Ernesto's group - CLOSED (Page 5)

here is the link to my swim...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR_-WhMnZjY

and my garmin connect is under jenputnam.

I haven't been using a heart rate monitor so I don't have accurate readings.  With the bike I struggle with rideing on a beach path that includes turns and people....  Not to mention traffic and waiting on people.  I don't have the best depictions of my cylcling.  I try to think that the wind resistance helps my training

I have the book and I've been reading.  Thank you for the suggestion

Ironbaby,

What did you do to lose the 25 lbs?  I'm an "off the couch"er as well.  (I used to have a joke:  Q: You know what I could do to exercise more?  A: exercise.)  For me, it was low carb, and later paleo.  Interested in knowing what worked for you.

Just wanted to stop in and say HI, wow how the group has grown!

Mike,

About swimming, as stated in previous comments, it is good to join a swimming team or Masters group (don't be intimidated by the name, they have slow people). The progress in the pool is directly proportional to your yards in the pool. Also, swimming fitness carries over to run and bike much better.

Since you go to the gym, spinning classes are good (if done right). They will develop some fast twitch muscles and help you to create adaptations for the bike. However, one long ride (slow) must be done outside every week.

About running, I need more info. Give me links to your garmin connect and I'll give you some feedback. One great way to do speed is on the track. It is flat, always the same and the splits can be measured very accurately.

Talking about the swim plans, I can break them down for you. Just send me one that you want to do and I'll explain in detail.

In general Mike, base miles at low speeds are needed in all three sports to become good at them. Speedwork is necessary but it shouldn't be more than 10% give or take.

I hope this is enough to get you started. Keep asking questions...

Jen,

The video is private, it doesn't let me see it.

Nice to hear from you Tyson! How's your surfing going?

Ironbaby,

Don't worry, at thirty one years of age I decided to quit smoking (I was up to two packs a day) and I smoked since the age of fourteen. I drank like a fish too and the first day I ran I was 208lbs in a 5'9" body. I almost died in less than a 1/4 mile but I was up to one mile in a couple of weeks.

Every journey begins with the first step, even if it sounds cliche this is the biggest universal truth.

Congratulations on beginning that journey, your dreams are just waiting for you. All you have to do is pursue them...

I wish, I had stories to tell about it but unfortunately thats not the case.

Due to long hours, I was in habit of eating lunch/dinner out pretty much 90% of the time. That was the first thing to be cutdown (never stopped) but restricted it to 2-3meals outside. Reduced amounts, smaller meals, snacking on 100calories granola bars, fruits etc. Don't go out much on weekends for last few months so weekend splurging on drinking/eating was drastically minimized. This got me to around 216-217lbs and stuck there for a while. Then, started running 5-6weeks ago to train for a 10K and that provided the needed variation. Its been okay so far as I my daily requirement was around 2300 calories and I could easily do under that amount. But now I need to control the calories intake around 1500 as my weight drops and thats where it is getting difficult. Hopefully increased intensity in exercising will help but my weightloss is pretty much on the edge.

One guy at my work eats little fruit cups (store brand that come in syrup; not fresh) throughout the day to substitute for breakfast/lunch (8-10 quantity) and keeps a normal dinner. His claim is he lost about 30lbs in last 5-6weeks. I wouldn't do that... just wouldn't be able to sustain it in long term.

I admire guys who can stick to hardcore low-carb/special diets. What was your low-carb method? Can you share details?

Hi guys!

Just got back home from Port Macquire after a loooong drive. So happy to have your support,  wishes, following me there, everything. Thank you so much for that!!!

It was a long day and harder than I expected because of the wind, hills and very rough road surface. My mission was to complete it and I did. The bike almost desintegrated itself on that 'chip and seal' road which I would rather compare to cobblestones... Took 2 wrong turns adding some distance, jammed the chain between the ring and frame, missed the turn on the run (it was already dark), had cramping quads - the usual. It all becomes totally insignificant though when you enter the finish chute and thousands of people are screaming for you while Mike Riley announces: Mark Zielinski - YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!

 I thought it was just a dare for me to do it, but it turned out much more than that. You feel like you are a part of this family and this will stay with you forever. It was unbelievable...

Thanks  again, I will write a proper RR of course, but now I don't quite know where to start...

ok...I changed it to public.. 

Sorry

group still say OPEN ... still OK to join... if so pls add

used to ride bikes a lot in my teens, nothing over 30-35 miles and never timed/race ... grew up rowing and swimming, especially ocean - breast was my competative stroke... running started later; longest was a 10K ... then got involved with my kids' soccer (coached, reffed, played a little) ... nothing really for over 15 years (weight and joint issues kept me relatively inactive [walked and swam, a little])

last Aug i could not do 2 flights of stairs (pain and [lack of] conditioning) and weighed 256; in Nov (still having not changed my phys activity), at 206 i committed to an IronMan in 2011 (only to find they were all full!) - found Chesapeake Man open and signed up - 2nd week in the gym and i was asking my self "WHAT DID I DO???"

am up to 3-400 mins/week on the bike (mostly in the gym) and now that my knee is healed from an injury i will be getting back into the pool (maybe 60+ mins/week) ... only bike i own is a mountain bike (so far), crawl was never strong, and still not running (yet) ... am semi-retired so i have time available - when do i need to start getting serious about my training?

NO low carbs, GOOD carbs is the keyword. And ggod fats. Dome a favor and get the book by Maffetone. Your constant fights with cravings are a huge bad carb addiction.

Are you referring to Big Book of Endurance... by P Maffetone?

I also spent some time reading Joe Friel's book (training guide to triathlons) but much of it seemed geared towards advanced/pro athletes. I got few useful bits out of it but most was beyond where I am right now.

I'm kind of in between on the low-carb, good-carb business.  That is, I think if you cut out bad carbs, you can't help but lower your total carbs, so you don't ever really get to know whether it was low carbing or good carbing that did the trick.  But cutting out or at least limiting bad carbs does work for me. 

I cut out: sugared drinks.  (artificially sweetened as well, but that is more of a no-articificial kick).  grains.  (no wheat, rice, corn). Sugar and high fructose corn syrup out as well.  No fruit juice.

I eat: Lots of animal products, lots of vegetables, lots of fruits (which are high carb, but I count them as good carbs).  Some potatoes and sweet potatoes. 

As for fats, I tend to take the natural route and not worry about good or bad.   So I eat animal fats and olive oil and eggs, but try to eliminate or cut down on seed oils.   (To make olive oil, you squeeze olives.  To make corn or any other seed oil, you need a science lab.)   The animal fats would be better if I worried more about what the animals ate (grass fed is better than grain fed).

And I've had some success (from 186 to 160).  But anyone's mileage may vary, both in weight loss results and triathlon performance.  Fact is, Ernesto is a much better athlete than me.  So, if I were you, I would take his advice, and buy the book he recommends.  I probably will.  

Congratulations Mark.  `Despite everything...you are an IRONMAN!!  

Jen

Jen,

Good things from your video: you look down in the pool and your head is ¾ submerged which is exactly what you need to keep your body streamlined. Most triathletes lift their heads up (all the time, not only for sighting) and that causes the hip to sink, therefore creating a massive drag. I still do a bit of that myself.

Areas of improvement:

-         Kick: you’re doing a one beat kick (one stroke, one kick) and it is weak. You need to get a kickboard to isolate the legs and work about 20% of your yards solely on this part. The good part is that the ankles are flexible, toes are pointy. Also, keep your feet closer to the surface. The turnover has to be increased at least double (two beat kick). Even though nobody gets a lot of propulsion from kicking (it only accounts for about 10 or 15%) it does set the rest of the body for good rotation and hand entry.

-         Stroke: biggest area of improvement for you, I counted 40 strokes in one half lap and 39 in the other one, clear sign that you’re not displacing almost any water, more like you’re trying to move but it doesn’t happen. Solution: get paddles, they will straighten your hand in the water (because the angle corrects itself with the paddle) and it will give you more strength. Also, get a pullbuoy to isolate the upper part of your body and concentrate in hand entry, pull phase and recovery. Another thing I noticed is that your left arm is not quite finishing the pull (you pull it out of the water before it’s done).

Yes to the book from Maffetone. You're absolutely right about Friel's also.

Thanks for the feedback!

Masters swim - The gym does have a masters group, but it would take some major schedule adjustments for that to work.  I will keep on trying the TI way, and and then reevaluate after I've had a chance to put some of that in place.

Ah, the spinning class.  A cold, dark room with thumping club music twice as loud as I can handle.  I think I'd rather go to the dentist.  Are there any sources that might indicate what they're doing, so I can do it on my own?  I can definitely do a long ride once a week, though I'm not clear on what is 'long' exactly.  2x sprint, 1.5x sprint?  People sure seem to pay attention to heart rates on these long rides.  Any ideas on where I could get recommendations on what kind of HR goals I should have (if I ever get the HRM working)?  I do have Joe Friel's book, though it's next in line after TI.

Running is where I'd like to concentrate, as I think gains here would help my overall placing in a race.  I don't know what you mean by "links to my Garmin connect".  I upload info to my computer, then into BT.  My BT logs are public, I know, so I'm visible there.  Sounds like there's some online database you're looking to connect to, but I'm unfamiliar with it.  If you can point me in the right direction, I will try to make the history visible to you if I can.

Sorry for all the really basic questions.  If there are articles or other links that would help, I don't mind doing the research on my own so I'm not taking up too much of the discussion here.

Question about Tapering:

Ernesto, (and everyone else).

I have an "A race" coming up on May 14 (a week from Saturday), a half-marathon.   This is what I have been training for recently, along with my first Olympic Triathlon one month later (June 11th).  My plan for the half marathon is 13 7:35 miles (where going faster or slower for any given mile I will consider to be bad) for a total time of just under 1:40.    If I get under 1:45, I can sign up for first corral of the Twin Cities Marathon.  I don't know why that matters to me, since I've never done a marathon before, and haven't even decided to do the Twin Cities yet, but it does.  

I haven't yet started to taper.   Tomorrow, I plan on intervals (try for, say, 4   6:50 1 mile intervals with 2 minute rests), and Friday about a 10 mile run at 1 minute per mile slower than my planned half marathon pace. 

After that, not so sure what is optimal. 

1) My daughter has just signed up for a Race for the Cure 5K on Sunday and needs a ride.  I've never run a timed 5K before.  Since it's chip timed, I'm tempted to go for as fast a time as possible. (I think I might have a shot for 21 min).  Is this a bad idea regarding tapering (six days before)?

2) What about the rest of the week?  Not only regarding runs, but also regarding swims and bike rides.  Does one have to lay off the swims and bikes as well as the runs when tapering for a run?

Hah!  I know EXACTLY what you mean.

Mike, 

Take a look at my training log.  You will see a link in the comment section of each activity.  It got there because I first uploaded my workout to Garmin Connect before I uploaded it to BT.   When I was looking at the activity in Garmin Connect, I went up to the address line and copied something like "http://connect.garmin.com/activity/83271094".  (In fact, if you do this correctly, you will get exactly this except for a different number at the end).  Then, after I uploaded my workout to BT, in the comment section I paste this line.  Then when anyone clicks on it, they get all the information on your workout.   That is what Ernesto wants to be able to do. 

Chris

Hello Ernesto (and everyone else)!  I'm getting a bit of a late start, but I'd love to join your group.  Here's my bio:

NAME: username: gameSETmatch / first name: Stefan

STORY: I just signed up for my first triathlon - the Nation's Tri in Washington, DC on September 11.  I'm 35, and after the many years of only moderate activity since college, I started running about 2 years ago.  I've completed 6 half marathons since, and finally beat my goal of 2 hours at last summer's Rock 'n' Roll half in San Diego.  A good friend and I decided to attempt our first triathlon together, and have set our sights on the Olympic distance.
While I feel good about my general endurance level, I have virtually no experience (beyond casual) with cycling or swimming, and the swimming is by far the most daunting part of this endeavor.  I would like to do a sprint in perhaps July or August to get a feel for the transitions.  Also, while I live in San Diego I'm commuting back and forth to Houston for work for the next month or so, so training beyond running will be a little tricky.

FAMILY STATUS: Dating a wonderful girl that is a fellow runner.

CURRENT TRAINING: I'm in the last 1/3 of Hal Higdon's intermediate half marathon training program, for my race on June 5.  I have not yet begun swimming/cycling training.
 
THIS YEAR'S RACES: Ran the Carlsbad half marathon in January, and running the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll half marathon on June 5.
 
2010 RACES:  San Diego Half Marathon Triple Crown (Carlsbad, La Jolla and America's Finest City half marathons) and the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon.

Is it too late to join this group?

Thank you Ernesto.  I had been working on keeping my head down so now that I have that, I can move on to the other areas.  I have both a pull buoy and kick board.  I use them both for drill sets of 4 by 25.  I saw the same thing with not completing the pull on the left side.  I tried focusing on it the last 2 swims.  

As for hand entry and paddles.  Will this help me to learn how to "move" in the water?  And if I purchased them today, would I benefit from there use over the next 2 weeks before the Tri?