Got Your Mojo WORKIN'! group - CLOSED (Page 33)

ADAM -

My cleat position is quite forward -- under the ball of my foot, in fact. I will go try Friel and see where exactly he recommends it.

My cleat position was established for me when I had a comprehensive fitting done by Fit-Werx in VT in '3, I think it was. It is highly personal, based on a 3+hour fitting session, so why it works for me on my particluar bike with my unique physique will not guarantee similar success for everyone else.

I too will be interested in how your experiment works!

I am in southern California so I think even what you have listed is a bit much.  My big thing is I hate doing cardio in the gym.  I hate running or cycling for a length of time and staying in the same spot, it just feels so degrading, well kind of.  So I was thinking about running in the morning but it is super chilly, the only thing cold I like is my bed.

Lycracladchamp.....Not sure what "chilli" is to you but in cool weather---mid 50's and under I ussualy layer a long sleeved tech t and maybe another cotton T on top of that, I have a very old pair of cycling tights I still get some use out of when it is cold but 45 degrees and up I wear shorts. Yesterday it was about 30 degrees I wore those tights over tri shorts, 2 pair of socks a long sleeved technical t, cotton t shirt, cheap warm up top and a bright yellow tank top over that for visability. I also wore some cheap jersey gloves I bought at wall-mart..a 6 pack of them that I can dispose of if needed. On my head just an ordinary knit cap under my hood. Looking back I was a bit over dressed...more sweat than I wanted and what I own isn't real good when wet, the snow was coming down heavy-melting on my clothes contributing to the chill, add that to the sweat from underneath and I would have had a real problem I think if the run were longer.
 A rule of thumb I read once about cycling: "if you are comfortable the first 3 or 4 miles-you are probably overdressed"

ADAM again (and LORI) -

Back when* I was even doing lower-body strength work, I would do the run first -- just because that was the activity that was most important to me. I may love lifting, but it has never been my bread-and-butter. So, i always opted for the run first, as that was the thing that was most important to me and I didn't want to be taxed or drained from prior lifting.

One of those reasons was waht Friel says -- the added risk of injury. But mostly for me it was just wanting to be as fresh as possible for the run workout. I just found that when lower-body lifted before runs, some of those runs degenerated into "junk" miles, just because I had worked too hard in the gym. The run as it was supposed to be? Nope. Didn't happen that way at all!

There is an argument to be made that in a triathlon you enter the run with slightly-trashed legs due to having cycled beforehand, so you might as well use strehgth-training as one way to acclimate to tri-run adversity. An ancillary argument can also be made that a certain amount of functional strength will come out of the effort to run on tired legs, and that lifting before a run is one way to get to that position. Maybe, maybe not!

I am, however, a big fan of "brick" workouts, epsecially in the Build and Peak phases of a periodized training schedule. I will say LOTS about bricks as we move closer to the racing season, to be sure!

If you go with lift-first, run-second, just be sure to keep the loads light! This is the ideal time to practice a less-weight-and-more-reps policy, so definitely stay away from inclined leg presses of 200 pounds, or deep squats, or anything else that can put too much of a load of your joints.


*After my torn meniscus in winter '06 (and up through August!), I retired from lower-body lifting. There are some things I could surely get away with still doing, but going "cold turkey" from anything from the waist down seemed the best way to protect the meniscus from a future tear. (It was not surgically repaired, given its position, so it is still maybe an accident waiting to happen -- again! And I should add that the tear did NOT result from lower-body lifting.) I rationalize this by thinking that all the running and cycling I do is good enough to maintain sufficient leg strength. (At least that's the plan! )

I did my first 5k here (southern Oregon) in early April and the temp was 34* It sounds really cold but it wasn't bad at all. I had on long sleeve Under Armour, short sleeve tech shirt, lightweight windbreaker type jacket, shorts &  1/4 socks. I left my jacket unzipped the whole time the only thing I would add this year is some gloves, my fingers got cold. You can adjust from there but I was surprised how nice 34* was to run in. 

DANIEL again -

Brain cramp! (not enough head coverage on these wintry runs?) OF COURSE you are from Claifornai, so my list is useless to you! DOH!

However, if you get all that stuff then that will justify taking a winter trip tsome time to run "up north" with me or Cathy (Ontario), or Lori/Laura/Sarah from WI, or Alex (NY), or Whato (BC). And if you don't want to get quite so much cold-weatehr clothing, get some of it and you can visit the "second-tier" (winter-wise, that is!): John and Brenda in IN, Gene in WA and Craig in OR, and Manny and Paul in UT. Adam in PA is kind of betwixt and between us "first-tier" sufferers and the second-tier ones just mentioned!

Finally, I'm really too envious of you being in California to feel much sympathy for any conern you have about being cold!

CRAIG -

Yes, that kind of temperature is really almost ideal -- once the blood starts circulating, that is! The first couple of km can be pretty miserable, but after that it is almost always a smart decision that was made to wear little. Give me a touque and cotton running gloves when it is mid-30s, and I can stay fine with those extremities suitably protected, even if I'm in tri shorts and just a simple long-sleeve tech top.

GO DUCKS!!!!!

JOHANNE -

Did my reply to your Inspire work? I think I sent it back to my blog....wherever THAT is!

With my fear-driven tunnel-vision approach to all of this "advanced" stuff, I hadn't ebven noticed the graph. Now that I know it's there, (1) it IS quite nifty, and (2) I have no idea what I thought it was before -- just eye candy on the website?? Good grief.........

Thanks Cathy and Lori for the help on replying to an inspire.  I replied to both of you so let me know if it did not work. 
I have been doing my strength training then cardio, but I think I'm going to switch it up tomorrow.     When I do the strength first vs no strength at all (Cardio Only) I dont feel as good, it's harder to get through the cardio.  I only do strength training twice a week (Tues and Sat) because those are the days that I'm off from the Couch to 5k.  Mon, Wed and Fri I do the Couch to 5k and I usually have about 15-20 left before I have to be home so I will do the indoor bike at the gym for those remaining minutes. Tues and Sat I do strength training and then the indoor bike at the gym for about 30-45 min. Thurs and Sun are rest days for me. 

Sorry Oregon fans I'm a Alabama Tide fan all the way, but I have to go with Auburn tonight so we can keep the National Title in the SEC, also Auburn is in Alabama and if they win then Alabama would have won the National Title 2 years in a row.  So WAR EAGLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just ordered new running shoes. 5-7 days till they get here, yes!!

It's so hard to dial in a bike, even with a professional bike fitting.  Adjusting cleat position may well affect other fit parameters so i'd be really careful and only adjust one thing at a time.  I've got a great neighborhood bike shop, Fitness Fanatics in Spokane Washington,  that I'd go into an put my bike on the trainer and have them tweak for me.

I run first, then i'm really loose before i go to strength. 

Another swim question!!

Warm up and cool down, how do the Mojo's do this?  do you just swim at a comfortable rate?  I am still a bit confused.

Hi everyone!  Just wanted to stop in and say hello since it's been a couple days.  I have grad school on weekends once a month, so that kind of puts a damper on my training.  However, I went to spin and for a very short run (I could NOT get my butt out the door!).  I wish I would have gone sooner, because I was rocking it on the run!

Anyway, great job on training everyone!  As far as running outside, I am kind of a wuss...I only do it for races during the winter.  I would probably be better during the races if I would practice, but it's SO cold in Wisconsin!  But I am looking forward to a 5k in the Milwaukee zoo on Sunday...

Anyway, keep up the great work guys! 

I focus on my breathing & body rotation the 1st 100, stroke the 2nd 100 and put everything together on the 3rd 100.  All done at a very comfortable effort.

DANIEL -

Whjat kind of shoes did you get??? I'm a running shoes geek, so live quite happily vicariously through other people's shoe purchases!

As for w-u and c-d, I think that many of the ones in your program are quite good. try a few of them on for size, and see what suits you.

That said, i seldom do a w-u; haven't for years. i used to do them regularly, but then felt they weren't doing all that much for me. For c-d, that is an easy effort, often combining leisurely efforts at other strokes. Nowadays If I have had a hard swim, I take one; otherwise, i usually don't bother. As for the other strokes, either breast or sculling. With a few shoulder issues over the years, I shy away from a full backstroke -- even though that is naturally my best strongest stroke. I just don't have that range-of-motion any longer.

If none of the w-u and c-d in your plan suit you, i can try to dig up some others for you, okay!

GENE -

I had problems with my S-I joint in '02 and '03, and finally went for a professional fitting at High Peaks Cyclery in Lake Placid. Great shop, lots of precise attention on the fitting......but it didn't help my S-I at all. I then went for a second fitting several months later, that one at Fit-Werx in Waitsfield, VT, and it did the trick. While a pro fitting will have many elements of science, it is not an exact science; so, one can not necessarily expect miracles.

Because I am useless with tools and tech, i would never attempt anything too complicated with my bike -- least of all trying to fit myslef. But one of the guys in my last year's group is an engineer for Ford, and he fitted himself. I got to ride with him in July, and he did an outstanding job with the fit -- his position was superb!

A good bike shop is like manna from heaven!

LAURA -

No remorse, no regrets! You ran....you rocked....and that's a great way to leave things before you do your next run! With runs, especially off-season ones, quality is far better than quantity. So, however short/long it was, take satisfaction in the fact that you had it together during it!

A 5k in the Milwaukee Zoo on Sunday? I didn't know! Please give my reards to the zoo, too, as I took the kids there in either '90 or '91. Nice zoo, great city --- except they stole the Braves from Boston in '53!! On the other hand, they arena there is Bradley, so that has to count for something, yes?

Thanks for the thoughts.  I will probably do this but at a much lower distance for now.




I repurchased the Brooks adrenaline 10 in black.  I believe I have the 9 and they are awesome so I fugured the 10s wold only be that mch better and I could not find the 9s.

What kind of grad school? 

Education--it's a general program for teachers getting their masters.  I am so close to the end, I can smell it!  But I still have a lot of work to do, so I have to balance that with training!

Interesting tri club meeting tonight with sports medicine doc--recommended 1 gram of protein/pound of body weight!  Also said most of us are seriously deficient on Vit D.  There is some thought that all of the records broken at the Mexico City Olympics may have been related to increased Vit D being closer to the equator, more so than altitude.  He recommended at least 2000 IU/day, with shorts on and 15 minutes in the sun (no sunscreen) your body produces about 15,000 IU, a glass of milk has about 100.
Melinda 

MELINDA -

Intriguing, yet not all that far from what I have heard.......and how, sporadically, I try to practice. That is, I do pay attention to my protein intake, especially in-season, and Vit D is one of the staples of my (these days, anyhow) "chosen few". Yeras ago I was a glutton for supplements, trying to follow the various protocols put forth by the good people at Hammer Nutrition (www.hammernutritioncom). This became too expensive and also too confusing -- all those capsules! Then I decided to compromise and just use their Premium Insurance Caps, which is a high-powered multi-vitamin. But I wasn't able to keep up with their recommended dosage, so that too fell by the wayside -- as did my interest in keeping up with All Things Supplemental.

Your post has my suddenly re-thinking this! I feel slightly comforted that the two things - D and protein - that were mentioned at your meeting are two to which I still pay attention, but I'm sure thre are many other supplements I should be taken more reglaurly, but am not.

As you know, I guess, all of the information about vitamins and amino acids and electrolytes and supplements seems to change weekly -- what is recommended today might be questioned next month. There was something recently that questioned the value of added calcium and D for people with osteoporosis or who are osteoporotic, and that was kind of a mind-boggler; for years calcium and D have been at the forefront of that battle. (Is nothing sacred?)

Right now for me it is really just D and glucosamine/chondroitin, along with keeping decent protein in my diet. But your post is a spur to me, and I well re-visit this stuff and see what the current thinking is. Thank you for the prod!

Steve/All,
I did receive your reply back and everything worked great! You are more savvy than you know.

Well...I am stuck working from home again today. Actually yesterday I went in during the morning and we wound up closing at noon so I worked the rest of the day from the house....then got in some good sledding with the little one. She had a complete blast (as I did too). We got about 7" total yesterday (which is alot for the south), but the problem is it started sleeting and raining last night. I got up this morning to head into work and my driveway resembles that of a Luge Track at the winter olympics! Now I don't mind driving in the snow....but ice...no way! Of course the gym was closed yesterday and today. I decided to take it easy yesterday but I think I am going to have to do something tonight...I don't want to lose my MOJO!

David

Steve/Daniel,
I am doing the Learn to Swim Program and usually 2 out of the 3 sessions are focused on drill work, but the last session is usually time to get some long work in. Much to your point Steve...the 1700 I did last week consisted of:
400 Warm Up
400 Swim
400 Swim with PB
400 Swim
100 Cool Down
These type sessions are always good for me in letting me know I can complete longer distances. I like the drill work, but when I do those I really focus on technique and don't worry about anything else. My plan is over in about 6 weeks and then I will transition into the normal schedule on the 12 Week Beginner Sprint Program which I think has more longer sessions in it to get your body used to swimming longer distances in one shot. I see the "Learn to Swim" program as a great way to practice technique during the offseason, but I'm not sure it will get me quite prepared for any type of race (my opinion of course).
David