Experior's Group, Take Two -- CLOSED (Page 5)

Did an easy run session this afternoon, took advantage of nice weather. Felt great running in shorts again.

I usually try to take the day off before a race.  I have no idea if that is a good thing to do or not... I'd actually be interested in knowing if that is what really good athletes do.  I had always heard that the day before a running race to try to stay off your feet.

Regardless... best of luck to you, Brian.  I smell a PR.  I think I had already mentioned about not going out super fast in the swim... nice and smooth!

-Stu

I figure I better get my shots in while I can, Phil :-)  Won't be too long until you're headed to Kona... your dedication to goals is amazing.  What I wasn't just sayin' was that I was sore all day after the bike ride... hoping to get a 35 miler in this weekend.  Looks like good weather.  Hope you had a good swim and that it didn't feel like starting over.

Got a good 5 mile recovery run in tonight. Felt like I could a lot faster, but I'm sticking with the plan. Boy, just running 13.1 miles sure does make a 5 mile run a lot easier.  Afterwards jumped in the pool.  Did 6 x 50 not great, but at least it wasn't like starting over again. In a few weeks I want to get up to a mile again. I'm sure it will come back pretty quickly............I hope.

Phil

It all goes to new toys for the bike and entry fees!

Yes, thank you for the reminder of nice and smooth.  I hope everyone else behind me follows that same plan so I don't feel the tap, tap, tap on my foot.  I think my swim may be a bit faster per 100 yds., but not much; bike I am hoping for an increase in average miles per hour somewhere in the high to mid 19's; and I think my run will be where my minutes will decrease; I think I can do 25 min or lower min 5k and if so that will be a big swing from last year.

I went to the pool this morning and swam in my new tri-suit to see what it felt like.  It was OK.  I also went to a Pearl Izumi outlet store and bought a running vest and some arm warmers just in case the weather is nippy in the morning.

I finally got to try my new waterproof case for the ipod last night. It worked great! It's a little inconvenient because theres no arm band- I had to tuck it into the jogging belt.  I'll try to brainstorm some other ways to attach it to me.

But, it made the pool run so much better! The time flew by, and I was definately working harder, because I had the beat to keep me moving.

Definately worth the $25, IMO.

Which waterproof case did you get?

I go this case:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0032UYHFY/ref=s9_simh_gw_p23_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0M5BBQ1J9QE9BZPF5T63&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938811&pf_rd_i=507846

I think I might have been able to get the smaller one.

I got the smaller sized one for my Ipod shuffle.  Its a little hard to get the ipod in and out, but works well.  Though after about 20 times the opening broke.  I'm better at it now with my second one, so this should last awhile longer.  All in all I like it.  I did get different head phones though.  I just stick it in the back of my swim suit.

Thanks Randy...I'll provide a race report on Sunday.

5K went really well this morning.  23.36 - Personal Best for me by a minute and a half and on a reasonably tough course (though maybe a little short?).  Every now and then I almost feel like I'm running / striding.  Kind of cool.

When I got home, checked on the sign-ups for the HIM... down to 9 spots so it was time to decide... I went ahead and signed up.  Expect many semi-panicked posts over the next 3 weeks, Michael!  Long bike ride planned for tomorrow.  It feels good to be back in racing season!

Hope you did well in your race this morning Brian... look forward to hearing an update.

-Stu

Edited by juneapple 2010-04-17 2:33 PM

Stu-That's an awesome PR! Great job.
And, congrats on signing up for the HIM.

I got on my bike trainer today! That's the first time in 5 weeks.

I taped the broken toe, wrapped the fx foot for support, and did 15 minutes at high cadence, low intensity. I'm usually a masher, so high cadence isn't easy for me to maintain.

Off to cook some linguini and clam sauce for dinner, then ice and elevation (just to be safe.)

Brian- looking forward to your race report. Is any one else racing this weekend?

-Heidi

Hey everyone.  I had a bit of a snafu, here.  I'm traveling with my son (his birthday present).  I specifically picked this hotel because it has free wireless (malfunctioning until now) and a 'first-rate' fitness room (their term).  Well, it turns out that means no treadmill, two non-functioning elliptical machines, a non-functioning stationary bike, a weight bench, and two 5 pound weights...

So, needless to say, it became a day off (unless you count standing in the sun watching a Revolutionary War re-enactment for 5 hours).

Anyway, I've seen lots of action here has occurred in the past few days.  Sorry I didn't get a chance to respond promptly, and even more that I couldn't wish this weekend's racers a great race.  I'll see about replying now, as my son finished watching 'Ghostbusters' (hey, it's his BIRTHDAY trip...).

The earlier you are in your training, the more frequently you should test.  I'd say maybe once every 4-6 weeks.  Later in the season, and later in your 'career', testing can be less frequent, because your LT (and your velocity at LT) changes less rapidly.

Do bear in mind that we are testing VELOCITY at LT.  On the bike, this is great for trainer work, not so much for outdoor work.  Outdoors I tend to go by HR and RPE, which I try to dial in on the trainer first.

For the run, the test works pretty well.  Training by McMillan's calculated paces or Daniels' VDOT paces should yield very similar results.



x2!  That looks like a great race!  I look forward to hearing all about it.

You can ride in three different positions on a road bike (more or less) -- the drops (lower part of the bars), the hoods (hands on top of the brakes/shifters), or even more upright on the top of the bars (near the stem).

Whether and how easy it is to shift from the drops will depend on what sort of shifters you have.  But in any case, you should be able (with practice) to stay more or less in the aero position and put your hand wherever it needs to be for a moment to shift.

Keep experimenting and keep riding!  Experience is by far the best teacher here.

Different people do different things.  Some people like to do a light workout of some sort.  Running is probably not a great idea.  Swimming and biking are OK.  But remember that there is absolutely ZERO chance of gaining fitness at this point.  That possibility ended long ago.  This 'workout' is just to loosen up, get rid of nervous energy, or whatever.

I think that the only honest answer here is to experiment and see what works best for you.

Fabulous!

I have two kinds of running dreams (weird, I know).  In one, try as I might, I can't run faster than around 1 mile per hour.  In the other, I float along almost effortlessly.  I'm hoping to make the latter dream come true some day...



It sure does!  Get those long bikes in -- that's the best thing you can do for your HIM training.

Trainer -- yay!

Ice and elevation -- smart.

I hope that's the beginning of a return to bike training for you.  Be careful though!

Way to Go Stu.  Feels so good to really nail it and and take off some huge time.  That hard training pays off!!!!

My race isn't until Sunday Morning, but I'll certainly provide a report.  Went on a short 20 minute bike ride this afternoon and then practiced my transitions.  Felt good.

Congratulations Stu.  How fun.

Yay!  Looking forward to seeing more of this!  And masher is a new term for me... is this another of those English terms we're throwing around here lately?  LOL

Fast thoughts headed Brian's way... ooops on the day.  I can tell I'm still in running race mode. 

The training was probably the main thing.  But the other piece is the weight coming off.  I'm down about 10 lbs from last year.  No doubt another 15 would make a huge difference.  I keep visualizing 3 5lb sacks of potatoes on the back on my bike... really hoping to be out of the Clydesdale category by the June races. 



Practicing transitions the day before the race... now that is an excellent idea!!