PirateGirl's group - CLOSED - Pirate ship has sailed! (Page 2)

I have a training plan re-arrange question...Don't snicker at my numbers (I know you wouldn't!), this is ~weeks 5-8 of a couch to sprint 11 week program; I'm in awe of swim workouts of thousands of yds in one session )

The middle part of the plan calls for, e.g.,

My pool is open better hours on Tues/Thurs so my thought is to change things around this way...

But is that too much 3 days in a row at the weekend? 

Make Friday the day off instead? 

Or get up early and swim W/F as per the original plan?  or just shift the schedule one day earlier and make sunday the day off?  Did you follow all that??  argh! 

Am I thinking too much? 

I think it all depends on how disciplined you would be during Sunday's race, and how important the Marathon in May is. If you get out there Sunday and decide on the fly during the race to go faster or do more laps, you'll impact your recovery. If your marathon in May is a key one (like your A race or something), then you may want to do less and make sure you're really recovered. You'd have 4 weeks to recover, and there are folks that do marathons every month. You know your body best, and if you think that you can recover in that time, then what the heck. You could always treat this as a high mileage week and then taper down from there.

Wow! 100 mile trail run. I can't imagine!

X2! I shuffle my planned workouts around all the time. I don't think I've ever followed a weekly BT plan as it's laid out in the plan. You have to schedule around pools being open, work, home life, etc. I just try to keep from piling big workouts back-to-back, like 2 run days in a row.

If you made Friday the day off, you're keeping about the same amount of time in between the 2 runs. The Monday off one has a run, bike, run, and you may be more tired on Monday. But if you can swing it, go for it. I like having Mondays off. Those are the days I recover from the weekend, plan my week, and re-shuffle workouts.

When I did Tempe, the water was too warm for a wetsuit. The cutoff is 78 degrees, and today the lake was up to 69. Keep an eye on this link: http://www.tempe.gov/lake/Water/ "Current Lake Status" in green down below has the daily water temp.

Have you done open water swims without a wetsuit before? They do offer some flotation, but you gotta get used to the constricting feeling they give. Some folks freak out over the constriction around the neck and can't swim with them on for awhile, until they get used to it. So if you get one, do it soon to start getting used to it. That way you can also figure out where it might chafe you and where you'll need BodyGlide.

People with wetsuits are usually faster than those without. Sometimes I see distance swimmers in races that race in bathing suits, but they are fish people that have been swimming a long time. So if the race is wetsuit legal and you have one, it's usually best to wear it. There are lots of OW swim tris in AZ, so if you keep racing, you'll get your use out of it.

I went with a sleeveless suit instead of a full sleeved suit. I get warm and for those races that are barely below the cutoff temp I'm glad I have it as I would overheat in a full suit. I don't notice my arms being chilly in cold water once I get going. I've swam in 55 degree water in my wetsuit and been fine. It's all personal preference.

I'm not sure about the tri shops in the PHX area, but if you're ever down here in Tucson, definitely hit TriSports.com. They have an endless pool in the store where you can try on all sorts of different wetsuits and actually swim in them to see what works and what fits best.

The Xterra courses are usually "intermediate" level mountain bike courses. I definitely don't recommend doing one without solid skills on a MTB. There will be hills, which is where beginners usually have trouble, especially downhills. MTBing requires different body english than road biking, and there's a lot more standing and moving your weight around to make the bike respond. So I think the reason they are known as crashfests is because folks jump in without knowing how to really ride a MTB.

A hardtail is fine to learn on, but you'll definitely want a good suspension fork. Folks can ride fully rigid (no suspension front or rear) on some courses, but they usually have good skills and know how to move the bike around under them to get over stuff that you can plow over with suspension.

I would recommend that if you want to try one in the future, put a suspension fork on your MTB and start to hit some trails. I think there are some Xterra "Sport" races in your area, which are shorter and easier and geared more towards those new to Xterra. Definitely jump into one of those first before a full Xterra.

The Xterra courses I've ridden in AZ, the course layout folks pride themselves on putting "interesting" things in the course. One course has a ton of deep sand washes to ride through, and a technical, steep hill climb up ATV trails that even the pros have to walk. The other has a long downhill descent down a rutted Jeep hill (I hit 34 mph on that one), and log crossings that you have to hike a bike over and under. There's also a log garden where you pretty much have to ride over a bunch of 6 - 8" diameter logs to make it through the fastest. Slower folks walk it, but it's a LONG way to walk.

Anyways, you'll have more fun in Xterra and won't crash as much the better you know how to ride a MTB. Some jump in and do one and walk a lot of the bike course after multiple crashes and never  want to do another Xterra again. We don't want that.

I found a pic of the log course with the mandatory hike-a-bike. All in the spirit of Xterra!

Ack!  when you put it that way I see I'm 8 weeks from mine!

It's good to have your heart in it!  lately I've felt like my body is willing but my spirit lacking as I'm TIRED of caregiving to myself and the rest of the sick family members.  Can the colds just stop? 

I see your logs you have been low on recent training.  don't be too hard on yourself for today's run!   25 mins is good for little recent training!  Are you doing run/walk repeats?  My plan had me start at 1/1 minutes of run/walk, now I'm at 5/1 run/walks.  My MPH has increased slightly, but my breathlessness and fatigue is waaaay better.

Just think...you guys have about another 2 months to train. No need to freak out yet. Save that for the 2 week mark.

TJ - I'm guessing you're feeling the effects of the break. I have a feeling that if you keep at it, in a few days you'll feel much better. Just try to get good solid training in over those next 7 weeks. Try to stay "in the pink."

Yeah, unfortunately crashing is inevitable when learning the MTB. But I can tell you dirt is softer than asphalt.

Does anyone have a big, hairy goal in the sky? You know those ones that you're afraid to even think about because they are so big and scary, but yet it's tucked in the back of your mind? And you think "It's stupid to even think about doing this!"

I just had one hit me today. I'm looking into what it takes to qualify for the Xterra world championships in a few years. EEEKKK! See, it's scary to even write. I haven't done a full Xterra in years, and when I did I was really slow. Like DFL slow. Oh yeah, they were picking up the aid stations behind me that day. But now I'm seeing an improvement in fitness, and I have quite a few Xterras on the plan for this year. So we'll see how it goes. This is a several-year goal, not one I'm going to do tomorrow. Maybe I'll get the guts to put it in my "long term goals" in my blog. Not yet though. I know there's a lottery, but first I want to try to qualify. The lottery is Plan B. Maybe.

Anyone else want to confess a crazy pie in the sky goal? I can't be the only insane one.

Don't worry Bill, your secret is safe with us. I need to break the news to my hubby about the Xterra WC one. He survived me training for IMAZ (twice) so maybe this will be just another drop in the bucket of "Elaine's insanity."

I can totally see how IM would be more "realistic" over GDR. Yes, they are both crazy, but a different level of crazy. There's more folks doing IMs now, so it helps to see people finish and think "hey, they did it, I can too". And there's a lot more support for IM. Training plans, coaches, nutrition, etc. it's all available for doing an IM. Race day has a ton of support in IM. But GDR is a whole other level. There's a lot more fear of the unknown for a race like that. But that's part of the allure. What an accomplishment that would be!

Glad to see I'm not the only one who's palms are sweating when typing.