willie05's Group - Closed (Page 6)

What happened to our group??

I fell off the map for the past week cause I was super sick and this is the first chance I got to login, but there's been nothing in the posts for over a week. Where is everyone??

Squishy

I think it's called February Squshy.

I've been up to my ears at work for some reason. And family time is busy too with indoor soccer and basketball seasons underway for my kids.

I can report however that I now have a nice new road bike!

After doing lots of research, looking around, and getting feedback from here this is what I got:

2007 Model Trek 1600 Triple with Ultegra components. Got it for 1200, so I am very happy!

I was going to go with the 1000 for about 730 bucks, but for the almost 500 more I got a much better bike at a reduced cost as well.

I am starting some spin sessions next week with a group at the bike shop and then will beginning riding after work 1 or 2 x a week once it warms up.

Now to get some pool time!

My non tri specific training is still going very strongly though and my nutrition has been wicked clean.

Check back in a few days!

Squishy/All

I've been laid up for a week and a half now, so have only minimally been active on the site. Don't get on the site as often when I don't have training to log.

Let's hope all of us who've been dealing with illness/injury are on the mend, especially with better weather just around the corner after the next corner.

Mark

Hey guys I have a few questions, but first:

I hope everyone is feeling better and getting back to normal. I just got back from my snowboarding trip. It was awesome. I've been riding for 20 years, and finally took a lesson and learned the basics on how to ride the half-pipe... not bad for a 40 year old!!! No major injuries, the only problem is I am going to lose my big toe nail. It was very painful for the last week. Feels like hot needles. I have been wrapping a bandaid around it to help out. Tomorrow will be my first run since my trip so wish me luck with the nail.

Anyway.

1) in my plan it calls for 4x20" strides. What are strides?

2) what is your opinion on swimming drills such as pulls and kicking? In TI they don't recommend doing pulls and kicking drills because they change the balance of the stroke. What do you think.

Thanks and hope everyone is well.

-Steven

I am going out on a limb to assume that due to the lack of response to my question that this group is defunct.

Hey Steven

Well, looks like we may be defunct, but let's try to keep things going. I didn't reply because I really don't know what 'strides' are, so I did a little checking. Here's what Triathlete's Bible gave for 'Strides' as a drill:
"Warm up, then on grass, dirt, or another soft surface, run 20 seconds down a very slight decline while concentrating on the fundamental skill most in need of improvement (high stride rate, vertical foot movement, short support time, or minimal oscillation). These are not sprints, but are run at a velocity a little faster than 5 km race pace. After each stride, walk back to the starting point, taking 80-90 seconds to do so. Repeat 5-8 times in a workout."

Hope that helps. There are things I come across, quite often yet, that are more advanced than where I am in my development, strides seem to be one of them.

To a certain extent, so is the question about pulls & kick drills. I have tried them, but haven't found much benefit. However, more than likely, it is because I am not a sophisticated enough swimmer, so the TI drills are what are helping me most. I do find the bent-arm lat pull down helpful, though, to lessen fatigue during the swim.

A question I have is, has anyone come across a truly anti-fog/fogless pair of goggles? I've tried anti-fog spray, etc. My goggles fog up after about 20 minutes, which is irritating.

Mark

Hey Mark

Thanks for the reply. Good idea looking in the book. I did not even think about that.

As far as fogging up, the following is what I do and I don't seem to have any trouble.

I drop the goggles in the water, pick them up and spit into each lens, then I rub it in. After rubbing it in, I drop them back into the water, pick them up and put them on my head.

If this does not work you can always try cat crap... really, cat crap. I know it is amazing on ski goggles and I dont see why it would not work on swim goggles.... Here is a link on amazon to purchase.

http://www.amazon.com/Cat-Crap-Anti-Fog/dp/B000C88X4A

And here is some information on Cat Crap (gee I just like saying that)

http://catcrap.com.au/

I use cat crap on my sunglasses when x-country skiing - never thought to use it in the water.

Just wanted to post that I did MY FIRST triathlon on Saturday - I completed it which was my only goal...now I have a long list of things I want to work on for the next one which is Rage in the Sage outside of Vegas on April 19.

Probably the worst problem I had was getting all fired up - hyperventilating right before the swim so that I was out of breath from the first lap - any way to reduce that performance anxiety?

Wendy

Way to go, you are officially a Triathlete!

On the anxiety/hyperventilating thing, I wasn't nearly as anxious at the start of race 2 as I was for race 1 (I've only done 2, so that's as much as I know).

Steven -- Thanks for the idea with Cat Crap. I've never heard of it, but I'm going to look into it. I'll let ya know.

Mark

Congrats on your first triathlon. You must feel amazing about it. My first scheduled race is the South Beach triathlon on April 13th. What are some of the things you want to work on? Maybe the group could learn from your experience.

As far as hyperventilating before the race; I have not raced a tri yet, but have plenty of experience with swim meets and mountain bike racing. Concentrate on controlling your breathing. Some people practice yoga breathing or meditation.

While you are standing there, close your eyes and think about slowly taking in a deep breath and slowly exhaling. Don't think about anything else, just picture the air flowing into your lungs and then out. Practice this and on race day it will help big time in controlling your pre race nerves.

All,

I think we still have a motivated group here - just a little lighter than when we started. I know that I've been off the radar for the past couple of weeks, but I'm feeling better and ready to get back into things.

wswope - congrats on your first tri, I'm a bit jealous, but living in an arctic (Cdn) environment does not lend itself to early season triathlons + I don't think I'm ready to go and do one yet.

snowrider - here's my thought on pulls and kicking for swimming. I find that doing pulls is a lot easier than swimming normally, and have been told it helps to mimic some of the bouyancy you'll get from wearing a wetsuit. As for the kicking, I found that my kick has improved but I still rely 95% on my upper body to pull my lower half along. Maybe that will change in the future, but for now I'm not worrying about my legs too much.

I think we still have a good group - we just need to stay committed to making some posts and responding to one another when we each have questions.

Squishy

Thanks for all of the support - I was thinking of everyone on race day!
Now I am reviewing all of the numbers - how I performed and where I need to be.
The next one - April 19 is .75 mile swim/ 15.2 mile bike and 5k run. I've pulled up the results for my age group from last years race.

Math question???: how do I figure out how fast a pace they ran or biked. I'm sure I've got to divide/multiply or something their race time by their distance. I now want a time goal to aim for.

Thanks

I am sure there is an easier algebra formula for figuring out speed, but this is how I just did it.

Lets say for example it took racer X 1.5 hours to complete 20 miles.

1) convert total race time into minutes. 1.5 hours = 90 minutes
2) divide total minutes by distance. 90 minutes divided by 20 miles = 4.5 minutes per mile
3) convert minutes per mile in miles per hour by dividing 60 by 4.5 minutes per mile =13.33 MPH

So a time of 1.5 hours to complete 20 miles equals an average speed of 13.33 mph







Edited by snowriderinfl 2008-02-11 9:09 PM

Steven

I am impressed. I have always hated 'story problems'. Lazy as I am, I will suggest the alternative of going to the BT training calendar section and using the pace calculator feature.

Mark

Equally impressed - I too would just find a pace calculator.

Just curious how everyone is doing for their training at this point? I upgraded to silver membership to use the BT plans, and also get more stat data. Hope it helps.

Hope Bob is okay, and will come back to lead the remainder of our group.

Squishy.

I wish I new about the calculator before I wasted all those brain cells figuring out that math!!!!

As far as training, I have definitely picked it up over the past few weeks. I am now working with one of the training plans and my goal is two workouts a day. Although yesterday I felt really lousy in the p.m. so I did not swim (the rain helped me make that decision. Outdoor pool) and I skipped waking up at 4 am for my weight session this morning. I am feeling much better so I am off for a 1 hour ride.

Not sure what happened to make me feel like that. I think I might have gotten dehydrated since I did not drink a lot yesterday. My other thought is my nutrition is not where it needs to be and maybe that effected me.

Anyway, April 13th is getting closer. I am thinking about doing a sprint March 15th to help prepare me for South Beach in April. Right now most of my training distances are greater then or equal to a sprint, so I think I should be able to handle the race.

I am going to see how I am progressing and make my decision in a week or two.

-Steven

Good luck with March - it seems so close!! I'm gald my first one isn't slated until June, otherwise I don't think I'd be ready (could complete it today but wouldn't be competitive).

Question regarding the training plans & core work. I'd previously asked about this and Bob had provided some links (near the bottom of page 4 of this thread), but I'm curious if these correspond to Core 1,2,3 that are listed in the training plan.

Does anyone know?

Thanks,

Squishy

Edited by squishybelly 2008-02-14 12:30 PM

The links that he mentioned are to the Core 1,2 and 3 exercises.

To make it easier for myself, I printed off each and put them into a binder so I could reference when I do core work.

Hey All

Here is a direct link to the D3 webpage that lists all of the core routines, along with a lot of other information. I'm not sure if this is supposed to be accessible without one of the memberships, so I hope posting this is OK. It is a nice resource. http://www.d3multisport.com/articles.php

As for my training, unfortunately is has been derailed for over a month. I've been having low back/sciatic pain that has interfered. An MRI this morning suggests that I have a ruptured disc and will probably need surgery. The positive side of this is that if it is between a bulging disc or ruptured disc, I'll take the latter because they will do surgery for a ruptured disc. Also, it is early enough in the year that I should be able to participate in all of the races I have planned, with the possible exception of the May 18 race (I wasn't overly excited about this one because water temps in MN/IA that time of year are still pretty cold -- heck air temps at 8 am can still be pretty cold ). I'm probably going to have to re-evaluate my goals as far as finish times, but it's early and I'm optimistic that I can still achieve the goals I have set for that later races.

Mark

I am a nurse practitioner and when you said surgery I freaked. I do family practice as well as critical care - look into prolotherapy before you have surgery (Google it).
It's non-invasive and I've had good results with my patients. Surgery involves cutting through muscle, tendons and ligaments and can cause long lasting problems for athletes. I would really only consider it for actual spinal fractures.
Anyway - good luck!

Thanks for the tip Wendy, I'll look into it.

Mark

Thanks for the feedback on the Core workouts.

Mark - sorry to hear about your back. Hopefully it doesn't put you out of commission for too long.

Squishy

Mark,

Sorry to hear about the back.


Hang on to that positive attitude and you will be back in the saddle/wetsuit/flats in no time.

-S

how did you guys do with you training this week?

I did pretty good. I did miss a few of my workouts, but I did hit at least one training session a day. Better yet, my wife has not complained about how much time I am starting to put into training.

I did nothing last week - except recover. I tried to run Wed and my calves cramped big time.
I'm back at it with a fever this week.
On my recovery week I've been reading the TI book - I can't wait to get to the pool tonight and tri it out