Jac's Group - The water is warm, join us! (Page 8)

good monday monday morning everyone!,

I am amazed at how strong my legs are getting and how far I am able to run after only 4 weeks on my BT plan! I'm sooooo stoked! I have not been able to run at all for decades.....and last week I did 2.1 miles without stopping. Running has been my biggest gain so far because it was my biggest challenge. I'm improving in biking and swimming as well but I'm most happy about the run!

Don't tempt me!!  I love Washington State but to swim year round...maybe I need to shack up with Mickey Mouse!! 

Thanks seoulgirl39 & Paper Boy for the responses. Swimming is getting easier and easier, in January it was a struggle to make it 25 meters so I'm making progress...I think.

When I came in from the pool last night my wife my wife said I was transforming from a powerlifter to a triathlete...I'm not sure if that was a good comment or a bad one.

My biggest gains are hopefully to come in swimming.  I have improved slightly.  I have a couple of sprint tris coming up, just wanna do well.  The results i want are positive ones in the half ironman on March 31st. 

Also congrats to everyone who is doing well and improving.  That is impressive in itself to me.  SWF, i was like you in swimming.  It will come.  For me, it was real slow but i am inching my way to being a better swimmer.

Good morning everyone.  Great morning when I get done w/ papers before 6am.  Yup off to the gym for swimming.  52 laps today w/ a ave lap of 35 sec.  When i started a month ago I was at 42 sec so there is improvement.  Today was a struggle but I'm so glad i went, I always feel really well at work after i swim in the morning.

Long run (for me) 6 miles to fencing class last night, I evan have 30 min of day light now before sun go downs, very nice.

Hope you all have a super Tuesday.

PB

I had a very difficult time at the gym this morning.  The shin splints were too much to bear and I had to slow down my walking and I didn't meet my goal for running, which kind of ticked me off.  I don't feel like I have set unattainable goals for myself but when I can't reach a simple of goal of running for 6 mins, that frustrates me.  I couldn't even walk at the pace I have been walking these past couple of weeks.  I felt a little better near the end of my workout and was able to run almost 2 mins straight (for a non runner, that was the highlight of my workout!!), but felt a little defeated when I was done.

My running shoes give me great support and they are ultra comfortable and even though I didn't have them professionally fit, I feel as though I did my due diligence in researching shoes and I believe I have the right pair for me.  I'm wondering if perhaps my weight and my form are causing the shin splints.  I'm not obese but I'm not within my weight designation, either.  I could stand to lose 25-30 pounds.  I'm developing a lot of muscle, but I am still carrying some extra here and there.  I also stretch for 5-6 minutes before exercising, too.  Any insights to prevention??

Thanks in advance!!

Glad to see everybody is doing well with their training.  I've been going pretty well for the past few weeks and am cutting back on the intensity just a bit this week to let my body catch up and recover.  That's one of the toughest things for me - slowing down.  I spent my first year training hard mostly all of the time.  Last year, I realized the importance of recovery as I trained up for Ironman Coeur d'Alene.  So this week isn't necessarily easy, but definitely less intense.  Make sure you're doing the same - you can't go fast if your body isn't recovering properly!

Have a great Tuesday!

Getting fit for a pair of shoes is never a bad idea, you may also want to consider compression socks. They are a little pricey, but feel great and are supposed to help with shin splints too. 

We just added some new items, and have a bunch more coming in. 

Go to multisportbargains.com 

If there is anything that you need before the season, and don't want to pay anywhere near retail let me know!

With weight training I learned the importance of a "Deload Week" years ago, and to this day it's still hard to do. Even now with swimming or biking I want to swim/bike further and longer each session. It's hard to ease up.......

 seoulgirl39

My wife went through the same problem with shin splints. She swapped shoes often and always had problems untill she went to Newton shoes. They are supposed to make you run more on your toes more and not heel strike. I know she has swapped from them and always goes back to them. I am to cheep to spend that much money on a pair of shoes but she has no problem. You can try roadrunnersports.com You have 90 days to send the shoes back if you don't like them. I am like Jac. You might want to try a compression sock or sleeve. I currently use the sleeves and wouldn't go on a long run without them.

Morning everyone, nothing new in Michigan, the weather last night was well below freezing, for the 1st time in a while i came home w/ ice in my beard.

Love ice in the beard - makes me feel like a explorer....

Long ride tonight on the trainer.

l8r

I don't think it matters, a good workout is just that - GOOD  it's a long training season, anything to break up the routine but keep kickin it is the way togo for me at least.

Good luck  & don't worry your going to make it!

Newton shoes; I will definitely take a look at them.  I feel the same way, in reference to spending a lot of money on inanimate objects, but I also know the importance of having quality equipment.  I'm not a shoe hog or a clothes horse.  I think I own 6 pairs of shoes, now and my husband's side of the closet is bigger than mine, if that tells you anything.  I paid $77 for the pair of shoes I'm currently wearing and they do feel very good.  I had to wear my old pair to go to the dump this weekend and I couldn't believe the difference!!  What I 'thought' was a good pair of shoes really do suck and my new shoes are soooo much better.  But I will definitely look into the Newton shoes and the compression socks/sleeves both you and Jac are suggesting.

Thank you!

I was wondering the same thing this morning, after riding for 50 mins on the stationary bike.  I am not familiar with spin bikes at all, can you tell me what the difference is?  Is one more like being out on the road/track/trail than the other?

K-

I do almost all my winter training on a spin bike.  I own a trainer, but only use it at work if I "need" to get a workout in.  So far this year I have 31+ hours of "sadle time" almost all at spin class.  I find that the different instructors work on different area to help mix it up.  I am fortunate enough that my YMCA offers many back-to-back classes.  This way I get 1:30+ of riding in at at time.  I'll start riding more outdoor as the Wisconsin Spring arrives, but I still do some spin classes in the summer due to conveinence and weather.

I know it's late...but if I have to wait until April's "open" signup season, I'll be about a month out from my race date and I feel I need the help now! Is it too late to join?

I did my first tri last spring. I'm a group fitness instructor and teach 3 weightlifting classes, 2 core classes and 3 RPM/spin classes a week. My trickiness is getting in all the other training around these commitments. I'm hanging in there, but it makes a for a different type of training. Most of my bike training is through these classes cuz the roads here are awful and the winds helacious (west TX). Anyway, can tell you more about myself later, just wondering if there's room for one more?

A spin bike at a gym should feel more like a road bike.  From my experience, most instructors teach as if they are riding a road bike.  Some even show videos from different Tours to help motivate/distract you.  I have never had an instructor decribe any part of a workout in mountain bike terms.  There is no "We are crossing a creek now" or "Watch out on your rock garden".  Everyone sets up their spin bike to their comfort.  Some have the bars real high and they resemble a cruiser where others, like myself, set the bike up to resemble a road/TT bike.

Monsterman is right....although I use plenty of road terms. I don't try to get my riders to "cross creeks", but I definitely try to get them to pass the guy in front of them, stay with the peloton, push to the top of the mountain - "you're almost there". "See that flat road ahead, we're going to take it as fast as we can", etc. Instead of pushing a button to electronically increase resistance like most stationary bikes these days, we manually turn a knob. And then we get out of the seat and climb, slide hips back in the saddle to race, etc. So the idea is to create a road ride experience. My classes are all about high intensity interval training...so pushing the heart and legs to max performance and then pulling back for a little recovery before we go at it again. You can youtube Les Mills RPM and see some samples...I love it and that's what got me out on the real road - wanted some authenticity - see riding more like fun than a chore (but I still want nice weather and good roads). Hope that helps!

Oops...I realize this question wasn't targeted to me....but I guess just wanted to add that I think a spin class will work your muscles harder with the different resistances and varied positions vs riding a trainer. Obviously it's very important to get out on the real road because there's balance issues and core work that comes into play as you navigate road terrain, but I find classes to be a fabulous way of staying conditioned. Sorry for the barge