COgirl's Group - FULL (Page 3)

lialog - 2007-01-09 10:58 AM From reading everyone's background I think I'm a beginning beginner. I did a walk/run (a lot more walking than running) on the treadmill this morning. Then I did some strength training. Cathy, I do not have a bike and I don't know anything about bikes. What bike do you suggest that I get starting out? Is there anything out there that has a good reputation and is under $1000? My son who is almost 3 has to get a root canal done on his front tooth tomorrow. He was running around and fell and his front tooth is loose. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do any training tomorrow. The dentist said after having oral sedation they can get very cranky. It all depends on how he does. Thanks! Mel

Hi Mel!  I agree with Kaci....going to visit your local bike shop (LBS) is invaluable, especially for figuring out your bike size!

Bikes that are good in that price range that have what I consider to be good components are: Felt 85, Specialized Allez, and Giant OCR 1.  The MSRP's on these go up to $1100, but they typically are less at the LBS.  Or you can make an offer.    and keep in mind that the '06 bikes are now "last year's" models and you can often find a good deal on them. 

Nice work with the treadmill and strength training! 

OMG, a root canal in a 3 y/o?  How awful!  good luck, I hope your little guy is ok (and that you are too!). 

wow, Heather....not fun, BUT it's great that you'll still have plenty of time before your tri!  Nice work on your swim.  You are a fish! 

If you get any good tips from the personal trainer, let us know! 

Good morning everyone!  How is training going?

My plan is to enjoy the last warm day here for a while.  We are supposed to get snow YET AGAIN beginning tomorrow!  My house has seen a grand total of 46 inches of snow since 12/21! 

Have a great Wednesday!  It has been really cool to check on your workouts!

AG=Age Group

HIM=Half Iron Man

Hi everyone, you couldn't have picked a better mentor than Cathy, she's always willing to help, and a good friend as well.

Good luck to all of you on your triathlon goals...

Thanks Brad!  And here's a link to a recent article about triathlon lingo, including abbreviations (of which there are A LOT!): http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1014

I feel like the queen of links! 

You are all doing awesome!  Keep it up with training.  And keep asking questions! 

Anybody have a wetsuit?  Thinking about one?  Too warm where you live to use one? 

I do use a wetsuit....it is usually needed here because of temps, but since swimming is my weak spot, I like the buoyancy!  Swimming in open water is NOT my forte!  But I've decided that I will conquer open water swimming (OWS) THIS YEAR.

Zoya - huh, not sure what to tell you on that one!  Maybe try on some and see how others feel?  Or maybe don't zipper it all the way to the top?

Heather - yes, the rules are that if the water is above 74, then wetsuits are not legal.......however, you CAN still wear one, but you won't be counted in the placings then. 

Kaci - where is Barb's race?  Is that a lake swim?

I forgot - you are all the swimmers extraordinaire!  That's good though! 

Hello everyone!  Happy Thursday.   

kaci, if you want any extra snow, you can HAVE it!  We're getting yet another storm starting today.  It doesn't normally snow like this here!  And it's supposed to be single digit temps with lows in the negatives!  ouch. 

Does everyone know about cadence?  With biking in triathlons, (and in training) it is ideal to get your cadence (rpm's for one foot) to 90 per minute.  That is supposed to be the ideal for keeping moving at a decent clip AND for not overdoing it so that you can still run or walk the next part of the race! 

I have a swim on tap today.  I got on the trainer this morning already.  Hope everyone is doing well.  And feel free to check out each other's logs and comment!  It helps with the camaraderie.  (did I spell that right?)

Yes, that is also true!  Supposed to be most efficient.....as far as advice, it just takes time to develop that.  I'm still working on it also!  I have increased from 80 to about 84, but still working on getting to 90.  With your running, try a few minutes of trying to hit 86 or 88 and then return to your norm (because it's hard to maintain!).  It can be a drill for a few minutes.  Over time, lengthen the amount of time with a higher cadence and keep aiming for 90.  It will just take some time!  A lot of time!  But keep working on it, you will get there.

Just by counting on your own.  For running, count how many right foot strikes you have in 15 seconds and multiply by 4, shoot for 22-23. 

for biking, count how many times your right knee comes up in 15 seconds and multiply by 4.  It is nice to have a cadence function on a bike computer (found on the Cateye Astrale 8), but it isn't necessary! 

They DO vary a lot.  I think a great starter one that has probably everything you need is the Polar S150 - I believe it is about $75.  The important functions are displaying your HR, and average HR at the end of your workout.  It's ideal to be able to put in your zones (next paragraph) or at least an alarm of a low and high HR.  Timex also makes decent ones.  Garmin started making HRMs that also have GPS in them so you can measure distance, etc.  Those are pretty cool.  But expensive.  Tri Geeks who like gadgets often get the Polar S625X or the Garmin 305 ($$$!). 

The important thing with HRMs is finding out your LT (lactate threshold): the point (the heart rate) at which your body makes more lactate than your body can handle.  You can test this for both the bike and the run (they will be different).  For example, my LT for the run is 173, but for the bike it is 155.  From that, you can figure out your zones.  Most endurance training is to be in zone 1-2.  Zone 3 is "no man's land" where you are pushing hard enough that you aren't gaining so much fitness as you are breaking down your body.  Z4 is LT.  Z5 is sprinting.  Man, I have to find a link on this one.....I am not an expert, but have the general idea.  Zone 1-2 often feels ridiculously slow, but it helps to build endurance!  Feel free to look at my log, and click on the HR zones for run and bike, just to see what they are.

Do you mean how do I keep track?  Mainly I swim in sets - you can look at my log for examples.  Today I swam a whole lot of 300 yd sets.  I can keep track of that, but anything beyond 500, I get confused.  So I do something similar to a suggestion that TriMom217 made probably 2 years ago.  For each 25 yds, I go through the alphabet: A is for Ann (25), Ann lives in Annapolis (50), Ann sells apples (75), Ann has a son named Adam (100).  So there are 4 things I go through for each 100....and then for the next 100, I move on to B, C, etc.  That probably sounds more confusing than it is!  At least it keeps my mind occupied!

There is also a product that I've never used....a thing you can put on your finger that is a lap counter.  I've also heard of people having a pile of pennies at the end of a lane that they move to indicate each 50 yds. 

Heard of TI? (total immersion? it's a book and a DVD)  Mostly drills. "Purist" swimmers don't like TI, but it helps with re-learning balance to be able to breathe.  The one that helped me the most was kicking on my side, face in the water (belly button pointing towards the pool side wall).  I do almost totally freestyle.  But I am no swimmer, and I only know how to correctly do the backstroke (learned in Masters).  I think it is a good idea to do some of the other strokes because it helps balance out the shoulder muscles and hopefully avoid injury.  In a race you can do any stroke you want!  You will see people doing backstroke and breaststroke!  People typically do freestyle because it is the fastest for distance

Triathlon 101 by Mora; Triathlete's Training Bible by Friel though this book is fairly technical. 

OMG, your poor son!  and I'm sure your wallet is being affected too!  Going to the dentist to have anything besides a cleaning is one of my greatest fears!  Your son sounds like he did awesome!

Is that information overload?  Feel free to ask for clarification on any of that too! 

LOL!  That has me cracking up!    Too funny. 

You all are seriously kickin' butt!  I am so happy