Gordo Byrn's Group - FULL (Page 23)

well howdy folks!

29 min run, 20 mins of ST and another 20 mins of abwrk.

HR DATA for the run

29 min run 1/21

START:  77  4.6

10 MIN:  127  4.8

5 MIN:  138/131  5.0

11 MIN:  143/131  started at 5.2, reduced to 5.0 about 1 - 1 1/2 mins into the run.  didnt like HR #s i was seeing so early on.

17 MIN:  142/134  started out at 5.0, increased to 5.1

23 MIN:  145/135  5.2

28 MIN:  146/135  4.0

4 MIN/END:  119

AV:  132

PK:  150

steady as she goes.

oh dave.  i can just 'hear' your excitment in your post. 

im so EXCITED for you. 

persistence and consistency sure have their rewards, dont they?

good going!

onwardandupward

stacie

  Feel'n a little slammed for the first time. 

Really struggled to get 30 min. run in today....  Zone 3 HR is all I could muster on the treadmill today.    30 min. & 2.78 miles (with w/u and c/d)

             20 min. on the Trainer - enough to break a good sweat, that's about it.

Lunchtime strength session.

Evening trainer ride. 30 min 

Z1 (115-128) 1:25

Z2 (128-142) 26:01

Avg 132

I had been purposefully ignoring speed\distance and concentrating only on heart rate and time. Looked tonight and noticed I've picked up about 1 mph average on the trainer at 9 beats\min slower heart rate. Kinda cool to see this working!

Thanks G I think I get it now. will have another try today see what it feels like.

Thanks Stacie you are right I was very happy with the swim. Somebody once said to me that after you can swim 1km straight you are then able to keep going until you run out of time rather than energy. they were so right and I would say to anyone who is finding the swim tough, keep practising, you will get faster and will swim the distance. This time last year I could only do 25m and had to stop. Try to use the tips Gordo is giving me they will help you and a lesson or 2 is a very good idea.

12 weeks to my first race, cant wait for the weather to warm up a bit

Ran 4 miles in just over 40 minutes.  Mangaged to hit HR Zones 3-5.   Few hills. 

Actually a pretty nice day outside.  How was Copper Mtn? 

Another good day today.

5:30am Run - 25:49

Z1 -  2:08

Z2 - 21:19

Z3 - 2:39

Avg: 134

2:30pm Swim 46:04 - 1600 Meters

8x200 with 1 minute rest. All 3 stroke breathing. Only downside is I smell like a chemical plant and the people in my 4:00 meeting were looking at me funny.

GREAT WORDS of encouragement!  thanks Dave. 

as for being anxious for the weather to warm up, im with ya on that one! 

were supposed to have a high of 45 today (feels like a heatwave what w the subzero temps weve been having)  im actually considering taking my bike out of hibernation even if its for a leisurely 10 min spin around my neighborhood.

heres to sunny skies and an early SPRING.    and a FABULOUS TRI SEASON for all of us!

onwardandupward

MUCH better swimworkout last night w the class....the regular instructor was back, and WOW!  shes GREAT.  [she talked about the 8000 she did on saturday.  holy man!  thats awe-inspiring to think....]

SUPERB workout.  and the instructor was able to get w me 1-1, gave me some pointers to improve my freestyle, and lots of words of encouragement throughout.  so nice, since i still feel pretty 'suckish' in the water...

i came early to class to make certain that i got in my full 52 mins, 

i did two 2x50s and then a 1x100.

then as a group, we hammered out 1100 yds total w various sets. 

for a combined total (for me) of 1400 yds.

since im one of the more advanced swimmers in the group (just cracks me up to say that) the instructor said that she'll be sure to give me xtra sets to do....im not so concerned about my yardage, just that im able to 'fulfill' the time requirement for my trng plan

THAT and to stay relaxed, slow, easy, steady as she goes, 3 stroke breathing throughout.

being the 'big fish in the little pond' actually helps, in the sense that i dont feel pushed to 'keep up'.  

GREAT workout! 

G.  QUESTION FOR YOU....

the swim coach noticed that there is a pause in my stroke as my hand is entering the water before  i start my pull. 

she said my entry into the water ie hand position is good, my reach is good, its just there is this slight pause as i cut into the water, before i start my pull.

MY GUESS is that ive been working so long on the elementary/individual parts of my stroke movement, that i havent gotten to the point where all the pieces have come together 'seamlessly' to make up one FLUID STROKE. 

i know im mindful of each 'part' as im swimming. i havent gotten to the point where any of it feels natural/habitual/automatic, except maybe the 3 stroke breathing (im not repeating the mantra in my head anymore...)

so my question is this.....ANY TIPS on how to INCREASE FLUIDITY?

or is it just a typical beginner swimmer issue and 'overtimeitwillcometogether' thing?

OR maybe you have a different take on the issue, and can make a suggestion?

im all ears.

stacie

 Take this as an early warning sign of fatigue -- when our aerobic zones start to feel out of whack (HR is lower than effort indicates) then time to dial it down for 24-48 hours.  For most of us, we'll feel normal the next day.

 g

 This is a really smart way to play it!

 Improvement will likely slow in the months ahead (that is normal, wanted to warn you).  These big chunks are a lot of fun when you get them.

 g

 Copper was great -- nice day out.  We were surprised to have cell phone reception at 12,000 feet -- must have been a tower on a peak somewhere.

 One thing that you'll want to watch is high intensity in the 48 hours afters a "flat" session where you felt tired.  Sometimes those flat sessions are early warnings about fatigue/illness -- if you are able to dial it down for 24-72 hours then you can stay consistent with lower risk of illness -- esp. in winter.

Cheers,

 g

 Stacie,

 The pause could be your way of resting.  As you gain fitness, you will be able to initiate your stroke more quickly, while still holding good technique.  Right now, that is a minor point for you and I wouldn't recommend increasing your stroke rate all that much.

 One thing that you can do is to play swim golf.... count your strokes, and seconds, per lap.  See how many strokes you gain to reduce your seconds per lap.  The idea is to find a sweet spot where you can maintain efficiency (strokes per lap) and go a little quicker (less seconds per lap).  If your strokes shoot up then you'll know that you've lost efficiency.

 g

Makes perfect sense.  Will do.

well hi there.  back from a great workout at the Y. 

35 min run, 30 mins of ST

HR DATA  35 min run 1/23

START:  77; 10 MIN:  122 (walked on track) pace 4.8: 5 MIN:  135/126 increased walk pace from 4.6 to 4.8, HR kept dropping, increased run pace to 5.0; 11 MIN:  139/136 maintained pace 5.2; 17 MIN:  142/143  5.2; 23 MIN:  144/140  5.2; 29 MIN:  145/138  5.2; 35 MIN:  143/133  4.0; 4 MIN/END: 99.

AV:  135; PEAK:  148

tomorrow will be the 2 hr spintacular, and then a rest day (MUCH deserved and needed) on Sunday.

its been a sweet repeat peak week for me!

coming into a taper week next week, and then the final four weeks of the Sprint Tri trng plan ive been using/started in October.

to think where i came from.....A-MAZ-ING. 

WHAT an incredible leg of the journey this has been.

onwardandupward.

thanks G. for the feedback. 

alrighty.  swim golf it is....

FORE!

ill be looking for that sweet spot. 

Easy swim today - took it down a notch.  3 X 400 swim @ 27 min. 

Team,

 My blog this week is a summary of what I've learned so far from you -- thanks for being part of this group.  I'm having fun working with you!

 http://www.endurancecorner.com/starting_out_fundamental_skills

 g

g,

It’s refreshing to hear you say that you are enjoying the mentoring of novices (oops let me rephrase that - mentoring of new athletes).  My first sprint tri is a week from Sunday and I’m 100% ready for it (2 months ago I couldn’t say that).  I’m not going to finish with a podium spot but I’m confident that I’ll have fun, finish the race, and do a respectful job in each of the disciplines.  Looking back over the past 2 months I know in my mind that I would have completed my first tri even if I had not become a part of your group.  HOWEVER, the real question would have been WHAT happens after the first race.  I now know the answer to that question BEFORE I have completed the race.  Thanks to you I know how to train.  Not only that, but I have a much better understanding of nutrition, consistency, humility, and PATIENCE (a big downfall of mine).  Thanks for being our MASTER Coach.

Jeff

Cost of Greek low fat yogurt: $3.29

Cost of entering your local sprint tri:  $45.00

Cost of having Gordo as your mentor:  PRICELESS

2 HR ENDURANCE SPIN HR RATE INFO.

START:  88

2O MIN:  125

30 MIN:  136

40 MIN:  141

50 MIN:  142

60 MIN:  130

80 MIN:  132

90 MIN:  129

1:40:  133

1:50:  136

2:00:  134

END:  105

AV:  127; PEAK:  151

decent workout, but im looking forward to the regular instructor to return from vacation next week.  she has a much better grasp on riding for endurance.

this was a repeat peak week in my plan. 

in trng seasons past, id get to this point in my trng and be physically spent, nursing some 'ailment', emotionally drained, dreading the thought of continuing.

now?  though im looking forward to my taper week next week and the rest/recovery that it offers, my energy is still plentiful.  physically im still intact, no nagging complaints. theres lots of 'positive vibes' in reserve, emotionally. im anticipating w great excitment the final weeks of my trng plan.

what a contrast, but oh, what a more preferred place to be. 

thanks G. for teaching us 'the secret' to sustainable effort over time.

going long.