left.right.repeat group -closed - Full of a bunch of winners...YEAH! (Page 48)

Scuba - go to control panel, Edit training settings (something like that) and then select the Friends tab.  LOL, I never found running boring but am enjoying swimming and biking.  Once I can run again it's going to be a battle.  I should run, well I should bike, well you need to run more, well actually I need to swim more.....

Speaking of running my knee is getting much better and I do believe the time to run is near.  I have not run since before my knee surgery in Oct.  I do miss it. 

Have a great day everyone!

Stopped by the gym this morning after my run. Saw a guy from spin class. I told him about my ride yesterday and asked for some pointers. Then out of the blue he invited me to join his team for the MS 150 ride this Fall. How cool is that?!

I haven't decided what distance I'll train for. Minimum is 30. I can certainly get there since I did almost 16 yesterday.

Best part of all, the city where the ride is held is flat. He said if I can ride around here, I should have NO problem with the MS ride. 

Yay!!!

WAEF that is great!

One question all: Short of creating a shortcut in IE for this thread is there anyway to pin it?  Everytime I have to go back to my private messages, find the invite, click link...  I could go to forums archive, etc.  Just being lazy and looking for a short cut.

Swim practice at lunch, can't wait!

Wow, what an active group of newbie posters!! Our thread was mired on page 44 and 45 for weeks it seemed and now we are on p. 48.

I had never noticed that there was a private email box until y'all starting talking about "friends" and inspires, etc. Sorry to the "old" turtles who sent me pm's to which I had never responded - oops. Thanks for the "inspires" just received too.

 Guess I will have to start using the training log function now.

Ran 4k last evening with the remnants of my learn to run group. I'll be seeing more of them on January 1st for the Resolution Run.

No plans to workout today but will try to get in a run tomorrow and/or Sunday.

Still waiting to hear from you newbies where you live. Inquiring minds need to know.

Sticka

It took me a while, but I finally figured out how to display my location... I did that just for you Sticka

Oh... And, I changed my signature... now to come up with a nick name for Gary & Leston...

OK, I created this for our group: It's ugly, but it's functional... I need someone to help me complete it... like who are the rest of the active members, what's people's names... do we want more info on it, etc... you can all vote on the colors - I chose Turtle colors... you can hit "Quote" and copy and paste it into your log.

thanks Diane.

Love the color! LRR is Bryan AKA fearless leader

                         MSUD is Dan

                          Mav is Marianne

                          Leston is just Leston..no nickname...but he can BIKE!!!!!

                          you have FBP right!

Thanks Diane

OK, this is like last year when we started....I am on an overnight business trip....I return...and there are two or three pages of posts......I LOVE IT!!!

New Folks - you do not HAVE to read the earlier pages BUT if you do there are incredible nuggets of wisdom in there....insight into our personalities....and there is a surprise every now and then....you will also see we are very close....from family issues to medical to trying not to puke at the end of a race.  Don't rush through it, it is like fine wine, savor, enjoy, one step (page) at a time.

Waef - more time on the bike eliminates the pounding that running gives your body and it translates very well to run fitness.....for any half I have done and the full marathon I am training for now I have never run more than 3 times a week and 2 of those three are 3-5 miles.  45 miles a week is huge for a half - how many times a week did you run?  I would encourage more time on the bike....sounds like your run base is great.  And yeah, 8 days of running is pretty grueling but I like a challenge....some of these will be short for me.

Card - I would NEVER begin to encourage you to leave Gordo for us....HOWEVER, if we are the right fit, so be it.....we will let you be the judge - you can always do both....and compare the advice you get.....smile....and if you like to race, we usually have something going.  I did 14 official events in 2008.  I don't know if there will be that many in 2009 but we will see....Stress Fractures - I know more about them than I want to as my wife has had 3 in a year....have you had your calcium checked?  What is your leg strength like?  I would have you on the bike more and more and more.  It's good for the build/base part of the year.

Mav - I knew you would be pleased....I could see you smiling from here....

Waef - weak = new focus.  Get on your bike.  I want you to ride as much as you can outside - where do you live?  How's the weather?  Spin class or trainer better than nothing, riding outside is the best.  We will give you some workouts but right now I want you out putting miles on those wheels.  If you will share your bike model and especially COLORS we will assess your speed.....a little fun here - MAV is our resident colorist and she will pass judgment on the speed of your bike simply based on the colors....

Gary - great name....we will amend it at some point I am sure....first advice - no more crawling into ditches....I am hoping that had something to do with work but if it is a hobby I am going to offer that triathlons are safer....smile....YOU ARE ONE FAST DUDE>......you and FBP (Freddy Beach Pete) will have to get to know one another.....FBP - where are you?  Taking ourselves too seriously.....REALLY....there are some really funny butt jokes on this thread in a couple of places.....we always have fun....I talk to the spectators in every race.....I always ask them to "tell me I look good" as I am suffering by them.....in the CapTexTri last year I veered to the fence along the run to give my wife a kiss....all the people around her went "ahhhhhh" to which I replied....that is the same reaction I got when I kissed the other 4 women.....everyone cracked up.....I don't know if humor translates well to this forum but it really was funny....especially to me and that is what mattered....smile.

sTRIve

Waef - excellent bike!!!! way to go....the hills are great and a marvelous way to train.  Do you use a heart rate monitor?  How does your rate react on a standing climb?  I want you to try something - get in a very easy gear at the bottom of the hill....this is the gear that you should be able to keep a high cadence (think 85-90 rpms) all the way to the top of the hill while seated.  Sometimes this is not totally possible as the hills are too high but it is a great plan.  Mashing a high gear typically just wears out the legs and sets you up for a very tough run.  A good way to get used to high cadence is counting how many times your right knee rises in ten seconds.  You are looking for 14-15 times...that way in one minute your foot goes around 84-90 times.  I want you to strive to ride at that cadence.  If you can't right now that is okay but we will start working some intervals at that cadence into your rides.  This should be fun.  Let's talk swimming - first, I want you to understand that you are getting my opinions and I am about to opine opposite from your coach so my apologies to begin with.....I am not a big fan of fins but if you are going to use them, Zoomers are the choice.  I am also not a fan of kicking....for a couple of reasons.  Your leg muscles are the largest ones in your body thus they require the most oxygen.  One of most peoples issues in the water is feeling they are getting enough air....using what we get to power our leg muscles doesn't give us a lot of return....further, I want my legs for the bike and run....so.....I am a bigger fan of balance, balance, balance in the water....and then get out of the water and on the bike and run.  The swim is such a short part of a tri that while we need to be reasonable at it, the bike and run are just more important.  Also, Mav is our resident swim coach so she will have some great opinions here too.  I am thinking the cramping may be from the flippers....or a hydration issue or electrolytes.  Do you drink water (not from the pool) while swimming?  How much do you hydrate after that long run?

sTRIve

FBP - you need to look at the run challenge mentioned above from endurance nation....you will have loads of time to do it.....come join me....

Gary - your hydration and stretching ideas are great....one minor caution - go easy stretching cold muscles....the potassium idea is definitely important and valid.  And FBP's name is also - sticka.....as in "FBP's gotta lotta stickas"

Card - there you go....all ya'll are fitting in so good already.....and you are pretty good with geography too......LOL

sTRIve

I am glad to hear I can cut back on running, up the time on the bike and still be able to do the half marathon. Lately running has become painful. Well not exactly pain, but my right calf is bugging me after almost every run. The muscle aches. I stretch and foam roll and still it takes a good two or three days to get back to normal.

Before tri training I ran five days a week, with one of those being a double run (AM and PM). 45 was my peak mileage, usually two weeks before a half. 

Schedule looked like this (peak week) – focus on running

Mon AM – 5 miles

Mon PM – 5 miles

Tues – swim

Wed AM - 10 miles

Wed PM - Masters swim

Thur AM - 5 miles

Fri AM - 5 miles 

Sat AM - 15 miles

Sun - 10 mile bike ride

Again, that is only peak week, about two weeks before a half.

Right now I’m three weeks from my next half (and worried because my mileage is much, much lower). I'm swimming a lot more but running less and biking even less. Schedule looks like this:

Mon AM- 5 miles followed by full body weights session with personal trainer

Mon PM - Masters swim (min 1700 yards including speed intervals and various drills, the workout changes each time depending on what the coach brings to the pool)

Tues AM - private session with swim coach. Usually 1000-1200 yds of drills with an occasional time trial of 100 free

Wed AM - 8 or 9 mile run

Wed PM – 30 min stretch and foam roller (I tried doing a Masters swim on Wed nights but I cramp up too much. I think I can’t handle a long run and a long swim on the same day) 

 Thur AM – 1 hr spin class followed by 1 hour elliptical machine

Fri AM – 5 miles

Sat AM – 5 or 6 miles

Sun PM – 10 to 12 miles on the bike, although now I think I’ll up that to a minimum of 15 miles.

My bike is a Pinnacle All Terrain, 10-speed mountain bike. Got it at least 10 years ago, used at a garage sale. Rode it maybe five or six times and then it sat in storage until just before my first tri in October.

I live in Central NC. The Triangle area. Lots of rolling hills so I get a mega workout. I’m trying to figure out the best way to climb hills on that bike. But we can talk about that later. I think this post is long enough…right?

Strive, my cadence is low, low, low. I've never counted but I feel like if I go any slower the bike will fall over. I pick up on flats but as you can see from my log yesterday, even on flat I only hit 10-12 avg mph.

And that's giving it all I've got. I am a woman of very strong will and I can't even will my legs to go any faster. There are moments when I'm literally counting out loud 1-2-3-4 just to force myself to keep moving. Push/pull. push/pull. Anybody coming up beside me would think I'm crazy talking to myself.

Being this slow is a bit frustrating but I know that's literally all I've got...at least for now. 

Just when I thought I had caught up....there was another page....

Cards....mmmm....how about "Jaws".....so....Jaws.....no one will mind if you are in two groups...I think scubagrrllll may be too.....so I will tell you what I told her - as long as you don't share our "go fast" ideas and our "half fast" ideas with Gordo's group, I am not going to turn you in to the authorities.

Scuba - welcome....obviously I found your post....I would encourage you to spend a day or two a week on the bike even during your half mary training....it is great fitness building, non impact work.

Dan - I teared up a bit when you pulled out "nothing new on race day" aka The Law.  And followed it with The Corollary "train like you race"....and to think you remember the fin advice all the way from last year.....I am humbled....fyi, someone tried to wear fins on the swim in IMFL and found himself disqualified....so we all need to swim with no fins.

Ankle flexibility - the best stretch I know of is to sit on your knees on the floor with your toes pointed behind you and your butt on your heels....try this and ultimately your feet will stretch back there.....remember, most runners have "tight ankles"

Dan - I so agree on the boredom...I am running 23 tomorrow and I am already bored...I wish these posts were on a podcast so I could laugh through the whole run.

Kicking - hmmm.....still not a big fan.  By the way, here's an exercise.....float on your stomach as if you are free styling....no arms....just kick....do you go backwards or forwards?  Many people go backwards --- they should NOT be kicking when swimming for a triathlon....why fight the forward progress.  I admit, I am not a swim coach but again my goal is to get out of the water in a reasonable time with as much energy stored as possible for the run and the bike....they are a LOT longer events.  If I give up 5-10 minutes on a swim and save 30-45 minutes on the bike and run....I have improved dramatically - much more so than I could ever get with swim improvement alone.  This as always is my .02 and I am in no way trying to diss your coach....just one boy's humble opinion.

I am thrilled to see all the activity and conversation again....I gotta figure out the friends/inspire thing.....hmm....another time waster and training avoidance tool (TAT).....beautiful.

sTRIve

One post per Q&A - this is fun!

You asked about heart rate on the bike. No I don't use a HRM, just talk test. Standing climbs are tough. I stay seated on a hill as long as I can. Sometimes I resort to"jumps" if the hill is particularly long or particularly steep.

I'm getting better at it. There's a hill that I used to have use jumps on. Now I can make it to the crest just standing. When standing, I try to hover a little further back over the seat to get better leverage on the down stroke. I find a fatigue less as well.

But it's still tough.  I focus on breathing, keeping it under control. And trying to relax every muscle in my body so all the power goes to the legs. I have no idea what my heart rate is, but I'm huffing and puffing and sweating bullets. So I'd guess it's pretty high.

I totally agree with the less kicking the better. Now if I could only get my swim coach to buy into that...she wants me to use a two-kick tempo for endurance swims. Two kicks per stroke. For speed intervals, she uses six kicks per stroke. That's her. I can only manage 4 max. And talk about huffing and puffing!!!

I expressed my concern about saving my legs for the bike and run. She has me focusing on two kick tempo per stroke.  I can do it for a mile plus. As the distance goes up, I'm not sure. And I haven't tried a swim/bike transition since we've been doing this. So I'll test it and see.

Wish we could do tris with a pull bouy. I'd be set!

Gary - saved the first page as a "favorite" in explorer...I go to page one but I am never far from all of you.....

WAEF - I was also going to recommend you check out Terry Laughlin's "Total Immersion" website...watch the videos....I think the balance drills might help as well.  Are your cramps in your feet or your calves?

Leston - see what happens when you are gone.....we have grown....welcome back and I am glad you have that remodel done....time to train

Leston needs a MountainMan kinda name....like....MountainMan....or Outlaw....or something with all that hiking and mountain biking....Leston, have you ever thought about an Xterra tri?

WAEF - okay....didn't even think about it being a mountain bike....forgive me, I was thinking road bike.....cadence will be different on a mountain bike.  If you don't have a road bike, see if you can borrow one for a ride or two.  I would be interested in hearing the difference in the rides.  I think that may be where your frustration is coming from initially.  Also, bike fitness takes time to develop....don't kill yourselves....this is a long journey....we didn't get in the shape (or lack thereof) we were in quickly...it took time for me to be that bad....it takes time to fix it too.  Be sure you watch all the workouts...I want you to go all season.....your current plan looks like a possible over-training recipe....enjoy the journey.

All - I have an epic run tomorrow...my last long run before the Houston Marathon....

see you at the finish line

Bryan

Waef - the breathing and climbing difference is proof of improving bike fitness....keep it up.  Work works!  No problem on the HRM but you might ask Santa for one...they are a good tool in the beginning in managing your HR in an aerobic state to help with weight loss as well as not running out of gas in a longer event.  Kick - two beat is fine...just save the legs....and remember....your coach isn't ALWAYS watching....it is great to know how to do the butterfly but I don't plan to use it in a tri but it is a great training stroke.

Check out the Total Immersion videos on their website.

Cramps...when was the last time you had a massage....I am thinking you may have cramps from running issues that are presenting in the pool as well.....a couple of thoughts....sit on the floor and roll a tennis ball between the floor and your calf...rotating you leg around....moving the ball around your calf muscle....if you want a little more pressure, cross the other leg over the one you are working at the ankle or shin.  Also, you might try sitting in a chair rolling that tennis ball in the arch of your foot around and around.  Also, google calf stretches...just be very very easy....you have tight muscles and you are trying to pull them apart.....I would much rather see massage or the tennis ball....if you are game....google for an Active Release Therapist in your area and go let them work your calves...those folks are amazing.....you can also look into TriggerPoint Therapy (very similar to the tennis ball treatment).

Hydration - many times in winter we don't replace electrolytes well.  I use two great companies products.  Hammer Nutrition - Heed and Endurolytes and Infinit Nutrition -various formulas....if you want to order from them to try them out let me know and I will give you a referral number that I think will save you a few bucks.  The Hammer stuff will also be available at a running or biking store near you...you can find where on their website.  I would also think calcium and potassium.....yeah, calcium....it works with many folks and a lot of women need more regularly.

Bryan