Experior and Slornow's Spring/Summer Mentor Group-CLOSED (Page 19)

Jason:

  I can relate.  That is a pretty impressive running streak.  I know in the big scheme 98 vs 101 miles is really minimal, but if 100 is what it takes to continue the streak then I totally get it and would do the same thing.  To further quote the Triathlete we both respect (Fred) he always spoke of the importance of consistency.  I believe in this concept as well.  I have been striving to keep up consistentcy for many reasons -- I have seen steady gains, I don't have to lose my base, I believe I'm less likely to get injured, and most importantly it makes me feel good!!!

Well I'm starting to feel it now.  Brought my bike into the shop for it's final pre-race tune up (and yes Cat, the chain to be looked at too ).  Made my reservation with tri-bike tp and will be dropping it off this weekend.  I'm fortunate as while my P3 is in the shop, I still have my P2 with a similar set up to use. Why I have 2 bikes with similar set ups? well that's a different story.

Had a good run this morning followed by a swim.  Sometimes getting into the pool and starting is such a challenge, but once I get into my groove it becomes progressively more enjoyable.  I struggled for the first 1000 yards but then something clicked and the rest of the swim was awesome.

Appreciate everyone's thoughts on tapering.  I also feel better about the fact that I have not done a century this time around after reading the posts.  I did do 100 miles in the last 24 hours or so, just not all at one time.

Good day to all, Jim

Hello all.  I've been grading exams all day -- kind of depressing.

I took a break earlier and played with numbers from the past 5 years of IMWI results.  Interesting.  I learned a lot, but I thought I'd share this tidbit with you.

So what the table shows is a comparison between (second column) the average among the top 5 overall finishers (in the M40-44 age group) and the average among the top 5 in each separate discipline, and (third column) the worst time amongst the top 5 overall finishers and the average among the top 5 in each separate discipline.  The percentages are the percentage of the faster time that you have to add to get the slower time.  So, for example, in the swim, the top 5 overall finishers were on average 13.4% slower than the top 5 swimmers (same age group), and the worst swimmer amongst the top 5 finishers was 28.9% slower.

A lot of people would look at that and say that IM favors bike/run over swim.  And maybe it does -- I'm not really interested in that question.  I think something else (perhaps in addition) is going on.  I think that these numbers -- especially the second column -- reflect the importance of pacing.  Notice how the numbers (second column) decrease as we move from swim to bike to run.  I think that part of that decrease reflects the fact that to finish in the top 5, you just cannot blow up.  So those top five guys are not falling off their pace, while the fast swimmers (some of them) blow up on the bike, and the fast cyclists (some of them) blow up on the run, which leaves the top five guys being pretty close to the top 5 runners.  (In one year, they were exactly the top five runners!)

Totally agree about consistency.  Here's a tidbit I wrote about that a while back.

Consistency

What is Consistency?

First, let's be clear about what 'consistency' does not mean (at least not here). It does not mean that we do the same workout every time we step out the door (or hop on the bike, or jump in the pool, or walk into the gym). Nor does it mean that we do the same type of training year round. Nor does it mean that we never take a break. It is important to vary our workouts over the course of a week, to vary our overall training regimen of the course of the year, and to get some rest from time to time to let the inevitable little aches and pains heal up.

Consistency means getting sufficiently many well-designed training sessions in per week, reasonably spaced throughout the week, to achieve our fitness goals. Those goals will be different at different times of the year, and different for different people. After an Ironman race, fitness will inevitably decline -- mere mortals cannot maintain peak Ironman fitness indefinitely. So we train less. Our goal is not to improve fitness, or even to maintain it. Our goal is to recover and not lose too much fitness. On the flip side, during the build portion of a training plan, our goal is to, well, build (fitness). At other times, we may be interested in just maintaining, or building a very specific type of fitness (for example, 5K speed, or endurance for a century ride).

Because we have so many different goals, our definition of 'consistency' is necessarily vague. How do we fill in the details? There is no magic formula, but there are a few guidelines.

First, there is a minimum number of training sessions per week that we will need to do in order to maintain or improve. And while this number will depend on a lot of individual factors, it is not equal to 1, and it is probably not equal to 2. (For some very fit individuals, 1 or 2 might be enough to maintain for a short while, but not long-term. For individuals who are coming off the couch, 1 or 2 will provide some gains short term, but eventually 1 or 2 will not be enough.) There are wildly different training methodologies out there -- some advocate high volume, low intensity, while others advocate lower volume and high intensity, and there are plenty of points between those extremes, but I am not aware of any successful training plan that, as a matter of general course, would have anybody training swim bike or run just once per week. As I mentioned above, many beginner plans will have one doing each twice per week, and for beginners this frequency will get you to the starting line (and more important, across the finish line). However, it will not take long before twice a week is not enough to make further gains.

Second, these sessions need to be reasonably well 'designed'. I'm not talking about fancy sets of intervals or complicated progression runs or the like. There is a place for that stuff, but the bottom line is that we are best served by there not being too large of an imbalance from one session to the next. Running 2 miles 2 times a week, and 15 miles once a week is a good way to get injured. Yes, it is OK to make some sessions longer or harder -- indeed, race-specific preparation normally demands that we do so. But do so within reason. That 19 miles of running would be better split up as (for example) 5-7-7, or even better as 4-4-4-7. The same goes (though to a lesser extent) with biking and swimming. Two 30 minute rides during the week followed by a century on the weekend is a poor use of your training time.

Third and finally, we are better off spacing our workouts relatively evenly throughout the week, and keeping the harder efforts apart from each other if possible. It is all too common (I'm guilty!) for endurance athletes to miss a few workouts during the week and then load up on the weekend to 'make up for lost time'. (This desire to 'make up for lost time' often leads to the kind of imbalances I mentioned above.) The result is more likely than not to be an injury. If you're lucky, you won't get injured, just so tired and sore that you take Monday through Wednesday off, and then the vicious cycle has begun.

Why Does it Matter?

Speaking metaphorically, training for endurance sport is all about tearing the body down so that it can rebuild itself stronger ("better, stronger, faster" for those who watched American TV in the 70s). Less metaphorically, and focusing just on the muscles for the moment, exercise causes some damage to your muscles. This is especially true of exercise that involves eccentric contractions, meaning that the muscle is contracting at the same time that it is lengthening because of some load. (Running involves a lot of eccentric contraction which is one reason it is so easy to hurt yourself running.) The precise nature of this damage is not completely understood, and it varies with the intensity of the exercise, but it appears to include damage to connective tissue, the tissues that surround muscle fibers ('fascia'), and perhaps even the fibers themselves, or the parts of them that are responsible for contraction.

In any case, whatever the nature of the damage, when you are done exercising, your body goes to work cleaning up the mess. It sends in the troops (largely in the form of white blood cells, specifically macrophages and neutrophils, which is why muscles can swell up after hard exercise) to eat up the damaged proteins, and the reinforcements (largely in the form of new proteins). For reasons that are, to my knowledge, not well understood, the rebuilt muscle tissue is, well, better, stronger, and faster. In fact, physiologists call this process of rebuilding 'remodeling' and that's a good name inasmuch as the new muscle is improved over the old. They call the fact that remodeling produces improvements the 'repeated bout effect'.

The best theory going about why intense exercise makes us sore is that there are pain receptors in and around the muscles that are triggered by the byproducts of the process described above. This is why (according to the theory) it takes a while for muscle soreness to set in. (In any case, the old 'lactic acid' theory of soreness is debunked -- lactic acid clears from your muscle in less than 2 hours in the worst cases.) However -- and this is important -- don't think that you need to be sore in order to get the benefits of the repeated bout effect. In fact, 99.9% of the time you do not want to train to the point of being sore the next day. (OK, those of you who are just starting out can ignore that last statement -- it is very difficult to avoid soreness when you are just starting out. Don't worry; this will go away quickly (in weeks, not months) -- because of the repeated bout effect!) You get remodeled muscles even when you exercise more moderately. And you get the added benefit of being able to do it again the next day, and the next, and the next, and this consistency is much better for you than the slash and burn method of slaying yourself and then being laid up for 4 days before you can train again. You get far more remodels this way.

Exercise has other physiological benefits of course. The major one is that your body gets more efficient at getting energy to the place it is needed (your muscles). It also becomes able to deliver more energy (more precisely, it supplies more of what your muscles need to make energy, and your muscles become better equipped to use this additional supply). This increase in efficiency and volume is achieved in several ways. Your heart gets bigger and stronger. Some muscle fibers are converted from anaerobic but powerful types (Type IIb, 'fast twitch') to aerobically efficient, fatigue-resistant, types (Type IIa, and possibly Type I, 'slow twitch'). Your capillaries expand in size and number, enhancing the flow of oxygen and nutrients to your muscles, and the flow of waste out of them. Your number of mitochondria (the cells largely responsible for the production of energy) increases. And we could go on...

Every time you train, you make little improvements on all of these fronts. If you train big one day, then rest 4 days, you get one session of improvement, followed by 4 days where your body says "you know, we didn't really need to do that now did we?". In other words, your body pretty quickly reverses the small improvements you get from a single bout of exercise. It quickly adapts to what it is told that it needs. You have to continually convince your body that yes, you do need those little improvements. The only way to do that is to exercise. Consistently.

How Do I Do It?

OK, so I hope now you're convinced that consistency is key. How do we achieve it? There are really two issues here. (1) How can we be sure that our bodies can handle a consistent training regimen? (2) How can we get out the door (onto the bike, into the pool, into the gym) on a consistent basis with everything else going on in our lives?

The answer to (1) is easy: don't train too hard. In running, this means running easy (conversation is possible) most of the time. As a general guideline, keep the really intense running to around 5% of your total running per week. And don't go hard if your body is telling you not to. In biking, we can handle more intensity (because there is less impact and less eccentric contraction going on). Again as a very general guideline (these numbers are very much ballpark and will vary based on a lot of things, but they'll give you an idea), maybe 25% of your biking can be very hard, 50% moderate, and 25% relatively easy. (By 'relatively easy' I don't mean soft-pedaling. This isn't a Sunday, stop and smell the flowers, cruise pace, but it is one where holding a conversation is not a problem.) Swimming is even lower impact, and you can afford to put some very intense swimming into just about every, if not every, training session. The main thing to watch out for is shoulder injury, which can be more of a problem for those (such as myself...) with form issues. Going very hard with poor form can lead to injury. Overuse is also possible. Listen to your body.

The answer to (2) is hard. The first thing to say here is that once you get sufficiently involved in triathlon, you will want to train most days. It won't be a struggle -- you will desire to train. That still leaves us with two problems: what do you do when you don't want to train, and how do you make the time to train?

Here I think that the number of answers is just about equal to the number of people. I'll tell you what works for me, and what I've heard working for others. Maybe something here will work for you.

As for lack of desire, one thing that works for me is remembering that at the end of any training session, I am almost always glad that I did it, even if I'm not super thrilled about getting started. I try to remember that feeling of satisfaction that I get from getting it done on days when the fire isn't in the belly. Often just remembering what that feels like is enough to get me jump-started. Another is having training partners. So you told your friend that you'd meet up for the group ride Saturday morning at 6am. It's 5:30am and your bed really is comfy and warm. But no way are you going to leave your friend sitting out there in the cold. So you go. That's what friend's are for! Finally, committing to a goal, and making that goal known to others, is a great way to maintain motivation.

As for lack of time, it's a problem most of us face. Two things that help are to commit each day to a time to train, and to be prepared to take advantage of unexpected opportunities to train.

Don't just say "Sometime today I'm going to go for a run". Say "At noon today, I'm going to go for a run." Treat it as you would an appointment with a work colleague; you wouldn't cancel or move that appointment without a good reason. The same goes for your training 'appointment'. Second, be ready to take advantage of unplanned training time. Was that meeting at 4:00 just canceled? Well, what are you waiting for, get over to the pool and go for a swim! The thing is, for this to work, you have to be ready. Your swim bag (or a spare one) lives in your car. A pair of running shoes and gear lives in your office. Your bike is always ready to roll on a moment's notice. You might be surprised how much training time you can find just by being ready to strike when the opportunity presents itself.

Combining sessions, or combining training with other activities can sometimes be useful. One of my favorite workouts is to run to the pool, swim, then run home. Commuting to work or other places by running or biking can also be a very efficient use of time. Finally, while none of us wants to lose perspective on what's important, do be prepared to make some sacrifices. The life of an endurance athlete (at least, one who is employed and has a family) is probably not compatible with 4 hours of TV a night, for example. Something has to give. Ask yourself what you want to look back on 10 years from now -- 15,000 hours of television or a long-term commitment to a healthy lifestyle and the memory of crossing the finish line feeling strong and looking good? The answer is clear!

The Take-Home

• Try to train at least twice a week in each discipline, 3 times or more times if you are not a pure beginner.
• Make sure that each session leaves you ready to do the next one. Go easier the day before and the day after your really hard sessions.
• You get better physiological adaptations from several sessions of varying intensity than from just a very few mega-sessions.
• Find a way to stay motivated.
• Commit each training day to a specific session at a specific time, but also be prepared to take advantage of unexpected opportunities to train.

that was a great tidbit to read.  consistency is the main thing I am working on right now.  so far off to a good start this week, fingers cross that I'll start being able to make it work along with all my others stuff.

I know there are good training plans on here, but what's a good triathlon training book one should have on their bookshelf?  

When I first read Frield's Triathlete's Training Bible, I thought it was pure gold.  I'm less enamored of it now, though I haven't looked at the latest edition.  It is also a lot of work to follow and implement.

I'm personally finding that I get more out of discipline-specific books.

BUT:  I really really like Skiba's two books (Scientific Training for Triathletes and The Triathlete's Guide to Training with Power). They are short and to the point and clear, and yet packed with great info.  I find myself coming back to them a lot.

And for motivation:  I still like Going Long by Friel and Byrn.

Michael-why did you provide all of that great advice free?  We could have added a few pages of fluff, a few celebrity testimonials and some pictures and sold it for $19.99 as "Secrets to Triathlon Success".  You really need to think a little bit more before you leak this type of wisdom. Seriously though, OUTSTANDING!

Randy

Rene-that is fantastic!  Any chance you will be traveling for a visit or two?  Really great....CONGRATS!

Randy

Very very nice.  I'm just sorry I never had a chance to have her in class!

That's fantastic! Congratulations to your daughter. 

Congrats to your daughter, Rene!  Amazing time to be in China... the change there in the last 20 years is unbelievable.  Wasn't that long ago we were watching Nixon and Mao toasting each other.  It's great to see the next generation having all these international opportunities.  Study abroad should be a required experience for graduation - though I'm a bit biased since my wife is a French Prof :-)  Hope she has a great experience and that you'll have a chance to go visit too!

Stu

Easy treadmill run early.  On the road for work today. Hopefully back in time for a swim tonight.Have a good day evryone.

Randy

Bike:  Once you are fit well to the bike, there is very little that you can do about technique.  The cranks move only one way...  But there are a few general points to bear in mind:

1. Keep your upper body relaxed.
2. Use your core to distribute your weight more or less evenly between the seat and the bars
3. Do not try to put power into the cranks on the upstroke.  All you need to do there is unweight the pedal.
4. If you choose to stand, keep your body upright and your weight over the pedals.  The bike will natural swing back and forth slightly beneath you -- that's fine.

Run:  I personally think it is a mistake to think consciously about technique while running, unless you have one of a few (albeit common) glaring problems.  These are:

1. Hunched over -- you should be upright at the waist.  You do lean slightly forward running, but 'lean from the ankles' not by bending at the waist or neck.  Don't focus too directly on this lean -- it will probably happen naturally if you straighten up the waist and neck.
2. Cross-over -- your arms should not cross over the center of your body as they swing
3. Over-stride -- your foot should strike under your center of gravity, not out in front of your center of gravity.  It does not matter which part of the foot strikes first (heel, midsole, forefoot).  (OK, maybe landing on your little toe is a bad idea...)

In addition to those points, I do think that it can be useful to do some running drills.  The simplest and still one of the best 'drills' is to do strides -- 30s or so of running at something like 3K pace (or, 'slightly faster han 5K pace') several times in a run, with just normal running between.  The reason I think of strides as a 'drill' is that most people run with better form when they run at a quick but relaxed pace.  (3K pace has the potential to be just that, at least for 30s.)  So you are imprinting good form.

A decent source for other drills is this:  http://www.runningplanet.com/training/running-drills.html

This one is good too (a little corny, but the drills are good):  http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=17578

Just as with swim drills, the point is to 'reprogram' your brain by over-emphasizing certain aspects of efficient form.

Don't underestimate how much these drills will take out of you!  I remember the first time I did the ones in the video (second link).  I was in pretty good running shape and they still kicked my rear end.

Michael: When I get a chance, I'm CPing all of your advisory posts. Thanks so much! Oh, and follow the plan!!! Happy taper!

Rene: Congratulations to your smarty pants daughter!!! I know you're so proud. I imagine she is going to have a great adventure.

As for me, this week is a bust, but I did get a GoPro Hero2 from the husband for Mother's Day. Can't wait to play with it and use it once I finally get back to the outdoors again.

I seem to have managed to do something to my hamstring the other day.  I guess I did it either while running or while working in the yard.  It isn't serious -- I don't think it will affect my race.  But I can't stop massaging it and trying to make it go away.  Arrgh!

Oh and here's a nice one.  I decided to get a new aero helmet (tax return...).  So a few days ago, I ordered the new Giro Selector.  It arrived yesterday.  But somehow I had forgotten that the day before I already ordered the new(er) Bell Javelin.  It arrived...yesterday.  Um, yeah, I'm sleep-deprived, distracted, and just plain stupid.

The upside of this blunder was that I was able to compare them pretty carefully in between grading exams.  FWIW, the Giro Selector is quite difficult to get on and off.  Probably it's great for a TT, but not so much for a Tri, IMO.  I don't think I'd want to be fumbling with that thing after a hard swim!  The Javelin slides on and off "like buttah", is a little smaller, and looks cooler (if that term can be applied to aero helmets).  So the Giro goes back.  Fortunately, the return policy is pretty generous, so I'm not out much money.

Anybody else getting some new tri goodies for the season?

No swim for me this evening. Thunderstorms all afternoon caused the pool to close.  We have had a ton of rain here. Tomorrow's schedule has a run with a 2 mile interval at 10k pace +20 seconds. Then a 45 minute ride in the evening.

New gear....I finally bought some sunglasses for running/racing. Tifosi...about $50 from my LBS.  Still getting used to running with them but I like them so far. Came with nice case and 3 sets of interchangeable lenses.

Randy  

New Gear:  Keo Carbon Pedals, Giro Advantage 2 Helmet ( first one lasted 4 years!), new multi tool, new pads for my aero bars (love them!!!!), Brooks Ghost shoes, New saddle (profile design) to name a few.

Wish List:  found a cool bike rack I can mount on the back of my Harley!

Got a good bike in this morning (36 miles on trainer) , followed by a run tonight.  Was going to skip the run, went as far as putting on my PJ's  but then changed my mind and before I knew it was out running!  Now I'm glad I got it done and can go to bed with a clean conscience!

Blanda:  Is a camera you are referring to?  My son and I almost bought one out west to mount on our helmets while snowboarding.  Maybe next year.....

Michael, thanks for your insights on training consistency.  Another reason I love triathlon training is having the ability to rotate s/b/r.  This allows me to recover between sessions, breaks up monotany, and helps me to stay motivated.  Another benefit IMO is less chance for injury as I go from one discipline to another. 

Hope the hamstring heals quickly!

OK, I've got a topic for the group.  Caffeine and training.  I drink 2-4 cups of coffee before noon everyday, and then 2-3 more by the end of the day (I know.....).  I have been using gels with caffeine in them and I do believe they are making a positive difference over the regular gels.  Does anyone else use caffeinated gels?  With my upcoming IM, I will need my caffeine fix later in the day.

Great posts, Michael.  As always, your insights are much appreciated!  (I've always wondered about the upstroke)

Jimmy, that's alot of coffee.  You'd fit right in around our house :-)

Caffeine-usually 2-3 cups of coffee in the morning.  Rarely any caffeine in the afternoon other than an occasional Diet Coke/Pepsi.  The only time I have used caffeine in a race was during the run in a HIM.  Definitely felt like I got a bit of a pick up.  Been thinking about using it in longer workouts/races but will have to try a few types of gels first.

Michael-hope that hamstring gets better.

Who else is racing this weekend?

Randy