Colin Cook's Group - CLOSED (Page 6)

Hey guys and gals, it has been quiet on the forum for the last couple of days so I figured I would give everyone an update.

I have successfully finished my 1st 2 weeks of HIM training and am still alive.  I also have not missed a workout.  A couple things I have noticed over the last 2 weeks:

 - my swimming is probably stronger than I thought it would be at this point
 - Jorge's winter maintenance program (what I did of it) has helped, but I still have a LONG way to go on the bike
 - I need to focus on not going too hard on my runs so as not to contribute to any injuries (shin splints), especially at this stage of the process
 - The Garmin 305 I purchased has really helped to pace myself
 - I am not as exhausted as I thought I would be, but I am definitely sleeping more than I used to

We 3 started this morning with an easy 40 minute run with the wife bright and early.  I am very excited to continue on this path with the ultimate test being June 6th.

I hope everyone is well and sticking to their training plans.  Be well.

Hi everybody!

I’m new here.  Colin has been helping me outside of this mentor group.  I think he decided that it would be easier to help me if I joined, so he invited me.  Thanks Colin! 

Name:  My name is Skip and my username is skiplong. 

Story:  I have not yet done any triathlons, but I have signed up to do my first Sprint on May 23^rd.  The need, desire and opportunity have come together for me to take the leap into this crazy lifestyle and give it a try.  I’ve never competed in high school or college sports.  Well, I did track a couple years in high school so I could put it on my college application.  But I’ve always enjoyed being active.  I grew up hiking all through the Appalachian Mountains, spent some time in the Army and became fit and mean, have done well with weight lifting, have done some rock climbing, and for a while in Huntington Beach, CA I got into mountain biking and surfing.  I also love backpacking and will jump at any opportunity to do so.  So, though I enjoy being active, I will admit that I was less active than I should have been and have managed to put on plenty of pounds.  I moved to eastern VA recently where it’s very flat, so no more mountain biking.  I had been toying with the idea of triathlon for years, and now it’s time! 

Status:  I’ve been married to the same wonderful girl and love of my life for almost 14 years and have no kids.  (Our two dogs and one cat are enough for now!) 

Current Training:  I started training back in September, 2009 by walking around the block at my apartment.  Since then I have built up.  My current goal is to try to train five times per week.  I have a short loop run (2.9 miles) and a long loop run (4.0 miles).  At my current weight of 260 (down from 275) I don’t run more than twice per week.  It’s just too tough on my joints and legs.  I intend to stay injury free!  I have built my swimming to 1000+ yard sessions and am having some trouble deciding which direction to go to further my swim training.  I have had to mostly bike on a stationery bike as the weather has only allowed me to bike outside (on my new Christmas present) once.  (No comments from the vast majority of this group on how easy I have it!)

2010 Races:  As stated, I signed up for my first Sprint in May.  I want to do an additional Sprint in July and maybe, just maybe, finish my season with an Oly in September.  I may be able to do some other pickup local races if available—5K’s and short bike stuff. 

Weightloss:  Yes.  I’m at 260, down from 275.  My long term goal is 225.  (My next short term goal is 250 by tax day.)  Extra long term I don’t know how low I want to go.  My LBM is about 180 lbs, so getting below 200 is a major reach goal right now.  So I’m going to stay focused on 225 and adjust as necessary when I get there. 

Hi Colin,

Thanks for sharing our article with your group! Part III is almost done, currently stuck behind some writer's block for a week or two...but I'll get it done!

One poster described a confusion about training with heart rate vs power. Yes, we do recommend that athletes train with power if they have means to purchase a powermeter and the right gadget-friendly personality to make the headspace investment in learning how to use one. But one of the first things I ask athletes training with heart rate is "do you have fancy race wheels, especially a rear wheel or disk?" If the answer is yes, I recommend they at least sell the back wheel, maybe the front, to help finance a powermeter. In our experience, the powermeter is simply a better investment than race wheels.

That said, it's a pretty simple manner to translate/apply the lessons of power training to heart rate based training. For example, I could write a cycling workout like this:

2 x 20' @ 95-100%/Zone 4/Hard, where:

• 95-100% is guidance for power athletes. Ride at 95-100% of your Functional Threshold Power (FTP), determined by a time trial.
• Zone 4 is your Zone 4 heart rate, as a percentage of your Lactate Threshold Heart Rate (LTHR), determined during that same time trial above.
• Hard is...the perceived exertion that the interval is "hard."

Three different tools (power, heart rate, perceived exertion), same workout, nearly the same results accomplished.

Thanks again,

Colin and Rich,
firts off thanks Colin for the link to the Endurance Nation stuff, great read very insightful. I spent most of yesterday and last night trying to digest it all.
Rich, thanks for responding to the thread we posted. I think I am the guy your refering to regarding HR and power. I do not have the fancy race wheels on my bike and as much as I would like to get a power meter it won't happent this season. Thanks for the reply regarding RPE/POWER AND LTH. I am trying to train most of the time in RPE and LTH  and it seems to help me with my training and my approach to training.
Thanks again
Dave

Taking The Plunge