JohnnyKay's Group - FULL (Page 5)

That's awesome!! 

Noz,

That video and info is VERY helpful for me.  I was never taught how to swim.  If you come across any other videos that are helpful, please post if you can. 

Thanks man ! 

Alright, time for some random tri questions:

1) At what point does one stop strength training? 

As this is my first serious year of doing tris, my races will be sprints early in the year with an oly or 2 late summer/early fall.  I figure that I should be able to get by with about 5-7 hours/week of training for a sprint, 6-9/week for an oly.  At these levels, I can throw in 1 or 2 weight sessions a week and not really impact my training (I'm shooting for MOP).  However, I notice that most of the long course triathletes (HIM and IM) don't seem to do much weight lifting.  Is that b/c of the time demands?  The fear of added bulk?  Diminishing return?

2) Has anyone, after a swim workout, skipped the shower in order to make it back to work on time? 

I haven't as of yet, but was wondering if it was acceptable due to time constraints.

3) How do y'all receive hydration on your long rides?

I use a CamelBak, and stop and refill it if necessary.  However, while reasonably comfortable, I wonder how the CB affects my performance.  Would it be better to stop at gas stations/stores more frequently, and ride without the CB?  Or should I just continue with the CB, and when it comes race day, I'll enjoy not having to carry the extra weight?

Well, that's some of the questions I have for now.  I'm sure to have more later.  Hope everyone's training is going well, despite the bitter cold some of y'all are enduring. 

1)  This is an often debated topic so do some searches if you want some more varied opions. My opinion is that if you like, you can keep strength training--maybe drop it for the few weeks around your races.  I don't strength train because it doesn't help make me faster for a triathlon.  I'm far better off using my time to swim, bike & run more.  There are non-tri reasons to consider strength training, but since it's not really something I enjoy either I don't feel any loss by skipping it.

2)  Chlorine has a strong smell.  I'd take a quick shower before returning to work.

3) The CB is certainly an option, especially for longer rides.  I prefer to just use bottles, but its personal preference--nothing more. 

To follow JohnnyKay....I strength train in the winter months to rebuild what has been broken down during the race season, but as i move closer to my A races, I'll cut the strength training and add some more stretching.  FYI...when i am strength training, i use really light weight. 

If the CB works then stick with it for training.  I use bottles, two on the bike, and for long rides, i'll add a protein bottle in my jersey pocket. 

This question is for the group, but with an eye towards JohnnyKay (who has posted on this subject in a forum) ...

What would y'all recommend in the way of bike training with an eye towards climbing?

I'm doing the Assault on Mt. Mitchell ride in June.  Basically it's a century that climbs around 11,500 ft to end on the highest peak east of the Mississippi.  I realize that to get better at riding on hills, you need to ride hills.  I try to do so on my bimonthly long bike rides.  Can y'all recommend any specific workouts/rides?  Trainer rides I can do?  Strength training?  Etc.?  I know I need to add in hill repeats, but exactly how many?  How long should the hill be?  Any and all info y'all could provide would be great!

Hope the training is going well.

Tommy

Best thing to do is simply ride lots and ride hills when they're there.  On longer rides, it's great if you are able to mix in a variety of terrain.  On the trainer, you can simply do intervals at higher effort levels.  Some people like to do some of these in a big gear at lower cadences so that they become comfortable in sections where they "run out" of gears and are forced into lower cadences to keep climbing (watch going too low with the cadence as it can place more strain on your knees if you're not careful).  But if you bring the right gears on your bike, you can do most of the climbing at reasonably comfortable cadences.

Again, as for strength training I don't think it's necessary.  Even for climbing, absolute strength is rarely a limiter.  It is specific endurance.  So you want to climb better?  Climb more.  Can't climb because you're stuck in the flatlands or on the trainer?  Just ride more and harder.

I don't really have any specifc workouts (other than what's in my logs).  Most all of my outside riding is hilly terrain (short ups & downs, not long sustained climbs).  But whether indoors or out, you could mix up the type of intervals/repeats that you do.  Do some longer, steady efforts (working on those sustained climbs) as well as shorter, but more intense efforts (getting up that 15% grade in front of you).  A good workout might be some version of the 30/30s I do:

(The 30/30s are 0:30 "best effort"/0:30 VERY easy and "solid" is where I target FT on my powermeter.  Without that, you should aim for an effort level that you can but requires a fair amount of concentration.  Maybe zone 3/4 if you use HR)

3 x 30/30, 1' easy
4' solid, 1' easy
4 x 30/30, 1' easy
4' solid, 1' easy
5 x 30/30, 1' easy
4' solid, 1' easy

That's a good 30' workout.  Put a warm-up and cool-down of your desired length in and you've got a quality 0:45-1:30 trainer ride.  You could start with a bit less (maybe 2,3,4 x for the 30/30s and 2-3' solid) and build up to this as well.

Tommy,

I hope to do mt mitchell this year as well.  I did marion last year and it was a blast.  I will be riding some of the route as the assault ride draws nearer.  I'll let you know in case you would like come up and join us.  Also, the freewheelers are doing their annual spring training rides. http://www.freewheelers.info/  Let me know if you are able to come up for any of the rides.

Timberleaf,

I'm planning on coming up for a Freewheeler training ride in April, and will likely head up one weekend to ride some of the route in May.  I'd like to do the March 10th ride, but don't think I'll be able to make it because of the baby.  I appreciate any heads up on training rides y'all are planning, but I'm so slow I'd be embarassed to join y'all.  As for AoMM itself, my goal is just to finish the thing before the cutoff time.

The training rides are alot of fun....good riding and good food.  Typically, about 50 to 75 will show up for the rides, so there will be all abilities and always someone to ride wiith.  My goal for AoMM is just to finish too. 

Currently, we are planning a ride to meet at the Marion finish and ride up hwy 80 to the parkway.  We are waiting til it warms up a bit and the snow/ice melts off the parkway to do the ride.  I'll keep you posted. 

I might still try and sneak out for the March 10th ride, as it will give me a chance to assess my riding ability for the full AoMM.  Of course, I'll be dealing with the new momma, so don't hold your breath.

Thanks for keeping me posted.  I'm a member of the Freewheelers', so I get all the emails with ride info.  I also get Columbia area ride info as well.

Just to be clear, my position is that if your goal is to get better in triathlons then weights are likely unnecessary (unless you have an injury or something specifically to rehab).  Running, biking and swimming will provide all the strength training you need with the advantage of specificity. 

There are other reasons to consider doing weights as part of your overall fitness routine.  It's just that none of them are compelling for me (at this stage in life at least).

Here's the link (seems to be really slow sometimes):

http://www.routeslip.com/routes/8331

So when doing the intervals, hill repeats, etc., should I not be too concerned with my heart rate?  On my rides now I focus on keeping it down around high Z1/low Z2.  But if I were to throw in some tempo rides/intervals during long rides, I should raise it up to high Z3/low Z4?  Same concept with indoor trainer rides?

I do believe that most people are better off spending most of their time in z1/2 and just building the base endurance.  This allows them to repeat their workouts consistently and recover easily.

However, unless you have some really easy climbing gears, eventually you will hit terrain that will force you to use more effort at least for a short period of time.  You will get better at these even if you "just" do a lot of z1/2 riding.  But you can improve upon that by doing "some" harder efforts in your training. 

How much "some" is will vary from person to person.  Biking is less stressful than running, but more so than swimming.  So the average person can afford to do more harder training in swimming than in biking and more in biking than in running, while still minimizing injury risks and enabeling consistent recovery.

So introduce the harder efforts gradually and see how you adapt to them.  You could even begin simply by adding some fartleks into a normal ride.  After warming-up, just hammer for a minute or two.  Or to the next intersection.  Or up the hill in front of you.  Then take a long, full recovery and find another spot to hammer again.  After a few of these, just continue with the rest of your z1/2 ride.

Just remember that all training is gradually adding additional stress (along with the necessary recovery) to your body to allow it to adapt and build.  To start, it's usually best to just gradually add more volume (frequency and/or duration).  But once you have adapted to that (and virtually all of us non-pros run out of time to train), you can add some intensity to build that training stress.  As self-coached athlete's, we have to take it upon ourselves to figure out how much is enough and how much is too much based upon our ability to consistently recover (while balancing the rest of our lives as well ).

Alright, its time for some more questions!

1) What kind of tri suit should I get?  I'm thinking of a full suit, as opposed to shorts and a shirt separately.  Where should I go to buy it?  How much should I expect to pay?

2) Same question, but for a wetsuit.  I don't need top o' the line stuff, but don't want to buy something that will melt in the pond during my first swim.  Any recommendations?

3) I just bought a new wheelset (Easton Vistas).  How much should I expect to improve my times compared to the Bontrager wheels that came with my Trek?  Or is it all just mental?

4) Is there a minimum amount of sleep I should get before considering training?  With the newborn and all, my totals have dropped from about 7.5-9 hours per night, to 6.5 hours tops, with no more than 4 hours at a clip.  Should I ratchet down my training to compensate?  Or just plow ahead in delirium?

5) Swimming is my limiter.  I'm working at getting better, but will likely only be able to swim 2x/week for the foreseeable future.  I swim stronger on my right side than my left, but alternate breathing each lap in order to work on my weakness.  I am noticably slower on my slow side.  Would I be better off using my limited training time getting faster and build endurance on my good side and just ignore my weak side?  Or should I still alternate and hope to improve my weak side?

Thanks for any and all responses.  Hope the training is going well for everyone!

Oh boy, that's a lot of stuff.  I'll do my best:

1) 100% personal preference.  I prefer 2 piece.  DeSoto is my favorite stuff so far.  BT actually has both 1 & 2 piece suits you can buy as well.  People who have them seem to like the stuff.

2) I bought a used one for $100 my first season.  Most important thing is good fit.  The "high-end" suits may allow for better arm flexibility, but any basic tri wetsuit that fits will be at least 90% as effective.  Promotion seems to be the "value" brand peple recommend.

3)  Probably not much.  The Vistas are nice wheels (came with my bike), but they aren't really aero.  That's the only thing that would make a marked differeence in race times.  (Or you could ignore what I just said and go with the "mental" advantage. )

4)  For me, I need 7-8 most nights.  I can get away with 6 once in awhile, but I know I'll need some more soon after that.  I'd just plow ahead as long as you feel OK.  Take extra rest before you have delirium set in though.

5) I'd probably spend some time continuing to work on form weaknesses.  But you could focus on building endurance with your strong side.  That's just a thought off the top of my head though.  Maybe Noz can help.

Thanks for the replies.  Here are my thoughts:

1) I think I'll go with the 2 piece, as I can find better sales/deals on the items individually.

2) Since most of my swimming will be done in marginally cold water, I'm going to buy a sleeveless suit.  My first race, however, is always borderline wetsuit legal.  If I don't wear a suit, does that mean I should do the swim in BOTH the tri shorts and tri top?  Or just the shorts?  (I know, such a noob question)

3) I know the Vistas aren't aero, but will they roll better than my stock wheels?  I was able to buy the Vistas for $170, so I thought they would be a decent bang-for-buck upgrade - was I mistaken?  Should I just save up and wait to buy some Mavic Kysrium Elites later?  I definitely can't afford Zipps or anything - I just would like some nice rolling wheels for my riding, including the AoMM.

4) I reckon I'll just train until I don't feel like it.  So far, so good.

5) I think I'm going to alternate my swim days.  One workout will be on my strong side, focusing on building up speed with endurance.  The other workout will include both sides, focusing more on form and less worried about speed.  Does that sound like a logical mix?

Oh, and one other question (sorry) - when and how should I incorporate bricks into my workouts?  My first race (a sprint) is about 9 weeks away, so should I start throwing in a brick on the weekends?  If so, how far - ie. 15 bike, 2 run? 20 bike, 3 run?  And at what intensity?

I bet you weren't prepared for all this when you signed up as a mentor, eh Johnny?  ;-)  If you're ever down my way, drinks are on me.  Thanks for your help!

2) Swim in shorts & top.  Try putting a dry top on a wet body sometime--not fun.

3) For AoMM, light wheels (as opposed to aero) would probably be beneficial.  I don't know if the Easton's are much of an upgrade from your stock wheels or not though.  For tris, the only upgrade worth it is aero wheels.  You need to start with rim depths of at least 50mm (IIRC) to see any meaningful benefits.  I don't think the Mavics you mention qualify as aero.  You can get a disc cover for any rear wheel and then find a decent used front.

6) Can't hurt to start throwing in some bricks now.  For the time being, just run 10-20min at an easy/steady pace to get used to how your legs feel off the bike.  As you get a bit closer, you can try some race-pace runs off the bike.  Or do some run-bike-run type workouts.  One workout I recall was run 4', ride 8', run 4'.  Repeat this like 6-8x, with the first 4 easy and then gradually inrceasing the pace for the last few.  Fun! 

As I sit here with a fever and fighting another illness...I'm wondering how you guys stay healthy.  In my profession, I am in and out of doctor's offices all day.  I wash my hands, use cleaning gel, and take a multi-vit every day. 

What tricks or preventative tools do you guys use to prevent getting sick?  At this point, I'm willing to try anything to boost my system.  (i even started drinking wheat grass)  Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated! 

G-