Newbz' group is FULL (Page 8)

as a native floridian, anything in the high to mid 30's is COLD! i'm sure if i lived up north somewhere and came for a visit, i'd think it was perfect weather too .
in the meantime, i will bundle up and be happy there isn't snow on the ground.
have a good training week everybody!
Cheers...

haha its ok, if i liveed here i would think it was freezing too. i am already going to cry when i go back.

i just talked to my parents and they said it has snowed every day for the past 5 days in ohio. YAY!

For those of you up north - What do you do about your long bike rides?  How cold will you ride?  Or do you mainly stay on trainer?  Are spinning classes as effective? 

I just joined a new wellness center and was thinking about substituting a spinning class for a trainer session.

Well it has been pretty darn chilly in northern Indiana the past couple of days.  It's no way to come back to work after 17 days off.  Up here the wind never stops blowing, so the wind chills have been as low as 2 degrees during the work day.  I can stay fairly warm during the days if I keep my back to the wind.   My hand that runs the controls of our bucket truck (normally the right hand) can get so cold it hurts as soon as it hits warm air.  It hasn't happened yet this year but there are times I get so cold at work that I am literally shivering later at night, at home, after a hot shower when I go to bed several hours later.  I would rather work in the heat,but not Fla. heat in the summer!!!!  Been there for hurricane damage in the summer sun, don't like it at all.  Was in La. after Katrina too, and man the swamp turkeys are big enough to carry you away.

No winter riding for just yet.  I haven't had the right mindset to get out when it gets cold yet.  It took me a full year of running before I started to run outside in the winter, now I like it.  Only if its really cold (below zero) do I stay on the dreadmill.  I will start to brave the cold weather next winter on the bike.

I am currently in the middle of a rest week and it is a good thing.  My schedule so far this week it retarded!!!!  I hope it settles next week when my training picks back up.  I am intentionally riding harder this week though since I didn't ride much at all last week.  I only rode 30 minutes last week.

Oh yeah, David it sucks to be you!  That much driving is insane.  No would want to be within a mile of me for a few days if I was in the car that much.  If you go through Zanesville Ohio wave to my family.



Edited by DirkP 2010-01-05 9:00 PM

Well, I'm officially registered for the White Lake Half on May 8!  No chickening out now.  I know I'm not experienced enough to be tackling this, but I'm just going to trust the training plan to get me there.  I think I'll be ok with endurance, I just hope I can get up to speed.

I pretty much stop outdoor riding from October-March and hit the trainer/spin classes instead.  I find the spin sessions to be a really good workout, not too much different from my tri-bike on my trainer.  But most of my indoor riding is on my tri-bike on my trainer doing lots of intervals.

And if it's cold enough outside for my feet to go numb, I stay home and hit the trainer!

ETA:  Congrats on reg'ing for the HIM!

Edited by wiky 2010-01-06 8:31 AM

made it to ohio safely at 10am this morning after 20 hours in the car, promtly fell asleep for 4 hours.
heading out for philly this evening, YAY!

Winter riding for me is an ongoing process. in the fall i start with a very low tolerance for the cold that goes up as winter goes by and i get more despreate to get riding in. in nov my cutoff is like 45 or 50. by the time march rolls around i'll be out in high teens low 20s. assuming the roads are clear the big key to winter riding is just dressing smart.

a few key things you NEED:

-warm gloves or mittens. if it has a shell AND is insulated you are pretty much good to go. dont layer these, you want them to not be too tight.

-shoe covers. if you ride anywhere it gets cold, get a pair now, they will pay off in the long run.
you can get anywhere from simple neoprean thin ones up to insulated thick ones. a middle of the road pair if you look around is 30-40$ and WELL worth it. they just go over your cycling shoes and insulate them.

- a shell layer: some sort of jacket. any windbreaker that you can ride in comfortably works here.

-tights: you can do a few things, layer multiple ones, get a winter fleece/windstoper pair, or some combination.

some sort of thin hat or even a mask to wear under a helmet. cutting a section of the thighs of old tights makes a great hat for when it gets colder because it will breath out the top and easily fits under a helmet. you'll want something warmer for when it gets really cold.


under the jacket you can layer tech shirts, underarmor, fleece, what have you. thin tech material first, then fleece, then shell to keep you dry and warm. layer as needed for the cold.

if you can keep your hands/feet/head and lesser extent legs warm the top is EASY.

I agree with the warm cycling clothes. My feet are the worst. I have had toe covers for years but they are only good for a few degrees. I now have the full neoprene shoe covers that zip up in the back. They help out immensely.

I have been working my diet again to meet my weight goal for the Mardi Gras Marathon. I am having huge success. I have started up my food journal again. I can be a little but obsessive when I have a goal at hand. I have even been weighing all of my food.

But I am enjoying the success. Even though I do not have a substantial amount of weight to lose I am considering the Bodybugg – the device that you wear on your arm and it calculates your metabolic burn rate throughout the day. This might be overkill but I am a data junky.

Nutrition is my thing to get a better handle on this year too.  I would like to lose a few more pounds (plus the ones I gained during the holidays) before my first tri and I know its the diet that is the problem.  I am going to start focusing on a higher protein intake and fewer carbs but I love my carbs, so it's gonna be hard.

David,
I haven't done my HR max test yet but I am planning on getting it done as soon as the snow melt on the streets.  I don't think the treadmill would be the best way to get it done.

What are your thoughts on the number of grams of protien to take in compared to carbs.  When I was power lifting I just ate as much protien as I wanted to, I didn't worry about carbs.  I really don't eat a ton of anything but I am having trouble losing the few pounds I would like to lose.  I am sure, however, that I am eating too many carbs.  If I found some reasonable success I might try to get down to 160lbs, which would leave me ripped and my daughters mad because I have a six pack.  That would be awesome because my daughters say I am too old to have abs.  Currently the electronic BF % on my sclae at home says 13%, but I am pretty sure thats not real accurate.

Hey group

Question about bike shoes....should I invest in them for my very first tri, or wait, similar to your responses about the bike?  I took a spinning class this morning, and noticed that a few people had the clip[ on shoes, so I looked them up to see prices (and what's with the sizes?) and noticed that there is a difference between indoor and outdoor shoes........curious how committed you have to be to a spinning class to buy clip on shoes for it.

On the subject of spinning classes, are these really beneficial in training, especially since it is frigid right now here in Maryland.

thanks

the tredmill is actually a pretty good place to do the test if you can stand it, very very constant. The test you would be doing/should do if you want to use HR wont show you your max, but rather your threshold level which is the highest sustainable over the distance. this is much more relavent in training and gives a much more accurate set of zones to work from.

As for exact ratios of food, i dont know, i cant honestly say i know exactly how much i am eating.
I make sure to eat reasonably healthy, but i dont worry about it a ton either. i tend to eat a fairly normal mix of carbs/protein with dinner (normally rice and chicken) and a decent amount of veggies.

during the day normally either a sandwich or rice leftovers.

i deff dont shy away from carbs too much, but eat them in moderation.

that said when trying to lose weight its a lot easier to cut out some of them and replace with veggies and fill up that way.



on the bike shoes. if you can, now is a great time to start using them so you get used to the pedals before moving outside. there is a HUGE range of shoes/pedal styles to choose from.

spin bikes and mountain bike shoes can be used with SPD cleats (what most spin studios have), road shoes use road pedals and some can also use SPDs (diff pattern for the screws).

the road pedals offer a better platform/more stability, but are a bit harder to walk in (why you dont seem them on spin bikes).

head into a bike shop and talk to someone there, see what they offer and explain what you ware doing/want out of them and they can help. will be a lot like going in and getting fitted for any other type of shoe.

let me know if you have specific questions, but they will make a huge diff in speed!

Another swimming question -- What is the purpose of pulling using paddles?  I'm asking because a couple of the faster triathlete swimmers I see at the local pools seem to spend a lot of time pulling with big paddles.  Not sure if that's just their preference, or if there is some benefit to that which I'm unaware of.

triathletes tend to use them more than they should/pulling in general, but they build upper body/shoulder strength specific to swimming, and they promote a good catch (if your hand hits the water at a bad angle with them on you'll know real fast).

but be careful using them at first and start with small hand sized ones.

personanlly i dont use them any bigger than my hand with the fingers spread. that is more than enough to feel a big diff.

TGIF to all! Just wanted to report in. Swam 3 times this week, nothing too structured yet just getting there and in the pool was a huge accomplishment enough after a 5 year hiatus. I did keep track of distance on day 2 and 3 - 1525 meters and 1700 meters. Other than that, the cycling, running and weight training are where they need to be so i won't bore you with those details. Weekend here is looking cold (for us wimpy floridians that is) so probably semi-long run outside in prep for the gasparilla half mary and then maybe take a spin class at the Y or do my own torturous spin class at home by myself.
Hope everyone had a good week of training.

Swim paddles - I don’t use the paddles very much but I do have a set of the small ones. I love the way they make me feel fast – I will swim a 100 yards with them and then switch to regular swimming and try to simulate the same pull. The paddles help me with my hand entry – if I am off any or not smooth then the paddle gets pulled out of whack. With the paddles I try to concentrate on feeling the muscles in back – they help to magnify that feeling.
I have been following a health / strict diet for about a month. Avoiding holiday spreads and alcohol. I want to shed some body mass (ideally mostly body fat) before my marathon at the end of February. I spoke with a friend at the university and set up an appointment for a Dexa Scan body fat scan – so that I could get a baseline on my body fat. I have a Bioelectrical Impedance scale but it is not accurate, however, I do believe that is precise. I have always just used it to track trends. Used in this method it is functional. But, I would like to know the offset. In the athletic mode the scale reads my body fat in the 7’s but in the normal mode it reads about 18 – big variance. I had calipers done a year or so ago and it was around 15 or 16. Before the ironman they had a Bioelectrical Impedance scale at check in and it read 12 percent. So I do not know where I am – with the Dexa Scan, the new gold standard for body fat analysis, it will give me the offset – I will know how much to add to the 7.x. Much better tracking.

I got the scan yesterday. As I had mentioned earlier, my body fat scale reads 8.x in athlete mode and 18.x in normal mode. I would be happy if it split the difference. I was very frustrated with the results. The Dexa Scan indicated that my body fat was 17.5 percent. I was surprised that it was that high. My friend – who is a faculty member in the Human Performance Department at the university was very surprised it was that high. I mean I can see my ribs and some of my abs (very vague but they can be seen in just the right light). There is slight definition. But the Dexa Scan is very accurate. What are you going to do?
On a positive note I now have my scales offset (in the athlete mode I need to add 9.2 or in the normal mode I need to subtract 1.3 – it would appear that the scale is pretty accurate in the normal mode) and while my body fat is higher than I want it – it is a vanity number – my body fat composition is normal. I do not have any disproportionate body fat in my torso or anything – and my bone density is fine.

I am racing another half marathon on Sunday and hope to get another PR - I have been dialing in my paces.

agreed- FRIDAY!!!

I got in a great trail run yesterday after two and a half days of striaght travel. Did 13 miles in just over 1:35 on some nice hills/off road. Legs deff felt better than i thought they would.

Ohio chris, we have a huge park here that is nothing but trails like the TTT courses!





On the BF side of things, if you are trying to drop it but its getting harder, consider throwing in a diff style of workouts, biking or swimming more, or something else. if you are not upping hte training load (either quality or quantity), then your body is going to get used to where you are. from there you either need to add more, or cut food back cal wise. mixing up the workouts will help without needing to cut food as much.

I've cut out most extra foods for the next few weeks while i get everything close to race weight, but some alcohol is staying in here (sorry love it too much).
pretty much all non-cooked food is out of the house though, which forces me to cook a meal if hungry and keeps me from eating stuff i dont need all day.

James,

I just read in another BT thread (http://beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=190407) that Dexa Scan can be higher than other BF indicators (skin fold). 

According to a post in that thread, ideal Dexa Scan BF is 13-17% for male endurance athletes.  So could be you're in quite good shape, as far as I understand this (not very far!).

I will get this done soon and I hope I can get it right.  Just to clarify,  I need to do a "fast as I can sustain" pace for 30 minutes on the mill, correct?  Then avg. the last 20 minutes for my HR?  My only concern about the the mill is guessing my pace correctly and not bonking during the run because I  don't think I am going to want to do this again very soon.  I guess I should look at it like a hard tempo or threshold run but I know how much I hate those runs while I am doing them.

I had asked about nutrition too.  I am participating in a health program through my employer that should help with this.  It will be a temporary thing but possibly a help.

A swim question: what would a person benefit from the most?  Paddles or fins?  Since it seems I normally do things backwards, I am guessing the paddles should be the normal first option.  I got fins for Christmas.

On the testing, its not fun, but think of it like this, its basically a 4-5 mile race (if you can find a race in that approx distance (8k, 5 mi, 10k if you run it hard) any of those would work too.
take the frist few min a bit easier than you think you should if you are worried, just make sure you are up at race pace a few min before you hit 10 min so you get your HR up.

On the swimming, if you are new to it i would sy start with fins too, as you paddles can really mess up your shoulders if you are using htem too much or incorrectly.

Fins can be used to build a stronger kick, for drills, to lift the legs and give you an idea of what proper form feel like,

but dont let them become a crutch either.

Thanks wiky about the dexa scan thread. Interesting stuff. I am working on my nutrition - after all light is right and I hope to gain a little more running speed prior to my marathon. "They" say that in running losing 1 lbs = a reduction of 2 seconds per mile.

And about the threshold tests - they are VERY HARD. they are NOT FUN. You need to go out at a pace that you think you can sustain and then just try to hold on as the test progresses. They are so hard that you can not really do them very often at all and for me a race is a much better way to perform them. On my own I can only push so hard. Get one of my fast friends breathing down my neck and I can push much hard.

For me - in my last running race I averaged 181 for 49:xx minutes. There is no way that I could average that for 30 minutes (prob less) on the treadmill by myself. The same for the bike. In a race last year I averaged 171 for 27.5 miles (23.9 MPH - and HUGE PB). In training by myself I start to wimp out in the 170's after just minutes.

A local 5K at maximum intensity could be a good way to do the test.

I had a tough day today with the workout schedule.  I swam ,biked and ran today but tried to provide some separation between the swim and the bike/run.  There was a couple of hours to recovery from the swim but that wasn't that difficult of a workout.  I rode and then started the run about 40 minutes later.  I don't plan on doing this very often at all but I hate missing workouts.

What do you all think about going this hard on a recovery week?  Normally these same workouts done according to a regular type of schedule wouldn't be hard at all but I the run was a lot more work than what a normal 5 miler would be at the pace I ran it (9 min.).

Knowing this might not be a recommended thing to do, I still enjoyed it and I get tomorrow off to help recover.

I'm in the same situation with Dirk in trying to figure out nutrition as well and working on the HR zones. 

Assuming I ran my hardest at my last 10K, I should be able to use those HR lap numbers to figure my running zones?

I need to do the test for the bike.  That Aerobase builder spinerval uses HR zones, and I am more concerned about this right now than with running.

Another cold day, but my training partner and I are going for 25 miles outside today.  Hope we can keep the toes warm!

hey all,


Dirk: if you are trying to get recovery in, your total volume+ intensity will give you the answer. look at the week/few days as a whole, are you going more and/or harder than normal? if so you are not really getting hte recovery in and should reschedule it (assuming you need the lighter week or time off). That said, doing multiple workouts in a day is not a bad thing assuming you can handle it without problems. I am going to be starting up 2-3 per day here fairly shortly. most will be shorter to start iwth and slowly get longer. The key is making sure you can handle the total training load.


Maria, depending on how hard/long the race was its a good place to start with the HR zones and will give you some good numbers to work from right now.

First Light Half Marathon - PR - in 23 degree's

This was the smartest race I have ever run. The first half of the race felt too easy. It was very hard to maintain this ‘easier’ pace. The race did get hard and it was tough but SO MUCH EASIER than all of my recent races. The splits were much more even and the heart rate had few spikes. This is how you are supposed to run these races. I am glad that I decided to race so much for this marathon training. Not only are these races more valuable than training runs in fitness – they are much more valuable in race experience and strategy. The plan is coming together.

I ended up in 14th overall and I won my age group with a sub-1:30 (1:29:38 – I also think the race was a little long – not by much – but several people recorded 13.2 miles – no biggie). By my watch I ran a 6:47 pace and by official time it was a 6:50 pace. It was evening paced with one slow mile and one fast mile - back to back. There might have been a small hill. My average heart rate was 179 beats per minute- three beats per minute faster than my last half. This is interesting because I went out so much easier. My confidence is building for a Boston Qualifying Mardi Gras Marathon.

Check my blog for a full race report.