Brian's group - FULL (Page 4)

Whoa Cowgirl, you are Iron. That was FAST! Way to go!

Brian, Here's my first time trial.--swimming.
100yd = 1:25 (that was the 2nd 100; the first was slower due to a calf cramp).

Weird thing is that I can do 10x100 on 1:25-1:35, so I'm really wasn't much faster than that. Does that mean I have endurance but not speed? Or it could be that a 900 warm up is too much before a time trial?
2nd weird thing: my 50yd was consistently 43-45 secs (6 sets of 50s) near the end of workout. So my 50s times are the same as my 100s (give or take).

I'm thinking of just focusing on sprints, but then again the goal is to do 1.2...whadya think?

Haha thanks Beth Funny thing about the swimming, I'm the same way. I'm really not that much faster sprinting. The only think that really makes me go fast is breathing less frequently, which I can only keep up for about 50 yards. Here's a question for anyone: is one swim stroke one arm or a cycle of both arms? So if you're always breathing on your left side, is that considered breathing every stroke or every other stroke?

Amber: don't worry, drinking gets a lot better. When I did my first bike leg for a team triathlon, I had to wear a Camelbak because I couldn't reach down to get my waterbottle. Now it's fine. It's just a matter of putting time in on the bike and getting more comfortable with it. 

Some people are built to be distance swimmers and not sprinters (It is most likely a kick thing as that is the main difference between the two).  Since you are training for distance swimming events, there is no reason to fret over not being a sprinter.  Just keep sprint sets in your training (as a supplement, not necessarily the focus) since they will help with your distance swimming speed in the long run.  You definitely appear to have good swimming endurance though.

A "stroke" is one arm.  And you are considered to be breathing every other stroke.

Yes Beth, much better. No need for me to blush at all if you "hit the wall" during a hard workout :-)

Todays workout was AWESOME! I had more sleep and hit the gym in the morning versus at noon when I am typically hungry and getting lazy. 
 
I found the 13 week sprint triathlon training plan on here. I am actually 15 weeks out but started it today anyway.  Today I was to swim for 15 min. then run for 20min. After a 50 yd warm up I did the timed 100 yd swim and got 1:20. I realize I don't do a lot of kicking. Then I lost track after that, but I continued to do laps nonstop until the 15 min was up. After that I did a quick change and headed to the treadmill. This run felt different in that I didn't have the pressure of timing myself over a certain distance. I kept pacing myself up whenever I felt too cozy (no hills so no gagging) and did 1.8miles when the 20 min were over. But that was not enough, I went to the weight room and did a little arms and little legs but not enough to overkill but enough to feel a burn. Following all this was a busy day at my daughter's track meet and now it is 1030pm and not a bit sleepy. I am so wound up! No caffeine or drugs, honest. 

Questions: Is there a gadget of some sort that helps keep track of how many laps you do? Are there better brand swim caps than others? I had a TRL and it split in half today when I went to put it on. What is considered a fairly good time for 100yds? 

I just want to add that I read all of these posts and I love the encouragement, tips, and achievements that you all make. Very inspiring. 

And Rod, there was no bonking in todays workout 

Teresa

 

First off, those swim times are s-m-o-k-i-n-g fast ... wow! I am a 1:40/100yd swimmer with the 1:30's being elusive thus far.

Yes, if your times are consistent then that means that is the stroken rythym your body has settled into. Given that you are already swimming in the 1:20's I am thinking that your form is pretty good.  That said, drills always help ... how is your golf score (number of strokes per length of the pool)?  Do you commonly do any other drills?

The way to break out of the rythym your body is used to is to add intensity. Doing "descends" is a good way to do that: e.g. 3x 300 (100EZ, 100 race pace, 100 sprint) with 20 second rest intervals.

Do not replace your normal long workouts with this but instead supplant one workout per week with these.  You will still need volume to keep your endurance.

Teresa: Be sure to log your workouts and I had thought that you had abandoned us?!

One ????way ??????????to count laps is to break it into sets and then use the lap counter my Timex watch to count ... for instance if you are doing? 5x100yds then each 100yds is 4 laps. I count the four laps and then hit my "lap button" on the watch.

When you are swimming and not doing a lot of kicking (which I am guilty of) then be sure that you are pressing your chest down into the water (with water flowing over your head and shoulders) as this will keep your hips up and your feet from dragging.  Let me know if this does not make sense as it is hard to describe

QUOTE]Cheeks - 2010-04-29 1:49 AM Todays workout was AWESOME! I had more sleep and hit the gym in the morning versus at noon when I am typically hungry and getting lazy. 
 
I found the 13 week sprint triathlon training plan on here. I am actually 15 weeks out but started it today anyway.  Today I was to swim for 15 min. then run for 20min. After a 50 yd warm up I did the timed 100 yd swim and got 1:20. I realize I don't do a lot of kicking. Then I lost track after that, but I continued to do laps nonstop until the 15 min was up. After that I did a quick change and headed to the treadmill. This run felt different in that I didn't have the pressure of timing myself over a certain distance. I kept pacing myself up whenever I felt too cozy (no hills so no gagging) and did 1.8miles when the 20 min were over. But that was not enough, I went to the weight room and did a little arms and little legs but not enough to overkill but enough to feel a burn. Following all this was a busy day at my daughter's track meet and now it is 1030pm and not a bit sleepy. I am so wound up! No caffeine or drugs, honest. 

Questions: Is there a gadget of some sort that helps keep track of how many laps you do? Are there better brand swim caps than others? I had a TRL and it split in half today when I went to put it on. What is considered a fairly good time for 100yds? 

I just want to add that I read all of these posts and I love the encouragement, tips, and achievements that you all make. Very inspiring. 

And Rod, there was no bonking in todays workout 

Teresa

 

Sorry guys - I haven't forgot about you all... just a MEGA busy week!  I'll be more active this weekend.

Keep up the good work, and keep posting - I am learning something new from each of you every day!

Seriously, 1:20 is a fast time. 

Brian, you touched on a pet peeve of mine A "lap" versus a "length".  When you run on a track, if you run to the opposite end, is that considered a lap?  Or is it not a lap until you get back to where you started?  When you're swimming, and someone "laps" you, are they passing you going the opposite direction, or have they caught up to you going the same direction?  A "lap" is 2 lengths of the pool.  Now, I will say, that I've heard really good swimmers use the word "lap" when it should really be "length" so, I wouldn't feel too bad  .

Spoken like a true swimmer!  You are, of course, absolutely correct. "Lap" cannot be randomly interchanged with "length" of the pool ... and doing so creates confusion.
 

Teresa.  I have a Nike silicone swim cap it is very durable and feels great. I went through a couple before this one. This one is much thicker.

Keep up the good work!

-Amber

Teresa - fantastic - a blushless workout!

Brian & Erica - Goodluck with your races on Sunday! Looking forward to  race reports with plenty of P factor (though I guess in the case of the HIM that's just part and parcel!) Enjoy!

I believe my bike IQ went up about 20 points today!!  Took my bike to get looked at and I was riding it with the seat 3 inches too low!!  Oh my gosh it feels totally different now! 

And the cool thing is that you now have a lot more power in your pedal stroke as you are getting the full benefit from your leg muscles.

Woo hoo!

I finally did my 5k time trial.  28:10.  Still sucky at running but I've come a ways already.

I'll take that! I would love to break out of the thirties. Good job!

I did not get in the training hours I wanted this week. I over committed myself in volunteering, and unfortunately I have a hard time saying no.  But I did let it be known that I am taking this serious and I will be training more, less other stuff. 

I wanted to mention that I had my nutrition questions answered by a video I found on this site. It's called the pre and post nutrition. Just what I needed to know.

You guys have a great rest-of-the-weekend!
Teresa 

Alrighty... many things on my mind - I'm gonna let you folks have it!

Swimming - Took the time to teach myself flip turns tonight.  Even with slow swimming, I still shaved 3 seconds off my best 100meter.  It's amazing how much of a difference it makes.  It sets you up for a whole different angle where you have way more power than just grabbing the wall and turning yourself around.
I need to consider buying a cap soon...

Running - I've been mega lazy in this area, and it seems to have become my weak point.  I will be without a bike very soon for about a week, so I'll probably put a good focus back on running during that time.
New shoes soon to come (about 1 week away!)

Cycling - Definitely my strongest leg, but still weak in comparison.  I'm selling a motorcycle when I get home, and then getting fitted in Orlando for a TT bike - I plan to buy last years model or older if they have them sitting in the shop so I can save some $$, and any price/brand/quality ratio comparisons would be welcome!

Gadgets - I just ordered a Garmin Forerunner 305 with a quick disconnect/bike mount and a bike speed/cadence sensor.  I'll have it when I get home next week, so I'll be testing it on some runs.
FYI - Amazon.com has a pretty good deal on these right now.  I got the whole setup for $200.....

And there you have it ladies and gents, I just thought I'd throw a quick shout out to you guys.  I'm very glad to see everyone who is sticking with it, as we are now entering week #3 of the mentor program!

Hey Justin. My kids are getting me the 305 for my birthday (and a swimming wetsuit and aero bars - I don't know where they get such great ideas for presents!!). I'm not getting the bike accessories at this stage so will be really interested in how you find it with the cadence measurement (and how important you think it is).

Rod - sounds like some great kids you have there!

As for the cadence sensor, it was cheap enough on Amazon to not pass up...
I'll give you a detailed report as soon as I strap it to my friends bike in the states.
I'll also give a report on my friends CycleOps Powertap that is on his TT bike - he says he absolutely loves it!

I don't have any of the 305 bike accessories either.  I have real-time cadence info on my bike computer which suffices just fine but I'm sure people like being able to look back and analyze their ride.  The HR, speed, and elevation info is enough for me to try to wrap my head around.

It is funny how your wish lists for birthdays and holidays get taken over by tri stuff.  My Christmas presents from my husband and "children" (I doubt they had any involvement in the selection of gifts) were the 305, an ipod nano, and a fuel belt.  They've already got my list for mother's day/my birthday . 

Congratulations to Brian on Beast of the East HIM! 5th overall and 2nd in his AG!