"Train Smart Race Fast" 3 months challenge (Page 2)

Happy New Year, everyone!  I'm a stuffed up with an achey throat (Day 5 now) but have been working through it for the most part.  Sudafed is my friend.  Lozenges save me.  But sadly the two combined could not get me all the way through the LT run test.  I went at it yesterday for 10 mins at HR avg 172 but couldn't complete the full 20.  I'll try again this week and will focus on getting back to the pool and back to the spin studio as soon as everything reopens. 

Both gym and pool are closed today, and like NY, it's raining here in MA.  All I can do is get things done around the house, do some stretching and core work, and bide my time until this cold passes and my real training can resume.

Thankfully not hungover (I'll blame the cold), but also not used to socializing till 2am.  It was worth it, even with all the excess calories in the drinks and eats! Oooouf, my head and my tummy. 

Happy 2007, - Sunny

Allright Sunny you get a sickness pass. Feel Better.

Meanwhile, the rain let up here and I snuck one in. Wasn't bad actually bc it's not that cold. You can't control the weather (especially on race day) so get out there all you healthy people!

glad you are have decided to join in....from what I understand, it is about getting in the 15 min consistant training to begin with with more later....Jorge can answer this one for us in more detail...

What you're saying makes a lot of sense to me Jorge -- start small and build.

It's good to know that you've been off-plan but consistently running while away.  I think everyone has to adapt the plan and workouts to their own needs, availability, etc. but consistentcy is key.  And the progressive efforts as the weeks go on will pay for themselves! 

I'm finally (almost) over this cold and will run hard on the LT test this weekend to see what my HR zones for running should be.  Swimming will also resume on Saturday.  I've been out of the pool all week and feel crappy about it, but that's the way the pool's erratic schedule combined with my commitments worked out.  I'll be swimming again soon enough.

Train smart everyone,-Sunny

Ok people I am back from Cancun and ready to kick a$$ with 2007 training! My first week of this base phase will be a bit different of what I planned but mainly because I was away with no bike and not really a good place to swim hence i did more running. (keep this in mind cuz life gets on the way and we have to be flexible with our training plans)

Keep it up guys and TRAIN SMART!

How is everyone doing? How did the 1st week of Smart training go? Did it feel too easy/just right/hard? Today evaluate your week, work on minor adjustments if necessary and lets keep moving!

Here is my summary: Planned >> Week 1: 3x run (all 15-20 min except the run test which will be 30 min), 3x swim (all 15-20 min) 1x bike (25-30 min) all session done at Z1 1 or Easy. Actual >> : 6x run (Four 20-25 min EZ run, one 30 min EZ run and one 40 min Steady run) no swims or bike cuz I was away.

Based on how good I felt running with no nagging pains and completing all sessions relatively easy, this is my adjusted plan for week 2: if >> 4x run (all 20-25 min maybe one 35+ min ALL EZ or Z1), 3x swim (20-25 min), 1x bike (30-40 min) done at Z1 or Easy to steady. *notice that the only minor change I did was to increase the duration of my runs but the frequency and intensity will remain the same*

Last week felt tough, but only because I was doing waaaay more than the 3 EZ runs.   I recovered from my cold and felt really good throughout.  However, if I'd planned better, I would've done my LT run test on Saturday.  I just ran out of time and had other distractions + commitments!  When I have specific planned training that I miss, that's when I realize that triathlon training isn't the prime focus in my life.  I spend so much time training myself and others during the week that it's hard to keep the focus on the weekends.  I probably just needed the break anyway.

Running:  I did a 20 min, 30 min, 50 min EZ run, and 1 hr session at the track.  I kept the short runs and part of the longer runs EZ but still at least a 6 of 10 RPE.  All felt good!  With my half-marathon just 4 weeks away I know more longer runs are needed, but my consistency is already there.  Yay!

Biking:  I did a full 1 hr aerobic, EZ spin.  It felt great!

Pool:  Closed on Tues, Cancelled on Saturday due to awesome weather. 

I did not complete the swims or even make it to the pool once, so swimming 1-2x is the one thing that I will change next week.  I like to think that indoor workouts on the Concept II rower and Nordic XC-skier are "as good as" swimming, but nothing beats the real deal.

I'm real happy given that my schedule is in flux.  For the record my weeks start on Sundays.

I managed: Run - 4X, Sw - 1x, Spin - 2x, Core - 2x (that is major for me). All were easy except for saturday when my son chased me around on his bike. But that's o/k  w/ me

Started this week off w/ a brick! Felt good coming off the bike yesterday, wuz gonna do a mile but the weather just made me  add another! Light core today really a rest day.

I've adjusted my plans. I had modified my workouts to take into account where I was earlier, so last week's were enough and I'll add a bit more time to this week's. I feel great from working this way. My legs and arms are not really sore the following day which is a bit change from the way I had been doing things.

I'm swimming around 4x per week for 25-30 minutes now

I'm running about 6x per week (1x 60 min, 2x 40 min, and 3x 30 min). I'll probably hold this for a while.

Cycling I cut to 1x per week for 40 min since running and swimming are my weakpoints.

If it's any consolation, Jayson, I had those odd "3am wakeups" in my first summer of serious training.  Used to drive me nuts, but eventually they were replaced by 6am wakeups, so now I don't need an alarm clock anymore! 

I'll go to bed exausted and wake up at 3 in the morning and be up for an hour or two trying to get back to sleep. I can tell I need all that time to recoup. Don't get me wrong, though, the training feels great- I haven't overexerted myself... I think I'm just getting used to this new regiment

>>> Yup it takes sometime for your body to adjust to the new regime. Like Sunny mentioned it is sometimes normal to experience that. (in fact I am going trough the same thing ) the important thing here is to be patient, build up slow and of course train smart! One thing to keep in mind is that this is a learning process and you’ll eventually figure out what it is the right dose of training for you. (Although it takes time) Be aware that sometimes our mind play trick on us in particular through the first few weeks of training (maybe up to a month or more) until we develop a training habit and become discipline enough to get in training sessions week after week. At first what might seem like your body telling you that you are tired and need a break, in fact it might be your mind playing a trick on you because you haven’t develop consistency, and THAT is tough to overcome! Just try to be honest with yourself in order to define whether a day off is in order or your mind is just making you second guess whether to go out on the cold for that run or stay in watching TV and having some ice cream .

Joined the gym yesterday- got in a good swim and a great bike... I saw this guy get in the pool and blow me away with his stroke... He was keeping his head down and coming up for air every 4 strokes... so I tried it, and it seemed to work better than trying to breathe every other stroke. I definitely have alot to learn in the swim... it's great to be back in the water though!!! I always thought of myself as a fish growing up... always in the water. Guess I never payed enough attention to my form as a kid! Yeah, that's what it's all about... Let's have fun.

>>> Swim technique is tricky to develop without proper instruction for sure. Sometimes gyms/pools have coaches on deck and for minimal $$ you might get advice on your stroke and tips to correct it. (Sometimes even for free!) Another cheap options is to join a master class or buy a swimming instructional video. Yet another and very effective option is to get your stroke video. Some places offer this feature although it might be $$$ but a relative cheap way to get it done is to use those new water resistance digital cameras and you can ask a friend to tape you. A video will help you and a coach to break down your stroke/kick and provide SPECIFIC drills and aspects for you to practice and focus on. It is crazy when you see how you swim and notice things you do wrong but wouldn’t ever imagine!

Hello hello everyone,

It's great to read everyone's training accomplishments. It keeps me on top of my training. The first week went well. I think I was one swim short though. This week is going great. I took monday as a rest day. I had one and a half hours of conditioning for soccer tuesday evening and swam for 20 minutes when I got home. I had a good swim experience last week, but yesterday it wasn't going so well. Water kept oozing into my goggles and I was exhausted so I did 20 minutes instead of the intended half hour. I'm swimming just under a minute per 50m. At the moment I'm getting used to all the quirks of being in the water (water in my ears, swim cap, etc) and trying to swim a continuous 500m - 1K, but would like to know if anyone has training recommendations for swimming faster splits.

I still don't have a bike (waiting for my paycheck at the end of the month!) so I'll be on the stationary bike.

I'm definitely experiencing strange sleeping habits as well. I'm having a hard time falling asleep at night. Since work started again, I'm hoping the early wake up time will make me fall asleep earlier.

For swimming drills, you can check these articles for more info and drills link: http://www.d3multisport.com/articles/swimvolume.html, http://www.byrn.org/gtips/techswim.htm,  http://www.cruciblefitness.com/etips/swimming-drills.htm, and this one for videos: http://www.goswim.tv/

As far as the goggles placement >>> make sure when you wear the goggles only use light pressure against your face. DO NOT push’em towards your face/eyes like you eyes will pop out cuz that will cause leaking. Also remember that the elastic straps should be align or slightly above your ears and the second one and inch or so above. (This is assuming that you are wearing goggles which fit your face)
Ever since I was advice to do that I rarely have leakage issues BUT I also bring an extra pair or two of goggles just in case