GrooveTime!group - CLOSED!!! (Page 35)

MARK -

Huh. I could've swon you had told me your b-day was in january, but I guess I'll just have to live with the fact that it's really February. Don't worry, though -- I'll cope.

I'm very pleased you got the trainer! I sensed a bit of disappointment when it wasn't there as a xmas present, but this is just proof that good things come to those who wait. May you enjoy many blissful hours, spinning fast but getting nowhere fast. Are youi planning to stock up on Spinervals videos and their kin, or just set your own workouts and proceed at your own pace? There is a great little book of trainer workouts published by Velo Press, and I'll try to dig out the name of it later. (First I have to dig out my copy!)

I saw some nice new Kurt Kinetic fluid trainers today, and asked the guy there how long they generally last. Mine is about 8 years old is is creaking and wheezibng a bit, but performing well. He told me that even though mine (based on the color) is a firts-generation Kurt, it should be good for another 8-10 years! That's nice to hear, asd the current price of them is either $399 or $528, depending on the model. Yikes!

MARK again -

Ah-ha! Right where I thought it was!

It's got the prosaic title of "Workouts in a Binder For Indoor Cyclling", and the authors are Dirk Friel and Wes Hobson. It's full of very diverse workouts, to wit:
10 for Endurance
8 for Force
9 for Speed Skills
9 for Muscular Endurance
9 for Anaerobic Endurance
8 for Power
9 are Mixed

It costs $29.95, but is really worth it, IMHO.

19.77 at Amazon

SHAUN -

Thank you for the wonderfully detailed long post (don't tell the others, but you get an extra cupcake!). Lots to comment on.

Okay, now I've got it straight. You live in MI, which makes Wasaga Beach and Finger Lakes in September dopey ideas. So, scratch those thoughts, and we'll move on from there with correct geography fully in mind!

You know, I like the idea of the Hawk Island-Welland tag-team, and if you can make it work I think it would be very educational. There is a lot to be said for closely following one race with another race of about the same length, and goiven that they are both sprints you shouldn't need much recovery time after Hawk Island. Twenty days between the two is more than ample (barring any injuries), and what happens at H.I. will be very fresh in your mind as you go into and attack Welland. My first three triathlons were sprints late in the '00 season, and the dates were about Aug. 17, Sept. 15 and Sept. 23, and I just found that to be perfect for learning quickly in relatively stressless situations; by the time the third one rolled around, I almost felt that I knew what I was hoping to do!.

I will move forwrad from here keeping in mind that you feel you have a petty good base in swimming and cycling. As with your location information, this changes things some.; quite a bit, actually. It sounds to me like you do indeed have a good foundation in bith swimming and cycling, and it is especially pleasing to hear you talk confidnetly about the swim. If you are currently do 100m broken into 200m blocks, you should be able to lose those "gaps" between the blocks pretty quickly -- and then you'll be effectively over-trained for the June races. (And the 1500 this past weekend says that loud and clear.) Cool beans!

Part of me would like to kvetch at you to get a bike computer, but I'm hardly the one to talk -- it wasn't until spring '03 (like, late spring -- May something?) that I first got one, which is real late for someone who started this stuff in '00 and almost immediately got serious about it. Having a bike computer really does change one's approach to rides, and given that they are quite inexpensivem they are a terrific investment. I use a CatEye wireless, and i think it was about $60CDN.

As for the weight, let's wait. Maybe wait a month or so and then weigh in and we'll see where it should go from there. That'll give a pretty good indication of how your physiology is responding to increased training, and from there it's figuring out what is reasonable (and healthy) for you to shoot for. But remember that as your training increases, you have to keep yourself fueled properly. In other words, no deprivation in an attempt to lose weight. (And in that spirit, fully enjoy that second cupcake! )

You're doing a lot of things wisely right now, notably your judicious choice of races and the run plan you are following, even though you don't yet know how far you will take it. Your wisdom kind of belies your cautiousness in not wanting to commit too far to triathlon yet, as the approach you are taking is almost letter-perfect for someone who has a Grander Plan in mind. Mind you, there is absolutely nothing wrong with what you are doing, which is essentially re-evaluating after Welland to see how this is all sitting with you --- and all the while working towards a longer race later in the season, if that suits you. Nicely conceived, Shaun!

DENISE -

$19.77 at Amazon?!? Where were you when I bought mine a few years ago? Sheesh!

ARTHUR -
(and DWAYNE and DENISE, if I only thought this last week and forgot to post it) --

Thank you for the updated photos!!

I always feel so far behind around here! We are having the interior of our house painted on Friday and Saturday and I still haven't got the paint picked out, so have been trying to tackle that decision. Finally got my race report posted ... guess when they said the results were "preliminary" they meant only half the results were in!  Actually ended up 10/83 in my AG and 384/841 overall.

ANNE, my running didn't really begin to come together until I made the commitment to do my first HM last year. I actually found out, I enjoyed running more once I got the first 3 miles out of the way. I used the Smart Coach on Runner's World to prepare for my first and it was a big help to have that structure and was very doable.

CATHY D, thanks for the info on the "spinning" links.  I got a trainer last year for Christmas, but am hoping to start a spinning class once a week at my gym. Guess I'll check on the "binder" STEVE referenced as well.

KASIA, I checked the library and they didn't have the book that you referenced, but I've seen it at the bookstore, so will make a trip this weekend.

DIANE, way to get your first race on the calendar! It seems like there are some women only tris up in your area that might be minisprints. They are still adding to the calendar on trifind.com, so they may have not shown up yet.

A lot of ambitious race calendars! Can't wait to see how everything goes through the season! I'll be able to live vicariously through the IM's.

STEVE B, hope you have had great birthday! And congrats on BT of the Month, can't wait to hear the podcast.

Now in response to your birthday requests:

My birthday is August 22nd.

Here is my tentative schedule dependent on my son's baseball schedule:

1/10/10 EP Houston 5K (registered)
3/6/10   Spring Fever 5K (did this last year)
4/3/10   Muddy Trails 5K (did this last year)
4/24/10 Lone Star Sprint or Olympic
OR
5/1/10   CB&I Sprint
6/27/10  Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Sprint (did this last year)
7/?/10    Jeff & Brede's Sprint (may give this one a try this year)
9/26/10  Memorial Hermann Olympic in Cypress (inaugural race, just added to the calendar, so an option if I don't do the oly in April)
10/17/10 Try Andy's Tri Sprint (did this last year, but it was hard with it being so late in the season; I was ready to start focusing again on my running)
11/25/10 Run thru the Woods 5 mile (did this last year)
12/4/10   St. Jude's Half Marathon Memphis (did this last year)

I may add another half marathon in the next couple of months. Last year I did the Little Rock half in March.

Tracey's Birthday: June 17th

Planned Races:

February 14th: Paddy Kelly 5 Mile Road Race, Brockton, MA
March 14th: Knights of Columbus 5 Miler, Raynham, MA
June 6th: Pilgrim 10k, Plymouth, MA
July 4th: Patriot Place 10k at Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA
August 21st: Timberman Sprint Triathlon, Gilford, NH
September 26th: Buzzards Bay Sprint Triathlon, Dartmouth, MA
January 2011: Bermuda International Half Marathon (not sure about this one yet!)

Edited by midlifeinsanity 2010-05-23 8:09 PM

My last tri before B2B would be k-town on Aug 1st.,   then the waterfront half marathon in Sept , then B2B.  I don't have plans for any long races before the IM.

STEVE,

Lisa mentioned that she had success with Runners World Smart Coach so I went on the site this morning and put in the data  to come up with a plan to achieve my goal of running 15km at Muskoka this year  (based on running 5km in 29').

Kind of excited.  Created a 16 week plan starting next Monday but when I look at it, based on my last 2 weeks of running it looks like I am already in week 3, so maybe I will just make it a 14 week plan starting this week.    They would have me running 14km total this week, with long run of 6km which is exactly what I was going to do.   They have the 1st 4 weeks easy running with first tempo run week 5.  

They have my easy running pace at 7:20.   I would normally be running more like 6:35.   Should I slow it down?  

If this works for me, I am going to add a long term goal for this year to complete a half marathon in November.    I would back off on the biking and start a HM run program in September.    Do you know if they have races in November?  

Thanks Lisa for inspiring me to greater heights.  

Anne - I also used Smartcoach for my 1st 2 half-marathons - worked well for me
I gasped when I saw your "easy" pace but decided it must be a north/south of the border measurement thing - haha
Denise

STEVE -

Man, that's some nice observing whilst treadmilling! It's always good to be able to see oneself run, and especially so when the feedback can be immediate. And then as icing on top, you had the HR data to back up what your eyes were seeing in your reflection. Good stuff!

I'll be right back.

STEVE again -

I just had to get off the previous screen, as everything I typed took a few seconds before it showed up - kind of like transcontinental phone lines in the 1930s (not that I have any first-hand knowledge of those....). Anyhow, that was a nuisance, but now it's better.

YES! If you can find a HIM, do it! Most definitely! I will check the one you've linked later; last night I couldn't get connected to it, and I haven't tried again this morning.

For my first IM, I did Eagleman half-iron on June 13, with IMLP of July 25 - six weeks bang-on! The small advantage I had over your situation is that I had previously done seven HIM before Eagleman ---- but that's just my way of saying that it will REALLY be useful for you to have a HIM behind you leading into St.G.

Five weeks should be fine, especially if your plan says 5-6 is okay. The week after the HIM will be a light one for you, but once the following weekend comes around you should be back in gear, and that'll still be three weeks (maybe two-and-a-half) of good training before your taper starts.

At the risk of stating the bloody obvious, doing the HIM will give you as sense of how it feels to race the longer distance. But beyond just that vague-sounding "sense" lies the all-important opportunity to test your nutrition plan in a setting that actually matters. many of us can go off on long training runs and rides and tell ourselves that we will fule as if it's race day, but in reality some slackness often sets in because underneath it all we know there is nothing on the line.

But at Showdown, you won't want to make any nutrition mistakes at all, and that'll simply be a fabulous dress-rehearsal for St.G. Would your St.G. partner-in-crime also do Showdown? Even better, then --- and especially if you get accommodations at his place!

And as for your goals at Showdown, I think you're right in not setting any. To be simple about it for now, you might want to do the swim at 90% and then bike at 75-80%, and the run at a steady cruise that you can hold for the 13.1 miles. The big test will be how you feel coming off of the bike and heading out to the run, and seeing as how you've ever done a 56/13.1 brick, that'll be a juicy new treat for you! But if you have ridden conservatively and fueled adequately, you might be surprised at how well you feel on the run. It woon't be sweet, or easy, but if you be comfortable enough, that is a big step towards being ready for St.G.

For what it's worth, here is my post-Eagleman week.
M -- rest
T -- rest
W -- 40-minute open-water swim, ~2000m; also a 30-minute easy run
T -- rest
F --75-minute OWS
S -- 38-minute OWS
S -- two-and-a-half hour ride

SIGN UP FOR SHOWDOWN!!!!

CATHY -

With K-town long and a half marathon as the last races standing before B2B, you should have ample time to get in some good long rides before the weather starts to turn. I guess after K-town you would assume a run emphasis, which means that after Waterfront you would switch to the bike and aim for the long rides in Sept. and as far into Oct. as possible. Sounds like a plan!!!

LISA -

Holy-moly, it jsut kleeps getting better! Now you're in the upper 8th in the a.g., which sounds ever-so-sweetly like the upper 12%!

Not to mention it (although here i am, mentioning it), but also comnfortably in the top half OVERALL!

("Hey! You! Get off of that cloud!")

M -

Must conquer swimming? WILL conquer swimming!

I checked those races, and with still 3.5 months to go before Siouxperson (cute!), you should be finefinefine for the 300-yard swim. And then with five weeks until Pigman and the 200 additional yards - also very doable! And to complete your "hat-trick", Papillion's swim is 500 meters instead of 500 yards, and that's only a tiny bit longer, just a handful of strokes.

WILL CONQUER SWIMMING!!

TRACEY -

Today is the day, right? The day for the 10X50, done in "reverse-rest" order? I'm really intersted to see how that goes for you!

Remember, the precedent is there in that most similar sessions start easy and finish tough, so set your rest times generously, and don't be at all surprised at how the last few might feel. But just tough them out as best you can -- one at a time, and each one that much closer to the end.

Mojo headed your way!

LISA again -

See? Inside that southern body ticks the physiology of a northerner. You maybe ought to travel northward for all your races, as you obviously do really well when bundled!

MARK -

Checking for those races of M's, I was really impressed by the race schedule for Iowa. I know it's a fairly extensive chunk of real estate, but you have a lot of nice-looking races to choose from just staying in-state. Lucky boy!

Thanks Steve & Denise, I'll check it out.

That's was a cute story!       Given my age, you'd think I'd be a 'miles' person, but I had to bite the bullet and convert to kms, etc.   None of the young people have a clue what a mile is, and I must confess I'm more used to metric now.  So, if you did the conversion, you will see that I am a very slow runner!    Think I'm going to head out and pick myself up some stickers!  

Hey Steve. Thanks for checking in on me!

I changed up the training a bit and did my run today instead of the swim. So tomorrow I start the first swim session per your training plan! I'm excited to see how it goes. I'll let you know!

By the way, I think I've been bit by the swimming bug. I was with my son at his swimming lessons last night and was looking over at the lap swimmers, wishing I was over there!

Totally off topic, but my son swam all by himself last night for the first time with just a pool noodle! (He's 3). So proud of my little man.

Tracey