Got Your Mojo WORKIN'! group - CLOSED (Page 36)

Hi Ellen.. as a gold BT member you have access to the coaches who will help you with any questions you have about any of the BT plans.  Just go to the performance members forum at the bottom of the list of forums and you will find the place to access the coaches.

CRAIG -

I will give you a better answer later, but for now I'll say"yes!" to three days a week --- but that all depends on what you do with them. If all three days are just "junk miles", then some benefits by way of increased endurance will accrue, but not much else. It really is a question of quality rather than quantity.

Having said that, however, there should be some quantity there, too. That is, one or two high-quality runs a week will help, but if that's all there is, it might not be enough volume, either.

For now, think three days, and think two of them having some quallity elements to them (more on that later). The third one can be a LSD (long, slow distance) run, with the L part being very relative and subjective. It is really just a run where the pace is slower than a perceived race pace, and the distance is at or slightly above where your limits are at the given time.

More to follow!

Hi  George.  One thing you need to be careful of, especially now that you are going to the gym alot is that you are actually eating enough.  The best way to do that is to log everything you eat for a couple days and see how many calories you are actually taking in ( you can do this with the BT nutrition logs).   Our bodies are programmed to conserve energy in a food shortage so if you cut your calories drastically (as a 50% reduction might be interpreted) your body may think there is a food shortage and reduce your metabolism to avoid starvation.   So even though you are eating much less your body has lowered it's energy needs so you don't lose weight.

Try tracking your calories in and out and make sure you are in about a 500 calorie deficit each day... if your deficit is more than that try eating a bit more and you may start to see some weight loss.  A 500 calorie deficit will mean a loss of one pound per week. 

Good luck ... this is an area that I struggle with.  I've been running for 12 years and doing triathlon for 4 and I've only lost 10 lbs since I started (and have another 15 - 20 to lose).

DANIEL -

I'm very sorry to hear about the layoff, and hope that that situation doesn't last long for you. It's good to hear that you are not about to abandon training, however, as you have seemed very keen bout it and motivated by it. Continued training will no doubt help keep your mind from more negative things, if and when they surface. As I said to George in a different context: "illegitimum non carborundum"!

DANIEL again -

I only just learned about the Tough Mudder races! It turns out that a member of my last year's group so loved the Warrior Dsh she did that she is going from Colorado to Texas just to do a Tough Mudder there.

And as for her, see next post!

GANG!

We may be joined in a few days by Kasia, who was in my last year's group for a while. She is mid-20s and lives in Colorado, and last year was her first in multisport. She did a sprint, and oly, and a Warrior Dash. As I just mentioned to Daniel, this year she is "graduating" to a Tough Mudder event in Texas, along with expanding her triathlons.

So, if she shows up in a day or three, don't be surprised. Her user name is "augeremt", and you'll recognize her by her enthusiasm!

GEORGE ( and others) -

Brenda has given you some good reasons for joining USAT, and I will second them. I have been a member for years......although they don't seem to send the magazine to Canada anymore ( I really have to complain about that!)

Brenda mentioned the rankings,and that is the big draw for me -- it's why I do most of my races in the U.S., in fact. I will say more about the rankings later, but for now I'll just clarify something she said. In order to be ranked, you need to do 3 or more races, not up to three. Also, these have to be ones that are sanctioned by USAT; not every race in the U.S. is a USAT race.

She has the math right, and if all you do is two or three USAT races a year, you won't save money by not having to purchase the one-day membership each time. This past season I did 10 USAT races, so that would've cost me $90 (or maybe $100; cuz I don't have to do it, I don't pay attention) or so in one-day passes. And seeing as how I got a three-year membership 2.5 years ago when it was $37/year, I think, I saved $53.

There are some pople who feel that the membership isn't worth a darm thing, but the reach of USAT is wide and they do a lot of good stuff. Visit their website at www.usatriathlon.org.

In a few days when the dust clears I'll explain the rankings prigram, as someone else mentioned them about a week or so ago.
(WHOMEVER that was, I apologize for forgetting about it until now. Be patient for a few more days, okay?)

ADAM -

So much controversy about swimming! I just receieved a GREAT video from Vasa (makers of the Vasa trainer), and the instructor on it says that most people over-rotate when they breathe. (This view is aldo held by Paul, of www.swimsmooth.com.)

I'm off to bed now, but I'll return with detailed breathing thoughts tomorrow!

Gonna go sleep off that big Turkish dinner. Urp.

Tomorrow I'm 62. 62. Sixty-two.

Don't like the way that sounds. Bah!

Happy Birthday Steve!  Sixty Two sure beats the alternative. 

Haven't read a thing since page 30 something.... End of semester sucks... having a teacher quit with 2 weeks left in semester, and not turn in any grades sucks... having to cover his classes, mine, and make up grades for all the kids really sucks!  OK enough complaining... onward!!!

I've got my first ever race on Sunday.   21km bike, followed by 5km trail run and then a 9km road run... I know, weird format. 

First off... hopes and prayers would be greatly appreciated... My longest training run has been 8km... so the 14km of running has  me a little worried.

Second, a couple questions.

1) My longest run was 8km, which I did fresh and finished feeling good.  Tired, but good.   I was running at a 6 min / km pace, and I felt I could have probably squeezed out another 2km at that pace, but time constraints (and not wanting to over do it) reined me in.  Do you think 7 min / km is a reasonable goal for the race on Sunday???

2) Today is Thursday and because of work (and horrible rainy weather) I haven't done anything in almost a week.   How much, assuming I can make the time, should I try to squeeze in before the race?  I don't want to show up tired, but I would like to get something in.

3) Assuming its drizzling, or raining,  on Sunday (I'm really hoping not, but better be prepared) what would you suggest equipment wise?  I'm on an old mountain bike (with kid seat on the back.. yes, I'll get pictures) thinking tri shorts, long sleve compression shirt with a wind jacket for the bike ride.  Then, new shoes and shirt, but keep the shorts for the run.  Thoughts?

Thanks in advance everyone.

P.S. Happy B-day Steve!

Happy Birthday Steve!!!!

Gene, best wishes to you and your family on the birth of your grandchild tomorrow.  I will keep yall in my prayers. Oh do you know if it's a boy or girl, or are they keeping it a surprise.

Cathy thanks for the info on the calories, I will keep track of it to see how its going.

Thanks to everyone for all the inspires and the motivation talks.  This is a great group of folks. Well off to the gym to try and lose some of this weight.

Thanks
George

Hope you have a wonderful 62nd Birthday, Steve, surrounded by love! Happy Day of Birth!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE!

Happy Birthday Steve! Hope it's the best year yet!!!

Thanks to everyone for keeping me inspired to keep going on my training!! I have a hard time staying focused in winter, not my favorite season.... can't convince my husband to move somewhere warmer!!!

Keep up the great work!!!!

Shannen

Happy Birthday Steve!

Thanks for the b-day wishes, you fine persons! So far, so good!


Last night's feast netted my two pounds, and I have no staunch plans to make inroads into that today. Likely a trainer ride later, but that's it!











Edited by stevebradley 2011-01-13 10:56 AM

I'm thinking about using this plan 20 week Olympic run focused found here on BT. I haven't put together any real race plans for this year yet but I do have a 5k that I want to do again this year in April that Kathy says she would like to do also. Then maybe the Pacific Crest in Bend, OR on June 26 we'll see.

After last years off road race I know I can cover the swim and the bike and I'd like to be in good enough condition to do a BOP finish instead of DFL.

DUNCAN -

And as if it wasn't bad enough that he bailed when he did and how he did, just from the school's position, it is ultra-hard on you trying to keep up the new presence in your life. How soon is your break, and for how long will it last (aside from "not long enough")?

Onwards to Sunday!

You know, for now I would try to put time goals on the back burner, and for three reasons:
(1) First race is just a time to focus on keeping it all together with as little added pressure on yourself as you can.
(2) The run segments(s) begin with the trail part, which is not the time to be looking for speed.
(3) The 8km is a slight shortfall, given the race's total of 14km, so you don't want to burn yourself up by setting your sights on any sort of ideal time.

Sticking with offshoots of #3, as I wrote you earlier I do NOT necessarily think that the 8km long run will end up hurting you, especially if you view and approach the trail 5km as an elogated warm-up. That is, just go easy through that and work to keep your breathing as regulare as possible -- and stay upright at all times! Then when you hit the actual roads for the final 9km, that is when you should be better able to realize the benefits of the 8km long run.

For BOTH runs, start off slowly -- especially on the trail part. Keep your stride length short and crisp, and then as you loosen up your can stretch it out a bit. Even when you hit the road part, take a minute of so to regain your natural running rhythm, and just conduct an inventory of your body parts and see how everything is feeling. That sort of thing could get lost in the enthusiasm of making up ground on terrain with good footing, but just give yourself a few moments to make sure that your knees, ankles, hips, achilles, quads, hammies, and calves aremostly good.

At this point, your training is there; not much that yu do between now and Sunday will make any difference in race-day performance. What something might do, however, is keep you loose and prevent you from going stir-crazy. So, if tomorrow (Friday) is good, aim for a brief 15-20 minute run, just a loosey-goosey effort -- no speed effort at all. You could also do a brief ride, maybe about 30 minutes is all; 45 if you are real gentle on yourself! If you can't manage Friday, then Saturday could be an early morning warm-up type of run of 10 minutes max, and a 20-30 minute easy ride, preferably before mid-afternoon.

As for clothing, well, I'm Mr. Minimal so I might not be the one to ask. If temps will be coolish, then I would keep on the comprression long-sleeve for the whole thing, getting rid of only the jacket from the bike. Unless your jacket is lightweight and absolutely rainproof, and unless the time of the bike i sgoing to be especially cool, i would also forego the jacket. If all it does is keep you dry for about five minutes before getting saturated, then it might be best to just leave it behind and suffer with those extra five minutes of being soaked. But you know you better than I do, so if you are intolerant of cold and wet, do whatever you can to stay warm and dry.

Let me know if you have further questions, or need more clarification of what I have just written!

SHANNEN -

I just want you to know that for 99% of us, staying focused and motivated throughout the winter is very difficult; You Are Not Alone!

I wish I had some ironclad advice for you on this, but it's a scramble and struggle for me at times, too. The concept of "staying active" counts for a lot, as does the importance of continuing to improve, overall, each year. I can get mileage (as it were) out of the notion that on my off-days I know how many people are carrying on with their training, and heaven forbid they should gain big ground on me!

But I can't live on fitness or fear alone, and then I'm not sure what that leaves me with. I am still trying to conjure up my full schedule for the season, so along about now I don't even have specific races on which to set my focus.

Of course, things like the group here work rreally well, just because it serves to keep us all in the loop, and alos provide some accountability. At least that's the plan!

hang in there -- it's only a couple of months (especialy for you) until you're back outdoors again. Halleloo!!

CRAIG -

If you have done any research on running-based workouts, you'll know that run training can be very complicated. But thinking about what you said last night and today, I did think you need to make a mountain out of amolehill in working to get faster ANFD finishing stronger. People with a strong need for speed will spend lots of time on intervals and tempos and lactate-tghreshold efforts, but i don't think you need those right away. So, what's left?

Last might I mentioned LSD runs, which are really designed to improve your basic running endurance. As Isaid, these can be runs that are at or just slightly beyond your current longest run, and they are meant to be done at a relaxed pace. I you have four run days at your disposal, you could do a second of these a week, every two weeks, but you said three days so i will go with that.

Your second run could be a "fartlek", which is a Swedish worrd meaning "speed play" -- with "play" being the operative term. The way I do them, I enter a fartlek workout with no set plan. Rather, I just do what I fel like doing as it strikes me. I might go easy for 8 minutes, then pick up the pace for 2', back off again for three minutes, then decide that for the next ten powere poles I will run hard between a pair, the go easy untuil the next one, then hard, then easy again. I may go easy for a minute, then decide to gradually increase my pace for a minute until I top at something that almost hurts....before taking a minute to bring it back down to where it was when I started this 2' effort. Anfd then it will 10' cool-down, and I'm done!

The structure of a fartlek is really just to wing it, go on a whim, spice things up whenever the mood strikes. A well-conducted fartlek will leave you feeling very satisfied with what you have just accomplished!

Your third run could incorporate "strides", which are brief efforts of focused fast stride turnover. The goal here is to run "economically" on the actual "stride part -- which would be every 20-40 seconds or so, separated by three or four minuteds of easy recovery running in between. "Economically", you ask?


One way to be economical in your running is to work at getting your cadence at about 180 footstrikes per minute (that's for both feet; 90 for just one foot, of course). Do NOT try to do this overnight, or maybe even over the next month, sand if your current default running cadence is 85, say, then by happy if you can get it up to 86 next week -- and so one. There is a lot that is involved in increasing one's cadence, but for most people a good starting point is to shorten your stride while also keeping it a bit lower to the ground.

Another way to get more economical is to focus on where tour footstrike is - forefoot, midfoot, or heel. There is a TON of controversy about this, and recent years have seen a real dissing of heel-striking. This is often valid, but there are many heel-strikers who are exceptionally fast and/or have terrific endurance, and they accomplish this by keeping their center of gravity over the place whee their feet srtike. This is not as easy as it might sound! It has a lot to do with body lean, so if you can recruit Kathy to critique your running form, that would be ideal.

And that is true also of people who are midfoot and forefoot strikers --- those striking patterns will only work effectively (or economically) if the body is aligned properly. If you have the time, go to www.chirunning.com and read what all they have to say about this fairly deep topic. You will also find lots of pictures of simple drills that can help with your body alignment. See if any of these appeal to you.

I overhauled my running in '08, even though I was pretty effective before then, it made a big difference in my continued strong running with advancing age. I have lots of stories about the trials and tribulations of all of this, but what emerged was really just triumph; it was time worth spending, but was hardly seamless. I went from being a slightly-back-of-midfoot runner to a midfoot/forefoot runner, and that has made a world of difference in my running -- not just increased speed, but also injury-avoidance. Just remember that an overhaul is -- and should be -- a long process, and probably for now you do NOT want to do an overhaul.
Which is fine, maybe even wise!

The fial small bit of advice I have for you is what my former tri coach used to periodically set for me as a workout goal -- "run pretty". This would invariably be the goal of the odd otherwise simple run, say just 30 minutes of recovery, or the final easy run before a race. We all have a pretty good idea of what good runners look like, and while that will vary from person to person, all that matters is that you can visualize "pretty" running and make a good effort at imitating it. So if you have an easy 30 minute run, warm-up for 10 minutes, then do 5 of pretty, 5 of easy 5 of pretty, and then a cool-down ---- easy AND pretty! It should all feel mostly natural, with nothing forced.

Let me know if any of the above is obscure, okay?

Steve

If I understand this and using the plan I posted above (it had 3 run days) . The long run is just that long and slow. The short run is more of a speed work out ie: fartleks or intervals and the middle distance workout would be a mix of the 2 with less focus on speed.

I have to tighten the drive belt on my treadmill and I forgot my tools at home. The other day when I did my 2 mi run I thought my cadence was fairly fast. Its easier and less stress on my knees to run with a short stride over a longer distance. If I'm sprinting my stride gets considerably longer. If I had to guess I'd say it was in the 170-180 range. I noticed it seemed kind of fast and felt good and started to count foot falls.

Edited by ckallpoints 2011-01-13 12:53 PM