KSH's Mentor Group! Let's do this! CLOSED (Page 21)

I have a 3/4 longjohn. I really like it, but don´t get to use it very often. Only when cold fronts push through. I am definitively faster with it as it helps you float a bit and glide easier. Hope you enjoy yours... I read somewhere that its not a good idea to use the wetsuits in the pool because of the chlorine... anyone?

I don't have one yet.  Most of my swims here in southern Ohio  the water temp's over 67F.  One of my training buddies let me try his once.  I was amazed at how much its buoyancy helped.  The only problem was that I felt like I was dressed for a spy movie and kept looking for a yacht to swim to and blow up.

This is high on my wish list but a decent bike is higher...

I'm going to visit my parents today and Dad is going to see if we can fit Mom's old road bike to me.  Currently I'm on a heavy hybrid and have to ride pretty upright and comfortable... and slowly.  I read on one of the threads here at BT that moving to any sort of road bike should have a huge payoff.  I'm going to have my LBS check the fit when I get back.

I'm stuck on the damn elliptical for another week.  I hate that thing!  They finally watched me run at physical therapy yesterday.  I have weak hips and some wierd wear patterns on my shoes (toes and outside of one heel).  I can't believe I've actually worn out a pair of running shoes!  The running therapist kept calling me a dedicated runner and I could hardly stand it.  I still don't think of myself that way, I guess.  The PT didn't seem to think much of HTFU as a strategy, he said if it hurts at ALL, STOP!

gotta go pack and then swim and then off to the joys of the great metropolis of Evansville, Indiana.

Hey group!

I think I deserve the MIA award.  Things have been busy (obviously).

I am so sorry to hear about the kidney stones, knee trouble, and other ailments.  I really hope you guys feel better soon.  Part of training always seems to be recovering from some sort of setback or injury.  I remember having to watch my friend run the Dublin Marathon that I also trained for in 2005 due to hip issues.  It SUCKS having to watch instead of participate, but it's part of the beast of being an endurance athlete.  Here's hoping for speedy recoveries

I went to my tri club's Wildflower TAG meeting on Wednesday.  TAG stands for tri and give.  We train and support a small local charity while training.  I walked in LATE, but luckily there was a seat next to Margot that was free!  The meeting re-inspired me, and I am really looking forward to training with a big group of differing ability levels.  Everyone seems friendly, and I am so excited to learn more and train hard!

Recently, I've fallen off the nutrition wagon.  However, I don't feel guilty about it!  I haven't gone hog wild, but I have enjoyed chocolate, wine, and other foods that taste so good but offer little nutritional value.  So, I am back to it after this weekend.  I would start up again today, but I have a few things planned this weekend that I just want to enjoy.  Oh, I forgot to mention that I'm not stepping on the scale for at least another week. I've been slowly and steadily getting to my goal weight, and I think I may see a small gain if I jump on the scale this week.  No need to see that    Last time I checked, I was 151.9, and I'm shooting for 145, so I'm getting there!   In early November I was 162, so it's going...

On the training docket this weekend:
-Swim today
-Core Strength today (BT's Around the World Routine-- love it!)
-5-6 mile run Saturday or Sunday
-Another swim on Saturday
-Longish bike ride on Sunday
-Another swim on Monday and Core ATW Strength
-Back to 100% nutrition commitment on Monday

By the way, it's a 4-day weekend for me   Have a great one everybody.  I'll check in later in the weekend.

I have a sleeveless Xterra suit (vortex 3, their entry level suit). It is very durable and buoyant. I got sleeveless because most of the wetsuit legal races in TX are very borderline temps, and didnt want to overheat. I also wanted to leave my stroke as natural as possible. But now I will contradict myself as the next wetsuit I buy will be a full wetsuit. I got to test "drive" a high end full Zoot and fell in love with how it moved through the water. I need to figure out how to put the money together for it and then I will pull the trigger.If you are going to try it out in a pool, try to find a salt water pool if you can. If not, just make sure to rinse it out really good.

I have the Xterra Vortex 3 full suit, because, well the water here in NorCal is freezing! I love it, it keeps me quite comfy while swimming in the bay.

I was thinking, that for non-wetsuit tris, would you be able to wear neoprene shorts? It seems to me that the biggest benefit I get is the buoyancy on my legs/hips. Would be interested in trying some if they exist and are legal to use.

Well I own one wetsuit and have another one on the way.

The one I own is a Zoot full body... while it's an amazing wetsuit (top of the line) I need to sell it. I can't stand swimming in it. It makes my shoulders so tired, very quickly. 500 yards and I'm done.

The Zoot Fusion sleeveless that I rented 3 times in 2009 is perfect for me. Doesn't effect my stroke at all. I can swim forever in it (did a 3 mile open water swim and felt fine!).

Unfortunately, I have found that when a wetsuit is needed... the water is too cold for me to be wearing a sleeveless wetsuit.

One of the races I did in October in it, I nearly froze to death in the water. I seriously almost quit after 500 yards. It was miserable.

My last race in October... again, almost froze to death.

So yeah, while sleeveless is easier to swim in, I need more coverage when the water is cold enough for a wetsuit, I need a full body wetsuit.

I'm debating on training with a organized group this season. There is a group that is training for 12 and 20 week training programs. The 12 week is for a specific race (that i was not planning on doing, but I guess I could). The 20 week is for general tri training focusing on seasonal training for races over the summer tri season. Both are fairly pricey but I guess reasonable given the coaching/time involved etc.. I most definitly need to train with a group on open water swimming since I have never done this, the rest would be a big plus too but not required. Have you trained with a group before? do you feel it was benifical? I'm only doing sprints, so this is not for an iron man or anything of that magnitude. i'm torn about the cost...this is an expensive habit already!!

Personally I LOVE training with a group and my focus is sprint and oly this year. Yes, there are times when I like training by myself and I do, but group training is very beneficial. I belong to a Tri club that has a ton of group work-outs, master's swims, supported OWS, group rides, group runs, and track work-outs that are coached by USAT certified coaches. I've met some great friends through the club and I have gained so much knowledge just being around other passionate triathletes. Now, you said organized group training for 12 or 20 wks, is this a training program hosted by a team? Last year I participated in a handful of clinics that was part of a 12 wk organized training program. I just chose some of the clinics and got great one on one instruction through those. So, I guess you could say I took an a la carte approach rather than buying the whole package.

Good luck with your decesion, I know this sport is extrememly addicting and expensive!

I think group training can be great.. if you can fit it into your schedule. It will certainly give you more direction on what to complete training wise and push you to new limits!

I have also had a love/hate relationship with group training. One of my tri clubs... when I rode with them I got dropped EVERY SINGLE TIME. No really. EVERY TIME. It finally got to the point where I had to memorize the route so I could make it home. At that point, I stopped riding with them. If I wanted to ride alone, I didn't need to go out with them and be made to feel horrible for getting dropped. One time... the last time... they dropped me... I was beating myself up mentally over it. Asking myself WHY did I keep trying when I sucked so bad... why did I even do tri's. ????

Then it hit me that riding with that particular group was NOT good for my mental psyche. I probably would have dropped out of the sport all together had I kept riding with them. I went back to riding with my cycling club, and I stopped feeling so bad about myself and I kept on in the sport and riding.

Moral of the story... some groups are great... some are just not a good fit. And if a group is not a good fit... then move on... before you let it get to you.

Tania was lucky to have found a group that she fit in with and could train with! I hope you too have the same luck!

As for me... since I use to work with a coach and now I'm doing my own training plans... I just kinda do my own thing. I try to fit group stuff in when I can, but it doesn't always work out. For example, I belong to a tri club in town... but I have only made 1 workout in a month.

Hey Group,

Wellll, things aren't going so well here.  I think I've been having IT band problems.  At the end of Sept. 2009 right before my 1st sprint tri, I noticed my IT band would be real tight so I made sure to stretch really good and do some yoga poses to keep from injury.  I've been trying to keep up the same routine but I think the combination of training and being on my feet for work has made things bad.  So this week I think I'm going to take it wasy and make sure to stretch and ice every day.  I'm bummed I have to dial things back but I dont' want to injure myself so it's what I have to do. 

If anyone has any good stretches/articles/books on IT band stretching or injures, please let me know!

Sorry to hear it hun. That can be bad!

Do you have a foam roller? If not, get one. Roll slowly over the area. When you find a painful spot, keep it there for at least 20 seconds... 30 seconds is better. You want the Golgi tendon to kick in so it relaxes the tight muscles.

That's really the best thing you can do for it. That and rest. Also running hills doesn't help it much. So when you get back to running again, stay away from hills if you can.

Hi everyone!Hope you all had a nice weekend. I just got back from my longest training day so far ever and I'm beat! My formal group training for Wildflower doesn't start until next week, but we had the opportunity to join the people from our tri club who are doing the Wildflower long course (half ironman) for their workout today. Ended up doing 1950 in the pool, 25 miles on the bike and a 1 mile T run. The bike ride was really tough and hilly but the weather here is starting to get really nice, so I guess I can't complain. 70 degrees and sunny on February 14th

I used to have IT problems to the point where I thought I'd have to quit running.  I tried PTs, ice, rolling, stretching, a few docs, and only one thing worked for me: ART treatments.  ART treatments are the best investment you can make to combat your IT issues once and for all.  Now, keep in mind, I'm speaking from my experience only, but I really wish I would have found ART (active resistance technique) five years ago instead of two years ago.  It wouldn't hurt to find a physical therapist or chiropractor in your area just for a consultation.  After the consultation, you and the practitioner can decide if it's for you or not. I can't recommend it enough!

I've been IT issue-free ever since!  I now roll on a black foam roller for upkeep.  The key to the foam roller is that it needs to be black.  The white and blue ones aren't nearly hard enough to do the trick.  Let me know if you want more info.

Nice job today!  That's awesome.  Very impressive!  Looking forward to the formal training start next weekend

I have a foam roller so I'm going to make sure and do that daily (do you think I could do it a few times a day?) and ice it.  I'm going to take it easy this week.  I'll probably do a a few light swims and maybe walk on the treadmill.  We'll see how it goes!

Great job! Congrats!!!!

I did ART too.. but it might have been too late when I started it... to remedy the issue in time for my race (but in 2007).

ART is great all the way around... it basically does what the foam roller does... but a person finds the knots with his/her fingers and presses on it until it releases (which I'm pretty sure the Golgi tendon kicks in on it- thus the time spent on the area... aka: PAIN! Ha!).

A few times a day is fine.

Uh, I wouldn't even walk- if it's that bad. You would be better served to swim and bike, IF that doesn't hurt it.

Better to rest a week now... over being out a month or so because of it.

Very cool!!! Good job on the nice workout :-)

Nice job! Enjoy the taper, you've earned it!