Ernesto's group (third season) - CLOSED (Page 6)

It gets better over time.  I've lived at altitude for years - went to Colorado College in C Springs, moved to Boulder, then to Jackson Hole and now in Boise.  It will get better, I promise.  And the benefits are really long lasting - i"ve lived low (3000, I think) for the past couple of years but I can still aclimate pretty easily to higher locales.  And I feel like a total rock star when I run at sea level.  Just make sure that you're hydrating and hydrating.  You just need time - this summer I ran at 9000 for about a week and the first couple runs were rough but by the end of the week I felt fine. 

If you are going with a road bike (vs. a tri-bike), I just bought a new 2011 Jamis Ventura Race, for under $1,200. Shimano 105 components (except crank) , carbon seat post, full carbon fork. The geometry is somewhat relaxed, but works for this 43 yr old body. I think is a great value for the price.

Although this is my first road bike, and have only a couple of rides on it, so far loving it. Of course, get fitted to make sure any bike you get is the right bike for you.

Hi JIm - I will proudly enter the TRI season on my TREK 7000 MTB - only mod is addition of smooth tires.

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I agree, starting on week 7 probably would not be too smart.  I have decided to do the “16 week sprint – 2X balanced” plan.  It will end the week of my tri race.  I will not have access to the internet the next week, but will update my training log and check back in on Jan 3^rd.  Have a great holiday break!  Looking forward to a healthier 2012!

Thanks Elizabeth, I felt like rock star at the sea level too after getting back to my usual 0' altitude. In my case it lasted maybe 2 weeks or so... Another good thing about running 'high' is the temperature. Here we are close to the equator, yet it is 15 - 20C! This morning my hands were freezing and next time will put some gloves on. And you're right about the hydration - don't leave home without that bottle.

Ernesto:

Quick question on the fast and short for the winter.  My cycling is all geered at increasing power over a 16 week period - so lots of intervals and medium length harder efforts.  I think this also dovetails nicely with my early season planned races consisting of duathlon and sprint tri.  My question is on the running.  I want to focus on running at a lower HR (been reading Maffetone's book) and am wondering if any efforts to increase my running pace at a MAF type HR are in vain if I am doing 3 cycling workouts a week where I am going anaerobic? 

I think I really need to continue to build the aerobic engine for running based on running goals so really feel I need to slow my runs back down again (I have been getting greedy in my outdoor runs of late and forgetting the lessons I learned this fall).  Thanks for your opinions/guidance.

Mitch

Mitch, I believe your body needs more frequency than endurance at this point. You don't need to run hard every time but you need to do it often. Long runs at this point are pointless I believe. Remember that it is a misconception to believe that every workout must leave you exhausted. A short three miler at an easy effort level is great for you and more if you do it frequently.

Try to stay consistent once the Holidays are over. Right now it can get difficult because of the family commitments, parties, etc. Just relax and mentally let it go for a bit, then come back with strong in 2012.

I have to confess I have absolutely no swim kick.  Not only is not propulsive, but when I saw the underwater video my coach showed me, my feet looked like they were at a right angle to my body position - talk about needless drag.  The funny thing is that since my kick is such a non-factor, I easily learned a two beat kick.  To learn better foot positioning and kicking, I am now doing a six beat kick.  I am getting some propulsion and less drag, but not surprisingly find that my legs tire much more quickly.  

So, today's swim set was full of lots of kicking drills (vertical, back, fins, etc.).  Feels like I am going backwards in my swimming regime, but I know that in the long term it will payoff. 

Just wanted to send out a quick WELCOME to everyone!  

As Scott mentioned the snow kept us indoors today.  It was falling pretty heavy until 2 hours ago.  We did the Spinervals 18.0 which is a 64 minute areo base builder.  Steady effort with controlled heart rates.  We took the Spinervals threshold test shortly after we arrived here to determine our where our threshold was (166) and then used the formula of the website to determine our training zones (aerobic for me is 146-153).  According to The Big Book, there shouldn't be much difference in zones between cycling and running and that is one reason I run at a higher heart rate (154) than the MAF formula suggests (146).  

Great session despite the Excedrin!  64minutes 14.86miles with an average HR of 150.  Much better than before!!!  Still using decent resistance and a climbing block to prepare for the hills when we get outside again.

I attached a photo of the beginning of our pain cave...My bike is the the one on the left, Scott's on the right.  Both are manufactured by SCOTT.  

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I'm right there with you Joe.  I watched the Total Immersion Video last night and was reading about the 2 beat kicks and so on.  I plan on at least one private lesson after the first, hopefully I can arrange several.  

Monica-I hope the corticosteriods work.  I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers for a full and speedy recovery...

Fins will help stretch out your ankle muscles.  I had runners feet in the pool and did tons of fin workouts to help my flexibility.

Jim,
I think you can get a reasonable entry level bike for $1000, and it would still seem like an upgrade from a 1986 model bike.  Whether you get your bike from a LBS or online, I recommend a trip to the LBS to be sure what size frame you need.  I'm partial to buying a bike at the LBS because of the extras they typically throw in like a discounted (or free) bike fitting, discounts on other items (helmets, pedals, etc), and free tune ups for as long as you own the bike.  My first bike was a brand new Trek 1200 for $800 in 2005.  After a year and a half and 2000+ miles later, I upgraded to a Scott Speedster S10 which I still have and have put almost 6000 miles on it.  As was mentioned earlier, now is probably a good time to shop for a bike when the bike shops have winter sales.  You can also try to catch a LBS trying to unload last year's models and you can often get a good deal then.  Things to consider are an aluminum frame with composite front forks, rear seat stays and seat post.  Definitely also get fitted for a saddle as that will be the primary thing that will determine the comfort of your ride.  As far components, I've always used Shimano but SRAM didn't exist for sale when I bought my current bike (as far as I know).  In general terms, Shimano, from high end to low end, goes Dura-Ace, Ultegra, 105, Tiagra, Sora.  105 and Tiagra are good for an entry level bike (my first had 105 components).  MY current bike has Ultegra on it and I definitely can tell the difference in the shifting.  I'm not sure I'd pay the extra bucks to move up to Dura-Ace though as I've been told the difference isn't worth the cost.

As far as the ongoing thing between road bikes and tri bikes, I know folks have their own opinions about it.  My thinking is tri bikes have an advantage for those that can ride fast enough to benefit from the improved aerodynamics, which doesn't kick in much until you are going over 20 mph.  My best bike performance in a tri was an average of 18.3 mph for 56 miles, so I feel for me a tri bike wouldn't be worth the money.  Also if you ride lots of hils or will race on a hilly course, you might find a road bike with clip-on aero bars to be a better option (not to mention cheaper).  When I can average 20+ mph for races, then I'll think about getting a tri bike.  That's just my personal philosophy, not a suggested rule of thumb.

Just some thoughts...I'm open to hear what others (especially Ernesto) think about bikes. 

Arggghhhh!

So this morning I broke my toe, or maybe I should say I re-broke my toe (left foot, next to the pinkie toe). I broke it the first time early october while carrying both my kids (combined 55 lbs of cuteness), and had to stop training for a week and a half. It healed fine (although not quite the same shape of the one in the other feet), and no pain.

Well, this morning I "tripped" against shoes on the floor (obviously before my morning coffee), and was ready to blame my wife when I look down and what do I see? MY SHOES! So not only I broke my toe, but cannot even blame my wife for it! My ego hurts more than my toe! I was surprise that I actually broke it in such a way(or at least I think I did, is black and blue), but maybe it wasnt completely healed from the first time.

I think I should be fine for my run tomorrow, but we will see. I guess my mantra tomorrow will be HTFU! HTFU! Hey, if Chrissie Wellington can finish the ironman with a myriad of injuries following her bike crash, I can finish a measly 3 mile run in a (maybe) broken toe - and that is the first and last time I will compare myself to Chrissie....NOT WORTHY! NOT WORTHY!

I understand what you are saying - my issue isn't so much the long run (9 to 10 miles) as it is the intensity.  My last two long runs have been way to high of a pace leaving me fatigued the next day.  I feel like if I would ramp down the intensity I could add a bit more volume.  I like you point about workouts not leaving you exhausted.

Samy,
Sorry to hear about the toe.  Good luck and speedy recovery. 

Mitch,
I've drank the kool aid on running at my MAF.  I think it has pretty good benefits for building an aerobic base before moving into strength and speedwork.

Thought more about your comments...I get it.  I need to condition my body to handle the daily training before trying to add much more volume.  I think 3 miles per day is good with a hair longer on Sunday given the rest day of Monday that I have built into my schedules.  What do you think?