TriAya's Group: SHUT like dog on steak, sorry! (Page 4)

Here's the list, for some reason I've been having trouble with copying and pasting links lately - but, here you go!

• TriAya - Yanti
• MrsUSMC - Terri
• Medusa_Ann - Leslie
• wplummer - Will
• HCS5QA - Hector
• ldatug - Laura
• ShawnC13 - Shawn
• rreischl - Renee
• Fielding - Erin
• lastcall2003 - Beth

edited to add your's truly

As always--lots of different great awesome stuff going on! It really is like a party in here.

BIKE BUYING All the great advice has already been given! I'm hoping the guy at your bike store actually measured you for the Fuji so that you have an idea of the size of bike you want to buy. If not, the suggestion to get measured and fitted (not the pro fit, yet, basically just trying out different bikes) is really good, then trying to find a deal on an older or used model on Ebay or Craigslist. Once you get it, then shell out the $$ for a pro fit ...

SHAWN ON RUN-WALK We're so glad you found this group, too! Thanks for sharing your experience with running and run-walk...

General observation: As a lot of us said, run-walk isn't a wussy deal; it's an amazing system, and as one practices it (energetic and uninjured ) the run gets a LOT higher in proportion to the walk, and it gets much easier to do continuous runs both in training and for short races.

TERRI ON SWIMMING FORM Super congrats on getting through a tough workout! And ... just like running a bit, walking a bit, it's perfectly fine to hang on the walls each 25/50 for a spell, especially when you're doing a difficult drill like not kicking. And while you're focusing on form, it is so worth it to get it right. I was a 10K/day swimmer for many years, and even now, if I feel my form slipping, I slow down and stretch my stroke out in order to get back into it. You've come so far in swimming and the best is yet to come as you keep increasing your distance with that beautiful stroke.

Happy training and fitness gaining, everyone!

Erin:

 Thanks so much for this.  This is exactly what I'm thinking.  I'll buy a crap bike now and if I really get into this stuff I'll lay a couple grand down in a couple of years.  I'm BRAND NEW to this...I don't need to spend a fortune. 

I am baffled....I posted here last night and it's not here. Weird.  Anyway...thanks for the input on my training plan and the sprint vs oly vs recovery.  I did go ahead and change the plan as I have it to the sprint plan--I will do my best to wear my HRM and keep the HR in the right zone-I am really trying to incorporate HR training this year and hoping Santa provides me a Garmin to assist in that.  With me, if the program says bike 1 hr 48 min and I can't do it, I get really down on myself, depressed with my inability to manage my hectic life, etc etc and that just isn't a good thing!  This way, by starting around week 13 of the sprint program, the numbers aren't too different for the run, but are lower for the swim and bike--both which I need to maintain fitness in--in swim I need to focus on technique and on bike just on base.....so I think the numbers will actually work out for me.  I ordered some Spinervals DVDs from the library to assist in bike time at home.  I don't have outdoor cycling gear and it is cold and wet here, so I will be indoors for that for the time being (unless of course Santa is super generous-I haven't been that good!)...

My plan is to reasses in mid to end of January (with input from here of course) to figure out how best to get going on the Oly plan.  My first potential Oly is in June, so that gives me a few weeks of wiggle room to either do active recovery after the sprint plan finishes or just get right into it.  I am doing the run focused plan since running tends to be the one thing I can fit into a busy day and it's something I have found I really love to do.  (There's something I never would have thought I'd say).  I am naturally a pretty fast runner so even a  min mile doesn't usually get me winded.  I do need to get better about wearing my HRM, though!  I would appreciate the occasional check of my logs from you guys to make sure I am not pushing too hard.  However keep in mind that my active past makes it hard for me to see results unless I am pretty darn consistent with both exercise and eating. 

The difference in the oly and sprint plan, for example, is that today I will run 35 minutes instead of 44.  It's time to go run now!

Bike Fit comment

A few more thoughts on being measured vs having a pro bike fit prior to buying a bike.  I was measured for my bike and rode several different bikes that should have been the right fit. Based on those 'test drives' I picked the one that felt like it fit me.

After I had a pro fit done, I realized where I went wrong.

The issue for me is that I have incredibly long legs and an extremely short torso, the guy that did the measurement didnt' really take the whole body into consideration. 

The other thing to consider is whether or not you have access to someone that knows how to make the tweaks to a bike to hep improve the fit.

Another area that the pro bike fit really helped me in was in adjusting my clips to reduce stress on my knees.  She really took the time to watch how I walk, how I pedal etc and got them just right.  She also helped me to understand the body mechanics better and why she was adjusting things the way she was.

One of my riding partners (who is also my OWS partner) actually noticed a differnece in my cycle stroke right away.

In my case anyway, spending the extra up front would have saved me from buying a bike that I will have to replace sooner vs later - granted I will have gotten 2 1/2 seasons out of it, although I would say that the bike fit extended that timeframe.

In the end, it could just simply be that the LBS I went to first did not have the right people to really help me make the correct choice, or maybe the measurements done correctly.  I suspect that if I had gone to the LBS where I had my fitting done, I probably wouldn't have made the same mistake.

Maybe it boils down to finding a LBS that has staff that actually do the type of riding you want to do.  the first bike shop - mostly casual riders work there, second bike shop - lots of triathletes and cyclists work there

hmmmmmm, maybe I just answered my own quesiton.

Thoughts?

Good points on the pro fit issue.  I will DEFINITELY have mine fit properly.

I just found out that my pool is closing from TOMORROW (12/12) until 1/14!    What am I going to do???  I swim at the university where I teach and they're closing it for the entire break.  The rest of the gym will be open...they're just closing the pool.  The swim is my strength, and I can already do the sprint distance pretty easily, but do you think I will be okay for a 3/15 sprint tri if I can't get back into the pool until 1/14?

I would echo Laura's thought - I think you will be fine, especially if the swim is your strength.

Is the swim a pool swim or an open water swim?

It looks like you are following the 16 week to sprint plan - that's a great start.

I followed one of the 12 week plans before my second sprint and was really pleased with the efffectiveness, it really took a lot of the guesswork out of what to do and the duration.  I've been using the plans ever since.  The hard part for me to learn was to stick with the times/distances advised in the plan and not try and increase them - the plans really do work

not sure exactly what to advise to replace the swimming sessions on the week off, probably some sort aerobic activity.

Miss Bethie is right as always! The key (and Laura, maybe you can post in the SC/NC forums) is to get a killer local bike store, and then within it find the most experienced people. A pro fit is usually for a specific bike (tweaking a specific bike to you); however, there should be nothing un-pro about what happens during bike selection. They should be measuring you in places you don't want touched (!yep!), with bike shoes on, without bike shoes on, torso, arms, and the bikes you're looking at should be mounted on trainers (not just send you off outside to see how it feels) and you cycle while they watch. At a minimum.

And as Beth said--these folks should not only be cyclists themselves, they should have a lot of experience fitting customers during the selection process, and at least one person there should be able to do a pro fit (and for that matter, fit a pro)!

Some places will charge for this; many won't. They know you may or may not buy a bike. The good places know even if you're going to walk off and buy a used/older bike, you might get the full-on pro fit for it there, you'll get it serviced there, buy cycling stuff there, and when you're ready for the $K bike, you'll go there.

Don't even get me started on buying running shoes!

I'm spoiled like year-old eggs here in L.A. I take all of this stuff for granted.

TRAINING PLAN TWEAKING

Hope you had a joyful run! 

Sounds like a plan, Medusa_Ann! (Leslie ... your handle just sounded better for that sentence ). HR training is awesome--I'm a fan--but #1 is listen to your body, then to HR or training plan numbers. If you run easily without getting winded (you could keep a conversation throughout your run), then run boundlessly. Reality-check with how you feel afterward ... then there you go!

Same with biking--if the plan calls for an hour and Coach Troy (of SPINeRVALS) is making you dig deep or breathe too hard--have a smooth, relaxing cool down and pat yourself on the back for doing the most successful workout of all--tailoring it to what YOU needed.

POOL CLOSURE/SWIM FITNESS

Yuck. Pool closure is a bummer--just went through that myself!

Ditto everyone else. Explore your options, but if worst comes to worst, two months is more than enough time to build the swim fitness for your tri. I can see from your logs you've done some swimming each week, so you can afford to take some time off. Any low-impact aerobic replacement is fine (walking, light biking, elliptical, hand cycle) to maintain the aerobic fitness swimming would provide.

WELL PUT, WILL!

For those of us still trying to lose weight -- run/walk can be helpful because it allows you to go longer without being fatigued, and not as much pounding on the joints -- and doing the LSD (I just love saying that, Long Steady Distance) really melts the pounds off.

And just for me, if I'm not interspersing a bunch of high-intensity stuff, I also don't have that persistent "starving" feeling afterward.

Erin, that sounds fine ... the sprint would be a fun, ice-breaker, do-it-to-finish tri (your "B" race, for Birthday!). Actually, since this "rest" month you're still maintaining your fitness fairly well (just maybe not increasing it a lot), there's no reason you can't go hard on a tri after two months of training, and a month after is PLENTY of time until your Oly.

So feel free to let loose then; it's just that the MAIN point is to finish and have fun.

Hey there Renee! 

Glad the shoes worked out

I'll PM you with the LBS info!

One of my favorite books is Triathlons for Women, by Sally Edwards (sorry fellas).  It is a heartfelt book, written in an easy reading, easy to understand style.  It will give you a great 30,000 ft view of what to expect and how to prepare.