JohnnyKay's HIM & IM focused Group - CLOSED (Page 3)

If I haven't missed anyone, we are a group of 15 (haven't heard from a few since their initial post, so hopefully we haven't lost too many already )  BT names as follows:

JohnnyKay
teamssj
mjen01
amschrod
joefio
Nole Runner
dragoman
scubadiver68
Jennifers
hughes411
dscott158
rgattis
maxmattmick
jimmyb
Steve-

I will be adding all of you to my "friends" list and will start checking in at least weekly to see what you are up to training-wise.  I'll try to offer individual encouragement and thoughts through "inspires" and hope some of you will start doing the same.  As mentioned earlier, I hope most of you will use the logs at least while our group stays active.  This will help facilitate better feedback and advice when we get any training-specific questions.

We've already had a couple of questions about the trainer, bricks and buying a bike.  We can delve deeper into any of those or anything else that's on your mind so please start firing away.  And since we have plenty of experience here, please don't feel you have to wait for me to answer.  I'm here to help as much as I can and try to encourage participation.  But the discussions will likely be most valuable when we have multiple perspectives.

Good luck to all in training and racing.  Game on! 

Dumb Question.....

How do I add people to my friends list?

You need to go into your Settings and click on the trainingn blog customization tab then click friends, then you can enter them in each box and click update.

Edited by Steve- 2011-01-27 4:10 PM

You can do exactly what Steve said.  Or, now they've made it a bit easier.  Go to your Training Log and part way down the left side of the page you should see a tab labeled "friends:".  Just click on that word and it will take you directly to where you add friends.  You can do the same thing for many of the other log items on the left & right margins.

And no there are Dumb Questions here.  Or, maybe I should just say Dumb Questions are welcome here. 

Congrats on your closed group John!

I got snowed in today also and was supposed to start swimming for the first time this season...

I swim Tuesday/Thursday 5AM with the President of Malvern Prep in their pool - he does tri's also but he only trains from january to August...

anyway, school was cancelled so the pool was closed - work got called so I got up early and I figured I'd ride until somebody got up so of course, the first kid doesn't come down until two hours later!!!!

longest I've been on a bike ever either on the road or the trainer but it felt good...

my overall volume is more than I've ever trained also but right now keeping HR low and building endurance base.

talk to everybody soon and I agree that it's great to have so many different experience levels on here!



Edited by maxmattmick 2011-01-27 6:21 PM

Thanks so much guys. Will get all my new friends added!

OK, Peter.  But don't tell anyone we let you in after we closed. 

That looks like a lot of races to me, but I know people who have done that many or more.  Logistically, I just wouldn't be able to commit to that many races. 

That Grand Canyon hike sounds awesome.  I have never been and am hoping to head out there next year.  Probably no "extreme" hiking since I'll be with the whole family, but hoping I can get my share. 

Better late than never...here's my $0.02; which mirrors JK's

1)  The ABSOLUTE most important thing about which bike you chose is the geometry.  This is more important than the frame material, the brand, etc.  If the cockpit is too long or the headtube angle to steep, etc. it will dramatically affect how you fit on the bike.  Your body is the single biggest factor that creates drag.  Having a bike with a geometry that does not allow you to get into a position that is aero as possible, yet comfortable, will cause you to give up free speed.

2)  The 2nd most important performance enhancement for a bike is clipless pedals.  If you don't have them already (you probabaly do) get them.

3)  The 3rd thing after geometry (aka bike fit) and clipless pedals that will create the most dramatic performance enhancement on the bike is a power meter.  I will tell you that almost all of my athletes want to "upgrade" their bike to "get faster" when what they really need is to get some sort of power meter on their bike.  Once they do, they become very surprised at their performance results when their power meter is used to correctly regulate their workouts (indoor or out).  So, for example, if you have $2k to spend on a new bike, buy a used bike and save 50% ish off retail and spend $1,500 on the bike, then go buy a power meter.  Wired powertaps are excellent entry level powermeters, are extremely accurate, durable, reliable, and can be found 2nd hand already laced into a wheel on craigslist or ebay for dirt cheap (aka $300-$400 or so).

4)  That leads me to my final bike upgrade buying advice....buy a used bike.  Period.  You will get SO much more bang for your buck than buying new from your LBS (sorry LBS owners).  Very very little can go wrong with a bike (unlike a car for example) as bike are very simple mechanical machines.  As long as the frame is in good shape (if carbon...be sure it's not cracked for example) you can put yourself on a machine that you can upgrade over time until you heart's content.  The bike manufactuers want us to believe that the NEWEST bike is BETTER because it's more aero but it's really your body position that play a more significant role in aerodynamics vs the bike itself.

Buying a new bike so SSSSOOOOOO exciting and we all get easily caught up in the marketing hype/bike porn which more often times than not, leads us to spend money in places that will not create the most effective performance enhancement.

Ok.  Maybe that was my $0.30...but I really only meant to pitch in my $0.02. 

Definately not a dumb question, I was going to ask that too.  I have added all of you to my friends list.  At first I thought why join a mentor group, but after thinking about it (for a few minutes) this is a great idea!!  I have people to talk to, compare notes and help me get going when I dont feel like going!  I hope I can be of help to one of you or all of you on here!  Also, anyone from the Chicago area?  Schaumburg here.

I absolutely agree with you about increasing run frequency, John. I used to think that I couldn't run on consecutive days because I needed the time to recover. Then a few years ago I started to increase my frequency and I found that not only did my running get better, but my legs also felt better. I'm careful to follow the "10% rule" about increasing volume, but right now while I am run focused I run 5 days a week and I feel great. When I start into more dedicated tri training, I will have only 3 scheduled runs a week, but I try to throw one short run off the bike into my week. Even if it's only 15 minutes, my legs seem to feel much fresher for my next run.

Peter: I have done the Toughman HIM the past 2 seasons, and it is a great race. The run is very challenging, but there is some nice scenery, and the support on the course is excellent which makes it a lot of fun. The only reason I am not doing it this year is I have another race on the same day.

Steve: Interesting stuff about the power meter. I have thought about getting one in the past, and now you have me thinking more. Maybe I will get myself a birthday present...

John: Yes the Jets have 1 Super Bowl, but that was when I was a kid so that is a long long long time ago

Anthony

True.  And I do feel a little better every time I look at your avatar. 


More seriously, I think that's a great point about running frequency that bear repeating.  A lot of people are nervous about running more because they say they get injured too easily.  Your reaction (before trying it) is fairly typical.  But (when you build into it gradually, of course) running frequently is probably the best way to get your body to adapt to the rigors of running and avoid injuries--for most people, at least.

I live in NW suburbs and ride through Barrington Hills as it's my backyard.  Actually, there are two great SAT rides that I do when the weather breaks (1) hoffman estate and (2) the other meets at Lifetime Fitness in Schaumburg.  Both go through Barrington Hills and typically range between 45-60mi.

I can't wait until the weather breaks...these rides are FUN!

Thanks for the tip on adding more running in.  I am doing my first HIM this July, and I'm wondering if I need to be working on biking volume now?  I am currently just doing base training and strength training to get my endurance established again.  I am meeting with a coach in two weeks to set up a training plan for the summer.  Any advice??

Friends list updated!  Having a problem erasing the BT custom training plan from my logs as I have selected a different training plan.  Any suggestions?  Looking forward to working with everyone in this group!!

Yes, listen to your coach.  There is more than one way to get to your destination but if you try to "collect" advice on the same topic your coach  is providing advice on, you may end up getting yourself all tied up in a knot.  It's best to pick one "source document" that you have vetted and trust and don't look back.

Too many times people pick a training plan (for example) then solicit advice from a coach and from friends and try to incorporate it on top of or replace parts of the plan only to find out they're not sure why things aren't working.

If you choose to use a coach to help you, use him.  If you choose to pick a BT training plan, use it.  If you choose to wing it and get advice from friends, use it.  Try not to mess each up by incorporating several sources and create training stew, it usually doesn't work as well and you will certainly get conflicting information.

Make sense?

I am going to like having Steve around here. 

If you are asking what to do during the next two weeks, I'd just say try to build some frequency in each of the 3 tri sports.  Start getting to the pool 2-3x/wk and do the same for running & biking.  Now is definitely the time to get started for summer races.  You don't have to be putting in 12hr weeks, but you should be building the routine.  Hopefully, after meeting with your coach, you'll have a better idea of what that routine will entail for you.

Is it in your "planned" log?  Try going to your log.  Then hover over "Calendar" (in the bar near the top of the page where it says "jump to:").  Select "Planned" from the list you'll see and then I think there should be a "copy/move/delete" option that will do what you want.  If that doesn't work, you could post your question in the Training Log & Site Support forum.  They are pretty good about helping people through the technical aspects of the site.

Who has had varicose veins?  I dont know if I have them or not.  For the past couple of years I have had this one vein on my left leg pop out really far after running, sometimes it would hurt.  Well, yesterday when running on the treadmill it started to hurt again and noticed that it was swollen out again and the area was about an two inches in diameter.  I tried to stretch it out, rub it out etc.  I finally gave up with my running for the day.  After about an hour the swelling went down and the pain subsided.  Could this be a varicose vein or peripheral artery disease (PAD).

Well, sometimes I can see the veins in my leg better when I run.  But, it has never been associated with any pain.  I would suggest seeing a doctor as diagnosis by internet is inherently dangerous.  Hopefully it is nothing serious.

Thanks, fixed it!
I have a long bike (3.5 hours) followed by a short run today.  Looks like I will be stuck at work all day then family duties tonight.  My thought is to make today my day off and move this workout to Monday on my scheduled training day off.  If it were a smaller workout I would just skip it.  Make sense?

John/Steve/JimmyB,
this goes out to all you IM vets: My Z2 is 120 - 130. Anything above 130 and I'm working HARD. My goal in training right now is to keep it in the 125 - 130, unless I'm going long, then it's 120 - 125, speedwork: 130 +. For race day (yes, a long ways away), I want to maintain that 120-130 range. Is this a good plan/idea? Additionally, any suggestions how to bump my Z2 up from 120 -130 to say, 130-140? Thanks,

1)  First and foremost, what is the sport you are referring to for your z2 of 120-130bpm?

2)  What testing protocol did you use to determine your HR zones?  Describe it so I can get an idea of what we're working with.

3)  What is "HARD" that you mention you feel at 130bpm?  (For example, on a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 for running being an all out sprint for 400m where your arms and legs start tingling and 5 being an easy jog you could sustain for...well...a long time.  For cycling, a 10 would be an out of the saddle totally MAX MAX MAX effort for 15 seconds where you not only cry Uncle, but also see angels with wings in the sky.    )

4)  Your z2 will move from  120-130 up to 130-140bpm as your LTHR draws closer to your max HR; this happens with increased fitness and overall adaptation to higher intensity (aka higher HR) workouts.


Edited by Steve- 2011-01-31 7:16 AM

Ahh, yea, forgot a few details (too early on a Monday I guess).

1. Referring to my bike.

2. Forgot the exact book/formula but this is close: 220 - age (220-43 = 177 , 177 * .60 - .70 = 120 -130)

3. Hard is something that I can maintain for a few minutes, 5 max. My hr goes above 135.

Thanks

Ok, you will not want to use that formula to define your zones because it doesn't adjust for training adaptation.  This formula keeps HR zones static.  (Now I understand why you asked one of your original questions of how to get your HR z2 to go from 120-130 to 130-140.)

There is field testing protocol on this website (from Ricci I think) that works pretty well.  Retest your LTHR on the bike (and run too) following this protocol.  The main things to remember when field testing are:

1)  Ensure you are warmed up sufficiently and do a couple sprint outs at max effort for 5 sec or so to wake up the legs.  Muscles perform much better at their maximum capacity if they are primed and ready; it increases the efficiency of O2 delivery to them and reduces RPE.

2)  GRADUALLY over the first 60-120 sec increase your effort to what you believe you can sustain for the alloted LTHR "all out" testing protocol time (which I believe is 20-30min).  This will help your muscles understand what is being asked from them and not "surprise" them.  This will help you sustain the effort over the time period and keep your muscles from rebelling too early.

3)  Make sure you cool down from your effort (and all workouts for that matter).  This is very important for several reasons one is that as your body will dramatically reduce the amount of cortisol produced if a good thorough cool down is effectuated.

Once you get your LTHR from this testing procotol, you can then define your zones. 

What you'll see is that for a relatively unfit (or just starting to workout after some time away) athlete, their LTHR might be pretty high from the first test and their bike LTHR vs their run LTHR could be extremely similar if not the same.  Over time as the athlete begins to adapt, their LTHR will "settle" down and then the indicator of fitness quickly is NOT their zones changing, but rather their average power (or average distance) covered over the same time period on the same course with identical (or at least similar) environnmental conditions.  (or avg min/mile pace for the run test)

For extremely elite athletes or AGers who are nearing their athletic potential, their LTHR will then begin to creep back up again towards the max HR.

Disclaimer:  It has proven extremely difficult to ascertain maximum HR in athletes due to the fact that mental fortitude plays a much larger role (than previously thought) in executing a max HR test whereby the athlete REALLY reaches his max HR vs the highest HR they achieved.

Edited by Steve- 2011-01-31 7:53 AM