Eriq's Mentor Group - CLOSED (Page 3)

Larchmont, Ryan Hall is the top US marathoner.  

I know what SMART goals are but I haven't been applying it to my recovery, and now is the time.  I have been thinking about what Eriq said about SMART goals and goal setting, and what I'm understanding is that even if I'm not trying to podium (I'm not) and I'm just doing this as a way of being fit, having fun, and challenging myself, I can still better achieve these long term goals by setting specific goals that bring me to those places vs goals like "just finish" or "stay healthy" or "stop getting injured so much."   

I'm the gimp of the team with my herniated disc, and I'm only cleared to swim 30 mins at a time, and bc my previous injury of 2011 was a supraspinatus strain (shoulder), my immediate desire is to not blow out my shoulder, taking me down to like 0 cardio minutes a week.  

So to turn that desire into a specific SMART goal, a good goal might *actually* be a ST goal for my shoulder strength, right?  I could switch from resistance bands to weights (need to try and figure out at gym what would be good weight goal today) and do the PT exercises I have for my shoulder, boosting my shoulder strength (measurable & achievable), and therefore making it less likely I hurt myself in the pool (relevant). And for timeline, I could say I want to be a X lbs (need to figure out what that would be at gym today) by March 1.

Does this sound like a good mini-goal?  Since my *infirmity* puts me in a different category, I figure my goals will have to be smaller milestones towards overall wellness - basically, I'm trying to get myself to ground 0 so I can start training for something in earnest.  

My PT has me doing a ton of core work, more than I normally do - that's the bulk of my ST, and I'm not exactly sure how to measure my achievements on these - maybe make a goal of a 5 minute straight arm BOSU plank or something?  That seems a million years away ...

The swim paddles at the pool I swim at are mostly all broken, so I'm going to order my own.  Anyone have any reccies?  I'm looking at the TYR Catalyst paddles.  

Thx,

Maureen 

Hi my name is Raquel , I lived in England for 11 1/2 years and recently moved to Trinidad and Tobago a year ago.  I did my first triathlon sprint 6 weeks ago and came 3rd in my age group!  I played hockey for Trinidad years ago and I go to the gym 5 to 6 days a week.  I do crossfit twice a week, spinning 4 -6 times a week.  I am totally hooked on triathlons and have no clue where to start, I just keep doing my cross fit and spin.  May I please join this group so I can gain some knowledge and advice on where to begin how to train?

Many thanks

Kind regards

Raquel :-)

Good thing that you don't have to worry about races selling out and what not. That'll give you the flexibility to do what you want and prevent from overuse injuries.

As far as balancing, I've never had such a busy schedule so can't speak from experience. I would suggest however identifying your priority races. Have your A races where you are RACING, then B and C races. Use the races as your training. What better race simulation than an actual race. Practice pacing by effort and not using a GPS watch, practicing doing negative splits, maybe practicing a new nutrition plan, etc. In the end you want to learn from every training/racing day and build on that. I had 15 mile runs every weekend so I could have done a ton of half marathons thru 2012. 

It is the "soft-season" so if you're worried about swim and bike base, then yes, just do more of it. =P

To make your TP account public, go to settings and it's under "social and sharing." Then for individual workouts, make sure the box in the bottom left is clicked for public.

I completely agree that the plans that are available are for the "average" person as you mentioned. It is a good starting point but does need to be tweaked to be specific to the individual. And yes, flexibility is key. Especially if work, family, life, is not consistent, then you really need to be flexible. I'd argue though that you had a plan, just not a specific/very structured one. But I'm sure you thought to yourself about an upcoming week and said to yourself "this day i'll do this, that day i'll do that." I'd still call that somewhat of a plan.

My Ryan Hall reference was to reading an interview (and I could be mistaken here) where he said that he'd pray and whatever God told him to do, that's what he'd do. This led him to overtraining and injuring himself, which led to him missing the NYC marathon and dropping out of the Olympic marathon 10 miles in. And now he has a coach again.

I will offer my quick statement about lifting weights. If you are doing the right amount of weight with the right amount of reps, lifting is going to help you in every aspect of life. I usually lift 3-4 times a week at a moderate effort. I have worked with a personal trainer who does triathlons and he set me up with a good routine, it is 2 sets of light weights with 20 reps each. While I have gained strength with this, I have not gained weight, and my muscle endurance has increased. I feel I am at a great weight (6'1'' 172lbs) but still work on my strength training. I am not trying to start a debate, just stating what I do and the reasons I believe it to be helpful.

I am interested in more strength or power related routines (low rpm high resistance?) that I can do at home on the trainer. I will take any advice.

Maureen, 

I think setting SMART goals is just a better way to hold yourself accountable to doing the work. If I were to say to myself, my goal is to lose 5 lbs. I really don't have to be accountable to that because maybe I'll take 2 months, maybe 2 years.

Being married to a DPT (Dr of Physical Therapy), I know that people don't do the exercises prescribed to them, I hear about it all the time. Honestly, I can't say what to set your goal as I am not your doctor. Switching from bands to weights might be a bad idea. Maybe a better goal would be - "Do my prescribed PT exercises as prescribed." Whether that be an every day thing, a weekly thing, whatever. Specific? It's the exercises given to you. Did I do as many as prescribed? Measured. It's achievable, I'm sure. It's relevant to your recovery. Did I do it everyday as prescribed? Timeline. SMART, all covered. Boom!

Paddles, paddles, paddles. I have them, yes. TYR Catalyst ones. But they need to be used with caution, especially in your case with the previous shoulder injury. Again, don't know the details but maybe stay away from them for a bit. But if you must, get small ones. Ones that aren't too much bigger than the size of your hand. Don't get the big red ones that look like trash can lids, even though it reads on the back that it is recommended for triathletes. IMHO, for most amateur swimmers (that's us), paddles will have minimal impact on the improvement of your swim. You will see more benefit by working on form (keeping your body taunt with good posture, legs streamlined behind you), technique (good high elbow catch and strong pull), and higher stroke rate.

Welcome Raquel to the group. Grats on your AG podium. Do you mind sharing the distances and times with the group for that race?

A good couple questions have already been asked and I've been doling out my opinions/advice so if you haven't already, read thru the whole thread. Get to the know the group and catch up on everything.

Whatever advice you're looking for, ask away and I'll do my best to help.

Thanks for your opinion. I will be the first to admit that what I share here is not the be all, end all. If it has worked for you, then by all means stick with it. That's the beauty of it, there is no one way to get to the finish line. Lots of different means to the same end. What works for one, may not work for the other. Everyone can share their experiences, then take some advice, try it out, and see if it works for you.

As far as bike trainer stuff, do you have a power meter? Not essential, but if you do, that I'd be able to give you some very specific advice. If not, you can still do the workouts, it would just be more difficult to measure with consistency and would just be based on RPE/HR.

I think I'm going to go with the TYR Catalysts.  They work well for reinforcing my catching and pull techniques.  I worked with a swim coach for the past 3 yrs in CO (this is before moving back to Alaska) until shoulder injury, and he had me training with paddles, so I'm just continuing his drills and not overdoing it.  My injury was unrelated to swimming - it was a big fall on an icy hill that involved 3 dogs on leash and a rogue squirrel who was taunting them.    

I wasn't clear about the shoulder PT - I'm a good patient...I swear!  My shoulder PT started in February in CO and went to May when I left for Alaska.  My DPT told me to do the prescribed exercises until July, and that by then, I should be fine.  I did, and I didn't do anything beyond what she told me.  I've continued doing those exercises, but they are really easy now.   What I meant is that I thought I'd take those exercises that she gave me for shoulder strength and bump them up.  For instance, she gave me a lot of exercises that use those resistance bands. When I moved, she sent me off w 3 different bands, and told me to move up to the next band as soon as I could do the prescribed exercises easily and in good form.  I now can do all the exercises easily and comfortably with the thickest band, so I figure I'll bump up to doing them on a machine with some weights.   My insurance is not paying for any more shoulder PT, so I don't have a way to check up on this with a doc, but I'm using my body as a guide and just going to proceed gradually and try to further my shoulder strength to prevent any additional injuries.  Being sidelined is no fun, so I'm not remotely interested in that!

I started swimming again in May, but just a little bit at a time, and I'm still not back up to my normal distances, but I'll get there eventually.  I have only just recently brought swim paddles back into my swimming repertoire after being without them.   I'm still not back to my normal distance, which was usually about 15,000m a week.  For now, I'm doing a combo of swimming and water jogging, but I try to get in at least 500m of laps per session - 1000m if my back and shoulder feel up to it.

Raquel, how do you like T&T?  I lived on St. Kitts & Nevis for 3 years and loved it.   I love open water swimming in the Caribbean - not so much in FL or CA where the water isn't as clear.  

@Eriq-You brought up power meters. Can I get some of the needed data from my speed/cadence sensor and heart rate monitor with my Garmin Forerunner 310XT? My gear "shopping" list seems to be growing, and my budget dwindling! I've already decided I should probably invest in swim paddles, and now power meters??? (Much more expensive than the paddles for sure!) 

What are the strongest benefits you (and anyone else on here) have gotten from using one? 

Thanks!

Danelle

HAHA. Triathlon can get REAL expensive, REAL quick... if you let it. It all depends on your budget and what you're trying to accomplish. You do not need fancy toys to stay healthy and get to the finish line.

Paddles, not 100% on that you need them but like I said, I own some and use them in training, go figure.

Here's the deal with power meters and why so many use it on the bike. It is the only true measurement of output. With HR, there are too many factors that come in to play to measure one workout to the next. There's variations in course, weather, wind, equipment (such as your bike, helmet, clothing), etc. Even on an indoor trainer, there's tire pressure, rolling resistance of said tires, pressure applied by the bike trainer. Power is power is power. How much energy you are exerting onto your pedals will be the same. The speed going into a headwind on an upward slope may be significantly slower than going downhill with a headwind but you can always match the power. And then with HR, you get that gradual climb as the workout progresses. Whatever your HR may be 20 mins into your workout, your HR will almost always be higher 40 mins later, even though the effort may be the same.

With power, it's a great way to compare apples to apples when it comes to bike training. When I was training consistently early in my triathlon career, I was biking about 17mph, whether that be sprint, olympic, or HIM distance. I'd be able to go longer, but always at the same pace. In May of last year I got a power meter and for IMAZ this year, I biked about 19.33mph over the 112 miles, that's including 4 bathroom breaks and a stop at the special needs station. And that was being sick the week of and pushing nearly 15% less watts than planned. I made significant improvements over 6 months or so that I hadn't in the first 3 years of training. Granted, my training was also very different in those 6 months than previous. But having the power meter helped me focus in on that aspect of my training.

But again, do you NEED one to make improvement? Heck no. Will it help? More than likely. But don't break the bank just to get one. It is not necessary and expensive.

Hi I had started unstructured training for sprint triathlon since about a year. I plan to complete my first sprint triathlon in March 2013 & possibly an Olympic tri in Oct 203.

I have been swimming 3000-4500 yds per week for last 6 monhts. I finished my 1st half-marathon ever in Dec 2012 (2:39). Haven't had a chance to road bike much.

I came across the mentor program here and liked your profile as a mentor. As you can guess, triathlon is new to me. Have been working out at gyms and playing tennis all my life. Hoping to get focused on triathlons as a lifestyle to stay healthy. 

Thanks.

Welcome to triathlon! It's very easy to get overwhelmed starting off so hopefully the group can help you out and share some of mistakes and learnings with you. Let me know how I can help.

Thanks, Eriq.  I have not tried using more than one resistance band at once, but I will try it tonight when I head to the gym.

Yes, I ordered the small yellow paddles. I'm interested in focused technique work for a few hundred yards each session - not hurting my shoulder with the big reds.  

Eriq,

You are very active and offer great suggestions, thanks.

I am mounting profile aero bars, and have read I should move my seat forward....I see 3 inches at best by moving my seat forward on the slider bars?  Does this make sense or do I need a new post? Any guidance here?  My goal is to practice while inside on the trainer so I am used to the forward position when the snow melts.

Welcome to everyone! I enjoy reading the stories, successes, challenges and goals. 

Did anyone else laugh at all the people at the gym today that you have never seen before?  I kept smiling at a 75 year old man on the rowing machine as I did an indoor run.  He smiled once and then wouldn't look at me until he was done and I cheered for him.  I hope he and all the new years resolutions people stick with their plans.

Jeff

For those looking to improve their run, I recommend reading this article. steep hill sprints

Like I have suggested in a few previous posts, functional strength training can be very beneficial to your training. And to quote my coach, "higher intensity, short volume = strong muscules for longer efforts." Instead of adding a whole other workout to your already busy schedule, just turn up the intensity on one of your runs. You'll get the anaerobic and aerobic benefit in one workout.

If you can't find a steep hill, 6-8% grade, you can do somewhat longer efforts on a lesser grade. I do anywhere between 30-60 sec efforts on a 5% grade right by my house. I warm up for about a mile that ends right at the bottom of the hill. Then give it a go!

Thanks, Jeff! I appreciate it. I hate asking a question and then anxiously waiting a response so I do my best to reply back ASAP. Plus, I'm almost always close to a computer to be able to respond. I also clicked the link at the bottom of the thread for update notifications. So I know when someone else has posted.

Generally speaking, yes you should move your saddle forward. If you don't, you will more than likely be very stretched out when in aero, due to the geometry of most road bikes, and feel off balance because of it. Not sure if you'd need a new seatpost. Slide it forward and post a pic (side view) with you on your bike and I can take a quick, unscientific look at your position and give you my opinion. Typically you'd want your forearm and upper arm around 90-110 degrees. Also, if your aero bars allow it, you could slide them back to accomodate the reach.

Hi Eriq the age group was 35 and over it was a sprint, 300 m swim, 10k bike ride and 5 k run.  Did not d any swim training just went staright into it with spin and cross fit training.  Was hard but loved every second of it.  Now I am very hooked and want to do this seriously not sure how i will work it around all teh cross g=fit spinning and hockey training but i will work it out :-)

PS how do i know that I have recieved a message?

went into it with no swim training, huh? interesting. and yes, it will be difficult but im sure you can squeeze stuff in. im not sold on the whole cross fit thing helping out endurance athletes. it can see it being a supplement to training but i do not see it replacing endurance/aerobic training.

i watched the cross fit games world championship or whatever on tv and the first day was a sprint tri. these were the fittest cross fit people in the world, right? they gave athletes fins for the swim and even with fins some people had really slow times and some even dropped out. then people were walking their bikes (was more of a cyclecross course but many were walking their bikes in ridable parts). and then the run was a walk-a-thon more than anything.

and what do you mean about the message? if you mean when there is an update to the thread or reply to your post, go to your settings and change your notification settings. also, at the bottom of this thread, there should be a box that reads, "toggle email notification"

x1 on hill sprints.  They're painful, but quite beneficial.  The other benefit of doing hill sprints is that when you run on a flat road/path, it almost seems as if you're running a bit downhill (at least it does for me).  I found that I'm noticeably faster and get winded less easily on long training runs if I'm regularly/semi-regularly doing hill sprints.  Hills does the body good.

I didn't start out with the intention of becoming a triathlete, I just wanted to get in shape, so my training may not be well structured. Looking at my training log since July when I started logging my workouts I have been doing about 44% bike, 24% swim, 24% run and 8% strength (based on minutes). I usually work out about 3-5 days/week for about 45-60 minutes. I don't really have a structured plan beyond that but I vary my distances and sometimes focus on one activity and other times do bricks.

My first goal is to get in shape and stay in shape. My second goal is to compete in 3 or 4 sprint tri's and 3 or 4 5k's per year and be competitive (top 25 to 30 %) for my age group. Although I haven't competed yet I believe right now I can finish a sprint and individually I can probably swim a half mile in the pool in about 15-18 minutes, my 5k PR is 23:16, and I should be able to do a 13 mile bike ride in 35-40 minutes. My goal for a sprint tri is 1:45, stretch goal is 1:30. I am 47 years old.

Without going into detailed workout plans am I on track with my approach and goals or do I need to make some adjustments?

Thanks!