Experior's Group - CLOSED (Page 29)

Hi Michael...your very dewscription is one of the reasons I like to train alone.  I don't like other dictating their pace on me and pushing me way beyond my limits.  It ruins my ride.  I'd ride with others if the goal was just to go out on a  long ride with no expectations on speed and the like.  Knowing we were going to stop a different places along the way and chat, catch our breath, drink and then move on again.

Sounded like a tough one.  Surprised to hear you need to do more rides like that.  I am afraid I wouldn't.  I may go out on some rides with my Tri Club just to check it out and see how it goes.  Who knows I might be surprised.  Sounds like a good goal for later on.

Well Scout how was the sceince fair?  I remember vividly my seventh grade science project.  We did it on the heart and used a cow heart to push water in and out of the chambers; kind of gross.  It was kind of a last minute deal when nothing else came to mind.

Loosk like you folks in the NE are getting hammered again. I hope all that snow doesn't disrupt your training too much. And to think I was just about to complain that my planned bike for tomorrow was in jeopardy because the temps will be in the high 40s at sunrise

Went for an 8 mile run this AM, my longest of the year and longest since my HIM training in October. Incredibly, it was maybe the best run I've had since then. Part of it may have been an improved run base the past few weeks, but I also have to credit a slow warm-up. Knowing I was gonna be on my feet for more than an hour and giving myself the opportunity to find my stride really, really helped. I felt stronger and was running faster & smoother at the hour mark than I did at any point in the first 30 minutes. It was a good learning moment and something I'll keep in mind when I do more speedwork. As Experior explained in one of his earlier missives on intervals, two miles is a nice number to get in before you ramp up the effort.

It was also different in that I left the dog at home. I feel compelled to run with him because I'm the only person in the house who'll take him outside. All of my 6+ mile runs begin with 3 miles with him, and my running form stinks with having to act as a brake to his boundless energy. It was good to start the run today on my own terms. I took him out for a slow mile after I got done so I didn't feel guilty about him not getting enough exercise.

Stay warm & dry folks and good luck with training this week-end.

Science fair was good, but the assembly was postponed because of the weather.  They announce the winners, and my boy didn't place.  But I'm very proud of his project.  He did a great job.

I followed a plow and got a 5 mile run in!    I had to work last night, and finished at 3 AM.  Was out shoveling at 3:05 to get rid of the first layer.  All totaled looks like over 2 feet at the deepest.  After snow blowing the rest this morning.

Oh my goodness.  Totally reminds me of the Dakota's and Northern Michigan.  Thanks for the PICS.  I am a school administrator so I am always interested in what kids are doing in school.  My son is a 3rd grader and over Winter Break he had to do a Speech Project using a cereal box for a prop covered by all the main characters, plot summary and general information.  It was quite the deal, but fun as well.



Edited by TriGuyBri 2010-02-06 4:48 PM

Okay Scout, that's the last straw... you are now officially a member of the hard core barfman club with Michael ;-)  So do you use those outdoor ice grip thingies over your running shoes when you run in the snow?  My BIL had a pair of those that he used over Christmas... I thought that if you're "crazy" enough to go out in it, that was at least a good precautionary measure.  Stay safe everyone!
-Stu

Edited by juneapple 2010-02-06 7:52 PM

Nothing on my feet but socks and plain old saucony's.  Rock on!

@Brian:  Yes, I mostly train alone also.  But this bike ride was a real eye opener, in a good way.  It made me realize that I haven't been pushing hard enough on my long bikes.  I'm still not a huge fan of group rides (well, this wasn't exactly a 'group' -- it was three of us and most of the time we were pretty strung out on the road -- no drafting), but sometimes it's good to have others put you to the test, no?

@Pete: I hear you about the dog.  Ours is the same way.  Fortunately, my wife sometimes takes her out for a walk, but what she really wants to do is run.  I sometimes do something similar to you -- run her for a few miles, then finish the run on my own.   She's used to being on my right side, and when I had shoulder problems on the right side it was basically impossible, because she would tear my shoulder up!  I have been more successful recently after spending a few months training her not to go crazy.

@Scout:  I've been thinking about you today every time there was a news flash about the snow in PA.  I think I heard it at least three times on the radio today.  Oh, and nice run!  Following the snow plow.  I love it!

G'Morning all,

Here is what I have as of this morning on the public goals for Feb.  Let me know progress updates via private message and no problem adding you to the list if you'd like to set something for the remainder of the month.  Totally up to you. 

My #1 goal for this week is not to get discouraged.  The weather and travel are getting to me and I'm getting snarky.  Those are things that are generally beyond my control, so I need to a) focus on those things I *can* do and b) remind myself that a week or two in the greater scheme of things is not a big deal.  So, hoping I can get out today... gym will be open for 3 hours today (not ideal, but something).

So how did you all do this week?

Stu

	Goal 1	Progress	Goal 2	Progress
Mark	Weight -4		Train to get a healthy knee
Michael	3x Core / week	2x	SBR 10/4/4 (IMs)	2.5/1/1
Mike	Weight -7 to 170		Run 52.4 / 10 Hrs Bike
Pete	Weight -3		Up intensity and speedwork
Scout	Weight 157	159	SBR 12/224/105 (Mi)
Stu	Weight -4	-1
Sylvain	Weight -5		2x Core / Week
Will			Bike 150 / 75 Run

Edited by juneapple 2010-02-07 8:35 PM

No workout today on the agenda today.  Recovery week.  Begin my training plan on Tuesday.  It is a very nice day today here in Oregon however with everything else going on I am just going to take it easy.  Sorry I wish I could pass it on to you folks out East.

Now that the shoveling is done, and the roads are starting to get better it's not that bad.  I fact, DS and I just got back from sledding!  Walking back up the hill should count as cross training!

Snarkiness comes and goes for me.  I agree about focusing on what we can control.  Easier said than done...

I spent the morning celebrating the baptism of my friend's new baby, which (the celebration, not the baptism!) involved a lot of buttery pastries, ham, etc...  (I'm largely to blame -- I was up early this morning making those buttery pastries...)  Time to work that off!  I'm headed to the pool, then a short bike-run brick.

I'll try to check in on everyone later today.  Have a great day!

I ate too much tonight.  Couldn't help it.  But at half time, I spent some time cleaning up my office.  I now have room to fit my bike/trainer right next to my desk.  I have some work to do tomorrow that consists of starting an install and then waiting for it to finish.  I'll spend that waiting time on my bike.  Also planning to get my missed swim in tomorrow morning. 

Hoping to get to the Y to swim at least 4 times this week because I might not be able to swim next week. I'm having a minor dermatological procedure on Friday that Might keep me out of the pool for a week.  We're also supposed to get more snow Tuesday night into Wednesday.  Oh joy.

As far as my February goals, I had to adjust my swim goal (see above).  I fell short of my bike goal by a few miles, but they will be easily made up - especially if I can't swim next week.  I did make my running goal for the week.  Missed my swim goal too, because the Y was closed on Saturday.  But if can swim 4 times this week, that will be made up as well.  All in all, not a bad first week.

Good morning everyone.  I hope that those of you living near the polar ice cap have dug free.

Ready for another good week?  What do we all have going on?

This is the last week of my current build phase, so I'm buckling down to get through it before a somewhat lighter week next week.  But today is relatively easy -- swim and recovery run.

Last night did easy 5 miler, outside. Was to be 6 miles but I took it very easy which took longer so decided not to do the extra loop as timewise it was still OK. Got dress really warm and wore better hat. Right after that I did my 2nd core of the week.

This morning had my swim and performed my longest set of 1000m. Overall was a good workout. Last week I started obsessing on my time and speed and was starting to get ahead of myself. This morning during the swim I told myself forget the time just work on technique, stroke count and buiding endurance. It now feels like I'm floating, I don't have that seeking feeling anymore, my strokes are consistant and I'm comfortable with my breathing. Progress is so much fun.

Sylvain

Today is a rest day for me...just some upper body resistance work.  This week will be rather similar to last week- the plan calls for a continuation of base work.

I rode on the trainer for an hour yesterday and I was very uncomfortable.  My stem may be a pinch too long for now (it'll fit better as I regain fitness and can stretch a bit) and I'm thinking my seat really needs to go (it's not a serious cycling seat...it's a commuter seat by Selle).  One thing that was really a problem for the first half of my ride was discomfort in my arms and wrists. For the first half hour I had trouble maintaining a single hand position for more than 30 seconds (this improved during the latter half of the ride).  I felt like I had way too much weight on my lower arms and wrists.

While I am going to dial in the fit a bit, I'm just wondering if any of you, after initially taking up cycling (or after a long stretch away from the bike), found the competitive riding position of a road bike to be very uncomfortable?  For the past 10 years I've commuted on a Dutch-style city bike (super-upright), so I'm thinking it may take some time for my body to adjust back to a roadie position. 

I hope everyone has a great start to the week.

Mike

Sylvain:  nice job on the swimming.  Yes, progress sure is fun.

Mike: Yes.  I found it took a while at first, and then getting back into it this year after some time off took a little while (but less time than originally).  My first ride on my tri bike this year hurt a lot in my neck and back.  It gets better. 

One thing to experiment with is how you use your core to balance your weight between your hands and your backside.  Try this experiment:  keeping your hands on your handlebars, shift all of your weight onto your seat.  That'll engage your core quite a bit, and will not be sustainable, in part because your core will tire, and in part because it's just too much weight on your sit bones.  Next, while more or less maintaining the same position, shift your weight as much as possible onto the handlebars.  That too is not sustainable, as you'll end up with very sore or numb hands and wrists.  Somewhere between those two extremes is the happy medium you are looking for.  I think that feeling those extremes helps to give one a sense of where the 'middle' is. 

But yeah, it'll take some time to get used to the various pressures and stresses you'll feel.  Also, it is much harder on the trainer than on the road.  On the road there are often natural shifts of position that happen without much thought.  On the trainer, you are stuck in the same position the whole time.  (Actually, I do shift around on the trainer a bit, and even stand up from time to time, just to alleviate the stress of maintaining a single position.)

One more thing about seats:  Of course they are highly individual -- one person's pleasure palace is another's torture chamber.  In general, though, I'd caution against 'cushy' seats.  They feel comfortable for 10-15 minutes, but in my experience, after a while they hurt lots more than harder seats.  I ride on an Adamo racing saddle that has almost no cushioning at all and it is the most comfortable seat I've tried.  I would try getting to a local bike shop and sitting on as many as possible.  You want to feel your sit bones being properly supported by the seat.

Michael- thanks for the reply.  It's good to know that after a bit more time in the saddle things will start feeling more comfortable.  I don't remember ever being uncomfortable in my former riding days...ah, the ravages of time.

Thanks for the tips on the seat...I'll be heading to my LBS later this week.

Mike - One more one more thing about seats.  It took me a little while to break my seat in (not sure if it was the saddle that broke in or MY seat).  It was never uncomfortable, but it took a while for it to be perfect.  Also, keep in mind that more $$ doesn't mean more comfortable.  I have a vetta saddle that I think cost me $15.

Fitting it all in--ok, not fitting itall in.  I am finding it's pretty easy to get the gym work done in the mornings, but the long outdoor workouts on Fridays and Saturdays (Sunday is rest, church day) are not happening like they should,  Hubby is very supportive he's doing IMStG but business and family makes it hard.  This weekend is a holiday weekend, and my two youngest sons race bicycles and racing season has started, more weekend obligations.  How do you all fit it in?
Melinda

Mike, not sure if this is related or not, but I had an awful pain in my left elbow last year when I was training for the OLY.  At first I just chalked it up to too much time on the computer (which may have been part of it as well).  But as it turned out, the main cause was that I was not relaxing my arms and shoulders on the bike ride.  The more I pushed, especially with longer workouts, the more I gripped and stressed and that was the cause of the pain and discomfort.  I get that way on the run too.  So I have to continually remind myself to keep my upper body loose and relaxed.  It has made a big difference.

That being said, I find it much more comfortable to ride upright as well.  And after the transition to the run, I often experience back issues... still trying to figure that out.  I'm hoping that practicing bricks and doing core exercises will help.

-Stu

You're not alone, Melinda.  The long weekend workouts definitely are the toughest to get in.  I have found that I have to be 'creative' sometimes.  (Actually, that includes during the week as well -- recently I've taken to running to work about once per week, which kills two birds with one stone, but takes some advance planning.)

Often 'getting creative' ends up involving getting up very early.  Sometimes I'll try to combine a workout with quality family time, if that's possible.  I've done long lake swims while my wife and kids wandered around in a rented paddleboat.  (My kids are young enough to be thrilled by that sort of thing.)  The kids thought it was great to paddle alongside.  They had seen that YouTube video of someone 'practicing' OWS while getting bet up with swimming noodles, and decided it would be cool to wallop me with noodles while I was swimming.  It entertained them...

I especially like running while my oldest bikes alongside.  That can make for some really nice long runs.

OK, everyone, let's hear your ideas.  How to do YOU get away for a long S/B/R on the weekend?  How do you make it work with your family schedule?

Interesting this came up after I read article in Runnersworld Mag. Here's the web page, you might be able to find something that relates: http://thepackrules.runnersworld.com/2009/11/how-do-you-find-the-ti...


I currently do 90% of my workouts in the morning before going to work. I found a gym with pool, treadmills and stationary bikes and it's open 5am untill midnight. One of my biggest obstacle, asside from family, is the one hour train ride to and from work. Actualy I spend about 3 hours a day on communting, not fun. My body is just learning how to wake up that early. I'll add one or two workouts during weekday evening after girls are in bed and my long run on Sundays. Because of winter, I let my wife sleep in the mornings and after girls gymnastics and swimming, at about 2pm I can go out for my long run. But once it gets warmer, I'll head out at about 7am or earlier depending on kids activities.

I'm hoping some day my girls will be joining me on some of the workouts. My 5 year old is starting to get interested in my core workouts, always trying to mimic me.

Sylvain