jsnowash's training group - FULL!! (Page 5)

Hello everyone, if there's still room I'd really like to join.  I was part of the very end of a mentoring group for a couple weeks last go round, it doesn't seem like they continued on in posts though and since I'm very much a beginner (and have lots of questions) I think a mentor group would be beneficial.

NAME: username: Tryin2Tri, real name: Jessie

STORY: I've been around triathlons since I was 7yrs old and competed as a KOS until I was 14(ish) in the grand scheme of things I was suppose to go on to Ironman but life sort of took a different turn and I fell off the triathlon boat and hopped onto the eating lots of junk food/smoking/party boat.  Even though my life did a zig instead of a zag I always had Ironman Canada in the back of my mind and still went to the event as a spectator.  My dad and sister have gone on to finish 6 or 7 IM Canada and this year I will be there to cheer (again lol).  My ultimate goal is to be at the 2012 IM Canada swim start as a competitor not a spectator.

FAMILY STATUS: Engaged, working away from home in the day and mom to a 2yr old and 8yr old at night. 

CURRENT TRAINING: Over the last couple weeks my training has really REALLY taken a beating!  It pretty much stopped so I'm getting back to business and not letting it go.  I had a really rough start to my training and motivation for that matter, I found out that my extreme pain while running is due to ridiculously flat over-pronating feet, the Dr. said I have lost at least 80% of my arch and I am currently waiting for my orthotics to arrive, swimming was my favorite as it seemed to come the easiest but then I started getting s-l-o-w-e-r...and that was soooooo frustrating!!!  As for biking, I thought I was doing ok, nothing great, plus I didn't have a bike to actually ride anywhere just the spin bikes at the gym.  I did get a bike yesterday though, and at this price, I thought it would've had rockets or something lol - all the more reason to train (make that bike worth it).  Anyway, now only fear and common sense are holding me back from the open road on my bike...I've never been on an actual "Road" with a bike - ever.  I have this ridiculous fear of traffic and getting run over, this week I'm going to overcome it.  If I panic, I'm going to look like a freaking idiot riding a tt bike on the sidewalk so it's road or bust. 

THIS YEAR'S RACES:

Element Sprint - June 20/10
Subaru Banff International Tri - Oly - Sep 11/10 (***this is my ultimate goal this season, an Oly***)

I will be adding 2 more races in for July & Aug, possibly 3 more, but the above is the offically entered and paid for and no backing out of ones.


WEIGHTLOSS: I am not trying to lose weight currently, just get some more muscle mass.  I have a problem with losing weight, it happens in a blink of an eye, which may sound great to some but it leaves me extremely exhausted and unhealthy.



Well, if you have any room let me know and I'll unlock my blabbermouth lol, I talk far too much, good thing I type fast.

TRAINING PLAN: I don't follow a tri training plan per se. I just take a swim plan, a bike plan and a running training plan and put it together. I use Hal Higdon novice half marathon program, Swim Zero to 1 mile in 6 weeks and I don't have one for biking. Just get out there and ride and then do the group rides on the tri course.

GADGETS: I have an inexpensive Reebok HRM that I use whenever I work out. I am buyting a garmin forerunner 305 this weekend. I hate running and not knowing the distance.

BIKE: Cannondale Quick 6 Feminine. Its a hybrid and I love it.

FAVORITE RUNNING GEAR: my handheld fuel belt 10oz water bottle. I don't run without it wheter its 2 miles oir 12 miles or even on race day.

====
Lovey

I am not a very good swimmer, but I will tell you this. DRAG. It's a huge thingy in the water. The wetsuits I have used have way less drag where the zipper is in the back. Plus, if you examine some wetsuits more closely, there are "panels" of different thickness of neoprene. This is done on purpose so as to promote buoyancy. As I said I am not a good swimmer, but I have surfed all my life and one thing I know about on a surfboard is drag and buoyancy. The less of the latter and more of the former the easier it is to slide through the "soup".

Keiren -

To respond to a specific post, in the upper right hand corner of each post you will see "quote" and "reply" buttons. If you select the "quote" button, the post you want to reply to will be quoted (like you see above) and you can reply to it.

Welcome, Elise! Glad to have you!

Sorry to hear you're having trouble with your knees, but you are wise to back off until it resolves.

I'm not an expert, and I'm certainly not your doctor.... But here are a few things I might suggest.

1) Drop any weight training involving your legs for now until your knee issues resolve. When your knee issues resolve, if you want to continue strength training, consider doing "body weight" exercises - things like squats, lunges, or plyometric exercises using only your own body weight - no added weight.

2) If you find running or walking on the treadmill continues to aggravate your knee, consider some substitue exercises for now. You might want to look for a couch to 5K plan that is time based, rather than distance based. I like the way the cool running plan slowly works you up to the 5K distance, but if you are going to substitute other activities for running, a time based plan might work better for you right now. As substitutes, you could try using an Eliptical machine if you have one at your gym. Possibly a better alternative if you have access to a pool is Aqua-jogging. I have used it in the past when I was unable to run for short periods, and it really is a great substitute. You can find more information on Aqua-jogging here. If you have a time based plan, you can substitute the eliptical and/or aquajogging for the equivalent amount of time called for in your plan and that should put you in good shape for your 5k, assuming later in the plan you are able to do at least some "real" running/walking.

3) As crazy as it sounds, make sure you have a good pair of running shoes! Sometimes something as simple as having the right pair of shoes can help us avoid injury.

4) Follow the RICE strategy to take care of your knee. Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Rest your knee when possible, elavate it if you can. Wrap your knee or use a knee brace when it's bothering you, and ice the knee periodically. I've seen 20 minutes on/20minutes off recommended for icing.

Here are a few time-based couch to 5K programs you can take a look at:

http://www.fromcouchto5k.com/articles/training/the-couch-to-5k-trai...

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/Programs/conservative_program.htm(this one is VERY conservitive with the build-up, and may be too long a time frame for your race - you might be able to pick this one up part-way through)

http://www.cannonballrunrace.com/trainingplans/5krunwalk.pdf(run/walk plan)

http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/5k.html(read some of the rest of the info on this site - Jeff Galloway advocates a planned run/walk strategy. The plan presents times as "running" for x amount of time, but this assumed you will incorporate planned walk breaks at specific intervals).

Okay - that was really long, but I hope it helps! Welcome to the group!!!

Welcome Jessie! Glad to have you!

You're definitely not alone regarding your fear of riding in traffic.... Lots of folks have trouble with that. Is there any kind of bike path or multi-use trail nearby you can start on? It's good if you can build some confidence in your bike handling skills before you take to the road. You might also want to look for a bike club, or see if your local bike shops offer any kind of beginner group rides. Or maybe get out and ride with your Dad and sister!

Edited by jsnowash 2010-04-18 6:10 AM

I got myself a Forerunner 305 for my birthday this year I LOVE it! I used to map out all of my runs on MapMyRun - now I can just head out, and let the Garmin tell me how far I've gone! I bet you're going to love it, too!

Edited by jsnowash 2010-04-18 6:13 AM

Thanks for the welcome!  I'm currently part of my city's Tri Club and the LBS that sold me my bike is having a One Day Boot Camp next Sunday that I'm pretty sure I will attend, it sounds like there will be a lot of good info for new bike riders there and I noticed that one other newbie from my tri club is attending.  I'm going to find some decent paved trails that I can practice on this week before I goto the boot camp, so at least I can practice moving this bike outside and not just on my trainer.  As for my Dad and sister...they don't know I'm doing this, actually my son just found out I am doing this and he pinky swears that he won't say a word lol - I think it was the bike that gave it away lol.  My s/o is hugely supportive of my endeavour (more than I thought he would be), I call him my Yoda.  I'm a bit shy to tell my family, I don't want to hear the "ok whatever Jessie" or see any eye rolling, I don't think I can take that just yet, as well my dad had a DNF in IMC last year so this year I really want him to concentrate on his training, if I tell him he might start concentrating on my training lol.  I'm going to tell him after IMC this year, maybe invite him to my Oly race in Banff, we'll see. 

I was wondering if anyone had a Tri Gear Bag and which one it is.  I'm looking into buying one because my gym bag is just not cutting it anymore and there's no way I'll be able to pack a wet suit in it.  I'm also wondering what does everyone wear for the bike and run portions of a sprint and/or Oly? 

Traffic is the Devil.

Keiren,
Your posts always go to the bottom of the "string". Like attaching something to the end of a string. It's just that when you reply to a particular post do what Jenny said and it will be "quoted", which is really a 'remember what you wrote before, I am responding to that thing'. Hope this helps. Computers are a pain in the arse aren't they.

Folks, I just wanted to share something I found while cruising. I am always looking for something to improve on... So I saw this and thought I would share. A trainer analyzes running form:

http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/?q=Ironman+Kona+video&vid=3E08382914C6829BF2483E08382914C6829BF248&FORM=VIRE6

----
Jeff

Thanks Jeff! 

Well there has been a lot of activity these past few days!  It's been a tough week for me.  One of those weeks were God laughs at your plans, if you know what I mean.  Lost one swim workout to a lunch time meeting (the perils of working out during lunch hour) and then got slammed with an sinus infection that came on really fast.  That knocked out Friday and today.  I still feel pretty yucky, but my body really needs rest.  Soooo, I will start back up on Tuesday.  I don't have any races for several weeks, so I am not too concerned, but I find it very difficult to be idle. 

I am happy to meet everyone, and look forward to the next few months together. 

How did the weekend races go?

Hi,
My name is Kim and I'm training with my hubby for my first tri. I'm a school teacher and we have two sons. I'd like to join your group if you still have room.
Thanks,
Kim

First of all, welcome Elise, Jenn and Jessie. Now it really feels like a party.
This is the rest of the gear I use to try to get in shape:
Bikes - My commuter is a Trek 7100 multitrack hybrid with SRAM 3.0 components. Comfortable but heavy. My roadbike is a Kestrel Evoke SL with SRAM Rival components (the ones I just broke!!).
For the Swim I have a QR full sleeve WS. If I overeat pasta the night before, I turn blue while I wear it.
For Running I use Nike Free shoes. I met the author of the book "Born to Run", he's a local guy. Great story. Ever since I turned to the barefoot way of running (kind of), and started consuming Chia, all my knee and feet problems completely disappeared (awesome).
Anyways, I've spent some $$$ in the gear, so now I'm forced to use it.
This morning, my wife and I ran for 90 mins at a zone 2 pace. Felt pretty good.
Have a good night gang....train hard tomorrow.

PS: I believe someone owes us a couple of race reports!!!! 

That stuff has been going around in this area. It lasts forever...I'm almost used to being congested any more... 

Thanks to everyone that responded to my question. It makes sense in the scheme of things. Now I just have to narrow down a wetsuit  that would be best for me.

Marla,
I feel your pain. I did pretty good this week but was "behind" by one long swim. Got up early before my daughter's soccer game and went to my YMCA only to find it was "Healthy Kids Day" Great, I say, but why do you have to close the gym for it!!! Ugh. I am on vacation all next week with little hope of doing anything but run. 

Hi Kim,
Welcome aboard! It's a great group. Very helpful and knowledgeable people here! 

Great hilly course today. I beat my last 10K (Marine Corp 10K - MCM 10K) by 13 minutes and on a much much more challenging course at that. Its hard to believe that when I did the MCM 10K in Octobr, I ran it at 14 1/2 min pace and today I ran a harder course at 12 1/2 min pace. Talk about progress!!

See my race report.
time was 1:19:30.


Lovey

Thanks for the advice!  I have good sneakers, but they're on the older side, so I'm going to try to get a new pair this week.  I'll have to see if I can find a place to Aqua-jog as that sounds terrific!  For now, I'm going to try the elliptical Tuesday and see how I do.  I'm resting at least two days between workouts instead of one, and I'll plan to keep it mellow until I get a feel for things.

Tomorrow my hubby and I are going out for our first bike ride together, so I'm looking forward to that.  He's awesome!  He commutes to and from work 20 miles a day via bike once the weather stabilizes a little.  Our ride will definitely be shorter, but it's the first time we'll go out together. 

Train well, everybody!

Hey GennX!  Thanks for the job hunt well wishes!  We're experiencing some hiring freezes around here, too, and lots of folks who aren't in a position to hire new grads.  But, this too shall pass. 

I do plan to register for the Danskin event once I figure out what's up with my knees and once a date is posted for their New England event.  It's still listed as TBD, and I have a few family commitments this fall, so I need to be sure there is no overlap.  I really hope it's going to work out because I feel inspired just contemplating it.

A question for the group at large: Do I need a special bike to participate, or is any bike ok?  I realize I may need to make changes if I continue to compete and start pushing for times, but for now, the bike I have is an old hand me down.  I had it tuned to make sure it was in good working order, but it isn't anything special. 

Hi Kim! Welcome aboard. What distance is the tri you and your hubby are signed up for?