Gordo Byrn's Group - FULL (Page 20)

WOW!  what a workout today (in a good way....)  my trng schedule says that im at the 'peak' this week, and im definately 'feelin' it - again not in a straining sorta way, but in a 'pushing the enevelope just a tad' sorta way.

62 min spin and 39 min/1250 yd swim

HR DATA 62 min spin 1/13

AV:  131; PK:  151

10 min:  137; 20 min:  133; 30 min:  141;  40 min:  133; 50 min:  143; 62 min:  missed this one;  END:  119.

i noticed that my heart rate was high and erratic for the first 10-20 mins of the ride, peaking way too soon, too often.

felt like we just 'jumped in' and started riding 'fast and furious'.....i was there early, and felt that i had at least a short time to warm up, but goes to show me just how important warming up/easing into a workout effects HR....

next time, i wont be so swept up in what the class is doing, and do what works best for me/my body, taking the time i need to workup gradually, and then press in to the workout. do my own thing, as needed.

as for the swim - embedded in the workout i did a descending ladder - 300 yds. w 1:00R, 200 yds. w 1:00R, and 100 yds w 1:00R and finished w a 4x25 cool down. 

my goal during the ladder was twofold:  to maintain form, nose pointed, 'buoy pressed' to the bottom of the pool and 3 stroke breathing.  no small task

though my form wasnt 100% throughout (id say 70% - most often, my hips tend to 'droop', i lift my head) i DID hold my 3 stroke breathing throughout all four rungs....

EXTENDING RELAXED SWIMMING ENDURANCE ENVELOPE STILL IN PROGRESS...

but gettin' there. feels good....

JENN.  oh dear.  i hope your a feeling better today....do take care.

thanks for the recommendation - BODY SCUPLTING BIBLE FOR WOMEN - im always on the 'lookout' for strength training routines that are simple.  i like to change-up ST from time to time just to keep 'engaged'.

heal well.

g,

As I have progressed with my fitness program I have encounter a couple issues (not problems - just bumps and bruises if you will).  One was a sore left knee.  I seem to have solved that issue by purchasing "real running shoes".  They were expensive (at least by my terms) but well worth the money.  The second issue I have encountered is with my calves (both left and right).  Before joining this forum, every couple weeks it seems like I would "pull" a calf muscle.  It would only happen when I was running (I could  bike any distance and never have a problem).  After pulling the calf I would take 3-4 days off from running and then start over again.  After joining the forum and learning how to really train (WU, stretch, HR based workout, CD) I have not pulled the muscle and not had to stop running for any period of time.  However, occasionally after a running workout I will notice a slight discomfort in the calf (it almost feels like a cramp).  Nothing that stops me from training the next day - it's just that I notice it.

So now to my question - are there any particular stretching and strength conditioning exercises that I should focus on for my calves?  Currently all my strength conditioning is focused on the upper body (I figured with all the running and biking I should back off weights for the legs).  Am I wrong? 

Thanks,

Jeff

 Dave,

 Tell me more about how long the sessions last (in minutes) across a typical week.

 g

junthank - 2009-01-13 10:20 AM

25m 800.00 meters 03m 08s /100 meters
10:00 AM

Focused todays swim on three stroke breathing. I always start off by swimming 1x400 meters freestyle. Did the first 200 meters three stroke. Did the next 100 two stroke. Then the final 100 three stroke. Completed this in 9:11. It felt much better than my last swim (completed in about the same amount of time). I rested a couple minutes and then did 4x100 (with rest between each 100) all using three stroke. Continue to have issues with my left side breath as I have detailed in earlier workout comments. However, I really tried to focus on rolling on my right side when taking a left breath. Seemed to work better but I'm still not there. Will keep on practicing.

	31m 58s 3.00 miles 10m 40s/Mi
10:30 AM

After my swim I jumped on the treadmill. Did 3 miles at 5.7 run, 4.4 walk. Felt good. Normal 10:1 ratio. HR data looked good: @start 118 @10 140 @21 142 @31 forgot to take but I'm sure by how I was feeling it was right in the 140 ballpark

 This was a really good combination endurance workout -- well done.

g

SWIM BREATHING TIP

Team,

 If you find that you are lifting your head when you want to breathe, then something that helped me was to think...

...chin up, breathe, chin down

This helped keep my head flat in the water (not lifting) and my hips high.

g

 This is absolutely normal and reported by a lot of people.  I experience it myself when I let my calf strength drop.

 While stretching can help, what works even better is strengthening through eccentric loading (a fancy way of saying do calf raises and do the lower slowly).

 You can find photos of the exercises (scroll down) here: http://www.clinicalsportsmedicine.com/chapters/28d.htm

 Start by going "up" with two legs and lowering on one leg -- do 10-15 lowers (per side).  Do one set with straight leg and one set with bent leg.  See photos for visual.

 You want to get yourself to the point where you can do (body weight) -- two sets, 20 per side, single up/single down.  Give yourself PLENTY of time to progress.

 If you do this protocol after every run (takes 2 mins) then you will notice an improvement in 14 days (gordo g'tee).

 Do the exercises with your shoes on, press through your big toe and keep ankle/knee aligned.  You will find when you get tired that you will want to twist your foot (don't).  Just do them until you are tired, then switch.  This isn't an exercise where you need to feel the burn.

 Also, as you'll see in the photos... some folks progress to wearing Everest-sized backpacks!  Body weight has always worked fine for me.

g

45 minutes on the Drainer. 

Question:  Should bike workouts be the same or longer than the ave run/swim workout in duration (time)?

At the moment I am trying to do 3 sessions per week and tend to get in the pool and swim at average speed of 2:00/100m or just under. Time depends more on distance really so anything from 15minutes to 30 minutes. Eventually I want to increase my long swims to around 2k so that olympic races are easier and take less than 30 minutes for the swim part. I usually swim during my lunch break so am slightly restricted for time but can always switch the long session to early morning when I would have nearer an hour in the pool. S

So my typical week is Mon 30mins, weds 15mins, fri 20mins

Dave

45 Minute trainer ride this morning. Heart rate was good, leg muscles were complaining a bit at first bt loosened up after 2-3 minutes. Cadence around 90 most of the ride.

 Dave,

 For those durations, I would recommend sticking it out.  Also, scroll back through the posts to mine about learning how to descend (speed up) across a workout.  You might find that your steady pace is a little slower than you think.

 #1 goal is to build the ability to get that 2K swim done -- three stroke, non-stop, relaxed.  From there, we can chat about how best to build out the week.

 Keep 'er rolling,

g

 No fixed rules but this is how I like to play it.  

For Sprint/Oly distance, I like to build the long bike ride up to the total duration of the race (s/b/r) -- the bike is the safest place to train the necessary endurance for the event.

 For Sprint/Oly distance, I like to build the long run up to the total duration of the leg.

 For Sprint/Oly distance, I like to build the long swim up to the total distance of the leg -- relaxed, three-stroke breathing.

 When you have all three of the above, then you have confidence in your ability to handle what the day brings.

 g

You mentioned doing a bike ride the duration of the event in a past post.  I have a clearer understanding of the BIG picture now.  Glad to see the swim/run plugged in - together in one conscise training prescription.  Got it!  Thnx for your patience, G-man!

Ok thanks G

will focus on the 2k target for now. 3 stroke breathing is more comfortable for me anyway so should be able to keep it going all the way.

toggling a little bit still on the TM, but i had a nice 26 min run today.  and i did 20 mins of abwork.

finding my 'parameters' [only for them to change LOL.  progress]

HR DATA FOR 26 MIN RUN 1/14

START:  74

started my walking pace at 4.0, got my HR up and then it started to drop shortly after, increased pace to 4.2, same thing happened, set it to 4.4.  my HR 'stabilized'.  my goal is to always get up to at least 119 by the end of my 10 min walk/warm up.

10 min:  121  increased pace to 4.8

5 min:  132/131  increased pace to 5.0

11 min:  136/128   increased WALKING pace to 4.6 (HR kept dropping again), increased RUN pace 5.2

17 min:  142/136  increased run pace to 5.4 (just curious to see what my HR would do, it 'jumped' around quite a bit, at first....)

23 min:  147/135  maintained 5.4  (....by the start of this interval through to the end my HR 'settled down', see 26 mins)

26 min:  143/135 decreased pace to 3.8

4 min/END:  108

ttow!

 Related to my run tips -- dynamic lunges quickly point out potential limiters that might be holding back your run economy.

1:15 min. on the trainer.  Guess of 16 miles on the distance.  Picked it up to 18 mph towards the end.... otherwise; base-pace.

Question:   Do you discourage evening workouts as they might disrupt sleep?

 High intensity workouts late in the day can certainly leave an athlete excited for hours afterwards.  I have seen that with my roadie buddies that race in the evening.

 I can't think of a specific situation where I advised against an evening session.  

You having trouble sleeping?  A leisurely walk can help unwind before bed.  Also note when your last caffeine intake was (if any) and consider eliminating/reducing (that can help).

 g

Along similar lines - my 1st TRI in coming up in 2 weeks - I know I'm going to be pumped the night before - any tips on getting to sleep before a BIG event the next day?

Thanks,

Jeff

Hey gang,

Hope everyone is doing well!  I'm suffering from a serious lack of energy this week.   Still got my run in last night though.  I had to just not think about it and do it, otherwise I would have talked myself out of it.  Am noticeing somthing funny about my HR patterns though.  I'm looking at my last 4 runs and the first one I was able to run the whole thing in the 4.6 range next session started at 4.6 but had to quickely drop to 4.2 for rest of run.  Next run though I was able to do 10min@ 4.6 and then the rest (15min) @ 4.7.  Now my run last night I pretty much had to stay at 4.0 the whole run to keep my HR in the zone.  Is this natural?  These runs are about everyother day or two days inbetween.

I'm also wondering if any of you all have some good tips for me, I'm picking up a set of rollers this weekend.  Am excited and nervous at the same time.   I have a MT. Bike I'm thinking I might get road tires for but I've never really been a biker so any tips would be great.

I'm going to try to do another run today, will report back of how that goes.

Hope everyones day is going well!!

Mel

Hey Mel!  Great to hear from you.  This video is a pretty good over-view on rollers: 

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1611

 I wouldn't worry but I would take action... :-)

 What you are experiencing is completely normal for anything athlete that seeks to lift run, or bike, cadence.  Higher cadence is real speed work -- in other words, quickness training.  Very valuable stuff.

 In order to lift your cadence, you are going to have to use an easier gear -- in some cases A LOT easier.  So give yourself permission to reduce the gear you using.  The equivalent adjustment for the run is to shorten your stride.

 Next, if you can't manage an extended period at your higher cadence -- then use short periods.  You can start as short as 30s and build up gradually.  For now, alternate equal time between your higher cadence work and your lower cadence work.  Perhaps that is 15x 30s/30s.

 Remember that we want to train the quickness -- this isn't a high intensity "sprint" -- when learning a new skill -- quick rpm, say -- do it under low intensity until you are proficient... then gradually add intensity.

 If your HR spikes then you haven't lowed the gear (or stride length) enough.

 Follow up if I can help further.

 g

Low energy -- interesting that you mention that.  I was thinking that RIGHT NOW is when a lot of people struggle with their motivation.  

We are ~14 days into the New Year and most of us can use willpower for anything over a 10-14 day time horizon.  

Right now is the critical time for making sure that you continue with your daily habit of exercise.  If you can get through the week three blues then it gets easier and easier.  

By six weeks, your routine will be well established.

Keep it rolling, it will be worth it in March. 

g