Robin's Family-friendly mentor group - CLOSED (Page 4)

How did the swim go this morning?

I don't have a whole lot of advice about running but I am wondering what you are training for? Are you aiming for a sprint tri or olympic?

The swim went well.  It felt good to be up and in the water.  My coach (my brother who is currently training for Ironman Lake Placid ) tweaked a couple things with my stroke and it felt good.  He said I look good, now I just have to work on my endurance.  I probably swam a mile or just a little more.

I am training for a sprint tri at the end of May.  Then I have 3 more sprints for the season and 1 Olympic distance.  My ultimate goal is the Marine Corp Marathon in October.  We shall see.  I am excited to be moving again and getting this body back in shape!

Don't fret about bad workouts.  The ones after illnesses or injury are just the worst.  Give yourself some time and your body will jump back into it.  It may take 2 or 3 yucky runs, but it will happen.  If it makes you feel any better, I'm in the same boat!  Feel better!

Ok.  So I promised you my goals.  So I don't bore you with the SMART details, I'll give you my less detailed version.  One easy way to get specific, though is to always ask "how".  Here they are:

1.  Keep my leg healed.  It's not perfect yet, but managable.  Do nothing to injure it further...

     How???  - Don't push speed this year like last.  Go long and slow, rest if for more days if needed.

2.  Races: Columbus OLY, Cleveland OLY, Rev3 HIM (and any others I find) -- beat my times from last year.

     How??? - Can't focus on running (see goal #1) and swimming I'm FOP (front of pack) --Must improve on bike time.

     How??? - More bike sessions, more time in the saddle

     How??? - Complete 8 week bike focus maintennance plan (begins 1/2/12)

    Also--begin 10 week Oly plan in April then Oly to HIM bridge

3.  Cap City Half Marathon (5/5/12) -- 1:45 to 1:50 finish

      How??? - Complete 8 week HM plan beginning 3/12, but include swim and bike in place of some easy runs

4.  GO TO BED AT A REASONABLE HOUR!!!!!!!!!

     How??? - Go to bed before midnight every night, then back down time from there. 

Now, these goals and how to accomplish them may still seem a little foreign.  Here's how I do it.  I find my races first, then find plans that look decent to me (aren't too involved or take way too much time).  Given the plan (8 week/10 week, etc) I then back up to find my starting dates.  I then look at the daily specifics given in the plan and rearrange them to my family's schedule being careful not to do back to back hard or long workouts. 

What are your specific goals?  How are you going to get there???? 

I am still to ill to do a work out today but I did get to the bike shop and bought my first pair of bike shoes and pedals. WAHOO!!! Have a great New Years everyone.

I will be back tomorrow to post my goals when I have more time

Yee-haw!  That's exciting! 

x2!

I did do one workout today indoors at the gym. 3.4 miles on the treadmill and 14 miles on the bike. 

What is a good tri race speed per mile for bike? I feel impressed that my longest timed mile was 2min 30 seconds.  I had the bike machine set at resistance 32 of 40 possible and an uphill programming setting.  So is under 3min/mile good or pretty lame?  

I will work on writing out my specific goals very soon. I did see that post

Congratulations on your first brick workout!!!!  How did it feel doing both in one workout session?

Just as any other element in the race, speed is relative.  I think for many people, they just want to do the best they can.  My first year I averaged 16 mph, last year 18-19.  People who have the bike as their strength can easily be at 21+.  The pros cruise at 25 mph or over!!!  Some people I know go over 40 on a downhill.  No thanks!  I'd rather see my kids grow up! 

If my calculations were done right, 3 min/mile should equal 20 mph.  Keep those numbers you posted as a baseline and use them for your indoor comparisons.  It was great that you remembered your settings!  Keep doing that.  You'll then be able to see how your numbers improve with time.  The bikes I have at the gym don't have any data readings.  It's just a knob that rotates.  The only thing I'm able to record is time.    One quick word of warning, though.  Be wary of equating gym equipment numbers to your outdoor speed.  They aren't always compatible.   20mph indoor may not be 20 mph outdoor. 

Now, the big question: which did you do first, the bike or the running?  If you're going to go back-to-back, if possible, try to do your bike first then run.  Your legs will feel like lead, but that's a good thing to get used to.  That's what they'll feel like during your race!!!!!!  It's good to do a brick every so often: once a week, one every other week...  it depends on who you ask.  But it is important to get used to it.

CONGRATULATIONS!

I did one final workout for 2011---it was a 3K run called Freeze Your Gizzard Blizzard Run....No snow to run in this year, but 2 years ago when I did the same run, we ran through 7 inches of snow...Speaking as a Georgia girl who never sees snow, it was quite the experience so I guess it lived up to it's name that year. It was so great to get out there among other people excited about running. Granted, I got passed early on, but heck I still ran every step of that 3K with my husband and son waiting right there at the finish line. I hope everyone had a great 2011, a safe New Year's evening, and will have a great & inspirational 2012.

I will be starting a 16-week training course on January 16 in preparation for my first Olympic triathlon---at Wildflower in California in May. I can't think of a better way to celebrate my 10 years with my hubby than doing a race together...He'll be doing the 1/2 Ironman and I'll be doing the Olympic distance, but hey we'll be there together cheering each other on.

Good luck to you all and may you have a wonderful 2012....

So awesome!  Sorry about your lack of snow.  We seem to be having the same problem.  As a matter of fact, our trees are getting REALLY close to budding already (we're in Ohio).  This is going to be an ugly spring...

Happy New Years everyone!

Cori did you jump on the treadmill last night?

Joy - good job on the tough workout yesterday!

Ryan - what a sweet way to celebrate your anniversary. I am a little jealous, my husband is really not into racing, although he does come to cheer me on at all my races.

Robin - I don't mind another addition to our group. The more the merrier

I had my first trainer ride this morning- 25 minutes. It ended with a big coughing fit but I am hopeful my cold is almost gone.

Goals:

My first and most important goal for 2012 is to find balance. I am starting school, running a half marathon, building a swimming/biking base not to mention wanting to be a good mother and wife. I really hope to find a place where my family and I are happy.

   How: I have created a ton of spreadsheets breaking up my time and commitments. I have a spreadsheet of my workouts for the next 4 months (until the end of the semester) detailing when and what I will do.

My second goal is to complete my half marathon in February happy and healthy. My time goal is to complete in less the 2:10 but honestly I will be happy if I dont meet this goal as long as I am feeling good.

   How: Run consistently but also listen to my body if I am sore there is no harm in taking a rest day

Last October I finished a 10km in 59 minutes. By October I would like to run it in 50 minutes. I dont know if this is possible but I need something to strive for.

   How: Keep running consistently mostly easy but later in the year adding in some tempo runs.

My final goal is to complete my first Spring and Olympic triathlon.

   How: I will start a BT plan in April and until then I will continue to build my biking and swimming mileage.

I think that is it!

Nice!  Yeah, it's hard to juggle family, personal commitments, and who-knows-what.  It can be done with expected hiccups along the way.  The goal is to not let unexpected appointments or bad weather throw you.  Sometimes you miss a workout.  It happens--just keep going the next day. 

You should be able to meet all those goals!  Even the faster 10k!  I think you'll be amazed by October...

Happy New Year everyone!  Great job on everyone's workouts.  Add me to the list of sickies, and it's a chest cold, so I'm on perma-break until that clears up.  I think I'll be good to go for tomorrow!  It's a job hazard, I suppose, sickness happens for sure.  Here are a few of my goals (fitness related

Work out 5 days a week.  How-I also had to write a schedule for me to follow; school, kid stuff, workouts, ect.  I also have decided to scale back just a bit on "out" type of fun with friends.  My schoolwork is challenging, but working out is a priority, so I want to stick to my schedule and get the workouts done (I have planned some date times with my husband though-he is lots of fun!) 

*Lose 12-15 pounds before my first race of the season (May 6) How- Count calories and nutrition, weigh in once a week (or maybe every other week) to check my success.

*Be able to run my entire 10k(s) pain free.  I have a soft tissue ankle injury.  The name of the game this year is to build a base and do my races without injury.  How-stretch, stretch, stretch, and go slow with running.  I am not setting time goals this year (really, guys, I'm not....really.....well maybe just a little silent one in my head.....) 

Sorry my goals are super generic, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Shon

PS: The more the merrier!

No problem here with another member!