Erin's "Insanity is Relative" Group - CLOSED (Page 3)

Welcome Brittany, Jamie, and Kevin!  And with that, this group is closed!  Great goals everyone!

As a reminder, please be sure to add everyone in the group to your friend list (or whatever its called).  That way we can check out each others logs and leave little electronic high fives!

Also: I LOVE seeing all the swimmers in here.  Awesome!

Running and myself have not had a very good history.  I first started running for weight loss (and it actually worked!) but then I got a very nasty case of ITBS to the point where it hurt all the time and I actually quit running for years.  Then I was tricked into doing the Disney Half (which I DNS'd with a broken foot) in Jan 2008.  My first half marathon was in Jan 2010, in preparation for two HIMs I had that spring.  I signed up with a USA Fit club, started training in June 2009, and honestly, really didn't like running at all.  Most runs were a struggle and I was pretty crabby that I had never experienced a runner's high.  It wasn't until mile ~5 of the half marathon where I actually was having a fun time WHILE running.  It was amazing.  At that moment, I finally became a runner.  It was literally like a switch was flipped and ever since then, I have more good runs than I have bad ones.  So, just keep with it.  I promise that one day you'll have a great run and you'll finally get it. (I may or may not still be on my running high from yesterday)

Kelly - what sort of distance would you like for a swim workout?  I have shorter 1500 ones and a ton of 3000 ones.

Katie - I have a manditory rest day every Monday.  And my training schedule is 2 weeks build with the 3rd week as recovery, where I have 3-4 days easy.  But every weekend is heavy (up until my race in June).  I was doing a 4 week cycle with 3 weeks build, 1 week easy, but that 3rd week was hard and I'm not sure I was doing quality workouts.  This stuff is very individual, so play around with build/rest weeks and see what works for you.

Britt - what kind of group are you looking to join?  I've been on tri clubs ever since I started and they're great.  Especially for running and cycling - its just so much nicer when you're with a group of people.  Most clubs also have swimming workouts.  I personally prefer a Masters team for swimming.  My experience with tri clubs swim workouts is that they're focused only on freestyle and simply getting in distance.  Masters is more skill oriented and you get more variety.  You may also want to take a few private swim lessons if you're worried about technique. With group workouts, you will get some help (honestly, it depends on the coach) but you may not get the attention that you need/want.

Jamie - a reverse tri with a pool swim.... interesting, I've never heard of such a thing.  My best guess is that you'd have to stop and group up with similarly paced people for the swim, so you'd do the 400 m in one lane circle swimming.  Or you'd do a snake swim, where you go one at a time (usually 10 seconds apart) and "snake" your way across each lane.  I'm sure the race instructions will give you some detail.  They won't ever stick 100 people in the pool all at the same time without some sort of structure.

Erin- thanks for the quick reply!  Gosh, I usually swim around 2200yds for my workouts now, which works out well since it takes me around an hour depending on what's involved.  I suppose I could add an extra set on a 1500 swim, or take one out of a 3000 swim workout.  I actually plan to swim tonight, so I'd love anything you send me.  I'll figure something out.

Actually, it was your swimming history that drew me to your group.  I see so few people come from swimming to triathlon, compared to runners and cyclists.  Standing in the water at my aquathlon/triathlon last October, I was depressed to hear everyone whining about how much they hate swimming and how they just want to get it out of the way.  The swimming is the best part!!!  Come on, how many people get to see the Brooklyn Bridge or the Statue of Liberty from the water, IN the water??!?!?  Even a lot of triathlon training stuff I read likes to say how little time I should spend swimming.  And yes, I'll take your word for it that a runner's high is in my future. 

my goals this week:

monday...weight training (***ok i didn't lift, but I did get in 14 miles on the bike ***)

tuesday..cycling(15/20 miles, depends on how many bridge loops i get in) or swimming

wednesday... weight training

thursday...cycling, bridge loops for an hour

friday...rest

saturday...cycling/swimming brick (cycle 15 miles, swim, 500 yards)

My goal this week (Apr 16 - 22) is to resume exercising / training. No more excuses (be they healh, which I am mostly recovered, work, or otherwise). I plan on hopping on the (new!) treadmill tonight and then I would like to get in 2 swims, 1 bike & 1 add'l run this week.

~ ~ ~

As someone who is new to triathlons, I am finding that setting a training schdule (using BT and a book that I have as a base) can be pretty overwhelming... or even seeing the training schedule of others who are able to commit to lots of workouts per week. What would be a really basic training schdule to stick to? I do plan on working up to training 5 days/week (before work!) plus 1 weekend session... but right now I need to get back into a routine and realistically cannot just jump into 5 early-morning workouts. Any advice?

Now that the snow is melting (and yes, we had another snowfall just this weekend) and I have my bike back from the shop, I need to get out there and get comfortable on my bike. Two questions...

• At what hight should the handlebars be set at?
• The padding on my handlebars is old and not very good feeling - what could I do to fix it up, add better cushion, etc.?

Erin - A 1500 swim workout would be about the longest I've ever swam in a day... there's a reason I like sprint tris  I probably did a few 1000+ workouts back when I was in shape but 1500 seems extreme.  LOL.  Of course I may enjoy my swim leg if I swam longer lengths?!  At this point to swim laps I have 10minute long adult-swim windows on the weekends at the pool or need to rise early.  Since my 450yd workout in my 10 minutes yesterday wore out my arms/shoulders I probably don't need to wake early yet for more time!

Jamie - I've done a supersprint a couple times where we ALL jump into the pool at the same time and it's a churning mosh pit.  The swim leg was "only" a 100yd but it was a battle scene.  I'd guess with the reverse tri you'd do a snake swim.

Niki - when I did an eleven week couch to sprint program, the workout schedule started with 5 days a week (3 days workout, rest, 2 days workout, rest) for the first 4 four weeks, then went to one rest day a week.  That made easing into the program a little easier.  As I recall I made both rest days fall on weekdays as it was easier to find workout time on the weekends.

I had a good run this morning - while I was sad my pace was not improved over last run, I did a trail run and conquered some hills and enjoyed the wildflowers.. and mud.  I guess those could slow a girl down

Cynthia

Niki - when I was starting out, my training schedule was approximately like this:

Monday - masters swim AM, pilates PM

Tuesday - run

Wednesday - masters swim AM, spin class PM

Thursday - run

Friday - off or masters swim AM

Saturday - long-ish run (usually 5-6 miles)

Sunday - long-ish bike (usually 28 miles)

Every 4th week, I would have an easy week and wouldn't do the 2x workout on Monday and Wednesday and I'd maybe cut one of the week-day runs.

If you belong to a gym or are in a tri club, try to build your schedule around group workouts.  I find I am much more accountable if I'm exercising with others.  Basically, you need to come up with something that's realistic for you to do.

As for the bike... have you had a bike fit done?  I can't speak to your handlebar height (I have a tri bike with aerobars, and it was all set up by the bike fit tech).  For the padding, are you wearing gloves?  You could do cushier bar tape, but I would think it would break down pretty quickly.  Again, I'm not an expert on this since I have a tri bike and rarely use my drops.  If you want to do your own bar tape, watch some YouTube videos for DIY or you could take it into your local bike shop and have them do it for you.

Hi Erin,

Thanks for the tip re building & tapering my training weeks.  I'll give it a go especially as I have my first Try a Tri in just 6 weeks 5 days time!  I took Monday of as a rest day and tried not to feel guilty about it.  Think I'll take every Monday off too as that seems to work for me schedule wise.  I see you do Pilates.  I'm a Pilates teacher so try to fit in at least 3 sessions per week for myself - one of them on my rest day.  I find it helps SO much with core strength for the running and swimming.

Kelly - I fit all my training as part of my weekly schedule too.  I find it makes me more committed and if I don't tick off one of the training sessions I feel that I've let myself down so I try to make sure I stick to it as much as is humanly possible.  Running is my weakest discipline so I get that out of the way at 7am in the morning so that I can feel good about the fact that I've been out there and done it already and am prepared for the day ahead.

Happy training everyone!

I LOVE SWIMMING TOO!!

Never thought I would but I do!

Always swam breast-stroke and found it so boring.  Finally started front-crawl just 6 weeks ago after a couple of lessons and am now loving it.  It really helps enormously with my asthma too.  Just 3 weeks ago I was still having to stop for a breather after every 25m.  At lunch-time today I swam my Try a Tri distance of 400m straight off without stopping - one of my goals for this week ticked off the list!   Then did another 400m without stopping and then finished off with 4 x 50m of speed work (well, MY version of speed work!).  I'm super chuffed and like you other guys here I can't understand why so many triathletes hate this part of the competition.  I think it's starting to look as though it'll be my favourite bit. 

Also did a 6km run at 7am this morning.  It was minus 3c so I thought my run would be terrible but it actually went quite well and I did an average of 8.43km/h.  Still really slow compared to you guys I know but up until recently I was only averaging 7.8km/h!  So progress is slowly being made and I am super chuffed.  Erin, it looks like that rest day yesterday helped!

Not only is Insanity relative but progress and fitness is relative too so no matter what levels you guys are all at I think you're ALL fantastic and should be proud of yourselves and of your achievements in both training and competition.

Rest days/weeks ARE important!  My coach would always tell me that rest is your body's chance to absorb all the work you've done in the weeks prior. 

First ride in months (and months) - new roadie on the trainer.  20 minutes while the kids played nearby.  I wanted to quit at 15 mins but had planned on 20 so I told myself - "you can quit now but then need to do 10 minutes later to makeup for it."  So I finished rather than having to plan on a whole other session later; good thing my inner-coach is so mean.  I hope to put some actual road time on it on Saturday.

I really felt my triceps - wonder how much is leftover muscle fatigue from the Sunday swim and how much is adjusting to the bike.  It has a more aggressive geometry than my bike that was stolen, so in addition to simply re-finding my "seat" after months away I am simply in a whole new position.   

Then I pulled dandelions and cut down a volunteer tree that some bird had dispersed.  Now to pay attention to my sick DS.

Hope all are getting in good workouts!

Cynthia

Ok, I finally have a chance to give my bio, so here it is.

NAME: Cutlass454 (Kevin)

STORY: I did my first triathlons back in 2009, all sprint distances.  As I started training in 2010, I decided to do some Tae Kwon Do with my son.  Bad idea on my part.  The repetitive kicking motion flared up the arthritis in my right knee so bad that it would balloon up to twice normal size after trying to run any distance longer than 1/2 mile.  Quit training and did four months of physical therapy.  It didn't really help much.  After several consults with my orthopedic surgeon, the final solution was arthroscopic surgery to clean out the knee.  Did that in February of last year.  Took up mountain biking seeing that my orthopedic would not endorse me to run again.  Decided that I missed the competition and training, so I'm slowly attempting to get back into the swing of things.

FAMILY STATUS: Married for 13 years now and have two kids.  My son is 9 and daughter is 6.

CURRENT TRAINING:  For about 6 weeks now, I've been running with my son as we are planning on running a 5K coming up in a month (Fifth Third River Bank Run in Grand Rapids, MI).  My main focus so far has been on running, which is my weakest event.

2011 RACES: No triathlons, but did do a couple mountain bike races.

2012 RACES:  Confirmed / Regisgtered - Fifth Third River Bank Run 5K (May 12), Warrior Dash West Michigan (September 15).  Yet to register - Grand Rapids Triathlon, Tri Del Sol, Millennium Park Triathlon, Reeds Lake Triathlon.

WEIGHTLOSS:  Due to lack of training over the past three seasons, I am currently at an all time high (245#).  During peak training back in 2009, I was just under 210, so I'm looking to lose around 30-40 pounds.

Hey Tri,

My wife seems to struggle with breathing when exercising as well, she's been using a powder with arginine as the main ingredient and it seems to help her when we run, I'll get the label information and send it to you in a pm.

Just focus on your training, the times will improve over time, compete against yourself and don't worry about anyone else on the course.

Most of all just have fun with it!

Marty

What are people's thought regarding the lenght of workouts / training sessions?

As I have a competitive swimming background, I am used to longer workouts. However, a few of my co-workers go swimming on their lunchbreaks. I would only be able to get in a 30min workout, but it is something that might fit into my schedule better (especially in the next 6 weeks as my office is preparing to move locations, which is no small feat).

Kevin - have you done the Warrior Dash previously?  My husband and I did it together last Fall it is was an absolute blast to do with him.  I've done MuddyBuddy previously too with is also a lot of fun - and required a buddy.

Niki - My training sessions are always catch as catch can mixed among kids' activities... and on the shorter side since I'm coming off the couch and working only to sprint distances.   Use what time you have and adjust workouts to fit the hole.  a 30 minute swim is better than a 0 minute swim

I am very pleased with my run today!!  I ran a mile straight - no wogging!!  Then I must have been too excited because my next mile pace was about the same, but needed wogging, so I was pushing too hard and needing the walk.  But SOOOOOO pleased to have the nice easy happy first mile.  (And surprised the next mile's pace was so close to the first despite the walking) Yeah me!  I needed this too as yesterday I cut my run short as the heat (80*) was too draining on me.  Glad to have a better day today.  I need to acclimate to the heat too!

Cynthia

Hi everyone

Marty - big thanks for your words of support.  Be interested in the details on the arganine powder.  As long as it's 100% natural! 

Niki - I'm with Cynthia regarding workouts.  If you're pushed for time 30 minutes is definitately better than 0 minutes.  Don't forget, a short but high quality workout can sometimes be far more beneficial than a long slog with not much achieved other than length after length after length without much focalisation on technique etc. 

Cynthia - First of all I'm jealous of your 80c weather!  It's really cold and very rainy over here in France this week.  Perhaps I'll move to the States!  Huge congratulations on running your first mile!  I'm a non-runner too and I know exactly how fantastic every improvement feels.  Like Kelly says, we battle with our inner voices telling us to walk all the time and it's a great sense of achievement to overcome that.  My improvements are very slow but when they come I'm ecstatic.  I'm still dreaming of hitting the 9km per hour mark and I shall definitely be celebrating if and when that moment arrives! 

Enjoy your weekend training everyone.

Just went to fill in my training log for yesterday and realised I've been completely rubbish at completing it.  There's loads of days with no logs at all so guess what one of my goals for next week is - remember to flipping well fill out my training log!!!

I'm doing my brick session tomorrow morning.  Trying to do a bike to run every Saturday morning.  Erin - would you recommend doing bricks more often?

Katie - I really wouldn't worry about doing bricks more often than once a week, if that.  I would say try to do 3-4 of them prior to your race and you should be ok.  A bit part of the brick is getting your legs used to that crazy feeling of running straight off the bike.  Once you get used to that feeling, you are pretty much good to go.

I prefer shorter, intense bricks.  Say a 1 hr ride with intervals (high heart rate, hills, etc), followed by a 15-20 minute run, just to get your legs moving.  For sprints, I'd say only running 1-2 miles off the bike is PLENTY for training.

Finally, it depends on how you feel when you're on the run portion of the brick.  If you feel awful and your form is breaking down, then I'd say skip the brick and work on fitness.  You don't want to run very often when your form is bad - that's a good way to develop bad habits.  But some people's runs feel awesome after the bike - in that case, it probably doesn't hurt to do them more often.

How's that for a not very specific answer?

For me personally (training for a 70.3), I do a short intense brick on Tuesday every week (except recovery weeks) and I'll do a long brick (2-2.5 hr bike, 1 hr run) about every other week.  But that's more because I'm focusing on bike fitness and I have to fit the running in somewhere or it just won't happen.

I think the running is more of a function of the following:

1) your legs are nice and warmed up from the bike ride

2) your feet are used to moving at a higher pace on the bike (rpm) than your normal cadence on the run.  So even though your legs feel like lead your feet want to move faster than normal.

As for my long bricks, its all due to IMTX training last year.  Last year a typical weekend was: Saturday - either a 4k m swim /4.5 hr bike or a 4.5 hr bike / 1-1.5 hr run; Sunday - 6 hr bike.  I'm very happy for my lower training volume this year, but its because I'm racing half the distance.

the prediction for the weekend is 97*!!!  I don't want that.  It hit 91 today but it was my rest day.

Of my training plan (sun to Sat) I have left to put some real miles on my bike and a swim.  I think the swim will be easy, I'll live at the pool this weekend-- but bike?  We'll see how early I rise and if I get to it!  Gah.  Need a shady miles-long track!

Happy weekend all!

Cynthia

the prediction for the weekend is 97*!!!  I don't want that.  It hit 91 today but it was my rest day.

Of my training plan (sun to Sat) I have left to put some real miles on my bike and a swim.  I think the swim will be easy, I'll live at the pool this weekend-- but bike?  We'll see how early I rise and if I get to it!  Gah.  Need a shady miles-long track!

Happy weekend all!

Oh wait, I wanted to ask too - a post on tri talk reminded me of the heartrate training model -- anyone follow it and have success?  I didn't last go around but have the Garmin with heart strap so could...

Cynthia

Hi guys!  I whooped myself good this weekend.  I think I need another weekend to recover from this one!

How did you guys do for your goals last week?

What are your goals for this week?