Team KiterChick - CLOSED (Page 8)

Personally I think that spending quality time with family is the best solution to get your head in the game of training.

My bike is in the shop so hopefully I can get one one of the spin bikes at the gym tomorrow or I too will have to miss a workout.

Good morning group! Hope you're all easing into the workweek without too much stress. At least it gives life a routine, which I find helps me fit in more consistent workouts as well.

Bryan - Welcome back! Sounds like you had a great vacation in FL. We're definitely due for some cold this week, so I know what you're talking about there...

Scott - You can swim a sub 1min/100 yards? Wow, I'm jealous, I'm at least twice that! We'll see if my swim coach can whip me into shape. If not, I may look into TI myself.

Hubbie - We were actually discussing cadence a few pages back, but to address your specific concerns, there's really a sweet spot that you need to be aiming for. This is a high enough cadence that doesn't feel like you're muscling through a very high gear, but not one that is so high that you're losing power as you noted. General literature quotes this as being anywhere in the 85-100 rpm range, so you have some room to work with. You're right though, don't shoot for the highest cadence you can maintain, as that will definitely wear you out and slow you down. That being said, grinding through at 75 will tire you out too. Personally, I aim for an average of 90-95. For now, just spending more time in the saddle while mixing things up should give you a better idea of what works for you.

Will - What half marathon did you sign up for? Just curious, since we're both local...

Frances - I love your weight lifting routine. I'll have to pick up a six pack on the way home and give it a try myself! As for destination IMs, I clearly dropped the ball there. The only draw to the one I'm signed up for is that it's at one of the largest roller coaster parks in the country, but I get motion sick! That's okay though, something tells me I'll be a little too tired for roller coasters anyway.

I got my new running shoes via Fedex today.

A brand new pair of Asic Gel-Nimbus 13's!

I can't wait to use them tomorrow morning.

As Sarah said, hope everyone started their workweeks fine (ughhh, it was so much nicer to be on vacation!). Anyway, I have a question regarding taper.

I am racing this Saturday. Doing a Sprint in Naples, which is just a race for fun and to get some more practice before my goal race in April (St. Anthony's). Besides doing this I am going to do 3-4 more races before April and also run a 15k in Gasparilla. Maybe I'll also add 1 or 2 5ks. 

That being said, what do you recommend in terms of taper for a race like the one on Saturday? I am planning to workout normally until today. Then instead of doing my usual Swim + Run Speedwork tomorrow I'll do the Run Speedwork with less repeats than usual. Then on Thursday I'll swim and I'll take Friday off. Today is my last bike workout.

Looking forward to hearing if you think this is too much taper, too little or about right. Thanks!

So I signed up for the Half of Qunicy on March 18th.  I thought about doing Hyannis in February, but the Cape at that time of year just sounds too cold for me.  I am hoping for an early/warm spring.  The good thing about Quincy is that I could just take the redline down to the start, the bad thing is that logistically they had some issues last year with aid sessions.  Hopefully that is all worked out.

Sebastian, given that you've been keeping up a good fitness base, and the fact that it's a sprint, you probably don't need to overthink the taper for Saturday, especially since it's not your A race. I'm assuming the swim will be relatively easy for you, so it really comes down to how much energy you think you'll need for the bike/run. I know you were recently mentioning 10-12M training runs, so I would suspect you're at a point where a 5K isn't going to be particularly taxing. Honestly, you could probably just take off Friday and be fine, but if you'd feel better about easing up the rest of the week, it certainly won't hurt, and it's early enough in the season, that you'll have plenty of time to dive back into training for your April race next week.

Hope this helps!

Hello everyone.  Hope everyone is having a great day back.  

Sarah,  I just noticed that I have a series of repeat post and would love to know how to delete them so I will not look like a complete moron.  Sorry everyone.  

I have actually signed up for my first two races of this year.  A super sprint on 3/10 and then my first marathon on 3/18.  The marathon is an A race for me this year.  Hoping to BQ.  I know that I shouldn't put that kind of pressure on my first full, but its a goal.  

Thanks Sarah,

You actually confirmed my suspicion, that I probably did not really need to taper much. I think I am going to just add some volume to Wednesday and Thursday, to make them closer to normal training days and then rest Friday.

About the 5k, you are right, I should be able to run that easily, but not at 5k race pace

Will - I haven't heard of that race. I'd imagine if they had issues last year, that they would learn from their mistakes, so hopefully everything will go smoothly this year. Should be fun!

Ken - I'm not sure how to delete posts. I wouldn't worry about it, since they'll get buried soon enough. I promise no one is going to think you're a moron regardless!

Sebastian - I'll bet you're going to end up running faster for the 5K than you're expecting. I'm always shocked at the differences between race times and training, and I've been running for years.

Ugh, so I've already decided that I want to avoid the pool for yet another day. I've rationalized that it will be better to go on Thursday night. Week one and I'm already shuffling workouts around! I'm notorious for that though. As long as they get done by the end of the week, I'm happy...

I hit the pool today, first time since before Christmas.  I figure it was like ripping off a band-aid- might as well go ahead and get it over with. Once I can get a couple of swims in, the process usually becomes a lot better.  Even enjoyable sometimes.

Hey everyone,

I'm back from vacation and ready to get back to training on a regular schedule again.  I got on the bike for 50 minutes tonight and felt pretty good.  Hoping to get a run in tomorrow and a swim on Friday.  Now that I'm back things will be a bit more normal!  Hopefully everyone has been getting some good work in.  

Shane

What's the podcast called? I never thought to look for podcasts for use on the bike, sounds like they would be great for those days you get stuck at the gym instead of outside.

chris316 - 2012-01-04 7:38 AM Merry new year, glad to be back in work tonight (almost) over indulged quite a bit over the holidays! Anybody used the 16 week winter cycling plan on here? I was considering using it from tomorrow. My girlfriend has reached the point of light duties only till the baby comes so I've been put in charge of her horses stables for the next few months, is it worth me logging this? Throwing horse muck around for an hour gets quite a sweat on Signed up for a local 10k in march, with a view to first sprint in may, wondering how much to back off on the weights, or is this the time of year to be building strength?Cheers

How much weight training do you do? I don't do any (mainly because the last time i was in the gym i pulled a muscle in my shoulder from incorrect technique). My only strength training comes from yoga, which I love. How important is weight training to a triathlete?

I used Gregg Cook. I got his podcast through Motion Traxx. However I think you can get his podcasts without having to use Motion Traxx. iTunes may also be an option. He's great, the coaching is just what I needed.

I hate hate hate hate swimming.

It seems as though I will never get the hang of it.  I am good at moving myself through the water, it's the breathing that I am having terrible trouble with.  

Any tips for me??

Good morning everyone! Well, I've apparently decided to group my two days off right in a row this week. Decided to sleep in this morning, and I can't work out tonight because I have a date. Wish me luck! I will DEFINITELY be back on the wagon tomorrow. Seriously, you should all feel free to tar and feather me as your "mentor" if my log is empty then!

Since a couple of people have mentioned weight lifting, I thought I'd address that. Basically, this is a very controversial topic in the triathlon community. This can be seen in a recent thread from the Slow Twitch forum http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=36699... I personally don't incorporate any weight training in my program. Would my performance improve if I did? Who knows. If you have the time for it, does it hurt? Probably not. If you enjoy it and/or it's important to you, I'd say it's fine to add some in, but it shouldn't be your focus, especially once your training volume increases.

Will - I'd like to think that if I start swimming it will be become enjoyable, but unfortunately, that's never been the case for me. It's just a necessary evil that I have to deal with. My friends tell me I should switch to duathlons, but I'm willing to deal in order to do an IM.

Chris - Don't worry, I think most of us overindulged over the holidays. That's what they're for! I haven't done the 16-week cycling plan, but, assuming you mean the one setup by Jorge, I've heard great things. I actually just emailed him today to ask about personal coaching, since my swim coach recommended him. Here's hoping he can take me on...

Shane - Welcome back, and hope the vacation was fun!

Hubbie - Glad you've found a suitable replacement for your bike while it's in the shop. That podcast sounds intense!

Ken - Great job on the swimming. Sounds like you'll hit 1M soon!

Tyler - Honestly, I HATE swimming too. Everyone is likely to have at least one component that is mentally and/or physically challenging for them, so that's okay. As for the breathing, that will come with time and practice. I did all of my initially swims with my head above the water, but now can breathe rhythmically. I'm sure it will come to you too, just be patient.

Sorry, but I had to post this

Haha, speak for yourself. Meanwhile, you can probably breathe on both sides. Some of us are still stuck on one!

In other news, I just talked to my future IM coach - so exciting!!! Going to start in March, which is six months out from my race. Curious to see what I'm going to be capable with some actual direction in my training...

Ouch! What do you do if you have waves coming from the side on which you breathe? That sounds hard! 

Great news about the coach, I'll probably do that in 2013 since at that point I am going to be looking at HIM and starting to train for tackling IM. 

News on my front are that I just signed up for a duathlon. I am going to force myself to keep focusing on the bike and run. The race is Feb 5 and it's 5k-10 miles-5k. At least the logistics in transition will be easier without the swim

Which Ironman are you doing??
 

Question for all of my team mates-

I am currently working out at 5am.  For roughly an hour/hour and a half.  Currently I am eating before I go work out, around 415.   My question is, am I doing this right?  Or should I be eating AFTER I work out???