Manatee Express Group - Full (Page 4)

Running is ok, but I can't quite get into anything else consistently. I'm biking tomorrow after work, Saturday morning, and Monday at lunch. But then there is the dreaded "s" word... Any recommendations on how to get started??? I guess I could just jump off the local dock and go for it, but...

Cheri

A great week until now...eating some pizza and having a beer. But spin class will take care of it in the morning. (my buddy John's wife is over and my wife, her and I are eating pizza and chillin-(see my other post for reason why)

My week was better than last but not that great. Made all 3 swim practices but only did one bike and run. I will keep building it up.

Plan this week is 2 or 3 swims, at least 2 runs and 2 trainer rides. I will also plan on doing core work at least 3 days and one day of weights.

How bout you guys?

I made myself go out and do a long run on Sunday. I didn't set the world on fire, but I felt pretty good. Bike rides were ok, although I can't wait to get a new bike! I still haven't done my "test drive" yet, but hope to get there tomorrow afternoon.

This is a short week for me -- we're heading out on our annual ski trip at the end of the week.
I plan to run every day that I'm here (if the weather holds out), and I'm biking today on my lunch hour.

My training has been going well. I am really trying to work hard on the diet and eating better. I do so well during the week, then the weekend comes and I hurt it. Oh well, it will get better.

My goal this week is to pick a structured program from our list of programs and see if it fits my schedule. Other than that, just keep plugging away and trying to lose some lbs! I have a hard time seeing the pounds go down fast. I have a lot of muscle mass and it gets me down when I look at the actual weight. I might go and get a body fat% test and go for that goal. Not sure. I will not sacrifice my strength for weight loss. I like having muscle.

Ryan, nice job on the run and all the other works you did this week. How is the new bike? Still haven't seen a picture and BT requires that you name your bicycles! I am guessing the weather will force you to the trainer but curious on how you like it. Keep up the good work.

Cheri,

I can't say this enough. Your run base is awesome. Hope the bike shopping goes well and will be happy to answer any questions you have on that. Have you found a place to swim yet? If you can find a masters group in your area they are usually the best way to go.

Bike is still chillin at the LBS, waiting for my shoes to get in and make sure everything fits...

She hasn't been named yet...but in due time.

so I finally picked a training program. I am going with the 20 week Olympic Distance (run focused). I am adding my weight training on the 3 days of running. After some discussion with Ken and Ron, I think that adding a run focused program will be do my benefit. Of course, as time rolls on, I might adapt to another program, but this one seems like the winner. It brings me to May2nd (I start the program on Sunday 1/21). Depending on my successes and misses, I will taper/change the final few weeks before my GearWest Duathlon and Buffalo Sprint Tri later in May and June.

ps. My shoes should be in this week and my bike should come home with me on Friday!!!

Thanks for saying so, but it sure didn't feel so awesome at the Pensacola Beach Run! I spent all last week exorcising those demons, and now I think I can get past it and do much better next time.

Bike shopping is on hold now until I get back from our ski trip. I wanted to go this week, but the cold weather chased this Florida girl indoors! I spoke with the owner of my LBS, and will get serious after we return. However, I did drag my old bike (old? only a year old!) out on Monday, when the weather was nicer (and the LBS was closed).

The base I work on has a pool, but I haven't ventured over there yet. It's an outdoor pool but covered in the winter. I guess it will be an adventure.

Training and Recovery

Ryan sent a note asking about off days during training and it got me to thinking a little. One thing you will all see as you get into training plans is they all include off days. Additionally, most plans are built in cycles. Usually 2 or 3 weeks with increasing volume, then the 3rd or 4th week has a drop in volume and depending where you are in training some added intensity. The drop off week is referred to as a recovery week. The theory is that the recovery week lets the body absorb the training. Hope I am not confusing ya'll but feel free to inquire futher.

It certainly makes sense to include rest in your training, but it's a very hard thing to do for me. My husband has a saying that I think fits the situation -- he feels like a "slug" if he doesn't exercise. However, I have found that a week before a race I don't go crazy and put in a lot of distance, and I usually race better if I take the day before off.

I'm also finding that recovery after a race isn't trivial. Any advice on that?

Recovery after a race depends on the race, but I like to do a recovery bike ride more than anything else. 45 minutes to a hour of easy spinning, Zone 1 & 2 HR, and non aero bar riding. I think it loosens you up and prevents the soreness that comes when I don't do anything.

Speaking of zones, who has a Heart Rate monitor?

I have my Polar S120. I use it when I jog, but have no formal education on how to correctly use the "zone" training. I didn't like reading all of the instruction manual!

Ken,
Hopefully you are going to elaborate and assist us...oh wise one.

Sorry I am slow responding on HRM. I wanted to make sure I gave good direction and had to refresh some memories. I will find some articles to link later as well. I believe the HRM is one of the most valuable training tools out there. New bikes and new shoes are great but your effort is what makes them work. The heart rate monitor teaches you about your effort.

The two most important reasons to use a HRM at this stage are improving your endurance base and learning to pace yourself.

Endurance Level is your ability to sustain activity for long periods of time. When you think about a triathlon, you are talking about working out for anywhere from an hour (short sprint to 3:30 for an Olympic distance race). I will avoid the longer races for now. At the beginner stage of training building your endurance base is the most important thing you can be doing. You build your endurance base training in the lower HR zones (zones 1 & 2 as well as zone 3).

Pacing - Pacing is knowing how fast you can go for an extended period of time without having to stop. Depending on the race distance, you need to know what pace you will do each event. In my case, I am a pretty good biker. But if I go at my max capacity on the bike, I want have anything left for the run.

These are my reasons for using a HRM.

Determining your training zones is the first step once you get a monitor. I like the timex models best, but there are tons of choices on this. The first stop is determine your theoretical maximum HR. There is a quick and dirty formula for doing this. It is not completely accurate as individual vary, but for the purposes of where we are, it will work fine. The formula is as follows: Men 220 minus your age, Women - 228 minus your age. Again, not exact but useable. When you get more into it, you can do test in each sport to get more precise.

I am a 44 year old male, so my theoretical HR is 176 (220-44). My actual max is usually 180. The zones are then defined off your max. The note below tells you the calculation and how each zone should feel

zone 1 65% or less of your max HR, you can sing at this level
zone 2 65% to 72% of your max HR, you can talk at this level
zone 3 73% to 80% of your max HR, talking is getting harder. this is aerobic
zone 4 84% to 90%of max, your breathing is forced, aerobic/anaerobic
zone 5 91 to 100% of max, very forced breathing, anaroebic

For those of you who are just starting, the bulk of your workouts should be zone 2. Its okay to go into 3 but 2, but try to stay near 2. When you start training, we naturally want to get faster. If you try to train fast all the time, you will not build your ability to go long. Zones 4 & 5 are for speed work and racing. A big difference between endurance sports and most of the sports you play is sustaining the effort for long periods of uninterupted rest. An example is a football player, who on a given play will exert himself to level 4 and 5 for 10 to 20 seconds and then rest for 30 seconds or longer and has even longer rest throughout a game. In a triathlon or a marathon, you don't get to stop moving.

I don't use the HRM in swimming. They don't work that well in the water and I rely on my perceived exertion there. For running and biking I use it almost every session.

This is a start on this subject. Please ask more questions and I will work on explaining some uses in more detail. If you look at some peoples logs, you will see they record there HR in all there efforts. More later!

I did something today that I did religiously when I was doing my ironman training and its something you may want to consider. Each Sunday or Monday I would recap my previous week and note what I did versus my plan. Its a chance to hold yourself accountable publicly on a weekly basis. I also keep a spreadsheet separate from my log which details weekly miles and time in each sport. I can be obsessive about numbers but thought I'd mention it in case any of you think the recap would be useful.

I had a great first long swim today! That is all.

Got my new bike today. That is all.

My week is going great! Today is supposed to be a rest day, but I am going to Lift and run and take tomorrow off instead. I am going to a MN Wild game and will miss out on my workout Friday.

I am concerned about keeping my long/endurance running days with my HR in the proper zone, zone 2.

The one time I ran with a HRM I had a lot of trouble staying in the lower zones. When I managed to stay in zone, I was really just a bit above fast walking. Is this the same thing you are describing?

Ken, feedback?