RunningJayhawk's Mentor Nest - FULL! (Page 4)

It is getting late but I wanted to reply.  Thanks for taking me in.  As for my logs, I am nothing if not half ways organized.  Also, if I don't plan it it doesn't happen so I make sure to log it so I get a sense of accomplishment.

As for the road bike, I considered the fact that I should ride it on the way home today.  It was not fitted so I'm not sure if it is right.  The guys at the shop said it was a 56cm frame and I should be in a 58 cm or more so they put the seat up as high as it will go and I will give it a try.  I will get a new bike in the next year but for now it will have to do.

Road blocks to swimming.. hmm where do I start?  I currently can't go more then two laps without stopping for a break.  My technique is poor so I use up a lot of energy.  I feel like I am going to suck in half the pool when I turn me head too breath.  On that note I have only been swimming a few times really and I can feel myself getting stronger.  My plan is to do 300m non stop and then assess my training plan.  I did take the advice of one of my fellow swimmers and that was to swim one lap to his every two till I can build some strength without exhausting myself.  It seems to be working so far.

The plan I am following is from "Triathlon Training" by Micheal FINCH.  "11 weeks from zero to hero."  I also have "Triathlon Revolution" by Terri Schnieder.  I have the plan marked out but it changes depeding on what is happening in my life.  I consider this "flexible" even though the end result is nothing like the plan.  On days I have nothing else then I follow "the plan".

Thanks for the help so far.  I better get to bed as the truck is in the shop and I have to run to work tomorrow.  See?  So much for the plan.

RunningJayhawk - 2009-04-22 7:43 PM

calimavs - 2009-04-22 4:51 PM

RunningJayhawk - 2009-04-22 4:10 PM Okay...first question...what type of bike are you currently riding (or do you just use your husbands and the spin bikes in class?) Also, whose shoes are you riding when you're going clipless--do you have your own cycling shoes or are you using his? Riding clipless is one of the bigger challenges folks have when it comes to the cycling portion of triathlon. Ultimately, riding clipless is MUCH easier than using traditional pedals and cages. Clipless pedals allows you to pull up on your leg rather than push down on a pedal to gain momentum. The only way it gets easier is with practice. If you have a trainer at home that you can hook the bike up to, do that and work on clipping in and out. I did this for my first few training rides when learning to go clipless. Then after a while, I took it to a path in a grassy area and would clip in and out over and over and over while cycling...just to get used to the feeling. You may fall over...and that's okay (make sure you're wearing a helmet!)...remember that even the best cyclists forget to clip out from time to time and fall over. It happens. You may get scraped up, but I don't know of any cyclist who hasn't fallen at least once while getting used to it. When I changed my mindset from being afraid of falling to accepting the fact that it might happen and being determined to learn how to ride clipless, things started to click into place. When you end up getting yourself a roadbike, I'd suggest investing in clipless pedals and cycling shoes. In the longterm, it's an investment. You can also pick up a pair of inexpensive pedals as well (standard ones will run you anywhere from $12-25) and switch them out as needed. Shimano also makes a double-sided pedal where one side is for clipless riding and the other is a standard flat pedal. Something along these lines: http://www.bicyclebuys.com/item/0414441 They're intended for mountain bikes, but folks use them on road bikes frequently.

Thanks so much Barb! Right now I'm just using the spin bikes at the gym along with my husband's bike. His bike is a Norco road bike which is a Canadian brand (he's from Canada) and he has Shimano gears. I'm actually very tall (almost 6') so he and I wear almost the same size shoe so I've just been using his cycling shoes. It sounds like from the fear perspective that I just need to do more of what I'm doing and get out there and get used to riding clipped in. I realize that at some point I'm going to fall so I just need to get used to the idea. We were joking that we should find a grassy place in the park and bring some pillows and have my husband push me over while I'm clipped in to get it over with. I'm really starting to lean towards buying myself my own bike, since he's a big cyclist and then we could go riding together, not to mention that I'd like to get a women's bike that's fitted to me. Thanks so much for all your advice, it is SO helpful!

For me, accepting that I was more than likely going to fall at some point or another really helped me cope with attempting to ride clipless outdoors in the beginning. It's one of those inevitable things. Luckily, I've only fall twice on my bike, one of which was a brain fart and forgetting to clip out when I stopped. Needless to say, my riding buddies got a really great laugh. I was pretty much standing still and just tipped right over!! The other spill was going over a train track...I hit at at the wrong angle...and it was just a perfect storm. A few scraped knees never hurt anyone. I think that looking into a bike of your own is really beneficial. There are bikes built specifically for women with our lady bits in mind and I think you'll find you're more comfortable riding one of those than your hubby's. Everything from stem length to the top tube will work in your favor to maximize your comfort on the road. Sometime over the next few weeks you should visit your local bike shop and test ride a few women-specific bikes and see if you can feel a difference. You may not, and that's okay, too. But at least you'll have a better idea of what you like and don't like when it comes to a new bike (when the time comes of course).

I know this may sound totally outrageous but one way to lower the fear of falling is to actually do it.  Find an area that has soft grass like a paved multi-use trail through a park.  Ride slowly to the edge and just let yourself fall over.  Yes, it might hurt a little but that will go away.  For me, after my first real fall I realized it wasn't on my mind during the entire ride anymore.  I was able to enjoy it more.  IMHO.

Name:  Cheryl Vasan / lovesreading

Story: I'm a 43yo married mom (kids aged 14, 13, 5, and 3).  My husband runs and is supportive of this new obsession of mine.  I also work fulltime as a children's librarian.

My freshman daughter inspired me to start lap swimming again last fall when she decided she wanted to join her school's swim team.  I swam in high school and did very occassional step and aerobics, but nothing else.  I've always hated hot, sweaty sports like running.  A bike wreck early college hospitalized me and made me very bike phobic.

Swimming went great.  I swam 3-5 times/week, starting at 500yds and working up to 2500yd workouts by January.  Then I discovered the joys of swimmer's shoulder.

A sports dr. put me into therapy and greatly reduced my yardage.  As a librarian, most of what I researched told me I'd volunteered for this tendonitis through overtraining and probably through poor technique.  I took a master's swim class that totally overhauled my stroke.  Swimming has changed bigtime since the 80s!!!

I still don't know how I got looking at triathlon sites.  Thank you, Google.

I know I was determined not to lose my hard-earned fitness and was looking into cross-training.  I found the Cincinnati One World Race where you get to swim in the Ohio River.  For some reason, this fired me up rather than horrified me and I started looking into training plans.  I found that sprint training could be done in just a little more time/week than I'd been swimming.  Then I found Cincy Express, our local multi-sport team and joined them online.

I ordered and read all the triathlon books I could find and started a plan for swimmers from My First Tri.  I Chose my first triathlon -- and, most importantly, told everyone that I was doing this so that I couldn't back out easily.  Fave book:  Slow, Fat Triathlete.

I switched plans to Gail Bernhart's 15 weeks to a Sprint for athletes of limited fitness - because I needed more running, more cycling and even less swimming.  I also did an indoor mini-sprint triathlon in February.

I'm bike phobic, terrified from my crash.  I'm also stubborn as hell and good at transforming that into perserverance.   Thank goodness for indoor trainers.  Pedalling in my gym shoes immediately made my toes go numb.  Our local tristore persuaded me that only stiff bike shoes would stop the numbness and that I might as well get clipless pedals as well.  This has focused my bike-phobia into clipophobia.  Falling over is my newest hobby and I've been "delighted" to find that I only bruise a leg on my bike  rather than crashing helmet-first into the ground.  I have however, seriously injured my dignity.  Then again, spandex, dignity all gone already...

Now I've done my first tri and met my personal goals.  I finished smiling and injury-free.  I didn't fall over stuck to my bike.  I finished under 2 hours, not last overall or in my agegroup.  I didn't walk during the 5K.

Current Training:  I'm using a training plan called "15 weeks to a faster sprint" from Training Plans for the Multi-sport Athlete by Gail Bernhart. I move the 6 days about to fit my weird library schedule with its nights and Saturdays.  Most of my workouts are before 7am or after 9:30pm due to work and family commitments.  My teenagers are getting much better at housework   I'm trying to join group rides weekly as my work schedule permits.  Not ready to be solo on a bike yet.

The plan assumes one A-level race at 15 weeks.  I'm doing about 1 sprint/month and have to figure out how I work those into a training schedule.

2008 Races:  None

2009 Races:  4/18 Miami University Sprint(indoor swim/hils/flat run)
                     5/      Ohio Challenge Sprint(Rudy Project)
                     7/      Caesar Creek Sprint
                     8/      East Fork Sprint

Weightloss:  I lost my postbaby fat last year with WeightWatchers (yay!).  I'm holding steady with sprint training, but am thrilled that my baby belly is gradually flattening.  If I'd known bike and run would do that, I would have started years ago!  This is definitely one of the reasons that my husband is so supportive.  Nutrition-wise, I'm pretty clueless.  I did eat some GU gels for the race though.

Current challenges:

Road fear.
Clipophobia - can't get my right foot out fast enough
sore hip muscles after every run - (saw the dr today, probably a technique issue, not bursitis)
altering a one-race training plan to fit a multi-race schedule
Filing my first race report