Fred Doucette's Half-Iron and Ironman Focused Group! -CLOSED! (Page 52)

Glad to hear the good news Kathy.

This user's post has been ignored.

Hey guys,

Been off the grid for a bit due to work / life getting in the way of the real important stuff of training but back in the saddle now.

Looks like you guys have been getting some awesome training in. All the talk of power monitoring has got me interested ..... but maybe for next season.

This user's post has been ignored.

This user's post has been ignored.

Same to you!

I missed out on doing my swim this evening due to "sky falling" at work so going to rejig the week to get it all back in. All fun and games getting this lot to fit together, right?

I've been having some difficulty getting a good flow of training in the last few weeks. My volume has been above where my HIM training program would be but I've started doing these 5:30am spin classes two days a week. This means I'm up at 5am to do these classes but then I don't have to be to work until 10am.  I have this 2 hour down time until I go to work which is just wasted time. Other days I put my wife to bed about 9pm - 10pm and then head off to the gym for at least an hour. Sometimes I get home at about midnight and I'm back at it at 5am the next day. My volume has dropped a bit but I'm a lot more tired now than I have ever been. I've also been getting up early on the weekends to get group rides and runs in but I also have had plans on Friday and Saturday nights. I don't feel overly busy but I just can't get a rhythm of sleep and awake time and it's starting to affect my overall energy level.

I'm not a morning person and have lived as a night owl for as long as I can remember. My training was great when I would get the majority of it done during the week at night and earlier on Sat & Sun. I would usually only get up one day a week early to train and that was usually Saturday for my long group ride. Now, I'm all over the place and I wouldn't say I'm enjoying it. There is also a Master's swim program that is either Monday or Friday from 5:45a to 7a and I would like to do that at least once a week but I just can't see getting up early one more day a week.

Has anyone transitioned from night owl to morning person? I'm in no mans land and struggling.

I've always been a morning person. Your schedule sounds "challenging" to say the least. It doesn't look like there is enough time between workouts to recover and or sleep.
Perhaps it would help to prioritize which workouts are the most important. Is spinning with the group and masters worth switching your schedule? Do you get in the type of workout that you need to advance on your HIM plan? Is it the best use of your time? Or would it be best to switch back to your normal night training?

I tried to incorporate group rides and runs into training when initially switching over to longer distance triathlons. The workouts weren't geared towards my training plan or goals. I have a hard time staying in my zones when training with a group. The competitive juices get flowing and zones go out the window. Also as you get further along in training the time commitment for your workouts will increase. For me it is easier to do the majority of my workouts alone.

If you have a 2 hour gap between workouts then throw in your recovery/easier workout for the day. Or you could do my favorite thing- NAP!

Edited by Catwoman 2011-02-16 5:14 AM

Todd - my opinion on this (and strictly my opinion), is that you are trying too hard to force fit the workouts.  I base this on a couple of things.

1)  Feeling really tierd.  I've bee through that before, and told myself - it's okay, I'm getting the workouts in, etc, etc.  When it got closer to race time, my mind and my body said I needed a break, and I didn't perform well.  It happens, and you've got to learn to listen to your body.  January was my biggest bike month ever, but I felt good.  If I was starting to wear myself out then I would look at scaling things back and bit, and evaluating what I can "reasonably manage".

2)  Transitioning from night owl to morning person is really tough.  I'm in the same boat as you, and after 4 years at this I still prefer an afternoon or evening workout to one in the morning.  I continue to struggle getting out of bed, and that's just because life keeps me up in the evenings sometimes, and I need my sleep.  My suggestion would be that on later nights, you simply have to scrap the idea of an early morning workout.  Only do the am workouts when "you" feel you're getting enough sleep.  If you tell yourself you can get away with 5-6 hours, you're probably kidding yourself - at least I am when I try to force one of the am workouts in.

3)  Finally - you should be enjoying the journey.  It's not to say there aren't hard days, tough workouts, the need for some HTFU.  But in the end, if you don't enjoy it, then what's the point?  Forcing yourself to do the work is tough to do, and needed sometimes, but if it becomes the routine then something's got to give.  Been there - hence the lengthy diatribe.

Good luck in finding some balance.

Yes, as a Brand Champion I got some great discounts on their products.  To the point that I basically only buy Sugoi now.

RSE Bibs - those are sweet.  Even some of the "lower" lines are awesome.  I got another pair of Evolution shorts at Xmas, and have been loving them.

Todd,

I think Neil brought up some really good points.

Long ago I was a night owl...then we had kids and was forced to change my ways. I changed gradually.

Training needs to fit into your life in a way that is fun. Why try to force your training in the morning when it doesn't seem to fit you?

I find the more I arrange training around my life the easier it is to get training in. When I try to force it or put to much training in a busy day, I don't get all my training in and then feel guilty and mad at myself over skipped workouts. Over time I have figured out what works best. Every season when our kids activities change, it takes some adjusting to figure out what works around my commitments.

Right now we two puppies, I have to adjust my training a bit around them as I don't want them to be home alone to much or home while my husband is working from home being noisy.

Can you train during lunch? If you could do runs 2-3x a week you could have those days be double training days with a swim or bike after work.

My suggestion is to look at your normal week, and mark out when you have other commitments, when pool hours are good for you, when you can fit training in easily and work your training plan around what really works. If you are following a plan, you can rearrange the workout days to fit your life better.

This user's post has been ignored.

Some good comments above about fitting training around 'life'.

The main thing I don't like about early workouts is that the WU period seems harder/longer.  Once I get going I'm fine, but the body is just stiffer in the morning than in the afternoon and its harder to crank it up.  Especially during the colder months.

This was just as true for me 20 yrs ago as it is today.

I had a great run today. I felt significant better than most recent runs

This user's post has been ignored.

Glad to hear the good news Kathy.

So where did you get them?

Good to here Kathy. 

http://www.departmentofgoods.com/sugoi-rse-bib-short-mens-sug0489

I'm honestly not sure how - I must have clicked a link through gearscan or bonktown - but I got a 40% off coupon on these and they were only $120...if they had any more mediums, I would have definitely gotten another pair.  I also got the Craft Elite Attack and planned to keep the one I liked better, and it wasn't even close...I really didn't like the fit, chamois or feel of the Crafts.

ETA: my one gripe is that I really like the shorts w/o the leg grippers.  I have a pair of LGs and DeSoto tri shorts that just have regular short material (a little tighter) at the cuff.  I really don't like the grippy feel that most shorts have (these have it, but it's no worse than average to me). 

Edited by jsiegs 2011-02-16 9:31 PM

Haha, I hate spoiling myself...now that I've tried the best, they make the lower end stuff feel like burlap.  (j/k) 

ThanksI wear Sugoi RS tri short very comfortable.I have been wanting the Sugoi bib shorts for awhile. I am wearing Descente and Pearl Izumi bibs for the past several years.