Experior and Slornow's Winter Mentor Group-CLOSED (Page 34)

On tap today - Pool at lunch, and intervals on bike after work.  Hope everyone is well.

Michael: Thank you for the feedback! I think I'll definitely get in a couple swims next week. I've gotten the approval from my boss to work till noon so I can have a some time before picking kids up from school to run errands or hit the gym while husband is gone. I'll hop in the pool for some unsupervised training next week. Good job meeting your monthly goal!!

Last night I did a pretty hard (for me) interval workout on the treadmill. 4 miles total. One mile warmup at 10m/m, then 3 miles alternating 400s at 8:34 and 10 m/m. Worked on the core and arms as well.

Tonight will be a spin class and maybe 2-3 miles. Hopefully I'll be motivated enough to take it outside.

Lunchtime run in the books.  Best I've felt running on the treadmill in a long time.

Going to punish myself on the bike after work. 

Hey everyone-traveling most of today.  Swapped scheduled rest day to today.  Did some active recovery in the pool with an easy swim and some drills.  Back at it tomorrow with a 45 min. run and longish swim workout.

Sounds like everyone is busy with work and training. Hard to believe March is almost here.

Randy 

What do you guys think of our Tri Club T-Shirts we are ordering this year?  I especially like the black.  It will be a tech shirt.  Below is the green one and I think it will be cotton only.  Also ordering Club Tri top, bottoms, Bike Jacket. 

I'm back!  Sylvain, I hear you!  Work has been all-consuming the past two weeks AND I had company (my favorite Uncle from Wyoming) visiting.  February has been nuts to say the least.

I finally had a chance to catch up on the posts and congrats to everyone - sounds like training is handing out some choice pay-offs (PR's, etc.).  I'm coming off almost two weeks of virtually no training, so it feels good to get back out there.  I'll update my logs with last weekends workouts tonight.

Brian - I did the same thing earlier this year - cancelled my January marathon and raced a 1/2 instead.  We really know better inside our heads, but it helps to get outside input/support.  I came to the same realization myself last week - I just can't guarantee I can manage the training volume for the 70.3 in June, so I've taken it off my list.  It breaks my heart and I'm still not "over" it, but I know I need to focus more on work right now.  I've got plenty of races during the year, just not tri's because their aren't that many locally, so enough to keep me focused and busy.  It's just going to take some time to get over it.  2013 is going to have to be my lucky year!

Catwoman: how did your cold race go?  I wish I had seen your post earlier - I got a Pearl Izumi shrug for "winter" racing (LOL) - still hasn't been cold enough to wear on a run, but I know I will use it when I get back outside on the bike - my arms get really cold.  I also have a pair of Yellowman arm warmers that I wore to the Run for the Whales 1/2 marathon, which I was happy to have until the sun came up - then I just pushed them down.

Recovery: After a race or really hard/long workout, I like Recoverite as well.  That and compression socks.   I think I'd really like a pair of tights.

Motivation: I love being fit/strong enough to try whatever activity that interests me.  And I LOVE THIS:

Although when I first read it I thought he said "good looking legs!"  But my empty logs from last week(s) make me sad as well.

Well, if anyone wants to say that I have good-looking legs, I'm all ears...    But seriously, Di, we all have periods where our training falls off -- this just proves that we are real people with real lives.  The question is how do we react to that situation?  Give up or get back to it when we can?  I think we all know the correct answer here...

Brian -- glad to hear you are able to train again.  The pics of your shirts aren't coming through for me.  Try again?  Or is the problem at my end?

I managed to escape a couple of meetings (well, postpone them to tomorrow and Thursday) and got in a pretty solid training block today.  The swim and the bike were OK (not great), but the highlight was a frisky 1 mile in the middle of a 3.75 mile run where I kicked it up to a quick pace.  Less quick than all out, but certainly quicker than what prudence would suggest.  That felt nice.  Sometimes you just have to ignore what training wisdom says and go with your heart.

2nd Try at posting our new Tri Club Shirts.

After being disappointed in my effort during my TT on Sunday...I decided to reteach myself how to suffer on the bike.

Original plan was to do four 5 minute intervals at 280 watts, with roughly 5 minute recoveries at 200 watts...then do one last 5 minute interval all out.  I normally do a workout like this with intervals in the 260-270 watt range.

First interval went well @ 282 watts.  That felt ok...but I remembered I was supposed to be punishing myself today.  Next interval I upped it to @ 291 watts.  But still felt I needed to suffer more.  Third interval @ 301 watts, then @ 311 watts for the 4th and I was gassed.  But I still had my all out interval left.  Managed to suck it up...suffered like I haven't suffered in a long time...@ 324 watts. 

By far my best set of 5 minute intervals I've ever done.

Nice workout Jason!  I've also found that doing progressive intervals like that can allow one to find new levels of performance. Sounds like that's what happened in your case.  Way to go!

Today I pay for the time I took yesterday to do a big training block.  So...it's off to work for me.

Great work Jason.  Seems to me that the first interval is always really tough.  Trying to convince yourself mentallly and physically that you can do it. You really killed it!  Makes me think about that line from Animal House...."Thank you sir, may I have another".

Easy 5 on the treadmill at 5 this morning. Swim at lunch so I can go to daughter's soccer game tonight.

Randy  

2250 in the pool this morning and it was COLD!  (relatively speaking - 76 degrees in the water).

Have a trail run on Saturday, 9 miles over the Lahaina Pali trail.  Can't wait!

DI - LOL...I don't think we should be complaining about anything being cold. 

Randy/Michael...I agree.  I've always had my best results with progressive builds...and I usually feel the strongest just after the halfway point in the main set.  After that...mentally you know you're almost done...and it's just a gut check.

40 minute run at lunch, then masters after work. 

February was a pretty haphazard month for me with regard to training, here's how the goals went.

• Weight loss:  2 lbs (6 was goal)
• Bike 150 miles:  Completed
• Run 20+ miles/week:  2 of 4 weeks

And, in order to have those mediocre results, I was a real slacker with the swimming with just 7500 yards (and that, only b/c of Leap Year).

On the plus side, I was injury free and managed to avoid the nasty cold that everyone in town seems to have caught at some point over the winter (knock on wood). 

Stu

I worked my, ahem, rear end, off today and was able to 'clock out' after a 10 hour work day and rewarded myself with another big training block.  Tomorrow I'm going to have to take it easy!

But because of the block, I hit my February goals on bike and swim (but not, alas, on weight loss -- it's coming, but more slowly than I would have liked).  March and April are going to be the toughest months for me, because the goals keep building, but the workload does too.  Once I hit May, it'll be clear sailing.

How'd others do on February?  Looks like Stu's result was a mixed bag just like mine -- you know what Garrison Keillor says about February?  "It's the month that God invented to let those who don't drink know what a hangover is like".  In light of that, I'd say anything accomplished in February is a job well done!

Bike 255 miles; Run 80 miles; Swim 20,750 yards.  Not big numbers but given amount of travel during the month its not bad. Its been an adjustment for me using a coach this year.  I am not training as much but find that the sessions have more intensity.  Thats fine with me as it is February.  No need to kill it now with my season likely running from late March through Sept/Oct and with all the events being sprint/olympic distance.

Randy

Di - Thanks for the inspire and the info. on Paleo much appreciated.  I am going to be staying with Weight Watchers right now as I know it and it is something that is not new for me. 

Three good days of training this week.  Tonight in between rain showers I was able to get in a 5 mile run; 1 mile warmup, 3 mile tempo run; and mile cool down in.  I think that tempo run turned out to be pretty much a 5k TT.   Calf is feeling OK.  I am probabaly not going to pull biking in until next week, but have begun swimming again.  Need new googles.  Leaked like crazy yesterday.  Thank goodness for payday today. 

Ha ha.  In my swim today my left goggle filled with water on my final 200 and for some silly reason I didn't want to stop and fix it, so I closed me left eye and breathed to the right for the 200.

It seems like every time i find a model of goggles that works, they stop making them and I have to find another model.

I can con't to get mine at Big 5 Sports.  Aqua Sphere Vista.  Love that model.  I have to buy about 3-4 per season though.  I generally buy a new pair a week before a race and keep my old ones as a spare.

Check out these numbers.  I should have you all beat for the least amount.

Sylvain: Great job getting your training in even with the high workload! Good luck with training for your HIM.

Brian: Glad the calf is feeling better! Aw, wish I could have seen the tri shirts. You kicked my butt on run miles even with your calf injuries!

Jason: Awesome comeback! After Xterra I hope to learn more about proper bike training.

Di: I hear you on being cold in 76 degree water. It's probably even warmer here, but I have thin skin and cold blood I'm sure. If I could wear a wetsuit anytime I need to get into water, I'd LOVE swimming, lol!

Stu: Here's looking to a better month! It's great to be injury free and healthy though.

Randy: Nice numbers!!

Rene: Hope that calf gets to 100% soon!

**************

My February totals were sorely lacking in the run department. My fault. I really needed to get up in the morning before work to get them in, but I suck at waking up early.

Bike:    3h 45m  - 71.2 Mi
Run:    3h 08m 48s  - 25.2 Mi
Swim:    9h 00m  - 15208.97 Yd
Adventure Racing:    3h 00m
Soccer:    3h 00m

Forgot what my starting weight was, but I'm down to 138 now and just bought my trisuit in a MEDIUM. My butt fits in a medium, finally!

Today I rested. Tomorrow will be a swim and run. Saturday I hope to get a run in if kids are in a good mood, then I have an off-road duathlon on Sunday. The usual soccer game after that as well.

The duathlon is my last training race and it's up in the hills where the Xterra bike portion is. Perfect. It's a 1.5 run/6k bike/2.5k run. Will be nice to get a little trail run in before the race.

Have a great day!