Tri Mark's Madness Group-Closed (Page 18)

biomechanical geek response...

when running uphill, you are more prone to move your knee forward anteriorly in the sagittal plane which increases force through the knee joint.

in general terms,

while running uphill, people tend to "lean" forward or up the hill.  this allows the knees to move forward past the foot which makes for a lesser advantageous angle for the knee joint. therefore the knee takes extra force while sometimes running uphill.

Also, people tend to run on their toes when running uphill.  This increases the workload of the calves which most people arent use to.

Like mark said, stay true to your form.  Think about holding good form, especailly in those last few sets where you are very tired!

33 miles today - my longest ever -weather was great for the 1st day in a long time.  I was happy with my average speed - included some traffic stops and slowing way down for kids on tricycles and practicing gels from the stem.  Ended up with espresso GU all over my elbow pad.  Very happy my bottom held up - I've been worried about that.  I wish I wasn't so afraid of riding aero- it's so comfortable when I do try it.

Kimberly - I rode on a trail and there were lots of people walking dogs but they were all very well behaved - even one that wasn't leashed was told to sit and just calmly sat there as I sped by (I was a little nervous)

Denise

Outstanding swim video tying all of the mechanics together with great illustration.

http://lavamagazine.com/training/developing-world-class-open-water-swim-mechanics#axzz1KZqWISJb

I am learning so much from this forum! Thanks Mark and Barrett for the explanations about hill running and how to do it right (and wrong) and the biomech reasons doing it wrong can lead injury. I'm a lot more inclined to do it now that I have the knowledge.

Which brings up another question... Speedwork--I've also read that speedwork increases the potential for injuries, but I don't know why?  I think my form gets better the faster I go, so maybe it is something else? Or maybe it's too much speedwork? But again, why, what kinds of injuries, and how to avoid them when doing it?

I'm focusing a lot on running this season and my goals are to be more consistent in training and avoid injury so I can incrementally increase my mileage to 25-30 miles a week, to improve my 5k and 10K times in tris, and maybe attempt a half-marathon later in the season.  Your comments and suggestions are helping me figure out what I can and need to do and how to do it safely, so thanks!!

Hi guys,

My old mentor has started a new group so I'm moving over there.  It was nice "meeting" you guys.  Good luck with races/training.  Thanks Mark.  Beth/Henry - hope to see you at races this season.

Denise

Sweet! Thanks for the tip, Denise.

Sorry to see you go, Denise! Have a great race & maybe I'll see you there!

Luckily I haven't had to kick a dog yet, but I've come close. I read somewhere that you should yell "SIT" really loudly! If a dog is trained at all, sometimes hearing a familiar command surprises it enough that it actually complies. My mom has always yelled "GO HOME" and she hasn't been bitten yet either. She rides a lot slower than I do too, so she's either been incredibly lucky for 35 years, or it works often enough to make a difference.

Sounds like a great workout.  It will pay off, keep the faith!

It's entirely likely that the distance was not well measured.  It's also possible that you swam off course or swam longer than intended over the course of the distance.  It's constant correction of course, sometimes you just end up off.  You may also lose some speed compared to the pool depending on how hard you push off the wall in the pool.  That can really drop your times if you're efficient off the wall.  I would just say stick with it and you'll get faster.

So as a humbling exercise I took a look at last year's race times for my 'big' race on June 19th (Boulder 5430 sprint).  Wow!  Top women in my age group were 11 - 12 min for the 800m swim, 21-22mph for the 17.1 mi bike, and coming in the 5k at 21 - 23 minutes.  

I'm planning to do my first timed 800m in the pool this upcoming Thursday to lay down a baseline.  That and looking at the swim times from last year's race reminded me to ask: what's the best way to prepare for my open water swim in June?  Specifically, how many times should I aim to practice in open water before the race?  At least 3? 4? 5?

I'm in Colorado where it takes some effort to get to open water.  I also probably won't have a wetsuit lined up until May.  Therefore I'm certainly in the pool for at least the next month.  Any advice would be appreciated!

My "big" race is at the end of June too (weekend after yours) and I'm not at all close to the times most of the women can put up, and not just in my age group. There do not seem to be a lot of recreational triathletes where I live

I don't have much access to open water either - I hope to get at least one session in before the race, maybe two, but I think 3 or 4 would be better if at all manageable.

Don't get intimidated by the times of others.  Everyone is different and you are only racing yourself, just remember that!  Some people train very specifically for that distance and will do incredible.  Others will be training for very long distances and just use it as a fun diversion.  Yet others, like some of you here, are just trying to do the best we can and finish our first, second, third race, whatever it is. 

On the topic of  open water swimming.  You would obviously benefit to do it as much as you can.  Don't freak out if you can't do it too much.  Bring your wetsuit to race check in, find a way to swim the day before the race if you have not done it enough.  Make sure you do it at least once.  If you have to, take it to the pool and swim there in it once or twice.  You'll look funny, but so what.  Have you ever seen the people in their tri suits?   I know I look funny as hell!  Just make sure you rinse out the suit really good with fresh water as soon as you can.  IF you can let it soak in fresh water in a tub for a few hours, even better.

Are you looking for things to do in Chisago or will you be spending any time in the Twin Cities, which are about 35 minutes away?

I am doing Chisago too--the sprint. Never done it before but friends have done both sprint and HIM. I'm not sure what I'd say to look out for but driving the bike course is a good idea. I don't know if they marked the transition on the maps but it might help to get an idea of how that might work because people have complained about the tightness of them--obviously there's nothing there now, but visiting the site might give you a sense.  People say the swim is a bear because of the huge numbers of people who do this race --it's a real washing machine. That's what I know.

I'm way out in the suburbs, so don't know any tri shops in the city, but my club has a city chapter, so I'll see what I can find out.  If you're downtown, there's not a prettier place to run than the lakefront. 

Stick with your training, do what you can do, just do your best, don't let it overwhelm you.  One of my training buddies flies for UPS ( I think it's your husband who does that) and I know it makes his training hard, and family life when he's gone challenging.

I'll see what I can find out on tri shops.  It's supposed to be another nasty weekend.