Hashers and Mashers Part 2 - OPEN (Page 32)

Coach - As soon as I read this I thought that maybe you need to slow down when you're going for distance. Then I read Rich's post and I agree with him. I started swimming two years ago from being a 100% non-swimmer, and I just couldn't go more than a couple lengths without getting gassed then one day I got stuck behind a lady that was swimming just a bit slower than I usually did and I thought about passing her but I decided to just stay where I was and then I realized I could keep going and we just kept swimming until I had done 750m!! more than double my previous longest swim.

Your comment about getting to 125m made me smile because last summer I was at Lake Stevens Half IM and I started my swim and 200m into a 2km swim I was thinking, "I don't like this, I don't want to do this, This is no fun!" but I kept going, settled into a rhythm, relaxed, looked around and found the rope under the buoys and just followed it. Then someone hit my ankle and I sped up and started to feel good and swam faster until I realized I was passing people from previous waves and it was just an amazing feeling. You'll soon see for yourself.

It was interesting to see your pics of Kentucky. Awhile back Tay posted a couple of her area as well. It is neat to see a glimpse of where other people live. I'll have to take some pics of my Okanagan area.

You mention being careful of your heart. I think that is very wise. I have been very careful not to push myself to run too far or fast for the same reason.

I was also impressed by your attitude at the 125m mark. You thought to quit then dismissed it and carried on. That shows/proves you'll do well in your Tri and you'll soon be hooked on racing. I'm looking forward to your race report. 12:15/400m is a good start. In no time you'll be pushing for a sub 10minute 400m and soon after a 15 minute 750m and so on.

I had a fun swim today. Swimming on my own I swam a 400m warm-up then swam 6# 300m sets and a short cool down. The other fellow in my lane was swimming 100m sets on 2:15 (so he gets to rest from whenever he finished up to 2:15 then he goes again - I'm going to do some of that on Monday). So I was swimming and enjoying myself just plodding along feeling like I was fast when all of a sudden there was a flash of skin in the fast lane beside me.

It took me several lengths to figure out it was a woman swimming really fast. I think she was swimming 50m every time I swam 25m. It didn't matter which direction we were going she was past me faster than I could register what she was doing. I couldn't even see her long enough to try and watch how she was swimming to try and copy her. When I grow up I want to swim just like her.

I just realized today when I entered my swim in my training log that I am just under 28000yds for swimming this month. So if I can swim 1900m or more on Monday then I'll top 30,000yds for March. It's not really important at all but I still want to do it because it will be a long time before I can beat it again.



I have a short run tomorrow and Sunday off then I get going all out again. Only 10 more weeks to my HIM - can't wait for the taper. It's my favourite part.

Thanks so much for all the encouragement!!! This makes the TRI so much more like a team sport - which I can definitely relate too, after being a head football coach for 25 years. It is nice to be the one getting coached up and encouraged.

Went to pool today to relieve a little stress and relax, no specific goals in mind other than maybe to continue to get more breath in my gut rather than all chest breathing. Just wanted to relax and enjoy it.

Here is the workout

4X25 working on floating relaxing and breathing, no strokes
4X25 swim bouy working on stroke and continuing relax breaths into stomach area. Also try to maintain good balance in water. and good catch. Slow easy no strained breathing.
2X25 kick board
2X50 easy swim putting it all together, took two quick deep breaths on turns then go, not stressing over speed of turn, not like I'm Mark Spitz, (age qualifying name drop)

OK lets do it!

400m quick pause with 2 - 3 relaxing breaths - no problem, 11:20,
took 15 second break, swam another 200 no problem at same pace same breathing
grab bouy and swam another 100 easy (Ransick's practice suggestion - love it) focus on relaxing, short rotation on breath and catch
Dropped bouy and finished another 100 at solid pace working on including more kick, same quick breaths on turns.
800 done! whoohoo felt good still feel like I have gas in tank

finished workout off with 2X25 kick board
2X25 full out a:t 20sec each,
then 50 m breast stroke and 50m back stroke working on flutter kick

wow that most time pool I have ever done, about hour and half. and somewhere over 1000 total yards of slow easy work, kinda lost count.

I often thought about the encouragement and pushes I have received while at work.

Really enjoyed the workout, my coach wanted me to emphasize that more.

much more confidant about next Saturday

Would love to see more pics of where you workout and your Tri finishes this year, easier to relate.

Rich: Slow and steady is what I did today, your right it works, may need to take nerve pill before Saturday LOL just joking
George: Got it, I will look for old woman to get behind next Saturday on swim, then smoke her on bike LOL I think the woman swimming beside you in practice is the same one that swam up my body and over my head on my 1st 10m of my 1st TRI swim, I swear she had a propeller attached to her rear. 30,000 yards! Oh my, that is way up there, hard to think in those terms right now - Congrats
Taringa: Thanks for nice words



Edited by coachrains 2014-03-29 4:44 PM

Reading all these encouraging posts from the weekend is a great way to start my Monday morning!

Coach, it's so great to hear you had such a nice, relaxing swim. You are going to do great this weekend, and I look forward to hearing your results!

George, good luck with your swim today! I hope you hit your goal!

Friday was amazing here in Baltimore. I went to a cycling class in the morning, but when I got home from work it was so gorgeous I had to go out on a run. Felt great physically and emotionally (I love my Vitamin D)! It rained the rest of the weekend, but I got a nice swim in on Saturday. After swimming 800m without stopping on Thursday and still feeling really good, I decided to go for double that just to see if I could. It worked! Felt great, no stops (except one very quick one to fix my cap). I think I'm going to try to do some speed work this week. Any advice on a good sprint tri speed workout?

It's beautiful again today, so I'm hoping to get a run in after work, before I head to my vball match. I hope you all are experiencing this great weather as well!

Happy Monday

Signed up for the Chicago marathon lottery today. If everything works out, it will be my first.

Mike - Good luck on the Chicago Marathon Lottery. Hopefully you'll get in. What are the odds? I ran outside today with a fellow I often run with and he was trying to talk me in to running the New York Marathon in 2016 (he wants to qualify for Boston for his 70th birthday). I can't really conceive of doing a Marathon but We'll see.

Coach - Sounds like you had another great swim. You'll be surprised at how fast your yardage adds up for you. Chasing old women in the pool wasn't quite what I meant. I was just meaning to slow you down just a little.

Nicole - Congrats on the excellent swimming. It is nice when you have a good swim or several in a row. And, fixing your cap doesn't break your continuity for your swim - it is still continuous. Keep it up. I do love vitamin D as well.


All - I made my goal of 30183yds for March today. Hard to conceive that it is equal to 17 miles. It will be a long time before I reach that distance again but it was a novel milestone. I also had a pretty decent month riding and running as well. I didn't ride at all last week but I still tallied 244 miles for the month.

I got out running today. Just a short 45 minutes (building up to a 1:45 run on Friday). I ran very nearly continuous and it was another best run to date. I'd have to look back to check but I think I've run faster with every run for several weeks now. I'm hoping to keep it up for as long as possible.

Edited by wenceslasz 2014-03-31 10:30 PM

George - I have no idea what the odds are. This is the first year for the lottery format for Chicago. There are a couple of fall marathons in St. Louis I can do if I don't make it.

Congrats on making your goal, George!

Good luck George!!!

Hello Everyone

Trying to catch up 4 weeks to HIM time to evaluate my weaknesses, again its the swim. Just renewed my yearly lake membership so be going be there most of the time since its near spring here in Texas.I am looking into 4-5 hrs/week on the swim till race day.

@To all the riders/Everyone
I have been experiencing pain under my right foot after biking. The last time this happend is when i washed my cycling shoes and dried it and somehow warped my insoles. I have to go back to my fitter and have new insoles ($90.00) i think when i biked raining when i crashed two weeks ago the rain soaked my shoes may have warped my insoles again. Anybody ever experienced this? advice please?

Anything Helps!!!

Cheers!!!!

Carlo - I've never had that happen with bike shoes. Hope new insoles take care of it.

You are on the home stretch for your HIM. Any funny tri dreams these days?

Hi everyone,

Lots of positive vibes around the group at the moment, great to see.

Mike, good luck with the marathon lottery. It sounds like you're going to run one even if its not Chicago, kudos for the decision. Best of luck with the training.

Carlo, I've never had a problem with insoles. Can't help with that one. And good luck for the rest of your training. You've looks like you've been putting in the hard yards and training consistently, so you should smash it! I am envious...



I'm assuming I'm not the only one here, but I've just read the "Triathlete's Training Bible". I also signed up to the premium features of Training Peaks, for a while at least. I've now planned and compiled my training for the coming year, which has been a really interesting process. It made me think about why I do this sport and what I really want to get out of it. It was quite enlightening.

I've never tried to stick to any sort of training program before and I think I will miss lots of sessions, but I'm going to try. I have adjusted parts of the program to fit in the things that I simply refuse to give up (like my weekend long bike ride, often spent hill climbing) and I have removed all swimming! Yep, that aspect will have to wait until much closer to my next race. I just don't have the time or desire right now to swim, and I don't race in another tri now until November!

My program starts in two weeks once I knock off a 15km running event next weekend.



Keep cranking out the miles everyone...

Cheers,
Chris

Thanks for the advice encouragement Guys and Rebecca

ill look at the other options to sort this thing out my Cycling Tri shoes is $120 only if i am going to spend close to $100.00 might aswell buy new shoes and sell off the other.

@ Dormz

Do yo have the brand you are referring to? im considering it too

Thanks

Carlo - Sorry to reply late to your right foot pain query. I had mild right foot pain in my plantar fascia a couple months ago so I went to my bike fitter and he adjusted my shoe clips and my problem has been fine since. Of course I don't know if your problem is the same as mine was.

I also wondered if you may have somehow knocked your bike out of alignment. When I was having troubles on my bike I finally found my saddle was in the wrong position (too high and forward of where it should have been). I don't know how it got displaced but it sure caused a lot of problems.




Everyone - I swam and went running yesterday. My schedule called for only a 30 minute run so I pushed myself a bit and just in the last quarter Km (about 400m) my right calf started to spasm. I eased up and finished the run then later the muscle was quite stiff but I walked it and massaged the muscle and so far it seems better.

I'm a bit concerned because I'm supposed to run 1:45 tomorrow. I figure I'll start out easy and not push it at all. If it starts to spasm again I'll stop running and walk only.

Today I rode outside for the first time this year. We had a strong headwind so we took a lot longer to ride south than it took when we turned and rode north. I avoided hills today but I have a 3hr ride on Saturday so I'll have a few good climbs.

Make sure you stretch and massage the muscle tonight. Eat a banana and make sure you are very well hydrated (not just with water, but make sure you get some electrolytes)! Stretch it out well before your run tomorrow, and definitely take it easy, like you said. Good luck! Let us know how it goes :-)

I had a nice swim yesterday. I've been doing intervals alternating using the pull buoy and not using it so I can strengthen my arms more. Also had a good cycle class this morning. Hoping to get out on the roads next week though. I ordered some clipless pedals and cleats that should come Monday! I also ordered the Triathlete's Training Bible some of you mentioned a day or 2 ago, so I'm excited for that to come!

Probably doing a run tomorrow. I will be at my brother's in the county, so it will be a nice change of scenery, and will definitely be nice to have fresh, country air (not the city air I'm used to!).

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Oh and Coach, I think your tri is this weekend?! GOOD LUCK! You're going to rock it, I just know it

Guys I'm back. Had to take a break due to numerous issues. Wife had Gallbladder surgery with some complications so that took a few weeks out of my schedule and then we also bought a new house and fixed up the new old house so we can put it on the market. All work done now and I can jump back into working out.

I hope everyone is doing great. I'll try to catch up on all the postings over the next few days.

Markus

I just discovered this section of the BT website. Is it too late to join the group?

Thanks nicole

Tri is tmrw morning. Scouted out road course, very hilly and roads in bad shape from winter, lot of speed bumps. Little concerened. Been vacationing a little, probably eat too much last couple of days. Anxious to get going and release some of these jitters. Wish me luck

Good luck coach! Have fun and take it easy on the rough roads.