European Tri-Group - CLOSED (Page 3)

hey guys, 

just wondering if everyone is updating their training on the training section here?

I am putting mine on whenever I do any but just wondering if anyone else is doing that\

Kev 

Hello Everyone, 

Interesting week at work, I must have spent 3 hours at the office. Italy was great, a whole lot warmer than the Netherlands, Alberto you're a lucky man!

Kev, well done on the training plan. You are starting to put some decent volume in there, at some point you will have to up your bike mileage, but I guess the weather is also dictating what you can do there. Having your plans online is definetely useful. Personally I use polarpersonalcoach, and upload my training here for your benefits, but it helps me considerably knowing what I have planned to do, and checking my progresses against my targets. 

Lina, great to have you with us. Surely you CAN go through a triathlon. First thing to do is to figure out what distance you want to go. Normally, the sensible thing to do is to start with a Sprint triathlon, but different people have different goals. So, where do we get you started? Do you have equipment? Do you have a training plan? Surely, between us all we can help you with your cycling. Often, people think it's the simplest sport because, well, everyone can cycle but actually most people cycle only on one leg...but there are drills that can help you to improve. 

Looks like a few of you have been sick recently, that's not unusual with this weather. Get better and train well.  Have a great weekend, Herve

Edited by HerveB 2011-01-16 1:21 AM

Hi Herve, 

The plan is going well and you are right, the bike volume is way too low. That said, I can only cycle easily at weekends and the weather is dictating some of the training on the bike. I am off out today on the bike even though its tipping it down!!!!

Weight loss going well too. Down to 115.7kg (started at 120.1kg 1st Jan) so delighted with that.

Running and swimming really happy with at moment and if I can up the bike training and level out the others I will be pleased.

Here's hoping another good week ahead.

Kev 

Hello Herve,


ok, this week was not cold like previous but for me is not enough warm! Did you tried a swin in the Adriatic sea?
I'm training only at home (except for swim in a pool), with a spin-bike and a treadmill: I know, if I go outside I'll get sick.

Today was my first 3-sport training of 2011: not too work, but very goods sensations!

This user's post has been ignored.

Ok, finally I decided my races program for the first part of season.
I'm doing the Intermediate Sprint training program which has 5 race in it scheduled on 03 Apr, 8 and 15 May, 5 and 26 Jun and 10 Jul.
I decided to do:

- 27 Mar: Super Sprint Duathlon - Italian Teams Championship. It's a very easy race (2.5 Km run, 10 Km bike 1.5 Km run) and I'll take it only to enjoy... a "C" race ;-)
- 3 Apr: Sprint Duathlon Italian Championship. My A race
- 7 May: Caldaro Olympic triathlon (not sure)
- 5 Jun: Gaggaino Sprint Triathlon (not sure)
- 26 Jun: Classic Duathlon Italian Championship. It's a very hard race 10 Km run, 40 Km bike, 5 Km run: for me it's harder than an Oly
-03 Jul (not 10 Jul): Olympic Triathlon Italian Championship

Ok, no problem to end last two race (I already did that last year) and no matter of time because my A race is on 3 Apr: it's only a points question for my team. For me an Intermediate Sprint program is better than a simple Oly program if I have to train for a oly race. After 3 Jul I have a (wrong) idea to take a simple 70.3 program, to try Mergozzo race on 11 Sep... just to end it and try the distance.

The question is: it's better to close my actual intermediate sprint program on 3 Apr and switch to an Oly specific program for the last 2 race? What I have to do in the week from 26 Jun to 3 Jul to recharge my batteries?


Thanks,
Alberto

Yes snow is like sand, when it is wet.
I have little sick too... I have eruption in my eye. So I work with weights and run a few easy round.
Easy training in this week and then better training week.

Hello Everyone, 

First Lina sorry I made a typo (that I corrected) I meant to say that surely you CAN do a triathlon (with the proper training of course). So, again welcome. And Alberto, no I did not try the Adriatic  

Sunday today, that means bike day. Since we have a few people with questions about the bike, I thought I'd share with you my cycling secrets (which are not really secrets). To me, mostly cycling boils to 4 things:
- Power calculated in watts
- Legs speed calculated in RPM
- cyling technique (which is how you use your legs during the rotation of the pedals)
- handling your bike (which is measured in your hability not to fall flat on your face when you take sharp corners at high speed) 

Good thing about winter and stationery bike workout is that it is the best way to work on the first 3 points in the comfort of your home or local gym. Here are my standard drills for these points: 

Power - you need to figure out what's the type of power output you should generate to finish your race distance in a time that satisfies you. Here is a great website (they have a US version and a Metric version) http://bikecalculator.com/veloUS.html (use the default settings for weather, set wind to around 10KPH, and 0 inclination unless you are doing a particularly hilly course) Now, looking at myself in "default" condition given my weight, bike, and position. To travel 40KM in 1 hour, I should produce around 316Watts. That will be my training objective for power... Now you need to figure out at what watt output you are comfortable with (on the stationary bike or at the local gym) chances are that it's way lower than your target number. In my case, I cycle easy up to 170W, after that my legs start feeling what I'm doing and my RPM goes down. 
My power drills are then 40 minutes, 5 minutes warm up at high RPM very easy watt (for example 5 minutes / 120W / 95RPM) including one leg drills which I will explain for point 3, then 4 minutes at 20W above my "easy" power output (e.g. 170+20 = 4 minutes / 190W) and one minute at +40W (170+40=1 minute / 210W) repeat 6 times for a total of 30minutes. I finish with a 5 minutes very easy cool down with one leg drills. This drill will produce your "new" easy pace (around 190W) this will be my "new"reference for next training session. Do that for the whole winter and you'll see some steady improvement in your POWER! 

RPM - Is about how fast you can turn your legs.  That's very important especially when the road goes up. Basically, below 80RPM you are at a slow pace (if your are climbing you will be anywhere between 60 and 80), between 80 and 100RPM it's a flat road pace, above 100 RPM that's super fast (I personally can't manage above 100 for very long, I start jumping all over the saddle) the really good cyclists can do that due to their technique. Anyway, I find the sweet spot for me to be at 90 RPM, so all training I do whether power or speed, I try to be on that number. If you remember Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich, it was a battle of RPM v.s. Power, and RPM won (every time).  

Cycling technique - It's probably the most fundamental element of cycling. This is what hip rotation is to swimming. Mostly we learn to cycle by pushing on the pedals. That means that power is only applied during the descending part of the pedal rotation. Difference between the average and the good cyclist is that the latter will also apply power during the ascending part of the rotation by pulling the pedal up. This process saving up to 20% energy for the same power ouput...(worth doing for us triathletes). The drill you need to do is one leg cycling which is saffer and easier in the gym or stationary. So you unclip one foot and cycle with the other one. It will be very uncomfortable at the beginning, most likely it will hurt your weakest leg at the lowest power output (I suffer at 140 already...), and you probably won't be able to do it for more than one minute on each leg at first. But, repeat doing it as part of your warm up and cool down (stop only if it hurts too much and lower the wattage), and your legs will remember it, that will greatly improve your cycling as well. Normally, after this drills you should feel that you are cycling differently when you put both your legs back in the clips.
 
Handling - for that you need to go outside, downhill, mountain biking, skiing contribute but you only improve with practice.  

I hope that helps! Next time, I'll post something on billateral swimming (it's a pain, but it's also one of the secrets to get faster and smother in the water) - I also really struggled with that one at the beginning.

Train well, nice weekend, Herve 

My 2 cents in Bike, Herve.
Power vs RPM: it's important for ourself to find better compromise from RPM and Power. Power meter is a perfect tool for this, but a cheaper (not simpler) method to have just an idea is to known how much meters you can do with a compete turn of your pedals; for this you have to known the circonference of your wheel (C), the number of theet in front (F) and in back (B): the formula is F/B*C. For example, using a standard wheel of 28", you can can do 10.3 mt with a strong 53/11 or 3.2 mt with an easy 39/26: more power to push the first, less for the second. Multiply this value for the number of RPE and now you known how much meters you can make in minute and then you can multiply per 60 to convert in Km/h. Just for example, at 90 RPM you can stay at 55.6 Km/h with 53/11 or 17.3 Km/h with 39/26.
Well, now everyone of us thinks is better (at same RPM) push a strong ratio because of speed, but also known is easier push a 39/26. But... if you can push a 53/11 at 90 RPM alone for 20 Km, probably you can't move your legs in run session; at opposite if you use a easy ratio at high RPM (110-120), your heart goes very high and, then, you loose more liquid useful in run session.
My first little hint, then, is to use the strong ratio you can to mantain 90-100 RPM, but always switch to an easy one for the last km to "turn your legs" and prepare them for run session.
My second little hint is always make in training a run session after a bike session. No matter if it's long or short, but you have learn your legs for the change of movement.
My last hint with bike is for transition: always make training in it. Try to run pushing your bike from saddle, change it from left to right hand, make some turns. Important: take your bike from saddle, not from handlebars. Try to jump on it and try to get off without stopping using run shoes. At last try to leave your bike shoes on pedals, run without shoes, jump on bike, make some turns with your foot over the shoes and, when you reach a decent speed, vest your bike shoes. In a race, if you see other athletes stopping just after the lane to mount the bike... simply pass that by run and jump on your bike in front of him: now you're in speed, the others keep still! When you get off from your bike open your shoes at 3-400 mt from transition area, remove your foot from the shoes and leave it on the pedals. Try to get off from saddle 20-30 mt from transition area, stay up on one pedal and jump down just at last moment.

Bonjour Herve

My name is Cristina and I am 42. I'd like to join this group mainly for inspiration and motivation to stick with it - training well and eating well. I appreciate very much an European based group: nothing against USA, just nice to be in the same timezone!

My story I work for a Swedish multinational, my office is in Modena and I commute to Copenhagen and the south of Sweden, where my boss sits, once a month for a week - more or less. I have been on and off exercise / gym for several years, and my main problem seems to be consistency: I can't stick with routine very well. I have done a "home-made" sprint (1h 21m) and Olympic (3h 39m) distances last year in October. Home made means I cycled to the local swimming pool, went in, did my bit, came out, unchained the bike (T1 = 7 mins, a laugh...!) did the cycling leg ending up in my garage; then started out running on the bike path around where I live. I tend to race against myself - I don't really care about competing with other people

My training program involves: a "standard" 3 session per sport a week, plus some core / weight lifting and some yoga for stretching and flexibility.

Weight loss would have to be significant, I am 73 kg right now and my ideal shape - the one I had 10 years ago and with which I felt great..., is 65 kg. I eat and drink too much, usually to balance off boredom or dissatisfaction or frustration.

Looking forward to a great year! A bientot

Well I'm back! I ran yesterday...it went pretty well considering and today I did bridge repeats with the team. They are SO much fitter than me. BUT I'm back in the training mode.

I logged my workout but am not sure it 'took'. I find the training log to be more difficult than others I've used. Also, this 'inspire' stuff is weird. People keep sending them to me, but I don't know if I should reply or comment... so I click and it disappears!

Anyway, feeling pretty good today. Still not 100% but I'm sure it's coming. Hey Herve! thanks for the friending! 

Hello Everyone, 

It's monday, so going swimming tonight. Still a bit sore legs from yesterday but that does not say much on how I will perform tonight.

So, we have a new member, welcome Cristina! Sounds like you are motivated since you organize your own home-made triathlons. I should nevertheless invite you to join an official triathlon one of these days. You'll see that it is a very nice atmosphere, sometimes very 60s (I was once in one where everyone male and female alike were fully undressing in the transition zone). I'm not against a friendly atmosphere, but well that was appart... anyway, most triathletes compete against themselves first and foremost and there is always a nice atmosphere in the transition zone. That's one of the things I like most about our sport. I think that might help your motivation a bit as well as it is difficult to aim at something (weight loss or performance) when you do not have a target. 

Kev forgot in my last post but awesome weight loss results! Keep going. 

Steph good starting to fill in your training plan, keep going - it's not the most user friendly interface maybe, but you get used to it.

Alberto, nice race program. My only remark would be that it seems your A race comes rather early in the year. So the risk there is demotivation because well after April you'll be done with it. My advise would be to aim you plan on Sprint entirely until your A race. Then switch on a Oly program targetting your last race in July (which will become your A' race). This way you should remain motivated and your oly training should get you through the tough Duathlon you have end of June.

Ali, the bilateral breathing or even one side breathing needed for front crawl can freak you out pretty well. When I started swimming I could not crawl more than 25 meters. Basically it is a matter of becoming comfortable breathing in the water.
So first drill goes like this: 
Start on the side of the pool (where you can stand or in a kiddy's pool). Standing, just put your head in the water, breath out with your mouth in the water (very slowly), then put an arm high in the air, turn your head out of the water as you would doing front crawl and breath in. And do that for a few minutes so that it becomes less alien. 

Drill two: once you have mastered the fear, you fold this in while your swimming. Don't go into try that on more than 25 meters, just do 25 meters focussing on your breathing. Then do a "normal"set. Again repeat for as long as long as it does not feel right. At first you will breath every stroke or every other stroke.
Drill tree: do the same thing but on 50 meters, and so on until you can do it on your race distance.
Drill four: on 50 or 100m start adding some strokes in between the breathing, every 2 strokes, every 3, every 4 and so on (it's easier to go for uneven numbers because it will get you to breathe bilaterally which eventually is the objective), but the important thing is that it should be comfortable - if you panic or drink water, stop, recover and go again when you feel okay.

Do that for one year, and you'll be able to breathe every 6 strokes and swim 2.000m bilateral... guaranteed.  

Right, need to head for the pool, train well, cheers, Herve 

This user's post has been ignored.

Ali - yeah have got 2 parkruns near me. 1 in Newcastle and 1 in Sunderland although both are over 30 mins away by car. A few friends do the Newcastle one but with the relatively short hours of daylight, I am making Saturday morning my long bike day (did just short of 20 miles this week). Its easier to run in the dark than cycle I guess. Sundays are currently taken up with the pairs league at my golf club so I cannot pull out and let my partner down it just wouldn't be fair
At some point, I will be heading to one of the runs and trying to get one in Durham. There is a good park in the centre, but it is on a huge hill which would make it fairly interesting.

Herve - great advice on the swimming.  Bi lateral breathing is a must for the fastest times and it will also help reduce any repetitive strain injuries caused by only breathing on one side. Its a big advantage for open water swimming especially in the sea where there will be waves etc probably coming in from one side. If you can't breathe away from that it is a real struggle. 

Ali - the Durham Tri club runs 2 swimming sessions a week, although one I can't get to. Does Cov club do something similar and if so I can't urge you enough to go along. if its anything like Durham, there will be a massive range of abilities including absolute beginner swimmers.

Swim night tonight so will see how that goes. 

Regards

Kev

 

This user's post has been ignored.

Hi Ali,

Awesome. Good luck tonight. Let me know how it goes

Kev 

Hi


Thank you! Glad to have taken this step. I agree and I would like to. But I am in no shape to hang around with athletes, people talking about those 200 km they just did on a bike, or the 3 km swim in the morning before work (nor talking about A races for that matter ... what are they anyway? ). Will get there with time I guess



I picked this up immediately, thanks! I started to run barefoot last year, and I like it: I don't go very far or very fast, and still alternate with running with shoes. But I never thought running barefoot on treadmill had any value.



Steph - I agree with you here, somehow this is not as user-friendly as others. I guess the important thing is to just "swim,bike,run,repeat"!

hey guys, 

just wondering if everyone is going to add the group to their friends list?

Kev 

Hello Everyone, 

Welcome Kris, yes I have room for another one or two, so you're welcome.

It's nice to see that you guys start interacting with each other, of course I'm supposed to check in every now and then, but the idea behind the forum is that we can all help each other. So, we are living the spirit. Kris, I am sure that you will find variety in triathlon having said that building the engine to perform in tri is an exercise of patience so you'll have to watch your performing tendency, because it leads to injury. 

I used to play football years ago, injured my knee and got into cycling because I had trouble with running (cause of the impact). I'm glad I'm able to run again, but like you I have to be careful.
I few tips here: don't try to put too much distance in at first (going over 10K is a risk), warm up and stretch properly (which is essential given your old age... I don't remember when I was 31!) and prefer trail running to road running, softer ground = lesser impacts (so long as you don't twist your knee on a branch or something...) Also, what will help you is swimming. However messed up I feel after running or pushing myself on the bike, swimming seems to have the ability to put my body back together the proper way. So scheduling your swimming sessions (the day) after your long runs will do you a lot of good, and contribute to injury prevention. 

Also for you, try a little barefoot running on the treadmill that will improve your form.  (and for those of you using the treadmill always put a little bit of angle while using it (1-3%) it will help reducing injury - I got the tip from a marathon friend of mine, and it really helps).

Cristina don't you worry too much about the competition at the start line of a tri. You will find that it comes in all shapes or from, from the super fit athletes who generally keep to themselves but will not spare an advise or encouragement, to the newbies who are nervous and feel the need to share their projected split times and nutrition plans for the race. Fit, tall, overweight, single, married, tanned, you will find that a triathlon starting line is no different from our community: a little bit of everything, and that's the way we like it.

train well, cheers, Herve 

Ciao Cristina,
well, another Italian member like me... but with a better english
So you tried an olympic race in last October... was "Lido delle Nazioni"? I made the olympic on saturday end the team sprint on sunday: 2 race in 2 days... and I wash a wheel two times (but I got the same at T2 pushing the bike).
See you on race field!

Ok Herve: now I'm training for the Sprint in april with the Intermediate sprint program. After the race I'll switch to an Olympic program, but I think is better for me if I make end the program on 26 June (the duathlon) because for me is more difficoult this race than the next because I don't like too much running and 10+5 Km is very strong for me. After the duathlon I'll make a week very light to recharge my batteries for the Oly of 3 July.



All of us started to swim with many difficulty: we are human, not fish, then our life isn't in water. Then it's ok, at beginning, find some difficult in breathe. It's a question of head, then you have to train for it: another drill (for the head) is to take some time to go underwater. Go in a swimming pool where you can touch but not a kiddy pool (a 1m50cm pool is ok), throw out the air from the lungs and sit down on the bottom. Try to stay calm and, when you need air, return at the top. When this exercise will be simple, try to turn around underwater.
This simple exercise train you to be more confident with the water so do not be afraid when you'll go in open water.

Ciao Vicentin! (I was born in Padova). It was not Lido delle Nazioni ... 

I only wanted to see if I could really do this "mad" thing, so I just cycled to the local swimming pool (2 kms away), went in, did the 1500 mt swimming, came out, took my bicycle again, did 40 km around Modena, came to my garage, left the bike and started running around where I live.... Kind of stupid maybe! But now at least I know I can make it. The time needs to get much shorter

About the English, I speak it and write it every day at work - my boss is a Canadian living in Sweden. Training makes you perfect ... languages, sport, anything. But I may do a "real" race this year, and I will surely look out for you!

Ciao!

Yes, its fun to watch what groupfriends do. Maybe its easyer if is a list alla members of our group.

Swimingtraining today and tomorrow training with weights, maybe running in the morning.
Maybe in april I must do solid and good trainingprogram.....