Fast Twitch Tri-FULL (Page 35)

MATT -

Before I barrel into this one with all pistons flying, which is the one coming up, and which was the one in November?  More specifically, how do the courses differ?  And more specifically still, are you planning to wear more clothes for the one in February?

The first question is just one of curiosity, kind of, but what i really want to do is go to both websites and see how they strike me.  i'm not saying I'm right in doing this as follows.......but i am fairly good at bopping through race information on line and having a sense of what it's going to entail in terms of both training and rain-day efforts and strategies.  So, thats' what i wanna do -- lok at both races' websites and try to get a feel myself.

The other two questions are the more pertinent, with the first being pretty much self-explanatory, and the second being of the wild-card variety.  i have never quantified clothing, but i have a very real sense that typical winter running apparel -- tights, gloves, an extra top -- add time to running.  Plain and simple.  And to this end, (a) when I ran my last h-m in late Oct '10, I kept it as minimal as possible, even at the risk of getting hyprothermic, and (b) for a "Resolution Run" of 10km two years ago, on an evening in which the temp was about at freezing, I wore just tri bottoms, two thins tops, no socks, and thin gloves.  i was fine, as it was just 10km and an out-and-back at that.  But in both thsoe cases, i had enough concern about extra cloting either impeding my movements or weighing me down that i opted for minimal.

I think you have to look in the mirror and make sure that sub-1:45 is a goal you can live with, given the stellar 1:43:30 not so long ago.  Were it me, I would hope for better --- unless the coming course is tougher and/or the clothing demands will be greater.  For either of those............I would be happy with sub-1:45

BUT THAT'S ME, which is why I say you have to project some and think about what would happen in your brain if you went, say 1:47.  ???

Oh, yeah -- race-morning weather, too!   Snowsleethail, anyone?  Slipslidingsloshing, perchance? Either of those might make me happy to emerge with sub-1:50.  I'll think about that some, but that's the first time that came into my mind as I thought about gnarly or gnasty weather.

More later, depending on what you say and what the race websites divulge.

What's wrong with the Celtics??

Wish I knew what was up with the Celts...

Anyway - thanks for the thoughts.  Good fodder for perseveration!

The November HM was Katie's Race HM (Katie Lynch HM) and the Feb is the Hyannis HM.  I suspect the November run was a tad hillier (not very hilly, even so) than will be the Hyannis.  As for clothing, I wore tights, a long sleeve thin top with the vest of a light jacket, a light hat and gloves that I shoved in the back pocket of the top about half way through.

If the weather is cold, I'll prolly wear a bit more (heavier top and tri shorts under the tights).  If not, prolly about the same (although it was 71 and sunny on the day Kim and I got hitched on Feb 22nd some years back - great photos on the Commons… - I doubt it'll be shorts weather on the Cape in February).  So similar to a bit heavier.  Hadn't even thought of this, to tell you the truth!

As for slush and such, if there is any, I'm going to throw time expectations out the window, avoid breaking my ankle on ice (again - happened about 5 years ago and $ucked out loud!) and just run best I can.

As for what to shoot for, well now that gets interesting (mentally, at least) and is a big part of why I asked the initial question.  I am WONDERING what would be an achievable increase in pace in this amount of time.  Could I go sub 1:40?  Sub 1:35?  Dare I even say it, hit 1:30???  The first sounds doable if I train well and have a good race day (I think).  The latter sound a bit less so...

BUT, I don't really know, having not ever been in quite this situation!  I'm even now having trouble figuring out what my training paces should be.  I did a 100', 12.25 mile run on the dreadmill today at 1 percent incline and averaged 8:11 m/m (as recorded by my footpod, which seems otherwise pretty accurate).  Is that a treadmill effect, going faster than one could outside, or can I up my training paces?  Even my outdoor runs are zippier by a decent measure than were my training ones for the last HM.

So, back to the original question, how to figure out what a reasonable increase in pace is for a second race a few months after a first?  What do you shoot for in the second half of your tri season, as an analogy?  

Without having done it, I'm going on gut feel (which either leads to a too slow, too fast and higher risk of injury or, less likely - a perfect approach).  That said, going on gut when running feels OK to me, but I am concerned that I'm either leaving time on the table that the received wisdom (whatever that might be) would have me train toward, or that I'm going to go too hard b/c I feel good and so injure myself (disaster!).  

Hmmmmm…. Perhaps a bit more than you asked for? 

Thanks for the offer to check both races out and give an opinion!

Best,

Matt 

I am trying to stick with it this year, because I am hoping it will make me stronger on the bike and run. I know this topic is a bit controversial, but I'm going with it WILL make me stronger! Yes, plus I don't think it can hurt in terms of building strength among muscles that may not be used as much with sbr. ALTHOUGH today I think it did me more harm than good!!!  I went to see an ART specialist this morning (one I've seen before and who's helped me) because I felt a bit of tension in my hamstring and thought it may be good for the elbows as well... well a few hours after that I started feeling a little something in my butt, almost felt knotty (muscles)... then I did the extremely bright thing of lifting weights with a leg focus, and then within a couple hours of that, that definitely made my glute issue worse!!   Hoping it's a temporary issue....... man I feel I keep coming up with new problems for myself!!! 

Anyway, to the original question, as for when I do include weights. I do the stationary bike at the gym, and sometimes run on the treadmill there as well.  I try to get in at least a few exercises whenever I'm at the gym- even if it is just 2-3.  I think that keeps me in the habit of getting in some strength training.  Sometimes I may feel like doing more, sometimes maybe not very much, but I'm getting over to that section for habitual purposes I suppose!

I'm really curious about this.  I have not been strength training, but I feel like I am losing some of my natural strength that was just there in my 20s.  So I've been thinking I should.  I did it in college as required for swimming and when I was doing a lot of horse riding I had a 3 day a week strength program that really helped.  Now I do abs after workout but that's about it.

Are there any good books with routines to follow?  When I was riding I found huge benefit from following the 6 week program outlined in this book http://www.amazon.com/The-Riders-Fitness-Program-Specifically/dp/1580175422/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357449708&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=strength+training+for+equestrians I looked for something similar for triathlons, but have yet to find anything- anyone have a suggestion?

What do you focus on in your strength routine?  I've always been way stronger in my upper body than my lower body.  How many days a week do you do strength training?

Kate, (when I am healthy) I try to do at least two sessions per week.  At the least, I try for one day of core/arms and one day of core/legs... some days I might just do all three of core/upper body/lower body... it really just all depends on how I feel!  If I feel like my legs need a rest, I might skip out, if I felt like I didn't want to tire my arms for swimming, etc.  Sometimes it's very quick, so at least I have done something, other times I may spend more time, etc!!

I don't have any specific link to recommend, but I'll share my favorite core exercise.  Weighted leg raises: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/HipFlexors/WtVerticalLegRaise.html First I do 20 leg raises unweighted (swinging legs straight and out, not up as demonstrated here), then I do (as an example) 15 leg raises with a 10 lb dumbell (as demonstrated), 10 leg raises with 12.5 lb, 5 leg raises with 15 lb.  Of course for modification, you can start by doing 15/10/5, instead of the 20/15/10/5.  Or maybe even 10/5.  The reason I like this is because when I always first do this after a little bit of a layoff (like a few months), I am always so sore from this!  That way I know I'm working the core!

I generally try to do this core exercise almost every time I'm at the gym. 

On a totally non tri note  I foster for our local animal shelter. I usually take in kittens and grow them up and socialize them so they are more adoptable. I decided to take on a mama and her day old puppies this time around for some puppy fun. Here is a recent video of them at 6 weeks. We're hoping that most of them will be 'pre-adopted' when people see all of their cuteness. Otherwise, they will still go quick once they are back at the shelter. The big black dog is ours. He's 13 and we got him from a shelter when he was a year old.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm-b74ViBzA

Those puppies are ADORABLE!!! I really enjoyed that video, I bet you have tons of fun with those guys.

I love how Buddy was looking at the puppies like he was thinking to himself," Whose kids are these??"

Confessions of a Wayward Triathlete

Hello Again Gang!

OK, so last time I posted I had rolled an ankle after hopping over a couple of logs on a trial run. The Saturday before that I had had a great 12 mile run. I had a 5K scheduled for the following weekend so iced and took Advil, iced, didn't run, and hoped for the best. I finished the 5K fine, but a little slow. I'm not sure if it was due to the week off of running or the fact that the ankle felt loose and didn't get great push from it.

The next day the pain in the ankle was a little worse so I did the Advil/ice, no run routine again, this time with a half marathon on the upcoming weekend. 

Race day came. It was chilly that morning and windy, but the temperature was supposed to reach mid-50s by race time. Long story short is the race turned into a death march for me, but I made it and lived to tell you about it.

What went wrong? I'm not sure but there are several obvious suspects:

1. Lack of training due to bum ankle

2. A guy I knew showed up that morning and wanted to run at 7:45 pace which was my goal, but was almost certainly not realistic that day.

3. I got super hot. I hate being cold so overdressed for the occasion. Once I started running I could tell I was in trouble by about mile 4. I stopped and took off an insulated shirt I was wearing under the stupid Santa shirt given by the race. I had to carry the extra shirt the rest of the way or lose it. This Santa shirt turned out to be made from recycled cheese graters. (My first ever experience with chafing upstairs - knew it was possible but never had it happen and thought I was immune)

4. The ankle didn't hurt too much during the run but think it may have altered my mechanics. I found out after the race I had a blister the size of a quarter below my big toe in addition to the usual ones on the tips of toes.

5. On training runs I don't keep track of mileage too closely -- just enjoy the run. The flags every mile began to be a problem about mile 6. Nine more miles to go and I feel like this already?!!!

6. No nutrition plan. I had run 12 miles so easily 2 weeks before with no water, no gels, no nothin'. I think the pace I was trying to keep was the difference. In the end, my pace ended up being the same as if I had run leisurely. When near the finish line, and at the point of not caring I finally broke down and ate a chocolate chip cookie because it made me happy.

The next several days I felt like I had been run over by a truck so I took some time off. I planned to get in a swim on the Friday before Christmas but we got 12 inches of snow, school was cancelled and the pool closed. I ended up taking off the next two weeks for break. I figured I couldn't run too easily anyway because we ended up with about 15 inches of snow. I should heal the ankle and maybe fully heal the swimming shoulder.

That brings us to today. The ligaments in the ankle are still stretched out and feel loose with a little bit of pain, but not too bad. Swimming shoulder feels the same. I gained 3 pounds. I did enjoy sleeping in and probably gained something mentally. 

What's next?

I think for me the big push is going to be weight loss. I hope the time off can help re-set the metabolism. I was doing a bunch of exercise but also eating way too much. I got the snacking under control a little over break since I wasn't always hungry. I hope to add back in the exercise and drop some weight. Also saved up some Christmas money for clip on bike shoes and SpeedPlay pedals.

I do and it is tough to fit in with s/b/r!  I generally get two sessions per week of heavier weight/lower reps for strength.  I also teach a class that incorporates the lighter weight/higher reps for endurance.

For the two higher weight days, I split it up with back/bis on day one (pull muscles) and chest/shoulders/tris on day two (push muscles).  Each session consists of 4 supersets, each superset is two exercises back to back.  Each superset has 12 reps per exercise and I do each 3 times.  So a sample looks like this, a back/bi day:

(Deadlift 12 reps/bicep bar curl 12 reps) x 3

(Bent over row 12 reps/preacher bicep 12 reps) x 3

(Free motion lat pulldown 12 reps/alt free motion bicep 12 reps) x 3

(seated rear delt rev. fly 12 reps/kneeling concentration curl 12 reps) x 3

I do the same thing on chest/shoulders/tris day splitting the exercises up evenly to cover the three muscle areas.  On these days, I use a weight heavy enough to go to muscle failure (i.e. after 12 reps if I feel I could do another 5, I need heavier weight).

On the light weight/high rep day in class I do a full body workout.  The goal their is muscle fatigue instead of failure (i.e. it burns but you can physically continue the reps).

Sometimes I lift with a swim day.  Sometimes with a run day.  Tough to fit in but definitely worth it to me!

Welcome back DOUG!

Thanks everyone for sharing your lifting routines. Very helpful.

I've been suffering from the worst head cold in memory. But I've been trying to work out through it. Above the neck, what the heck, right? Following the Intermediate Base I plan on TrainerRoad and actually enjoying it. MY FTP number is already higher than last year. It's easy to improve on nothing!

PATTI -

Piriformis, eh?  Pretty good self-diagnosis, from what I remember of your symptoms.  The prognosis for piri is much better than for sciatica, which is what I was kind of worried about for you.  Another good thing about piri is that it is very treatable through massage and A.R.T.; that is, there is lots of valid hope, and over the short term, even!

Yes, most of us do get our medical info from the internet, or soemtimes here on forums, but I gotta tell you that I got reamed apart a few years ago over at Slowtwitch for bringing up an issue just before xmas.  One guy thought I was stupider than dumb to look for opinions there............but, jeez, it was about Dec 23 and I didn't think i'd have much luck getting in to see my g.p.. or sports doc, and seeing as how I wasn't spewing blood from an artery or something, i figured I'd go to a "trusted" forum.  Anyhow, he awas a real scrooge about it.  Ptooey!

How was the swim?  Good on ya for doing it; now don't you feel all better?  Maybe even somewhat self-righteous?  (Ahhh, yes!)

MATT -

Oh, Hyannis it is!  Nice choice!

A couple of rollers, as I remember reading about it, and unless something wickedly unseasonal rolls in, you should be able to get by with little more than you wore in November.  You know, those coveted ameliorating effects of the Atlantic and all.  Cool beans!

Wind, i guess, can be a factor, and crowds for the first couple of miles.  At ;east, it used to be very popular, and I have no reason to think it is less so nowadays. 

Let em keep thinking some about pace, other than to allow the crowd to keep you at a modest pace for the first mile.  that's a good appraoch anyhow, but the crowd will be unwitting policeperson as you try hard not to go out a a 6-minute/mile pace.

I shall return!

MATT again -

Were it me, I would aim for 1:40 -- right now, out of the box.  That is what i would train for, and see if I can realistically sustain a 7:38/mile pace for the 13.1 miles.  And if so, then it would come down to race day --- weather, crowds, how I felt.  If the weather is good, and the crowds not oppressive, and my body and mind and spirit working as one, I would set out for the 1:40. 

My going-out plan would be to begin at the very front o the 1:45 crowd (I assume a hyannis wil have pace bunnies), just to keep me at about 7:50/mile for the first mile.  That achieved (give or take), I would then pick it up to about 7:40/7:45 for the second mile, and then bump it up to 7:30/7:35 for the next couple of miles -- if I am comfortable doing so.  That would get me just about exactly on-target for the 1:40 --- and then the trick is to aim for 7:35-7:40 miles for the duration.

My own h-m hostory has me doing well until about mile 10, and then a fade, and then I'm able to pick it up for the final mile.  I cannot push myself through those touger spells, so it's really just a matter of not geting defeated by mile 11 coming at  7:48, say, and mile 12 at 7:44.  I also cannot do accurate mental math at that stage of a demanding effort, so i just have to rely on hoping to have done enough sub-7:38 miles to offset the 16 seconds I have lost to the goal pace in those two faded miles.

ASo, as you train, do enough efforts at 7:30, give or take, so that (a) you have a good idea if you can do it at Hyannis, and (b) you are quite prepared to DO IT AT HYANNIS!   Yeah, yeah, I know I makle it sound easy and formulaic -- and I also know that it never quites works out so smoothly, either in training or on race day.

Ya done good with that 'mill run, and FWIW I always think of the 'mill as being less fast than running outside.  iI'm sure there is a treadmill effect for many runners, But I'm not at all sure I've experienced it at all.  So, for me, I would count on being able to up my pace in the great outdoors, with effects of wind and ground coverings weighing more favorably than sweating away on the 'mill.  And at this time of year, with you h-m being a winter one, you are best-served by doing as many of your runs outside as possible -- just to be mentally prepared for whatever Ma might throw your way on race day.

The concept of "miles in the bank" during a longer running race seldom works.  that is, if you go out at 7:25/mile pace fior the first six miles, you can't count on being able to hold it together enough in the final 7.1 miles to end up with a 7:38/mile average pace.  Usually the crash-and-burn situation happens when there is a "positive-split" run, meaning that the first half is the fast half.  I almost always aim for "negative-split" runs, with the second half being the faster, and for me the best miles in a h-m would be 5-9, I guess.  So, in a way, it's not surprising that I have the fade I mentioned above............and it's good that I didn't blow myself up too much, too early!

Finally, my seasons are designed/hoped for to get better as they progress -- all things being mostly equal in terms of courses.  So it makes perfect sense for me to do a h-m in Nov and hope to do better with a second one in Feb. 

Finally-finally, I still haven't been to the website of either race, relaying instead on what I think I know of Hyannis and what you said about comparable hilliness.  I will get to those sites later, though.

SAMANTHA -

Ha!  I do believe that your statement -- ".....I keep coming up with new problems for myself!!!" -- signals that you are experiencing one of triathlon's enduring rites of passage.  At some point in our getting-more serious training, it happens.  And happens.  And happens again.  And again.  And again.  (So, brace yourself!)

Seriously, just about every serious athlete (and not just triathletes) who rachets up their training will experience what I think of as "compounding problems".  I have gone through this literally dozens of times..........and the thing is, i don't know a way to avoid it, short of dramatically cutting training, like forever.

Another way I think of it is how true it makes the little ditty we all learned as kids, the one that in part goes: "....hip bone connected to the thigh bone, thigh bone connected to the knee bone, knee bone connected to.......", ad nauseum.  That's the scenario in which so many woes start -- when one area is hurt, and then that leads to an adjacent area hurting as well -- maybe through "referred pain", maybe through "compensatory movement".   The latter is the real bugger, where you run on a sore ankle, say, and kind of lope0limb along...........and before long the knee is hurting, and maybe the hip, too.  and then favoring those areas, wll, it's kind of the body's way of expressing the domino effect.

What you did may seem dopey to you (and I'm not going to argue too hard!), but my lord -- I rcognize it in myself oh-so-well.  I ayve done similar many, amny times, just really not fully thinking through a workout before I tackle it.  I did it when I got serious about this stuff way back when, and I still do it nowadays.  I guess we all operate on the sweet notion that "hope springs eternal in the human breast".............even though experience tells us that that kind of thinking never gets us too far, too fast.  Doh?

So, cheer up!  Join the crowd of those who are hobbling through self-inflicted aches and pains, and have been for way, way, way too long --- and for all the good it will probably do you, go right ahead and resolve NEVER TO DO IT AGAIN!  

Finally, enjoy the weight room -- great places, weight rooms!  And while your lower body is recuperating, take all the time you need to work the upper body.  This work will help with holding certain strainful positions on the bike, and will assist with a more erect carriage while running, and probably increase power on the swim.  Win-win-win!  And those are just for starters!!!

An interesting morning, well, sort of. Working with the local cycling club and bike shop owner we organized a group stationary trainer session this morning at 7am, I purchased some of the group licensed vids from The Sufferfest. We had a reasonable turnout for this area, four, with some nibbles from others. It made the hour go quickly and started the day off well. A bit tough time-wise for some folks who would rather do it at 6pm, I was grateful to be able to do it in the morning when I am free. We also got some interest from members of the local running groups who also do triathlon so there maybe a solid crossover. I have been networking some with triathletes and interested people locally, nothing formal, just staying in contact. It would be fun to throw together some group workouts, like swims or brick sessions. Anyway I am not a big "organizer" type but all the tri clubs are located in the larger metroplex area but there are a reasonable number of people in my area for some fun.

Just random thoughts while I watch the drought busting rain fall in Texas.

Sorry...delayed response.  I do.  And I recently added Bikram Yoga to the mix.  And I think it's a very important part of an overall training regimen.  Some folks think it's a waste of time and all strength training should be sport-specific (hills, etc.) YMMY of course. 

I usually fit in my strength training onto the back end of some other session...like Tuesdays I do a 30 minute treadmill session where I do my albeit extremely limited "speed" work, then 30 min of lower body strength training and core work.  Monday afternoons is 45 min swimming and then 30 min upper body, etc.  6 a.m. Friday mornings are my "90 minutes of hell" Bikram Yoga.

I do find that as my training ramps up I start to find excuses not to do this work, and in all honesty I think it contributed to my knee and back injuries from which I am finally starting to emerge.  I have been pretty good keeping up with this the last six months.

-----------------------------------------AS PROMISED! ---------------------------------------------------

Okay.  Here is a list of who we are, now that we are actually a "blended" family.  I have given everyone's real name, screen name, and the page on which their biography appears.  Don't worry, though -- no test on this info!

• Mike -- jmhpsu93 (1)
• Greg -- gti123 (1)
• Dave -- briderdt (2)
• Amy -- noelle1230 (2)
• Doug -- Hoosierman (2)
• Patti -- pugpenny (2)
• Joe -- joestop74 (2)
• Wayne -- waynec (2)
• Kate -- moonrocket (3)
• Shana -- DigitalRain (5)
• Samantha -- michgirlsk (5)
• Don -- Donto (6)
• Tiffany -- Tiffanator (6)
• Dennis -- Fourteenkittens (9)
• Matt -- mcmanusclan5 (11)
• -------------------------------------
• Ellen -- Zam92 (39)
• Gene -- Sementi (40)
• Jeff -- Av8rTx (40)
• Johanne -- 50andgettingfit (40)
• Dave -- davekeith (42)
• George -- wenceslasz (44)

Notes:

A few from the top list haven't appeared in awhile, so I wonder..........

There are a few others that once inhabited this space, but haven't been here in too-long-to-list:  Darrell, Shane, Dan, Daniel, Jason, and QUINCY, who founded this group but has been swalloweed up by family stuff, I do believe.

There is Ben (brigby) who occasionally visits from another group.

There is also Trina  from "Mighty Mojo", who might come over, so be prepared.

HAVE I MISSED ANYBODY???????????

MIKE (and others with an interest in strength-training-cum-Yoga) -

I started Yoga in April '11, and it swept me off my feet.  I kept up with lifting for about two weeks after starting Yoga.........and haven't figured out how to combine the two and still have room for the other stuff.

I haven't done Bikram, though, at least in this incarnation!  the only other Yoga I did prior to Aprill '11 was Bikram, however, but the studio I have used for the past 21 months doen't offer Bikram, so that's that.   Mostly I do Hatha and Yin.  I tried Ashtanga a bunch of times, but it is beyond my uber-inflexible abilities.  I played around with some Hot Power classes last winter, and while wicked-rigorous fun, they practically killed me by degrees.  Mercy!

Lynn insists that my body was healthier, injury-wise, when i was a Yoga junkie.  For the past six months or so, however, i have reduced it radically; not sure why.  Hmmm.

The odd thing is that I find lifting much more of a mental steadier than Yoga.  Yoga has The Rep for that sort of thing, but for me I'm just too caught up in getting into a pose with any degree of proficiency, and then working the corrections to make it better.  Not much time for mind-steadying doing it that way!

Lifting, though, is just about pure focus for me -- quiet, pure, mindful focus.  I love that, and miss it.  Gotta figure out a way to get it back in my life!

PATTI -

I am one who is naturally skeptical and can easily view many things as "a bunch of hooey"........but the longer I do this stuff and have to deal with injuries, the more I realize how vast the field of therapeutic modalitues can be, and that one should keep a wide-open mind for options that may go well beyond the convenetional.

That said, though, I normally opt for the comfort-zone of western medicine, broadly speaking.  But as you mention "neural flossing", I 'm not sure if its origin is West or East -- but I sure am open to it.  Without going into specifics, I ahve had several injuries over the years that were nerve-based, and they can be real buggers.  They generally defy standard massage approaches, or at least can tend that way.  My biggest mystery injury battles have turned out to be nerve-based, I believe.  Nasty stuff.

It is still strange to realize that my torn labrum is never going to get better; this is the first "incurable" injury I have encountered.  That news is about a month old, and still throws me for a loop when I think of it.   I can modify my activity and manage the pain levels, but unless it worsens to the point where i need a full hip replacement.........this is what i live with.  Talk about being on the horns of a dilemma -- either manage the pain, or replace the hip.  Sweet Mother of Mercy!

No need for a pity-party, though, as it mostly is not near as bad as it might sound, and has done very little to slow me down.  I don't drive as much as I used to (probably a good thing, given my recent deer encounter!), as sitting in that position can set it off, and I am limited as to how far I can cycle and haow far I can run and how hard I can kick while swimming.  That has me down into olys and sprints, which at this stage of my career, hip notwithstanding, is fine by me.

BUT I DIGRESS!!!!!!!

450 yards is a fine start.  that's one thing to hang your hat on.  the other is that even if you really and truly are a "terrible swimmer", swimming usually rewards hose who put in a good effort in the pool.  Abnd for the truly "terrible swimmer", the worst thing one can do is plow through big lenegths using sketchy form.  So, don't get hung up on how far you go or how long you swim, but work on specific technique improvements that will get you beyond feelling like a terrible swimmer.  There are many great swim websites out there in cyberland, with my favorite being www.swimsmooth.com (or .net or .org; can't remember!

Glub, glub!

JEFF -

EXCELLENT way to start a day, Mr. Organizer!  Nicely played, and may your turnouts grow and become more supportive!

Yeah, i ahve to dig out my Spinervals videos and get serious on the trainer.  It's all abouit "junk miles" right now -- and not many of those, even.  I also have to set up the rollers, just because.  We are looking at it being close to 50 here on Saturday, which means I may try an outside ride.  I've never done one in January before, so that'll be some kind of warped accomplishment if I pull it off.  And if I can do a decent outside ride.......why the need for the rollers to sharpen me off-season bike-handling skills?!?

Now Steve, myself and a handful of other TEXANS rode New Years Day 120 miles starting in a damp 39 degrees and never getting over 43 degrees (F)...I thought Canadians were a hardy bunch that wore shorts and t shirts in 40 degree weather?

I started an OLY training plan today!  (Had to fly to Vegas for a quick pre-CES meeting and missed Sun and Monday.)  Race is not until July if I sign up.  I think if I can make the first month of the plan with no injuries I will commit - although last year it was open for a long time- so I have a while- I just do better after I commit.

STEVE- sorry to hear about all of your injuries!  When I used to swim all of the time it felt like I was constantly battling something- it can be SOOO frustrating!  I think that's what I'm liking about the shorter tris- I can mix up training and don't have to push my body to the point where it feels like it can never get healthy.

Good for you! It's always fun to start a new plan. 

Do you still ride your horse or is he retired? I have 2. One I still ride on the flats and the other is younger so he gets to go up into the hill trails with me.