Destination MoP is FULL (of motivation!) (Page 31)

Stu, I'm sorry to hear of your daughter's eating disorder.  It's encouraging that she is seeking treatment.  I wish you all the best possible progress at this difficult time.

On the tri side of things congrats on your personal best 10K.  You worked hard for it, I'm sure.  Now to find the correct balance in life for this "season".  It will be challenging, but you'll find a way to achieve that balance.

Thanks all for the positive thoughts.  Still up in Providence - hope to heading home sometime later this week.  Some progress, some setbacks.  Like training for endurance events, it is a long haul and sometimes you just have to focus on the task in front of you so you aren't overwhelmed.

Keep up the good training, team!  Hope the race was fun Melanie - have a brew for me!

Stu

Melanie,

That is an impressive time!  Way to go on reaching a new PR and to podium! Is this your last race this season?  If so what a way to end, a PR and lots of brews!  Hope you had one for all of us.

Keep up the great work.

I spent the morning decorating my dashboard, adding new race goals, and fine tuning my off season training.  Feels like the first day of school,  new books, pens and the potential to be organized; must be Fall in the air.  I am following the Learn to swim Month 1 program for my swim this month.  Yes, the yardage is low at first, but with the addition of my strength training, I really want to make this doable for the off season.  My focus will be technique then in a few months speed. The strength plan is periodized for the year.  I can always up my swim yardage but burnout may be more damaging so I am forcing myself to take my time.  The problem is I do have to swim more yardage to make up the time requirment in OLY plan. 

Though it was a nice day out today, I really did not feel like riding my bike outdoors. I am sure I will regret this decision when the weather turns cold and I am forced to be in doors.  

Have a great week all.

Congrats on a great run, Melanie!  Mmmm, beer...

Cynthia, its good to see your plan coming together.  I really do better when I follow some sort of plan(s).

I had a good week of training.  I'm did 2 days of Jorge's cycling plan and 6 days of running (3x 15min, 2x 30min, 1x 45min).  My exercise class that meets twice a week is also back in session.  Today is a new week for me.  I plan to keep up the effort all week.

The Dogfish Dash was my last 'serious' race of the year.  I've got two trail races planned in November and that's it.  For these races, I just plan to run through the woods with the goal of not breaking, spraining, or getting anything really bloody.  Probably lots of walking of the hills and very tentative downhill running.

It's been hard to 'rest' this week.  But I'm forcing myself to be less active at least until Monday!  I've been training for various races since January and now there is no serious race on the calendar until April.  I feel kind of lost.  

So I've been reflecting on my race season.  Here are some thoughts:

• Running less is more.  Fewer workouts with a purpose yield greater results than more workouts without a purpose.  I got faster with less running volume this year.
• Over-biking during a race is very detrimental to the run.  I over-biked in June and paid for it dearly.  A changed strategy in September yielded a faster bike portion.
• Practicing transitions helps on race day.  I did not practice transitions before my August race and felt flummoxed in both T1 and T2 on race day.
• Nutrition must be a focus for the next year.  In both August and September, I seemed to crash on Thursdays.  Based on a food log for a few weeks it's clear that I was running a high calorie deficit and by Thursday paid the consequences.
• High cadence seems to work for me but now I must work to maintain a high cadence at harder gears.
• Completing the swim portion using freestyle the entire distance still eludes me.  I've got to focus on endurance and pacing.
• It is likely I am near my ideal weight (133-134 lbs) for optimum performance.  I now hover between 135-137 lbs.  I must not focus on losing weight beyond this ideal as it will be detrimental to training and performance.
• I had a great year training and racing overall and am very pleased with overall progress - now I must remember why I am doing this (because I like the entire process of training to racing) and not get too carried away and obsessive.

Goals for next season:

• Complete an HIM (Eagleman)
• Continue to do well at Olympic distance
• Improve biking performance and learn how to handle new bike
• Develop optimum nutrition habits - particularly during the week
• Complete at least first 2/3's of a swim course using freestyle.

Good stuff there Melanie!  I really like your thoughts and looks like you have some nice goals to achieve for next season.

Here is some of my thoughts/reflections:

• I like the life style change, I look forward to training pretty much each day.
• I like the weight lose (down 25 pounds so far to 220).
• I love biking.  Getting out on the road is one of my most enjoyable activities.  Biking more than anything will keep me going and keep me active.
• There is no excuse not to run.  I'm still slow, but I've run in the dark, rain, heat, and can pretty much run anywhere.  I always run during my son's soccer practice.
• I'm pretty amazed at how far I've come since late April.  But, it makes me want to go the next step and make some new goals...

Goals for next season

• Improve Sprint distance
• Complete an OLY distance
• Complete a Century Ride
• Complete a Half Marathon
• Have fun

-Steve

Well I've been a bit out of touch for the last week or so. Time to catch up.

Stu - I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter. That's a really tough thing to deal with and I hope she is continuing to make steady progress. My thoughts are with you and your family.

Melanie - that's an awesome 10k time. I dream of a day when I'm that fast. I'm working on it ;-)

My training plan for September/October is going great. I've planned a month off and so far have stuck to it completely. It's weird not doing any exercise, but I need the time to rest and recover. I haven't been avoiding things completely. I've been in the hot tub and sauna at the pool. It's important to make sure I use my membership for something ;-)

I've taken advantage of not training and on Saturday had my first attempt at coaching. I helped out at the tri club swim session under the guidance of the main coach. We have 4 lanes all working on different things so we usually have someone helping out making sure everyone knows what set they should be on. I mostly worked with the slowest lane of competent swimmers (lane 4 is learners) and found I was actually able to give some feedback on things people needed to work on in their technique. It was really good fun and gave me a bit of a confidence boost as I'm starting my coaching course in 3 weeks.

Still trying to decide on goals for next year. I'm very tempted to aim for an iron distance triathlon, but am trying to weigh up the pros and cons before I commit to it. It's a big commitment!

(edited as originally posted via iphone, which apparently doesn't do paragraph breaks!)

Hi Everyone,

Just back from Providence.  It was a long two weeks at the hospital, but our daughter's health is making slow, but steady, progress.  Thanks again for all your kind thoughts.  We really appreciate all the support from friends and family.

Went for my first run in almost two weeks yesterday.  Just ran.  No timing or anything.  It was a beautiful Fall day and it was just good to be home and and outside.  Not really sure what I'm aiming for at this point... I really don't think the marathon is in the cards anymore and today was the day of the last tri I was planning to do.  So, Melanie, I can kind of relate to that lost feeling.  Right now, I'm trying to embrace it.  Maybe I'll just do workouts for the next few weeks only for fun with absolutely no goal in mind.  (which is a big challenge for me)

Melanie - I have to say the ability for us to make PBs at mid-life is a blast.  That was a fantastic 10K run time (and podium!) and loved your reflections on the year.  I do think there's something to the variability of run workouts - some speed work, some hills, some long runs, some short runs.  That even if the mileage is the same (or less), it is a more effective week.

Steve - you've got to be thrilled with that year and you've really set yourself up well for 2012.  I think the thing that stood out most to me about your workouts is the consistency.  You can take that to the bank going forward.  You'll also find that as the weight comes off, your run will improve [and as added benefit, less stress on the joints and such].  Are you planning on doing an Xterra race next year?  Offer still stands if you want to come up and do the C'ville one :-)

Rach - glad to see you letting your body heal.  Iron is definitely a big commitment on training.  Following my BIL's training program was insightful.  Think I'd need to be retired to give that a shot... lol.  Enjoy the coaching!

Andrea and Cynthia - I think your off-season focus on the bike is a great call.  I still believe the bike is the key to triathlons and I'd like to do more on it for 2012.  As Melanie mentioned, gauging the bike properly in the race makes a huge difference for the run... and the fact of the matter is, for most triathlons, you spend more time on the bike than run or swim.  And there's a bunch to be learned in technique and training.  And like Steve mentioned... it is fun!  And if you're lucky, you can build it into your commute :-)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Stu

Steve - Thanks for the reminder, as a fair weather trainer, my tendency is to not run in the slightest of elements....especially the dark. 

So I did not do the century ride this year...I just wasn't up to it and having some other issues...no worries, nothing too serious, just stuff.  Anyway, I did get to purchase new bike shorts and running shoes.  My feet are torn up from my other shoes not to mention my seat from my shorts!  Both, the shoes and the shorts were over a year old and met their obligations to my training. 

The shoes are  Adidas, Clima Cools Oscillation.  Not a minimalist but a not a heavy running shoe.  When I put them on they felt like heaven on my feet but I am concerned about not having more support. Gave the shoes a go and they are different, using my calf muscles more but I could not make a definitive decision on them. Guess we'll see after another run.

Still working on my off season plans but I did get all strength training in this week and my daughter joined me yesterday.  Hopefully she will again.

Happy training all.

I did look at and try on the Brooks, and I was honestly torn between the ones I purchased, a Sauconey, and the Brooks.  I went by feel and these just felt good when I put them on, instantaneously!  The store said I could bring them back even if I wore them a couple of times!  Though, I don't think I could bring back used dirty shoes, even with just 6 miles on them but I do beleive they will feel good just an adjustment time.

What is everyone up to now that Fall has arrived?  This is definately not the glamorous part of the year as far as tris go.

I'm building up my running and doing 2 days per week of Jorge's bike plan.  Both are going well and I feel like this more consistant running will really help me eventually.  I've found that I can run at lunchtime and shower and head back to work.  I may race a cross country race in early Nov, but other than that my calendar is empty race-wise. 

We're in full swing of run season in Virginia.  Usually we can hang on to decent weather through Turkey Day.  Fall is the best time to live in Virginia!  Anyway, I found a VERY small local marathon for early December that I am considering (like 25 people last year).  See how the next couple of weeks go on all fronts and then make the call.

Off-season - a great time for...?

- Core work and targeted weight

- Focus on your weak tri link and technique

- Yoga or some other flexibility work

- Some time off to recharge

Last year I did a bunch of interval work on the bike which I think paid off well during the season as my mileage wasn't particularly higher than my previous year, but bike time improved.  I also tried to keep up the run momentum through the winter by aiming for a 1/2 Mary in Feb in FL.  I think those are both good goals for this year as well and the December race would support that approach. 

I do think changing it up some in the off-season is healthy (even important) and gives your body and mind an opportunity to remotivate (is that a word?) better in the spring. 

-Stu

I have two trail races this fall.  Both are 5 milers.  Doing these just to have fun with no goals other than to finish injury free.

I’m now following the base training for triathletes in my Workouts in a Binder for Indoor Cycling.  The plan does not give specifics for the swim and run but does for cycling.  For cycling workouts it simply reference a workout in the book.  I’m free to do whatever I feel for the swim and run.  I like this approach as I’ve found I cannot follow a regimented training plan.  Just doesn’t work for me.  So my runs for each week will be 1 fast, 1 easy, and 1 long & hilly.  For my swim, I’ll use workouts from my One-Hour Workout book.

This week I tried the upper-body strength training routine from the One-Hour book.  I really liked it.  I will stick to it through at least January.   Periodically I will mix in their lower-body workout (particularly during periods of nasty weather when I can’t bike commute).

I’ve discovered that my Earth, Wind, & Fire station on Pandora is perfect for workouts on the bike trainer!  Very  upbeat.

Now that I’ve got a new tri bike, I’m doing lots of research on hydration systems.  Any suggestions? 

Will try to get in a 9 mile neighborhood run (with some good hills) and a 30 mile ride in this weekend.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Can you remind me what Jorge's bike plan is and the link?  Sounds pretty doable and I really need a focus when I ride. 

Andrea, its nice that you have access to a shower and can run at lunch...keep up the good work!

Interesting article on Ryan Hall and self-coaching...

Ryan Hall

Anyone here use a coach?  If so, what was your experience?  I've flirted with the idea some, but economic reasons aside (which are probably the overriding rationale), I kind of enjoy the process of researching alternative training approaches and trying to figure out what will work for me.

Also today is Kona Day!  (live feed available if you have good internet - unfortunately, I don't)

-Stu

I've never used a coach and probably never will.  Economic reasons mostly.

I got in a very nice 24 mile ride today on the new bike.  Rode almost entirely in the aero position.  I find it quite comfortable.  But I'm still getting used to switching between the aero position and grabbing for the brakes when needed.  I did noticed that my right knee was bothering me after awhile so I've made a mental note to see if this pops up again on the next ride.  If it does, then back to LBS for more refinements on the fit. 

I did get tired towards the end of the ride.

Tomorrow is a run day.  Monday I've scheduled something I've only done once or twice ever --- a deep tissue massage.  I think that a massage once a month might really help my performance and fitness overall.  Wonder if I'll make the commitment.  We'll see. 

Happy Saturday night to all.