Got Your Mojo WORKIN'! group - CLOSED (Page 40)

JUAN -

Your post seemed to have slipped through my cracks (warped floorboards, you see). I apologize for being a couple days late!

You've got several good questions there, and over the next day or so I'll try to respond adequately to all of them. Bear with me?

First, though, congrats on the "brick"! You dis a swim/bike brick! Ta-da! And it wasn't an easy one, either --- 1000m plus 45' is a very reputable effort. Well done!

As for the heart rate matter, go with the simple count! 100-120 is a decent number for swim that is lass than full-throttle effort, which would be more likely to spike the average heart up towrds that 210 number.

May I direct the stroke question elsewhere for now? If that is okay, then go to www.swimsmooth.com and explore to your heart's content there. You will find lots of great videos, and Paul does a fabulous job of explaining things. That is my go-to site for directing people's interest in the finities of swimming, as all those videos and images are worth well over any thousand words I could say to you.

BUT, if stuff there is confusing, then let me know and I shall do my best! (I am assuming you are on high-speed internet and that watching videos is not torturous/tortuous. It is for me, being on dial-up here in the boonies.)

Your sprint does indeed have a longer-than-normal swim, but you're right in keeping in mind that it's not until June. For now, then, i would keep with 16-Week Sprint/Swim one and see how you respond to shorter swim yardage for the next few weeks. I don't ereally know how you will respond, as you are giving two messages -- (1) you did 1000m today and had enough left to spin for 45' after, and (2) you worry about not being relaxed enough and feel the need for stroke correction. It is HIGHLY possible that both of those can co-exist peacefully, as there are scores of triathletes who can swim forever, even though their form is far from perfect and they do not go very fast at all. The fact that you did 1000m today is very encouraging, and it juts makes sense to me that you can do that AND feel less than relaxed at the same time.

Another advantage to starting with the 16-week program is that probably it will have less volume than many other plans that are geared to longer distances -- such as your 100m sprint swim. Your final paragraph is all about missed workouts and how to handle training along with work and family, so for now you need to find a plan that is not requiring a lot of training hours from you. You defnitely do not wnat to be in a plan that is making you feel miserably guilty about missing workouts!

My thoughts about training when you don't have time to train? Well, one approach is to set your priorities as clearly as you can. You might do this initially according to love -- do the stuff you enjoy the most, which will give you that extra incentive to actually get out there and be active. Another approach is to target your weaknesses and spend SOME time each week in those areas. You don't want to do this entirely, however, as that might be a quick route to disappointment or burnout.

When you mentuion the gym, are you going tere for strength-work, or because that's where there are bikes and treadmills? If it's the former - strength - you might want to de-emphasize some in lieu of spending your limited time on swim/bike/run. (If you really love lifting and find it therapeutic, however, that's a different matter and I'd encourage you to continue with it for now, just as a sure-fire way to stay active and content.)

Finally, try to be as realistic as you can and tell me what time you think you will have available over the next three weeks for workouts. How many days, how many hours on those days. Try not to be overly optimistic here, and if anything err on the side of a lower number for both -- days and time. The I will look at the schedule and see how it could maybe be altered so you don't feel that it is a hopeless endeavor. As I have said to a couple others recently, a training schedule is more an art than a science, so now you have to take an established plan and create your own work of art out of it -- something that will work well for YOU.

And enjoy Mr. Smooth on the swimsmootn website!

JUAN again -

What is the June sprint you're doing? After you've conquered 1000m in the water, how many miles will you bike and then how many will you run?

Hi guys!  I was out of town (and out of my mind!) for a few days!  I'm back with a race tomorrow and then seriously back to the grindstone!  Hope all is well!  (Happy belated birthday Steve and Congratulations Gene!)  Hope I didn't miss anyone's celebrations as I skimmed!

 Peaches Records and Tapes?

I like Fort Worth too, it just seems so hard to get to for me. Strange, I would rather drive to OKC than FW.

30 miles today. Pleasant ride, area dogs kind enough to give me some short sprints.

JEFF -

Nope, not Peaches. Or, if the same place, it didn't go by that name in '85-'87.

Oh, I envy you that 30 mile ride! Even if those dogs were really hellhounds on your trail, it's worth it to knock off a sweet 30 in mid-January!

In our two years there, we never made it to OKC. The place has almost gone big-league, though, what with the NBA, AAA, and AHL. It is a city that seems to fly well under the radar of most of North America --- or is that just my northern bias speaking?

ELLEN!

CATHY!

GEORGE!

I haven't forgotten the things I owe you (although if I delay much longer, I WILL forget; there's a sort of statute of limitations as to how long somthting sticks in my brain! ), and I will try very hard to get to them tomorrow.

It's good to hear that I'm not the only one out there with a crappy Oly experience, although I don't know if "good" is the right word to use.

Melinda - I too love the sprint distance and I had such a great time during my first one. The bike was three loops of four miles so there were plenty of people to race and compete against, even ones not in my age group. So it wasn't nearly as lonely as the Oly. During most of the bike leg I had "The Long and Winding Road" by The Beatles stuck in my head, which is not the best song to be pedaling to.

Sarah - Sounds like we have a very similar "Kick the Oly's Butt" goal for this season. I love your story about the cows...I didn't have cows to moo at, but I did try to get the attention of a field full of alpacas, except I didn't really know what sound to make. It was kind of amusing, actually.

Johanne - I'm really jealous you got to meet Macca! That's a pretty neat experience. I would love to hear him talk about Kona. I always have hope that the tri club here can get something like that organized here. I think last year the Denver tri or cycling club had a big name come out and you could ride with him for charity. I don't remember the name but I remember wishing that I'd gone.

Gene - Congrats on the grandson! Do you have pictures?


I didn't do much of anything today besides watch football and suffer on the couch, a direct result of a very raucous friend's birthday party last night. So I made today my rest day and will be back at it again tomorrow with another run. I think it might even be warm enough to go for a ride on Monday (high of 55F) so it'll be very nice to get back on the bike. I'm really looking forward to it!

Hey all,  Quick question for the group... WetSuits.... does anyone use a 2 piece suit?  I am looking at buying my first and there are so many choices but the 2 piece is interesting.

Off to the gym here for a swim and a run (though I have been told to avoid the treadmill for a while to see if my hip feels better - maybe I will do the elliptical trainer just for the cardio) 

Thanks!
Alex 

DUNCAN -

You nailed your plan -- OUTSTANDING! I can hardly wait for the full report.....but maybe that'll only come when you navigate yourself back to the computer room.

Between massive climbs on the bike and the trail component, it's no wonder you are in hobble-mode. Time to do compresssion sleeves if you have them -- and keep them on 24/7 until whenever. A soak or three in a warm epsom salt bath might help, too. And beware DOMS -- Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. If it hits it'll arrive between 24 and 48 hours post-race, and might linger for a few days. And then you'll be all better again!

Looking forward to your next post!

ALEX -

Yup! I have a two-piece. It's DeSoto, which unless something has happened when I haven't been looking, is the only oplace that makes two-piece models.

I stated out in traditional one-piece until '03, and got a DeSoto. Their two-piece is now in about its eight evolutionary stage, and they just keep getting better and better. I am now in my third bottom and maybe fourth top, one of which is sleeveless; 90% of the time I use the full-sleeve top, however.

The main advantage to 2-pc is they are much less constricting and restrictive than 1-pc ones. This is wquite important for me with my 6'2" body that has longer-tahna-normal arms and a longer-than-normal torso. In a traidtional suit my unique physique can lead to not enough stretchability in the suit when I go into full extension, but in the DeSoto the top basically works independent of the bottom -- so, now restrictiveness!

Another advantage to DeSoto is that once you make the initial purchase, you can then stagger your updates. As an example, I bought my latest bottoms this past August, and my latest fullsleeve top in '09, a the sleeveless in '08. So instead of plunking down ~$500 all at once, this way I can do replacements piece-by-piece. This is quite important to me, as being retired I have no fixed income -- other than what Lynn allows me (and I can't go to that well TOO often!).

A third advantage is just dealing with the people at DeSoto, who are right at the top of the customer service foodchain in triathlon. I could regale you with stories about how responsive they have been to me over the years.....but I will spare you the details!

The biggest downside to 2-pc is removal, which just has never been as quick for me as with 1-pc. I still have a one-piece that I use about 1/3 of the time for training, but will also use in a race that is very short. If it's a sprint that will take me less than about 1:10 to finish, I will use the 1-pc just to save those few seconds in T1. It's just that in a sprint there is not much room for error if one wants to be really competitive, so I will frequently use the 1-pc just to save those 10-15" (I have never doen a comparative time test of removal, but that's just a guess.) In defense of 2-pc removal, over the years I have gotten preety quick at it, but it's just not as intuitive as removing a traditional one-piece wetsuit.

I don't think I've said everything here, but I'll leave this for now and think about anything else that needs saying. And if you have any further questions, fire away!

And if you are looking to buy great race-day (or training) clothing, check out what DeSoto offers -- www.desotosport.com. I have been in their stuff since I began in '00, and I think every race I have done has been in their tri shorts, and maybe every one in their tri jerseys excepting 2 or 3 along about '02. Top-notch design and comfort!

Have a good swim, and also whatever you do as a hip-saving bout of cardio (although swimming is pretty good cardio in its own right).

Duncan,
Congrats on the race you Ironperson.

Thanks
George

Nicely done Duncan. 

I highly recommend and Ice bath.   It sounds strange but they really help.  It might be too late for it now but I take them after hard runs. 

Congrats DUNCAN!!!

STEVE --
Thanks for the info on a 2 piece,  I am leaning toward purchasing this as I think it makes sense.  I have shoulders broader than most women so I think that a full womens suit may be very constricting. I will also checkout their website for other clothing as with the weight I have lost most of my workout gear is way to large.  (though I did purchase a couple of swimsuits and bike shorts in the right size)  

I did a half hour on the elliptical and another half hour in the pool... it was good to get to the gym and do something!

Alex 

Duncan----Congrats on the race....awesome job!!!

Just checking in real quick....it was in the mid 50's today and I had scheduled to do a 30min bike and 35 min run at the gym. Come on Man! With weather like this I couldn't help but dust off the old bike and do it outside!!

Great weather.....great time....8.5 miles on the bike, then 3.5 miles on the feet! Man am I ready for spring now! Unfortunatley Mother Nature is just teasing me as the cold will be setting in again this week!

Off to dinner with some friend so I'll catch up with everyone later....Steelers....WHAT A GAME!
David

Congrats on a well executed race Duncan!  I have yet to have one of those races in triathlon.

Alex,

I use a DeSoto Black Pearl two-piece wetsuit.  The great part is that you can get two different sizes for the top and bottom and you can also have both a long sleeve and sleeveless top.  I absolutely love mine! 

This is a link to the Chris McCormack talk I went to. Hope it works for those of you interested in listening:

 http://kliv.gotdns.com/kliv/MP3_Audio/11_19_10_CEO_Show.mp3


Steve, I didn't really follow him when he was coming up but I understand he was just a little outspoken He is such a tough competitor that I think it took a bit of maturing to 'humble' himself down a bit. He was fun to see, quite charming. Yes, it was really nice and a little embarrasing to be recognized. One good thing is now there's more people that know what I'm up to so it'll keep me on task.



So I went on my 18 mile run yesterday.

Back from one of the other threads, yes, I considered it my key run workout of the week. I had to readjust my workouts because my legs were acting up after last weeks 17 mile run. I was supposed to run 3 days during the week, 5, 8 and 5 miles and then do 18 on the weekend.

I took Monday off from running, went out Tuesday to do my 5 and cut it way short, then did 5 Wednesday and 3 Thursday. My legs didn't fully recover from last weeks 17 and I have this huge fear of wrecking myself and then messing up my tri season so I'm pretty conservative. Friday I want to my chiro and he did some soft tissue work and taped my knee with RockTape. He's the medical doctor for the company and I've had good results using it on my calves before when they were acting up. I basically am having mechanical issues that are causing pain. The longer I'm running, the sloppier my gait becomes, the wrong muscles are being overused and I get achey legs.

Overall the 18 mile run was good. Last week I took planned water walk breaks every 2 miles too simulate my race. This week I took them at 4, 8, 12, 14, 15, 16, 16.5, 17, .......17.5........17.75........done at 18. I'm not sure I'll ever be in the kind of shape I would need to be in to run a whole marathon! I'm seeing small improvements in that I can run longer between water walk breaks but by the end, I'm done, done with the run!

My recovery was much better then the week before. I think seeing the chiro, the taped legs, refueling and just a week more into this training program helped. We just got back from a 20 mile bike ride and I think that helps get the blood flowing too.

I changed my nutrition for this run again. I'm trying to find what is going to work best for me. I can and often have some GI issues when running which makes planning for potty stops important For some reason, I've never had a problem in a race. I think it's the adrenaline kicking in This weeks nutrition worked quite well and I didn't need to race to the bathroom.

As far as what comes after a key workout for me, this week my runs are 5, 5, 5 and 13. So in a way it's a bit of a rest week even though for me I'll still have to work to get them done. I'll swim a couple times and bike a couple times. 

Gene, hope your drive home was safe and congrats on the new grandbaby.

Great job on your race Duncan!

Jac, I think we need to see some video of your drumming???

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!
Johanne

Woohoo to Duncan, big congrats! 

Not a bad Sunday: 1000 yards swim in the AM, and a 7 mile run this evening. Rain left us, pleasant weather..mid 40's

Steve - May the Pats RIP......GO Packers!!!!!!    YAHOOOOOOOOO!!!