:54/50.

If you are really time crunched, don't worry about a specific warm-up.  Just go into the main set.

You can start with something like 24 x 50 or 12 x 100.  As your fitness improves, you can add in the occasional set of 200's.  Add a 2-4 50's or 1-2 100's each week.  It's nothing fancy, but it will get the job done.

When you get to 5-weeks out, take one of the workouts and change to intensive endurance, meaning go to STP-3 for the pace and raise the rest interval to 30-seconds.  The other two workouts would continue to be as I'd described earlier.  At 3-weeks out, go to 2 intensive endurance workouts each week and retain one extensive endurance each week.  So you'd have to "speed workouts" each week with "lots" of rest and one endurance workout each week with less rest.  

The paddles were "talking to you."  Paddles are technique tools.  The are NOT, as is commonly believed, strength building tools.  When used properly, paddles are VERY effective at pointing out your stroke deficiencies - as you discovered the other day.  If your hand is out of position by even the smallest amount - the paddles will try to come off, your hand will slice to one side or the other, or your hand will suddenly just turn sideways because you were so far out of position.

Here is an article off my old website (haven't gotten it transferred over yet). 

http://triathlonswimcoach.com/index.php/en/resources/stroke-technique/29-advanced/55-the-catch-and-pull

In the article I get around to talking quite a bit about proper hand position at entry.  Once the pull has begun, proper hand position is perpendicular to your direction of travel or stated another way, facing the wall behind you.  The pull should be straight back.  If you have little deviations from a straight pull, if your hands aren't perpendicular to your direction of travel, if your entry is incorrect - the paddles will tell you - IF YOU LISTEN.

You don't need to do a lot of yardage with the paddles.  4 x 50 once a week will generally be sufficient if you are paying attention to what they are telling you.  Ideally, you will be using ankle bands (and maybe a pull buoy if needed) while using the paddles so you can fully isolate the pull.  I encourage people new to paddles to introduce obvious stroke deficiencies to their stroke so they can begin to learn the language of the paddles.  For example, when you're pulling, slightly rotate your hand so it isn't facing the wall behind you.  You will feel your hand being pulled to the side.  In your case specifically, you're having some difficulty with the entry, after you read the article above, begin to modify your hand position until the paddles remain strongly in contact with your hand - you will know when your entry position is correct because the paddles will remain solidly on your hand.  When you are using paddles you are NOT trying to swim fast.  You are trying to swim with perfect technique.  The paddles will show you the way to perfect technique.

Hope all of that helps a little bit.

Nobody gained weight this week!  From the workout totals it looks like a few of you are getting serious about your training.

Good job everyone!  Keep it up and you'll be smiling on race day!

(0306.jpg)

Scott – thanks for the swim info.  I know I need to do an STP test but honestly I’ve been putting it off until I can get some consistency back in my swimming.  I’ve been using an estimated number for right now (based on what it was last year).  I also went back and re-read your article on catch & pull.  I think my issue (one of them anyway) is my hand entry.  When I think about it, my hand is really flat so I need to work on that.  Would I look silly standing at the end of the lane just practicing my hand entry? 

Steve – I love trail running!  I used to try to do all my weekend runs on the trails.  We have some really nice ones here but most are a 30-40 minute drive so they’ve been relegated to weekends.  Unfortunately with the knee issues I’ve been having, I can’t do hills well right now so I’ve had to back off the trails for a while.  I miss it and can’t wait to get back on them. 

Bike question:  I’ve been thinking about upgrading my chainring and cassette.  Right now I have a triple on the front (I believe it’s 50-39-30) and an 8 speed cassette (11-26).  I’d like to change to a regular double chainring and an 11 speed cassette.  I’ve been looking at cassettes and it seems like the prices go from $30-$100 and up.  Is there something special I need to look for when upgrading?  I know the difference in the gearing depends on what type of courses I’d be riding but overall, is there a difference in the brands/materials/etc.?  I probably won’t be doing the upgrade until fall since I’m only doing a few short races this year but thought I would start researching it now.  If I do decide to go long again next year, I want to change before that.  When I did the group trainer ride last weekend, everyone else had double chainrings and 11 speed cassettes and they were just spinning away when I was struggling.  I know some of that is bike fitness, but it seems like the extra gears would just give me more options. 

Janet

What is this "spring" you speak of ?  We had a decent day yesterday but today we're getting up to 3" of snow.  It feels like spring isn't ever going to get here.  At least it's not supposed to stay around too long - temps up into the 60's by mid-week.  

Thanks for the info on the bike/chainrings.  One of my concerns about switching out my chainring/cassette was the cost.  My bike is 9 years old and it's not fancy (only paid $800 for it when I bought it), but I'm not sure my derailleur would work with a different size cassette.  Like you said - might not be worth it to switch things out.  Unfortunately I can't afford a new bike so I need to make do with what I have.  TBH, even though I have the small ring, I very rarely use it.  I mostly ride in the middle one, sometimes use the big one if I'm riding outside on a flat course.   I'll start playing around with using the little one - especially once I'm able to get outside to ride and see how it goes on hills.  Then I'll decide what I want to do.  

Janet

Hey Steve,

I know you are aware of how to perform a threshold test but since we have been talking about threshold tests, I thought maybe it would be a good idea to go through the procedure for the newer folks we have with us.

Before I go any further, I need to say threshold testing is intense.  Make sure you have a doctors OK to be participating in very intense exercise.  If you are following any type of “Couch-to-“ program, forego doing a field test until you have built a base level of fitness.  The test is strenuous.  Instead, track your HR as you exercise.  When you are finished, note your HR and record how long it takes your HR to drop 20 beats per minute.  Over time that number should begin to decrease.  Once you are comfortable running 30-40 minutes non-stop you are ready to attempt a field threshold test.

There's a link to the 'Swim Threshold Pace' procedure above.

Lactate Threshold Heart Rate Threshold Field Test

You are going to use a 30-minute time trial on both the bike and the run to determine your lactate threshold.  If you are testing both disciplines, it’s best to test on different days.

Begin with a thorough warm-up.  The run warm-up is 15-minutes and includes some accelerations to prepare your body for a maximal effort.  The bike warm-up is also 15-minutes and includes going through all the gears.

• The 30-minute time trial begins – press ‘start’ on your watch
• At 10-minutes into the test, press ‘lap’ on your watch
• At 30-minutes press ‘end’ on your watch
• You should finish knowing you had given a maximum effort for the entire 30-minutes

Your average HR over the final 20-minutes of the time-trial is a close approximation of your Lactate Threshold Heart Rate (LTHR) for both the run and bike.  For running, your average pace over the entire test is a close approximation of your lactate threshold pace.

A word about pacing the 30-minute test - you want to be steady through this or build as you go; you don’t want to start off too hard and then fade as the test progresses. Better to start a little too easy and build throughout than blow up part way through. Early in the test, if you feel you can hold the pace/speed for another 5:00, you are probably right where you want to be; if 5:00 would be easy, go a bit harder, if 5:00 seems like way too long, back off a little. With five minutes to go, it's time to go - hang on and grit your teeth through to the end.

Calculating your Heart Rate Training Zones

After you have determined your Lactate Threshold Heart Rate you can use the following ranges to calculate your training zones (Joe Friel 7-zones for running, Joe Friel 7-zones for cycling).

Run Zones
Zone 1 Less than 85% of LTHR
Zone 2 85% to 89% of LTHR
Zone 3 90% to 94% of LTHR
Zone 4 95% to 99% of LTHR
Zone 5a 100% to 102% of LTHR
Zone 5b 103% to 106% of LTHR
Zone 5c More than 106% of LTHR

Bike Zones
Zone 1 Less than 81% of LTHR
Zone 2 81% to 89% of LTHR
Zone 3 90% to 93% of LTHR
Zone 4 94% to 99% of LTHR
Zone 5a 100% to 102% of LTHR
Zone 5b 103% to 106% of LTHR
Zone 5c More than 106% of LTHR

Using a power meter is the preferred method for guiding cycling training and race day efforts.  A FTP test similar to the above procedure.  I can go through the FTP procedure if anyone is interested.

Hope that helps.

Hey Janet,

I'm not sure I'd be thinking about switching to a double, at least for the reason you are thinking about it.  The lowest gear you currently have it 30/26.  If you were to switch to a compact crank with an 11-28 cassette, your lowest gear would be 34/28, and a standard crank with the same cassette would be 39/28.  Both of those options are higher gears than what you currently have available.

At the other end, you likely aren't going to be able to "spin-out" the highest gear you currently have 50/11.  That would be the same high gear with a compact crank (50/34) and the 11-28 cassette.  You could have a slightly higher gear with a standard crank 53/39 and the 11-28 cassette - 53/11.  As I said above however, you'd be penalized in the hills with the standard crank.

The biggest reason you go to more cogs in a rear cassette is to lessen the difference between gears.  For example an 8-cog 11/28 cassette has 11-13-15-17-19-21-24-28 teeth.  A 10-cog 11/28 cassette has 11,12,13,14,15,17,19,22,25,28.  As you can see, you'd have an extra gear between 11-15, and 13-15.  The higher gears you'd have a bit closer steps.  Both of these would have the same high and low end gears.

Don't get confused thinking a compact or standard crank is the answer.  You are talking about "spinning up the hills."  That requires a lower gear.  There are 11/28, 11/30, and 11/32 cassettes available.  All of those would give you a lower lowest gear which would allow you to "spin up the hill" better.  At the end of the day, it is, and always well be, about the engine.  It doesn't matter what gears are on your bike if the engine isn't powerful enough to turn them.

x2

We got a couple inches of snow last night, supposed to get another couple of inches tomorrow morning.  We got a little "false-spring" teaser last week when it got up to the 60's.  Then Mother Nature smiled and said, "Psych."

Not an especially good week for me.  I was lazy yesterday with the snow and skipped both my swim and my long run.  Hoping I can get back on track this week.

No weight lost (still, but at least I'm not gaining either)
Swim - 27 min
Bike - 205 min
Run - 49 min
Yoga - 86 min

Janet

Up 1-1/2 lbs. 
8 hours training (480 mins) 

Weight:  No gain, but no loss either.

Workouts:

Swim - 9.2 hours

Bike - 6.1 hours

Run - 4.4 hours

Total 19.7 hours

Hey Steve,

That whole race-jitters thing is over-rated.  It's just another day of training - albeit in a beautiful location.  You'll be fine.  It's kinda like riding a bike - it'll come back to you before the smoke from the starting gun clears the air.

Ski demo-day sounded awesome.  That would be a great way to demo skis.  Doing it back to back you could really get a valid comparison.  Doing a pair one weekend and another pair the next weekend doesn't really let you directly compare them like doing them back to back would.

Hi All, I took a few days off to get some work done at home.  Nothing too bad.  I actually kind of enjoy the work but I did miss a couple workouts.

No weight loss for this week - but no gain either.

Swim - 70:56

Bike - 280:39

Run - 108:53

Total - 460:28 = 7.67 hours

Just today I realized I was feeling some low grade plantar fascitis.  Nothing too serious yet so I'm hoping I can deal with it while continuing to run.

Steve - Have fun on your trip and a good race.  I'm not envious at all.  Not even thinking about mai tai's or whatever you might drink or walking on the beach.  Looking forward to reading your race report though.