Experior's Group - CLOSED (Page 27)

Hi All,

Thanks to everyone who has sent me your Feb goals thus far.  If I missed anyone, please let me know.  Some were in messages, some in inspires, some on the board, so I could have easily missed one or two. 

I'm thinking we should call the Feb goals, "train until you puke" or "hardCore"... but open to other ideas ;-)

I like the IM training goal idea Scout.  A nice way to get your head around the idea of the distance of an IM.  I'm not sure I'm ready to face that yet... lol!

Okay, still a bunch of blanks on the table, so set some goals (even modest ones) and let's overcome this challenging winter together!

Stu

	Goal 1	Progress	Goal 2	Progress
Brian
Heidi
Mark
Melinda
Michael	3x Core / week		SBR 10/4/4 (IMs)
Mike	Weight -7 to 170		Run 52.4 / 10 Hrs Bike
Pete
Phil
Scout	Weight 157		SBR 15/224/105 (Mi)
Stu	Weight -4
Sylvain	Weight -5		2x Core / Week
Ted
Will			Bike 150 / 75 Run

Edited by juneapple 2010-02-02 3:15 PM

I had a GREAT swim last night. This was day 1 of week 4 for the 0 to 1 mile swim program, which starts with 600m with no stops. I think I did a negative split as I got warmer and noticed that my breathing was very controlled I upped the pace, actualy it was more of upped the power in each stroke which in turn reduced my stroke count per lap. It felt like everything was aligned, and my swim fitness hit a new high. I felt awesome. I checked my time after the 600m and had avg 1:55/100m, I didn't miss count my laps this time well I don't think I did.

Sylvain

Nice!  That is great improvement you are making. 

Hi everyone - early run for me today, maybe an easy z1 or z2 spin on the bike later today after not so great swim yesterday.  The swim was fine, but water kept getting into my goggles (which are at least 6 months old).  So last night after dropping off my son at b-ball practice, I stopped at the local tri shop and bought a new pair of goggles.  I'd been wearing Tyr Racetech for a while and decided to try a pair of Speedo Vanquishers.  Really looking forward to getting in the pool tomorrow.

Brian - 7:45/mile is my 4.6K PR (they measured the 5K course short - rotten sob's!)  I think a test 5K is a great idea.  I usually just sign up for a local race when I want to test myself.  I find that I can push a little harder if there's someone in front of me that I'm trying to pick off...  Like Michael, my tri 5K is a little bit slower than my stand alone 5k, but not by much.  When I do 5K's I normally will get there early enough that I can warm up with a 1 - 1.5 mile run.

Michael - If you honk after crossing the finish line, your pacing is perfect.  If you honk before crossing the line, it's not so good.  I've done both.  When it happened before the line, I had to stop about 100 yards short of the line and dry heave.  I guess I started my kick a little too soon!

Hope everyone else is doing well and training hard!

Scout

I got a 30 minute run in last night- outside in the cold. It was 26 degrees with winds at 12-15 mph.
It was a tough run, because my lungs are not used to the cold air. 
Today I'm scheduled for a bike.
Have a great day every one.
~Heidi 

Hey Stu i sit too late to get in foe February??? my goals are: run 75 miles and bike 150 miles. i hope the weather hold up for the biking. thanks.

not to go off on a tangent but the college where i swim is slowly doing away with being open to the public. they will only be open from 12-1pm monday thru thursdays. WTF. granted before it was from 6am-7:30am, which was fine by me but now. so i am searching for a new pool. their excuse is teh infamous california budget cuts.

Sorry to hear about your pool closing.  That happened to me last week, although it was a blessing in disguise...the new pool is 10 times nicer. Hopefully you'll find a new pool soon. 

It's been a good day thus far.  I started the day out with some pre-dawn voting and then hit the pool for 1500 yards.  Voting here in Chicago is always a fun experience...the Daley machine is very much alive and well, although it's starting to crack a bit.  Before you can get into the polling place you have to run the gauntlet of the precinct captain's goons and their 'tickets' that have Da Mayor's recommend candidates. What a trip.

Anyway, I have a question for some of you more experienced triathletes.  I'm training for a HIM in July and am looking to register for a Half Marathon in early May and an Olympic tri  in late- May.  It would seem that one is supposed to schedule races the week before one's 'rest week', ie in the third week of a four-week cycle.  However, it's looking like this won't work for me due to some scheduling conflicts.  The half marathon and the olympic triathlon that I want to do both fall on the weekend of my 'rest week'.  Will I be commitng some major training sin by racing during a rest weekend?  What say you Sensei Michael?

And while I'm asking neohphyte questions...when does one need to start following their workouts with some sort of recovery drink? I'm only doing 30- and 45-minute workouts thus far and am fine with water.  Once I hit the hour+ mark should I start drinking a banana smoothie or something post-workout?


Thanks,
Mike

Sorry to hear about your pool closing.  That happened to me last week, although it was a blessing in disguise...the new pool is 10 times nicer. Hopefully you'll find a new pool soon. 

It's been a good day thus far.  I started the day out with some pre-dawn voting and then hit the pool for 1500 yards.  Voting here in Chicago is always a fun experience...the Daley machine is very much alive and well, although it's starting to crack a bit.  Before you can get into the polling place you have to run the gauntlet of the precinct captain's goons and their 'tickets' that have Da Mayor's recommend candidates. What a trip.

Anyway, I have a question for some of you more experienced triathletes.  I'm training for a HIM in July and am looking to register for a Half Marathon in early May and an Olympic tri  in late- May.  It would seem that one is supposed to schedule races the week before one's 'rest week', ie in the third week of a four-week cycle.  However, it's looking like this won't work for me due to some scheduling conflicts.  The half marathon and the olympic triathlon that I want to do both fall on the weekend of my 'rest week'.  Will I be commitng some major training sin by racing during a rest weekend?  What say you Sensei Michael?

And while I'm asking neohphyte questions...when does one need to start following their workouts with some sort of recovery drink? I'm only doing 30- and 45-minute workouts thus far and am fine with water.  Once I hit the hour+ mark should I start drinking a banana smoothie or something post-workout?


Thanks,
Mike

No problem with this at all.  In fact, I like to cut WAY back the week of a race.  If I have a Saturday race, I'll take my last run on Tuesday.  I've found that I'm much better with that much rest.  I'll swim easy, and spin on the bike a little Wednesday through Friday, but minimal distance, and almost no intensity.



I'm a chocolate milk fan.  I'll drink a glass after every workout, regardless of distance.  But with longer workouts - not sure if there's an exact duration - some kind of recovery nutrition is needed.

Thanks for all the feedback on the Test 5K.  Looking like Friday will be the best day.  Also taking this day as a vacation day so it may work out perfect.  I'll report on my efforts.  I am going to end up in a place that will require me to at least jog for at least another mile to 1.5 to get home after.  Will be a nice recovery run. 

I am going to just try an hold steady on the weight this week.  A lot going on a work and I can tell I am snacking on my comfort food (Luckily it is Low Fat mini pretzels, but I can eat a bag a day easy).  My wife also wants to go out this evening to a Hambuger joint.  I think I'll try to play middle ground with a Burger or something and instead of fries maybe a Salad. We'll see. 

Will work to get my Core Workout in this evening, but if not tonight definitely tomorrow evening also probably a shorter run or swim depending on the weather (rain forecasted).

Still working on the goals for Feb. Not sure where I want to go with it yet.  It will hsve something to do with my upcoming beginning of my 20 or 216 week olympic training plan and probabaly getting my bike out onto the road.

By the way; does anyone have a road bike with base bars (not the usual road bike version) that have the brakes on the ends as well as aero bars with bar end shifters.  I  thinking about a set-up like this, but am wondering about a set-up on a road bike.  I have century profile areo bars on now; they feel short and cramped.  Any one?  Michael from your posting pic it looks like that may be your set-up, but not sure if that is a road bike or Tri Bike. 

I'm with Scout on this on -- no major sin.  These races are far enough from your HIM that, as you say, they'll be happening during your 'build' period rather than during your 'race' period.  For that reason, I'd suggest that you treat them as 'B' races.  Don't expect to maximize performance on them, in other words.

So to make sure I have the picture right:  your HM is May 2, and that's also the end of a recovery week.  Then you start a build phase of 2 weeks build, 1 week recover, and at the end of that recover week (May 22) you have your Oly.  Right?

The HM will affect your subsequent training.  You might need to rearrange things a bit.  For example, if you normally do a run on Mondays, don't.  In fact, if it were me, I'd take at least Mon and Tue off from running, and do at most a short recovery run on Wed., and I would do zero intensity, keeping my paces at 'long run' or slower.  I would also keep the bike easy on at least Mon and Tue.  Swimming you should be able to do again right away, and that could be a good way to maintain some intensity in your training while still recovering from the HM.

The Oly is not really a concern.  Compared to the HM, recovering from it will be a breeze.  (Yes, it will last longer, but the overall impact on your body is much less.)  So for it, I'd say just follow the plan except let the Oly be your main weekend workout.  On the Sunday afterwards, maybe try to get in an easy swim or a recovery bike (like 30 minutes easy pedaling).  Then jump back into the HIM plan on Monday.  I would go easier than normal on the intensity, though, especially early in the week.

Is that helpful?  If you want us to react to your actual plan, post those few weeks of training and people can react to that. 



Anything under an hour and its just a glass of juice or something for me, unless the end of the workout happens to coincide with meal time, then I just eat a meal.  1-2 hours and I'll have something more substantial, especially if that 1-2 hours was running.  (If it was biking, then I was probably taking in nutrition on the bike, so I wouldn't eat as much after).  I might do a smoothie, or a PB&J with something to drink.

Here's the important point:  After a workout that really depletes you, you should eat something with a high glycemic index within around 30 minutes.  Then eat again every 30 minutes or so (something small each time!) for about 2 hours.  A ratio of 4:1 carbs to protein is normally considered good.  Keep the fat intake down during this time, as apparently it inhibits taking up carbs into the muscles, which is your main goal, here.

That's a tri bike I'm riding there.

I don't see any reason in general not to put those bars on a road bike, though of course you'd want to be sure that the bike still fits you that way.  Getting the fit to work right in that scenario could be tricky, but it doesn't strike me as inherently undoable.  It could end up getting expensive, though, if you ended up having to buy, say, a new stem, forward seat post, whatever.

That's a tri bike I'm riding there.

I don't see any reason in general not to put those bars on a road bike, though of course you'd want to be sure that the bike still fits you that way.  Getting the fit to work right in that scenario could be tricky, but it doesn't strike me as inherently undoable.  It could end up getting expensive, though, if you ended up having to buy, say, a new stem, forward seat post, whatever.

Thanks Michael.  I hadn't given much thought to the possibilities of having to purchase a new forward seat post and/or new stem.  Just the other compnents would set me back enough.  I'll rethink and may just look into getting a new clip-on aero bar.  Much more reasonable and cheaper.

Keep us posted on that.  I'm considering the clip-on as well since a tri-bike would be a budget buster.  Looks like a bunch of options out there.

I gave this a little more thought last night.  When you say that your current bars are cramped, do you mean that your back is hunched over, or your elbows are too close to your hips, or both?  Like you can't get 'stretched out' the way you want to?  If that's the case, then the cockpit may be too short (essentially, your seat is too close to the bars), and if THAT'S the case then it is possible that you'd benefit from bars that are a bit further forward, as probably the base bars would most likely pull your front end forward a bit, which could, if you are cramped, help flatten your back or ease the shoulder angle, or both.  But you don't want to pull it forward TOO much, or the handling will get pretty hairy.

You might consider posting a 'help me with my fit' post to the tri talk forum.  You'll potentially have to sort through some uninformed replies, but several people there know a lot about fit.  I've done a lot of reading and talking with the person who fit me, and I'd be happy to look at it if you don't want to post a picture on the 'big' forum, but there are people there who know more than I do.  If you do post a pic, be sure that it is as close to dead side on as possible.  That way it is easier to check the angles.  (I'd be happy to check the angles for you from a picture if you want.)  Also be sure that the picture shows you with the crank arm in line with the seat tube, and that you aren't doing anything odd with your ankle (extending or flexing it in some way that is not part of your normal pedaling stroke).  (If you can get two pictures, one at the top of the stroke and one at the bottom, so much the better -- crank arm in line with seat tube both times.)  And wear tight clothing (bike shorts and a tight fitting jersey) so we can see where the relevant points are on your body, how flat your back is, etc.).

Two workouts to report:

This week is recovery week and did easy 6 mile run on treadmill. The one advantage of treadmill is once you set your pace you cant deviate from it so it kept me honest. What I like about it the workout last night is when I was walking back to car I noticed that my legs felt like I didn't even run. That's a new feeling for me as I always like to feel my workout weather it's a weight session or running around, I always try to feel my muscles working. So now I need to learn how feel recovery runs.

Swim this morning was OK, not like Monday. I know of two reason for that 1. only 30 hours rest between swims (still rookie in the pool so need my 48 hours) and 2. lack of sleep, averaging only 5.5 hours in last three days , not good. Maybe I'm going to add new goal in my log to get more sleep (avg 7 hours/day).

One none happy thought is the Pool heater broke down so pool was only at 80 this morning, not too bad I just took cool shower to get body ready. Lets hope it's fixed before Friday's session otherwise I don't think I'll be swimming.

Have good day everyone,
Sylvain

Nice job on the run!

I'll vote for lack of sleep being relevant.  It always affects me, especially when it happens more than one night in a row.

Crazy week. I've been one the the lucky ones to be selected by the treasury department for an audit. Not a full blown audit, just a few lines on a schedule C. Needless to say, my training will be reduced this week. : 0 I'm going to keep my running program going (10 weeks to half mary), but will have to cut back the swimming and bike this week. Hey, life happens.

Phil

I must say, I'm liking the vanquishers!  Great swim this morning.  Definitely need to keep working on pacing.  For example, in one of my 300 yard repeats, the first 100 was done in 1:35, the second in 1:45 and the last in 1:50.   Hopefully that will improve with time spent in the pool...

Scout

That looks pretty good to me.  I would suggest moving the bike on Saturday 5/1 to Friday 4/30.  I don't think you want to bike the day before your HM.  However, I'd also add a short (20 minute) easy (recovery pace!) run with a few strides (like 4x30s strides) on Thur of that week, or your run could feel very stale by Sunday.  Like Sylvain said earlier, you should come away almost feeling like you didn't run.  But it will help keep you a little fresher for the race.

I'd also consider doing a similar run on Friday 5/28 before your Oly, for the same reason.  Yes, cancel the bike on 5/30 -- the Oly will take care of that! 



That's fine!  You can race a 'B' race as hard as you want.  What makes it a 'B' race is that you don't really taper for it, and your plan does not have you in top shape for that race.  Pretty much by definition no race during your build period could be considered an 'A' race.

Be prepared to treat yourself VERY nicely during the week 5/3-5/9 though.  That's gonna be a tough week.  You won't be fully recovered from your HM, so make sure everything else is in place -- good sleep, impeccable nutrition, stay off your feet when possible, etc.

You and me both!  My swim workout today started with 50s, and a big fat warning:  TAKE IT EASY BECAUSE YOU'LL HAVE TO HOLD THIS PACE ON 4x200m LATER!  (Yes, it was even in all caps.)  Well, what happened was sadly predictable.  I ended up dropping pace on the 200s....   But I had fun (in a masochistic way) trying not to!

I need some goals this month! I think I'd like to lose 3 more pounds which would get me down to 215. Weight loss got to be harder as the month progressed, I think because I've been doing some more intense lower body and core strength training. I throw on muscle very quickly.

For February I'd like to add more intensity and speedwork to my workouts. I spent January re-establishing my fitness base and training volume, now I gotta see if I can get any faster, especially running. This is really my biggest challenge since it's so hard pushing all 220 pounds of me around.

I'm not sure if I'm going to do the Oli I have on my schedule for mid-March. The two buddies I was gonna do it with are probably out which leaves me unenthusiastic to pay $145 and drive to Miami two straight days to drop my bike then race. Still, I'm gonna train like I'm gonna race it, just in case my buddies drop back in.

How many strokes are you taking for a 1:35? Trying to compare with my numbers so I have idea what to expect to get down to that level.