bcagle25's Endurance Ninja's - Closed (Ninja school is in session) (Page 6)

I agree on the 1%, even up to 2% is the best simulator. I am going to start using some types of foam rolling to aid my recovery from hard session this year (this has always been overlooked by me). I work in the service industry and spend 4-12 hours a day, always post-workouts on my feet, so I really need to focus on recovery.

I have heard people use lacrosse balls as well, they hurt a lot but work really well. The stick is a triathlete product that has been given a good reputation too. However, if you want to go cheap and easy just grab a wood roller from the kitchen and that can do the trick too.

Speaking of recovery how does everyone on here recover from hard sessions? Food, drink, etc.

I always make sure to get in liquids, especially on those really hot days. Also eating some protein helps start the recovery process for the muscles too so I usually have a sandwhich, yogurt, or the ever popular chocolate milk. I am usually on-the-go in the summer so I may not get the physical rest I should get after hard sessions, but I try my best to plan this out before hand.

Does anyone here use compression wear?

x2

Justin, the big thing I can tell you here is to eat well. This means to get in all the ESSENTIAL nutrients your body needs, protein, carbs, fiber, etc. For some reason diets exclude one or more of these nutrients often to decrease the calories you take in. For ex: some diets are low carb, or even zero-carb. This simply wont help you out. Carbs are needed for the body and more importantly the brain. Without carbs you are just damaging your body, as well as not providing any main sourse of glycogen as well, and thus you will be very exhausted.

Try your best to eat natural as well and avoid all of the heavy proccessed foods (High water and sodium content in these). This might be a lot easier in Canada then the U.S. Your body will use more of those foods and digest them much easier then the process foods that more or less "leave a trace" behind.

Finally eat a breakfast everyday, this will start your bodies metabolism earlier in the day and get your engine going a little faster.

If you want any more specific information let me know and I can help best I can, I am a nutrition minor in school right now, so this would be some great practice for me to apply my knowledge.

About 98.4% of triathletes struggle with this, especially some of the top pro's. Yes it is hard to the ego, and easy to feel guilty but in fact that is the best decision. Who cares about the numbers and ego, because when it comes to the race if your well rested you will have the most success.

Got the first swim in a while done tonight; it actually felt nice to be in the pool again.  Example workouts from last year would be something like 200 warm up, followed by several long sets (4x 500, 2x 1000) and then cool down.  I would mix it up with 100s as repeats, but as fast as I could do them.  I think the shorter, faster repeats were sooo beneficial for a couple reasons.  One, my heart was really pounding during the 3rd and 4th 25.  Second, it was where I really saw the improvements.  Swim is not my most natural of the three sports, and it was really nice to see and feel actual improvement.  I did a fun one today, 200 wu, 7x 50, 100, 200, 300, 400.  

As for the treadmill, I almost always run with 1-2% incline.  I am very fond of the "Woodway" brand treadmills as well; they have a bit more give and seem to treat my legs better.

-26c and you are running in that. WOW! I got in a nice easy run this morning and braved 55F. Going to relax and watch some football then go for a bike ride this afternoon. I really am not a big fan of the trainer and it is dark when I get home from work, so I am going to ride today and tomorrow. 

Justin, you really know how to HTFU when it comes to running in the cold, yikes that is cold, I can only muster to about 15-20 F, which is what in C? like -2? I don't work night shifts but I sometimes work late into the night and even that irritates my sleep schedule. B/c of this it is hard to find a routine of sleeping and waking up every day, I even had trouble sleeping earlier this week when I was dead tired.

To be completely honest a lot of us realized how much easier (physically) that set was, DONE AT A PROPER PACE. Yes the last 3K were terrible and hurt bad, but it was much more difficult mentally, especially for me since I arrived 3k late and had to swim the last 3k solo. Anyone can swim this set with a decent base under them. I personally would recommend this set to anyone that was swimming 10K a week with at least a few swims of 5-6K under their belt. Just bring some good friends, toys to change up the sets, liquids, and you can have a grea time doing it!

I had a real crummy day from all end of the spectrum yesterday, but today is a new day, a fresh start, and more importantly it is a Green Bay Packers kind of day. Anyway yesteday I was struggling on my swim, and the second I got on the treadmill for my 3 mile run I hated it. Which had me thinking.

At what point do you stop workouts based on how you are feeling mentally and physically? I heard some good advice last year that went something along the lines of "...no matter what get your butt out the door and go for at least 15 minutes, if you still feel crummy turn around and go home, but you would be surprised sometimes by how your mood can change in 15 minutes..."

I really bought into this last year and have viewed both ends of the spectrum on it. There have been times when I was way too fatigued to work out and those 15 minutes reassured me of that, and other times when I simply didn't feel like going out, but tried it for 15 minutes and everything turned around for me. Yesterday was another example and just after 15 minutes on the treadmill my heart just wasn't in it, I was frustrated and annoyed amongst other negative feelings so I decided to stop right then and there. I could have finished off that session yesterday, but at what cost. I feel refreshed and ready to go today, maybe that wouldn't be the case if I finished yesterday.

Alright here is a quick low-down on my approach to swimming. I just want to note that since I started with a coach this year, I have learned a great deal about how to change up swim sets to get the most out of them. Last year I swam masters in the spring and then on my own for the remainder of the year. For a point of reference I raced at the HIM distance last year and so I tried to swim M (long set), T (sprint set), R (open water), F (test set).  I usually hit 3-4 swims a week. So here below are some quick tips and pointers to how I believe to structure swim workouts (I will probably work out this in the near future and add it to my blog)

1. Toys: Paddles, kickboards, pull buoys, bands, snorkels, etc. These are all great tools that can help you learn how to swim efficiently. However, many triathletes become attached to the hip with these toys, and thus become more dependent on them then they should. I personally say that no swim set should have more then 33% of the set be used by toys. Know how and why these toys are used and use them for that reason. It gives a great chance to break down segments of your stroke or your body and work on them individually.

2. Drills: I feel that many overlook drills and sometimes see this section subsituted by toys...doesn't work. Drills can be very effective to improve your stroke, recognize weak areas, as well as build strength as well. Some great drills that I have used that have worked wonders for me are; fist stroke, stroke count, finger tip drag, sculling, rotating from back to free and then to back in the same 25 (works on body rotation), catch up. The list goes on and on, and each drill focuses on one part of your stroke that may be lacking. Drills sets are best done in the warm up phase or right after. If you leave the drills to the end, then you are swimming on fatigue more and your stroke will be dimish b/c of this and which point doing any drills will be worthless since you are swimming on fatigue. Note: this is actually a good time to count strokes and see the difference in your strokes from the beginning of a set compared to the end.

3. Distances: I have some everything from 25's to 4K in one distance, variety is key here. The distance your are racing for is also important in what goes into the distances you swim for. Don't be afraid to tihnk outside the box on this one. Common distances are 25, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 500, etc. But what about 75's, 125's? I just learned how valuable these sets can be. For ex I swam 125's on Thursday (50 mod-fast, 50 stroke count at same pace, 25 kick) that was a freakin' hard set as each 50 within the set I was changing the focus of what i was doing. So eveytime that you choose on a distance don't just settle on a speed. 100's of 50 fast/50 easy are great too, or switching up stroke halfway. Variety inside each set can really add some spice into them, and provide for more of a challenge to your body as you are constantly surprising your body in your muscles.

I personally think 200's are the best distance. Short enough you can really push yourself, but long enough where you need to learn to pace. Also a good distance for repeats, changing up paces in each set, and of course a great way to add in volume quickly without being bored in the longer sets. This is also a good distance to learn your swim paces for longer races, olympic and above.

4. Stokes: Learn all of them, and swim all of them. Swimming each stroke adds variety to your swims, as well as builds muscular strength. While freestyle is great, learning to swim butterfly will make you are much better freestyle swimmer. Learning to swim backstroke will help with your body rotation (especially if you switch between back/free on the same swim), breaststoke can really help with your muscuar endurance too, as well as your catch and pulls underwater. Each stroke targets different muscles in your body and operates completely different. Learning to swim all 4 can really go a long way for your freestyle. Don't know how to swim them? Youtube is a great reference as is a swimming lesson or two, or even asking an experienced swimmer in the lane next to you. Once you get mastery of all 4, try some IM's they are like death, but I seriously could feel a difference in my muscular and aerobic strength when I started to do them.

5. Resting: The longer your sets the longer you should rest. However, do not make your rests too long, DO NOT HANG ON THE WALL! Shorter recoveries allow your muscles more fatigue and to learn to swim on that fatigue, it will help your muscle memory too. Also shortening your rest/recovering can challenge you a bit more in your sets. For ex: say you are swimming 10x100's with :15 sec rest. Change it up and leave off the wall every 2:00. Naturally after awhile you will start swimming slower, and if you are leaving at a set time, your recovery will obviously shorten. Knowing how to swim off a pace clock here is crucial, if you have questions of how to do so, then feel free to ask

6. Have a "GO TO" set. Swimming at the pool without a plan can be really negative and hard to keep focus. Find a workout that you really enjoy, that is not easy and challenges you a bit. Keep this in the memory bank so if you are ever short on time, don't know what to swim, you can always refer to this specific set.

So below are some sets that I really like (HIM distance focus). These can all be altered however you want to your abilities and race distance.

My "GO TO" set

WU: 3x200 (swim, kick, pull)

MS: 10x200 (race pace) :15

CD: 200 easy

This is a good test set to see where you expect to swim for an upcoming race, so race pace means what you can hold at the time, NOT what you are expecting to hold. If you want to modify this for a HIM race increase the distance and lower the sets i.e 5x400's, 4x500's, maybe even 2x1000's.

This is another really good challenging set that can wear you down fast if not paced properly.

WU: Choice (approx 500)

MS:

4x100 1:45 
75 Fast /25 Cruz 
4x75 1:25 
50 Fast /25 Cruz 
4x50 1:00 
25 Fast /25 Cruz 
4x25 :30 
All out sprint 
x2 

CD: 150-250 choice

This was Thursday's swim that we all struggled through, but was a great challenge

WU: 300 sw, 3x100 mod, 300 pull
Trans Set: 8x25 easy/fast alternate :10
Main set:

50 hard/50 DPS at same pace/25kick
3x125 :45
100 easy :20
2x125 :45
100 easy :20
125 :45  
100 easy :20

CD: 250 easy

Here is another set that can be easily changed on distance. Whatever distance you are aiming for should be swam in it's entirety as one main swim, then each set after you should shorten the distance, increase the sets, but it should still equal (distance-wise) the distance you are swimming for. 1500 is as far as I would go, just the main set here is 4.5K.

MS:

1x1500

3x500

15x100

This is a long hard set, but can really do alot. Swim all at race pace, and pick up the pace on the 100's and see what you have left in the tank!

So here are some quick samples of what I have done in the past, check my logs (mostly from Jan'11-August '11) for more options and variety. I have a small book of workouts that divide swims up my a certain focus (muscular strength, endurance, speed, etc.) as well that I recommend to anyone too. I can certainly extend off all this into more detail and provide more information, but I thought this would be a good starting point for all, sorry if there was no information to some in this post.

Jason: what are your typical times in the pool right now, races, and what was your swim split at Kona (you lucky son of a gun!)

Andrew, good luck with your tournament!

Ben, sorry about the Packers.  My first HM was in Green Bay. It was fun running through Lambeau field at the end!

If I'm running, I always go two miles and then reassess how I'm feeling.  With swimming or biking it's longer and rarely do I quit that for another day.  I agree that no matter my mood, sometimes I start running and I think "you've got to be kidding me!?", and it's just off.  Usually after 2 miles I'm fine, but, yes, there are those days, that I just call it and look forward to tomorrow.  I've never had a problem the following day.  That being said, not every run is sunshine and roses and sometimes it just doesn't feel great.  Yesterday, was great, it was warm and sunny and after a day off, I felt fantastic and it was a great easy run.  Today, different story, it was 6:30am, after a boot camp class and I was only going to do a quick 3 mile run.  I didn't feel great, my legs were tired, I was tired, but not enough to call it a day.  I played a lot of mind games to get through those 3 miles, but was glad I did when I was done.

Justin-Great Pyrenesses are so pretty and fluffy, just what you need for your weather! We have a Siberian Huskey that loves the cold too.  The colder the better.  In fact, below 30F, he refuses to come inside, just looks at us like, why don't you want to stay outside??  Does anyone else have pets?

Jason, your times are about where I was in the fall of '10 and this time last year. Over the past 12 months I added in a lot more volume (broke my arm in Jan '10), swam in masters and tried to swim 3-4x a week. The result was a 32:xx HIM, a 1:08 2.4 mile swim (not in an IM), and I can now swim a 1:25 pace consistently in the pool.

Like I said take a look at some of my logs from Jan-May (bulk of my work last year) and replicate those, or copy them. I tried to always get in a longer swim of longer sets (3-5k total, 400's, 500's, 800's) once a week at a easier pace to build up my endurance. Then I topped that off with shorter swims with sprint sets (2k-3.5k) once a week as well.

I was more swim focused then I should have been last year, forgot to run more, but it paid big dividends for me (swim-wise). I was out of the water at Racine 4 minutes faster in '11 then in '10 and I felt about 10x fresher and that I barely put in any effort in the swim in '11 compared to '10 when I was dog tired coming into T1, so it was not just a speed gain, but a huge fitness gain as well.

Your in a great spot right now for times, you have the potential to drop some time on the swim with an added focus in 2012. I am a believer that a good swim endurance base yields dividends on the bike and run as well. You can surely start a bike leg much stronger too!