Rob Schwartz Group - OPEN (Page 3)

What is a "brick"?

A brick is a bike session immediately followed by a run. It gets your legs used to running off the bike as it does not feel natural.

Thanks, that is what I was thinking but was not sure.

Nice work on the 5k! I like the idea of doing a race every month up to the triathlon. I think it would keep me interested in the training more.

Thank you for the Zwift info. I will check those out.

Hey guys. How's the motivation? There hasn't been a ton of engagement on this forum, but I'll continue to post. Perhaps folks are reading but not all are responding, which is OK. We get what we need from it.

I've had a strong week and going into the weekend with plans of doing a swim/bike combo on Saturday and then a long run on Sunday. Next week is an easy week for me, so I am looking forward to that. I'm halfway through my 16 week training plan for Oceanside and feeling great. I attribute this to both running less and consistent strength training.

What are you guys looking forward to this weekend and next week?

Finally - I wanted to share a great podcast that really helped me last year with my swimming. I'd start at the first episode and go through at least the first twelve. https://www.tower26.com/podcasts/

Full disclosure, I also joined their online training platform for 6 months which was also really beneficial.

I have an easy weekend. Saturday, life calls and I might do some cross country skiing for some exercise, but I probably won't get anything done. Sunday, I plan to swim 1000 yds straight, steady pace and do one of my strength routines after. Really beat down my shoulders. I am also going to look into getting a swim lesson package (4 private lessons) from my local gym to try and improve my technique in the near future.

As with most plans, my plan (20 weeks) has a recovery week every 4th week. I am currently looking at the 3rd week and trying to get my endurance and speed up to complete that week. I figure if I am in good enough shape to complete the 3rd week of my plan, then I should be go to go for at least the first month.

Thought I would post this sign I made and am very proud of. It's the most recent addition to my pain cave.





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Swim training from an expert is such a game changer. I did that early on and made a huge difference. Could probably use a refresh.

Hi Guys, my official training doesn’t start for another 3 weeks so just getting back into it. Motivation is good, and I’m a big believer in taking a rest day when needed. Having said that, fear can be a great motivator too - and IMWI will be here soon.

I have heard this phrase often, “make your easy days easy and hard days hard”. It’s a good philosophy. I used to fall into the trap of always training at the same - middle, gray zone. So, right now, I’m going nice & easy, staying in Zone 2 for most of my runs/bikes. But, 2 times a week, I’m doing interval training on the rower, 10 x 500 meters, with a 1 minute rest in between each 500. It sucks, and my goal is to go slightly faster each 500. Today, my average was 1 minute and 53 seconds and my last 500 was in 1 minute 48 seconds. Going anaerobic hurts but I believe this will make me better. I used to run quarters on the track too, but it’s covered in snow, lol.

Good training everyone!

Rob



Edited by Turner100 2020-01-24 9:09 PM

I plan on doing a little longer run today, which for me could be 3.5 miles. LOL I also plan on getting on the trainer for a little while. I ahve such a hard time doing that. There is a group ride tomorrow that I am thinking about joining. It is a no drop all pace ride. It will be my first time on the bike outside in about a decade.

On reading: I have been reading The Endurance Diet, by Matt Fitzgerald. Very good information. Matt traveled the world talking to elite endurance athletes and their diets. If you haven't read it I highly recommend it.

Swimming: Due to business being super slow over the winter my training is on a shoestring budget. I qualify for one of the local senior centers that has a 60 dollar annual membership. They have a 25 meter pool that is open for lap swimming in the evenings. I also have a contact for a swimming coach that has either been competing or teaching since she was 5 years old.

I am still 5 months away from my tri and can swim just need to become more efficient. I am also competing in a duathlon in Tulsa, OK (85 miles away) in March. That should give me some transition practice. I am also going to go watch the inaugural Iron man in Tulsa. Tulsa has won a 3 year contract with Ironman and 202 will be the first one.

Hey guys! Looking forward to an easy week coming up after 3 really challenging ones. I'm cutting 8-9 hours this week to 5-6 and taking the intensity way down. Good timing, too, as I'm traveling to the middle of nowhere California tomorrow for work. I'll do an easy ride in the morning (probably) and then take Tuesday as a full on rest day.

What you guys got going on this week?

Well, I didn't get much done this weekend. I did get out and do some cross country skiing on Saturday, but the snow was so sticky it was more of a walk. Nothing on Sunday

I did get aero bars installed on my bike this weekend. I hope to give those a try this coming week.

I need to add some strength training to my regimen. I have access to a fitness room in my apartment complex. It is mostly resistance machines with few dumbells. My question is what do I need to add? I will only hit the gym about two or three days a week.

Scoty, you don't need much to get a good strength workout in. I would suggest doing a google search on "strength workouts for triathletes". You can do a lot with some dumb bells. Ignore what I say if it conflicts with our coach, but I would look for strength routines that include core and lower back work. Triathlon workouts don't hit these muscle groups very hard and they can become at risk to injury as your other macro muscle groups get stronger around them.

I will also add STRETCH. Stretch often and everything. Especially your hamstrings and calves!

Sorry, Scot I missed that question. I agree that there are a lot of youtube workouts you can check out. This is what I do:

Legs
- 1 legged squat
- forward lunges
- kettleball dead lift
- kettleball suit case carry

Core
- Plank
- Plank with leg raises

Arms
- push ups
- shoulder press

I run the whole thing putting core and arms between each leg set in about 15 minutes. I usually do it twice, but sometimes once and sometimes three times (if it's not immediately after a hard workout. This is a really good resource and he has a two different strength programs - one for offseason and one for race season. https://triathlontaren.com/freeresources/

Sorry everyone. I PM'd Rob. Still here and plugging away. Started a new job in January. Great fit and environment, even a company gym although my home one is still my preferred route. I NEED to get swimming. Will start back at it soon. I am targeting the Bloomington Tri-Shark in June which is a Sprint distance with an open water swim. I have also been tracking my weight training on JeFit.

Edited by eea123 2020-02-02 5:27 PM

Happy Sunday, Everyone. Getting ready to watch the Super Bowl and figured I'd check in on everyone.

How was this past week? I had an easy week, although the workout today felt hard. I did 40 min straight swim and then 5 mile easy run. I did something I haven't in a long time last night - ate too much, drank too much. Workout was a struggle, but got it in.

What's on tap for this week? I'm 9 weeks to my 70.3 and have a lot on tap for training. I'm traveling from W-Su, so it will be a challenge and I'm busily planning all of the options to get things in. I usually travel pretty light, but have to bring enough training gear for swim, bike, and run.

Have a great week ahead!

Took on the Strava Salomon XC Ski challenge, 90km in 6 weeks. I had been doing 5k/week on the old NordicTrack but will up it to x3 to hit their challenge. I retro fitted a cheap ANT+ speed and cadence sensor to it a few years ago and got the fly wheel diameter dialed in. I only have to change it from Bike to XC Ski after a session with my old 910XT.

Running is improving and I've been logging PT training on JeFIT, https://www.jefit.com/5356395.

Still need to get into the pool again.

Edited by eea123 2020-02-05 6:32 AM

Got a solid zone 4 run in today. Not messing with all this zone 2 talk, lol.

Down with the flu this week, and didn’t train. I’m thinking of a slow 1 hour row today and tomorrow. 31 weeks out from IMWI.

General idea, Beginner Triathlete has a great Race Report Section, where you can read other athlete’s good, bad & ugly reports - this really helped me as I was training for my races. I got more out of what wrong than right, plus most of these were written right after their race, so you get the raw experience. You can search individual races (Oceanside 70.3 is there), as well as log your own. I’ve got a few, and reread them from time to time. If you click on my profile, you can also see my prior races.

Rob

Sounds like an up and down week for the crew. Been a challenge to get training in with a lot of travel and looking forward to getting things back to normal next week. The good news is that I got to hang with a buddy he is also an endurance junkie, so we made the time to get good training in.

Good tip on the race report section, Rob. I'm going to check it out.

What's everyone looking forward to this week? For me, a want a solid set of workouts during the week and bury myself on the weekend with a long bike long run, and long swim.

This week was supposed to be the start of my training plan, but as it would have it everything is falling apart. The local gym where I swim decided they needed to dump the pool and replace the sand filter. This won't be ready for swimming for another week. The trainer I was so excited about using was recalled and I am currently waiting on the replacement. This coming weekend might be ok, but this week will be a no show for everything except running.

That's quite a confluence of challenges. The lack of the pool is hard to get around. Perhaps you can use the time for some strength work at home. Even something simple like planks, push ups, and squats.

New trainer is hooked up and I hope to start using it officially this coming weekend. Swim will have to wait until next Wednesday, but I think I will be OK with the delayed start of my training. Time to hunker down! 4 months till June.

4 months is plenty fo time, but it does sneak up on you.

Let me know how the trainer goes and if you hook it up to Zwift, perhaps we can coordinate a ride together.