Jamie's HIM/IM Training Group-CLOSED (Page 18)

Hi Cody,
If this is true you need to be doing some sweat tests to figure out what you need. By the time you actually do get thirsty it is often too late.

Jamie

Glad you are back to health. Just in time for the super bowl!

You could have done a 'sick' sweat test had you known it was coming.
Don't worry about the 'lost' training and don't try to make it up. It's just a little bump in the road and it's only Feb 1.
Jamie

Dave,
You are up for today's question of the day (FEB 1). After you post it please nominate another member of the group for tomorrow's question.

Thanks,
Jamie

I went from nearly ZERO activity in November/December to this...I may have redeemed myself with the guys over on the IMTX thread:

January's totals:
Bike:	15h 20m  - 263.2 Mi
Run:	14h 19m 45s  - 101.44 Mi
Swim:	9h 05m  - 24850 M
Strength:	15h 00m

Nice job. What do you predict will be your max miles/week running once you really get into it?

Jamie

The plan max run is 3 hours - which would be about 21 miles at a comfortable pace for me. Sound about right?

Yeah. But I mean your average miles/week leading up to IMTX. 35? 40? 50?
Jamie

Hi everyone. Ice storm in Indiana today so I'm at home. Saw this swimming technique video on the 'other' tri site and thought it was very well done by Gary Hall Sr.

http://www.slowtwitch.com/Training/Swimming/Your_Best_Freestyle_Tec...


Personally I use a very rapid turnover (20-21 strokes/25 yards) and pretty much no kick. My IM swim times are 58-60 mins w/ wetsuit and 66 w/o. My personal advice is to be very wary of catch up stroke total slowmersion type of swimming. It is highly dependent on a very strong kick. Most tri peeps that I see are 'practicing' this technique with either a pull buoy or fins. Bad idea. You can't use them in a race. Granted a wetsuit will be close to a pull buoy but best not to practice with one exclusively. Just my .02.

Check out the video and read the text. Towards the end of the article Gary has some very good advice for most triathletes w/o a competitive swimming background.

Jamie

40 miles per week probably - again the plan is in hours, not distance but I think it works okay for my pace. If the long run is 20 then that's 50% of weekly mileage which violates the 30% rule but I find it really hard to get around that.

~40 mpw sounds about right. There are no 'rules' in training. If you can do it then do it. Nothing wrong with your long run being 50% of your mileage. I'm not a believer in the 10% rule either when running.
Jamie

Good video and article! I definitely have a high stroke rate and it's something that I need to slow down just a tad because I need to have a longer stroke.. for me- it's form over speed. I tried the TI style of swimming last year and it wasn't for me. It really slowed me way down and it didn't feel natural to me either. 
I am finding that as my form improves so are my times. Ahh the joys of swimming!!
Got my run in this morning- was supposed to swim at lunch, but Purdue called a snow recess. Not sure why as it's not really doing anything outside yet. Oh well. I think I will go upstairs and do tomorrow's bike ride today, and swim tomorrow (if I can get out..). I need an indoor endless pool to complete my home gym.  

Nice swimming article.  Good things to think about, Im not exactly sure which style I fit into, but I asked a couple of real swimmers and am curious to hear their response.

Training misery this week, on travel for work, locked in a lab all day, snow covering everything outside, and only a lousy treadmill to run on at the hotel.  Decent run yesterday, but my legs werent up for more than a couple miles today.  Attempted to swim in the undersized hotel pool until some clowns decided they were going to continually swim into me until I got out of the pool.  Hopefully tomorrow is a better day...

On a brighter note, signed up for the Chicago Marathon this morning.

Well my plan was to ride the trainer for an hour but there is a hockey game and I'm tired. So I'll regroup, and do my run sweat test tomorrow. The swim article was good but I find for me I swim more like style #4 drowning human. I would like to move to any of the other swim styles but I seem to have mastered this pretty good

The ice storm in Indy has kept me at home yesterday and today. Yesterday I got in a pretty good trainer ride. 60' with 40' @ FTP. Today the plan is 90' with roughly 50% of that @ HIM watts. FTP is climbing little by little. I'm pretty much where I left off in October so that is nice to see.

We seem to have derailed the QOTD. So I will ask one in hopes to get it back on track:

QOTD: Do you lift weights as part of your training for triathlon?

AOTD: I personally don't. The last 6 years for me was spent doing 20-25hr training weeks for IM. I didn't have time. I've done a lot of triathlons. Most were swim/bike/run. Some were run/bike/run. A few were even bike/swim/run. I've never signed up for on that was swim/bike/leg extension or bench press/bike/run so I've never trained for that event. I used to be a big gym rat. 6 years ago I weighed 175 lbs. Most of it was upper body beach muscles. Completely useless in triathlon. Today I weigh 150. It took a long time to lose that muscle weight. I know I'm faster b/c of it. I believe completely in specificity of training. To get stronger in the swim I'll use paddles occasionally. For the bike, I'll use big gears. For running, I'll do some hills if I really feel like it.

CODY (CLEWIS38) CAN YOU DO THE QOTD FOR TOMORROW (3 FEB)?
thanks
Jamie

Beware of asking real swimmers. Tri swimmers are not real swimmers. That was a point that Gary Hall made in the video/text. Something to the effect of 'if you weren't born in the pool then chances are it will take you years and years to develop the kick needed for catch up/total slowmersion swimming that a lot of 'real swimmers' use. Just something to keep in mind.

I know on my masters team they are constantly telling me to lower the stroke rate and glide. The coaches are/were all highly decorated collegiate swimmers and/or coaches. Low stroke rate works great in the pool but not very well in the open water. High turnover is used even by 'real swimmers' in open water. For tris it is also useful as part of your 'defense' from other competitors swimming next to you.

Jamie

QOTD - I don't lift weights. My plan has me doing Some but I just skip them. I used to do a lot of weights and am afraid I'm already to bulky. It's a good sign that you can lose that muscle. How long did it take to drop some of it.

Probably about 2 years w/o weights. Training for tri year round will definitely speed up the process!

Jamie

My planned swim is cancelled today because of the storm...pool closed.  I'll be doing a trainer session, and possibly strength training. And with that said.....

AQOD: Unless you plan to go pro with triathlons, IMO not strength training is a mistake.  There are plenty of triathlon specific exercises you can do that will help with everything include give you a better looking body.  For me personally, I'd rather have a nice physique then be 10 mins faster in an IM.  I don't do triathlons to make a living.  Stick figure bodies like Macca & Alexander simply not something I want.  Give me some beach muscles any day. 

I particularly like this pic of me from last May at a duathlon. 

except this year's pic will have you in the aero position right?

Jamie

I was just leaving transition there so I have an excuse.   I remember that race and I was in aero for over 90% of the time.  But there were alot of hills which is mostly when I wasn't in aero. 

As a woman who is not getting any younger, I strength train year round. Women, especially, and men too (as they age) need to stress the musculotendonus junctions to keep bones very strong. Running makes our leg and hip bones very strong, but the rest will suffer (think spine and wrist fractures due to oseoporous,  which can start to show up in our 40's in really severe cases..). During my non-training plan season, I do BodyPump. Now that I'm in "plan", I follow Joel Friel's plan.. I'm in and out and it doesn't affect my other s/b/r training. I'm in the end of the best years of my life to build bone density and I plan to take full advantage of it. I've assisted with too many hip and wrist fractures to not do it. I'm not a pro, nor will I ever be and I like to feel and look strong/athletic. 

AOTD: not much - last 2 months have only been 2-3 times.  Mainly when I cannot get a bike or treadmill at the gym.  After the IM might hit the weights a little more and cut back on the long workouts.

I do almost no strength training at all anymore. I suspect that I overdid it a few years ago and it lead to some lower leg issues.  Just SBR for me with some stretching and yoga...

I am still stuck in Toronto...hope to get back home tonight. 

Hahaha - how did I know that was coming?

AOTD - I don't do any weights - not for philosophical reasons, I've just never been interested in it. In fact - I did some push ups Monday and last night in the pool I felt like the sore muscles were making me feel slow in the water. Similar to Jamie, I feel like it's hard enough to find time for all the S/B/R training - I don't see myself ever making time for a weight training routine.

Hammered out 4k meters last night in the pool. Felt great to hit that volume, now I just need to work on doing it FASTER! =) Tonight I'll do a little bike/run action at the gym.