What off-season? Early season racers Mentor Group - OPEN! (Page 6)

Swimming is a lot of high intensity, and what this will help do is figure out how hard to go by using pace. It's not just throwing yourself in to wear out completely, but trying to work at the right intensity to bring about the highest level of adaptation. It isn't just wearing yourself out. Take a look here. Look at all the curves, but especially note that the Training Effect curve actually has a peak. It doesn't just keep going up with increased intensity. While this graph was made for cycling, the concept applies to all endurance sports. Of the 3, swimming is likely to have the most work done faster than this as it is much more technique dependent. You have to figure out how to go faster and also develop the conditioning to keep up that form.

The main reason I like it, as I stated before, is when I start swimming again I can do a test that I can perform for my current swim fitness.  There is no way I can do a reliable 3x300 or 1x1000 to get my T-pace (yes that is pretty sad!!!), so doing a 100 & 300 or 400 would be doable.  Then I'll know my Easy, Aerobic, CSS/T-pace, Muscular Endurance & Anerobic Endurance ranges right away. 

I checked the last time I did a 3x300 (way back in 2007) and expolating the average time out for a 100 and 300 CSS test provides about the same CSS pace and T-pace. If I haven't found a web calculator with variable distances so I think I'll develop a CSS speadsheet to use (because I just have so much free time, NOT!).

Correct it should be unit-less.

Alright, early season racers - what's on tap for this weekend?

For me, it's a Drill weekend, so I'm out of here at noon to go play Army for 2.5 days. No workouts on the schedule - I'm in recovery mode for ~2 weeks. Low volume this week with FTP testing on the bike... then higher volume, but low intensity next week, then it's back to my usual cycle of getting my butt kicked!

Trainer ride tonight and tomorrow, then a run of 8 miles Sunday when the weather gets a little better!

Enjoy the drill weekend :-)

Happiness is a new pair of discontinued K-Swiss Blade Run Lights!   

They came in today, trying to get the best deals I can on as many as I can before they're all gone forever.  Love these shoes

Some running Friday evening. Riding both Sat & Sun. A 4400 IM swim Sun evening plus a short run right after. The 75 fly's went way better than any time in the past I think largely due to a much improved dolphin kick.

Uugghhh!  is about all I can say for this weekend's training :-(

One of the kids got sick Friday, all through the night, I managed a trainer session Saturday, but was not into it as I'd been up all night, the bug hit me Late Saturday and kept me awake most of the night, felt better around dinner Sunday then my wife started feeling it :-(

Have to try and get a run in later today, will do it after the kids go to bed, may do a 40 minute run followed by spin session on bike, feeling much better and need to get back to 1.5 to 2 hour sessions......

Awesome, I love it when you get a deal like this.  I have more training shoes than my wife has any type of footwear :-)  a lot due to the fact that I do exactly what you're doing.  Latest was the trail shoes, they're 2012 model and the size shifted for 2013, they no longer fit the same so I bought a few of the 2012 shoes :-)

Did an easy 3mi run on Saturday with the dog, but it was warm and humid so it felt tougher than it really was.  Yesterday did my 20' power test on the trainer and avg 221W, with the 258 5' test I have a Critical Power of 209W.  Now the real training begins...

Today the dog and I had a nice 5.6 mile run together, perfect morning weather, nice and cool in the upper 50's and a very light breeze.

O a biz trip tomorrow to Friday so hoping to get in at least 1 run this week while I'm in Seattle.

Congratulations!! that's awesome.

It's also pretty cool all those Disney characters wanted to get their picture taken with you, and how nice of you to stop your race for the fans :-)

Well done, hope you recover sufficiently to "run" all over the parks this next week.  Enjoy!

Looking great everyone! 

I had a really busy day yesterday, and didn't get on the trainer until like 10pm. Oops!

I started working with middle school football players last night. I'll be doing speed/strength stuff with them 2x per week for about two months. It was FUN!

I prefer nights to the early mornings.

Mornings are great for me for swimming and easy runs... anything that requires a lot of thought or effort are much harder pre-dawn

The early mornings do get easier though! 

I have to be starting the whole family wake up routine around 6.30am, so my early morning workouts typically have to start at 4.30, that means up at 4.10 and that takes some getting used to!  although it does get easier, the ridiculously early bed times do suck sometimes.

Started my workout around 8.30 last night and was done by 10.30pm, actually felt OK, will have to see if that's going to work for my wife, the whole reason I did mornings was to not lose the entire night after the kids go to bed.

Elaine, I may have to ask you to share some wisdom, my eldest is a middle school footballer and wants to improve his strength/speed.