Pshorty's Group-GO NATHAN!!! (Page 2)

65 miles per week in running shoes? I'm envious. I think being incredibly slow has something to do with how much I despise running. Even when training for my marathon, the most miles I put into one week was 25. Yeah, 25. And I only made to a max of 18 in one run. Insanity and wondering what the people at the next stop were dressed like kept me going (It was New Orleans, I had a beer and two advil at the mile 25 water stop from a guy in a red dress and afro wig). Maybe we can stamp out that water phobia and actually get me enjoying running (a small miracle). Sounds like two good goals right there. I already like the fact that others know what I want to do. I feel like the more people that know, the harder I better train because I don't want to tell anybody I couldn't do it.

As for the holidays? Girlfriend is coming into town this weekend for our Christmas together. I put up the lights tonight and I'm getting a tree tomorrow. I've got to work pretty much every weekday, so I'm hanging in town. The parents live about 20 minutes into Jackson, so I'll be over at there house on Christmas day. Then, it's up to Memphis the weekend after for Mississippi State's first bowl game since my sophomore year in college. I plan on overeating and slacking on the training. Hey, everybody needs a break right? I'll definitely not be taking advantage of the heated indoor pool at the Y like I should.

What bike are you on now? I'd love a tri bike, too, but in the interest of conserving the funds, I improvised. Clip on aeros, flipped my seat post around, and moved the seat forward.

Hi Candace,

You are lucky number 7. Welcome.

Nate,
Bill's advice is good. Whatever you feel is comfortable. A long time ago I switched to breathing every third stroke because everyone said that it would even out your stroke. I think that is true. That being said, if you watch any freestyle event 400 yards or higher, you'd be hard pressed to find any top notch swimmer breathing anything but every 2 strokes. Every third, fourth stroke will (generally) not provide you with enough air. So, while I breath every third stroke more or less in the pool, almost as a drill, when it comes to racing I will generally breath every 2nd stroke. In open water I will switch sides so it doesn't feel like I am listing

Oh yeah, somewhere on that swim site they have an explanation for all the jargon that they use. I'll look for it later and post it.

Hi Chris,

I am traveling a bunch for the holidays. First to Alabama (in-laws) then to Florida (my folks). Hopefully one or both of those places will be warm enough to ride my bike outside. I forgot what that that's like. I understand it's fun.

Should have been down this way this week. It was 80 degrees when I got off work.

Sesh,
The 65 per week, for me, is only for a couple of weeks at the peak of training. For most of the 15 weeks I'll be training this year, I'll be at 30-45 (and I'll start in January at 25-30 after building my base in Dec). But you were able to muscle through a marathon having done a long run of only 18 -- on 25 miles a week! Thats really something. And in the New Orleans heat? Excellent. And no where to go but up, my friend.

The way you plugged through the final miles of the marathon sounds familiar. My first marathon was in Burlington, VT, where a number of runners were dressed in full costume on the 70 degree day. My favorite was a guy running as "The Flash" -- you know, the comic book hero. He had some friend running alongside him giving him water (The Flash was sweating through every inch of his suit -- complete with mask and insignia), screaming "It's the Flash!" as if we couldn't see. But damn it if I didn't look for him every time we came around one of the four out-and-back legs. He was inspirational -- and helped me to laugh and keep it light.

Part of the way that I run is to really hone in on whats going on. On non-marathon days (usually 363 day per year), when there aren't any funny people running around in costumes or other wonderful distractions, I just have to pay closer attention to whats actually going on. Often, its the boring sound of my feet on the ground. Sometimes, I have to remember to look around at what I'm passing by. Other times I just need to tune out and go over mental To-Do lists or something in my head. Recently, I've been listening to podcasts. But I've always got to switch it up.

Oh -- and racing every two weeks really got me going while I was living in Brooklyn. Anything from a 5K to a half marathon: if someone was holding a race, I was there.

But none of these strategies have helped me in the pool. By the 75th yard of my freestyle I'm already thinking about how out of breath I am (even if I'm NOT), and that is a slippery slope that I slide down: doubt. By the 100th yard, I'm falling back on the breaststroke and easier access to air.

Yeah. Good to think about goals. Writing a bit about them and methods has me thinking more regularly about training -- which actually helps spur me out the door on cold Albany mornings like this one.

For the holidays I'll be miles from home, for 5 days, and won't have access to bike or pool. With my birthday wedged in there, I might just go for a jog a couple of times and call it a wash.

Yeah, I'm envious myself of you warm-weather types. High of 27 yesterday in Albany. I ran in shorts today cause it was as balmy as its gonna get for days: 38 degrees. Snow tomorrow. Lots of it.

I'm trying to think of drills you can do in the pool to get used to help you with that. All I've got right now is maybe getting a kick board, and holding it out in front of you so you can put your head in the water. Just start doing laps kicking, keeping your head under water. When you need a breath, exhale while your head is still in the water. Lift it out like your sighting for an OWS, the kickboard will keep you afloat so at least psychologically you want have to feeling you can't stay up long enough to get a breath. Breathe in deeply and calmly, put your head back in the water, rinse and repeat.

Another thing I would say is to go slow and smooth with the free style motio. Keep the exertion level as low as possible till you feel comfortable in the water. Be sure to exhale with your head in the water, then nice and easy turn your head and breath in. When your head goes back in the water, start to exhale at a normal rate or breath. It might not even be a bad idea to just hang on the side of the pool, breathe in, and practice exhaling normally as you go under, coming up and inhaling normally.

I think the water tricks people into thinking they have to alter they way the breathe, which isn't the case. The bad thing is that it's harder to train the brain than it is the body. It'll click one day, though. Especially since you sound so committed to beating it.

That's a good drill. You can also add in some strokes so you get used to breathing while moving your arms. i.e., you extend the kickboard out in front of you with both hands, with your face in the water, take a stroke with your right arm while the left arm keeps hold of the board. Do the same with your left. Like Sesh said, try and exhale while your face is still in the water so you are only inhaling (not exhaling and inhaling) while your face is out of the water.

Our group is full now. I believe we have 8 members total!!

Check out my dog in my avatar. Total maniac. She will run like that (full sprint) for a solid hour before taking a short bathroom break and repeating. She could be a triathlodog but she hates getting in water over her head and thinks bicycles are for clowns

There's always the relay

Hi Everyone,

I like this crew I feel there are a lot of common threads…

Status: married, no kids, 2 dogs (labs)

A bit about me:
I ran x-country and distance track in high school. I was too slow to do the shorter stuff. I also swam for 2 seasons in high school. I love how swimming makes me feel. I think I was a fish in a former life. Moving on through college and grad school I didn’t do much except ride my mountain bike around town. Here I am 15 years out of high school and I am officially starting my 3rd season of triathlons. The idea of triathlons always interested me early on but it wasn’t till much later that I got the guts to sign up for my first sprint.

My goals for this year:
I am signed up for the California Half Ironman in Oceanside in March. And I would like to do the Surf City Half Marathon in Feb as part of my training. Beyond that I would like to keep a consistent workout/training schedule, continue to improve my 3 sports, and have a fun summer.

A little personal tri history:
In 2005, I signed up for a Sprint Tri in Green Lakes State Park in Upstate New York. I was so scared. I was an on again off again type runner and never ran much farther than a 5K. And I hadn’t swum since high school. I thought it would be just like riding a bike – ha! – but could barely manage 25 yards in the pool. After following a training plan from Beginner Triathlete and borrowing a bike from a friend, I was able to finish the race and I wasn’t dead last (those were the goals!).

After 18 weeks of training I was totally lost. I didn’t know what to do with myself. So I signed up for the Chicago Olympic distance in Aug 2006. When I signed up, I wasn’t confident I could even run a 10K. I spent all year working up to that race and it was a complete personal success! The next month, I did the San Diego, Mission Bay Sprint so I could benefit from all my hard work. This race was my first time using a wetsuit and swimming in salt water – major difference.

This last year was less exciting, I started off good but then my summer was consumed with moving. I ran the Huntington Beach, CA half marathon in Feb. I did an Olympic near Palm Springs, CA in the spring and almost died. I forgot that you really need to take this type of race seriously. Then without much training and no time in the pool I did a Sprint in Lake Arrowhead, CA. That was an ok race.

Current Training:
Just this weekend I realized I wasn’t training as much as I thought I was. So I am really trying to take it up a notch. I am very inconsistent and would like to correct that. I am currently running between 2 and 6 miles. My biking varies but can do about 35 miles without too much pain. And I have been swimming only 30 min every week and now will bump it up to 2 x 30 min sessions. I belong to a local tri club but the workouts are too far away to be practical so I usually train by myself. I am also in Physical Therapy trying to overcome a hip issue.

Weight/ Nutrition:
I fluctuate only about 10 lbs but every time I try to lose weight on a diet I end up gaining weight. So I figure I just need to focus on training and eating healthy. Currently I could lose 20 pounds and be at a healthy weight. I am a vegetarian which makes some of the modern sports nutrition literature confusing. Finally, my biggest weakness (and motivator) is beer.

I am really excited to try this mentorship format. I have already learned a lot from reading through the threads. I really like that master swim link – good stuff.

Cheers,
Candace (lucky #7)

Amen to that. I'm hoping the watchful eye of others will keep me going.

Thanks a lot for all of the swim advice. these past couple of days I actually overcame a couple of hurdles:
1. I swam at a different YMCA, where the pool was only 3.5 feet deep the whole length (instead of from 3 to 9.5 feet deep). Psychologically, it helped to have the bottom so close I could nearly touch it on each pull.
2. Today I tried to slow down my stroke a bit. Long, slow S-curves, reaching as far out as possible. I still only did 100 yards at a time, but I didn't feel uncomfortable. I'm going to try to up the distance I can swim freestyle continuously by 25-50 yards per session. My Y swim coach had me set a goal: 500 yards continuous by mid-January. I think its doable.
3. Finally, I've been relaxing a bit more. (Thanks for that recommendation in a much earlier post, Paul). Less speed, more rhythm. Less struggle, more smooth. It may not feel "good" yet, but it certainly feels more comfortable than my previous struggles.
4. My coach has also been suggesting the full exhale be with my head in the water, so that when I do come to the side for air I only have to breathe in. Instead of forcing it out, now I'm working on trying to maintain my normal respiration pattern. This may take a bit of getting used to -- but I'm into it!

Thanks for all the advice!

Hi Candice; its been nice to read about you taking on progressively longer distances. It sounds as if you have a couple of seasons under your belt and are primed for that HIM. March is coming up -- I can't wait to hear how you ramp up your training over the next couple of months. (I'm sure it'll be very instructional). And I commiserate over your weakness for that lovely frothy beverage!

Good evening all,
I`ve enjoyed reading about the swimming advice, I`II deffinately put it to goood use tomorrow. I missed my swim today, i drove to the pool which is right beside where i work about a 40 min drive from home and i left my swim bag at home not happy. Tomorrow morning I willl be going for a swim, is there a down side for training if i go for a swim in the afternoon as well?

I'm a vegetarian too! I'm looking to lose about 10 lbs, but also have that whole beer thing going on...being in college and all.

Nate-I don't see a problem with it. Some people caution about trying to make up missed workouts. I think that's only a problem if you are doing something like making up a missed long run on a day that already has another hard workout scheduled.

Beer is a superfood, isn't it? Like almonds and broccoli and honey, etc.

I've heard the same. As long as you aren't substituting a long workout for a rest day, or like you say Paul, doubling up two long workouts.

It's carb loading and pain killing. Nothing beats it.

And I am pretty sure the number one ingredient is water...
"I don't understand why I'm so thirsty today...I drank so much last night!"

You should have been studying... wait, you get Christmas break right? You should have been training! Pick up my slack!

Weekend plans anybody? I'm burnt out right now. Gonna do absolutely nothing today or tomorrow. Probably wrap presents, drink beer, put the ornaments on the tree, drink beer, watch some movies, read some books, and drink beer. Should have taken some time off after the St. Jude run, but I didn't. Sunday, it's time to get back to the running since I've got another half mary on Jan. 5th.

Grace-I understand that water is the number one ingredient in us as well, so we are pretty closely related to beer, perhaps it is our cousin.

Sesh-it's supposed to snow pretty heavy here tomorrow so I am not sure of what I am doing this weekend. Maybe bumper-hitching, who knows?

It sounds as if we've all been visiting the same nutritionist -- liquid diets all around.

Today, you've all inspired me -- not to go take on those swimming demons, but to Google the phrase "health benefits of beer". I now have a bevy of sketchy justifications for my weekend plans to ride out the impending nor'easter, and a six-pack of antioxidant-rich frothy stuff on ice.

About my pacer for the upcoming race season:
http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/gja0034l.jpg

Alright, alright: off to swim. I'm going to try some of those "head in the water drills," and to try to keep it slow.

happy friday everyone! sounds like everyone has plans to stay hydrated!:-)

off for an easy 5-6 mile run today and then this weekend hoping to get in the pool (for the first time in a longgg time) and get in a bike ride at some point too.