jsnowash's training group - FULL!! (Page 4)

Hi Jenny,
Hang in there, before you know it you will be able to get away without the kids! We haven't done it since before our 3rd was born (16 years!) We are going for our 25th anniversary. The other problem is going while the older two are away at college so they don't sneak home to have a party!

 

Hi,
This week has been a hard week. With new and more work responsibilites for both myself and my hubby, conflicting and overlapping practice schedules for my kids, I have been so stressed I've given myself daily headaches. Top that off with lack of or inadequate sleep. When I fell asleep Wed night", dawn was breaking. I couldn't function and felt so exhausted Thursday morning, I skipped worked, went to the bus stop in PJs and only managed to get 2.5 hours of nap time.

I haven't worked out since my long run on Saturday unless you count the warm up exercises in my PTs office. I havent had enough time, sleep, energy or motivation to do anything.

Hopefully, I can get back on track tomorrow because Sunday is my 10K race. Up until this week I felt prepared for this 10K as well as my half marathon in 2 weeks.

I like having peach/pink days on my training calendar.

Lovey

Well, when I saw my first Ironman Kona I didn't want to do it. There was a woman on there that lost all control (bowel) and did not quit. She finished, but I was thinking that "those people" were crazy. It wasn't until last year that I set that as kind of a psuedo goal. I just kind of realized that most of the people racing Kona are on some kind of mission. A very deep and personal mission. Almost everyone comes there for a different reason, but are all in the same mind set to conquer their personal struggle. I don't know that I were ever likely get to Kona on the lottery....but I would like to try on my 50th. Maybe some people here would like to join me?

Hey Lovey,

Sorry to hear you've had such a hard week, but hang in there! Everyone has a stretch like that every now and then where life just gets in the way of training. When that happens, we just have to write off any training we missed and move on. Try not to be tempted to "make up" missed training sessions. That can do more harm than good.... Try to relax, you'll be fine for both your 10K this weekend and your half marathon next weekend. In fact, the time off from training this week might leave you really fresh for your race this weekend. You could surprise yourself with a new PR! At this point, the "training" for both of those events is done, anyway! There's really nothing much you can do between now and your half-marathon that will affect your performance much. Try to get a couple of short runs in next week, and you'll be fine! Trust the hard work you've done to get where you are. I've looked at your logs, and you are definitely ready!

Jeff,

I've been mulling over the idea that I want to try a full IM distance race when I turn 50. That will be the 2013 season. Anyone else in ??

There are a lot of those races. The general rule is: If a Tri race has a beer/ ale/ microbrew sponsor, the race is a good race and the post race festivities are better.

Happy Saturday, folks! Hope everybody has some enjoyable weekend plans! Good luck to Lovey and Kiwi, who will be racing tomorrow. Let us know how it goes, ladies!

So - as a bit of a conversation starter, I thought it might be nice to hear a little bit about how each of you trains.... Do you follow a plan, wing it, or some combination? Does anybody use any training gadgets - heart rate monitor, GPS, power meter, etc? What kind of bikes are your riding? Any favorite running gear?

I'll start.... Right now I'm not REALLY following any kind of specific training plan. I'm sort of loosely following a half-marathon plan for my 1/2 mary next weekend, and just adding a few run and swim sessions per week, but those are not very structured at this point. I'll work on developing a plan for the rest of the season within the next couple of weeks. I usually start with a plan I find on the internet (sometimes BT plans, sometimes other plans), but tend to modify them to meet my needs.

Training toys -- I recently got a GPS watch (Garmin 305), and am enjoying using it. I can't say I'm really using it to guide my training in any way at this point, but I enjoy looking at the data! The Garmin also has a heart rate monitor, and I do use the HR function to some extent, mainly to help me stay in lower HR zones if I have an "easy" workout planned. I also got a power meter for my bike over the winter. Unfortunately it's out of commission at the moment, and off for service.... but I think it will be valuable training and racing tool this season.

For bike - I have both a road bike and tri bike (plus a really ancient mountain bike that must be at least twice as heavy as my other bikes!) My road bike is a Specialized Dolce (women's specific bike) and my tri bike is a Quintana Roo Seduza.

So - how 'bout the rest of you?

Hi Jenny;
Prior to this I ran in local races, doing mostly 5K and 10K's. I belong to a local bike
I would like to join your group.

I am 49 and have been married for 30 years. i have three grown daughters, two of them are in the military. I decided this year would be the year that I give a Triathlon a try. My huspband has been doing them for the past 6 or 7 years. He is my inspiration.
club (Onondaga Cycling), and go on mostly long rides 30+ miles.

My weakness is swimming.  I took swim lessons this past winter, I can now swim efficiently and my form is good, as long as I don't start thinking about it. I can't wait until I am able to swim in open water, which won't be until may 31st (state parks open).  I will be going to a local Tri club to practice (Wednesday), where we will swim, bike, and run.

I aslo am very busy most days. I work all day and then on Tuesday and Wednesday I go to WW, where I work or go the meetings.  I am the Summer Youth Track coach in
our school district. I teach 5-13 year olds (boys and girls) the basic of Track and Field.


See you on the Dark Side!

Welcome, Dojorun! Glad to have you aboard!

It felt so good to be out there even for a short run of 2 miles. Ready for my 10K tomorrow. I'm just going to take it easy and slow on the hills.

Hi Jenny,
I use the BT 20 Week Sprint 2x balanced plan. I try to follow it pretty closely. It seems to work well for me. My concern is that after my 20 weeks is over I will have about 8 weeks until my first full sprint tri, so I will try to pick up another training plan for that time period. I am hoping to do some OWS when able. I don't have a wetsuit, though. I would also like to find a local bike group to do some rides with, although I worry I am too slow for them.

I don't really have any training toys per se. My biggest purchase was my bike. I bought it from a friend who rode it 2x. It's a Masi Alare road bike. I am a true newbie regarding the bike. I've had lots of "incidents". A fall, an impaling on fence (ouch), flat tire (no cell phone), got really lost (again no cell phone)! Invested in a bag to carry cell phone! I have had a basic fitting on the bike which really helped, tune up next week. Besides the basic purchases of running, biking and swimming clothing, I am trying to pace my purchases. I think my next upgrade will be getting clipless pedals and probably a 2D or 3D fit. I also need a fix a flat clinic! 

I would like to invest in a HRM or GPS. What is a power meter, Jenny?
 

Lovey -

Glad you got out for that run, and I hope next week is better for you!



Keiren,

Yes! Learning to fix a flat tire is definitely an important skill to know! If any bike shops around you offer fix a flat or basic bike maintenance courses, it's well worth attending. Until then, here are a couple of videos you might find useful on fixing a flat:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5K-DXt9djA

http://www.ehow.com/video_4414060_change-flat-tire-bicycle.html

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-change-flat-clincher-tire-316952/

And I pretty much always take my cell phone with me when I'm out biking, and even on longer runs. I also usually carry some form of ID with me too just in case (God forbid!) anything should ever happen (I have an expired driver's license I often carry with me). I keep meaning to order myself a Road ID, but just haven't gotten around to it.

To answer your question, a power meter is a fancy cycling computer. It measures a cyclists power output (in Watts). Based on field testing, a rider can find the best power range to try to maintain for races. You can find a more complete description HERE. I'm still learning how to use the information most effectively, but I do think it will benefit my bike training this year....

Hi gang....
Great training day, but bad equipment day. I went out for a 38 mile ride with the bike club. It was very windy. In fact the wind tipped me during a stop, couldn't unclip and fell to my right. Minor mishap with big consequences though....my rear derailleur broke bad (and this is my $$$ bike). Thankfully this happened about 1 mile from my car, but I had to carry my bike. Just dropped it at the shop. I'll have to break the piggy bank .
Regarding training, I was following the BT 20 weeks balanced Oly up until 3 weeks ago. The time commitment was getting too much, plus an injury and a trip derailed me for a bit.  
For now I'm concentrating a little more on run since Broad Street is coming up. Backed off a little on the swim, which I will hit hard again after race.
HRM: Ironman Triathlon Timex. I like the zone 2/3 concept. I guess I'm building a base, but I'm working on intervals too.
Fernando

 

I've been doing research on Tri-Wetsuits and would like to know if anyone knows what the difference between the zipper being on the back versus the front? I would think that a front zipper would be more efficient than back.

Hey if you're still accepting people I'd like to join. 

NAME: Caleb

STORY: My wife and I had packed on the pounds over the last year or so.  Plus we were in kind of a funk because it seemed like we weren't really working towards anything anymore.  We just had kids (twin boys) so there wasn't a lot of free time for us.  Anyway, we finally decided to get into shape.  We started a couch-to-5k program last Oct.  While in the middle of the program, I saw the "Biggest Loser: Where are they now?" special where they showed a former contest doing the Kona at 237lbs.  I was 245 at the time and I thought to myself, if he can do that so can I.  I used to be an avid cyclist prior to children so I was 2/3rds of the way there....sorta.  So I set my sites on a sprint tri in April and started training.  I finished middle of the pack.  I had a blast and I'm ready to try something harder.

FAMILY STATUS: Married for almost 8 years with twin 2-year boys.  I'm a stay at home dad/youth pastor.  My wife is a physician's assistant (my sugarmomma :p). 

CURRENT TRAINING: I'm starting on the olympic-distance training program on Monday.  The sprint-distance program on BT got me fairly well prepared for my sprint so I am hoping for the same results from the olympic one as well.


2010 RACES:  Looking at doing another sprint in June that is an open-water swim.  My first sprint was in a pool.  I want the experience of open water in race conditions before my olympic.  My olympic race will be in Aug-Sep.  Got to find one to do.

WEIGHTLOSS: Like I said earlier, when I started I was 245lbs.  Now I'm at 218lbs.  I'd like to drop below 200lbs ultimately but I'll be happy with below 210lbs before my sprint in June.  I do have a degree in Nutrition so it's amazing what happens when I actually applied my knowledge, lol.

dojo-

Are you talking about one piece tri suites to race in, like this, or a trithon wetsuit for swimming, like this? If your talking about a race suit, then I think a front zipper is probably easiest in terms of getting it on and off.... If your talking about WETSUIT, I don't think I've ever seen one with a zipper in front? I would think a zipper in the front would mess up the hydrodynamics in the water. In other words, I think you want the front of your suit as smooth and "slippery" as possible to create less drag, and let you slide through the water as smoothly as possible while you swim.

Oh, man, Fernando! What a bummer! I hate it when my bike get's hurt How long will till you get your baby back from the shop?

Sure, Caleb! Welcome aboard! Great story! Congrats to you and your wife for taking the steps you need to live a healthier life-style! What a great example you'll be setting for your boys!

Have you checked out Trifind to look for an Olympic distance race? You can search for races by state.

Feel free to jump into the conversation, ask questions, offer advice, etc. Glad to have you!

They said a week for the bike to be ready.....hope so. I still have my commuter for the weekdays.
Welcome Dojo and Caleb. This is my second BT mentor beginner group, and tell you what....this one rocks. My last group barely posted a comment per week. With these girls and guys, if you don't check your computer every 48 hours you might have a full night of reading to do.
I think we are going to learn tons.
Fernando

Edited by guticur 2010-04-17 4:06 PM

Thanks for the links, Jenny, I'll be sure to check them out! Also, how do I respond to a particular post? My posts always go to the bottom.

Edited by Keiren 2010-04-17 4:08 PM

how do I add you????? 

Welcome aboard Caleb! It must be great having your wife with you in this adventure! I started with the Couch to 5K program last year. I'm training for my first sprint tri this summer. I'm amazed at all the triathletes with little ones at home. I would never have had the energy at that point in my life! 

Hi all!  I'm hoping you still have room for one more.

NAME: username: eliseb, real name: Elise

STORY: I'm a 33 yo newly licensed RN currently with a lot of time on my hands because I'm still trying to find a job.  In some ways, this is a good thing because over the course of the last year of my program and studying for boards, I put on 30 lbs.  I've weighed this much before, but I have never felt this out of shape.  I get winded going up stairs and have all sorts of new aches and pains.  I had been trying to get to the gym here and there since I passed my boards, but I was having trouble with motivation.  A good friend competed in her first tri last year and has been gently nudging me to start training with her.  A month a go, I read "Shaping up with the Slow, Fat Triathlete" and reconnected with another friend who has gotten the tri bug and competed in an Iron Man.  I decided I needed a goal and sought out a couch to 5K program to get started.  That was 3 weeks ago. 

FAMILY STATUS: Married, two kitties; hoping to start a family soon.

CURRENT TRAINING: I am doing 3 run sessions a week c/ a 20 min warmup (walk-run-walk-stretch-walk), and then a 20 min workout per C25K on the coolrunnings web site.   These typically go walk for some period of time, job for some shorter period of time, keep cycling for 20 min followed by a cool down.  So far I have been on the treadmill at the gym because I like the help with tracking distance, pacing, and heart rate.  Additionally, I have been trying to get in one strength and one core/flexibility class per week (I alternate between yoga and pilates).  I had not planned on adding in bike and swim training until I made it through the C25K program, but I may have to reconsider due to problems with my knees.  I'll add that side of the story to the end of this post.

2010 RACES:

Registered for my first race ever on June 27th, the New Charles River Run 5K
I hope to participate in the New England Danskin sprint tri if I am healthy enough to do so.  I'm not worried about speed...just completing it would be incredible.

WEIGHTLOSS: My overall goal is to feel fit again though I expect I will lose some weight, too, as part of this process.  I was an athlete through high school (soccer and softball) and half of college (hockey and softball).  I first gained a lot of weight after I gave up sports to focus on graduating from college.  I have yo-yoed up and down from 200+ to 155 and back to my current weight (207) over the years since 2000.  I have been fortunate in the past that my weight tends to get back under control once I commit to regular activity.  I am hopeful this will be the case again.    On the diet front, I am choosing not to count calories at this point, but rather to focus on preparing food at home, increasing fruit, vegetable, and whole grain intake, and decrease refined flour and sugars.  I also need to work on slowing down when I eat and listening to my body's signals for fullness.  I really tend to scarf food quickly and then end up feeling over full.

THE REST OF THE STORY:  The first two weeks of training went really well, especially on the treadmill.  I really felt a difference in my energy levels.  Unfortunately, I started to feel some pain in my right, then left knees during strength training (lunges, first and most).  I lightened up on weights for these moves, and it seemed to resolve; there were no issues on the treadmill.  But by the end of the 2nd week, I was starting to have pain on the treadmill, too.  I called the doc and got in to see him, but was disappointed with his recommendations (stop running and all strength training).  I took the beginning of this week off (rested Mon-Thurs), and then went for my first treadmill workout on  Friday.   TWith any incline on the run, there was knee pain.  I took it to 0 incline and slowed my pace and was able to finish the work out.  The knee pain did resolve during the run.  This may be too much for an intro post, but it's where I am, and I'm not sure how to proceed.  I am a creature of habit, and I am worried that if I dump out of my current workout mode, I'll end up back on the couch and feel even worse.  On the other hand, I really don't want to do permanent damage to myself.  I have been making a really concerted effort not to injure myself, and I'm really frustrated this is happening!