Tri-Z mentor group - Closed for Now (Page 6)

Hi everyone!!  Sounds like folks are doing well.  I'm feeling great this week.  My goals are still at the beginner level, and I'm just fine with that.

Monday - Walked/Ran for 50 minutes.  10 minutes of those was running.  I then worked on core exercises and some strength training.

Thursday - (the next day I can fit it in): I'll do a repeat of Monday.  I'm sort of having to modify the Couch to 5K plan because it's so difficult to regularly workout during the weeks my kids are with me.  Depending on how much time I have, I'll try to get on a bike for a bit.

Sunday - that same walking/running/core/strength-type workout, and i'll work in some time on a bike.

Next week I'll tweak things up a bit and get in the pool.  The lap lanes are open late, and my daughter wants to join me, so hopefully that'll help.

My Y is doing an indoor tri on March 1.  I think I'll sign up for that.  It will at least give me a chance to do all 3 at one time.

As far as training fun: gosh, I haven't really had anything very funny happen to me, yet!  Can't wait for that!! 

Enjoy the day everyone!

dawn

Dawn, why don't you enter your workouts in your training log?  It's so much fun to see how much you've done at the end of a week, or month!!  Keep plugging away, every little bit helps, at least I hope so!

Hilde

Dawn,

 adding to hilde's comment--it's also so rewarding to look back at your progress, where you begin and where you are now!!!

Not so funny to me--like sara jo--I clipped in the first time I rode my tri. bike (keep in mind I thought i could ride not having been on a bike in at least ten or so years) in my drive way and went down with the bike in the grass.  so, i thought i could master it later that day and fell two more times in a high school parking lot with kids and parents around for the friday night football game.  have three scares to prove it!

Funny--last tri. i did i was so focused on transition from bike to run and knew jenny was around. she had already completed before i was done.  so, i started running with everything on--sunglasses, running shoes, and my bike helmet-woops!  newbies--don't forget to take your helmet off  BEFORE you leave transition.

Here is more running info - this time dealing with speedwork.  Fartleks (fun to say), intervals, and tempo runs are ways to train your body to go faster.  Remember that you can NOT compare your runs to somebody elses.  We are all at different levels and have different goals.

From an article by Josh  Clark,

"As with all your runs, you should start and finish your specialized sessions with easy running, preferably longer than the typical ten or fifteen minutes you might do before your normal training run. With all of these workouts, you're pushing your body close to its limits, and it's unwise either to start or stop suddenly. Stretch well and give yourself 10 minutes of easy running, both before and after the workout.

The Building Blocks

This section focuses on the three basic varieties of speed workouts (fartlek, intervals and tempo runs), along with the benefits of each and the most productive ways to use these tools. Meanwhile, don't forget to review our pointers for hill workouts.

Before we begin, though, a plug for the all-important cousin of the speed workout: the easy run. Recovery (i.e. the easy run) is probably the most important piece of a good training program, and it should not be dismissed. Too many runners, hellbent on increasing speed and mileage, completely overlook the importance of the easy run, often running themselves into injury. Your body needs a chance to rest, so make sure that somewhere between those killer hill workouts and gutsy interval sessions you manage to squeeze in some rest -- and plenty of it.

Fartlek>

It's true: fartlek is almost as fun to do as it is to say. "Fartlek" is Swedish for "speed play" and consists of bursts of speed in the middle of a training run. Essentially, it's an unstructured interval session, the track without the rules. Fartlek gets your legs used to a variety of paces and in the process gives you an enhanced awareness of your ability to keep up those paces at various distances.

After warming up, run at an easy training pace, throwing in bursts of speed for various distances throughout the run. Vary the speed and times of the speed sections, from as short as 15 seconds to as long as two or three minutes. Between these bursts, allow yourself enough recovery time to match roughly 2/3 of the effort time. The recovery pace, though, should be faster than the recovery jog you might do during intervals on the track; keep it moving at an easy training pace.

It's a good idea to pick out a landmark -- a tree or a fire hydrant or a bend in the path -- where a speed section will end before you start picking up the pace. In other words, you have to know how far you are running for each section. Because the idea is to keep up a constant pace until you reach that landmark, it is important to pace yourself at the beginning. Don't tear off so fast that you can't keep up the pace through the end of each speed section.

A fartlek session can be as easy or as difficult as you wish to make it. Use fartlek for anything from a light recovery run to a grueling workout. As always, however, start out easy. Your first fartlek sessions should contain distances and paces that you feel comfortable with and that you feel you can gradually increase in future sessions. A twenty to thirty-minute fartlek session should be adequate for most runners. There is very little reason for them to go as long as an hour.

Intervals>

The track. While most elite runners get their start there, the great majority of runners came to the sport by way of local roads, sidewalks and forest paths. For the average runner, the track seems all too intimidating, almost scary. Fact is, though, the track is not simply the domain of the elites. Any runner at any level can improve her performance with a little help from the 400-meter oval. This is what intervals are about.

Interval sessions are the most formal of speed workouts in that the distances and target paces are precisely fixed before you run. The idea is to run a series of relatively short repetitions over distances from 220 yards to one mile, with rest periods of slower running in between. Because of their very nature, intervals involve a shorter period of effort than your usual run of, say, 45 minutes at a steady pace. This allows you to run much faster than you usually do, adapting your body to higher demands and your leg muscles to faster turnover. Over time, you become more physiologically efficient.

Because of the clearly measured distances, the track is an ideal place to do intervals, but some may find the never-changing scenery to be, well, maybe just a little dull. In that case, you should feel free to do your intervals on the road, using permanent landmarks to measure distance.

The various distances, as you might guess, are each best suited to runners with specific goals. The 220-yard run (1/2 lap, or 200 meters) is best for short-distance training (5K and under) to improve speed. The 440 (one lap, or 400 meters) helps improve overall conditioning at slower paces, and at faster paces is good final race preparation. The 880 (two laps, or 800 meters) is used to develop speed when training for races 10K and under and to condition form and pace when training for longer races. Finally, the mile is used most often to train for longer races, from 10K to marathon, to help improve pace judgment and overall conditioning.

Tempo Runs>

This is hands-down the least complicated variety of speedwork. There are no distances to keep track of, no split times to remember, no hassles. All you have to do is run faster than your usual training pace, somewhere right around your 10K race pace. Unlike most speedwork which consists of relatively short bursts of high effort, tempo runs call for a single sustained effort. The result is that your body learns race economy: running at a fast pace for relatively long periods of time. Tempo runs will give your top speed a boost, too. By running nearly at race pace, your body becomes accustomed to running close to its upper limit (though not exceeding it). In doing so, you actually increase that upper limit, and you become gradually faster.

After your usual warmup routine, run at your easy training pace for at least ten minutes. Then pick up the pace. As mentioned above, this speed should be right around your 10K race pace (around 80%-85% of maximum heart rate, if you use a heart rate monitor). The time, distance and pace of your tempo run, as with all phases of your running, depends on both your ability and your goals. For the distance you choose (3 and 5 miles are popular tempo distances), find a pace that is not so fast that you cannot sustain it for the distance, but not so slow that you do not feel challenged toward the end. Tempo runs should be tough, but not impossible. Depending on how you feel on any given day, how much spring is in your legs, and how far you are running, your tempo pace may vary from session to session. That's fine. The consistency that counts is the pace within each session. Try to keep your speed level for the full length of each tempo run.

Don't worry too much about figuring out the exact distance of your tempo run. It's really not terribly important. Three to six miles is probably a good range. The one value of knowing how far you are running, though, is that you are able to gauge your improvement over time. Still, this is easily done by doing most of your tempo runs on the same route. You may not know the specific distance, but you can still compare your times for that same fixed route."

Thanks for more running info Jenny... BUT a question.  Isn't it true that we should have a really good base before taking on FARTleks or tempo runs or intervals?  Obviously I am still working on getting a good base since I've been off for a couple of weeks, so I wouldn't even think of doing them right now.  I want to slowly build up my weekly running volume to hopefully avoid more injury. 

Another running question... once I finally get back up to being able to run 3 miles (at 30-35 minutes at a time), should I then add another day?  Right now I plan on 3 days a week, always with a rest day afterwards.  I'm assuming the 4th day would only add another 10% to my weekly total?

And one more... I am just a bundle of questions today!  I had asked this previously but no one answered me.... is it possible to do 2 sprint tri's only 3 weeks apart?  I am signed up for one on May 17, and want to do another on June 7.  They are both in the same location, they might actually be identical, so I figure I can work out any first tri kinks on th first one, and then push it a bit harder on the second, and just maintaining training in the 3 weeks between?  But if that is too ambitious, I won't register for the second one.

Seeing some good logs out there this week ladies!!  WE ROCK!!! 

Allison - there is a button at the end of the thread that says "action" then toggle email notification, click on that, then again when the screen changes.  This will email you everytime somebody leaves a message.

Hilde -  You are right about the base.  I am going to respond more after I put the kiddos to bed......to be continued!!!!

this weeks plan... ...trying to start a trend here...feel free to join:

going to also try to mix one more swim in there, light swim as still healing shoulder, and aqua jogging...

hope everyone has a great week!

My plan for this week:

 Mon:  Swim 2400 yds a.m., weights and treadmill run p.m.

Tues:  Swim a.m., bike outside 1 hour + p.m.

Wed:  Swim a.m., come home and do treadmill run, then leave for San Antonio

Thurs:  Weights and gym bike at hotel

Fri:  treadmill run at hotel

Sat:  weights and gym bike at hotel

Sun:  OFF

 I will be in San Antonio for a music teacher conference this week, so will not be able to fit in all of my usual swim sessions (I checked, the outdoor pool is not heated, and I am just not that hardcore!).  I had hoped to meet up with Jessica, but she posted last week that she was going to Phoenix and I'm not sure when she's getting back.  I may or may  not be able to post while I'm gone, so don't think I'm shamming if you see white squares for a couple of days!

OMG, I did it!  I just submitted my entry for my first triathlon!  The Danskin SheROX in Seattle Aug 16.  I've had in my head that I really want to do woman's triathlons and specifically the Danskin.  

Over the last few days my training books and videos have been arriving for ChiRunning and Total Immersion, so I spent the weekend doing a lot of reading.  Now as soon as the snow quits, I can head outside and see if I can fall in love with running - LOL.

-Jenn

Yea Jenn... sure seems real once you are registered doesn't it??  Sure puts more focus on your workouts, because after all, NONE of us want to be lame and come in dead freakin' last, which of course we won't because we have the fabulous Jenny leading us to Tri Success.  You have plenty of time to be in great shape by August.  My first is May 17th and I will be signing up for my second on June 7th (both women's tri's, one Trek, one Danskin).  Depending on how that goes, I have it in the back of my crazy old lady brain to try and do an Olympic on Labor Day weekend!  Yikes, I really am an overachiever!

Congrats on the sign up!

Congratulations Jenn!  that is awesome - now you have to be committed!  Once you sign up - it is real!  Every time you don't want to do a workout - you think  August 16 and how much easier it will be for you if you follow your workout plan.

You have picked some great great books!  Good reading! 

Hilde - you should have the Oly as a goal for Labor Day!  Swimming is the normal (normally they are open water) and you have that covered!  And - you give me lots of credit when I don't feel like I have done much at all!

Overachieving is a good thing and the great thing about tris is there are 3 sports that you can try to master, not just one!!!!

Have a great week ladies!!!!!

Hey Jess,  welcome home!  I really hope we can meet... give me a call or text me, I'll PM you my cell # again.  Thursday evening or Friday evening would be best either come meet me and we can go eat on the riverwalk, or if you have any other neat plans that would be great too!

By the say, I'm one of those nuts that gets up every morning at 4 a.m.  REALLY.  Even on weekends, sleeping in is getting up at 6!  I'd never get in all my training if I didn't get a workout in before work.  I've been finding, the more I workout, the more energy I have, and finding my clothes getting too big is pretty nice too!

 I should be able to keep up with the forum in the next few days, I'm taking my laptop and the hotel is supposed to have free wireless internet, so at least I hope so!

Hilde posts this to Lindsay and I thought it was good to share about swimming:

Great double workout day! Looks like a good swim workout, and remember, the only way to swim faster is to swim faster... gotta push past the comfort zone and you'll soon find your cruise speed is now what your race speed was (if that makes sense?). Everyone questions why we swim so many 50 and 100 intervals... because once we can swim them consistently faster then our long swims become faster too! Keep it up, looking good!

Have a great rest of the week!