Gordo Byrn's Group - FULL (Page 39)

Stacie - glad to hear you're OK. And yes - the dogs are a problem. I've got two big dogs (labs) and love 'em, but some of the people are just out of control. I've thought about keeping some cards for dog obedience school in my pocket when I run or ride...

Tonight on the drainer - thunderstorms rolling through. 30 minutes easy, all zone 1 and low 2.

I've dropped the strength training part of my plan. Partly time but also was really feeling run down at the ends of the weeks when I lifted. As I move towards my first 'race' I'm trying to avoid doing anything stupid. I'm compensating with more bike time. 

Just over 3 weeks to go. Can't wait.

GREG.  not glad that you can relate in the sense that you've had problems, but glad to know im not the only one who experiences these things....

and whats that you say?? THREE WEEKS TO GO until your first race

YAHOOOEY!

super silly excited.

theres NOTHING quite like the experience (not that ive done my first tri...though, i CLEARLY remember my first run-only race) 

ask JEFF, he can tell you!

cantwait indeed!  your gonna be GRAND, just GRAND!

stacie

Hey Greg was reading your post about dropping the strength training. I did same thing last year apart from the odd session with a mate to help him and couldn't believe how much I lost in terms of weight I could move. All I do now is the core stuff Gordo told us to do which I hope is doing me some good. Get ready to lose some muscle size but you will probably notice your overall shape is changing anyway with all the endurance training. I have only dropped 7lbs over the last year but most of that has gone from my legs as they have toned up. Chest has gone as well though but it never was very impressive. KFC would only ever want me for the legs and wings, never the breast meat !!!

Hope all goes according to plan for the next 3 weeks training ahead of your race, dont forget to practice the transitions a couple of times it is an easy way to make time if you are aiming for a target finish. Best to just enjoy it and finish the race, then you have a target for next year to beat.

Hi Gordo. Not a member of your mentor group - I'm leading another group, so I hope you don't mind a quick note here. I just wanted to say I liked your cover photo on this months Tri Canada mag. Lookin' strong going up Richter!

Marinus (IMC2005/2007/2009?)

Stacie

Last night I was re-reading some of Gordo's book and come across this great quote - "MAKE THE HARD DAYS HARD AND THE EASY DAYS EASY".  So appropriate for yesterday's workout.  Such a simple concept yet I find that I often try and go hard on my easy days just because they are easy.  Now I have a phrase to repeat to my myself when I feel compelled to a bump up a recovery day session into a TT.

I didn't find much in the book on dogs/dogs owners.  Although I think it was mentioned with regard to biking safety - I guess you will have to write that chapter!!!! 

44 swim this afternoon.  still working on that cricket stroke/arm swing.  its coming...

did 1400+ yards...i didnt add up the last bit yet.

but i did a timed 400 (still working on an average to fill out the form for my mini)

8:20 today.

88 min spin this eve

then REST, REST, REST tomorrow.

then RACE, RACE, RACE on Saturday.

what w the past few days, ill just be happy to make it to the start line in one piece, no major incidents!  LOL.  im leaving my bike at home, that should help.

and JEFF.  a WISE man that Gordo is!

i often have to tell myself, ITS NOT A RACE ie slow down silly.

im NOTORIOUS for working hard unecessarily.

you'll find those words to be a POWERFUL TRNG TOOL.  use em ASNEEDED.

STEADY AS WE GO!

DAVE, did you just liken yourself to FRIED CHICKEN?

that just made me chuckle.

i wonder what KFC would want me for??  

giggle.  giggle.  giggle. 

Skiing in Colorado! 

Get'n a lot a turns and burn'n in on the slopes. 

Back in the Tri-lifestyle real soon....Nice to be outside. 

JOHN, STILL turnin' and burnin'  LUCKY YOU.  KEEP having FUN!

AND HELLO G-TEAM.

HOLY HECKORAMA.

miss 2 hr spin instructor endurance athlete extraordinaire kicked our HINEYS ROYALLY last night.

1/2 hr spin + 1 hr spin for a total of 1 1/2 hrs (two classes put together)

hill repeat after hill repeat after hill repeat.

that 5K tomorrow is gonna be a CAKE WALK COMPARED to that workout!  YEESH.

but, happy to report (as usual) all that steady as i go keeping my HR in chk building up my endurance these many weeks paid off BIG TIME, again.

i felt GREAT.

tough workout, but....

even my friend mentioned to me how i was crusin, working, but crusin through the wrkout and how it was apparent to him my fitness level has improved [this is the guy that rides the bike next to me in my 2hr class every wk all winter, he would know]

nice compliment, huh? 

ill take it!

im RESTING today to be RACE-READY TOMORROW.

READY...SET.....

HAVE A HAPPY!

GO RACIE !!!!

Rip it up for an new PB

Good luck

Traveling back to the real world today.   

The extra fitness was VERY noticable out on the slopes.  My legs and back held up better than ever!  AND I even skied powder one day!   

HELLO THERE G-TEAM.

happy to report that i did reasonably well at my 5K - 31:36, id be lying if i said that i wasnt disappointed w the time, BUT i did better than i 'feared' i would do.

the most important thing is that IM BACK AT IT!

at this point, id say its mostly mental, i struggled w the voice that was saying, if you hadnt gotten injured, youd be running this pace....finish in this time....be able to keep up w those people....

time to SILENCE THAT INNER CRITIC, and give her a NEW SCRIPT.

its hard when you were on line to run a pace, and then WHAM your down w an injury, and then to feel like you struggled to even get back at it, and struggling even more to get back to where you were.

i guess i never anticipated how hard it was gonna be or how long it was going to take.

nonetheless, its ONWARDANDUPWARD!

in addition to the 5K, i ran a 1 miler w my husband and two of my three boys!

WOOSH.  my boys didnt get the swifty gene from me thats for sure!

my youngest son, off like a shot, won first place in his age group

my middle son, busted a move and beat me to the finish line, winning second place in his age group.

so THEY were the ones that came home with HARDWARE this time out.

id say, if you cant win something yourself, its EVEN BETTER when your kids do!

HAVE A HAPPY EVERYONE!

G,

Quick question regarding sleep.  In this forum and in your book you mention the importance of sleep for your recovery.  I get it and have made a conscious effort to get that “extra” hour of sleep.  Perhaps I missed it but I don’t recall seeing a recommended number of sleep hours per day.  Perhaps it differs from individual to individual (I know in  my house  my wife has got to get 8 hours of sleep per day or “watchout”, while I can run on 6 hours of  sleep for 3-4 days before I start to feel the effects).  Also, I find that if I nap in the afternoons for more than 1 hour I tend to feel “heavy headed” (grog-e) the rest of the day. I’m interested in your thoughts on the subject.

HAPPY SUNDAY G-TEAM.

went on a clear my head ride, to the park.

my DH hung out w the boys at the playground, while i did 60 mins/4xs around the lake.

getting a jump on a GREAT week mother nature has in store.  its looking like ill be able to get out at least 2-3 days this week, if not more.  HORRAH.

crazy busy at the lake. 

EVERYones done hibernating.

dogs, bikes, runners, walkers, strollers.

happy to report NO major incident.

this time i YELLED! 

im SO not a yeller, but decided its better to do that, esp when they dog owners dont hear you the first time you politely say that your passing on the left and could you please control your dog and this is bike only lane, hello?

im gonna yell before i go down again.

onward HO!

I am sort of back....

Ran a 3K last week-end (11:21s) and a 10K this week-end(13:12).  Had great 2 mile and 3 mile time but nothing left in the tank for the bridge during the last 3 miles.

Still working to figure out medical issues.  Now they are focusing on sleeping.  I am not getting enough at about 5 a night and my wife told the Dr I stop breathing some at night, so a sleep study is in my near future.

I need to get back in the pool if I am going to Tri in May, pool temp finally up to 76 degrees.

Sunday workout

	1h 00m ----- -----
6:15 PM       [ HR data]

Cruising+20m Steady

30m

Back in Boulder...

Hi There -- back in Boulder from my bike trip to Arizona.

g

 Good Q -- I don't like to put a firm number down as this varies with stress (training/other).  I think that we can train ourselves to tolerate a sleep deficit but we still end up with a performance cost (work/life/training/other) when we are chronically short.  

Naps tend to work best in the 20-30 min range starting no later than 3pm.

 Generally, I find that using your wife's protocol would be best for most people and when training load increases you'll recover fastest in the 8-10 hour range with a short supplemental nap mid-morning.

g

 The key to not bouncing is _REALLY_ shorten the stride up.  Quick cadence with short stride -- speed comes from quickness not length.

 Another thing that helped was chin down -- when I look up, I tend to drive up, not forward.

g

G,

Welcome back.  Hope you had a great trip.

Brian

4.3 mile run.  51 min.  Ski legs didn't not want to play nice on the run.  Got R dun.