marmadaddy's Group - FULL (Page 3)

Mets! And whoever is playing the Yankees!! , unless they are playing in the Sawks, in which case I wouldn't be too upset to see a meteor hit the field, as long as no fans, vendors, or grounds crew are hurt. 

Pats fans don't get upset. We don't get hot under the collar. We don't throw down. We just quietly go about our business and do what needs to be done.

This is a good time for a check in. How's everyone feeling? Good? Sore? Irritable? Tired? Energized? What's up?

Impatient I want to start competing, but do realize that the more I prepare, the better I will perform.

Nervous  What if I suck at this? Also, how will treadmill running affect me once I run on streets/pavement?

Pissed Not dropping weight as quickly as hoped/planned.  Clothes  definitely fit better and people asking me how much weight I lost, but weight is same.

Overall I feel pretty good about myself and my training.  Like I blogged earlier, I actually got out of a nice warm bed 1 hour earlier than I needed to just to get my trainer time in.

One question for Mike or group: Majority of bike time is on trainer, any experience with how much slower actual road biking is then trainer? (I realize environmental factors play a role, but just any experiences).  I've only had 1 outdoor ride so far.  Thanks!

Seconded. If you have the resources ($), a bike fitting is in order. If you bought the bike there recently, this should be gratis.

Mike:

Question about Plan times.

Some days my plan tells me to run 14 minutes and everything I used to hear tells me that 20 min should be minimum exercise...I guess I just need some re-assurance that 14 minutes is okay for swim/run times. 

Thanks.

The hosts on Good Morning Poughkeepsie and other similar media outlets like to have incredibly general, unprovable health statistics to throw around. It gives them something authoritative sounding to say about a subject that gets peoples attention, but it also allows them to avoid responsibility for the advice. How to do this? Repeat what "they" say. Who are "they"? No idea, no one will own up to being a card carrying member. And with good reason.

The 20 minute minimum is promoted by "they". "They" also advocate drinking 8 glasses of water a day and not swimming for 30 minutes after you eat.

If you're looking to get the absolute minimum amount of exercise in you possibly can and still tell yourself that you "work out" then 20 minutes 3 times a week is supposedly the threshold.

However, if you want to train for a sprint triathlon and you're coming off the couch, then following a training plan based on the principles of periodization in exercise is a good idea. This will have varying lengths of workouts. Some will be longer, some will be shorter, but each with a distinct purpose. Longer workouts are frequently for building endurance. Shorter ones can be for recovery/speed/strength/endurance or even mental training. They may be shorter than 20 minutes, but that doesn't mean it's without purpose or value, as long as you're doing the other workouts as well.

There's an old Far Side cartoon that says Bernie Horowitz is the "They"..so whenever someone questions who we heard facts from, we always say "Bernie Horowitz"

Thanks for the spanking...I'm becoming better at taking direction, but sometimes I just feel so good and want to keep going and I get impatient with the weight loss (or lack of)...yadda yadda yadda...

Hey Hannahs-

Welcome Back!!!  I love watching EPL Football!! (Soccer). Not really partial to any team, would rather see a well played match, but I do favor Arsenal..just like the way it sounds and the Frenchman.(Henry?) They still haven't figured out how to make it work over here.

Just checking in with everyone else...Spring events are coming quickly!!!

Was wondering about the following... I'm planning to start the 3x balanced spring program, the week of 1/29.  My first race is 5/20.  I think, that by the 29th, I'll probably have a 55 minute bike base, 25 minute run, 1200 yard swim.

Those bases are higher than the assumed bases for the plan (1000-40-20).  Should I up the minutes that I do, or just stick to the plan?  I made this whole Excel spreadsheet that plans things out for me, and if I start with the bases that I think I'll have, I'll end up doing quite a bit more than the plan calls for.  I attached the spreadsheet if any of you want to look at it.  It's pretty cool, you enter your bases, speed, weekly increases, tapers, and it shows you the whole plan.

But I'd like to do an international distance in September, so maybe this is a good thing.

Tim

P.S. If any of you have Excel, play around with this.  It's fun, it even tells you how many extra pieces of Pan Pizza, or Snickers, you can eat with all the calories you burn training. 

P.P.S.  The brick colored things in the plan in my Excel thingy are... you guessed it, the brick workouts I plan to do. 

Tim - I had a look at your spreadsheet - took a while to figure out but it's very well set up.

Of course I know nothing but my thoughts would be this - if you are only going to be doing a sprint then you probably don't need to be building up such high distances. Why don't you shorted some of them and try and vary what you do within different sessions - such as speed work, endurance - I've just read a really good article in my magazine which takes you through writing the 'Ultimate training plan' - I will try and get it scanned tomorrow and put it on this thread. What it does well is tell you how to plan your time but also how to vary your exercises so that you build on 6 key abilities - Endurance, force, speed, muscular endurance, anaerobic endurance and power.

It has suggested workouts in each discipline and I think it provides a great overall idea. I suppose the idea is to take something like you have planned and then on a fortnightly basis plan more specifically what each session will involve.

The one think that all coaches seem to agree on is quality of training and not quantity.

Hey Fishr

Know how you feel - why don't y ou take a look at the intermediate sprint program (12 weeks or 26 weeks)- either add some extra base work to the first or shorten the second to fit in with your planned races. Or you could use Tim's and try and earn an extra Big Mac or 2!

Seems to be about the right starting point as starts with 15m running (you seem to have been averaging about 20m per run recently) and builds to 1h 30m. Also swimming will be fine once you join the pool and then biking might be a bit easy for you but you could increase the volume.

There are lots of programs for sprints that would work for you - you actually have about 19 weeks until your race so may be better to do the longer one. Alternatively you could choose to focus on your run or swim and do the 20 week focus program.

How many hours a week do you have for training - that will determine which program will suit you best.

After that you could switch to the Sprint to Olympic Brige program (12 weeks again) which is a HRM based plan. This should allow you to complete your Olympic Target race at the end of the summer.

Just a thought - perhaps I should start practicing what I'm preaching

Have a great evening everyone (I'm off home to bed now - it's been a long day!)

Its 220 Triathlon.com - I think it might be a UK magazine (and it's from November issue) which is why I'm going to try and scan it to put on here.

It also uses a training plan template you can download from www.trainingbible.com website - look under free resources.

thanks hannah... will be curious to see the article.  If I wasn't planning (I think I'm planning) to do an olympic in the fall, I'd defintely cut back the distances.  I think I need to decide what my A race is.  If it's either of the sprints I plan to do in May/June, then I'll probably cut back.  If it's the olympic distance in September, then I still might cut back, just not as sure.

Triathlon is so interesting.   

Welcome back Hannah, hope the vacation was a good one.

It sounds like you guys don't need me, you're doing fine amongst yourselves!

Maybe take just one rest day a week instead of 2, if I understood your post correctly.  I think also that rest days are important, even not doing what you perceive to be a miniscule training... if only for the precedent it sets for the future.  It's a good habit to be in.  My $.02.