SBR Endurance Group - CLOSED (Page 8)

Happy New Year Everyone!

It's cold up here!  -15 but feels like -26 - for those of you in Farenheit that's about -14F brrrr  Crazy thing is we still have NO SNOW?!

Like Philip - I too have packed on a little over the holidays so a new year - fresh start - have dialed in the eating > lots of fruits and veggies, no sweets, lean meats and limited high glycemic carbs.  Also sporting three peachy squares on this month's calendar.

Curious about what everyone else is doing re: training...?  Is it still off season for most?  Anyone starting a new plan? 

Goals for this month are to stick to my running plan as I signed up for a half mary for next month, get to the pool 2x/week and start building base and I'm starting Jorge's cycling plan with the intent to build volume for a spring century ride. 

I'm also curious about arrow bars and would appreciate any feedback or comments Roger or others may have.  I currently ride a road bike but a cycling friend - with a tri bike - suggested I explore arrow bars.  I know nothing and have been hesitant because I'm a klutz and last year was actually the first year I managed to get through without a bad bike spill.  Any thoughts shared are appreciated.

Brandon,

First of all, stay away from MRE's. High calorie, very processed. Not meant for getting lean. For protein look for lean meats, like turkey breast or chicken breast, and fish. Grilled, maybe with some olive oil for good fats. Not too much of packaged "lunch meat" as it contains tons of sodium. Whole grains, brown rice, oats, quinoa. Use veggies(steamed) and fruits as "fillers".  Beans and other legumes are good replacements for potatoes and bread.

As far as drinks go, it depends what you are using them for. If you're looking for some kind of post workout recovery drink a low fat smoothie is great. Personally I use skim milk, a little chocolate syrup, frozen blueberries, and whey protein powder. Many articles written on just plain chocolate milk as the best recovery drink as far as carbs to protein ratio.  Sports drinks as needed for training and hydration, but not to be used as a substitue for water when lounging around as you are getting uneeded caloric intake. Hope this helps.

Anybody have any other ideas? I would like some smoothie recipes if anybody has a favorite they would like to share.

I got this smoothy recipe out of an Eat Clean book and find it YUMMY! 
Hopefully I got this right:

• 1 scoop protein powder
• 1/3c oatmeal
• 2/3c skim milk (or almond or soy)
• 1T peanut or almond butter
• frozen banana
• 2T unsweetened applesauce
• 1T flax oil
• 1T wheat germ
• ice

It's supposed to make 4 cups but I find it's really only 2 servings.  Maybe I need to add more ice!
It's about 300 calories (40% Fat and Carbs, 20% Protein).  Oatmeal gives it a nice chewy texture - not all that smooth

Marcia:  With respect to aero bars, lots of people will tell you they are hard to master, uncomfortable, etc.  My experience was just the opposite and I felt perfectly comfortable the first time I used them.  You will have to get used to the position a bit as it is harder on your back and upper shoulders.  But you will notice a significant difference in speed and exertion.

Smoothies:  Used to use protein powder but gave it up.  Lots of protein can be added with milk, yogurt, peanut butter and even cottage cheese.  I usually start with yogurt, cottage cheese, banana, frozen berries of some sort (cherries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.) maybe some pineapple and fresh spinach leaves.  The spinach makes it green but adds absolutely NO flavor.  It's a good way to sneak in one of the best veggies going into your diet.  I sometimes add uncooked oats and/or nuts too.  The combos are limitless really.  If you like pumpkin pie, substitute canned pumpkin for the berries and it tastes like dessert.

Roger, I too had taken some time off from swimming but got back in yesterday and felt pretty good.  My new goggles didn't fog once in over 40 minutes.

I'm going to start following a modified OLY plan (2X week balanced) with some extra running added in.  I'm riding on a trainer for the first time and am a little worried about ruining my back tire.  I know I should put either a training tire or old tire on but I'm just plain lazy when it comes to doing that type of thing.  Plus the bike is already set up and its so easy to just climb on and ride.  Anyone have any experience one way or the other?

Joe

First, Marcia - BRRRRRR!!  I live in north central Texas.  Right now it's blue sky with low's around 32F and highs in the 60'sF.  We're expected to warm up over the next few days!

Current workouts:  I'm running my first half marathon January 28th and I'm MORE than excited about it.  So the next three weeks will be loading with the last week a tapper.  Other than that I'm swimming and spinning (stationary) three times a week, alternating disciplines.  Mostly slow tempo to build endurance, I have 0 experience on a road bike so trying to build something up before I get mine off lay-a-way later in the month.  

Roger is dead on with the diet.  First, cut out all simple sugars i.e., fried foods, soft drinks, sauces (Mayo, Ranch, Alfredo, etc.), white bread/rice/potato.  My wife calls it my plain and boring diet.  This usually drops some fat and improves performance in a short period of time.  If not, remember, you can still eat to many healthy calories and your body will just store it as fat.  Calories in vs. calories out!

My Smoothies aren't near that good!  Of course I toss in anything I can find and add some Whey powder, banana, yogurt, fruit, etc.

Mine basically eats my tires.... Since I'm pretty much indoors now (but hoping for a ride outside this weekend), I keep my trainer tire on 24/7.  I got a set of cheap kevlar tires for the trainer, tough as hell to get on my wheels, but have held up really well!  

Brandon:  I only have few more things to add to the diet discussion, apart from everything that's already been said.  The main change I make isn't in what I eat, but when I actually consume carbs and protein.  I will usually have one workout in the morning, and one in the mid afternoon/early evening.  I tend to eat the bulk of my daily carbs with my breakfast and lunch.  After my last workout of the day, I try to really cut back on my carb intake, but increase my protein consumption (lean meats, especially red, nuts, etc) to help with recovery.  I really try to have my last meal and food before 8:00pm, about 2-3 hours before my bedtime.  

I actually just read an interesting article on this type of eating schedule on Triathlete.com, where it goes into a bit more detail.  Here's the Link:

http://triathlon.competitor.com/2011/12/training/the-perfect-day_45263

I too am trying to lose some weight.  I thankfully haven't gained much over the holidays, but want to be around 160-165 come race season (about a 10 pound loss from my current weight).  They say losing 1 pound is equal to gaining 2 seconds/mile on your running pace.  It's not much, but it adds up quickly!!! A 10 pound loss is a difference of 20 sec/mile, which is a 2 minute difference in an OLY race!  Just for losing weight! 

I bought a trainer tire too at my end of season tune up last year and had them put it on.  Then had my lbs  switch it out at the spring tune up but now I'm too lazy to try and get it back on - otherwise I too would have it on 24/7.  It's ALMOST a big enough hassle to consider buying a wheel so you can just swap them out.  Too lazy?

Hi group!

I am sitting here tonight (this morning) eating my carrots, peanut butter(no jelly!) sandwhich on whole wheat bread, have an apple for later and also some plain nonfat yogurt with blueberries. Much better than the eating habits I had slipped into-eating healthy but then also eating all the junk food they have around here at work and chips (even though organic, whole grain-they are still full of fat, salt and calories) at home. I am mostly vegetarian so it is kind of hard to get in enough protein. I get nauseous right after a hard workout so hard to get my post-workout fuel in. There is a web site- Dr. Clyde, something like that, that has a lot of shake recipes.

I have been wondering about my rear tire on the trainer too. I have ridden so many miles on those tires. Do you change them after so long? Or at least the back one after being on the trainer all winter?

Best wishes to everyone with eating healthy and getting those workouts in!

Jan

Here is the website for Dr. Clyde's shakes. I have used these and they are weird but help get protein in. He has a lot more info than last time I looked at his website. He talkes about when to eat too. I did not look much so not saying it is all good.

http://www.drclydewilson.com/recipes/clydes-shakes

Jan

If you're looking to gain some speed you would benefit greatly from aero bars. Your body is the biggest factor in affecting your drag coeffcient. It will feel awkward at first and some adjustment to your bike fit should be made. Your saddle will have to be adjusted forward to reduce what is termed as cockpit length. Also a slight tilt forward aslo helps. Remember to come out of aero while doing any kind of climbing. I know this sounds funny, but you will see people climbing hills, even big ones in aero doing about 7 mph. Not only are they not gaining anything by being aero, they are losing power output by being down. Which brings me to this point. Expect to lose about 5-10% power output by being down in the aero position until your body/legs have time to adjust to the different angle.

You guys with your racing tires on your trainer, I would either buy a cheap tire to put on the rear, or if you have any kind of significant mileage on it, buy a new race tire. It would be a shame to flat out during a race because of a simple tire wear issue. The tire bead wears thin and cannot hold the tire in place on the wheel. I remember a couple of years ago I had 3 flats on a training ride and had to walk the last 2 miles back to my house because I only had two spare tubes with me. I had my trainer tire on. Won't make that mistake again. Tires are relatively cheap and easy to change out. Marcia, you can change out wheels, but you would also have to change out your rear cassette, or buy an extra one to put on the spare wheel. That would be pricey, but less labor intensive.

Thanks for the feedback Roger and now I'm going to ask what might sound like some really stupid questions!!!

How do you have arrow bars on a road bike?  I've heard people talk about clip ons so are those just for position?  They don't have the gear shifters at the ends?  Just wondering - do you need a tri bike to have arrow bars with the shifters at the end.  And where... are the brakes?  Same place?  Apologies in advance if these questions have you shaking your head!! 

I think I'd be okay with the position.  Even when riding I try to get as low as possible on my bike.  It's more the braking/shifting part while in arrow that I'm a little uneasy about but I guess with practice...

Marcia,

I got a pair of clip-ons about 2 months ago for my road bike, and have kept my shifters and brakes on the roadie handlebars. I would like the shifters to be on my aerobars (bar-end shifters), but I don't really want to pay for that!  I really haven't had any issues shifting, although I'm sure it would be a bit smoother if they were on my aero bar extensions.  But I am loving the improved body position, and find the aero position to be quite comfortable!

Hi gang, been offline for a couple of days with internet troubles. Hope everyone had a great New Year's. It has been really hot down south here in Vic the past week sitting around 36-38 degC thankfully a cool breeze dropped the temp yesterday as I am not a great fan of training in the heat.

I tried a new type of brick workout yesterday. I found it in an old issue of Triathlete Europe and thought I would share it as it was great for the legs (really feeling it today). I did it at the gym on a trainer and treadmill so I could keep the transition times between each to an absolute minimum, it also helped to keep my cadence and run pace steady. Here are the details.

Bike 30 mins (warm up)

Run 10 mins
Bike 10 mins
Run 10 mins

Bike 10 mins
Run 5 mins

Bike 10 mins
Run 5 mins

Bike 10 mins
Run 5 mins

Bike 10 mins
Run 5 mins

Bike 20 mins (cool down)

I kept my cadence at 80-90 RPM (average around 87 RPM) and HR on the run between 138-145 BPM. I was actually surprised how comfortably I managed to do it, I guess all the road running is finally paying off fitness wise. I actually found the cooldown on the bike the hardest would you believe as by then my legs were toast. I am thinking of implementing this type of workout permanently into my program and once I get my roadie and a wind trainer I can use my actual bike and run on the road (which I know will be much harder).

So far the weight loss is on track too. I've lost 6 kgs (13.22 Lbs) since I started tri training which I am pretty happy about, but I still have 22 kgs (48.50 Lbs) to go. I have found consistency is the key, so Brandon if I can add anything extra to what others have already said that would be it. Be consistant and patient. I have found my weight fluctuate a lot on the scales in that time, so I relied more on a tape measure and body measurements to keep me motivated. Also you might want to try carb cycling as I found it has worked for me. For example I set my calorie intake per week and on the days I train more I eat more calories for fuel and on the days I rest I eat less, so that at the end of each week my calorie intake is the same. I have found this helps stave off the "oh my God you're restricting calories and starving me" mode. Plus it gives you heaps of energy on the days you need it for workouts.

Jan, how was the swimming?? I know how you feel about doing lap work in a pool for the first time, I was really anxious too, but now it is a piece of cake. Hang in there you will be fine. I am looking at joining the local tri club too, probably in a couple of weeks just before my first race. They have a winter season too and often have duathlons or an odd "winter" tri in the heated pool. Joining a club was part of the reason I decided to get back into tris cause I knew it would be a good social outlet for me to get back in mixing with people again.

Jaelin, ice baths are great for recovery!! I did martial arts competitions for years (sparring and technical events) and a 15 min ice bath is great for recovery and to relieve swelling in joints. Another thing you could try is hot/cold showers. Hop under the shower and gradually turn the heat up till its relatively hot (don't scold yourself!) and then in 15-30 second bursts, turn the heat right down till its cold and then up again into the heat, then back down for the cold.. do this for about 10 mins, the change in temperature stimulates blood flow into the muscles and helps to drain toxins out of the body.

It sounds like everyone is doing awesome with their training. Keep up the great work everyone, I really love being part of this group!

p.s. Stuart thanks so much for the Inspire mate, I really appreciate it!

I always do an ice bath after a longer race, or long brick workouts (3+ hours) and I have training the next day.  I think they definitely help, especially with my calves.  But it's tough to talk myself in to doing.... 15 minutes does the trick for me, fill up my tub with cold water and dump a 5 lb bag of ice in.  

I've also been using compression sleeves for my legs, and have really been surprised at how much they help.  Usually after a long run, my calves are really sore the next day.  As long as I wear the sleeves after and through the night, I feel just fine the next day. But they can be expensive, I guess...

Mark

Thanks for the information on the arrow bars peeps.  I think it's now time to do some online research!!  Any recommendations?  What is a standard price for these?

Congrats on the weight loss Simone!  It's no easy task.

I don't know... when you are a bopper ice baths really doesn't fit in to the equation ha ha.  I exercise and then I hop into a VERY hot shower.  But good information to know - I guess my system gets a thorough flushing!!  I'm clean inside and out!!

I purchased a set of Profile Design T2+ aluminum aerobars at the end of the summer. I HIGHLY suggest them, because they are very adjustable.  I found mine on Ebay for about $40.  I was watching for a few weeks, and found most at $70-$80.  Keep your eye out for good deals!

Mark