TRI4ALL - Is Now FULL (Page 2)

Hey Elizabeth!  - Congrats on the Specialized!  I have two Specialized mtn bikes and absolutely love them.  A guy up the street has a Specialized roadie I wish he'd sell... 

Do you have any yard in your area or a park?  Practicing clipping in and clipping out in the yard is a great way to get your timing down and is less painful than falling on concrete or asphalt.  Technically, your seat height, when you are seated on the bike, should (generally speaking - depends on the person) only allow your toes to touch the ground, but you can lower your seat for some "yard time."  Mark your seatpost (scratch, paint, nail polish, tape) where it is now and then lower it some so your feet can touch the ground comfortably (i.e. almost flat).  Clip in, ride several feet, stop, clip out, touch the ground.  Repeat bunches!  This is a great drill to get familiar with the process and especially the timing.  Don't forget to raise your seatpost back to the original position! 

Hope everyone had a good week of working out!  I was able to get some decent ab / core sessions in and finally ran a mile since my knee(s) started giving me problems Christmas Day morning.  Had a few good bike sessions too.  Did a brick today - biked 15 miles then ran a little over two miles.  Left knee began to file a major protest less than a half a mile from the end.  If they don't hurt tomorrow, I'll be a  happy camper!

I snagged some "Perfect Pushup" toys (www.PerfectPushup.com) from Dicks for $39.99 after Christmas.  K-Mart advertised them today for $19.99.   Great item for working out at home!  Comes with a workout chart and a DVD.  Love them!

Dale mentioned bike trainers.  A bike trainer is a great way to get a work out done when it is otherwise too cold to ride outside or rainy.  Or, if you want a consistet 20 or 30 minute workout in the mornings before you go to work!  I generally use my trainer in the garage and Linkin Park on the iPod makes it tolerable.  Some folks will bring them inside and set them in front of the TV, but my current tire on the road bike "sheds" rubber when on the trainer and I'm seeing white threads showing!  (A mtn bike in the trainer is WAY too noisy for me.)  I've ordered some new tires.  A trainer will "eat" your rear tire as it will eventually "square" your rear tire.  On that note, your trainer should only lightly 'touch' your rear tire.  There are rear tires specifically for a bike trainer and you may consider investing in one ($18 - $30), especially if you have more than one bike and you can keep one bike "parked" in the trainer with the trainer tire on that bike.  I was told at a bike shop that a trainer tire is NOT for use on the road.

Let me digress for a second about your pedals.  Buy another set of your clipless pedals or your toe clips if you "park" a 2nd bike in a trainer.  Buying a pedal wrench will go a long way in switching out your pedals.  Practice pedaling in circles when on the trainer.  Let your trainer time be a great place to develop good pedaling habits - it is easier to focus on good pedaling form when not having to look for traffic, etc.  Don't be a "masher", unless you want to stand up and attack a hill.  Standing up is a good way to relieve pressure on your backside though.

I've seen trainers on sale around $90 at www.PerformanceBike.com  and www.BikeNashbar.com .  They make sweat covers to go over your top tube and mats to go under the bike as well.  There are a gazillion (that is a technical term) DVDs that you can watch as you ride (Carmichael Training Systems, www.spinervals.com/).

Rollers are another way to go and generally go for about $100.  You are riding your bike, balanced, on rollers.  I don't have any and have never ridden on a set.  They have a larger footprint than a trainer and I've heard they require excellent balance.  You can see pictures of rollers at the above websites.  I'd almost prefer a set of rollers over a "drainer" (yes, that was a deliberate letter "d" because you are actually balancing on your bike.  I find myself getting very bored on a trainer and not focusing well.  A trainer can still be a decent workout tho - better than none at all!

Timmeh! - Like Dale says, definitely get the fit kit!  No better way to tailor your bike than to let the bike shop do it.  Ask them if they'll throw it in for free since you are spending $$$ on the bike.  If they won't, what about half price?  Can't hurt!

Shout if anyone has questions!

Terry

The Perfect Pushup things rotate 45° and are supposed to affect more muscles in the shoulders.  I had a nasty mtn bike wreck almost two years ago and my left wrist still hurts in a normal pushup position.  The PP thing allows me to grip a padded bar, so to speak, almost like a bike handlebar.  There is a video on the website. 

Terry

I would like to know more about heart rate training and HR zones.  I've never delved into that arena and am very interested.  I've seen some threads on HR training on BT.  A friend of mine just bought a (Timex?) watch with an HR monitor for about $70 at REI.  If I do buy one, I'd love to learn how to apply this type of training to benefit my/our training as a group.  Let's Roll!

Am enjoying Jayne Williams' book on the "Slow, Fat Triathlete!"  Something funny, in the recent warmer weather here outside of Nashville, TN, our 11 year old has been playing roller hockey at our neighborhood basketball court.  So far in a few days, he has 3 blisters and a very swollen ankle, another kid has had to have his braces adjusted and one more has a mild concussion.  Hehehehhe.  Later, I'd love to do a thread on how, as Dale said, "Life Happens" and how it affects our training.

Terry

The lonely and scary wail of tornado sires today.... It was dark as night at 2:15 this afternoon...  almost nuked my swim tonite.... but it was only rotating thunderstorms.

I have a fairly good nutrition plan in place, Hammer Sustained Engery 3 hours before competition (on an empty stomach), GU or Hammer Gel during (1 x hour or 45 minutes), water or Hammer HEED during (dependeng on duration - 16 oz max/hour) Hammer Recoverite immediately afterwards and/or once an hour until a solid meal is consumed. 

Two Questions - Anyone battle leg cramps?  I sweat heavily.  A reputable triathlon store here recommended a capsule called ZMA; Zinc, Magnesium SomethingOrTheOther.  I've tried it over the winter and it seems to work.  Am ready for warm weather to try it in the heat.  I take an extra calcium pill during race week.

- Anyone know how much protien we need daily?  I'm sure age, workout intensity/rest day may all be factors.  After each workout, I do an estimated ratio of 3:1 carbs to protein using powdered whey protein and a glass of fuit juice and/or a banana.  Sometimes after dinner, I'll do a little more whey "to sleep on."

Terry

The need for a gel probably depends on the person, how much and how recently you have eaten, and how intense your workout is going to be.  On a training day, I only do a gel before a long swim or before an hour or more on the bike.  Some gels are loaded with caffiene.

Training Plan(s) - I imported one BT plan a few months ago and quickly found out I couldn't stick to it due to business travel, kids, elderly parents, etc.  My father passed away a little over a month ago and that blew any thougths of training out the window for a good week.  A week before his passing and a few weeks afterwards, I hit 3 PBs, just trying to aliveate stress, I guess.  I'm sure I overtrained a bit.  Hello knee pain.

My current plan is: Sun-bike or run, Mon-weights/core, Tue-swim & yoga, Wed-rest, Thur-swim/yoga, Fri-weights/core, Sat-bike or run.

This schedule is due to the limited amount of daylight in the winter; I get more running and biking in during the week when it is light after 5:30 PM.  I'm trying to incorporate more yoga (just 20 minutes a session) this year to help prevent injuries.  I'm trying to swim in the mornings before work and do my weightlifting in the mornings (I can do weights at home) to leave more time with the kids in the evenings.

Previously, I've been "winging" my training intensity - just doing whatever I feel like my body can handle and/or what I need to get ready for the next mtn bike race.  What I need to research or need help with, is how to track my running, biking, swimming and lifting progress.  When to turn up and when to turn down the intesities.  How do I know when I need a long, easy run?  When should I do "strides?"  Maybe RunnersWorld.com has a plan or chart.  I sort of have a grip on the biking.  But swimming; when should I do sprints and how many?  When to work on form?  Lifting; I know to stay around 12 - 15 reps, but is there a time of year, probably winter, when I should go for muscle gains?  Shouldn't one week a month be a "down" week, like a very light training schedule to avoid overtraining?

Maybe some of the training articles and the message boards on BT have the answers.  I heard one person say, "Never push off of a wall in a pool, or throw a leg over a bike, or lace up your running shoes without knowing exactly what you want to accomplish in that session."  This is something I need to learn and work on, because right now I don't know what I'm trying to accomplish when I swim or run.  When I bike, I kind of know what level I'm trying to get to when there is an upcoming race.  But swimming and running, I'm still "winging it", I guess.