Gordo Byrn's Group - FULL (Page 4)

 Welcome Dancer Max -

 The first thing to learn with swimming is to relax -- once we are able to relax in the water, we will learn much more quickly.  Do don't worry about distances, or speeds -- focus on learning a relaxed breathing pattern while you swim.

g

Phil / PTripp -

 Welcome on board -- thanks for the background.

g

Dave (Pashda) -

Welcome on board.  

Like you, I also had a divorce earlier in my life.  The lessons from that experience make me a much better husband today.

g

Yep, all you need is the number.  That's the main thing.

 breathe - left - right - left - breathe - right - left - right - breathe

 Yes, I highly recommend breathing on both sides, using the pattern above.  You will be "forced" to relax.  There is an adaptation period but it is worth it.

STRETCHING -- a good starter program is 3x per week, 10 minutes each time, after you run.  I put together a routine for my book that works well (hip progression) - I don't have a web link for that as my contract prevents me from posting that content.  However, there are a lot of programs out there.  

Key areas to target are hip flexors, glutes and calves -- that is where we get the most issues.  

After swimming -- bar hangs are a simple way to open the shoulders a bit.  You can also use a door frame (10/2 o'clock) to help open the shoulder.

 Hi Phil,  

Our weight isn't our health -- if you can crank an hour at 15 then you are in good shape and your health risk factors greatly decline.

 HR and size -- so long as your doc gave you the green light to train, you'll be fine with my guidelines.  Ideally, you will rack up a fair amount of steady but that is secondary to finding a program that's fun to do daily.

 Strength training -- I like it for athletes that are force limited (runners turned cyclists, ladies, veterans) -- for strong men (who's docs say they are strong as an ox...) it isn't required.  However, you probably got strong from doing a lot of strength training.  So it probably feels good to you and is fun.  In that case, keep it rolling -- being a strong athlete will serve you well over the long run.

g

 Training log -- basic is fine for me -- for yourself, add at least one comment other than the raw data.  Due to the size of our group -- I'll be reading this thread more than individual logs so crosspost your questions here for me.

 Swimming -- if you are gassed at every 50 then stop for at least 5s at every 25.  By increasing your breathing rate, you are simply letting yourself work very hard when you swim longer than 50m in one go.  Stick with the 3-stroke and rest as much as you need.  

Tips -- make sure that you take a relaxed, full breath each time.  Two-strokers tend to build a habit of puffing down the pool -- try running like that and you'll quickly see that a relaxed breath is a lot more efficient.

g

 Good one from Joe Friel -- "If in doubt then leave it out"

If you are unsure about a run then substitute a walk or an easy swim.  Also, learn from the sessions/situations that result in having issues the following day.  We normally have triggers in our daily habits -- when we spot the triggers we have a good shot at changing the outcome.

This sounds good -- what you can do is insert 1 minute of walking for every four minutes of running.  See how that goes in terms of your HR.  As you are able to avoid the spikes then you can increase the running sections until you are 9:1.

Yes, you'll find your HR to effort is lower on the bike.  That's normal.  

The one thing that I'd caution everyone is to avoid the trap of best average HR training -- that's when we try to have the highest average HR that we can sustain for every workout.  A moderate approach helps a lot with our goals as well as staying healthy/consistent over the long term.

 Thanks for taking the time to read my stuff -- I appreciate that.  You'll never get a number out of me!

For me, effective nutrition isn't about counting, it is about choosing.  If I choose real food and train daily then it works.

Tips...

1 - replace half the processed food in your diet with real food choices.  Just half -- nothing too radical.

2 -- four moderate meals per day, rather than two or three, and lean protein with every meal.

3 -- replace bread/cereal with fruits/veggies/lean protein

Learn the ingredients that really don't work for you -- for me, they are refined sugar and refined carbs -- those have me holding water weight BIG TIME!

I know all about humility...I've been the runner at the very back of the pack who has to pick up the pylons as I go by them  

Should all my runs/walks/bikes be at steady state for now?  I was looking at the Couch to Sprint program here on BT.  The run has you starting out at 3 x 10 minutes the first week, 3 x 20 minutes the second week and 1 x 20, 2 x 25 minutes the third week.  Will it be beneficial to continue with a walk at steady pace immediately after completing these runs?  Or would it be best just to do the runs and then do steady state walks on a separate date?  I would like to drop 20 pounds, so I'm thinking that I will need the extra cardio.  My swimming ability/stroke leaves a little bit to be desired...Think flailing chicken...Would it best at this time just to work on my form/stroke/balance etc as opposed to doing distance? 

 The best reply to this questions is Mark Allen's... "supplements should be supplemental"

 As an aging athlete, the best supplement you can make to your program is strength training -- as we age, training becomes more about keeping what we've got and strength training does that.  As does, hill work and sport specific strength -- but watch that you don't overdo the aerobic fatigue.

 Also, we need to be much more careful about upkeep -- getting injured at 65 is a lot more costly than at 25.

 That said, you can, and should, go to your doctor to make sure that you don't have any deficiencies.  First address them through nutrition -- then consider if supplementation is appropriate.  A common one here is understanding your iron levels - never supplement iron without medical supervision.

 Some folks recommend anti-oxidants (C, E, Fish Oils) as well as B-Complex // tough to say whether they help -- my view is that they are unlikely to hurt.  Again, best to get through real food as much as possible.

g

 Intensity -- I would cap at Mod-Hard -- use a mix of easy/steady/mod-hard based on how you are feeling.

 Bonus Walking -- Always OK -- however, never compromise tomorrow.

 Drop pounds -- remember to eat after training (it is easy to be trapped into not wanting to replace) -- focus your effort on increasing the quality of what you eat when you are not training.

 Laura Bennett has a neat saying... every time I get hungry, I gain a pound -- what she means is that effective nutrition is about avoiding those situations where we get dangerously hungry and eat the house.  We've all been there.

 Swim technique -- the best swim drill that we can do is continuous swimming, while thinking about our stroke.  Swimming is mentally tough at the beginning because we can't switch-off like when we are walking/jogging.  We need to "be there" -- for that reason, shorter & frequent workouts work best when learning.

g

Yes, I do need to set some specific new goals.  I would still like to do a 10K... but really I want more sprint tris!  There are two "nearish" in March, but one has brutal hills for bike and run, it's called the "World's Toughest Sprint Triathlon." The other has a 500m 60* OWS in bay water... I don't think I'm psyched for that either!

hmm, I guess I'm busy talking myself out of them, not considering if I could plan for them... train for hills or train for cold OWS swim?  Right now my only pool access is a 10y pool, the 25y pool is not heated again until March or April.  And when I decided to try for the 10K run I dropped the bike too; I don't have cold weather riding gear but could ride the trainer in the garage (which is still dang cold).

There is a late April tri that last year was too early for my training; this year I could plan on it. After that I think there's about a sprint a month! (plus Muddy Buddy in June)  And there's a mini tri in early April that I had to walk part of the 1.2 mile run.  I'd like to race the whole thing this year

Time is a-wasting, I guess I do need to set my calendar to figure out a new training plan, my how time flies! 

Good morning Gordo,

For the last 2 months I have doing a slow constant speed for bike and run (really its walking) for 60 minutes each.  I am noticing that its becoming easier and easier.  What do you recommend for changing it up a bit and make it  more challenging? The swim, I am using a pyramid for my work out. (wm 100, set 25,50,75,100,75, 50, 25) That pretty much wipes me out.  I also 2x's a week circuit train with hammer strengths machines for 2x12 for each exercise.  

Right now I work out M, T, Th, F for 90 minutes and Sat for longer.

My first ever tri is May 3rd (400 swim, 20k bike, 5k run)

Hey, the OSU tri is also my first race too. Hope to see you there.

I agree with Gordo.  I am a sports med physician, and I have this chat with my patients/athletes at least 1-2x/day.  Supplements do not replace a good diet and really work best if there is a noted deficiency.  I always recommend a daily multivitamin (never hurt anyone).  The other supplemnts are individual decisions to be made with your doctor.  I highly recommend a diet high in omega 3 and antioxidants.  Should mainly come from your diet, but may supplement.  You can add fish oil supplements, but can get plenty by eating fish.  Works in higher doses if you also have cholesterol issues.  The American Heart Assoc. has good guidelines on their website.  Be careful as too much can cause some bleeding.  If you use fish oil, buy a quality brand.  It will be more pure and decrease "fish burps."  I also recommend glucosamine and chondroitin 1500mg every day if you have some arthritis.  It can help about 50-60% of people with about 50-60% of their pain.  Protein supplements if not getting enough through your diet.  But their are a lot of ways to get good lean protein through your diet.  I would never supplement iron unless advised by your doctor.  The other big supplement question I get everyday is about creatine.  It does have a place in athletics, but not in endurance athletes.  Anyone on this website probably would not need it.  Remember that supplements can have drug like properties and interactions.  They can interfere with any other medications you are taking.  You should have a discussion with your physician prior to starting.  But always start by looking at your diet and making changes there.

Brian

Morning Gordo,

On Jan 1st registration starts for a couple of TRI series here in NC. One of them is actually a development series run by a small chain of triathlon specific stores. I'm trying to pick some events for next year to do. Does these events seem too ambitious for a newbie? (Races fill up fast, so I need to sign up for all of them the first week of January).

No time, place goals other than to finish healthy, strong, and with a smile on my face. This is supposed to be fun, right?

I'd probably set up the plan to do a 12 week program for the April 4 race, another 10-12 week program for the August Oly, and yet another build up for the October Oly. Or not. Not exactly sure what the best way to approach this is. Bought the triathletes training bible and starting reading through the planning section a couple weeks ago, but more confused by a lot of it than anything.

April 4, Development Series Sprint - Valdese NC, 250m Pool Swim, 9mi bike, 5k

May 10, Sprint - White Lake NC, 750m lake swim, 14 mile bike, 5k

June 13 - Development Series Sprint - Enka\Biltmore NC - 750m lake swim, 17,5 mile bike, 3 mile run

August 1 - Development Series Olympic - Lake Logan NC - 1500 meter swim, 40 km bike, 10k run

September 19 - Development Series Sprint - Cane Creek NC - 750 meter swim, 14 mile bike, 5k run

October 10 - Olympic - Pinehurst NC, 1.5k swim, 30 mile bike, 10k run.

Hey guys and gals,

I'm trying to put together a log for us, this is my first atempt ever so it might take me awhile but I'm sure I'll get it eventually   I do have a question/request though, Doug (DGubner) and Greg (gtkelly)  I can't seem to get to your logs and I'm wondering if you two might need to change the setting to public instead of private so that we and Gordo can look at them and leave you two inspires and such.  Would apprecieate it then I can add you two to the log.  Also If anyone has any great pics that they want to suggest for the back ground lets seem them.

I'll get back to putting this thing together now.

Gordo here the log info from my run last night.  I was a bit pressed for time so I warmed up by walking for 4 minutes, then did a run/walk 6:1 for total of 18 minutes running and cool down of 3 minutes.   I noticed after each running set my heart rate would drop to about 115bpm and then in the next running set would quickly go higher than the previous set (see below). I tried to slow the speed down on the treadmill, which help a little but my HR was still higher than the Steady Rate of 137 I was trying to achieve.

Yep, it was private. Not being antisocial on purpose!

Thanks!