Shanks' kicking mentor thread! - Full...maybe (Page 4)

If this is your first year with Tri's then it's very important to have a great base, which means working that Zone 1-2... Zone 3 is for later on. However if you have a year or two under your belt then your base comes back pretty quick and you can use your offseason doing a few harder intervals while it's colder out then do some of that LSD (Long Slow Distance) stuff when it gets warmer out. 

Usually I'll try for 3x a week in every sport and I'll have a Tempo, Interval, and LSD day for all 3 sports. Usually I do more but I'll try for at least that. It helps work all aspects of your game and on the interval days you can either have a LT focus or V02 focus... but this is after you have your base. But you can work in 1x harder session, not past Zone 3-4, into the base to just spice it up and not get bored.

Shanks

A good way to approach a long season like this... and what I'll have to approach next year as I'm thinking about Ironman Lake Placid and Ironman Florida... is to have one earlier or mid summer A race. Then take 1-2 weeks of R&R. You can take 1 week completely off of everything or just work in small workouts to keep from feeling too lazy then build up again towards your new/late season A race. That little mental/physical break can help you re-focus and rest your body so you'll be pumped again about training and your new challange ahead. 

Example: 

Ironman Lake Placid, last weekend in July. So the first 2 weeks in Aug would be taking 1 week completely off to recover-ish and drink fine beers haha. Then Mid Aug I'll start getting back into some easier workouts. Then it'll leave me with 2 months to have 2 hard build sessions and a taper for Ironman Florida the first weekend in November. 

Shanks

I will usually do weight training post swim or post a shorter run. But I don't lift heavy I just do some circuit training with less weight and about 15 reps per exercise and I just do 1 exercise per muscle group...except abs! Just trying to land that model contract ;-) 

I see VO2 Max mentioned a lot on these forums.   What is it exactly?

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/anatomyandphysiology/a/VO2_max.htm

 You can scope out a full explaination there but it is basically a really hard interval (HR and power are above Lactate Threshold) that you can only hold for 3-5 mins.

So when doing a Power test, you start at a mark below LT then increase power by 25 Watts or so every 3min. And on that interval that you cannot hold that power and you crack... well there's your V02 Max!

Shanks.

Thanks!

 I'll have to try that once I learn to run in a straight line on a treadmill.  So far once I get up to a speed I feel comfortable with (meaning I can hold for a few minutes), I start running to the right and scare myself so I slow down.   Now that it's warming up, I'll try running outside more where there isn't the danger of running off the side of the treadmill.  

 Headed to the hills this weekend on the bike.  One of the joys of still having the knobby tires on my mountain bike, I can still hit the fun trails.   That fun ends once the tax check comes in, so gotta enjoy it while I can.  

hahaha I was running with my sister's boyfriend on treadmills in the gym and he was watching one of the TV's and almost ate it!!! It was sooo funny. 

If you're going to do an V02 max test on the run then the treadmill would be the best way, that way you can increase the pace by :15 or so seconds every 3mins till you max out! 

I've been very embarrased more than once on the treadmill.   I'll share my worst one:

 Day one at the gym a few months back.   Shortly after I signed up here, and was determined to get off my butt and get to working on self esteem/ self motivation.  The crux of the problem here was my iPod, which I hadn't bought a holder for yet.   I got on the treadmill and set my iPod in one of the slots on the front of the treadmill.  Slowly built up speed until I could barely have a conversation if I wanted to.  All of a sudden I pulled my head back and my iPod yanked out of the holder and went falling.   Of all times for the headphone jack to not hold it, it was then.   BOOM, onto the moving treadmill and shooting off the back towards other machines.  Now's where I forget I'm on a treadmill that is moving and the ground behind me is not.   I stepped off the back of the treadmill toward my iPod and almost lost it.  Fortunately, I didn't fall.  I came really close.  I grabbed my iPod and tried to play it off and get back on the treadmill.   I walked for 30 more seconds before I wanted to crawl in a corner, so I changed back into my work clothes and went to work. 

Now I have an iPod holder, and the gym isn't quite such a scary place.

 Hope everyone is having a good President's day.   600 meters in the pool this morning with only a few stops and one stretch of 250 in the middle with no stops.  Now to wait on the shoulders to tighten up.

It is always the simple things.

All I have been working on so far this year is running done a little bit of riding and no swimming (no indoor pool). 

I have read were running is the hardest to get into shape for. So I have been concetntrating on running more than the other 2 at this time.  Plus light factor plays apart can't wait for March 8

Do you see an issue on that.

I have always heard that swimming was the hardest to get in shape for, followed by running then biking. But if you want to become faster on the bike you usually have to put in more hours on the bike than you would running. It more so depends on strengths and weaknesses. I'm a solid runner and can gain back fitness pretty quick but I suck at biking and it takes me 2x as long to gain back bike fitness.

Shanks

Well that just sounds painful! Have you seen a doctor about the best ways to heal and recover?

I've always wondered what they meant as well. Here is what I got from wikipedia

Rotational float (the freedom to rotate the shoe slightly to prevent foot strain).

Ended up buying a pair of Look Keo's got a great deal at Performance bike's

I asked them about it and they also said less knee strain/foot strain.

The float makes it so your foot can wiggle a bit and you're not locked into 1 position. I have Speedplay's on the roadbike for that (along with being able to clip in on both sides). But my Tri bike has some Shimano's with no float, but I'll probably upgrade to the Keo's this summer. The float is a good option to have but some people just don't like it.

Shanks

Which laces are you using? post a link if you've got it?

Shanks

Hi Shanks,

hoping you or someone can help me with a leg problem I am having. I go for my long runs on the weekend and 95% of the time I get leg pain in the quad (top) and slightly in the groin muscle. It always happens after about 60 -70 minutes if running. I usually just run thru it because it's not terrible just uncomfortable. It feels like its getting tight, when I do stop to a walk when I'm finished the run its very tight. I stretch it all the time(quad and groin) after the run and during the week afetr shorter runs but it always returns after about the same distance or time 10-12 km or 50-60 minutes. Is it something that my body just has to get use to(the distance or time) and when I start going further it will go away. It starts to affect my running form(maybe it is my form) and I'm afarid it will get worse when the disatance goes up.

any ideas

Dave

Shanks, are you totally full????  i'm dieing to get into your mentorship!  I'm a runner and a cyclist.  I swim but really need allot of work with that.  I would really like to get into your group as well.  I'm posting to you becuase all of the others are also filled and yours says maybe? 

I also really liked your Bio.  You seem like your really good at this and I would love to take advantage of any and all of your knowledge.

Let me know.

Rich from Maine

I figured it out....hahahaha

Also, About the long season...I'm doing a winter prep base and upping the time / distance for them .....I start  the 20 week HIM plan in May  for my A race in Oct. and just going to "train" through my other races...probally going to rest the day before and light the day before those races but also in July take a week off for some R&R for my wedding / honeymoon

Dave,

Do some core strength exercises that will help strengthen your legs and upper body. It will give your muscles some form but also help in injury prevention. I don't have the perfect formula so try to find what works for you. Obv do those butterfly leg things in the gym that will strengthen your crotch-al area haha. 

Maine,

Any guy that runs in Maine in the winter is crazy enough to get into this group haha. Welcome aboard dude!! Give me a quick bio about yourself, family and such, along with some goals!

Ahhh it's times like these where a coach comes in handy. It's a bit tricky but you have to try and play with the workouts in order to get you ready for the race that is directly coming up (as in speed work for the sprints and Oly's you're doing) While also mixing in the LSD stuff to get ready for your HIM at the end of the season. So yes you will train through those race, BUT it doesn't mean you should slack and not focus on them and make goals for those races. 

Shanks