login
kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! (Page 4)
-
No new posts
| BT Development | Mentor Program Archives » kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! | Rss Feed  |
|
 2010-01-01 1:35 PM in reply to: #2578675 |
Extreme Veteran  1700    Normal, Ill. |  Subject: RE: kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!!It's my rest day so the challenge goes on without me. My 91 year old mom has pneumonia and is in the hospital so just made the trip up and back to my hometown. I did an hour swim and a hard 90-minute trainer workout yesterday, does that count? The trainer workout was to cover my Power Tap and try to do 15 mins @ 65%, 15 m at 75% and 15m @ 95% without looking, just by RPE. I was high on the low one, a little high on the medium and dead on for the high one. Kept the cadence over 90 rpm. I have a hard bike workout on the trainer tomorrow followed by a brick and then a 2-hour trainer ride or ride outside Xcountry or a cyclocross race with friends. Haven't decided. I think the ride outdoors by myself will win out. I like them. Ride to parks, ride around off road, ride up and down hills. Pretty fun, great workout. Wet suits _ I got a full body for my first. Several good brands out there. Quintana Roo, etc. Ads in TriaIete mag are good starts and they have product recommendations and reviews on BT. Look for sales. Imight get a sleeveless one to have for moderate temps. |
| 2010-01-01 3:38 PM in reply to: #2587914 |
| Subject: RE: kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! Thanks IceMan, pretty much what I got from your input was, "pick your poison". Do some research and pick what works best for me and my situation. Which leads me to a few other questions; Are certain suits or type of suits not legal for Triathlons? And,,,, is there a membership fee/ dues to be paid in advance to be able to participate in an event (other than the registration fee)? |
| 2010-01-01 10:04 PM in reply to: #2578675 |
Extreme Veteran 1700 Normal, Ill. | Subject: RE: kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! Sanctioned events require you join USAT (Triathlon) mostly for insurance reasons, I think. Many events give you a registration discount if you are a USAT member. Check it out online. They have a GREAT magazine that comes with the membership. Triathlon Life, I think it is called. Quarterly and well worth the money. Lots of beginner articles. I've found more articles that were of help in that one and Triathlete magazine than any other magazines of any kind I've ever read. And I write for fishing magazines. Stick with one of the brand name suits...they are legal. Just shop deal. The more you put into them, the better they will be. They will have things like zipper legs and varying thickness to aid movement of the arms, etc. The only consideration about wetsuits I know of is temperature at the time of the event. If its above 78 I think, they are not allowed or if you use them, you can't win prizes. The rules are all posted on the web site. There are several of them. Read up. Bike rules are important. No drafting is critical. And passing...if you get within three bike lengths (I think it is) you must pass...and you only have a certain amount of time to do it, 15 secs I think. If passed, you must drop back to avoid drafting penalties. IMO, if you are going to invest extra dollars, use them on upgrading the bike where the biggest time saves can be made and getting good shoes to avoid injury. |
| 2010-01-02 7:34 AM in reply to: #2578675 |
Pro 5123 Canandaigua NY | Subject: RE: kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! As far as wetsuits go, the only advice I would add to the Iceman's is to look into renting first! It allowed me to try a different brands and sleeves vs sleeveless. Do a google search on tri shops or ask around the running shops or bike shops to see if you can find an outlet that rents. Other wise there is usually a banner floating around this site for a discount off I beleive xterra brands! Like I thought, not easy access at my in laws, but I will try and chime in a couple of times a day!!! Happy training this weekend! |
| 2010-01-02 7:34 AM in reply to: #2578675 |
Pro 5123 Canandaigua NY | Subject: RE: kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! As far as wetsuits go, the only advice I would add to the Iceman's is to look into renting first! It allowed me to try a different brands and sleeves vs sleeveless. Do a google search on tri shops or ask around the running shops or bike shops to see if you can find an outlet that rents. Other wise there is usually a banner floating around this site for a discount off I beleive xterra brands! Like I thought, not easy access at my in laws, but I will try and chime in a couple of times a day!!! Happy training this weekend! |
| 2010-01-02 9:14 AM in reply to: #2578675 |
| Subject: Pool Got into the pool today for the 1st time in years. About all I can say on this matter is, good thing I have 9 months before my HIM, I'm going to need all the practice I can get. The pool offers a year membership for $150, is that about average, hi, low? They have open/ lane swimming 7 days a week with the exception of Holidays and school meets. They supply fins and boards. Lanes are 25 yds across, with what seems to be ample room per lane for two persons. Edited by DougJ 2010-01-02 9:30 AM |
| 2010-01-02 9:47 AM in reply to: #2578675 |
Extreme Veteran 1700 Normal, Ill. | Subject: RE: kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! I joined a gym here with lots of aerobic gear, a really small but usable indoor track (9 laps to a mile - round and round and round) and two pools. It costs about $50 a month. I also joined the Masters Swimming Asso. Check to see if there is one in your area. We have access to a pool at Illinois Wesleyan University four times a week and a great coach. He took me from a high school 100 yard sprinter to an endurance swimmer in 6 weeks, no lie. I could survive the swim really well. No real time gain but no loss. That costs $60 a semester for the pool and membership to Masters Swimming Asso, which is like $30 a year. Check the Masters Swimming Asso web site for a chapter in your area. |
| 2010-01-02 10:09 AM in reply to: #2589016 |
Pro 5123 Canandaigua NY | Subject: RE: Pool DougJ - 2010-01-02 10:14 AM Got into the pool today for the 1st time in years. About all I can say on this matter is, good thing I have 9 months before my HIM, I'm going to need all the practice I can get. The pool offers a year membership for $150, is that about average, hi, low? They have open/ lane swimming 7 days a week with the exception of Holidays and school meets. They supply fins and boards. Lanes are 25 yds across, with what seems to be ample room per lane for two persons. Good for you getting to the pool! I struggle with getting my swim volume in as the motivation to go off to the pool this time of year is a challenge! Iceman is right (I should just let him run this group while I'm away! Check with the pool you are looking into, they may have a masters program there or they may have people that help beginner (or returning) swimmers. Swimming is more like golf than running and biking. You really can't outwork bad form!
|
) about looking into masters. I would add that you might want to talk to the coach to see how they structure their workouts if you find a group in your area, or more than one group. From what I have read in the forums, some groups provide more coaching and direction than others. The group I am with doesn't give a lot of formal instruction, but the experienced guys help the newbies. It is a smaller group that is made up of mostly triathletes. We pay $15.00 per month plus the US Masters membership. I don't go to masters as often as I should as they don't swim until 8:30 at night. But I have a $50.00 a month membership at the local YMCA with a brand new pool with plenty of lap hours available.| 2010-01-02 11:30 AM in reply to: #2578675 |
Extreme Veteran 1700 Normal, Ill. | Subject: RE: kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! Exactly Ken! Form is everything in swimming. Also I think the same goes for injury-free running. Form really helps and you can't beat instruction. As for "running" anything, I've only been biking 5 years, running and swimming and doing tris one year. I'm just sharing what I've learned and soaking up everything you all are sharing too. |
| 2010-01-02 11:43 AM in reply to: #2578675 |
| Subject: Computer devices Just a reminder (or maybe it's just something I do), change your training aid's/ devise's batteries. Watches, heart monitors, chest straps, Garmins, Cat-eyes, MP3 players, bike computers, cadance relay, etc., etc.,,,, I try to remember to change mine out twice a year whether they need it or not. It's a bad feeling looking down at your computer at a midway point and noticing that its dead because of a lack of a three minute battery change. |
| 2010-01-02 11:46 AM in reply to: #2578675 |
| Subject: RE: kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! Ken and Iceman, thanks for all the info,,, I applied this afternoon for my USAT year membership, or at least my wife is faxing it over to them. IceMan, any chance of seeing you at the Branson HIM? |
| 2010-01-02 2:03 PM in reply to: #2578675 |
New user 52 | Subject: RE: kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! So I was a little late with the Challenge but today was a good day. I did my Couch to 5k day 2, but in addition to that I completed via both run and walking the 5k loop I created in my neighborhood. It was great because I figure eventually the loop will get shorter and shorter and before I know it I will just have to run it twice, or seek new places to go! Was a very windy day that reminded me of Fall in Boston, but being that its Florida and I have a cold, the air was a bit rough on the lungs. Could have been that or the sucking wind I was doing LOL! Anyway I am happy about the start to the new year. Found a bike in the garage thats pretty new at my in laws, its a mountain bike but right now anything is good to get. Now I go try my hand at the fish...maybe I will be just as lucky as the other day. Sorry the cold front came in to Florida there Ken...its going to be cool so I assume that will be great for the Disney Race. Anyone care to share their weight loss stories? I was curious if in the process of training how much people changed diet, or was it just a combo of having healthy foods and the training that proved to help. |
| 2010-01-02 2:15 PM in reply to: #2578675 |
New user 52 | Subject: RE: kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! One thing I forgot....I have seen only a few of the 13 people in our mentor program posting. Come one come all, give us an update on the start of the year. Speaking of new year I have a challenge for everyone. Not so much a physical challenge but a mental one. Over the last year I have been reading about ways of getting the things you want from life. Of course most of it is all mental. I have never been into resolutions for the new year because in many cases, they are not planned out and so they fail. So my wife and I decided to do something different. We made a list called, 10 things I accomplished in 2010. The idea is by saying that you already did something for the year, it makes it that much easier to complete. So one I am sharing from my list is this: I competed in at least one Sprint Triathlon, and at least one 5k marathon. Notice I did two things, I used the past, and then gave myself room to accomplish more. So my challenge to you is make a list of things you accomplished in 2010. Save it someplace and then open it up next New Years Eve and marvel at what you accomplished! |
| 2010-01-02 5:00 PM in reply to: #2578675 |
New user 52 | Subject: RE: kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! How have you guys liked working on a bike at the gym? I plan on doing some spin classes, but they also have stationary bikes there and thought I might mix in an upper body workout and then right the bike. Should I be at a certain resistance level to simulate the road a little better? Good thing about biking I like doing it. |
| 2010-01-02 5:07 PM in reply to: #2589617 |
| Subject: RE: kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! I have yet to do a gym bike session, everything I do on a bike is at home on my bike with a trainer. As for resistance, I'm of the belief, just do what your body tells you. If you feel good and strong hammer it down and go with it. If your feeling punky but know you still need to ride, back it off and cruise for the long haul on an easier pace. Again, my best advise "listen to your body". |
| 2010-01-02 5:30 PM in reply to: #2589629 |
Member 118 Welllington, NZ | Subject: RE: kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! DougJ - 2010-01-03 12:07 PM As for resistance, I'm of the belief, just do what your body tells you. If you feel good and strong hammer it down and go with it. If your feeling punky but know you still need to ride, back it off and cruise for the long haul on an easier pace. Again, my best advise "listen to your body". Good advise from DougJ there. I've used my indoor trainer a lot over the last few years. In fact, i did start training for a 160k ride back in August and 3 months was trainer only sessions due to the weather (it gets very windy here and those gusts can make road riding dangerous). I've got a lot of the cyclo-core workouts (well all of them) as well as a spinerval dvd (that is a beast of a workout) but one of the best pieces of advise i was given was (assuming you have a tv/movie player to watch while riding) was to decide on a effort rating for what you're watching. For example, in an action movie, decided to go hard during action scenes and slow down for recovery in between. Or during TV shows, choose to go hard during ads and easy/normal during your show. For gym biking, you could try changing pace to the music (or perhaps there's some TV there)... It's pretty easy to implement this to near enough anything, and allowing yourself some recovery time kind of simulates road conditions insofar as differences in required effort due to hills, wind etc... Also, don't be afraid to stop for a rest or adjust. It's hard work on your 'rump' on a trainer as when you're on the road you're normally moving around on the seat a lot more but you tend to stay very still when on a trainer. But if you don't want to stop just continue but raise up out of the seat... your rear will thank you for it!  Lewis. Edited by lbishop 2010-01-02 5:31 PM |
| 2010-01-02 6:38 PM in reply to: #2578675 |
Extreme Veteran 1700 Normal, Ill. | Subject: RE: kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! I am on a trainer at home at at the gym quite a bit since it turned very cold in the Midwest. Trainers let you target HR or power better than the road where you have to concern yourself with little things like traffic and avoiding getting hit. In other words, trainers are more than a necessary evil. Good advice from our NZ friend. Using commercials and shows or action versus quiet scenes is one way to add intervals. Or, just wear a watch and go steady for a period of time and then add some bursts of speed for 30 secs., a 30 sec rest, another burst...and do that a few times..then length the bursts and add a few more as you progress. Steady pedaling in a moderate zone is good for weight loss, but read somewhere mixing things up so your body can't anticipate the workout and become efficient at getting it down by burning less calories is what you want to insure continued calorie burn. Getting good information here! Thanks. |
| 2010-01-02 6:48 PM in reply to: #2589418 |
| 5 | Subject: RE: kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! Dan, you ask for weight loss stories Edited by rTanja 2010-01-02 6:50 PM |
I would like to share mine, as an inspiration for others.| 2010-01-02 7:00 PM in reply to: #2589828 |
| Subject: RE: kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! rTanja - 2010-01-02 7:48 PM Dan, you ask for weight loss stories
Great story,,, love those happy endings,,err, stories that end happily,,,
I'm down to 200 lbs from about 220/215 about 5 months ago. Like to get down to 180 by Aug. not an easy road. Giving up smoking, and making better choices in my life style have helped so far. My wife trying her best to appear supportive helps also. (She still thinks I'm a loon) Edited by DougJ 2010-01-02 7:04 PM |
| 2010-01-02 7:33 PM in reply to: #2585726 |
Member 23 | Subject: RE: kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! I'm a little late in my post, but I did my New Years Day workout. Thanks for the challenge Doug! It would have been an easy one to skip, because I've been feeling a little sick lately. I did 30 minutes on the bike inside. My Goal going forward is to not miss any days in the pool. I can ride the bike here at the house and run on the treadmill so I don't skip those days. I know I need a lot of work on the swim so I definitely need to make those days count. I also have a question about the bike trainer. Lately I've just been trying to get my time in on the bike, and I'm going to be following the articles that Ken directed us to for using the heart rate monitor more effectively(Thanks!). When I'm riding should I focus on my heart rate zones, RPE, distance, time? Or should I only be concerned with the amount of time? I've been making sure I get my times and a good workout, but the distance seems farther than I used to ride. I'm worried that on the trainer I'm going 20 miles for instance, but then when spring comes I'll only be going 10 miles. I assume that, similar to the couch to 5K, as long as I get my times my distance will be there, but don't want to be completely surprised when I get out in the spring. What is a good way to make sure I'm making the most of my time on the bike? |
| 2010-01-02 7:36 PM in reply to: #2589675 |
| Subject: RE: kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! geoffgm - 2 My Goal going forward is to not miss any days in the pool. I can ride the bike here at the house and run on the treadmill so I don't skip those days. I know I need a lot of work on the swim so I definitely need to make those days count. This sounds like a good goal for me as well, the biking I have down (not fast but can go the distance), the run will come with time, but swimming is a total different animal. lbishop - 2010-01-02 6:30 PM For example, in an action movie, decided to go hard during action scenes and slow down for recovery in between. Or during TV shows, choose to go hard during ads and easy/normal during your show. Lewis. Never thought of this,,, good help here. Hulu has 10 second commercials, so I may need to go a different way here. But good help all the same. Edited by DougJ 2010-01-02 7:41 PM |
| 2010-01-02 7:37 PM in reply to: #2589828 |
Member 23 | Subject: RE: kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! CONGRATULATIONS! That's an incredible weight loss. Thanks for sharing. |
| 2010-01-02 8:20 PM in reply to: #2578675 |
Member 118 Welllington, NZ | Subject: RE: kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! That *IS* an amazing story! Not only congratulations on shedding your weight but also on getting through a hard post pregnancy! Having gotten through that i suspect you will be able to deal with any challenges this sport is going to throw at you with relative ease. Lewis. |
| 2010-01-03 12:30 AM in reply to: #2589828 |
New user 52 | Subject: RE: kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! rTanja - 2010-01-02 7:48 PM OK now that is a story!!! Thats great! I will make sure I don't tell my wife this story till after we have ours so we have some perspective and can get some personal information should we need it. Thank you for sharing!Quick question about the trainers. Can you only use them with road bikes? Additionally I looked at the 2008 gear and people seemed to like the Cyclops Fluid2 Trainer. Thoughts on that? Now I just need a bike to go with it. Any beginner bikes anyone would suggest? I know the price ranges are all over the place but I am going to say a bike on a super budget at this point. Does such a bike exist? Or is there a place to perhaps take a look at discount bikes? Dan, you ask for weight loss stories |
| 2010-01-03 7:18 AM in reply to: #2590246 |
| Subject: RE: kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! selonimes - Any beginner bikes anyone would suggest? I know the price ranges are all over the place but I am going to say a bike on a super budget at this point. Does such a bike exist? Or is there a place to perhaps take a look at discount bikes? I would suppose first off you really ought to have a dollar amount set in your head. I can't quite recall your location, but I have seen a number of really good bikes listed in a decent price range on Craigslist. Then there is always Ebay. Try your local bike shop(s) for some trade-ins, or even ask about a lay-a-way plan they might carry. Try a local bike club(s), members sometimes upgrade bikes and sell their older one. As for brand/ make of a bike, pick your poison (everyone has their own opinion). As long as you feel comfortable on it and the ride feels right. The down side is, usually you need to get a good 10+ miles with a ride just to see how it's going to feel. Edited by DougJ 2010-01-03 7:25 AM |
| BT Development | Mentor Program Archives » kenj's group - closed with a great bunch of triathletes in training!!! | Rss Feed |
|
|
|
|
View profile
Add to friends
Go to training log
Go to race log
Send a message
View album
CONNECT WITH FACEBOOK