Jackjack's group - closed (Page 18)

Cynthia- you will be fine in the water if the temp is 72, even without a wetsuit. I get pretty toasty in a wetsuit at 72-74 degree water.

I hope everyone gets some good training today or tonight.
I slept in this morning (woo hoo!), but am planning to do my long swim and maybe a short bike ride tonight.

Tomorrow morning is bike: run brick time for me - a 1 hour ride plus a 30 minute run. My goal is to pick up the run pace and see how my legs feel getting off the bike trying to push a faster pace.
Then we are heading out to go camping for Father's Day weekend. I reserved a campground way up in the mountains right on a big lake, so that will be fun for everyone.

Have a great weekend if I don't get a chance to check in tomorrow.
Dee

Hi all -

I'm with Heidi on my training log looking rather more pathetic than I'd like this week.  But I'm brushing that off as unplanned taper... laughs.  I'm almost done with my first week of work, and I am so exhausted!  I don't know how I'm going to keep this up and train.... thank god it's only for eight weeks.  How do you guys do it?

I'm really excited about Saturday, but really nervous too.  I'm trying not to think too much - just telling myself that when I get there, I'll do it, and that's that.  Trying to remember to focus on finishing and not on time, so I don't put too much pressure on myself for all the stupid mistakes I'm sure I'll make : ) 

My bike (which actually belongs to my mom... I don't own my own bike) is making funny noises when I put it in high gear.  Aside from being annoying, it's slightly disconcerting.  I don't THINK it's a problem but.... thoughts?

Cynthia - I wouldn't worry about the water too much.  72 isn't bad!  Just think... your standard cold pool is about... 76-78.  So yeah it'll be cold, but nothing too scary.  : )

Night all.  I'm sleeping in tomorrow!  Until 6:30!  

Bike mechanics: it sounds like your chain may either be loose or dirty.
Jackie, what do you think?
If you have time, take it into a bike shop and have them take a quick look at it.
Or you can clean it yourself and see if that helps.
Is it only in certain gears or all the time? I know that I need a new chain put on my bike
in the next couple of weeks because it is a little loose in certain gears and sounds "crunchy".

I had a great swim last night - 2550 yards mixed intervals. I love the workouts in the swim workout book I have. I like that the sets are mixed up (swim, kick, pull, intervals of varying lengths). I just kept ticking off set after set and was done before I knew it.

Ick.. I twisted my heel running around playing tag with the boys yesterday, so my foot is sore today. Luckily I am not running again until Tuesday of next week- I decided to ditch my run this morning since I was at the pool until 10:30 am.

Time to pack for camping!
Have a wonderful weekend.
Dee

Hello - am trying to sneak in short computer bouts whilst the inlaws are here.  I managed to get out for a run this morning which was good and the dog appreciated it too.

I am no bike mechanic (I have my friendly bike shop who helps me with that   )  but if not a dirty chain it sounds like the adjustment is slightly out for the gears.  Could have easily happened by a slight knock. I have had it before.  When I take my bike to my bike shop they just hang it up, test it and adjust it slightly and it is fine.    This is also the thing to do if you find your chain comes off too easily.

I'd just take it in and ask if they'd just have a quick look at it because you have a race tomorrow.

Good luck and have fun and don't put pressure on yourself.  Enjoy this experience - pressure and more serious goals NEXT time.
Dee enjoy your camping, it sounds lovely

Hope everyone else has a good weekend too.
My training is likely to be light for next few weeks but even if I only get out to run 30mins most days that will do me good as running is my weakness.

Didn't have a chance to take my bike in.... "crunchy" is exactly what it sounds like.  I think it's safe enough, though. 

Here goes!  Leaving now.

I'm excited to hear the race reports from today!!

Was it because I anticipated the cool water?  was the chop just a little too much for me? Whichever, whatever, the swim was a bit off-- read I paddled/back floated the first 1/3!! (yeah, just "a bit off," smirk).  But once I COULD put my face in the water adn relax and swim I just picked off competitors one by one, being int eh trailing end of the wave.  ah well.  The bike and run went okay - though the bike could have had a little less wind.  Considering the GUSTS blowing through on Friday night, I guess I should be happy for the steady breeze. 

Di and I did not end up finding each other :-(, there were too many bluetop/blackshorts clad women for me to find her!

Complete RR will be posted once "official" times are up in a couple days. 

-Cynthia

Cynthia- Congrats!!
Sorry you and Diana didn't  get to meet up.
How was the run? And, are you happy with how you did?

Well done Cynthia and hopefully Di too!
Hopefully after a recovery/ hectic fathers day we will hear all about it.

We went to a local oldie worldie museum type place today for the fathers day special event - so I managed to get my workout in by cycling there and back.

Jackie

Cynthia and Di- let us know all about your races! I hope you had fun

We had a good camping weekend. Friday night was perfect weather and it was a beautiful campground, on a lake surrounded by 14,000 foot peaks all around us. We had a nice big fire and hung out. Saturday morning we drove up to Independence Pass on the Continental Divide and took pictures while throwing snowballs at each other. Then the snow and rain started and did not stop all day. 6 hours later, with wet dogs and wet cranky kids, we decided to call it a weekend and headed on home. We did have fun while it lasted and spend a fantastic day playing in the yard today... after my long 44 mile bike ride.

Have a great Monday!
Dee

Morning everybody!

I'm writing whilst I have a chance.  Last couple of days of school here for my boys so I'm up for that and the inlaws are still asleep.

My sister in law runs (the hills in Scotland) so we are going to go out to a nearby park and run the hilly route (about 4.7m) there hopefully today.  Last time I did this, I could hardly move the next day!  It's just rather too easy to run from out the back door here which is pretty flat. 
I'm taking each day as it comes here as far as training opportunities are concerned. So far I have managed to do something most days so I am happy.

Dee, regardless of the rain (and snow- yikes!)  your weekend sounded good.

What are everybody's plans for this week?  Here the rain has now gone away for a while I hope.

Jackie

Good morning every one!
I took yessterday off from training. It got to be too hectic with all the "Fathers Day" events.
My goal today is for a bike on the trainer tonight, and possibly a swim right after work.

I think I'm going to try Jackies suggestion of writing out my goals for the week and taping it to my fridge (and computer). It worked well a couple of weeks ago when I tried it.

Have a great day every one.

Heidi

ARRGH!
Sorry again for not being on here as much- I promise I am keeping up with my training, I have just been swamped with other things. For starters, the insurance company totalled my car from the accident. So I currently am sharing a car with my husband which makes things really interesting. So needless to say, haven't made it to many open water swims. So now we are shopping for a new car and a house. If it wasn't for training, I would be pulling my hair out!
I did go to an open water swim clinic with a pro triathlete from the area. It was extremely helpful, and by the end I knew how to dolphin dive and I swam farther than I did at Pewaukee Lake earlier in the summer without stopping or switching to backstroke. It also helped me with sighting and turning around a buoy. She suggested a change in my stroke, instead of breathing every three strokes like I do in the pool, I am breathing every other stroke and doing three on each side and sighting when I am switching sides. I have been practicing this in my pool workouts so it becomes more natural when I get into open water (hopefully next week). Tomorrow I am planning a mile and half swim in the AM and soccer at night. I am excited for the swim and especially for soccer (when I'm stressed, it feels SO good to kick something as hard as I can!)
I also have been improving my speed on the bike- one of my recent workouts I averaged 17mph (which for me is pretty good!).
Hope everyone is doing well with training, and I promise to get on here more often. We are hopefully going to purchase a used vehicle this week (same as my old car, with some added features and lower mileage) so I will feel much better once that is settled.

Wow Jenny- You've got a lot on your plate! Good luck with the car situation, and house shopping.

The swim lesson sounds like it was really helpful. Glad your back and okay.

Training Plan Dilemna:

I have made a definite decision not to attempt the Oly Tri that I was originally looking at.  My training has been consistently below where it needs to be for an oly.


I will register for a local Sprint on August 29. But, that leaves me with training questions: If I look at the SPrint distance training plan, I don't think it's enough. The Sprint I'm doing is  a .5 mile swim, an 18 mile hilly course, and a 5k.

I think if I follow the Sprint plan, I won't be prepared for the run or the hilly bike. Are ther other plans out there that any one has used (besides the BT ones)- Is there a way to customize a plan- focusing on runs and tough bike courses?

Any suggestions would be good.
Heidi

Heidi-
My suggestion would be to find some courses that are similar terrain to what your race will be like, and train on those. That way you are prepared for those hills and courses. If you are in the same area, it wouldn't be a bad idea to bike and run the actual course as part of your training too. That will help you also mentally prepare for what you need to do race day.
Make sure to practice a couple bricks as well, switching from biking to running in the same workout.
I just got to work and had a great swim this morning- it is horribly humid and hot here today!

"The Sprint I'm doing is a .5 mile swim, an 18 mile hilly course, and a 5k. "

YEAH!! I like training questions.
A few ?s first....
What distances are you currently doing in training?
What are your time constraints?

I would do the following. This pattern has worked really well for me this year and I am a firm believer in all this - it's from the Going Long book by Joe Friel.

1. Decide how long you want your longest training session to be in each sport - I would aim for a 3/4 mile swim, 25 mile bike, and 5 mile run (but that is my opinion). I might even try to go longer on the bike because I really believe that you get a better performance on the run if you are stronger on the bike. Your legs will still be relatively fresh for the run if you have trained well on the bike.

2. Okay, so you have your longest session distances. Now it's time to work out your training plan. Start with where you are right now and do a chart with each week and each sport. This chart is ONLY for your key workouts in each sport, so 1 swim, 1 bike and 1 run. These are your longest sessions of the week. You may have to erase and redo this chart a few times to get it to work for you. August 29th is 10 weeks of training. So in theory you could do this:

week #1 (this week!)- increase long sessions (1 in each sport) by 10%
week #2 - increase again by 10%
week #3- increase again by 10%
week #4 - recovery/ decrease total volume by 40-50%
week #5- repeat week #3
week #6- increase by 10% - do some bricks
week #7- increase by 10% - do some bricks
week #8- recovery/ decrease total volume by 40-50%
week #9- no increase/ aim for shorter faster sessions at the race distance for your key sessions/ do some bricks
week #10- taper and race week: a few short sessions and lots of rest time

3. A note on the long sessions: depending on your fitness level, you can increase more than 10% on the swim and the bike and you'll be okay- be careful with the run, though, since it's high impact

4. What I do now is I look at the current week- I plan my long sessions first, trying to leave a day between each one. Then go back and fill in the blanks, aiming for a total of 3 in each sport each week. If you are time limited, aim for 2 swims, 2 runs, and 3 bikes. The whole purpose of your week is to hit your long key workouts fresh and strong. Keep your other workouts lower impact and shorter.

I hope that makes sense
Dee

What are everyone's workout goals for the rest of this week?
Let's post and share!

Monday- bike 1:15 (done!)
Tuesday- key swim workout 1500 speed + run 45 minutes (done!)
Wednesday- key bike workout 2:30 rolling hills road bike
Thursday- swim 2000 endurance set
Friday- key run 1:30 + swim 1000 easy pace mixed stroke
Saturday- rest day!
Sunday- bike 1:00 + run :30 (brick workout)

Have great workouts today!!!!!!!!!!
Dee

Ack!  I just realized I have no more goals! 
erh, I mean I need to fill in my training plans again now that 1st tri is done  .  It's not really that I have no goals! 

I have 4 weeks until the next one and then 4 weeks until the following, all tris are 400yd, 11 mi, 5K.  It's likely I'll have another tri 5 or 6 weeks following the August one.

This next set of 4 weeks finds me on vacation next week.  Likely I'll only be able to run while away; I'll consider bringing the bike but I think I'll not want to bike strange hilly routes by myself (could bring the trainer too, hmm).

I guess I have anther thing to do today - refigure my training plans!
For now I'm off with the kids to get lunch with hubby and then a trip to the library...I need more vacation reads!

-Cynthia

Cynthia- I always find it hard to do any type of training (except running) when I"m on vacation.
I usually don't worry about biking or swimming when we travel, unless we are at a beach of course!
I hope you have a great vacation.
We are gone from the 29th- July 8th which coincides nicely with tapering for my race.
Yippee.

Hello
Just checking in here

Cynthia for vacations, don't get stressed about training if it will affect your vacation or it will defeat the purpose!  I'm like Dee, I just take my running shoes and go out when I can and usually forget about bike/swim. I just aim to keep my fitness and actually a "run focus" now and then isn't a bad idea anyway.

Heidi,
I agree with Jenny and Dee's ideas.  Training on similar course is very very useful.  If you don't want to get caught up with really figuring out your own training plan then I would suggest you become a silver member of BT.  It gives you access to a load more training plans - I think you can't get them at bronze anyway.  They certainly have intermediate level sprint plans because I based my training on one this year.  Although it was a sprint plan it would have even got someone through their first Olympic so it certainly wasn't that easy.   Another idea is to use a beginner Olympic plan if the sprint plans you can access are too easy.  They will build up your endurance to longer times and I strongly believe this will naturally make you stronger (read faster) at shorter distances.
I love having a plan to follow because if I do it entirely myself I tend to stray more easily than if I have something "third party" to stick to. That's me though. 
I like using the BT plans as bases because they give me great ideas about the type of workout I should be doing whether I follow them exactly or not and for a less experienced person, it is a great way of getting to know the mix and types of workouts that are necessary and ultimately which mix works for you.

As for this weeks workouts, I am really playing it by ear with my vistitors here.  Today was day off which was OK as my legs are a bit sore from yesterdays hilly run but tomorrow morning I should be able to do something whilst most of them go off to play golf.  Looks like I may not swim this week at all unless I get myself out of bed early and down to the lake.  However that isn't appealing at the moment as apparently all the recent rain has plummeted it's temperature.

Hey guys -

Sorry I haven't posted yet!  Things have been so horribly busy!!

The race was incredible.  I had a great time.  The swim was the easiest part for me.... so that gave me a leg up.  Did it in about 5:30 : )  Then everyone passed me on the bike!!  Laughs... I think I need to buy a bike.  Soonish.  The run felt great... a bit hilly, but fun!

Thx for all the advice and encouragement.  Surprisingly... nothing really went wrong. 

Hope everyone is doing well!  I haven't had a second to catch up on reading posts.  But I will soon.

Smokin!  I was about twice that!!  of course my pace for the part I actually SWAM was decent (for me), but never in my dreams would I pull a 5:30 400!  You swim girl!

Diana- That is an amazing time for the swim!! Wow- I can't fathom being that fast in the water!

Dee and Jackie- Thanks for the input on how to plan for the race. Now, I have to put some serious effort into figuring it all out.

One goal I have is to get out to the bike course this weekend and ride it, so that I know how much work I have to do on the hills

For today- my goal is to bike after work for atleast an hour.

It's the last day of school for my daughter and my husband (he's a teacher). So after today, finding time to train will be much easier!!

Diana- Congrats on your race! That is awesome, I wish I could swim like that!!
So I have a hopefully exciting day today- I am getting a car. If everything goes according to plan, I will have it tonight. But as the last two weeks have proven, anything can happen so I won't be excited until I have the car home!
It is 92 degrees here already, and my plan was to bike this morning but we had to get to the bank and get the loan squared away, so it looks like it will be pushed back to tonight (unless I go to soccer). Here is my week plan:
Today: bike or soccer
Thursday: bike & run
Friday: lift & swim
Saturday: Off
Sunday: soccer
Here's a question I have: Does anyone here have experience swimming in open water with larger waves? I have heard that the waves can get pretty big for this race, and I haven't had much experience in open water, let alone with waves. Any suggestions on how to prepare?
Have a great day!
Jenny