Matt Gilmartin's Group- CLOSED~ we're swimming! (Page 20)

Today is going to be a recovery day for me---not so much from intense training but from an over-indulgent night out with old high school friends that included a little too much wine and rich food---totally worth it!    Gonna spend some time on the bike trainer today (thrilled with my new Planet Bike A.R.S.---anatomic relief saddle---cute acronym---clever marketing on their part!).  Tomorrow morning, I have an 8 mile run scheduled with my half marathon training group.  Hope everyone has a fun and restorative weekend, physically and emotionally.  Very excited for your upcoming tri, Catie---we're all rooting for you next weekend and can't wait for you to debrief with the group.

Robin

Good luck! Looks like a great race, I'm probably going to do a similar race in April...except in the US, of course.

Did a 1 hour bike trainer session with TrainerRoad (LOVE that program). Then as I was about to go outside to do a short run, my daughter declared that she was going to run with me. I told my husband we would only do about a mile, but she ended up doing over 1.5 miles! 

Hope everyone else had a great Saturday!

Happy Saturday All!  After watching my 6 year old play basketball I hit the gym.  3000 meter swim and then a quick 5K on the treadmill.  I don't know who's on a BT training plan (I should check your logs!) but there's NO fluff associated with any of them.  I had over 500 training minutes this week and I still missed 3 workouts because of the wake and funeral.  Nothing like getting into peak condition in January

Melinda- awesome for you!!!!  The single best way to get better at anything is to join a group of highly motivated people.  The positive energy will be the fuel you need to push yourself.  I like to think of this group as doing the same thing, at least getting people up and out and not be afraid to ask the questions.  I think you'll be amazed by springtime how much better you'll be.  Just stick with it, don't get discouraged, and work hard.  Soon enough someone just like you is going to come along and you'll be showing them how it's done

Mariah, that's awesome!!!  Is this the same daughter you guys got the road bike for?  You've got a budding athlete in the works

Chris,

I'm totally jealous you got outside.  In Chicago today it was sunny but the wind was bone chilling.  I'll likely be on the hamster wheel for 2 more months at least, unless I can somehow escape to a warmer climate for a few days.  Definitely take advantage- the road is so much better than inside for all the right reasons, man.

OK Ladies (and maybe guys too):

I've got a problem.  Stretch marks from weight lifting.  My area near my armpits, the backs of my legs, and even my calves now have them.  It's pretty freaking ugly- any suggestion on how to treat them?  I'm not going to spend massive amounts of $ on laser treatment, I'm hoping there's some sort of cream I can use.  I know many women get them during pregnancy, so I thought I'd throw it out there.  

My trunk is not sinking - but my legs are.

My kick stinks! I did a workout today after watching YouTube videos on swimming technique and kick drills. Used the swim fins that they had at the Y today. Made a huge difference and my legs felt like noodles - obviousily this will be a regular drill to do for the foreseeable future to build my legs up.

Matt what kind of fins do you recommend?

Thanks for taking the time to answer so many questions!

Wish I knew the magic bullet for this common dilemma, Matt.  There are so many gimmicky products out there but most of them are expensive scams that prey on pregnant women.  I checked my OB nursing texts to see if there is any recent research supporting effective remedies but even the text said that laser is often the most effective treatment.  The text suggested the use of Vitamin E oil to help them fade though there is little evidence to back this up.  Anecdotally, my mother always swore by cocoa butter which you can buy in big tubs.  I've tried to reframe my stretch marks in my head, viewing them as my badge of honor---proud of my body for giving me a baby and proud of the progress I've made in terms of weight loss and fitness.  Small comfort, right?    I'll be curious to hear if anyone else has any suggestions.  Striae gravidarum come from the separation of collagen fibers of the connective tissue when it is stretched.  Over time, they gradually fade to silvery lines but rarely disappear completely.

wendy109 - 2012-01-29 2:00 PM So, my hubby's been "bit" by the "bug". Guess who starts training tonight   THis is an expensive hobby for us to both take up! But he can't stand it that I can do something that he can't, so he's gotta jump in and "show me how it's done" LOL!! I welcome the challenge and a training partner!!

Wendy- that's awesome!  The couple that tri's together stays together.  My ex wife hated that I did this, and when we divorced I started dating a BT'er.  We had a great relationship mainly because of the shared interest.

Just do me a favor- take everything you've learned and beat your husband :D

mmez - 2012-01-29 2:31 PM

wendy109 - 2012-01-29 3:00 PMSo, my hubby's been "bit" by the "bug". Guess who starts training tonight   THis is an expensive hobby for us to both take up! But he can't stand it that I can do something that he can't, so he's gotta jump in and "show me how it's done" LOL!! I welcome the challenge and a training partner!!

That's awesome Wendy! It does get expensive when multiple family members want to participate! I've got 4 to buy for here!! I've been wanting to do tri's for years but never could pull the trigger on buying me a bike. The kids had little bikes so this past October when we saw the notice for a couple of kids tri events we signed them up. After volunteering at each of the events, I decided that it was time to finally buy me a bike. Long story short, the bike that the shop said would fit me ended up bein too big. Rather than send it back, we kept it since it fit my husband and just ordered another one for me (in a smaller size). The kids fell in love with their events and we bought them each road bikes for their birthdays (they also got wetsuits this week as well)! It has been fun having multiple training partners to do runs with or Spinervals videos with, but I feel that my husband and I might have a little bit of friendly competition with each other the first time we participate in the same event! Enjoy!

Mariah- awesome!  You and your family know the keys to happiness!  I'm a bit jealous actually

Bryan, here are the ones I'm recommending:

http://www.finisinc.com/zoomers-gold.html

I know a few folks from our group have taken the plunge, I'd like to hear some feedback so far.

As far as sizing, I have been wearing them for years and they're true to size.  If they feel tight, a little vaseline will make them right.

Matt-

You mentioned earlier that we should count our strokes while swimming.  I did that today just to see.  I'm 5'4 (if that matters), took 20 strokes (10 each side) for the first 25yd. After a little fatigue, around 24 strokes. Is that good, bad, ugly, or what?

Hi Matt,

I've been using Zoomers off and on since the beginning of last year.  They are great!  I find that they give you that little bit of help without moving you along like a motorboat like the longer ones seem to do.  I also found that it was easier to maintain my kicking form when I transitioned to kicking without them, which I didn't find with the longer fins.

Sheryl

I don't know if that is good or bad - don't know what the average is, but to give you a comparison, I'm 5'6 and I do 15-17 per 25. My husband is about 5'9 and he is at about 13-15 per 25. 

April, it's a combination of the # of strokes you take, plus the amount of time it takes.  It's called "swim golf" and what you want to do is find the best combination of strokes coupled with the amount of time it takes you to get 50 yards.  

Example:

you take 24 strokes each 25, so that's a 24 stroke  effort.  Now your swim golf score would be the 24 + the time it took you to go the 25 yards in seconds.  Let's say you took 30 seconds.  Your total score would be 54 (30+24).  The goal is to try and find out if you need more or less strokes, and find the balance.  Your theoretical baseline is 54, what if you tried to increase the strokes to 28, and your time dropped to 25.  You're now at 53, making you more efficient.

Maybe you even get down to 22 strokes and drop your time to 28, making your score a 50~ that's even more awesome if you can do it.  Point is- try to find the right # of strokes you need to cover the time quickly.  It's a fun efficiency drill and will really make you think about what you are doing wrong (or right!).  There's also nothing wrong with someone who takes 25 strokes and does it in 20 seconds, either- whatever works for you.

For reference, my swim golf scores are pretty steady- I take about 16-18 strokes in a 25 meter pool, and I can cover 25 meters in about 21 seconds if I'm doing things right.  I almost always fall between 36-45, depending on a lot of things.  I've also swam a really long time, so don't try and hit those #'s to start.  I'm 6'5 andmy sleeve length is 38". 

After a few weeks of this exercise you'll be surprised how much more conscious of your movement you will become.  Let me know how it goes~ awesome question!