Jellyfish's Group - CLOSED (Page 4)

Jess - I think you posted on my blog that you were having trouble deciphering my bike workouts. I'm responding here since I think it may also inform some other members of the group:

Bike set in question:
Main set:
4x(3 min at 100-105 rpm 160+ watts, 2 min drop 2 gears 240+ watts hold 100+ rpm, 3 min easy, 2 min at 175+ watts, 2 min at 205+ watts, 1 min at 260+ watts, 3 min easy)
set #1 at 0%, 2 at 2%, 3 at 1%, 4 at 0%

Ok - what does it mean?
Note: This was a "trainer" workout - done inside on my tri bike with a contraption that lifts and holds the back wheel up while also providing variable resistance. There are many kinds of bike trainers - the one I used (at a cycling gym) is pretty fancy. It is hooked up to a computer that can simulate inclines (hills), and measures your power output (how hard you are pedaling) in watts.

"4x(" means I am doing whatever is in the parentheses.

"3 min at 100-105 rpm 160+ watts" means for 3 minutes I am pedaling at 100-105 pedal revolutions per minute while pushing at least 160 watts (for me this is about 70% effort).

"2 min drop 2 gears 240+ watts, hold 100+ rpm" means that immediately following the "3 min..." set I clicked the gearing controlled on my right hand 2 times (made effort harder) while keeping my pedal revolutions per minute above 100 - I have to push a lot harder to keep the pedals moving at this rate - specifically over 240 watts .

The rest of the set continues in the same manner.

"set #1 at 0%, 2 at 2%, 3 at 1%, 4 at 0%" means that I performed the first set on flat road, the second on a 2% grade hill, 3rd on a 1% grade and 4th on flat road.

Hopefully this helps

Ok, so I haven't actually written my training plans down at this point.  Why, shoot I don't know I just haven't.  However I do understand the importance of goals and written plans.  That's all I did when I was BB.  However, right now I'm just putting in the training without overtraining, and trying to understand endurance training.  All that to just ask a stupid question.  What does the training term "Bricks" mean?  As for now I have no way of swimming, though I would say I am a strong swimmer, I'm not going to in reference to triathlons.  Do you have any suggestions what I could do till I can get in the water?

Thanks Megan!!

I know if I had a think about it (or a google) I would get it... I have a wind trainer, but it's just got a cable adjuster for resistance.
I don't even know the speed or cadence when I am on it, because the cadence thingy doesn't work without the speed one going, and the speed one is on the front wheel... can I change it to the back for the winter, or is there a reason it's on the front?

Hoping to go for a run today, just couldn't stuffed after the ride home from work in the rain last night. Surprisingly, I can still walk, so that's awesome!
Doggy's got an upset tummy though, so I might wait till she feels a little better (she eats plastic, don't ask me why. comes off her toys.)

Grace and I had a pretty good weekend at the karate tournament.  Grace got 3rd in weapons, 2nd in sparring, and 1st in forms.  I got 1st in weapons, forms, and sparring.  I didn't think the sparring competition was that tough.  I won pretty easily and didn't feel like I had to over exert myself, but my back, hip, and ankle are telling me otherwise.  It hurts just to walk at this point.  I'll try to get it stretched out and get some running done this week, but my ankle really hurts, so I'll just wait and see.  Also I checked into a gym on Friday that has a pool.  I may try to join this week so I can get some swimming done.

Morning all

I finished my first week of C25K and it felt really good!! I felt like I could keep running!!! OH on the other hand thought he was going to die... which is about normal. He's not all that fit.

I was on call this weekend, and I had about 5 call outs, which is ANNOYING, but at least I get paid for them. I made about another week's wages over the weekend, so that will help the budget a little!!
Having a hard time getting back into training this week, it's so cold and miserable...  not to mention ME feeling a little miserable as well... but going to try to hit the pavement tonight with the doggy, she always gets so excited about a run!
Want to get into the pool tomorrow, warm myself up before work.

Well done on your weekend Ken, sounds awesome! I always wanted to do a martial art, I just wasn't nible enough when I was heavier...

Megan,

This is probably premature given where I am in my training and experience, but right now my "plan" is to compete in one tri a month through the summer.  Assuming I do that, what is your opinion about the intensity and/or duration level of workouts b/w the races?  Right now I'm still working on my base for the bike , but assuming I had an acceptable base for all disciplines, would you recommend keeping up the same levels of training in between races as done leading up to that particular fitness level or should i bring it down a notch; perhaps focusing more on speed?  I know that when I get into marathon season, the first few months is spent building the proper base and then in between marathons I can bring the milage down a bit while still working on speed and strength without sacrificing my distance endurance as the races serve as the long runs, would the same theory apply to tri training?

Thanks,
Ann-Marie 

Have not had any actual Tri training for a couple of days.  Since my tournament on Sat. my left hip and ankle are killing me.  Walking is a chore in itself.  I went to the Dr today, he seems to think I've just hyper-extended my hip while fighting.  When you have pain do you work it out by easy training or do you wait it out and let it heal?

Ann Marie,

What has worked for me in the past is to pick a couple of "A" races.  taper for those races and work on getting a PR.  All the other races are "nice to do" but if you don't get a PR, it's not a big deal.  You can train right through those races without giving up your training days. 

Scott, if it hurts to walk, you need to stay off it or do some resistive training in the pool.   I think endurance athletes have a hard time shutting things down when training is such a big part of our lives.  You need to listen to your body.  Rest days aren't bad.  I still feel guilty when I take them but sometimes  you come back working even harder than before.  If the pain continues, you need to go see your primary Dr. 

Scott, x2 on the above

John, thanks for the advice; sounds like a good plan.

John

 

*sigh* Sorry guys, just coming in for a whinge.

I am having a hard time finding my mojo again this week, it's so damn cold here!!
I need to move to the desert or something, because I have the heater on. It's not even winter yet.

The motivation for a run is low, hopefully the weather is nicer tomorrow!
At least I got a bit of a swim done right? Going to have another crack Friday with my mother, she can swim a bit too :D

Jess, I'm with you on the lack of mojo. I've been feeling like a slug and eating like a pig since Sat.

My training while injured philosophy is if I can run/bike/swim without altering my normal gait/stroke/etc, I do it. If I'm altering anything or have weird pain/soreness during or afterwards, I shut it down.

Hope everyone has their mojo going.

Agreed! Anne & Chris.  Since this past weekend, I have done nothing!!!! I would hate to say that I don't have my Mojo, cause I think it's still there, I just need to remember where I set it.  My hip and ankle are feeling better, not great, but better.  I think I'm gonna go walking today.  May put a mile or so in, but I'm not gonna run, don't want to inflame something that's getting better.  My bike came in yesterday, YAHOOOOO!!!!, But it won't be built til Friday or Sat.  

I recently read that a Triathlon is like a sandwich.  The Swim & Run are the bread and the Bike is the meat.  Well I hope that's right cause that's what I'm good at.  My Tri is May 17th and I don't feel ready the slightest bit.  It also was told to me that 10 days from an event your not gonna improve anymore than you already are.  That being said, let's hope my hip and ankle hold up, and that I don't have bike problems, cause I'm planning on 22 MPH avg on the bike for the race. 

Jess,

Sorry to hear you are having trouble getting motivated for the run; it is tough when the weather is bad.  Running with a group helps keep me motivated on the days I don't want to get out of bed; being accountable to others helps.

Of course, you could always just read the little saying you have at the end of your posts

Ann-Marie 

Lol Ann-Marie... that's why the saying is there!! I am trying to convince myself

I mostly train at night because I start work so early in the morning, I get up before 5am as it is... and it's easier to do it at night with a little daylight.
So hopefully there's some mojo for a run tonight

And I like the saying about triathlon being the sandwich... much better than the one I heard, which was about triathlon being a running race... cos I'm not the fan of running!

I have a day off tomorrow (Friday) so I am going to do a long bike in the morning, and then hit the pools again with my mum. She can swim a bit too

Jess, now I'm not a Triathlete and I do not know how good of an analogy it is, but the full statement was:  "A triathlon is like a sandwich.  The swim and run are the bread.  The transitions are the cheese & condiments, and the bike is the meat.  Now you can have still have a pretty good sandwich with mediocre bread and mediocre cheese.  But you can't have a good sandwich with good bread, good, cheese, and bad meat."

Like I said, I am not a Triathlete, but this seemed to make a little bit of sense to me.  Like I said before, I just hope my bread is not moldy.  Can anyone help me understand what I can expect in the Tri when I put all three components together?  I am running a 9 min mile for 3 miles now, and feel like I could go more.  My bike is pretty strong.  I should avg 20+mph, and my swim, well I havn't trained for it, but l do alot of OWS every summer, and am fairly strong (for me anyway).  But when I put them all together I don't have a clue what's gonna happen... Any light you may be able to shed??

Only way to find out is to actually do it

Just make sure you've done a few bricks, so ride for a bit then jump off and run right away, because the jelly legs are something else... if you can run well, that's good, but test the jelly legs out a few times before you race. I even fell over in one tri my legs were shaking so much, lol.

And I like the second version of the statement. I just have one awesome piece of bread, and one not so good one

Ken, congrats on the MA tourney this weekend. Sorry to hear of the fall-out
As far as tri's go, I agree that it can be advantageous to be strong in cycling, not just for the time advantage on the bike leg. Being fit on the bike usually allows you to be "fresher" for the run. A strong runner can cook their legs on the bike if they're not careful, which usually results in a miserable run. As far as the swim, it's kinda like riding a bike. Once you've gotten good, you can take breaks and pick it back up pretty quick. One local doesn't swim ever and he's in the top 10-20 for the swim at every race he enters. There was this lady who joined masters after about 20 years of not swimming (or anything else other than walking) after college. She started out swimming 100's at 1:30 pace, but would peter out on the longer stuff. After a month or two, she was handing it to me, swimming 4:00 300's. I've seen it countless times that once you can swim decent, it's not difficult to pick it up.

Jess, enjoy your day off. I wish it were Friday here

I'm finally getting moving this week and rode to work. It was an incredible ride, but I'm not so sure how it's going to be going home. Predicted winds are 25-35mph, gusting 40+. Most of it will be crosswind, but I've got a good stretch where I'll be getting a good part of it.

Same theory would apply to tri training. I try to build my base during the pre season then begin to work in speed work in the late spring and during race season. I would pick a 2 or so A races to focus on and the other races can be B or C races where you train through them or use them as a speed work day. Sprint races are usually ideal for this.
Say for example you have one race on June 1 and the next race 4 weeks afterwards and another 4 weeks after that. After the first race, do easy to moderate intensity week 1. Week 2 add in more distance and intensity, week 3 add more of the same, week 4 back of distance and intensity and compete in a B race. Then do 2 weeks of higher distance and intensity, then back off the last two weeks and compete in your A race.

Thanks, that sounds like a reasonable plan.  I'll have to decide on an "A" race or 2.  BTW, I paid attention to keeping my left arm from crossing over during my ows this am; I swam a lot straighter, so thanks for that tip! 

Another new week. Time is just flying by.

This is the week I start running again. Actually, I'm going to do a 2' jog, 2' walk to see how the ankle handles it. I've got my first race in 1 month and I need to see where I'm at.

Happy Monday to all!

Lol, happy Monday indeed!! It is Tuesday here though

How was everyone's weekend?

Superman had a stack off his bike and frightened us all, but he's all good now. Back to work and stuff, not (much) complaining!!
First experience with scary bike/traffic stuff, so it's reminded me to be careful!

Happy Tuesday all.  Training this week for me will be a little lighter as I taper a tad for my race on the 9th.  I'm happy to have an excuse to back off a bit as the weather is miserable - as hot and humid as it normally would be in August, yuck.

Jess,  I really enjoy learning Aussie!  I'm adding "stack off" to my vocabulary  

yeah, it was barely still Monday in the states. I was just making conversation

Another busy weekend for me; soccer game, scouts pinewood derby, & lacrosse. Weather was great, but I still didn't manage to put on my running shoes, get on my bike or find a pool/lake to get in.


Is stack off, a fall? I guess he's earned his superman status.
Yes, definitely be careful out there.

Sorry I havn't posted.  Good news is my bike got built yesterday.  I'm getting fitted tomorrow.  I really don't know if I'll be able to train any this week.  I live in Nashville, TN and some of you may know about the flood we had this weekend.  It is REALLY, REALLY BADDDD here.  I've spent several days helping friends and family members who have been affected by the flood and most likely will be working the rest of the week dealing with it instead of training.  Next week I'll be out of town so I'll plan on doing some training then.

Ken:  Sorry to hear about all the flooding in TN.  Hope your family and friends are safe.  On a brighter note, congrats on your new bike!

Ann-Marie