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Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** (Page 7)
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 2015-02-05 12:50 PM in reply to: PsyTri |
 261  |  Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED***Whoo Hoo! Updates! I checked at one point and nobody had posted for a few days... thought we might have given up  I finished the Tour of Sufferlandria last week (shameless plug, there's a writeup on my blog). The last two days were tough... the last day, a 2 hour ride, being the hardest thing I've ever done. I take that as proof that my FTP was set correctly and that I rode hard and suffered properly for 9 days. If you look at the ride profile you'll see I wasn't anywhere close to my target FTP. It was all I could do to keep turning the pedals. This week is a sort of recovery week for me. Swim was cancelled Monday b/c of a snow day so I will make that up Friday. I turned Monday into a rest day, aside from shoveling snow of course. I'm enjoying my masters swim group. It's so much easier to get up in the morning and head to the pool when you know you'll never hear the end of it if you skip. For some reason it's also more enjoyable to suffer with others and the time flies by, even though it's still a relatively solitary activity. We meet for an hour twice per week and usually swim around 2600y. Our coach seems to really focus on shorter, high intensity set (25, 50, or 100). I believe they swam a bunch of 200's but I missed that day, though I guess I shouldn't say I missed it (bad joke, I know). I start running again tonight and picked up a pair of tights while out and about this morning. I'm tired of running on the treadmill and it's supposed to warm up to around 14 degrees... at the very least my dog will love me for taking him, even if I am a popsicle by the end! |
| 2015-02-05 8:50 PM in reply to: Toefuzz |
Master 3205   ann arbor, michigan | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** I wish I could find a masters group to swim with. It just is never going to happen on my schedule. I have heard great things about the Ann Arbor Masters program. If I ever win the lotto I will have time to swim with them. Trying to keep up with the fast folks and ward off the people trying to keep up with you must be highly motivating. I swam next to a former D1 swimmer the other day and while he was warming up he was keeping up with my "all out" sets. Disheartening but it gives me motivation as well. Nice work on the tour of Sufferlandia. I may need to add in some spinervals or sufferlandia or trainerroad or something to spice up my bike training. Enjoy the outdoor running. I feel like running in adverse conditions builds up mental calluses as well as fitness. You will be able to draw upon that toughness later in the season......... "I ran in 14 degree weather (or a rainstorm or 100 degree heat), this 10K is nothing....." |
| 2015-02-06 6:48 AM in reply to: wannabefaster |
| 261 | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** Originally posted by wannabefaster I wish I could find a masters group to swim with. It just is never going to happen on my schedule. I have heard great things about the Ann Arbor Masters program. If I ever win the lotto I will have time to swim with them. Trying to keep up with the fast folks and ward off the people trying to keep up with you must be highly motivating. I swam next to a former D1 swimmer the other day and while he was warming up he was keeping up with my "all out" sets. Disheartening but it gives me motivation as well. Nice work on the tour of Sufferlandia. I may need to add in some spinervals or sufferlandia or trainerroad or something to spice up my bike training. Enjoy the outdoor running. I feel like running in adverse conditions builds up mental calluses as well as fitness. You will be able to draw upon that toughness later in the season......... "I ran in 14 degree weather (or a rainstorm or 100 degree heat), this 10K is nothing....." I think even finding someone to train with would help. I swam this morning on my own and it wasn't nearly as much fun, though it does help if I have a plan heading into the swim session. I used to just go in and swim whatever distance I felt like, usually longer (sets of 500m +) as I thought that's what you were supposed to do. Shorter, well designed sets seem to make the time go faster. I would definitely recommend the Sufferfest videos if you've never done them. Again, time goes so much faster watching those as opposed to Netflix... no idea why. I ended up on the treadmill last night. I drive around town and the roads are nice and clear, but then I get to my neighborhood and they never put down salt so they are a mix of clear pavement where the sun hits, ice, and snow. I don't like using Yak Trax if there is a decent amount of clear pavement as I find them uncomfortable. Unfortunately after about 20 minutes on the 'mill I got motion sick and had to stop. I think it has something to do with trying to watch tv. I am going to head to the YMCA today and run on their treadmills without a tv. They also face a window so I can look far ahead... hopefully that will help. Anyone have any exciting plans for the weekend? |
| 2015-02-06 7:01 AM in reply to: PsyTri |
| 409 Durham, North Carolina | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** Originally posted by PsyTri Originally posted by Lupy Let me know if you are going to do any OWS at tri beach on Key Biscayne and I might join you. The local tri team down here meets there at 7 am on saturdays. I'm going to join them soon, but for now I'm spending that time on my bike. I'm going to try to get down there on Tuesdays and Thursdays to join them, but I doubt you would make those. Definitely a possibility to come to Miami for an OWS. How are the water conditions in the Bay these days? Jellies on the coast, so I'm staying out until the situation improves. I've been avoiding OWS because I don't have a wetsuit so I'm not really sure how it is. I know they've been swimming out there on days when the weathers been 60+ so I'm assuming its not too bad. Congrats on finishing toefuzz, thats really impressive! Hopefully after you rest up you notice some nice improvements from all of your time in the saddle. |
| 2015-02-06 12:43 PM in reply to: Toefuzz |
Master 3205 ann arbor, michigan | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** I am going to swim with one of the local high school coaches on Saturday. We will both be swimming so minimal critique of my stroke but it should be fun. She runs a killer swim team that in her very short time at the school has risen to competing for the state championship in each of the last three years (third and two second places.....this last year placing second by 0.06 seconds in the final relay on the final day.....heart breaking). We are pretty close in pace with her being a little faster so I will have to work. I am sure that whatever workout she has planned will be a good one. Like you said, having someone to work out with should make it a little more interesting. I'm working another 24 hour shift tomorrow at the hospital and will bring my bike for hopefully a long, fruitful ride. Time to play professional triathlete again. |
| 2015-02-08 2:38 PM in reply to: wannabefaster |
Master 3205 ann arbor, michigan | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** Swim coach cancelled on me at the last minute. Had to just do a "x" x 100 workout. Oh well. It went OK. Almost ready to get in the second workout of the day but I'm dragging a little bit. Anyone doing anything interesting this weekend? Any good training? Any good meals? Anyone? |
| 2015-02-08 3:09 PM in reply to: #5077893 |
| 413 | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** Been incapacitated since Wed. Ran at lunchtime and somehow strained lower back. Hardly walking upright. Missed three days' workouts. No end in sight. Getting disheartened about failing to meet my training goals and staying on track with my periodized plan. |
| 2015-02-08 5:42 PM in reply to: PsyTri |
| 261 | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** Originally posted by PsyTri Been incapacitated since Wed. Ran at lunchtime and somehow strained lower back. Hardly walking upright. Missed three days' workouts. No end in sight. Getting disheartened about failing to meet my training goals and staying on track with my periodized plan. Important thing is to get it fixed now... 3 days of workouts is better than 3 months b/c you pushed it. I know, easier to say than do, right I had a nice easy 30 minute ride today followed by a 30 minute run. Nothing special, but the run went well and it was a great excuse to get outside. I did rock a sexy look consisting of merino wool ski socks, tri shorts, and a bright windbreaker. Needless to say, there were a few strange looks considering it's 25 degrees outside. The outfit was definitely missing some fabric thickness in some of the important areas down south. Too bad the swim coach cancelled on you Jason... at least you got the workout in! No exciting food for me. My wife started the 21 day fix diet on Friday and I'm doing it along with her as a show of support even though I've been steadily losing weight for the past month. I'm not changing what I eat at all, but the portion control is interesting and something I struggle with. It also holds me accountable for the small cheats I have throughout the day (grabbing chips as I walk through the kitchen, cookie after lunch, etc). Down 2 pounds in 2 days, which surprises me as my diet was solid to begin with so I don't think I have much to lose in terms of the initial water weight that usually drops off at the start of a new diet. |
| 2015-02-08 8:50 PM in reply to: PsyTri |
Master 3205 ann arbor, michigan | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** Originally posted by PsyTri Been incapacitated since Wed. Ran at lunchtime and somehow strained lower back. Hardly walking upright. Missed three days' workouts. No end in sight. Getting disheartened about failing to meet my training goals and staying on track with my periodized plan. I hate to give you Internet advice....but sometimes some activity is just what is needed to loosen up and feel significantly better after a back "strain". It used to be that rest was always prescribed for back injuries but more and more it has been shown that activity is better than rest. YMMV |
| 2015-02-08 8:58 PM in reply to: Toefuzz |
Master 3205 ann arbor, michigan | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** Originally posted by Toefuzz No exciting food for me. My wife started the 21 day fix diet on Friday and I'm doing it along with her as a show of support even though I've been steadily losing weight for the past month. I'm not changing what I eat at all, but the portion control is interesting and something I struggle with. It also holds me accountable for the small cheats I have throughout the day (grabbing chips as I walk through the kitchen, cookie after lunch, etc). Down 2 pounds in 2 days, which surprises me as my diet was solid to begin with so I don't think I have much to lose in terms of the initial water weight that usually drops off at the start of a new diet. Interesting. As a former wrestler I have vowed never to truly diet ever again. With that being said, I am up at least five pounds so it is time to start paying closer attention to what I put in my mouth. Thinking about keeping a food log as a means of focusing some attention on mindless calories that I consume throughout the day. Staying at "race weight" year round probably isn't healthy but paying attention to ones dietary choices seems like a good idea. |
| 2015-02-09 7:27 AM in reply to: #5091655 |
| 261 | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** Jason - that's what I like about this "diet", it really doesn't change what I eat, as I eat pretty clean, but it does help with portion control. I should also add in the cliche (but true), "it has to be a lifestyle change". I've tried food logs and calorie counters like My Fitness Pal but always get mad and quit. This program gives you a bunch of little containers and you get to eat a certain number of each container based on weight. For example, a green container is veggies and I get 6 of those. My wife is about half my size and she gets 3. There are different containers for veggies, protein, fruit, carbs (rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes...), etc. It's expensive for what it is and you can figure out the size of each container with about 3 minutes of googling. It also includes a series of 30 minute workout videos that aren't bad, especially for "normal" people who aren't already training 8-12 hours per week. Overall it's worth the price of it helps my wife as she's been in a bit of a rut lately. I'm actually down 2.5 pounds in 2 days, which surprised me as I didn't think I had the normal water weight to lose like I normally do when starting a diet. |
| 2015-02-09 11:49 AM in reply to: 0 |
| 409 Durham, North Carolina | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** Originally posted by wannabefaster Anyone doing anything interesting this weekend? Any good training? Any good meals? Anyone? I made a good chicken dish you might like. Chicken breast or tenders on the bottom covered in pesto or other seasoing and then layer spinach, tomato and cheese on top. Bake @ 350 till done. It was real yummy! Also I went and picked up my new bike on Sunday!! I'm super excited I just need to get it fit and tuned. I've been riding a roadie w/ aero bars so I'm intrigued on how different/similar it will be. EDIT: Got it without the wheels. I wish I could afford them, but I think i'm going to do flo 60/90 this order in stealth orange. Edited by Lupy 2015-02-09 11:50 AM (961394_1041221625904245_1855874521_n.jpg) Attachments ---------------- 961394_1041221625904245_1855874521_n.jpg (114KB - 16 downloads) |
| 2015-02-09 11:59 AM in reply to: #5077893 |
| 261 | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** That is a beautiful bike! I've heard nothing but good things about the Flo 60/90 setup. |
| 2015-02-09 1:02 PM in reply to: Toefuzz |
Master 3205 ann arbor, michigan | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** Originally posted by Toefuzz g That is a beautiful bike! I've heard nothing but good things about the Flo 60/90 setup. Agree. That is a really, really nice looking bike. |
| 2015-02-10 8:15 AM in reply to: #5091857 |
| 261 | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** So, bad news. My daughter went to the orthodontist yesterday and needs braces. There goes most of my triathlon budget and therefore my coach. Fortunately my races are all prepaid, now I just have to scramble to come up with a plan. My first A race is a 25k in about 12 weeks. My running has been sporadic of late b/c of the Tour of Sufferlandria followed by a recovery week. I'm hoping to step up to running 4-6 times per week and will loosely follow the Barry P plan from Slowtwitch. My biggest concern is getting my long run up high enough in that amount of time as that plan calls for it to be less than 33% of your total volume. Lots of thinking to do this week and any advice would be greatly appreciated. I had hoped to stick with my masters swim group 2x per week (2 hours) and was planning on two easier bike rides per week (2-3 hours). |
| 2015-02-18 10:16 PM in reply to: Toefuzz |
Expert 2355 Madison, Wisconsin | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** Hey Everyone! First, a thanks to Gary for reaching out to me through email and getting my very distracted attention. I want to apologize to everyone for vanishing from the group unannounced and abruptly. No excuses here, just poor time management on my end and putting on a bit too much onto my plate. When I clicked back into the group I was reminded about the google hangouts that I wanted to bring to this group. The reason for this was simply to offer something different and new for the mentor groups that are so popular here on BT. I Skype monthly with the athletes that I coach from remote and it has worked very well, and I thought brining this into the mentor groups would be a great way for us all to chat, interact, and see each other then through the screens of the forums. I still want to get the google hangouts going, but with doing Skype 3 Sunday's of the month, plus working every evening M-Thurs until 9pm CST I am trying to find out how, if possible to get this to work. In the meantime, I will be back online and aim to keep this group going and continue with my Sunday night posts for weekly topics to use as discussion. |
| 2015-02-19 9:45 AM in reply to: bcagle25 |
Master 3205 ann arbor, michigan | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** Back from four days of skiing with my 12 year old daughter. We were offered a very short notice, free stay, at a home in Keystone Colorado. We were actually able to find plane tickets that didn't break the bank, so off we went. It was a really fun trip. I did no SBR training for the entire time, but being at altitude and skiing hard had my heart racing for much of the time I was out there. I can totally see how living at altitude and racing at sea level would give you a crazy performance boost. I have to work the night shift tonight but I'm hoping to get in a short run (legs are still pretty trashed from hark skiing) and a swim before work. I don't want to get too used to not following a formal schedule. It would be easy to get lazy. |
| 2015-02-20 9:56 PM in reply to: wannabefaster |
Master 3205 ann arbor, michigan | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** Nice treadmill run today for me. I have missed running. It is my favorite part of triathlon so the two months of self-imposed not running has been very hard for me. Hopefully I can start back in where I left off and get back up to speed. |
| 2015-02-26 7:32 AM in reply to: bcagle25 |
Elite 4583 | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** Hi guys! I was kind of thinking this group was going to be a wash, but there has been some activity! I haven't been checking in as much either. Thanks Ben for checking in--I really want to be part of a productive group! I posted this question in Iron training forum, but ask here as well. I was comparing my BT 20 week IM plan with the very simple 6 Month to an IM Basic Training Plan found on Ironman.com. There are aspects I really like of the Basic plan--is there anything 'wrong' with mixing and matching plans? I like some of the shorter, more intense workouts of the BT plan, but the Basic IM plan has more of the long weekend sessions that I like. Anyhow, just looking for some thoughts on mixing and matching to create a weekly schedule. |
| 2015-02-27 11:29 AM in reply to: ingleshteechur |
Member 560 Utah | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** Kim...you would be fine doing that. You have an incredible base and consistency working for you, so you will be fine. That is one aspect I love about my IMTX plan, the weekday stuff is shorter but more intense, and the weekend is longer and more endurance based. It is a good mix and at the same time conducive to my crazy life and time constraints. It just dawned on me that after tomorrow morning's long run, I will be exactly half way through my plan! Only 78 days til IMTX! AAAGGGGHHHHHH! I am not going to lie, I am equal parts terrified and so excited I can't stand it |
| 2015-03-05 6:12 PM in reply to: ingleshteechur |
Master 3205 ann arbor, michigan | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** Originally posted by ingleshteechur Hi guys! I was kind of thinking this group was going to be a wash, but there has been some activity! I haven't been checking in as much either. I'm thinking that the group has kind of washed out. Is anyone else even checking in? I was trying to be really diligent about posting but went out of town for five days and no one had posted anything the entire time. I'm willing to put in a little effort and try to revive the group if anyone is interested. If you want to try to continue with the group, put in a post so I will know that it is going to be worth the effort........ On the training front, I had a bad week last week. Swim felt bad, run felt worse and I barely biked. That isn't so good for a triathlete, to be sucking in all three sports. However, the last few workouts have been better and things are looking up (for now). I have actually been getting a bunch of pretty good workouts off of ST in a thread about one hour workouts. Lots of good stuff to be done on the trainer or treadmill. The variety is limited only by your imagination and the intensity is only limited by your willingness to suffer. This week I have been suffering better. Any good trainer or treadmill groups that you all use as go-to workouts? I have several that I'm willing to share if anyone is out there........ |
| 2015-03-06 9:04 AM in reply to: wannabefaster |
Veteran 1677 Houston, Texas | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** I'd like to see this group succeed as well. I check pretty much daily for new activity, but haven't seen much. This week was a bit off for me as well. The pool was closed on Monday, so that cut into one of my swims. I try to do 10k+ each week, but didn't make it this week....was able to get in 8.2k still, but a bit lower than I would have liked. For the first time in a long time, work got in the way of a couple runs I wanted to do. I had planned to do an interval run on Tuesday and had a meeting that went three hours instead of the scheduled one and a half....and then had another meeting from 5pm - 8:30pm and just don't have it in me to run after 9pm when I got up at 4am that day! Long story short, I didn't run Tuesday, it was hot and humid Wednesday so I didn't do the interval run, and now have decided to just do one interval run this week (this afternoon) instead of two. Volume will still be in the expected range, but not quite as much quality as I was shooting for. Bike has been going reasonably well. I (pretty much) took four months off the bike after my last race last season (so I could focus on running). I'm not yet back to where I want to be, which frustrates me on long rides because I'm okay for the first hour and then just kinda fall off....may also be nutrition-related as I was slacking last weekend. Will be a cold one tomorrow, but hoping/planning to ride outside....somewhere in the 50-60 mile range.
I try to minimize my time on the treadmill as much as possible, but do a lot on the trainer. One of my very favorite trainer workouts is a VO2 workout -- 6x2' @ VO2 on 1' recovery, 8x1' @ VO2 on 30" recovery, 8x30" @ VO2 on 15" recovery. The working intervals are all short enough to be "palatable", but the recovery is also short enough that you end up spending a lot of time with HR and power in VO2. |
| 2015-03-06 10:47 AM in reply to: ligersandtions |
Elite 4583 | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** I have been checking almost daily as well and there just isn't much movement. I am willing to keep trying though! I do a lot of my training on both the treadmill and trainer so I'd love some ideas--especially for the treadmill. I do a lot of interval type stuff based on time--either 5 minute or 10 minute increments if I'm only riding/running an hour. I don't have a lot of technical vocabulary but on my bike trainer one of my favorite workouts is 10 min warmup then/2:00 in low Z2--6:00 in high Z2--2:00 in Z3/3:00 recovery and then go again however many times I can/want. Training overall is going great. I've only missed one long run so far--and it wasn't even really a long run. I've been super consistent so I'm happy. I have to juggle some things around next weekend and put some long workouts early morning during the week to make up for no training next Friday or Saturday. I'll be up early tomorrow too, to fit in a 3:00 trainer + 15 min run before a family fun day starting around 10am. But, it's OK--I honestly prefer to get started super early--I'm not awake enough to realize what I'm doing until I'm nice and warmed up! |
| 2015-03-06 3:53 PM in reply to: ingleshteechur |
Master 3205 ann arbor, michigan | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** Great. Glad to see that folks are still checking in. Favorite treadmill workouts (when I want to work) 1. Start at a very comfortable pace. Every minute, up the pace by 0.1 MPH. It usually takes me about 15 minutes to get to the point where I am getting uncomfortable. Once I hit the 15 minute (or suffering point) mark, I try to maintain for 5 minutes at that uncomfortable pace. Then I back off by 1 MPH (eg. go from 8.5 MPH to 7.5 MPH) and recover for a couple minutes and then start to build again, 0.1 MPH at a time. Bonus points: when you get to your uncomfortable pace, up the incline by 1% every minute until you can't hang on any longer and then back off and start over. You can do this workout for as long or short as you want (multiple trips to max pace or only one....) 2. Start slow and warm up for 10 minutes or so to a comfortable aerobic (zone 2?) pace. Then up the incline by 1% every minute (you can do it every minute, every 2 minutes, every 3 minutes, you pick the interval). When it gets to the point where I am really working to keep up (remember I was comfortable at 0% incline) I just try to hold it as long as I can and then back off to 0% and start over. Sometimes I get to 5%, sometimes 7%, once I made it to 2 minutes at 9% and I wanted to die. 3. Yesterday I did something really fun; quick warm up (5 minutes) to moderate pace and then 1 minute hard and 1 minute easy, 2 minutes hard and 2 minutes easy, 3 minutes hard and 3 minutes easy, 4 minutes hard and 4 minutes easy, 5 minutes hard and 5 minutes easy, 4 minutes hard and 4 minutes easy, 3 minutes hard and 3 minutes easy, 2 minutes hard and 2 minutes easy, 1 minute hard and 1 minute easy. 5 minutes cool down. This is an hour of training where you can get some excellent work in. You get to pick the easy and hard levels so you control the intensity of the training and none of the intervals are that long so you can push them a little bit. One of the things for me about treadmill running is that I need to stay engaged. You will notice that all of these workouts require a lot of interaction on my part with the treadmill. I am not so good at setting the treadmill at a constant pace and running for an hour. Doing intervals makes the time fly by and the next thing you know the training is done. |
| 2015-03-06 3:58 PM in reply to: ligersandtions |
Master 3205 ann arbor, michigan | Subject: RE: Ben's Mentor Group w/ Google Hangouts! ***CLOSED*** Originally posted by ligersandtions One of my very favorite trainer workouts is a VO2 workout -- 6x2' @ VO2 on 1' recovery, 8x1' @ VO2 on 30" recovery, 8x30" @ VO2 on 15" recovery. The working intervals are all short enough to be "palatable", but the recovery is also short enough that you end up spending a lot of time with HR and power in VO2. That looks like a very stout workout. The short recovery intervals just kill me. |
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