Donto's Group FULL (Page 2)

My week normally looks like this:

Mon - run 5-7 miles
Tue - 1 hr cardio 30 min swim
Wed - run 5-7 miles
Thu - 1 hr cardio 30 min swim
Fri - rest
Sat - bike or run (depending on the weather)
Sun - bike or rest (depending on the weather)

I will be offically unemployeed next week so I don't know what changes I may make to this schedule.  My marathon training starts next week and the plan I am probably going to follow includes a fourth run day so I need to work that in somewhere.

Here's my average week, and I'm planning on doing this next week.  The one 'change' I'll be making is upping distances or speeds week to week.

1. Mon: Swim - 1000m; Run - 5K (I'm planning on doing 4 miles this Monday)
2. Tues: Swim - 1000m (this might be 1,200 - 1,400 depending on how Monday goes...I'm still trying to tweak things and may take a lesson soon); Bike - 1hr spin class
3. Wed: Lift - Chest, back, core
4. Thurs: Swim - 1000m (again, could be 1,200 - 1,400); Run - 5K (depending on how Monday goes, this will either be 4 miles or 4.5)
5. Fri: Lift - arms, core
6. Sat: Bike - 1hr spin class
7. Sun: Run or swim, whatever I feel up to

No days off, as you can see, but I generally plan it this way so when things come up I don't have too many days off during the week, and if nothing comes up then I'll skip a day if I'm feeling fatigued.

I'm going through the basic sprint training plan, so this week looks like this:

Sun: Bike 30m, strength training
Mon: Run 20m, Swim 35m
Tues: Bike 30m, strength training
Wed: Run 20m, Swim 45m
Thurs: Rest
Friday: Bike 45m, Swim 45m
Saturday: Bike 30, Run 35

Monday and Wednesday will probably get more running, since I will run to the gym to swim laps, and that usually takes me 35 minutes round trip.

I'm just adding a 4th running day,  I tried starting out with 4 days but found 3 days was better since I was basically starting from scratch again. 

What plan are you using? Custom, Higdon, etc.?

This is new territory for me since it's my first 1/2m run race plan and morph'd my plan based on Higdon's Novice-Intermediate. 

Knowing you have that flexibility is good.  I do the same thing for tri training with 1 planned day off.  Work and family life dictate my training.

I ran to the Y during tri training in the past.  I liked how I was fully warmed up ready to swim.  My run was at least 2.4 miles each way.

I am using a mis-mash of a couple BT programs plus some of my own stuff. My week looks like the following:

• Mon: Run: 25m & Swim: 12m
• Tues: Bike: 45m & TRX workout
• Wed: Run: 20m & Swim: 12m
• Thurs: Bike: 1hr & Yoga
• Fri: Swim: 12m
• Sat: Run: 45m & TRX Workout
• Sun: Bike: 50m

If all goes as planned, heres this week

 Monday Core, bike 30min

Tues Run 3.5, Swim 1500

Weds Core, bike 30 min,

Thurs Run 3.5 Swim 1500

Fri Core, Swim 1500

Sat Run 5

Sun Bike 1hour, Swim?

 I am in winter mode, not trying to kill myself, but trying to consistently workout.  Its a freeform thing till March or so....just want to do something everyday.

Don,

My first triathlon will either be on April 19th or May 10th--I haven't quite decided if I want to do the first one, which is a 300m pool swim, 9 mile bike, 3 mile run.  Either way, I'm currently 15 weeks out from the April one, and 18 weeks out from the May tri, so I've been looking at some training routines geared toward the sprint, and the only one that appears to be 'up my alley' is this one:

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=39 (16 Week Sprint - Swim Focused).

However, I have two questions/observations: 1) I'm already training at an endurance/intensity level that would get me to the beginning of month 4 in that program.  2) Also, without road access (damn New England weather) I have to stick to a 1-hr spin class (rather than using the stationary bikes, which aren't nearly as good and don't allow use of bike shoes), and the best class offered by my gym is Tues-Thurs-Sat--so the times and days listed on that program don't really match up with what my bike schedule would, optimally, be like.

So I guess my basic question is: would you suggest I get on a specific training program tailored to getting me prepared for my first sprint, or should I stick with what I'm currently doing, and up the distances or speed as I continue?  To give you an idea of where I'd like to be in mid-March, I'd like for my 800m swim time to come down another 4 minutes to ~15 minutes; I'd like to up my endurance swim to 2,000m; for the run I'd like to have my 5k time around or under 22 minutes (my current best is 25:41); and I'd like to be able to comfortably run a 10k (my max distance is 4 miles at 8:45 min/mi).  As for the bike, I'm really not worried about that--my legs are tailor made for the bike, and spin class is a fantastic hour 2-3 times a week. I'd like to stick with spin until the weather breaks then take the bike out 2-3 times a week in the spring.

Thanks for any and all advice!

I found a plan on the Runner's World site.  It looked doable for me so I'm going to try making it work with my schedule.

I've been here before!

If it's at all possible I would recommend getting a coach here on BT to assist you. By far the best thing one can do to learn how to progress properly.

That being said, sounds like what you should perform some baseline testing to establish what the training zones are, A coach propley will want you to do this anyway.  A LT test for the run & bike, and a 3x300 or 1x1000 swim TT.  For the LT tests you need to have a Heart Rate Monitor, do you own one?  With this information you can learn to gauge your Rate of Perceived Effort (RPE) properly.  RPE is often underestimated and leads to incorrect training efforts. 

In 15-18 weeks you should be able to get the running up to at least 16 miles if you follow the 7-10 rule!  So even being conservative with run builds and recovery weeks you can get up to 9-10 of running distance.  The great thing about training long in Z2 is that you get some great fitness and shorter Z4/5 runs are not that hard.  It's the old saying, slow down to get faster.

I've taken my HRM into spin class and told the instructor that I'm doing a slow-twitch burn in the corner! You'll be fine with your background until you can ride outside.

The swim is where I can't help you anymore than what I posted the other day on the training aids. 

For now I would at least go in and adjust the workout durations if you can already do Month 4 levels or maybe look at the Olympic plans and adjust down were needed. 

Hit the pool for the first training session this evening. I now realize just how much I can't swim. I mean I can keep myself from drowning, but this whole swim with your face in the water 90% of the time is something new. Boy am I going to need some help....

Already started looking for a swim coach.

Thanks Don, I'll keep all that in mind.  I do have a HRM, and I've used it off and on but I've never tested baselines so it's been more of a 'oh, that seems high, I should slow down' type thing.  I think for the bike I'll continue with the spin as-is until the weather breaks and I can start training outside.  But the run I think getting a baseline and training off of that will be very beneficial, ditto the swim.

Hi Don,

Another question when you get a chance.  I've computed my LT for the run: 15 minute warmup followed by a stretch, 30 minute TT, with the final 20 minutes of my HR averaged out, giving me my LT of 174 (it seems high, but my resting HR is normal--64--and I think it's partially a result of doing interval training year after year for hockey). 

Anyway...now what?  I have the LT, but looking at the link you provided I didn't see any calculations to determine the different zones.  Is it just a matter of adding/subtracting a certain amount? (if that's the case, this is what I'm looking at for zones:

Z1:  120-143;   Z2: 154-157;   Z3: 158-163;   Z4: 164-173;   Z5a: 174-177;   Z5b: 178-182 ; Z5c: 183-188

Does that look about right to you? 

 Thanks again for your help...next step for me is to find a program that uses these LT zones.

Hi Ray,

I think you need to be a performance member to access the HR zone logs in the training log.  Can't beat the Bronze membership for the features and recommend getting a membership.

Here's what your run HR zones are when if you enter the 174 in the LT calculation field (see below).   If you down load a training plan based on HR training it's easy to know what the daily training is suppose to be.  I provided the RPE reference too.  Your LT is what it is, it's neither high or low.  My sitting at the desk typing HR is ~50 with a resting of 40-42.  There are several HR based training plans listed under the Silver membership level search, I didn't see any using the Bronze level search .

Two things may happen to your LT.  One, it may go up, as you become fitter and if you employ any LT workouts.  My run LT only increased 3-4 beats from when I started HR training to when I did a 10k 2+ years later.  But my biking made a 9 bpm change as biking for me was relatively new without a lot of background.  Two, each time I've tested though I've became faster, it took a longer distance to do the same 20 min test.  So the zones may not change all that much, but you'll find your pace will change based on your fitness level.

Field Chooser:

Choose a method to determine your training zones, or enter them manually.

This sidebar is what will be on the training log page when the HR Zones are enabled.  These are my zones for each.

Heart Rate Zones
	Manage Your HR Zones
Swim HR Zones View 2007-09-19 Graph It
Cycle HR Zones View 2007-01-06 Graph It
Run HR Zones View 2006-09-25 Graph It

Hey everyone,

So how did everyone do last week?

I missed out on my 2 short runs do to my Biz trip so only 2/4 runs were done but most important for me is that got in my long one so only missed out on 29% of my planned training time.

Here's my plan for this week

• Monday Run: 49m
  
• Wed Run: 1h 48m
  
• Fri Run: 36m
• Sat Run: 24m
• Also 2-3 core and strength WOs

Things went well last week: I got everything in I wanted to, got my 'long' swim in (1,300 m--long for me), my 'long' run in (4.5 mi--again, long for me), set PR's for the 800 swim and 5K run, and had two decent spin classes.  In all I trained for almost seven hours last week, and I'd like to stick right around there--between 6 and 7 hours--until I can start biking outdoors again.

As Don mentioned in my log, it'd be best if I 'toned down' my runs a bit: cut out the Z4 runs and start working in Z2 to build up endurance.  My first run this week is tomorrow so I'll be focusing on keeping the HR in the 150-160 range.  I think, like Don, I'm going to start measuring my runs and swims by time, not distance: my swim today will be for 30 minutes, and I'd like to get a 40 minute run in tomorrow. I'm interested to see what 40 minutes in Z2 get me distance-wise.

Hello Everyone,

I hope all you northerners are staying warm, crazy stuff, even coming down here in FL this week. 

We need to send some training love to Alex, she hasn't been on BT for 2 weeks now.  Please send here a PM to encourage her to join us.

Now that the beginning of the year has settled in, I finally stopped by everyone's log today.  I would like to see each of us visit each other and give some inspirations.  Remember we are all accountable for what are training goals here are and there will be times each one of us can use some positive reinforcement.

Have a great day, I'll be running this afternoon when the temperatures reach the 60's!

I bought the Kenetic road machine on Thursday and finally put my bike on it last night.  It took some doing to actually get it setup right, but I think its good now.  I'm going to try it out again tomorrow and see how it goes.

Training news, I slacked this week.  I did my 5k on Saturday, but nothing until yesterday.  A little too much "recovery" time for such a short race, but now I'm back in it.  I'll be running at lunch and getting a swim in this afternoon.

Oh, and I won't mention the weather here, because it'll just make you all mad.  

I also took advantage of Don's link and purchased a Kinetic Road Machine as well. I used it for the first time and it works great. Nice smooth ride.

I also purchased the Kinetic Power Computer. I am not so impressed. It seems to work okay, but it doesn't provide cadence. Which isn't necessary a bad thing, but I was looking at the Spinervals DVD that came with it and it basically worked on cadence.

Training update...Last week started off strong, but fizzled during a trip to Salt Lake where the hotel I stayed at didn't have a fitness center. I hadn't realized this before I left and only brought inside gear. I am trying to redeem myslef this week, but the cold weather here in the NE isn't helping. I am hoping that I can at least get my long run and bike in this weekend.

Man I whooped, I did my long run this morning, 11.9 miles.  No real issues other than it felt like my knees were taking a pounding at the end.  I sat in the 63F pool for 15 minutes afterward for my cold soak.  Hopefully I sleep like a rock tonight, after last weeks long run I has some issues with twitchy legs.

You would be better off to get a cpu on the bike so that you would have it on the trainer and on the road.  The Cateye Strada Cadence unit is a cheap wired unit that can be had for $37 via Amazon. (no one said this sport stays cheap!)  I have a fancy dancy older Cateye wireless unit and the lithium cell batteries are expensive when I replace all 4 of them at once and it does interfere some with my HRM.

Speaking of computers, have you ever had (or heard of other people having) issues with the wireless comps?  I just got a Giant continuum--it's a little on the cheap side but I already have a HR monitor and basically need it for cadence.  However, I didn't get the wireless because the guy told me I might be better off since wireless versions sometimes have issues linking up and when cycling in a group they sometimes get screwy.  Have you ever heard of stuff like that?

It's all about the signal to noise ratio.  I've never had any issues in a group setting, only time I have issues is with my HRM.  These devices use the 2.4GHz ISM band either the 1 meter RF Bluetooth protocol or a custom low power RF conforming to FCC Part 15 requirements.  It should hardly be an issue unless your riding in a peloton with riders on each side of you very close all the time with a transmitter.  HRM may provide interference as the transmitter across your chest is in near-field (>1 foot on aerobars) to the CPU receiver on the handlebar vs the CPU transmitter at crank.  My HRM interference happens in short spurts, not continuously.  Also the wireless CPU receiver (handlebar) knows where the transmitter signal is coming from (crank) so the antenna can be tuned for that general direction to minimize interference from other directions.

With the price of my wireless CPU and HRM that I paid in 05/06, today I could have gotten a Garim 305 with all the pieces to do the same things plus GPS mapping!

Hello All,

I wanted to pass on some info on replying to Inspires in your training log. 

Instead of selecting "Reply" select "Blog", this will put your reply in the senders training log vs a reply that's recorded in your training log.  It's helpful if you are asked a question and in general conversations back and forth. 

Hope you're all having a good weekend, I'm at work but getting ready for a run home in the 60 degree temps into a stiff 15-20 mph wind!

Oh, wanted to add, The blog reply will go in the date it was received on the senders training log.  So if you reply blog to a message from Thursday it goes to that date to be recorded.  I've said something a long time ago to the BT powers to be that had several other Yah's in the thread but it hasn't been changed.  I will copy the reply text in the inspire blog window and go to the senders current training log date and paste it there so that it's seen.