tri808's Spring Pot Luck (CLOSED) (Page 36)

That might be true for pure swimming, but I think most agree that triathletes should do very little actual kicking because we want to save our legs for bike/run. Even the best swimmers, with perfect kicking mechanics, get a very small proportion of power from the kick: it almost all comes from the arms. I use kicking only as a means to stabilize my body, very little to get any power as it is largely moot for one, and I'm saving my energy for the next two events.

When I started doing this "lazy" two beat kicking (with lots of time not kicking) my times in my bike went way up and I was full of energy on my bike. Strangely, my swim time stayed the same (my hunch is that my kick was actually so inefficient that it was largely burning energy and contributing zero overall propulsion).

What convinced me, before experiencing the benefits in a real race firsthand, was the swim smooth program, which has a lot of great material: here is their article on kicking for triathletes.

Obviously nothing is one size fits all, if you like to do a hard core flutter kick more power to you! When I wear a wetsuit I literally don't kick at all because my body is stabilized fine by the suit alone.

Remember there are only two ways to improve swim speed. First, decrease drag resistance. Second, increase forward propulsive force (i.e., increase force vector opposite direction of motion). The easiest is to decrease drag by improving one's form (body aerodynamics). Best way to improve propulsive force is to build a butt-kicking catch and pull. Kicking is least important, better for most is to make legs/feet extremely aerodynamic to decrease drag.

Again, don't mean to come off as know-it-all one size fits all: I realize everyone has their own style and strengths that might differ from the mean.

Edited by neuronet 2011-02-25 12:40 PM

I was on a swim team for a almost a year. and we would kick, constantly, almost nonstop.
since I am not swimming right now I can't tell exactly what you would call it...
I think* that if you have good form the fatigue shouldn't be so much and you would still be fresh for the bike/run. 

52 mile bike followed by a 3 mile run today... razzle dazzle

I did a backward brick.  Well kinda.  I ran 10 miles and then did a light bike a couple of hours later.  The run was a scheduled 9 miler that I felt incredible on so I stretched the distance for another mile.  I didn't spend much time looking at my watch either and when I got home I was really surprised by my pace and how great I felt, both when I was running and after I got home.

I think I am going to start increasing my base from today and working toward a 25-30 MPW running average leading up to my HM in May.  From there I a want to get a build for another marathon.  Last time I ran the Mary I had an upper 30's base and this time I would like that to be a 45-ish MPW base.

29.10 Mi week total.

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feel better.

Thats a good week running!  Nice work.

Make sure to get your rest and take in plenty of fluids over the week.  Is it a cold or the flu?  A week is a long time to get past whatever it is.  You will probably be over it before the race.

My weekend workouts are done and I am shot.  I hit it 2 x a day for 3 days this weekend and my legs are blown up.  Tonights ride was below what I would normally have done for this same ride.  I imagine it was the ride On Friday that started the slow downhill on the bike.  I really thought I might have ridden to hard for what should have been an easier ride before heading into my long ride for the weekend.  Besides, I only started 2 hour rides last Saturday and that may be part of the issue too.

I also got a 10 mile run on Friday before the ride but the run felt amazing.  I enjoyed the run as much as I have enjoyed one for a long time.  Not so much while I was running (no runner's high) but after I was done and looked at my pace and how I felt, it just made me feel like I had accomplished something.  This will be the beginning of my base building for the Sept. marathon and the earlier HM in the middle on May.

How was everyone else's weekend training?

Had a busy weekend.

Went to a college baseball game friday night since #9 Texas was in town.  Their ace pitcher throws gas...UH couldn't touch him.

Saturday morning I was planning on riding 70 with a couple other guys, but one guy broke his chain early in the ride, and the other was way ahead of me.  So instead of riding out solo for the last 50 miles, I decided to turn around with the rest of the group and just hammer the 22 miles coming back.

Ran about 9 miles this morning.  Ran a little faster than I had planned.  There was a group of about 6 of us that were doing the same route, and somehow I got caught running with this guy who is just way faster than me.  We were pretty much running sub 8 minute miles the whole time...granted we took 3-5 minute breaks every couple of miles at the water fountains to let the others catch up.  At some points, I wanted to just let him run his own pace, but everytime I dropped back a few steps, he would slow down...so I felt some pressure to keep up the pace with him since I didn't want to slow him way down just to run with me.

Made some time later in the day to completely wash my bike.  Took my cassette apart and scrubbed it down.  You'll be amazed the gunk you can clean out of your cassette when you actually take it apart.  Threw on the disc cover, and I'm going to take it on a test ride Tuesday with my new (bought used) 404 front just to make sure everything is in working order.

I did some of this yesterday.  After all the rubber from the trainer for the past couple of months, the bike needs some attention.  I am planning on having it tuned up a little later.  Since I bought the bike 3400 miles ago it has never been tuned.  The rear derailleur needs adjusted and I am not sure how to do it correctly.  I f I tried it myself I would end up getting really frustrated and it may never turn out right.  I also spent some time cleaning some of the bike that needed done.  I plan on giving it a good washing before the spring opens up.

 

My lower back acted up again. It does this 2-3 times a year. Trouble getting in and out of car, tying shoes, other crap like that. I literally cannot bend over to tie the shoes. Codeine didn't even help. Grr. Pain goes away when I lay down, is only moderate when sitting at computer. Is worst when I change positions like sit to stand, or vice-versa.

Medical folks are useless for the most part: physical therapy has helped some, but I'm going to try a chiropractor tomorrow. I'm generally skeptical of such alternative medical practices, but the mainstream certainly has little positive to offer when it comes to lower back pain.

So frustrating, it would be better prognosis if I had an ACL tear or something with back pain they are so frustratingly useless and just tell me that I'm going to have to learn to accept it. god I want to punch them in the face when they say that with a cold lack of empathy they don't get how important it is for me to exercise. I just get depressed and useless when this happens.

@#$#@%#$

I really hate my lower back I wish I could remove it and replace it with some of my triathlon bike parts.

Or maybe the chiropractor will help!!! He's worked with athletes at the olympics, and is the chiropractor for Duke basketball, so he's likely to be the best in the area, and he will certainly understand the mindset of the athlete.  I'm not getting my hopes up, but hey if he helps wouldn't that be awesome?

If it helps I will give him a big wet kiss at a location of his choosing. Except one.

Edited by neuronet 2011-02-28 1:47 PM

I got a stomach bug that's been going around... so,now I'm just hoping that it's gone by tomorrow and then I'll have to decide how to adjust training...

I got my first swim in for 3 weeks this evening and my shoulder seemed to take the workout well.  I had no pain or abnormal fatigue.  I kept the swim very light and focused more on how my shoulder felt throughout the entire workout.  I also tried to focus on a high elbow catch and get this drilled into muscle memory and ready for race season.

Speaking of race season, while I was at the pool I ran into another triathlete that told me a race I am planning in June is a national qualifier for the AG nationals for the Sprint distance tri.  He said I would have to place in the top 30% to qualify and then the nationals are in Vermont.  I don't know if I can qualify for sure but I think I have a shot.  The race, if I understood him correctly, is the Warsaw Optimist Triathlon.  Who knows, I could be the next AG champ......NOT!!!!

I doubt that I would go if I qualified, but it would be nice to add to my racing resume.
____________

Will, don't overwhelm yourself with training.  Make sure if you are sick you take a bit of time to recover before trying to nail any workouts.  The rest will pay off before the benefits of training while sick will.

Training has been going well.  I did a 500 TT last week and came in at 7:19, which I thought was good.  I am just continuing to up my mileage for the 1/2 marathon in April.  I am also getting on the bike as much as possible.

"Training is what you are doing while your opponent is sleeping in." ---Brian Owen

 

 

That's a killer time for the 500!!!  My first TT was a 7:18 and my last one after about 6-8 months of training was 7:16.  It sounds like you're gonna be in the front of the swim pack at the season opener.

I have lower back problem to, I go to the Chiropractor when it gets to bad. I also try and keep my hamstrings stretched out. They seem to pull on my lower back. Good luck!

You guys w/ back issues: Have you tried a foam roller?  I've heard good things about them.

On another note, I went for my long run today even though I was still sick... After the first 6 miles, I could tell that I wasnt 100% but decided to just finish it anyway.  When I got home, my body totally shut down.  After about 3 hours of rest and lots of hydration, I'm feeling okay and hoping I've kicked this crap...

I've tried it on my IT band, but not my back. Once this flare cools down I'll give it a shot.

Garrunning: I stretch my hamstrings every day, starting about a month or two ago. Definitely more limber, which helps with the bike. Disappointed my back still insisted on flaring up.

So far Chiropractor stuff seems like BS, but I'm going to go through a cycle of it anyway just to be "open minded" (i.e., "empty wallet). I have trouble believing such a desultory 45 second adjustment of my spine could be the key to all my back problems. But as I said I'm gonna keep at it. I was frankly surprised and disappointed at how little went into this adjustment, and how underwhelming it was. It hurt a little bit, and that's about it.

It's basically like very expensive physical therapy, plus some black magic thrown in. I am starting to get more sympathetic to the skeptics out there...

Edited by neuronet 2011-03-02 11:31 AM

Sorry guys...I've got no advice for back issues.  I just hope you feel better.

chiropractors are very good for back issues, alot of cops who spend most of their time in a car seat with a gun belt on get some back issues, alignment issues pinched nerves, etc., almost all of them I know of see a chiroprator if it isn't surgery material, don't know myself have been lucky so far if that helps...

been good so far this week have hit all of my goal workouts so far, just finished a 2700 yard swim, I have some hand paddles does anyone else use them for an occasional workout, save the legs focus on the arms type of thing?

I had a very good workout today, I swam first doing around 1500 m with the main being a 500 TT. I swam it in 7:40, not quite as fast you other guy's but I'm getting there. After I ran 3 miles then did a boot camp. Mel would of loved it because today was pushup day in bootcamp, we ended up doing 120 pushups total. No not in a row it was broken up between sprints and horsepulls, ouch is all I can say. Hope everyone had a good hump day

Couldn't stand the idea of another exercise bike routine this morning, so borrowed a co-workers bike and did my workout on a coastal route from the office...  Felt great to actually be ripping through gears and not be peddling to no where.  What didn't feel great was the 22mph wind with the 30mph gusts coming off of the coast so my speed suffered but it was still a good ride.