apw0397's group - CLOSED (Page 2)

Sonny - Kuota tri bikes are gorgeous. Make sure you get a good, professional fit done before you break it in.

Same question I've asked others - do you use HR zones with either of your HRMs?

Zoomers are good in swimming for doing drills and for kicking. Since you are a runner (like me), you'll probably have inflexible ankles. I certainly did. Once you get then hang of drills, you'll need the Zoomers less, but you would still want to use them for kicking.

Regarding your marathon training. Using the Furman plan, you have a couple of days built in for cross training. I used the same plan last year to train for the Vegas marathon. My cross training days were spent riding and swimming. That way you don't lose whatever base you have built in those disciplines.

One warning about the Furman plan. I found that the paces they had me training at were too hard. Based on my HR zones, I was running in Zone 3 normally, while most coaches recommend you stay in Zone 2. The difference (one of many actually) between Zone 2 and 3 is that you can recover a lot faster when you train in Zone 2.

Jason - Putting slick tires on a MTB will show a quick improvement over knobby tires. When I did that on my first bike I got an easy .5-1.0 MPH gain. Less friction from the knobs, and you can inflate them to a much higher pressure, which reduces the rolling resistance. Couple that with some clipless pedals and you'll have some easy speed gains.

On the swim, switching to jammers from baggy shorts is a quick upgrade in speed. Not sure if it is pyschological or actual, but I sure "feel" faster without the extra drag in the water.

The best thing you can do is sign up for the race. That way you have a goal in sight and, if you are as cheap as I am, there's no turning back once you sign up. You've paid the money, now it's time to get to work. That's my philosophy anyway. I sign up early and don't look back.

Leg cramps, in my hamstrings and calfs. The weird part is, it's been heavily concentrated in my left leg and it happens like clockwork after 15-20 miles of riding. I visited two bike fit specialists and it seems like bike/pedal mechanics is the biggest culprit. I have the right size bike but my pedal movements were very jerky so I'm working on that a bit. To a lesser degree I need to develop my legs a little more on the bike, and improve flexibility with stretching. I've been doing extra stretching the past couple of weeks so we'll see pretty soon how it all shakes out.

The great thing about the Computrainer is that I can work out and watch TV series like Lost, Heroes, Scrubs, The Office, etc. It's also a must up here since outside riding is virtually impossible given all the snow we have. I sure miss that Texas weather.

Isolated leg training (ILTs) should help a lot with your mechanics. Unclip one leg and set it on a chair to the side or on the back of the trainer. You'll need to reduce the resistance a lot at first until you get used to it. It's quite a workout. If you have a ton of money at your disposal, you can get Power Cranks on your bike. They operate independantly, rather than normal pedals where when one goes up the other comes down. They are pretty pricey though.

If you need something to watch on the CT sometime, I think I have a couple of football games you might enjoy. One game ended 12-7; the other ended 38-30. Did I mention that I'm an Aggie?

So do you prefer the Carmicheal or Spinervals DVDs? I'm probably going to get a couple of them with some leftover Christmas money.

Also, about your shoes...did you get them at a sporting goods store or a specialty running store? That can make a big difference. The 21x0 family of Asics are a great shoe. I had the 2070, 80, 90, and 2100. Then I switched to Saucony's a last year due to an issue with my pronation. Not that the Asics were bad in any respect, I loved them. Hopefully they'll work well for you.

I initially started using HR zones but was having a hard time figuring out my zones. I haven't been using them lately but, per your advice, I'm going to start using them again. My max HR is like 205 bpm so a lot of the formulas don't apply to me. I was using RPE instead of HRM but that didn't last very long.

I'm really excited about the Kuota, but we'll see if I'll actually get it...

Snowboarding is fun but it certainly does a number on the knees!

My strength is probably the bike... I averaged over 20mph in all my dus and tris last year except my first.   Though currently I dont have a bike that is road worthy.  Last year I forgot that it was on the top of my car and ran into the garage.  It appeared that the only damage was the the broken fork. so i replaced the fork and put it back together.  Once i got it back together I realized that the head tube had been flared out at the bottom and now the fork has some play in it    I nursed it through last year, but with the amount of ride required for HIM training, I dont feel safe on it.   I have it permenantly on the trainer now and I going to purchase a new bike within the next few weeks.  I got professionally fitted for a bike last weekend. 

I am pretty average in swimming, but my biggest weakness is running.   I am getting better due to my half mary training, but I still think of it as my biggest limiter.  Several times last year I had beat many in my AG out of the water and on the bike, only to get run down at the end.  

My equipment:

2003 QR Tequilo-- trainer bike (broken head tube)---- Will be purchasing new bike soon..  I think it is going to be a QR Seduza, but I dont know yet.

Shoes-  Brooks Glycerin 5 (i got a video gait analysis and these were suggested for me.  They are really good if you need a nuetral shoe!!)

Trainer-  Cycleops Fluid 2

Hahahaha...that's cool. 73-36-5 all-time is the score I like to focus on anyway.

I'm definitely going to do some ILTs, thanks for the suggestion.

Here's how to figure out your HR zones. First, you need to figure out what your Lactate Threshold (LT) is. There's a pretty easy field test you can do for the bike and run HR zones. I don't see the need for swim HR zones since you can't really do much with them while swimming.

Anyway, here's the field test for Lactate Threshold. Warm up easy for 15 minutes. After that, go hard (close to race pace) for 10 minutes. Hit the lap button on your HR monitor and gradually increase your pace until you are going all out. This step is 20 minutes. After that, hit your lap button again and cool down for 15 minutes.

Your average HR for the 20 minute time trial is now your LT. You can take that and plug it into Mike Ricci's spreadsheet - http://www.d3multisport.com/articles/Calculating_HR_Zones.xls

A few notes or warnings.

• Don't start out too hard. You don't want to blow out early. You want to be going full speed at the end of the time trial, not at the beginning.
• Do it at a track or somewhere that you won't have to stop for red lights or anything. Stopping would lower your HR, which would skew the numbers.
• Also try to do it in a flat area, such as a track. Hills (up or down) would impact your numbers as well.

I have a LT test programmed into my Garmin so I don't have to worry about hitting the lap button.

I know this is a lot of info to process, so let me know if you have any questions.

Yes. A heartrate monitor and HR zones are there to prevent you from working out too hard. By determining your lactate threshold heartrate, you learn your 5 (or 7) HR zones. Most of your training should be in Zone 2. In Zone 2 you train your body to burn fat rather that glycogen (which you burn in Zones 3 and higher). This enables to you train longer and not bonk during workouts. You can only store about 90 minutes worth of glycogen, while fat stores are virtually limitless. Training by HR lets you recover faster and builds durability as well.

It seems counter-intuitive, I know, to run (or ride) slower to get faster. But it definitely works. I didn't believe it at first, but after training by HR for the last year and a half, I'm seeing the benefits.

You definitely don't want a saddle to be too wide. A friend of mine who did his first tri in September followed my advice and got a narrow saddle even though he thought I was crazy. He still thinks I'm crazy, but he agreed that have less saddle feels better.

Get your HR zones set up as soon as you can. You'll be surprised at what they tell you. I would bet they say you are training too hard.

I've been running for years and still have blisters seemingly pop up from out of nowhere. Calluses definitely help, but there is no guarantee that you can form them where you want to.

Are your feet getting really sweaty when you run? That's a problem I have. I sweat so much that my socks are soaking wet during some runs, which can lead to blisters. Body Glide can't prevent that, but you can probably find some powder to keep your feet dry.

Another option may be to find some 2 layer socks. I do my long runs and races in Wrightsocks. That's what my running store recommended for blisters. They have 2 layers, rather than most socks that just have 1. They work pretty well for me. You might give them a try and see if they help.

One thing for everyone about Heart Rate.

IGNORE MAX HEARTRATE. You know, the 220-Age formula? Ignore it. It's bunk. Heart rate is very personal and depends on a lot more factors than how old you are.

New bikes are always fun. Here's hoping you get a fast one.

Working on your run over the winter will show huge benefits when tri season starts. Another thing to consider is your bike fitness. What is your typical standalone 5K time? What is your typical 5K time in a Sprint? If it is really drastic, you need to work more on the bike or not push so hard on the bike come race day. Either of those will help you be fresher for the run.

Now if that's not the case, that your run is essentially the same in a tri and standalone race, you just need more run base.

Very good advice. It's also a good excuse to start shaving your legs. You don't want to rip that hobbit hair off your feet every time you run.