Eli's Getting Ready for the Season Group-CLOSED (Page 8)

I agree with Eli on biking the hills - in training I'll hammer them sometimes, but in races I rarely (if ever) stand up.  The standing and pumping very closely mimics running hard, so a few of those and your legs will be shot for the run.  To test that out, try a brick where you hammer some hills.  It's always a good idea to try things out in training to see how your body reacts.

Grant, wow, way to go. That is a smoking fast time to me!

I worked out at the gym yesterday, and am suffering for it a little today. Just under two weeks till I find out how my fitness is at my first Tri of the season!

Hey All,
How is your week going! It is Wednesday, so hopefully you have gotten in a workout or two and are starting to look forward to your weekend.

I personally am suffering from a massive case of stupidity. I rode hard on Saturday, rode short but hard Sunday, rode easy 50 miles sunday evening and then worked out legs at the gym on Monday.

Then I road hard for an hour on Tuesday and did a little easy running Tuesday night. To cap this off, I was at the gym again today, and tried to swim.

By the time I got out of the water, every single muscle on my body had that "full" feeling you get when you have taxed your muscles and recruited new fibers to work. A great feeling, but a sign that I may have overdone it in the last week.

I feel good still, but am now REALLY looking forward to resting and tapering next week before my race on the 15th!

I also used a video camera in the water today. I will post the video later so you can see how funny I swim!

Hey All -

4 days to race day for me - my first tri. Ran great Sunday, rode long for me (32 mi) on Monday, swam Tuesday and rode again (15 mi) on Tuesday night, then did spin class on Wednesday morning, and open water practice Wednesday night. Not really a taper, but I have the next three days of nothing except work, packing and driving to the race.

I appreciate hearing your experiences and tips on the bike.  I'm experiencing the same thing - feel like I can fly on the descents and straightaways and then can barely make it up the hills.  My friends tell me this will come with experience, but it's frustrating right now to be constantly left behind and having others need to wait for me.

I'll post a race report after Sunday.  Good luck to all this weekend.

Michele

Good Luck!!!  Hope you have a great time.

Michelle,

Don't worry too much about the hills. Banging away up the hills will either mean 2 things...You aren't riding quite as hard as you can on the flats, or, you will suffer on the run.

Since going up hill takes more power than going on the flats, if you go up the hill as fast as you were on the flat, you are using a LOT more power. Based on the idea that you only have a limited supply of power, if you use it there, you won't have it somewhere else.

Of course, it sucks to feel like you are going backwards up a hill, but don't worry, you'll likely catch them on the run.

I used an Endurance Nation plan last year, and they make a huge point about this. If you are doing something different than other people on the hills, you are probably doing it right.

Training is different. To a certain degree, you can bomb up the hill in training since you are planning to recover anyway and need to stress the muscles so they get stronger!

Good luck on your race! Can't wait to hear how it goes.

Whew,

Starting to work the soreness out. Had a good swim and a great run today. It rained a bunch, and after that was done, my wife and I took a run while Angelina watched some TV and read her book.

Great way to end the day!

Warren, good to hear you legs are recovering.

The simple answer, for me, is yes, it can take two to five days for muscle soreness to go away after I have really taxed myself, either at the gym or in a hard race.

However, if you did the same race, but 30 minutes slower, you would barely need any recovery at all.

This is actually a very interesting topic to me.

There is a huge difference between being able to complete a distance, and being able to "compete" at that distance. And by compete, I mean compete with yourself, try for a PR or best effort. 

In addition, if you "complete" a distance, you may not be that sore, or need that much recovery. In fact, that is kind of the point of the long slow distance/time theory of running. You can do those long slow workouts without seriously impacting your ability to train following that event.

I had noticed lat year that I was hardly ever "sore" after workouts after the first few weeks of training. At first, this worried me, as I thought "maybe I am not working hard enough." Then I realized, if I was sore, it would negatively affect my other training sessions for the week. So, I followed my plan, and didn't deal with soreness as much as fatigue, which is a whole different topic!

wow, seems like we have a lot of runners here. Running is not my strong suit, although I am trying. Ran a 5k last Sunday and had a PR by 2 minutes (by 8 minutes since i started running last summer). Glad there is a Clyde category. Have to say running is my weakest discipline. So, I am assuming from all I have read from you all is that piling up the miles (slow or not) is the way to go?

One cool thing I noticed since i have trained all winter (I'm in CO) that after running the 5k last Sunday was that I was able to train the next day (did a anaerobic threshold spin class), then run again Tuesday and Thursday. After my 5k's last fall I couldn't even walk real good for a few (or more) days LOL. So I guess that means I'm getting somewhere!

1st ever sprint Tri in 29 days!

Mark, we're all in the same boat!  Without question running is my weakest of the three sports, but I have come to really enjoy running and I'm working at getting better within my own abilities.

I say "within my own abilities" because it's amazing to me how disparate running paces seem to be - I have friends who picked up running with me a year and a half ago and they tick off 7:30 minute miles with the same effort I run 9:00.  We all have to compete within our given fitness right now, so all your race evaluations should be based on how you're doing within your current abilities and training.

And Eli, it's so true that slowing the pace down 30-45 seconds a mile completely changes the impact the run has on the recovery and the muscle soreness.

Have a great weekend everyone, I'm heading out for my "Pyrenees" ride - it's a beautiful loop lot's of hills (hills are where the road goes up and down Eli!)

Looks like a lot of good training.  I am pretty tired right now but am planning a 35 mile ride tomorrow.  Hopefully I can talk it easy, and work out some of the muscle soreness I am having right now after my long run of the week.

There does seem to be some very good runners in the group, I am not one of them though.  I have gotten better but have a ways to go yet.  I like biking the most but am not particularly strong there either.  Wait I am not a fast swimmer, man I am in trouble.

TRIATHLETE!

Hi All - I finally get to change my status from "training for my first triathlon" to "triathlete". Finished the White Lake Sprint this morning, and despite a rough run, I'm just really happy with how everything came together. I woke up at about 1:45a, couldn't get back to sleep until 3:15a or so, and when I got back to sleep, I dreamed I came in second place with a 1:49 time. Turns out I came in second out of eleven for the Masters Novice with a 1:38:21. Had no idea what to expect for time, but hoped for a 20/50/30 - beat all three.  I had a 28:22 5K time, but I'm convinced that course was not 3.1 miles - that's a 9:11 pace and I just don't run that fast. I'm not complaining though.

Race report:  http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=251373

Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

Congrats!!   Nicely done.  Those are some pretty quick splits!!  2nd in your group fantastic!!  You should be thrilled.

Michele,

Way to go on your first triathlon! Looks like you had a good race, and have some great ideas on what you want to improve for next time!

Had a relatively lazy weekend here, but did manage a 50 miles ride with my wife yesterday. Between that and a yummy steak dinner at home for Mother's day, it was a great weekend.

I also had a great weekend.  I ran the 5k with my sister and she did great.  We finished a minute under her goal and she had a blast.  She's looking for her next one already.

And another great thing is that the morning of the race, my 14 year old decided to sign up and run.  He never runs, therefore trained absolutely 0, runs barefoot, and turns in a 27:00!  Mom and dad were very proud.

He had such a blast and he's already asked about a training plan so he can try out for cross country next fall.

Warren, that is awesome! What a great weekend and a great introduction to fitness!

My wife and I were discussing fitness and recreational sports as a lifestyle for adults. I have to say, although I spend a fair bit of trime training, I still think it is a good thing. I sit in front of a computer 6+ hours a day. Without the sports, I think my life expectancy would diminish as my waistline increased!

The events are just the fun and focus point of the lifestyle of fitness and energy, as far as I am concerned.

I couldn't agree more about the training.  I love the training part of this sport.  Sometimes I feel like the races get in the way!

I was in the same boat and our timeshare was on the second floor and I was driving my sisters honda civic to save gas... Boy did me and my wife look funny!

They key however is to get back out and get moving thats the only way to get the soreness out. I biked about 3 days after my half and then the next day I was fine! So get out and get your legs back under you!

Hey I had a quick question. Today I ran a LTHR test for my run while I did a 5k time trial. I ran it in 27:07 (Run is my worst). My question is whether what happened was normal. Typically I can run a 5k in around 30-33 minutes with just basically endurance effort (like zone 3 or so). I expected to run my 5k quite a bit faster than my usual pace because I was going relatively all out (Threshold or faster the entire time). Is it normal to exert so much more effort in running and receive such small returns or is it because I am a relatively new runner?

Well, it depends. How did you feel at the end or the run. If your pacing was off, you could have gone out too fast and not been able to keep it up, that would make you slower overall.

Also, developing that extra gear does take time. So, some of it could be due to your current fitness and run fitness levels.

And...that isn't a bad time! Give yourself 4 weeks and do the same run, in as much as the same way as you can and see what happens.

That is awesome Michele! I am already having weird dreams about my first Tri (its in 26 days). The weirdest thing I can remember was I had to drag my bike with me on the swim. LOL.

Again great Job Michele the Triathlete.