kenj mentor group - back for another great season! CLOSED (Page 50)

I just got that book and could not put it down.  I've been working on form and now I have to get the cadence up.  I bought one of those cadence counters that you stick in your swim cap.  Doing 62/minute.  It is taking out the dead spots.  I also am trying her idea to keep my elbows higher.  That will take work, but I trust her analysis of why fast swimmers are fast.  I need to focus on propulsion.  Plus her reasons for keeping elbows high make perfect sense.

Good news on your FTP.  The Inverted Periodization Training format works for me.  More intensity early when we are stuck indoors so shorter, harder workouts make sense on the treadmill and bike trainer, then add endurance later.  I have had to had distance to the run early because of the marathon next month.  Did I say "next month?"  Jeez. 

This training year is going really well. 

I will look into trying the cadence counter, where did you get that Ice?

Great times from the sounds of it DJ!!  Stay warm and enjoy the balance of your riding!

Finis Tempo Trainer Pro.  I got mine from Amazon.  Cheapest I could find.  Love the gadget.  Really is helping kill the dead spots.

I made it!

I drove down from Winnipeg to Minneapolis. The interstate was absolutely treacherous, covered with ice and very slow going. I left early and got there in plenty of time, but it was a tense drive.

I flew direct on Sun Country airlines from Minneapolis to Harlingen, TX. My parents are snow birds and they winter in Weslaco. I am spending 3 weeks here. I brought my bike down with me and my coach has put together a nice triathlon training camp for me. I met up with about 30 riders today out of the Bicycle World RGV in McAllen and we went for a "leisurely" 45km ride. Double pace line, speeds up to 50 km/hr and a final sprint to the finish line. It is quite the change from riding indoors on the trainer for the last 4 months. I left Winnipeg and it was -11. I get to Texas and it is 85 and sunny, and only getting hotter. This is going to be a super fun 3 weeks. Hopefully I can cram in about a dozen golf games as well.

Hey Becky! that wouldn't be a big deal to me either.  That transition brick seems pretty short, almost like a recovery workout.  Especially for a long course athlete like you!   I'd say that's a perfect workout the day befor a long bike or run.  I'd be more worried about doing long runs after hard bikes or long bike days.  Those, to me seem, to be recipe's for injury as you'd be doing a long run on tired legs and may secrifice form.

Have a great time down there!  Enjoy the warm weather!

I don't think changing to participate in the run program is a problem.  Especially more than 17 weeks out, inside 17 weeks and the race specific work becomes more important.  But even then, you can debate the value of doing transitions runs every week.  For time management, sure they can be of big value, but for race adaptation, every week is not necessary.

I read your blog Becky, very good.  One thing that I learned and have share repeatedly after my weight loss was something you mentioned.  If I took a cheat day, or meal, learning to get up the next morning like it never happened and continue on with the plan is a key to success.  So many people say I screwed it up, might as well keep on the bender! 

I am down to the last 3 or 4 weeks of where I can keep on dieting and I still have about 10 pounds to lose.  The body fat percentage is still coming down, but the pounds dropping have definitely slowed.  That said, I am at a weight I haven't seen in decades so every additional pound is a victory to some degree.  The 3 to 4 week time limit is due to my coach not wanting me at a consistent calorie deficit of any significance when the race specific training starts, plus we want to start the nutrition training part of the race prep as well.

2 things to share....

Workouts have been tough the last couple weeks.  My sinus and allergy problems have really flared up.  I've skipped some workouts and stayed out of the pool a lot.    Felling like a slacker lately!

I'm now having second thoughts on my road bike purchase.  Wow have the price of bikes went up.  It seems the higher end bikes are no longer around $6k, but now around 8-12K!!!   I was kinda hoping to get an upper middle of the road type bike for around $4k.  Seems like those bikes are now $5-6k!!   I'm not sure what to get now.  Especially when the road bike is really a backup.  TT bike is my primary!  I'm wondering if the money is better spent in training equipment for the basement or upgrades to my TT bike.

I've always found that, by the time I replace whats worn and make things the way I want them, I spend as much as a new bike would be anyhow! LOL

Plus, when you buy a used bike you don't get a warranty.  I've had to trash a bike I spent a lot of money on and then had a warranty issue only to find out it wasn't extended to the second owner.  That was a REAL kick in the face!! 

Wow Ken that's great!

I'm slowly starting to shed some pounds. 

Good deal Adam! Thanks!

BTW, I was in your part of the world yesterday.  Meeting in Melville and dinner in Oyster Bay. 

robingray_260 - 2013-03-13 6:42 PM Back from spring break vacation.  I was able to get a couple of nice runs in during the first part which made a good run week for me last week.  Then took 4 days off straight.   Back at it now and focusing on the bike for the next week or so.  No more big trips planned and down to the last 2 months of training!

Glad you had a good time Robin!! 

Cool! That part of the island is a little west of me about an hour or so.

Listen, my friend.  If you can't find a great bike for $4,000, run from those dealers.  There are plenty who will be glad to fix you up.  I got a great Specialized Shiv last year that listed for $3500 or so with very nice SRAM Force.  The bike shop helped me sell two bikes I didn't need, my former Orbea TT bike and a Specialized Stumpjumper.  They got top dollar for both.  By the time it was over, I had $900 new money in the new bike.  I traded out my SRAM Red stuff and RTC shifters and the wheels for what I had on my TT bike and I've got a great bike.  You aren't that far from Bloomington-Normal if you want a heads up.  But look around up there.  What in the world are you looking at for components?  $12,000 bikes are TdF level. I love bikes.  Glad to chat about them any time.

BTW, Dura Ace is far more expensive than Ultegra but Ultegra looks good in my view and works as well.  SRAM Red is great but so is SRAM Force.  The difference in most of these things is weight, a few grams.  You are talking to someone who lost 200 pounds.  A few grams do not impress me.  I got the SRAM RED compact crank new/used.  A guy never had it on his bike.  The RTC shifters were not that terribly much and I consider them a safety investment.  They are much easier to work, my hands stay straight and comfortable.

Good show on the weight loss everyone.  I am at 211, down from about 220 before Christmas.  Best race weight is 207.  I was there in 2o10 but very weak upper body.  Now I focused on kettlebells for a year, very strong upper body so I am probably 9 to 10% body fat at the moment, so not a hell of a lot left to lose. 

I lost a bunch on Paleo last year but didn't have any energy when I needed it.  I abandoned it after a bad FTP test in December that probably resulted from a bout of flu and no juice from the Paleo thing.  My last FTP was killer, 2% down from my highest ever.  I'm basically eating a well balanced diet of lean meat, veggies, fruit and whole grains and sweet potatoes with an occasional white potato.  The whole grains was a big plus for me, I think.  When you look at it it really is the only difference between Paleo and what I'm doing.   I am not Gluten intolerant - the VAST majority of people aren't - and I respond well to the grains.  Also back to using Chia seeds and some nuts. 

If I could do it without losing power, I would like to hit under 205 by IronMan.  I suspect that it will happen naturally when I start riding outside long as well as running long, which I'm already doing. 

Great year so far.

Made it back from a week in Moab with the family.  Riding through Arches was awesome, and I also did a great trail run in Canyonlands yesterday.  (Luckily I was switching off rides with my husband so I missed the first day of rain and snow!)  DJ, you are tough to do all the rides!

This is a rest and test week, and then I will start my first Build period.  Started going through the workouts and YIKES.  There is a lot of hard work scheduled.  I am definitely feeling intimidated.  Starting to look forward to my first tri next month, though.  It's that amazing time in the season when anything is possible, including beating that girl I couldn't quite catch last summer...

Interesting take on the Paleo diet Ice.  Glad you found what works for you. 

Glad you had a great trip!!

Don't look too far ahead, easier to digest one day at a time!