TriAya's Group: SHUT like dog on steak, sorry! (Page 2)

WTG Shawn!  Nice job of staying motivated and getting it done in spite of the situation!

Wow Shawn you are a trooper running in the cold rain and snow, that's dedication. I ran in the rain yesterday but it wasn't that cold. You rock! 

Always remember in this stage of the game your competing against yourself and no one else. So when you finally hit 3 miles, 4miles, 5 miles and so on these will be great accomplishments for you. It will be the same feeling when you run that 2 mile distance even faster.

With that all said, great job and I look forward to hearing more of your achievements throughout the coming months.

I ran last night in the dark, when it was 30 degrees!  It was so fun, since I could check out all the holiday lights.  I really felt like going further than my 4 miles but am trying to stick to the established training plan. That said, I have no way to get on the bike for 90 min today so I am probably going to make this my rest day......it's challenging, this winter bike thing!  Currently snowing outside!

I want to do more then my training plan calls out for on my runs but I make myself hold back and now I understand taper madness, funny how that works.

Good job getting out in that cold weather, listening to you all I now have no excuse for not running in my cooler temps.

WOWEE this group is great--so much good stuff--getting out there to train despite the crazy cold and other challenges, holding yourself back when you should, and lots of cheering. NICELY DONE!

FYI I let two more folks in (they'll introduce themselves shortly); persistence is definitely an asset in this group! We have some outstanding experience and talent that's being shared around, so I think it'll work. Plus (as those of you who've been in other mentor and challenge groups know) the chatties will balance out the observers!

That said, we are now really SHUT LIKE A PITBULL ON SIRLOIN! Dee, or anyone else, if you're still lurking--go find Bajapat's group! He's a lot hotter than I am, for one thing, he's an outstanding athlete, for another, a kindly soul, for a third, and most importantly, his group's wide open.  

ShawnC13 - 2007-12-09 6:40 PM How do we add the people in this group as friends? I have no BT Friends

I'll post the answer here, in case anyone else has the same question.

1. Go to your log
2. Click on the Control Panel Icon  (it's under quick links next to the calenda in the left hand navigation)
3. You will then see the page that allows you to customize things on your log - friend, goals, etc.
4. Click on the friends tab
5. if you know their BT name (e.g. lastcall2003) you can enter it right into one of the open spots
6. if you don't know their BT name, you can click on the button on the far right and it will open up a search window
7. after you have added your friends, click on APPLY (it's waaaaay down at the bottom of the page)
8. Presto - when you return to your log, your friends should display in the left hand navigation under all of the training info!

Hopefully this makes sense!

Yes, Shawn, every group should be so lucky to have a token Canuck!

Welcome, Erin and Renee! This group is just amazing in terms of how we have reshaped our lives and our bodies. Just think--we are the people, and we do the things, that other people only dream of.

Speaking of dreams … and sleep … and napping (my favorite!), here are my thoughts on an important topic which just happens to be where I’m at in my training cycle.

REST AND RECOVERY
These need to take place after hard-effort or intense training (including races), as well as for a few continuous weeks during the year to recover from a string of races (season) or big race. With a group that’s this enthusiastic, energetic, and high-powered, we have to take this critical aspect of training seriously, and it’ll probably be the part we struggle with the most—to slow down and take it easy! (I know it is for me!)

Trick question: when are you making your biggest fitness gains?
Answer: it’s not when you’re working out!

Training stresses your body—you are literally tearing apart muscle fibers and taxing your systems. REST/RECOVERY is when you are actually making the fitness gains, as your body repairs itself slightly stronger than before.

1.      Physical and mental recovery. We also need the mental break in order to “recover” focus and motivation and keep it going.
2.      Increases enjoyment. When we’re so focused on training / numbers / racing / improvement, we can forget that the journey is the reward. Taking a break allows us to fully enjoy the journey, including the hard training parts. Also, when shmyte happens, as it will, we’ve already practiced taking breaks (oh, and it makes taper more bearable!) If it turns out we have to miss or cancel a race, we’ve had a great ride anyway, and rest/recovery is integral to making that possible.
3.      Decreases stress and injuries. Self-explanatory! Also, if you do “active” recovery (like slow easy spins, paddling in the water, walking, yoga, etc.) it’s that type of workout that really relieves stress.
4.      Assists life balance. Taking time off training allows you to use that time for other important things.

As always, feel free to ask questions about how much/what type of rest/recovery you might need and how it fits into a training schedule or cycle.

Tell me about it. I'm in the thick of post-marathon depression (a real phenomenon! you can google it ... lots of helpful tips in the articles). The new goal thing really helps--even something silly, or a signing up for short run that gives its proceeds to charity (I'm doing a Speedo run next week that is both!).

It really helps me to do active recovery as I stated in the rest/recovery post--gets the circulation and endorphins flowing.

As always, feel free to ask questions about how much/what type of rest/recovery you might need and how it fits into a training schedule or cycle.

This is really timely, Yanti...I am looking forward to race season and thinking I didn't really do a true recovery cycle after race season, thinking that since I didn't truly have A races, B races and so on, that it wasn't a "real" season..... but I did train a lot even though I wasn't religious about sticking to a plan.  Now that I am in the 2nd week of the Oly plan, I am starting to wonder if I haven't started it a little too soon for next season.  I'll be race ready at the end of April, yet I don't have a race at that time since most don't start until later in this part of the world.  I am contemplating dropping down to a Sprint plan, maybe somewhere towards the end of the cycle so that I am able to maintain my current fitness, and then after the new year (or even in Feb) start the Oly plan up again. This would enable me to get a little more 'rest' for the remainder of December, and allow me to plot a better schedule, especially for the cycling portion of the Oly plan.  Do you think this will help with my next season, or should I just stick to where I am in the Oly plan and try my darndest to fit it all in?  For Dec I have one potential 12k run and another on Jan. 1 (which may include a plunge into icy Lake Washington afterward!)......but nothing else on the calendar yet.  I was listening to the "Tri-Talk" podcast while I was running yesterday, and they were also talking about the importance of recovery.  Maybe the universe is trying to tell me something?....  thanks for your input!

Ah...rest...something I dream about when I'm up w/ my one year old in the middle of the night. 

I got a warning from my body today that I may need a little rest.  I am a really competitive person (not really w/ others, but w/ myself if that makes sense).  I only want to do something if I can be good at it.  There in lies my problem with running.  I am TERRIBLE at it.  I feel winded five seconds after I start, and am lucky to run 1.3 or 1.4 miles straight.  The longest I've ever run continuously is 2 miles.  I've been adding runs into my BT plan when it doesn't call for it to try to improve my run.  Well...this morning I decided I wanted to try to run a 5K w/o stopping.  At about mile 1.2 I started getting shin pain in my left leg.  I started walking and stopped at 1.5 miles.  Now I'm mad at myself for not going the other 1.5 (even if it meant walking), but I know that my body is telling me to back off of the running a bit.  I'm trying to ramp up too fast.  I'm just terrified that I won't complete my sprint tri in March b/c of the run.