GrooveTime!group - CLOSED!!! (Page 43)

Denise and Steve,

Seems to be a day of tweaking things. In an attempt to cross-train/add some variety to my week, I was playing soccer this evening and over-stretched (is that even a word?) my groin by accidentally doing the splits. Never had that happen before (the groin part, not the splits part...I do that quite often, actually...clumsy me) and boy, does it hurt! Who knew groins were so important in everyday life? Hopefully some icing tonight will help ease the pain. Any other suggestions for relief?

Hope everyone's feeling better and we all heal quickly,
Kasia

Edited by midlifeinsanity 2010-05-24 7:25 AM

M -

For people who have a fairly basic bike with just a traditional loose bearing pedal platform, they will usually use the same shoes for the bike and the run. There are lots of arguments to be made for never using running shoes for anything other than running, but if I had the pedals described above, I would stay in one pair of shoes and save time in not having to switch in T2 (bike-to-run).

As for saving time, look into elastic laces. Thesea re a great invention, and not only do they not require tying shoes, but they also remove the problem of laces sometimes aggravating the tendons on the top of the foot when they (the alces) get cinched too tight. I use Easy laces, but there are a couple of other companies whose names escape me. I'll be back with those in a while. (One is Yankz, but I have to check the spelling; there might also be an exclamation point.)

M again -

The major players for fast-and-easy laces are:
Easy Laces
Yankz
Squeezums
Speed Laces

I'm not advocating Speed Laces (remember, I'm a devotee of Easy Laces), but they do have options: iBungee, Race-Runners, Zero-Friction.

A fun place to visit for all of your gear desires is www.tri-zone.com. That's where I just got up to speed (as it were....) on what all is available nowadays for lace options.

DENISE -

Have you found the tension screw on your pedals yet, and, if so, have you tried adjusting it? Just curious!

KASIA -

Argh. Sorry about the groin! First-line would be ice and anti-imflams and resting it some. As for elevation, though --- tough body part to elevate unless one likes being hung upside down by their feet!

I have another couple of posts in the works for you. One is specifically on prep for Rage, and just some rough guidelines for where your run mileage should ideally be along about now. The other post is more broad, and it has to do with % of time for each discipline, depending on one's athletic background. So for you, with a background in team sports, the recommendation for tri training time allocation is 50% bike, 25% swim, 20% run, 5% gym.

So there you go - you don't need to read the post I'll get up here later!

KASIA again -

Rage is April 17, yes? So that makes it 12 weeks from now, right? Just confirming!

KASIA once more -

Okay then. Twelve weeks out from Rage oly, you should probably be running for about 35 minutes each time, which would be twice a week. 40 minutes would be good, but not essential; anything more than that is not necessary right now.

Miles? Well, that depends on your pace, but I guess you're looking at something like 3.5-4 miles each run session. As the Rage run will be 6.2 miles, you're halfway there now if you are doing 35 minutes at a time! And if you're not there yet, then there is still lots of times (like 12 weeks to get to that point).

For the sprint option at Rage, you should be at about 25 miles now for your basic runs, again 2X a week. This would be about 2.5 miles, I guess -- zeroing in on a 3.1 mile race goal.

All your runs should be easy and steady for now. That's what they should be under normal conditions, but with your groin issue, definitely avoid any speed work at all. No tempo runs, no intervals, not even fartleks. And if you can avoid hills, do so, as the groin will hate you forever if you over-stride on the descents.

And give yourself a day or two of rest, just to let the groing settle down a bit. When you return to running, focus on a shorter stride -- just to give the groing less work to do. I don't have a big history with groin problems, however, so hopefully someone else in the group is reading this asnd can add their thoughts.

I just wore my running shoes on the bike for my 2 tris last summer.  Lots of people do - especially beginners.  This season I will have separate shoes for the bike because of my clip-in pedals (I will now always refer to them as clip-in rather than clipless),
Denise

Steve,
My bike is at the bike shop.  They are putting on a Garmin speed/cadence sensor.  It communicates with my Garmin 305 so I can monitor my speed/cadence on the trainer.  Although, from what you guys have said, it's probably just going to depress me, because the trainer is more work. (I need to stop spending money on tri toys and save some money for tri registrations)

A note on the trainer being harder than biking on the road:
Thsi is probably similar to my treadmill experience a few years ago. It was the 1st winter after I had started running.  I stopped running in October and got totally out of shape.  When I started running again, I could barely run a 1/2 mile.  I was running on a treadmill that couldn't be lowered below 1.5 incline.  I gradually worked my way up to 3 miles on that treadmill.  My 1st run outside, I was able to run 5 miles at the sam pace.  I was absolutely elated.  That incline (although small) really made a difference in getting me in shape.

Denise

 

FOR EVERYONE -- But maybe especially for relative beginners

This is from "220 Triathlon", from the U.K. It is an article titled "Making the Move", and provides recommended time allocations for swimming, cycling, running, and gym work for people who come to tri from single-sport backgrounds. As with the other article I condensed last week, if people want specifics on any of the following, let me know and I will give more details. Otherwise, here is the breakdown on recommended training time (in %):

If the background is swimming:
Bike -- 50%
Run -- 30%
Swim -- 15%
Gym -- 5%

If the background is cycling:
Swim -- 30%
Run -- 30%
Bike -- 30%
Gym -- 10%

If the background is running:
Bike -- 50%
Swim -- 30%
Run -- 15%
Gym -- 5%

If the background is team sports:
Bike -- 50%
Swim -- 25%
Run -- 20%
Gym -- 5%

The author, Emma-Kate Lidbury, provides lots of rationale for those recommendations, and also specific information on areas to work on for each of the four categories. So, if any of you want more, let me know!!














Edited by stevebradley 2010-01-22 5:51 AM

Just wondering why she allots more gym time to those with cycling background.   And what exactly does she define as 'gym work'... strength training in general?  core work? stretching?    thanks

Hey Denise!
Don't let the trainer depress you.  As Einstein said, all things are relative.  When I'm on my trainer, I really just focus on cadence and HR, and let the gearing/resistance fall in line.  I'm always at least 1-2 gears lighter on the trainer than on the road, but the workload is the same. 

I had the exact opposite experience on the treadmill.  Been running at the gym after the pool swims for two weeks now, and I find the outdoor running has suffered, despite the fact I'm running on an incline at the gym.  I find outdoor running so much harder yet rewarding than the treadmill.  I guess maybe I need to up the incline even more!  :-)

Hi,

After my swim at the Y, I went to a Group Cycle class (it's free).  Boy oh boy - was that a workout.  I had to cheat a little on the resistance just to get thru it.  We did out-of-seat and one foot pedaling and she kept having us turn up the resistance.  I was dripping sweat at the end. 

I think maybe I'm not working hard enough on the bike - too many junk miles.  I'm definately doing this class along with my trainer work.

SteveA - It's funny - some people say treadmill is harder and some say outdoor running is harder - don't know why.  I've read you have to have some incline (I think 1.0) to simulate outdoor running

Denise

So, I stayed away long enough to keep from getting sick only to find out we now have a bout of injuries.  Hopefully, things will get better quickly.

I have clipless/clip-in/whatever shoes that I have used on the trainer but have always just worn my running shoes on the bike in my sprints. I haven't yet ventured out in the real world, but my husband says it would be a lot easier on my biking if I did. Not sure it would make that much difference in a sprint, but can certainly see that it would for an oly. Need to add that to my goals.

STEVE B - Just curious ... what would someone do that doesn't come with any "background"?  What do you think the allocation would be?  Train more in the discipline that you think would be your toughest?  I've always loved the water and enjoyed swimming, although I have a healthy respect for the water. (My own kids were literally swimming almost before they could walk. My oldest son would toddle off the diving board into the deep end of the pool and swim to the side.) And, I figured anyone can ride a bike ... most of us learn when we're kids.  BUT I'm not a runner ... absolutely hated to run and would get to that part of a tri and ask my self why I'd even think about doing this and how anyone could find running "fun". So, I've forced myself to work on my running ... but wonder if that will be a detriment to my swimming and biking?

Lisa

Steve,

Groin's feeling surprisingly pain-free today. Weird. I guess the anti-inflammatories and ice did the trick. Guess I didn't have to hang upside-down after-all. It's my first groin injury as well, so I have no idea what do with it. Feels good for now, but I heard it has a tendency to be a nagging injury, so rest sounds reasonable for now. Good thing it's a recovery week

Right now, I'm running about 3 miles per run session, which now is about 35 minutes. So I'm somewhat behind, but slowly getting better.

Overall, during the training, should I ever be running the whole 6.2/3.1 miles (depending on the tri distance)? If not, what percentage of that should I be reaching at the max in training? What about the bike distance as well?

And Rage is April 17th, although I'm pretty sure you've figured that out by now. I've been kinda slow with emails today.

Kasia

Steve again,

About the percentages you gave, does that imply that I should still be doing 2 workouts of each discipline a week and simply spending more minutes on the bike during bike days? Or should I look for a plan with a bike emphasis rather than a balanced plan where I slightly modify times?

Kasia

And speaking of running, I've been doing a lot of reflection over the last few days, and think I'm going to get one more half marathon in before I really get down to my tri training. The race is entirely run on the beach so won't be planning on getting a PR, mostly just for the "fun" of the beach run. Then, I'm going to use a 12 week plan to prepare for my first sprint race in April and second sprint race the following week; take a recovery week and then start a 16 week olympic plan
with another sprint race the end of June, and the oly the end of September. That way, I'll be training for the oly during the summer when I have a bit more free time without having to deal so much with my son's schedule.

So, here is my revised schedule:

1/10/10 USA FIT Sugar Land Half Marathon - done
1/17/10 EP 5K Houston  - done
2/13/10 Surfside Half Marathon (the only half/full marathon to be run entirely on the beach ... in nice firm, packed sand!)
3/6/10   Spring Fever 5K
4/3/10   Muddy Trails 5K
4/24/10 Lone Star Sprint
5/1/10   CB&I Sprint
6/27/10  Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Sprint (have several friends planning this as their first tri)
IT'S TOO DANG HOT TO BE RACING IN TEXAS IN JULY AND AUGUST!!!
9/26/10  Memorial Hermann Olympic in Cypress
10/10/10 Ten for Texas (10 mile run)
11/25/10 Run thru the Woods (5 mile run)
12/4/10   St. Jude's Half Marathon Memphis

Lisa

So, I'm all dressed to go out for a run and my son tells me, "Be careful, there was someone that just came to the door selling magazines."  My son told him he didn't want to buy any magazines and give him a dollar (great, just like feeding a stray cat).  So I get my mace and take out of the house.  There's my neighbor across the street asking me if someone had just come to our door.  Guess he wouldn't open the door for the guy and the guy started yelling and calling him a fool, so he called the cops.  The "solicitor" now is only a few doors away, singing and whistling as he's knocking on doors. I told my neighbor I had my trusty mace and he (he's also a runner) told me I shouldn't go right now. So now, I'm all dressed up and nowhere to go (and it's a beautiful evening).

Thought about going to the gym for a swim, only to realize my oldest son has my car and my husband has taken my son to baseball practice in his truck. 

Ugh, good intentions ... do they count?

Edited by lufferly 2010-01-21 7:50 PM

Denise,

Cycle classes make you work your behind off, but for me are a great motivator. For me this is all the bike sessions I will be doing over the winter but I always leave it dripping sweat. Having someone tell me what to do and that I'm not working hard enough helps with the motivation. Leg strength has also gone up.

Kasia,

Groin injuries suck. Got one or two while trying to play a baseball catcher. Steve pretty much covered it, rest, ice and some very light stretching. Light massaging of the area that hurts and surrounding area never seemed to hurt either.

Lisa,

My experience with clipless pedals is they make a huge difference right off the bat. I did with mountain biking but just having the ability to pull up and push through at the same time made a huge difference. When going on fun rides with platform pedals I feel so inefficient and slow. As for hating to run and already taking part in HM is great! I aspire to be able to run that distance but sure am not trying to get there quick.

Steve,

Thanks for that info.  It's interesting....Not sure what I think of it relating to my training. Here is what I think my rough breakdown is by time:
Swim  20%
Bike    30%
Run   45%
Strength  5%

Also, I got myself one of those foam rollers...So I tried it out before the spin class today. Not one my more brilliant ideas. 3/4 the way through after a 3:30 sprint, I got a calf cramp that I had to stop and massage out...I think I've learned my lessen here. Looking forward to using it and seeing if it helps loosen my legs up and if it helps with my knees being tight after running.

Edited by midlifeinsanity 2010-05-24 7:26 AM

CATHY -

Her explanation for more gym time for cyclists is that although their legs are strong from all the riding they've done, they need "a good strength and conditioning program" so their legs will be better able to handle the high, hard impact of running. She then goes on to refer to an "all-round" conditioning program, so I'm figuring that includes what you mention - strength, core, and stretching.

What I don't quite get is that the same would seem to apply to swimmers - and maybe even more so because they won't have the strong legs of cyclists - yet the gum allocation for them is just 5%. I could better understand the 10% for cyclists if she also mentioned potential injuries of the upper body that result from swimming, but that isn't an alarm she rings.

Just as a partial digression, I'm aware that of all my injuries over the years, none have clearly sprung from cycling. The shoulder problems are obviously swim-induced, and the myriad lower-body injuries I've suffered have their genesis with running. (And I came to tri from a running background.) I'm not saying that cycling hasn't had some negative effects on me, but I can't remember being put on the shelf by a ride gone wrong (excluding the crash, that is! ).

DENISE -

It might be that you have done too many junk miles on the bike (haven't we all?), but don't shoulder too much of the blame for this as you suffer through those classes. It seems that most everything along those lines is designed to make the participants go places they wouldn't go to on their own. I guess that's a good thing, but it's always humbling.

I find that most of Troy Jacobson's "Spinervals" workouts require some sort of adjustment on my part, either in my gearing or simply cutting the sessions short. Some of his killer sessions are way beyond what I can easily handle, and overall I am a pretty strong cyclist. And I'm sure that if I wnt to the class your suffered through, I would be suffering as well!

As for the treadmill incline, I have heard that also -- even if one runs outside on mostly flat terrain, the incline has to start at 0.5% or 1.0%. I'm still not sure I agree with that, but who am I to argue with the experts? Well, I guess I agree with the 0.5, but maybe not the 1.0. Maybe?

LISA -

I was wishing she had included that info as well - what to do with NO background. I have several thoughts, but nothing definitive. To wit:
(1) work on perceived weakest link
(2) focus on bike, as it's the biggest time-portion of a tri
(3) concentrate on run, as that's where races are won

I would eliminate #3 because most beginners are not interested in winning. #1 makes some sense, but many people might have trouble defining what is the weakest link -- which just brings them back to where they started. #2 seems sensible, but as you suggest, most people feel confidnet that they can at least ride the bike for 12 miles, say, whereas they aren't too sure about swimming the 750 meters or running the 3.1 miles.

Reading between the lines of Ms. Lidbury's article, she has cycling as 50% for the three categories thta are not cycling-based. For swimming, she has 30%, 30%, and 25% for the three that aren't swimming-based, and for running she has 30%, 30% and 20% for the three that aren't running-based. So, I guess for a complete newcomer she would still emphasize the bike, and then it's a toss-up between swimming and running. Maybe at that point individual factors come into play, such as history of injuries and access to pools.

When I finally got my bike in April '00 and began outdoor riding along with running and pool-swimming, and then a month or so later when I began to regularly do open-water swims as well, I felt my time-allocation was maybe 70% bike, 60% run, 35% OWS, and 25% pool swims!

LISA again -

Yup, good intentions count. It's kind of like a "mulligan" in golf, I guess.

And did the authorities come and haul that guy away? That's quite creepy, and you probably did the right thing in just letting the lovely evening pass. Better luck tonight!