ADollar79's Group--closed and in the base building phase! (Page 4)

Weekend was good.  Spent both days at the mountain.  I've been designated the lunch lady at Kids Camp.  Which is actually fine by me because that means I don't have to teach lessons, but get to free ski.  I did get a long run in on Saturday night.  I can tell that the weekend workouts are going to be the hardest.  Now, it's switching gears to go back to the "real" job tomorrow. 

As for nutrition, I generally don't do anything special for workouts under an hour.  If it's something between an hour and an hour and a half, I'll take a gel right before I head out.  If it's longer than an hour and a half, a gel before I head out, then one every 45 mintues to hour, depending on how I feel.

And as for the HRM, I have one, but it tends to jump really high (230+) every once in a while, so I spend more time looking at the watch, which of course makes my HR spike.  So, lately, I've just been leaving it at home.

Workouts for next week will be kind of spotty, but here's what I have "planned":

• Mon - 1 hr swim
• Tues - 1 hr run (may be changed since I have holiday parties for both jobs...still not sure how to work that one yet)
• Wed - Off
• Thurs - 35 min run
• Fri - 55 min run
• Sat - 50 min run
• Sun - 1 hr 35 min run

Good morning peeps!  It is Monday and I am tired, sluggish and lazy chipper as can be! 

If you didn't know, the holiday season is upon us.  For many this is a time of great stress as finances, family, travel and overcommitments absorb one's lives.  I will try to not bite my tongue when I say that workouts shouldn't be the #1 priority over the next three weeks.  HOWEVER, one must strike a balance.  Remember that exercise is a great stress buster.  And do work your hardest to maintain some type of routine.  Don't let the workouts dominate your holiday but don't let the holiday season be your excuse for NOT working out.

The next three weeks are probably the hardest in the entire year.  Most people will slip up a number of times.  Routines are broken.  People forget.  People overeat.  I like to keep in mind that I train on these day's because my competitors don't.  They skip workouts, they overeat and I get faster    Mental motivation!!!!  

Here is a quick read on the Holidays & training
http://speed-factory.com/site/nutritionnews/Athletes_Guide_to_Holiday_Season_Survival.shtml

Let's do our best and hold each other accountable for extra motivation....

Monday:  Morning Yoga/ 60' cross train
Tuesday: Arms & Shoulders weights / 90' hill repeats (ouch)
Wednesday:  Morning Yoga / 45' base run /possible bike (?)
Thursday:  Chest & Back weights / 50' tempo with 30' LT
Friday:  Morning Yoga / Swim 
Saturday:  160' run in z2
Sunday:  30' recovery run/ possible bike

HA!  Yeah, I have gone to several classes before and felt totally uncomfortable.  The DVDs are boring as can be but I will wear them out until I am at wits end. 

I do recommend Yoga or Pilates.  It is tough to find the time but both are great for flexibility and core strengthening....things that most triathletes lack.

Drew--

I took a look at your proposed plan and have a few thoughts/comments. 

1.  I assume the numbers correspond to minutes of training. 
2.  Depending on how fast you are, I would recommend adding some longer runs up to 90 minutes.  I don't know enough about your running background but long, slow runs are your best friend by the time the race comes about. 
3.  Consider doing at least a full week of tapering before HiVee.  You want to be as fresh as possible.  You will likely be nervous but your fitness will NOT go away.  For Ironman, plans recommend THREE weeks of tapering. 

In terms of filling in the rest of your season....

I would use the week after Hivee as a recovery week.  Maybe implement the training from week 8.  Then build the next 2 weeks (including the race).  Use the week after the SM Park race as another recovery, then spend the next 4 weeks building up to the Jackson race.  With those four weeks, you could easily insert the training from the 4 final weeks leading up to HiVee as perfect training (the distances are close enough).  Maybe repeat weeks 16-19 as a plan. 

If the half mary is still a goal at the end of the season, then I would start added some run mileage to your plan after the SM Park race.  My suggestion, is 10 more minutes a week onto each long run.  I would suggest a few runs close to 2h 30m.  Again, this ALL depends on your running fitness.  Many people have trouble building past 5 & 10 miles because the body isn't ready.  I know, I encountered (and still do) a number of problems.

Let me know if this doesn't make sense.  You are definitely on the right track in structuring a training plan.   

Recovery week means a decrease in training...but far from sitting on your arse.  Typically, a triathlon training plan will build for 3-4 weeks....adding distance and time.  Then on the 4th or 5th week, it will drop back down in hours.  The body needs rest from time to time and the best method to staying injury free is occasionally to slow down.  So for instance, in your Olympic training plan you probably have weeks that go 8, 9.5, 10.5 hours.  That next week should drop back down to 7-8 hours.  You still workout, but not as much and with less intensity. 

On your running, have you run a 10k or half mary before?  The reason I ask is that if not, you will learn that they are different races.  Athletes of good conditioning can often muscle out a 5k....they can open it up 100% for 25 minutes.  I would imagine with your age and shape, you might be able to throw down a 25-26 on any given day.  However, very few can do thatfor 45 minutes as the body begins to get flooded with lactate acid. 

When I ran a 10k a few weeks ago, I was shocked at how many people didn't know HOW to run a 10k.  People were flying by me left and right on the first two miles.  There were runners putting down 8:00 miles who definitely are not capable of maintaining them.   I was running a warmup for 2.5 miles at about 8:45 and people were panting around me.  I planned on opening it up for the final 20 minutes and dropped down to 7:20s...caught and easily passed all those people.  I crossed the finish line winded but feeling good.  Many of them were walking and stumbling. 

(note, I am not advocating this is how to run a race.  I was performing a Lactate Threshold field test.  However, it is a good lesson in learning HOW to race properly.  Too many people BLOW up.  This is why your develop a race strategy). 

Anyone else have a similiar experience of blowing up or even bonking in a race that you are willing to share? 

Sarah....do you have any thoughts on race strategy and holding back from your marathon experiences? 

exactly.  We will definitely spend plenty of time talking race preparation and strategy.  I can't tell you how much experience and knowledge plays into this sport.  I have said it plenty of times before....that given what I know now, I could easily drop 30 minutes from my Ironman time without a lick of extra training. 

In the event that anyone is too afraid to ask some simple questions, here is a short and light article on the rules of triathlons.

http://thesportfactory.com/site/qt/knowtherules.shtml

As always, ask away.  If I use a term or an article talks about something that you are unfamiliar with, please ask.  My vocabulary has changed over the past three or so years but I can't assume that everyone understands everything. 

Drafting, bottom line, is a form of cheating.  On the bike, the rider drafting uses up to 20-40% less energy compared to the person pulling.  In the case of triathlons, IMO, it alters the strategy of the race.  One would need to be an above average swimmer to come out of the water with strong cyclists, hitch a ride on someone's wheel and then be a great runner since you will be fresher than your competitor.  That doesn't seem fair to me. 

Drafting is perfectly legal on the swim.  I am sure we could argue whether it should be or not but I really think it is an officiating nightmare in larger races.  That being said, one could argue it is unsportsmanlike.  However, until a rule change, it is legal....so use it to your advantage. 

I would say that the reason it is illegal on the bike and not on the swim is that you can't accurately enforce the rule during the swim portion.  You can't see numbers in the water during a wave start. It is MUCH easier to officiate on the bike than the swim. 

 I will add that drafting is a USAT rule (ITU and Olympics allow drafting).  Here is the definition from the USAT rule book. 

(5.10.b) Definition of Drafting Zone. The term "drafting zone" shall refer to a rectangular area seven (7) meters long and two (2) meters wide surrounding each bicycle. The longer sides of the zone begin at the leading edge of the front wheel and run backward parallel to the bicycle; the front wheel divides the short side of the zone into two equal parts. With respect to a moving motor vehicle, the "drafting zone" is a rectangular area extending 15 meters to each side of the vehicle and 30 meters behind the vehicle.

So all this being said, it is often impossible not to draft momentarily in a race...especially crowded races.  There is a different between blatant drafting and incidental drafting (though refs do not see it that way).  The key is to pass when you can and get around the cyclist as soon as possible.  Drafting and blocking are the most common violations in races. 

Since we have been skirting around the topic of nutrition, I wanted to touch of a few points concerning race day nutrition. 

1.  You are what you eat.  Sounds simple enough.  Your diet can be a limiting factor in your training.  Are you getting enough calories to fuel your body properly?  Are you getting enough calories to recover adequately?

2.  Eating healthy 2-3 days before a race is always good but won't really alter the outcome of your race.  The old notions of carb loading have been debunked in recent years.  Instead, try to practice throughout the season to clean up your diet for optimal performance (this is my #1 secondary goal for the season).

3.  Practice with nutrition while you train.  Try gels, gu and different bars.  Find out what works and what doesn't work.  I believe any training over 60 minutes needs some type of additional source of energy.  This is whats wonderful about this sport.  You can continually tweak your your nutrition plan to dial it in prior to a race. 

4.  Don't underestimate the need for nutrition during a race.  This isn't a lesson you want to learn and the minute you learn it, you don't forget.  For sprints, the body can sometimes get by on only water and breakfast (though I recommend a gel before the race and a gel on the bike).  I can assure you that the Olympic distance must be respected from a nutrition perspective. 

I also stole a few documents on race day nutrition from a different mentor (Jonathan22).  They are great guidelines on how to prepare for race day. 

Do you train with it from the perspective of just being curious about the numbers?

Sometimes spikes are caused by a loose HRM band, wind getting into your top or inadequate connection to your skin. 

For instance, I have trouble getting a good connection when I cycle and wear a jersey because of the amout of air flow.  However, when I wear a tri top that is really snug, I don't have that problem. 

I use the HRM mainly just for curiosity.  I haven't quite convinced myself to do a LT test. 

I'll try tightening the band there is a possibility that could do the trick.

Also make sure you have something between the strap and your body acting as a conductor.  They make some electrode gel for that too. 

Or, I just lick the receptors and let saliva do the job.  Yummy....old sweat! 

EEEEEWWWWW!!!! 

Yeah, that's really all I have to say about that.

Man, talk about a crazy week!!  I've been trying to cram 5 days of work into 3, with meetings out the wazoo.  Thankfully, I'm off starting Thursday through New Year's Day, so it's time to get my workouts in!!

I had a stroke clinic at swim last night, we did some TI drills and I felt really comfortable in the water.  I'm still working on my breathing since that seems to be the current issue.  My goal right now is to be able to swim 50 straight.  So over the next few weeks, that's the goal. 

A - you mentioned marathon endurance.  I totally agree with a conservative start.  I have struggled with going out too fast, and while it can be exciting in terms of your time, you pretty quickly learn that it isn't always going to be sustainable.  I ran Maui in September and PR'd my first half even with some serious hills.  I crashed in the second half.  If you can hold back a little, then you've got a better shot at finishing comfortably and recovering much more quickly.  After all, the goal is to be able to continue racing with a healthy bod and avoiding injury.  The best race I've had was my first marathon in Chicago.  I stuck to my plan and didn't hit the wall.  

Workout plan for the rest of the week:

Wednesday - Spin Class/Run (short, slow)
Thursday - 4 Miles
Friday - Spin, Swim
Saturday - Probably 3-4 Miles (alternating long and short weeks, last week was 12)
Sunday - Long Ride


 

Nutrition wise - I'm not afraid to admit, I'm a mess right now. I know what the right thing to do is, in terms of daily eating, it's just a matter of doing it. I have gotten closer to figuring out my marathon and running nutrition, ya think it took me long enough? Oy. As a begin to ride more, I need to learn that as well. There are so many choices!

I wear a HR monitor, and I can tell you that when I'm running comfortably, I'm around 150-160 BPM. I have been higher in races. I can't get over how much my heart rate has changed as I've lost weight - I have to work HARD in spin class now to get it into the low 160s. I would really like to learn the zones - I suppose the best way to do that is to get my Vo2 max tested?

One question - I just upgraded to Silver. Now I can see more of the training plans. I'm stuck trying to figure out which plan to pick. The Gold Sprint to Olympic Bridge seems very reasonable, and is based solely on minutes. The Silver has a few beginner Oly plans, but they definitely get much more detailed and for some of the bike and running workouts -they are way more complicated than I'm used to. What should I do? I'm just looking to finish St. Anthony's feeling good. I've got to work on my swim endurance in general, so that is going to be a huge focus. I feel like for the most part, I just need lots of time and some bricks (and to drop some weight).

I don't have any fangled stuff. This is my 1st season and I wanted to see how it went before purchasing anything new. I would really like to replace my $99 Walmart bike with a new specialized. I would also like a HRM, santa knows I want one. I need new running shoes, the Nike running program for IPOD would help me immensely with my running technique. 

 A chef to prepare all my meals would be great also seeing as I am such a HORRIBLE eater. Urgh. I really just need a hand to guide me slowly and surely.

 I am no doubt injured now and I have no idea what caused it. My hip feels like it's been punched over and over again. I am wondering if it's my bed. Siiiiiiigh.