Bill's Aye! Aye! Tri Crew - FULL - this ship has left the dock! (Page 4)

On the topic of stretching for swimmers, I'd like to share a vid I found on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxgC1vd1Y90

Also today I swam after watching the Total Immersion freestyle vid. Difficult to change old bad habits, but thought I'd start on this journey to swim effortless and with more efficiency in my strokes.

Did a 100m freestyle benchmark today at 2min 20 seconds.

Also tried the ladders, which seemed to go surprising well. Did 1 freestyle, 1 breast, 2 free again. Repeated these for 4 sets. I like these a lot.

I love how people are chiming in with pointers!  This is so valuable.  Thank you all!  I'll try to find things to contribute and not just talk about me!

Jen7 - loved the tips from your coach about using the alphabet to count laps, and especially for the ladders exercise.  The ladders will help me put structure to what I am currently doing and help me build my swimming endurance.

Pierre - your coach's tip about using the lane dividers to count laps is also a great idea!

Rugbyfan2 - thanks for the freestyle video - it's one of the best I've seen.  He did a really good job about talking about using your whole arm to push the water behind you, and also a great tip I plan on using of just sitting in a chair and practicing kicking to make it an automatic behavior.

Linusv - interesting video from the stretching institute.  Clearly not American - have you ever known an American to hold a stretch for 20 seconds?  Not even in yoga classes!

Bill - your guidance is AMAZING!  Thank you for volunteering to do this, and for the care that you are giving the task. 

I've had two consecutive days off of working out (planned) so I need to make sure I get my workouts in the next three days. 

Regarding the stretching question - I typically haven't done much stretching when I workout on my own.  In classes at the gym, they spend a little bit of time on it at the beginning and end of each 60 minute class.  Right now, except for yoga 1-2x/wk (which is all stretching), I've been having relatively short workouts and haven't focused on it much.  I do it most often before and after swimming, or when I know I'm going to be working out for more than 30 minutes at a stretch, or if I know my short workout will be high intensity. 

Over the next 3 days I still need to get in 2 cycle workouts, and 1 swim workout, and get to a bike shop!

All,

On the topic of losing lap counts, here is a well reviewed lap counter plus more.

SportCount Chrono 100 ($40)

http://www.amazon.com/SportCount-Inc-CHRONO-100-Chrono/dp/B005O0MCRU/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_4

Product Features

• Recall up to 100 individual lap times
• Recall fastest, slowest, average, and total lap times
• Display split times and lap numbers
• Total number of laps completed & total lap time

 I wish I could get the gps and heart rate features as well but this one seems to get the job done just fine.

Jan,

Enjoy the stretching!

Jan,  Your yoga 2x a week is awesome stretching.  That alone, with a couple of minutes before and after other workouts and you are golden!  

Emm,  Good job on the mall power walking.  Yes, little hotel pools aren't much, but I recommend getting in there.  Time in the water, like time in the saddle on the bike, gets you more comfortable.  You may have to be creative to get in a solid swim workout.  Swim laps as best you can.  Mix it up with every stroke you know - free, fly, back, breast, side, dog paddle.  Do you flip turn?  If the pool is small enough you can flip turn, push off, coast across, flip turn, repeat.  

Do some drills: a couple of laps with hands out front, face down, kicking only.  Next, all the way down with right arm straight and only pulling with left arm, then all the way back with left arm straight and only pulling with right arm.  Then across the pool using the wheelchair stroke - face up, feet first, toes at surface, paddling like you're sitting in a wheelchair - this drill is an arm burner!  For a cool down, tread water for 5 minutes - this is harder than it sounds, it's very boring, but you have to focus on being relaxed or it gets very tiring.  Can you float on your back?  Good technique for building comfort level in the water.

Getting sessions with the personal trainer will help your focus.  I'm not much help on advising you on routine - I struggle with it constantly.  Perhaps others have suggestions.  I do most of my cycling on group rides and I really enjoy seeing those friends, so I try not to miss those rides.  I'm more likely to do my workout for the day if I get up early and get it done, before other priorities consume my day.  This time of year, when its so cold I don't like running outside, I make myself schedule time in mid-day, when it's warm enough to go for a run.  What do y'all do to improve your consistency?

Hi guys,

Week 1 of training to a schedule down and have enjoyed it immensely. I have found everybody I've spoken to online and in the flesh very helpful and willing to share their experiences and advice. As an absolute novice there is so many unknowns, and the last couple of weeks have been info seeking.

Swimming - still the number 1 challenge for me. Got 3 swims in this week, each an improvement on the last. My benchmark lap time in an 18 meter pool is 50 seconds. Have been trying to work on being relaxed in the pool, and watched the Total Immersion DVD. My breathing has improved and I am feeling more relaxed in the pool. I still have a long way to go, but am able to do 2 laps now without being totally breathless and in a more controlled fashion. Actually looking forward to getting in the pool next week.

Running - did 2 runs this week, did a 5k in 25.33 as my benchmark run. Will continue to run at a lower heart rate and build up the distances. The 25.33 was a hard run for me and I don't want to over do it - I will compare again in maybe a months time.

Bike - had two goes on the bike in the gym. Clocked 20 miles today at average heart rate of 140 over 70 minutes. I am looking forward to getting on the road though and getting practice done there. Have been to a number of bike stores and am nearly ready to make the purchase. There is a government scheme in Ireland called Bike to Work which allows you to purchase a bike and equipment up to a 1000 euro, and pay back over 12 months. 520 comes out of your social insurance (tax) payments so you only end up paying 480 out of your income. Its a huge help for me in getting a road bike, which are around 7-800 for an entry level bike. Got measured today and had a test drive on a bike which felt great so hopefully will have a bike in the next fortnight.

All in all a really positive week, trying to fit training in around my schedule hasn't proven too difficult, I've gotten answers to a few questions I had last week, and my body and mind feel great on the back of the training. Still have an awful lot to learn, but I do feel my goals are achievable and that the tri community and lifestyle is one I could really buy into for the longer term.

P.S. If anybody would like a copy of Total Immersion - Freestyle Made Easy, then let me know and I can give you a link to a copy I'm uploading to my Dropbox. I found the video very good - its about 40 minutes long. Watched in total and I'm now practicing the first 3 steps, which has made me more relaxed in the pool.

Over and out for now! :-)

Tony 

Wow Tony this is excellent on several fronts.  Yes, Total Immersion is good stuff.  Watching this helps one visualize in your mind what you're supposed to be doing.  

The government subsidy on the bike is brilliant.  Any USA CPA's here?  If I incorporate and name y'all as clients can I get a write off for my next bike?  Tony, good to hear you started with measurements and test rides.  There are many fine bikes, but the best one is the one which fits well.

It was too cold for me for outside bike riding this morning.  As my cycling buddies say 'everyone has their number', meaning the lowest temperature at which you're willing to go for a bike ride.  My number is about 30F, but I don't enjoy it much below 36F.  We're fortunate that here in the sunny south we can ride year round, though not as much in Jan and Feb.  This morning was 25F and I just didn't feel inspired to battle the cold.  One of my cycling buddies, who's also triathlon training, helped me make up for it.  At his suggestion we went for an easy pace 8 mile run this afternoon, when it had warmed up to 44F.  

I missed a bike workout, but I got in my longest run in weeks, so it was a good trade off.  I'm grateful for my friend who prompted me to get out and go run, when it would have been easy to just be lazy today.  Triathlon is won one day at a time.  The will, discipline, determination to get out the door and go workout is success.  

Only a few stand on the podium, but when you demonstrate the patience and perseverance to do the work to arrive at the starting line well prepared, you are a winner.  Believe it people.  When you have a tough week and you begin to doubt, tell yourself "I can do this", "I'm doing the right things to arrive at the start well prepared".  And if it's a really tough week, take a rest day and commit to hitting it again harder tomorrow.  But keep going.

From what I'm reading here, we have a crew full of winners!  

Wow Pierre, I'm jealous.  60s and Mt Diablo sound nice.  How was your brick?  I hope you finished as well as the 49ers!

Hey Sweenes!  Glad to hear from you.  Sorry to hear about your ear.  There are some drops at the pharmacy which can help.  Don't let that little set-back deter you.  You're doing well that you've gotten started in the pool!  

The heart rate monitor will give you some great feedback.  Keep a log and you'll start to see and feel the connection between hard efforts and tired legs, etc.  I recall you've run 5K's.  I know it's cold there, but how soon can you run a 5k race, or in training, wearing your heart rate monitor? If you can get the average heart rate for the last two miles of a hard effort 5k, from this we can calculate much about your current fitness and best training pace.  Even doing a hard 30 minutes on a treadmill, and recording HR for the last 20 minutes will work.  

I've decided to run a 10k race which is in 2 weeks, because a couple of friends are doing it, the event is a fund raiser for a noble cause, and I think it's a good point in my training to do a real test of my fitness.  I had a good training week this past week, ran 4x, biked 2x.  I will push myself to run 4x again this week, including one fast run, and next week I'll run 3x, but shorter distances ("tapering"), so I'll be rested on Saturday Jan 28.  I hope it won't be "too cold".  So this is an intermediate goal.  I'm confident I can run the full distance, and I'll set a realistic goal for my target pace.  I'm setting myself up for a win.  

I can't control the weather, but I can dress appropriately.  I'll put out a full effort, and see what happens.  I've never run the course before, but I've biked part of it.  I'll try to ride the whole course before the race to get to know the hills.  I might even do a training run on the course.  

This  level of detail of preparation does not gain one much advantage, but it does remove some questions and doubts.  And it's basically free.  I'll be doing a couple of 10k training runs between now and then anyway.  The course is only a 30 minute drive from my house.  Why not go run the course?

Will you be able to do some training "on the course" of your target triathlon?  Perhaps a couple of weeks before your event?

Week 2 results -

Two yoga classes

Two 131bpm runs at least 30 min each

Two 131bpm stationary bike at least 30 min each

Two swims

I'm pretty pleased with that - This weeks focus is just to continue building the habit of going.  I was very proud of myself Friday - I had a dinner invitation, but went to the gym between work & dinner and got in a short swim and a 30 minute stationary bike workout, so I was able to get in all 8 workouts I'd planned for the week.

I've also found myself doing a stretch here or there since watching the streteching video and counting to 20 before releasing the stretch.

Today I'm going to a bike shop, and to a talk at a local running shop. 

I have a question too... is it okay to wear earplugs when you swim in a triathlon?

Way to go Jan!  The 131bpm should still feel easy, and you're right, you are building the habit of going.  So hitting the gym before dinner on Friday was a victory.  Made dinner taste better didn't it?

Don't buy the first bike you see, at least not until you've seen and ridden others.  Get the bike shop guys opinion on what size bike will fit you - not "small/medium/large", but 19 inches, or 52cm, etc.

Yes, earplugs are fine in triathlon.  And I recommend wearing a swim cap in training.  Most triathlons want you to wear a swim cap of the color of your age group.  Also I think the swim cap reduces the water sloshing in and out of my ears.  Swim cap alone doesn't keep inside of ears as "dry" as earplugs, but it almost does.

Jen, you're our swimmer.  Do you do anything regularly to reduce water in ears?  ear plugs?  Do you do anything to prevent ear infection?  alcohol after?  Or do you just 'get used to it'?  HTFU?

By 'alcohol after' I meant do you use drops of rubbing alcohol in your ears.  Not tequila shots ; )

Hi All!

No tequila shots Bill?

Ok, getting into training more this week, I rode the stationary bike for 20 min. Sunday immediately followed by a 20 min. treadmill run. I really worked on keeping my HR down so I would run 5-6 min. and then walk 1 min. to help recover. I went at a very slow pace and will keep working on that. The rest of this week's' plan is as follows:

Tuesday: boot camp workout (mix of both running, core work, and lots of pushups/burpees/etc.). Overall a solid 35-40 min. cardio session.

Wednesday: planning a swim session, feel blessed to have an indoor pool at my gym that is uncrowded!

Thursday: boot camp workout

Friday: off

Saturday: stationary bike (still cold and supposed to rain, hope to get on my road bike in February)

I'm more of a bourbon sipper.  It's a Southern thing y'all.

Good job Sandy!  

Remember folks, the first part of HFLIZ2R is High Frequency.  Go easy, and go often.  We're building base fitness.  Trust me, I've tried doing this several ways.  2 or 3 days a week of going hard, won't do what we're trying to accomplish.  "I'll skip today, but go harder tomorrow" is allowed once or twice a month, but is not the HFLIZ2R plan.  Even if it's "only" 20 minutes, get those 4th, 5th, 6th workouts in this week.  Hey, Jan had a date Friday night, but hustled to the gym after work to get in her workout before dinner.  You can too!

I don't fully understand the physiology, but I'm telling you there is magic in doing LOTS of workouts at this point in our training.  Go easy and go often!

Hi all!

Great to read that everybody has more than enough of motivation, so when feeling lazy- just read here and ready to go for another round again!

My plan to live like a fish for 2 weeks seems to be working, also got some coaching, so i start to feel relaxed instead of almost-drowning in the pool. Still long way to go for sure.

As it doen't gett warmer than 26 here for next 2 months i have reduced running to twice a week of 5k and using bike to work as long as possible (about 10 miles per day).

Question: i am worried about my weight with all this aerobic training. It was really hard to keep it from falling lower in my marathon trainings. Does anybody have somme ideas how consume more energy? I am naturally skinny and don't want to loose any extra. My body fat % was 5,8 in my last vOmax test,so too low. 

keep on going

Viljar

Hoorah Viljars The Fish!

Keep hitting the pool.  You're getting a good, early start on the season.

I'm not a nutritionist, but I'll tell you what I know and I welcome others' opinions.  Food tastes and results vary widely, so everyone has to find what works for themselves.  But there are some well proven scientific results we can use.  I respect individuals choices to follow vegetarian or vegan diets, but I think those a very specific topic, and not within a general discussion of nutrition.

In general vegetable fats and proteins are better for your long term health than animal fats and proteins, as animal fats are related to high cholesterol and heart disease.

Fruits and vegetables are good simple carbohydrates and nutrients.

Beans, eggs and meats provide protein which is needed to build muscle and re-build muscle which gets broken down during hard workouts.

Complex carbohydrates (potatoes, oatmeal, barley, pasta) are a good source of energy for endurance athletes as they deliver their energy over a longer time.

To gain weight you need more fat.  Fat is an excellent energy source for aerobic workouts.  As stated above vegetable based fats are better for health than animal fats, but eating some amount animal fat is fine.   Vegetable fats include olive oil, cooking oils (corn, sunflower, canola, soybean), margarine.  Animal fats include fat which is on meat, fat in sausages, lard, butter, milk fat which is in ice cream and cheese.

Pardon me for not knowing traditional food of Estonia, but I imagine you have a variety of cheese and sausage.  In USA yogart is typically low fat, but perhaps you have a whole milk yogart or even "baby yogurt" with extra fat.  These would be a good source of calcium, fat and protein.

A good training meal might include lean meat, potatoes or pasta with cheese, bread with margarine, beans and fruit.  And fish!  Fish meat and fish oil are food good for health. 

Hey all

So i didn't do my brick on Sunday, I woke up feeling under the weather but went to the pool and did 500 and that all i could do. by noon i was out for the count. yesterday was a day off and i slept all day feeling much better today. i may take the day off but i am feeling like i want to do a lite workout.

I wish i had advice on gaining weight, i have the opposite problem and always have. I keep track of my intake daily, i can tell you that pasta, pizza and dessert provide me with instant feedback to my waistline.

also a question to all, i am planning swimming in a wetsuit for my first race but the one i own is for diving. Do you own a wetsuit? will you rent or buy one for your event? I want to practice\train with one. I live on the San Francisco Bay and would like to do some open water training. If you own one what type and how "true to size" is it. I am 5" 11" 200 lbs

Thanks

Pierre

Its the Flu season, so I'm nursing a wicked head cold right now. Went to the gym and focussed on technique, very careful not to elevate my heart rate while in this condition. Will take a few days of rest before I get back into the training again.

Here are the swimming drills I focussed on:

http://www.trinewbies.com/tno_swim/tno_swimarticle_08.asp

I am a real sailor so I like my rum. Pyrate Rum is the best, Dark jamaician rum comes

in a close second.   For the ears I use Swim Ear ear drying aid after my shower after the swim.

95 percent Isopropyl alchol. 5 percent Anhydrous glycerin. E. Fougera & Co.

a division of Atlanta Inc, Melville, New York 11747. If you have had ear surgery dont use. If dizziness, ear drainage or  pain irritation or rash occurs stop use and see your doc.

 Apply 4-5 drops in affected ears is the directions but my doc said both ears after swim and after shower as prevention. for awhile I took drops right after the swim before the shower but the shower water got in and minused out the ear drops to dry them.

.

He ate regular meals and incorporated the formula inbetween meals as snacks.

I have been swimming and biking but I am struggling with the runs, it is a good thing that our motto is slow and often, because I have the slow part down. I borrowed the HR monitor and my HR rate was all over the place. had to walk a lot got some jogging in. This weekend we had snow so went sledding. I jogged up the hills, but no HR monitor. I also learned the importance of layering. I wore t shirt underneath a sweater. I should not have worn cotton. next time synthetic.

a lot of people wear googles on the outside of their swim caps, I find it sometimes slips over the ears.

I wear my googles on my head under my swim cap. I also use the swim cap to cover my ears, but when on deck I flip the cap off my ears to hear better. The swim cap reduces drag in the water the way a racing bike helmet pros use to reduce drag in the air.

Is it ok to count eliptical as run time? or should this be considered crosstraining?

I overheard a conversation about training to prevent shin splints and It is a good idea to start earlier.

How do you train to prevent shin splints?