kmarzano's Group - FULL (Page 2)

Hello ladies,

Welcome to 2007. I’m excited to see what everyone in our group accomplishes this year and I have a few ideas that might help everyone achieve their goals. The first relates to training plans. There were a number of you who indicated you needed to find a training plan. If you haven’t done that yet, I would encourage you to do so soon. And please let us know when you’ve found one. Others in the group might be interested in it.

The second is I want to encourage everyone to regularly log your workouts if you’re not doing so already. It helps you keep track of what you’re doing, establishes a level of accountability to yourself and the group about what you’re doing, and allows us to offer congratulations and encouragement with your workouts.

The last is a January Group Challenge. I’ve noticed those of you who are logging your workouts tend to stick to the same workouts and/or the same sport each time. Because it is really important to get comfortable with all three sports I want to set up a challenge to get us started (so long as there are no injuries, illnesses, or other issues that make it unsafe for you to do so). My idea is that everyone will try to log at least four triathlon specific workouts a week this month, with at least one of those workouts dedicated to each of the three sports.

Not sure what the reward would be for those who achieve it (I’ll send you a chocolate bar, you’re supposed to go out and indulge in something you don’t normally do for yourself, . . . hmmmm) so I’m open to ideas. If the January Group Challenge is successful, we can work out something for February that would get everyone even a step closer to being ready for their events. Please let me know what you think about this idea. I would love your feedback.

Happy New Year.
Kelly

Hey y'all! Happy New Year!

I just wanted to take a moment to respond to requests for logging my workouts - I plan on doing it, I promise! I am a graduate student and have been traveling for the last three weeks of my winter break - went to St. Louis, Denver and snowboarded Vail for New Year's! It was extremely fun, but about one day into my travels my computer died. Yay Dell. I was frustrated at first, but it's still under warranty and I have to say it was nice to have a break from the screen. Anyway, I will be traveling again - this time to NYC with my MBA program - from the 8th to the 14th of January. Then I'll stay put for awhile - save for some trips to the mountains for a boarding session or two.

All that said, I have been seriously kicking my own butt in regard to training. When I get my computer back I'll update my personal spreadsheet then post all of my base-training (which dates back to November) so you can see what I've been up to.

Hope all is well. I didn't mean to disappear!

Kristin

Hello everyone,

I check your logs everyday and for some reason, when I try to click on Kristin's it just takes me to the forum page instead of her log. Is anyone else having the same problem? Kristin, are you there? If so, you might check with the website managers to find out if they know what the problem might be.

No one responded on the January challenge idea. Does that mean we aren't really a 'challenge' kinda group? Or just no one's had time yet? Or is there something else you think would better motivate everyone? I'd like to get everyone really motivated and try to make it kinda fun so I'm open to ideas.

Lastly, wish me luck on my race tomorrow. Its cross country so it will be a slow pace, but fun. For a REAL cross country challenge read my log from December 3. It's one of the most difficult cross country courses in the area and it was zero degrees with the windchill that day. The one tomorrow should be cake after that!

Have a good weekend everyone!

Kelly

Hi All,

I hope all is well. Kelly - I'm not sure what's going on with my log page. Maybe because I haven't posted anything yet? If that doesn't fix it I will contact the website administrators. I hope your race went well! Tell us all of the details!

Here's a little update - I feel pretty overwhelmed today. I worked out hard all week and had my first team marathon training run this morning at 7:00am. I ran 7.3 miles in an hour at a 7:45/8:00 minute pace with a pack of men. I was happy that I fit into a pace group with all guys - I feel like they push me more for some reason. However, my training from earlier in the week left my legs super fatigued. I felt like I was dragging an anchor behind me for the last 15 minutes. Not fun. I went home and slept afterward for about an hour - something I never do.

In addition, I think I'm beginning to get shin splints. Yesterday I ran an 8-mile circuit on a treadmill (1 mile warm-up, 5x800's, 3x400's with a 3/4 mile cool-down). My legs hurt last night after that, so I did an ice massage before I went to bed. There was still some sharp pain in the front of my shin when I woke up this morning but I decided to push through and run on it anyway. Aside from my first few strides, I felt fine while I was running, but when I stopped and cooled down I felt like I shouldn't have been walking on it. Now I feel better. I'm going to do another ice massage tonight, but I was wondering if any of you have tips on caring for shin splints - medical, weight training, etc.

Adding to my frustration is the process of buying a road bike on a very tight budget. On a positive note - my University's Tri and Cycling Teams have a deal with a local shops for bikes at wholesale cost with a 15% discount. They will also walk me through the entire fitting process. This alone will save me a few hundred dollars and the fitting should give me a good introduction to the sport. Because I am on my University's Tri and Cycling teams, I am going to buy a road bike and fit it with the aero bar set-up. I hope that will suffice. I have heard different things from different people, but the bottom line is that a good tri bike is pretty much completely out of my price range. The local store I'm going to buy from only carries a limited number of road bike brands: Bianchi, Fuji, Kestrel, Griffen, and Schwinn. Do any of you ride these brands? Can you make any recommendations? If you want to see which models they carry their website is: http://www.e-wheelworks.com/road.php. Also, just out of curiosity, what brand of bike do you all ride?

On a less positive note - I have found the process of entering the sport of cycling to be pretty stressful and intimidating. I have no idea what to look for and am incredibly nervous about my first group ride with the team because I am severely mal-informed on racing etiquette. Unfortunately, I'm also encountering some elitism. I feel like I have to apologize for growing up playing softball in the midwest rather than cycling with my parents through the Cascades at age three. Maybe it's just my own preconception, but it makes the process of buying a bike and educating myself on the sport all the more harrowing. I want to learn the ropes of the sport from real cyclists, but I may have a tough time proving myself. Have any of you had a similar experience? How did you deal with it?

Hopefully things will look-up tomorrow...

Kristin

Hello Kristin,

Goodness. You've had a lot going on. I'll try to respond to all of your concerns and I'll try to do so in way that speaks to you specifically but will also offer some helpful information to everyone in the group. I put the key words for each one in caps to maybe make it easier to pull out and keep in mind. If you need to, make a list and post it to your fridge so you don't forget. These key things will help your training beyond description.

Based on your training log and a hard week of training followed up by two days in a row of 7+ miles running AND on the shin splits, it's an excellent chance you are overtraining. I would definitely not recommend doing two hard days of running in a row like that, particularly if you haven't spent months buidling up and training your body to handle it.

First, make sure you are getting ADEQUATE REST. I'm not sure how intense your background was in these sports, particularly running, but rest is everything. Particularly since most of you are fairly new to triathlon, even though some of you have been active for your entire lives, you are making new demands of your body and it needs rest to recover from them. Even as you progress and the demands are more familiar just increasing in intensity, your body needs rest. Period. If it doesn't get it, your muscles will fall apart, your heartrate could show problems, you'll be fatigued, you'll have general aches and pains, and worst of all, your performance will decline or you'll have to stop training entirely. REST IS EVERYTHING. Give yourself at least one, possibly two days of rest a week. Complete rest. Nothing.

Regarding your shin splints specifically, I would back off on your training for a week or two and see how they feel. Maybe only do three or four weeks next week and keep the workouts short and easy. You'll still be able to maintain most of your fitness, but you'll allow your body to rest and recover a little. When you start back, build slowly and see how they do.

Second, follow the 10% RULE. In swimming, biking, and running, don't increase your distance and intensity from week to week more than 10%. This allows your body to adapt and build strength for the extra demands you are making of it, particularly with running and the pounding your bones and joints take. If you proceed faster you could not only get shin splints but possibly a stress fracture, something I did several years ago. I was out for two months after that. If you weren't doing this level of training prior to deciding to participate in a tri you've definitely gone out way too hard.

Third, closely tied to the 'first' is LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. In training there is a difference between small aches and pains that don't mean much and nagging aches and pains that can either signal a poor shoe fit (see the next point) or worse, signal injury. Each body is different and you'll learn how yours works. If an ache or pain continues day after day (or if it shows up at the beginning of a workout day after day and then goes away after the endorphins--body's natural painkillers kick in) that could signal injury. Similarly, if you give your body a couple of days rest and start back and it comes back right away, that also could signal injury. Pay attention to that and don't try to push through it. I can't emphasize that enough. If you push through an injury all you get is a worse injury.

Fourth, make sure you GET FIT FOR YOUR RUNNING SHOES AT A SPECIALTY RUNNING STORE. At a foot locker it is high school kids who know nothing about way running shoes should work and are fitting you in the most expensive shoe so they get a bigger paycheck. At a running store they not only don't work on commission, but they are genuinely interested in getting you in the right shoe. Stores like Fleet Feet sports or whatever your local running store is are your best bet. They should ask you to roll your pants up and have you at the least walk, preferrably run for them as they watch you from the back. That seems uncomfortable but I promise they are looking at your feet and nothing else and it is the best way for them to determine the kind of shoe you need. Depending on people's stride, each person needs one of about four levels of support in their shoe. Based on your stride they can bring you three or four pairs of shoes that offer the support you need. They should then let you run a minimum of 20-30 yards in the shoes to see how they feel. Standing around bouncing up and down in them doesn't do anything. If you don't have the right support in your shoe, that could be contributing to shin splints, particularly if you are increasing your mileage and intensity too quickly. Shoes can make all the difference.

Fifth, although IT MIGHT FEEL GREAT TO RUN FAST ALL THE TIME, IT IS NOT THE MOST PRODUCTIVE TRAINING FOR YOUR BODY. If you always run at a quick pace (one that has you breathing hard so that you might be able to talk abut your definitely putting out an effort) your probably running too hard, particularly for longer, endurance miles. A 7:45-8:00 pace is fairly quick. If you haven't been running that distance for very long, you may be running too fast. Running too fast on your endruance runs also isn't the most efficient way to teach and train your body to burn energy. Most training plans will recommend that your endurance miles be at a slower than race pace speed. I would check out some of the articles on heart rate training here on this website and on the internet. You may not have money to buy a heart rate monitor right now, but you can still gauge you training time by hard, medium, and easy intensity runs. It will seem slow at first, but it will really help you and it will help you avoid injury by preventing you from running too hard too often.

Lastly, the bike issues. My first suggestion is to decide on your price range before you go in and stick to it. Know that whatever accessories you get (water bottle cages, shoes, pedals, saddle bag with tools for tire changes and basic repairs, bike computer, hand pump, etc) will add around $500. Take your maximum amount you can spend, subtract $500 from that and you have a general guideline on the bike you can get. And you don't need a tri-bike. The majority of triathletes don't. In fact, many coaches will recommend you stick to a road bike, even for some longer distances because it is just better for your body. So don't stress about not being able to afford a tri bike. Most triathletes you run across won't have one. At least not the average triathlete.

I do not ride any of the brands you mentioned. I have a Specialized. However that was a result of the store where I could get a discount and not because of some allegiance to Specialized. When you go in for the bike they should have you ride them on the trainer to see how they feel. When you narrow them down to two or three you liked the feel of on the trainer, they should have you ride outside on it to see how you like it. And don't just do a quick spin around the parking lot, ride far enough to get a good feel.

Regarding the elitism, I've faced it at certain shops and not at others. I finally got so sick of the way they treated me in one store I went straight to their competition for my next tune-up and they were awesome (mission bay sports--see if they have one in your area). They were polite, friendly, answered all my questions, even the newbie ones, did a beautiful job on my bike, and better yet, had cheaper rates for services. I was also fortunate to have a couple of friends who were cyclists that were great about helping me.

Can you ask around among your running buddies for some help, or is there anyone on the tri club who might be able to help you? Maybe the coach? Surely he or she won't give you attitude. If they do they aren't a very good coach. Or, you could post a forum on this website asking for good stores in your area where they might be helpful with fitting you or other questions you have. Or--just post a thread on the forums with your questions. I guarantee you'll get responses, people may attach links to other threads where people have asked the same questions. This website is a great resource and I'm certain you could get some help.

And last, don't apologize for who you are. You could always call them out on their attitude. I've done it once or twice. I told someone once that I may not have known as much as they did about cycling but I was trying and we all have to start somewhere so maybe they could help me out instead of being rude to me. They stood there not knowing what to say for a moment and then they apologized and were much nicer. That may not work with everyone and you may not feel comfortable doing something like that, but there is no reason for you to tolerate being treated poorly. If you aren't comfortable saying something to them you can always just say you've changed your mind about receiving your bike services there, thank them politely, and then go straight to their competition, just like I did in one instance.

And if you go on the road with serious cyclists you can also just let them know beforehand what your experiences are, ask them how they think it might be best to handle it, and come up with a plan before you start the workout so that you don't run into your own frustration or theirs because your differing levels of knowledge and ability are causing problems. I hope some or all of this is helpful and please, please keep us updated. And please, please, please don't give up because of these frustrations. It can be overwhelming to get into this sport on a number of fronts but that's what this mentor group is for.

I'll be updating my log now regarding the run from yesterday. My boyfriend just go back from Japan on Thursday and he's been sick ever since so last night was our first night to hang out. As soon as I got home from the race I flew into the shower and then headed up to meet him for dinner. I didn't have time yesterday. Thanks for all the words of support though. I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend.

Kelly

I guess I shouldn't say better for your body. If that were true we wouldn't have tri bikes. Maybe more comfortable, just as efficient in the ride portion of the race, or something along those lines. Tri bikes are constructed to take some of the stress off the muscles your body will need for running when you get off the bike and there's some other technical stuff going on I don't completely understand. But for shorter distance races its not as important. I'll be doing an HIM even and still doing it on my road bike and my coach has no problem at all with that.

That said, I would love, love, LOVE a tri bike and I'm so jealous of anyone who has one.

Kristin,

Wow... you certainly have had quite a week. I don't know that I have too much more to add in the way of advice beyond what Kelly said, but I agree with her 100% on making sure you get enough rest and not overtraining. I learned this the hard way as well. I did a couple races this summer/fall with a coworker, who just happens to be an Ironman, and unsuccessfully tried to keep up with him. After the first race, a 10k, my right ankle/top of the foot started hurting regularly. I couldn't run without pain. This happened about 6 weeks prior to my first tri and I was so afraid that I wouldn't be able to run it. I actually didn't run for about 4 of those weeks, but luckily I was able to get back into it and do two tris the next month.

Then at the second race a few months later, I was trying to keep up with my friend again (I should have learned by now- he won his age group) and after that, my right arch started hurting a lot. I was also trying to increase my pace a lot during that time period too, becuase I wanted to do well in a half-marathon that fall. I did get my 5k PR at that race, but I don't know if it was worth it, because I started to get all the symptoms of plantar fasciitis (sp?). I decided to "nip it in the bud" and stopped running completely for 8 weeks and had to skip the half (but I did volunteer for it). That was really frustrating, but I decided that my future goals (half Ironman this summer) were more important to me than the short term ones, and that it would be in my best interest to stop for a while.

Even now, I still get pain in my arch sometimes. I'm doing a lot of strengthening and stretching exercises for my feet/ankles/knees now... all those injury-prone places. I want to be running faster than I am currently, and I initially had goals of getting to a consistent 8:00 pace (that's pretty good for me). But now I've decided that it isn't worth it to keep increasing my pace (since that seems to be when I always get injured) if it means I won't reach my goal at all. Right now I'm just focusing on staying healthy and injury-free, and I'll be happy if I can meet that goal. Better to run slowly than not run at all- that should be my motto.

You also mentioned bikes... I have a Cannondale R600 road bike and used that for my races this year, and did not have clip-on areobars. I recently purchased a tri bike, a Cervelo One, and am excited to start using that, but to be honest, the areo position still scares me. I'll likely keep riding both bikes. And by the way, I feel like a bike dummy for the most part. I never really rode before last year, and I still have a long way to go- I've never used clip-in pedals or a trainer. So please don't let other people get you down. If I could do a couple tris in my current biking state, so can you!


Good luck with your training, and take care of yourself!

-Linda

Also, I forgot to mention, as far as the "bike elitists" go.... I am lucky because my dad and sister are both cyclists (dad put in about 50 miles this weekend in the crappy weather no less), so I ask them all my bike-dummy questions. And when I first started riding, I rode a couple times with just my dad and he gave me invaluable advice on things like shifting, cadence, cars, etc while we were riding. I also got my Ironman friend from work to give me tire-changing and other basic maintenance lessons.

I found that the 1-on-1 situation was very helpful, so I would encourage you to plan a couple rides/technical lessons with a cyclist friend or acquaintance. I'd bet most people would be more than happy to be a mentor of sorts, and that takes out the pressure of the group situation. Plus if you're riding with only one other person, they'll have to go your pace. Good luck!

Happy Monday ladies!!!

What does everyone have on their training schedule this week?

Hi Everyone!

Sorry for being on such a long hiatus. I was in Kansas over break from school and had a lot of family things to deal with, and then right when I came back to CA for the new school quarter, I got hit with the most relentless cold/flu/something. I'm still battling it, and finally made myself get out of the apartment to go do at least something so that I didn't feel so behind. Thanks to everyone for the comments and inspirations left for me in my blank training logs, that really meant a lot and made me eager to come back. I feel like such a beginner with all of you, I'm both intimidated and in awe. I enjoy reading about your trainings and everything you guys have learned and are going through, so I apologize in advance if I don't have much to contribute to this group, because I'm just trying to become acclimated to this new level of competition and sports. Thanks and have a nice day!

Thanks for the update, and glad to hear you're still alive!

Sorry to hear you've been so sick, but hopefully you'll feel better soon, and can back into the swing of things.
And please don't feel intimidated at all! There's a reason this site is called BEGINNER triathlete! We're all still learning. You can read my post above about being a bike dummy if you want.

So where are you from in Kansas? I'm in the Kansas City area (Overland Park, specifically).

Anyway, good to hear from you- talk to you later.

-Linda

No worries about your absence. And please don't apologize for any inexperience. The whole impetus behind the mentor program is that you will be able to interact with other people to learn from and/or with them. So please, log away. Tell us what you're going through, even if it is just to say you're sick. Tell us what goes well, what doesn't, give us your questions. Whatever. The more you provide, the better we can support you and/or offer feedback. And then you can take it or leave it as you need. As time progresses you'll see that we're all learning stuff, even those of us that have been at it for awhile. It's an on-going learning curve and everyone is welcome at any time.

We're just glad to have you're back and I hope your feeling 100% very soon.

Happy Thursday ladies. How is everyone feeling about their training this week? About life? Everyone is doing awesome trying to work training in around the general inconsistencies, inconveniences, delays, and happenings of life so I just wanted to let you know how great I think it is.

Does anyone besides Linda (who will be recovering from her LASIK) have anything fun planned for this weekend?

Kelly

Thanks for the encouragement. I'll definitely try to keep in mind what you mentioned! My parents live in Lawrence, KS. I think that's pretty close to Overland Park huh! About...maybe 30 minutes of a drive? I'm not originally from Kansas I do not know the area too well, but that's close to Kansas City I think...

Happy Thursday it is! My training's not really going, just trying to get back into things I suppose; albeit slowly. The cold is finally getting out of my system (thank goodness!) so for this weekend I'm planning on going mountain biking just to get used to the bike again. And since Monday is Martin Luther King's Bday so school's out (yay!), I might go snowboarding if things work out. Other than that, there's really nothing planned except to relax and rest .
I had a question, since I was reading some previous posts about bikes; I only have a mountain bike, so is that sufficient enough for my first sprint triathlon? I was thinking that I'd only seriously consider getting a road bike if I really get into this sport, but wasn't sure if the mountain bike will have a severe impact in the race.

Lawrence is just west of KC, as you said, about 30 minutes from Overland Park. Lawrence is a nice place- we've gone there to watch KU basketball, but I shouldn't say that since I went to MU.

You can definitely do a tri on a mountain bike. I would actually recommend waiting on buying the roal bike until you're sure you like tris (but I'm guessing you will!). You might not be quite as fast as you would be on a road bike, but you won't be alone. A lot of people do their first few tris on mtbs and actually there are even off-road tris that you really need one for. It makes me wish I had one...

Glad you're feeling better. Hope you have a good weekend... snowboarding, eh? Where do you go to school? Sounds fun!

Hmm. Snowboarding. I did that a few times. I wasn't great at it, but I always had fun. And after a few too many falls where I got the wind really knocked out of me it was always nice to retire to the lodge and drink hot toddies until everyone else eventually gathered there.

Re: the bike. I'll agree with Linda. I did my first two olys and 1 sprint on my hybrid before I could get the money together to buy a road bike. I'd had the hybrid a few years and wanted to do a few tris and make sure I really loved it before I dropped that kind of money on anything. Some races have a mountain bike division. Might be something to check out . . .

I have no exciting plans this weekend. Dan and I are going to get some dinner tomorrow night and then I get to show him how to do some stuff in Microsoft Excel. Yeah. I know what you're thinking. You wish YOU were going to be doing that tomorrow night, but unfortunately for all of you, you aren't in a relationship as exciting as mine. Not sure what's on tap for Saturday. Might just be me and my couch.

Whoever hasn't chimed in, let us know what's up.

Hello everyone,

I'm glad you found someone to train with Sanja. I find that even if I'm not actually physically training with someone, just knowing they are doing something similar or checking up on what I'm doing is a lot more motivation than trucking along completely on my own.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend. Mine's been fairly uneventful. Dan and I went to dinner on Friday, but bagged the excel project and settled for working off our dinner by laying on the couch and watching a movie. I stayed in last night and will do the same today. It's cold and starting to snow so I plan on getting my trainer ride in while watching the Bears game.

I just wanted to check in with everyone and see how the weekend went and what you've got on the agenda for the coming week (training or otherwise).

Kelly

Hi all,

Hope you all had a good weekend. I am doing well- the surgery (LASIK) went well, and I am amazed at how much my vision has improved. I'm still a little hazy looking at screens, so I'm not going to type it all out here again, but you can read about it in my log if you want to. I'm going to go back to what I've been doing most of the weekend (being a bum).

Enjoy the holiday (for those of you who are off work too) and Happy Monday!

Linda

Edited by LindaKC 2007-01-15 10:26 AM

Hello everyone,

Happy Monday. Linda, I'm so glad your surgery went well. How was everyone else's weekend? And what does everyone have planned for their training this week? I know no one usually answers me on that one but I'm going to keep asking anyway.

I've been checking everyone's logs and I see that some of you are starting to log a little bit of each of the three different sports, which is really great. How is everyone feeling about everything? Is there anything you're struggling with? Things that are going well? Questions in general? I hope all is well with everyone and hope you enjoy the rest of your Monday.

Kelly

Hello. I'm glad to hear the Lasik surgery went well Linda. I might ask you more questions about that in the future because I'm thinking of getting one in a couple years! I go to Cal Poly Pomona in CA and I'm studying business and contracts. I graduate (hopefully!) this June, so we'll see what happens then! Snowboarding didn't work out as I'd hoped. It got really cold here in CA. Well, cold for us ; so I've still got my cough and we didn't think going up to the mtns was good until I'm 'completely' better.

I never really have a training plan, and I know that's not good. Whenever I make one, I almost always never stick to it so I just threw that idea out the window. Perhaps I should re consider? I'm looking into buying a heart rate monitor, but I don't know if it's too early or not. I noticed on some of your blogs/training logs you post the HR and max HR and stuff and it seems to help with training. I looked up several different types but I don't know if they're good just based on the reviews and information. So, if any of you guys have a heart rate monitor, please help me

Hey y'all,

I'm back from my trip to New York City with my MBA program. It was an extremely successful networking trip - got a few fantastic interviews. In addition, I think taking a break from my daily training was necessary and needed. I ran a few times while I was there - on a treadmill and through Central Park - but nothing too crazy. While I think the break provided necessary rest for my body, I am more than ready to get going again! Training is addictive - in a good way.

I hope all is well with everyone - surviving surgery, sickness, bad weather etc. Hang in there!

Kristin

I also forgot to say that I snowboard as well. If anyone is planning a winter trip to one of the Northwest ski areas - Bachelor (Bend, Ore.), Mt. Hood (Hood River, Ore.), Whistler (Vancouver), anywhere in the Seattle metro area - let me know. I might join you.

Also, I have a Polar S150 HRM. I've had it for about four years. What does everyone else have? I find HR training is effective - especially during speed and resistance workouts. That said, I have a dumb question - can you use a HRM in the water for swimming workouts?

YES!! People responded. I've been doing violence center work since 9:30 this morning with a few occassional breaks, and stopping to answer this will allow me another one.

As for training, I have a monthly training plan and I work with my tri coach to tailor it to my schedule. I never followed a plan but I found I wasn't making the progress I wanted. Once I started paying someone there was no way I was letting that money go to waste, especially since I'm on a tight budget as a grad student. I find the training plan keeps me focused. And knowing I'm someone who lets everyday life get in the way as the day goes on, I've made the sacrifice to get up at 5:00 weekday mornings to make sure I get it in. If you don't want to set a specific daily training plan, maybe just deciding on a few key workouts you know you want to get in during the week (i.e., run for an hour or do a swim time trial or interval workout) and then making sure you get them in, even if not on a specific schedule, would help . . .

For the HRMs, I have a Polar 220SD (speed and distance pod comes with it). It's really helped my training. It helped me take 17 second per mile off my half marathon pace and I had done a four hour swim/bike training session just two days before the race. I also took 27 seconds a mile off my marathon pace going from 8:53 a mile to 8:26. I'm an advocate of it.

Before you buy consdier what you want out of it. Some of the basic models will keep track of your overall HR but they won't allow you to keep track of your HR during different intervals. I bought one of those and within a year had to buy a new one because it wasn't enough. I would have saved money if I would have just invested in a good one in the first place.

Polar has models that do HR and come with or without the speed/distance pod. It's a price increase for the SD models, but I thought it was worth it. Garmins can be a bit pricier but they work on GPS rather than a footpod and then can provide things like elevation changes. If you run in an area where you'll be covered by trees or blocked by skyscrapers for significant portions that could be a problem but otherwise you should be fine. I don't particularly need all those bells and whistles, but some people like it. Most people have good things to say about them. The watches are HUGE though. I don't know how people run with them without their arm dragging the ground they are so big. I would prefer not to have something so large on my wrist. My friend doesn't mind it at all though.

You can use the HRM during swimming although you don't particularly need the HRM data. I'm not sure how often I'd want to use it in the pool though because the chlorine will eventually wear out the elasticity in the chest strap. I only wear mine during a swim if it's in a race.

Kristin, glad you had such a good trip and got some good connections and rest while you were gone. Enjoy getting back to your training this week!!