Birkierunner's group - CLOSED (Page 3)

You're IN Tracie!  Glad to have you join us!  Four kids....I can't even imagine.....

Everyone should enter their planned races using the BT race directory feature so that you can potentially learn of other BT'ers doing the same race in your area.

n=13  getting close.....

Also, I used the beginner half ironman plan last year and enjoyed it.  After going through my first long-course 20 week plan I started to see a lot of the patterns and planning strategies that were designed into that plan.  I had done a lot of reading on these topics, but it wasn't until I actually went through the plan that things really started to make better sense.

I am currently waffling between using the free IM plan or the membership only IM plan to train for my first full ironman.  The free one is based on RPE and the other is based on HR.  Anyone use either of these and have any feedback (good or bad)?

I'm not a doctor...but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night....well, not really, but I have stayed at one in the past year....I think

This is exactly why I asked this question...I need suggestions for a good pale ale/IPA...love pale ales.  Although, I have to admit I will often drink a good ole' Samuel Adams regular lager.

I tend to keep Sierra Nevada Pale Ale handy, but the New Glarus Organic Pale Ale is good as far as locals.  Have heard good things about Capital too. A local liquor store is good about finding hard to get beers so I'll ask about Uerige.  Thanks!

I am curious to hear what others say about the RPE vs. HR training. I dabbled in HR last year prior to my knee problems (re) occurring, but hung up my HRM after that and haven't touched it since.

Beer... now that's a topic! I love the hoppy/bitter beers, too. I like Pilsner Urquell, which they sell in most grocery stores now. Jever is a beer from northern Germany that is delicious, but very hoppy, do you know that one, Scott? It sounds like you have spent some quality time in Germany.  Otherwise, I am usually game to try any microbrews offered on draft, but I try to steer clear of the ones with very high alcohol content. 

Hey Jim...Is it too late to jump in....Have lurked around your site and have enjoyed your training and such.  Have tried to jump to longer races but am limited to shorter sprints bc of xc and track and field coaching....my kids' in-season is my off- season.   Need help in getting in onto longer races other than sprints..

Let me know if not too late to jump in.

Marcelo

Hello.  Can I join this group?  Total Tri Newb.

Name :  NeverEnough/Mike

Here is my Story:

41 years old.  The extent of my involvement in sport was Golf for the last 22 years.  A lot of golf.....125+ rounds last year.  I was obsessed with it....lived it, breathed it, dreamed about it.  I am married with two daughters (9 & 11) and just realized that I had reached my mediocre potential with golf, I was tired of chasing a ball around a field for hours on end, and I was tired of it consuming my entire weekend, every trip I went on, vacation, and wallet.   

I lost 40 pounds a couple of years ago.....started running in late 2010.  Wanted to run 5 miles without stopping before I turned 41 so I signed up for a 10k 3 days before my birthday.  Beat my goal time, felt good about myself and several people told me I should do a "half".  I was 100% convinced I would never run that far.....zero desire to do that.    Well....I ran 3 halfs in 7 weeks in October and November and have 8 weeks left in my training for my first full marathon in March.   Knowing I would not want to stop there (hence the screen name NeverEnough) I bought a bike two weeks ago, registered for 3 sprints, 1 olympic, and a half at the end of the year.   

I am a sponge....I research the heck out of everything and try to absorb as much information as possible.  Just as golf consumed my life......Triathlon has replaced it.....and running is inexpensive, bikes on the other hand.....well, thats my new golf.

Not sure what else I am supposed to include....but thats my story....I am a tri addict.    Think I would fit in to this group?

Favorite Quote:  Anything worth doing, is worth overdoing!

Sorry,  guess I forgot the most important part.  My name is Jessica.

I spent most of December with pneumonia and I've had pretty painful ribs from coughing for the last few weeks.  I was really happy to get in a good run today.  I was able to get back up to the pace I had been running prior to getting sick and my ribs were actually feeling pretty good.

Jessica

Beer first...Surly Furious. If you love hops, this is it. MN microbrew, only in cans and kegs.

I also am curious about HR training--especially since I hear that to build a strong base you need to train aerobic. The mathematical calculators for max HR are way off for me--I average a sprint tri at what they tell me is max. 

I haven't used a plan religiously except for running only plans.  I've read articles on BT and other tri websites and magazines. But I kind of make it up by doing the workouts others in my club do. If it's Monday, it must be master swim, Tues. we're cycling 10 mi time trial, let's do an OWS on Friday am, etc.  Not very scientific.

If anyone has used the BT plans, I'm curious about what the difference is between the levels: bronze, silver, gold and what you've thought about the ones you've used.

I have used the plans in the past and have had pretty good luck with them (I've been silver level most of my time on BT).  Now I usually have a plan in there, but I actually follow a more specific plan suited to my personal attributes/goals/time availability, so what I will record doesn't necessarily match my training plan.  I have heard of quite a people successfully utilizing the plans in BT though.  

The main difference in the plans if level of detail and # of choices as you move up through the levels (bronze/silver/gold)

I hope you can squeeze one more in lol

Names Eddie

Story: To start im still relatively new to the sport being that I'm entering my 3rd full season at the meager age of 20/21, birthdays in the middle of the summer. I was the small fat kid through much of my childhood and begrudgingly started running in 8th grade, 13 years old. In the years after i just stayed the same, grew a little but was always the slow relatively chubby kid, 5'6" 160lb, who gave it his all but could just never find success. When i found triathlon everything changed, I found a new passion and a new dream. I've been training and competing excitedly, finding a new love with swimming and biking while invigorating my love of running. I've seen vast improvements in my health, dropping 32lb to a lean 128lb now, diet, and times. It's been a dream of mine to compete and finish an ironman triathlon which i will be doing at Lake Placid on my 21st birthday, July 22, 2012

Family Status: living at home and eternally single

Current Training: building up basic endurance, swimming 2x biking 3x and running 2x a week

This Years Races: Kings Park 15K, LI half Marathon, Montauk Olympic triathlon, Ironman Lake Placid, Tobay Triathlon and Huntington Triathlon

2011 races: very odd yet solid year with the Great Southbay triathlon, Summer series races, Smith point Tri, Tobay tri was cancelled due to Irene, Mighty Hamptons, Huntington, Cedar Beach, Carl Hart Du and vets day 4K. All racing was done on Long Island and i race a lot though early races are used for more training and enjoying than anything.

2012 Goals: work on my cycling, i just got a powertap, work on race nutrition and finding a balance between school, potential job, social life and training.

I may speak at length though but it because I'm real excited for 2012!

Sweet...we now have 17 peeps.  I think that's a wrap, so I'll close the group for now.  As I mentioned, my laptop crashed and I'll only have limited computer use this weekend.

Welcome to the group Mike, Tracy, and Eddie!!  If you haven't posted a bio yet please do so when you get a chance.  I hope I can keep up with questions from 17 people!!   With a group this size we should be able to create a lot of mojo for the upcoming season.

Tracy...maybe I'll see you on Main St. in Hayward on Feb 25...this will be my 15th Birkie.  Lets hope we get more snow by race day. 

Beer.  Best is free...  I'll drink any beer as long as it doesn't say lite (unless it's free).  Local brews and specialty beers are best on draft/draught  never quite the same out of a bottle. If I'm at a restaurant I'll usually order whatever sounds the thickest and heaviest.  Guinness is for babies.

I have been admittedly lax about putting together real triathlon training plans.  I have Fitzgeralds book and Going Long but every time I crack them open I get a little blah about how much detail they go into.  200 this, 200 that, 50 this, 10 minutes of that.  So yes I do need to sit down and put some real work into my plan.  I don't follow recipes in the kitchen either.   The beginner BT plan looks like a good staring point.  I think I can take that and modify it to my liking.

Pool:  The local middle school pool is open for open swim at odd hours.  wed and fri from 8-9 p.m and sat morning for a couple of hours.  I do fit those times in on occasion especially when April/May comes around. but in general I can't(won't?) make myself go there during the off season.  I could pay $70/ month for the health center to use their lap pool, but all I need them for is the pool and I can't justify the expense.

Ugh.  My wife is just getting over pneumonia too.  They found it in both lungs. She was miserable.  Glad to hear your energy levels are starting to return.

Ran 5 miles and swam 600 yards yesterday. My right shoulder started hurting so I ended the session a little earlier than planned. The shoulder was still sore and stiff this morning. Went  to the doctors in the aftrernoon and was told I have a touch of Bursitis. No swimming until shoulder is better, most likely 2 to 3 weeks.

At this time I'm planning to use an olympic distance plan from Triathlete Magazine's Week-By-Week Training Guide by Matt Fitzgerald. I like that the plans tell me exactly what to do in each session. I already know that putting together my own plan doesn't work for me yet.

I am also looking at the BT plans. I'm not a member yet so I can't see the whole plan but have a good idea of how they work from viewing the first 2 weeks. The Silver Level looks as if it is the closest to what I need.

How is everyone's Saturday going so far? I swam 1000 yds yesterday with my husband.

Nothing on the schedule for me today. I just got back from watching and cheering at the Charleston Marathon. It was very cold (for us), in the mid-30s, but clear and pretty. This is the 2nd time this race has been run, and there were around 4,000 runners between the half and full marathons. It was an early start for us, since my daughter was volunteering and had to be at her aid station by 6 am. My sister was running her first marathon, and so we hung out until the start. I crossed a few blocks over to cheer for her after mile 2, and then went to my car to drive up and catch her again around mile 6 or 7. After that, I had to go pick up my daughter and take her to the finish line where she handed out medals. I met the rest of the family (my husband and other 2 kids, brother-in-law and 2 kids and his parents) and we caught up to my sister around mile 20 and then again at the finish line.

I'll try to put in a picture of our cheering section.

Sounds like fun....as a reminder, I have only been running.  Just got a bike two weeks ago....had not done any swimming (laps) in a very long time (since I was a kid!!).  Ran 21 Miles yesterday...a record for me......managed to get 1,000 done in the pool this morning (boy do I have work to do.....that is an entirely different kind of exhaustion, I think I need to learn to breath better while swimming.  I felt like I could not take in enough oxygen to keep up with what my body was using in the short moment you have to take in a breath.  Any advice?)

Came home from swimming and cranked out a little over an hour on the bike trainer.  Between yesterday and today I feel like I can have a few beers while I watch the Olympic Marathon Trials and then some football.  

Hope everyone has a great Saturday!

EDIT:  Why do people wear compression sleeves on the run.  Noticed a few during the Olympic Marathon Trials.     And....is there a way to bookmark a thread (specifically this one) so I can get to it without searching?  

Ran 8 miles this AM in the dark to start and when the sun came up it started to snow and was about 14 degrees.  Got the cold weather clothing almost right--just cold cheeks. Yesterday did about 1500 yds in master swim and took a spin class. All good!

Here's a question--what's everyone's favorite post workout refuel?

I like bananas and choc milk or a clif mojo bar with choc and raisins.

COngratulations on your run! That's awesome. And your swim too. When I started swimming I couldn't go 50 yards without huffing and puffing and couldn't imagine doing 1000! So good for you!
A lot of  swimming efficiency is about technique. Are you kicking really hard? That's what got me out of breath. I barely kick at all now, I just kick enough to rotate my hips. 

It really helped me to watch Total immersion swim videos--even the free ones on Youtube. Here's an example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJpFVvho0o4