The Frozen (not so) North Mentor Group - CLOSED (Page 3)

Hi all,
Being here in Nevada, I know I'm hours behind you all. sounds like lots of you had a good workout today. It was snowing here in Las Vegas today. Yes, that's right, SNOWING. So it was a swim workout today. 25 yard sprints. 32 of them to be exact. along with warm-up and cool down it was a quick 1400yrds. Then into the gym for legs and shoulders. 
Have a 10k coming up on Saturday, so I'm trying to figure out what to do for my run workout tomorrow.
Any thoughts? 

Good morning!  Looks like everyone's off to a great start.

Thanks for the beginner swimming links Lovey- perfect!  Back on the treadmill yesterday and ran (not consecutively) for 6 mins/walk 24.  Felt good.  It's been over a month running, and it's nice to see that your body "banks" a bit of endurance.

Hope everyone stays semi-healthy this season- the challenge hasn't been the workouts/eating.  I've been on and off sick for 3 months....thanks to my germy preschooler.  Where's my immune system??

Going to attempt the pool this morning and weight training....have a great day!

Isn't this the truth! I feel like I spend a lot of time dodging bullets that can derail me...like colds. Something I have been doing recently with colds is the second I feel something coming on, I start to fill my system with vitamin C (Emergen-C - 1000 mg per dose - 4 times a day) for three days. I'm telling myself that it's making a difference and the colds don't seem as long/severe...but I don't have any true scientific proof of this.

All these great workouts! Good job all. And for those of you that didn't make it to the gym/pool/outside for a run - there is always today (or tomorrow). I have tried really hard to stop beating myself up for missing a workout. I will get there when I get there. Sometimes the siren call of the pillow is just to hard to ignore. I have tried to make myself stretch out a bit on days I can't get a full workout in with a little foam rolling thrown in just to make sure I don't get too stiff. Sometimes that will get the juices flowing enough I can "try" a short jog/bike. Once I'm out the door, it is pretty easy for me to continue the workout.

I also completely sympathize with Kim (greenhousevt) - the mere thought of getting into a cold body of water when it's 18 degrees outside is a serious damper to my motivation. I really struggle with swimming in the winter.

Hope everyone has a great Tuesday!

And Jacks4life - snow? In Nevada? Wow! That must have caught EVERYONE by surprise.

There are several tri programs out there. If the Michael Pates 22 week program is too long, is it possible to jump in at say week 4 or 6. Assuming that workout is doable for you without injury.

Also check out this website. They have free training plans that go by distance not time. Plans are for sprint thru ultra distance.
www.opentri-training.com

Print out a few training plans, pick one that looks like it works with the current base you have built up.

Just  a few questions what should I be looking for in a bicycle for my first few sprints?   I did a little research and found that there is several sprint triathlon in my area this summer.  I had no idea there was so much so close to home,  
I found a olympic length one really close in August 2011.  Is that to soon for a novice?   I am considering returning to martial arts in a couple of weeks. ( I did for about 6 months last year.  I had to stop after my finance broke his leg and wasn't able to care for the kids.  He is healed now.) Would this an any way harm me for training for a trilathlon?



Have a great day everyone
My workout plan is weight training and 20 minutes of running.



Edited by TMUISE1 2011-01-04 12:46 PM

GOAL TODAY: Just get to the gym and do 30 minutes on the treadmill. Anything else is a bonus.

Swam today and it was hard even though I only went 800 yards that I could remember. I haven't swam since mid-October. I am already a struggling slow swimmer and taking that much time off was not good. This is a level 4 class. The main focus of the class is development of competitive strokes and techniques including starts and turns. Workouts includes practice sets and intervals while continuing to develop triathlon, overall swimming endurance and speed.

I am the slowest in the slowest lane and felt like I was out of my league. This is a level 4 class. the instructor is great but feels like I am more suited for level 3. Because it doesn't fit my schedule she will continue to work with me. I don't know if I will be allowed next session.

Anyway, the class is 2x a week and I would like to catch up to my lane so I don;t feel like I am dragging thaem down. Would adding a add'l swim session or 2 or 3 on my own help improve my speed. should I focus on speed or endurance when I swim on my own.?

So to the three questions:

1. Bikes for triathlon...a common thing you hear is "it's the engine not the bike" that will help your performance. I strongly agree. Train a lot, improve your engine and the difference in speed you will gain by purchasing a new bike will be negligible...if you have a bike now, use that. Lots of people use hybrids or even mountain bikes for their first tri. I have a 14 year old road bike that will most likely have to take me through the training and completion of a HIM...if you must purchase a bike - I would tend to err on the side of road bikes until you are sure you like the whole triathlon thing...

2.  Is an August 2011 Oly doable? Sure - if you a) have a good training plan - the ones on this site are pretty good, Lovey linked to the onetri plans and b) if you are diligent about following the training plan. Where it will become difficult is if you start to miss workouts or just noodle around without focus. An Olympic distance tri is nothing to sneeze at...a sprint isn't either.

3.  Would martial arts training hurt training for triathlons? I'm sure it would help with your core and agility. There are two ways it could hurt: one - you get hurt doing martial arts and two - it takes you away from your scheduled workout (see response to #2). If you have the time and inclination - it wouldn't hurt. I just know for me that I wouldn't have the time to do the martial arts AND train for triathlon simultaneously.

Best of luck!

Lovey - I feel your pain...last winter, I decided I was going to try Master Swim Classes at the local Y...I was in the slowest lane and I was BY FAR the slowest swimmer (everyone else knew how to do flip turns, butterfly stroke, etc). I made myself go four times before I finally broke down and decided it wasn't for me. I was miserable, didn't feel like I was learning, felt like I was slowing everyone else down, etc....I then decided to spend the $$ I was planning on spending in the Master's class on private lessons...the instructor worked with me directly, and even created several workouts I could do on my own. Is there any chance you could work with the instructor in a private session?

To your questions - would adding additional swim sessions help and should you focus on speed or endurance? Swimming is very different from biking and running in that it is incredibally form-specific. It is critical to have good form when swimming - you will waste a lot of energy if your form is poor. I think getting some help on your form (maybe through the instructor for Level 4...or someone that you know that is a great swimmer) would be the best use of your time - that way when you do a swim session - you will be ingraining the good form...once you have done some work on your form (and have an idea what you need to work on - like getting your elbows up, kicking from your hips, not crossing over - all things I needed to work on) you can start working on speed and endurance. If you are swimming 2-3 times a week, I would break it down into 1-2 sessions focused on speed (there are some great workouts in this site: 50 swim workouts ). and the other session focused on endurance (just swim until you can't swim anymore). The thing about swimming long (for endurance) - if that is your only focus is it will only teach you how to swim slowly...doing a couple of speed sessions gets your body used to moving more efficiently and more quickly.

A final point about swimming - one of the BT longtimers posted "BigFuzzyDoug's Ten Points to Swimming" a while back that was VERY useful to me - take a look and see if it has any info that can help you.

Got a run in at lunch - hoping for some time on the trainer after dinner (because the siren call of the pillow was too hard to ignore this morning...) I hope you all are well!

I got in another swim workout today & it actually felt great!   

(As a bonus, I realized that I had entered my laps wrong in my log for Sunday's swim and actually had swum twice as far as I initially thought.  Whoo hoo!)   I still have a long way to go to be able to meet this year's swim goals, but I'm thrilled to discover that my time out of the pool hasn't undone all the progress I made last summer. 

Today's workout:  1500 yds.  (4x100, 4x50, 5x100, 4x50, 4x25, 2x50). 

I may be among the slower/less experienced swimmers on here, but I thought I'd toss out a few things that have made my swim workouts much more enjoyable, in case they'd help anyone who's not (yet!) loving their swim workouts: 
1) buying a lap counter - it's a little ring worn on your finger & you just squeeze the button with your thumb each time you finish a lap.  no more wondering which lap I'm on!  (When I bought it, I couldn't justify buying anything but the most basic one, but now, of course, I'd love to have a  higher-end one that keeps track of all your lap times as well.) 
2) good goggles - I went to an actual swim store and they fit me with goggles - for me the Nest Pro (somewhat larger profile) turned out to be so much more comfortable.  I also got a pair of magnification goggles for swim workouts w/o my contacts - awesome!
3) warm-up exercises (neuro-muscular activation) before getting in pool - last year my swim coach had us warm up (not stretch) our arm/leg/core muscles for ~5-10 min before we started our workout.  You look a bit like a stork, standing on one leg, etc, but when you're done, not only are your muscles warmed up, you are actually warm.  so the pool doesn't feel so cold. 

-Ally

I don't think it was so much my form. She corrects you as you do the drills. I had no corrections on my drills today and the last time I took the class, I did well, form wise. Speed wise, I can't seem to catch up with everyone else which is really frustrating. Even the new swimmers are faster!!

Speed Progression:

Aug 2009 - exceeded the 1 hour limit on the .62 mile triathlon open water swim course and got booted.
Sep 2009 - joined this level 4 class where in kick board drilss I went backwards, YES, backwards.
June 2010 - 45 mins to complete .5 mile tri open water swim course
July 2010 - 1:05 to complete the .62 mile triathlon open water swim course during practice drill (hosted by race director)
Aug 2010- 47 mins to complete the .62 mile triathlon open water swim course

I seem to take forever to see progress. I know I need to be patient but why is swimming so hard for me.

I will look at some other workouts.

Edited by Lovey 2011-01-04 3:24 PM

Hey, Lovey - sorry today's swim was such a bummer.  I'm still pretty slow, but the coaching I got last year on form made a huge difference in my endurance.  I'll send you a PM about this year's clinic in case it fits with your schedule. 

by the way, I'm really sorry that my "happy swim workout" post overlapped with your post about a frustrating workout.  Since swimming is a big challenge for me, and I was so excited about today's workout, I posted before catching up on the rest of the board & hadn't seen your messages. 

-Ally

Edited by alsiedee 2011-01-04 4:31 PM

Lovey,

I come from a swim background and have been working with a runner that was not so good at swimming. His times and endurance has improved a lot, this is what I had him work on.

The basics; elbows high, don't cross arms, full strokes and keep your head up(look about 6 feet in front of you). In addition, go on the web under swim techniques and watch to see how the best swimmers swim, also spend some time swimming with paddles.

I spend the first half/third of my swim on technique(working on ONE thing at a time) and the back half on sprints.

Don't worry about the faster swimmers learn from them, speed with come as your technique improves.

Hi All!

I finally had some time to read everyone's posts.  It looks like we have a great group of athletes training together here. 
I too am just getting back into training after fewer workouts over the past 2 mos.  I was really fading in the pool on Sunday.  Hoping to get some endurance back as well.

Tonight I plan to ride on the trainer while watching this season's Biggest Loser opener.  I just think of Jillian and Bob yelling at ME to suck it up!

Hope everyone had a great day!

I've been fighting a cold for a few days and it really kicked in this morning. With a 10k coming up on Saturday I took today off from training. Lame Excuse or Common Sense?

Thanks for the ideas Ally,
I like swimming but never used googles since they always seem to leak. I never knew you could get fit for googles. The lap counter is a good idea too. If you want to read a fun blog entry about counting laps in the pool follow this link to my blog www.never2old2tri.com, archives, "I Swim Therefore I Add"
Keep up the good work
Wendy

Edited by Jacks4life 2011-01-04 6:56 PM

Went for my group run tonight. Half the group was doing 3 miles due to injury or illness. the rest was doing our usual 5 miler.
I opted for the 5 miler since I am not injured or sick. Get it in while I can. I usually run my training runs between 13.57 and a 14 min/mile.
I ended up with the group with the faster runners and they were going slow! My easy run became a tempo run because I ran 5 miles (nonstop), at 12.48 min pace. That's my 10K pace. I was so happy to see the end.

After 2 months of only running, I am back on my workout schedule.

Tomorrow I am taking a class i have been dying to try. It was never at a convenient time but now its at 5:45 am! Perfect!
Power Flow Yoga, also called athlete's yoga. Then I have bodysculpt (weights) during lunch where the instructor tires you out with just his constant yelling.

I can't find a specific training plan find a training program that I like the swim and bike part and then substitute a marathon training plan for the run portion. I'll see how that works.

Everyone seems to be getting into the groove of things. Let's keep it up.

Maybe we can do some challenges?

It really depends on what's ailing you. If you've just got a head cold, than a short run won't hurt you. However if you have a chest cold or have a fever, it best to take the day off. With your race right around the corner- I'd say taking a day off couldn't hurt. You're probably tapering anyway. That extra rest might lead to a PR. Good luck in the race!

Great posts! Love the swim tips, Ally - who knew about ring counters? ;-)
Seeing all of your amazing workouts when I'm in the fetal stages is a tad intimidating, but tomorrow I will do my walk/jog time as scheduled (today was scheduled off -- long, long work day due to a project deadline) and just keep putting one foot in front of the other! 
Kim 

Hey gang, sorry for the hiatus, but I had a VERY busy day at work - my company got sold today.  I'm still employed, but some people in my group got let go so it wasn't a fun message to deliver as the director.  Hopefully everything works out ok with the new company going forward, I'm optimistic (but that's my nature).

I did run out at lunch for a quick stress relief bike ride on the rollers.

Kim - Good job on the 10k plan.  And good idea on the pennies in the pool.

David - Jorge's bike plan is great.  It's 12 weeks, but you could just do 6.  It's very challenging but the efforts are based on your own tested results, so take a look.

Susan - Get healthy and worry about training when you're ready.

Jacks4life - Totally agree with David that a day off now is probably a good thing with a 10k a few days away.  And also true that if you have a fever stay in bed.  In general, use the neck rule - above the neck, it's ok to run if you feel up to it, below the neck, rest and get healthy.

KOM - sounds great to ride to Bob and Jillian.  I love that show for some reason.

I'm glad to see all this swim advice, since we as triathletes are typically weak swimmers.  I have a different take on swimming, so I'll state my thoughts once and please don't read this as me wanting to dissuade you all from winter swim training. 

I do almost no swimming in the winter, for two reasons.
1. I dislike swimming in pools vs. lakes/ocean.
2. ROI.  I figure I'm going to need some spouse points over the summer for my events and some long run/ride days, and it just "costs" too much to swim (time to get ready, get to a pool, get home, etc) vs. the gain for triathlon when I could be running or biking.  Once March/April hits, I'll pick up swimming and then really do some focus close to my events.  This is an idea I picked up from my pseudo coach, who is a member of Endurance Nation, and it makes sense to me.  Just offering another thought.

Lovey - I have done the "use part of a plan for some sports and part of another plan for other sports" - it works out well for me, because I also wasn't able to find something that satisfied me with all three. Great job on the run!

Warren and I had a request for one more person to be added - and decided we could handle it...so please welcome Mainer22 (would you mind posting your bio/data so we can all be introduced to you?)

Wow! Warren! I hope it all works out with the new company. It's always hard letting people go - especially in this economy.

I really like Lovey's ideas of a challenge - anyone have any ideas? I saw one going right around the end of last year - attempt to complete the distance of a HIM in a week (so over a week you would have to swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles and run 13.1 miles)...another one that I liked had to do with biking a certain distance. We could all "bike" to Nevada to visit jacks4life (you can figure out how many miles it is from your house to Las Vegas)...any other ideas?

I am posting the complete list of mentees below with the links to their logs. I have put this in my "Goals" section on my blog to make it easy to go to everyone's logs to leave inspires:

• Lovey
• jacks4Life
• KOM
• alsiedee
• MindBodyandSoul
• jgrigg
• mw22
• scott1223
• igby
• KellySue1975
• TMUISE1
• Syrinx61
• ssngeorge
• Qua17
• greenhousevt
• Mainer22
• wbayek

Another swim and run day for me...I think I'm going to try running tonight while my daughter is at swim team - which means running outside in the dark. There are parts of if it I really like (very peaceful and quiet), but parts I don't (it's pretty cold). I will be wearing my headlamp and lots of reflective clothing...now to avoid the ice!

Thanks for the answering my questions.   Seems like everyone workouts are going well.   Lots of info about swimming, I think that may be one of the weakest portion for me.   I just got back into swimming a short time ago.   
My workout for today will be 45 bike and 45 swim at a slow pace for both.

I like the idea of the HIM challenge.


Edited by TMUISE1 2011-01-05 10:19 AM

We could do a various challenges.

OPTION 1 – pick a sport and then the distance to be completed in a certain amount of time. Example, bike to Nevada as Jennifer said or run a certain amount of miles. Because we are all at various stages of training, we may need to pick various distances. Name them Bronze (lower mileage), Silver (mid distance) and Gold (higher mileage). Pick your medal according to what you feel you can do without going overboard.

OPTION 2 - Ironman (IM) or Half-Ironman (HIM) challenge.

Distances can be done over 1 week, 2 weeks, one month or whatever the group decides.

Distances-

Half Ironman Challenge:
1.2 mile swim
56 mile bike
13.1 mile run


Ironman Challenge:
2.4 mile swim
112 mile bike
26.2 mile run


If anyone is injured, ellipticals with mileage can be counted as well.

A local YMCA triathlon training uses these guidelines:

Spinning or group cycling class
45 minutes = 12 miles bike
30 minutes = 8 miles bike

YMCA water exercise class = 8.5 laps (212.50 yards)


Thoughts?


Edited by Lovey 2011-01-05 9:30 AM