TEAM RFP (Relentless Forward Progress)- CLOSED (Page 8)

Glad to hear you are getting some pain free runs in Jen, I have a long run on Sunday and am going to try the 5:1 run/walk ratio and see how it goes.

Thanks for noticing my weight loss too. Still have a little ways to go, but I'm happy with my progress, hopefully IM training will peel away the rest.

G'day Team,

Hope everyone is feeling fine and enjoying good weather. Bloody cold down under, well at least my version of cold. Got an indoor brick and weights session in today, so I'm happy with that considering how hard it is to get motivated at the moment. Been doing heaps of IM reading too. Figure if I can get my brain so absorbed with IM training, I won't need motivating, it will just happen of its own accord, haha.

Thanks for the app recommendation. Looks like good stuff. Ended up taking the bike in today, needs a new cassette and chain and the front hub needs work. Looks like this weekend's ride will be on the spin bike again.

IronFink?

Hey Mike - Good move going with the HRM. Heart rate zone training is one of the simplest and effective ways to gauge your effort to not under train or over train and risk injury. The first step is to calculate your heart rate zones. The simplest is to to the 220 minus your age to get your peak heart rate. So for example my age is 39 so my max heart rate would theoretically be 181. You would then base you base your zones off of percentages to the max.

ZONE 1 = 50-60% (90-108)
ZONE 2 = 60-70% (109 - 126)
ZONE 3 = 70-80% (127-144)
ZONE 4 = 80-90% (145- 162)
ZONE 5 = 90%+ (163 +)

The main problem with this and triathletes is that your heart rate is going to be lower for your bike than your running. The most effective way to get your zones is to do a Lactate Threshold test. You would then get an average number that you plug into your log here on Beginner Triathlete and it automatically calculates your zones. You should do one for the bike and your run. These are also a great way to track your progress. Here is the link with instructions on how to do the test. Here is the link: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=...

As far as the zones go here is a good description of what each zone means:

Zone 1 - basically a warm up - very easy effort.

Zone 2 - This is your aerobic or endurance zone. Most of your endurance training should be in this zone. It is very tough when you start out since you will think that you are not working hard enough. When I started HR zone training my Zone 2 run pace was almost 11:00/mile. After a few months it was down to 9:00/mile. You just have to have faith haha!

Zone 3 - This is consider your "junk" mile zone. if you spend alot of tim ein this zone you will most likely become injuried since you are pushing too hard and not really gaining much.

Zone 4 - This is your anaerobic zone. You should be in this zone for interval work or speed work outs. This will help build some speed and help the body flush out the lactate acid.

Zone 5 - Pushing way too hard

Hopefully that helps! Let me know if you have any questions or need some help!

Also IronFink is actually an Ironman training program based of of a Don Fink book called Iron Fit. Great book and plan and what I used last year for IMWI and am basing my training off this year for Racine 70.3.

I think that is a really smart decision. That injury sounds really painful but from the article seemed manageable and I think you will be just fine if you follow the plan. good luck!

Whoo Hoo! I rode my bike into work this morning and NO FLATS!! haha. I have a crazy busy weekend this weekend with three shows so I have no time to get my long ride in so I decided to ride into work (32 miles) and then ride back home tonight. Had a great ride this morning - weather was perfect 60 degrees and sunny with a slight headwind. I hammered it and made it to work in 1:39:55 (18.1 mph avg) and felt great.

So what is going on this weekend? Anyone racing? Father's Day plans? I am playing a fest on Sunday at Sheffield & Addison next to Wrigley Field called Sausage Fest haha. Being a White Sox fan I find that very fitting for Wrigleyville -might be interesting haha

Glad you are flat free! 3 shows this weekend...that sounds like a lot.

I've got a sprint race in Boulder on Sunday but the water quality has been poor and I'm waiting to find out what the test reveals today. Maybe no swim. I swam there on Tuesday and the next day felt like I had a cold. That's when they closed the swim area.

Have a great weekend and a happy father's day.

I'm going to have to do the threshold test tomorrow. Just did a 30 min run using the 220-age formula and anything over a moderate walk pulled me into zone 3. Ended up doing ~15 min miles because I had to keep walking to bring the HR down into the endurance zone. I know I'm off my game, but I hope it's not that bad.

That is probably best - it will give you the most accurate data. Haha - I feel your pain on trying to stay in the zones. One thing to keep in mind is that you might get really high readings for the first 5-10 minutes of your workout. Not sure why but I have read about it being common and for me it usually about 1/2 mile into my run I will just instantly drop from high Zone 3 to Zone 1. Let us know how the lactate threshold test goes.

Good luck for your race on Sunday Jen, I hope the water quality gets sorted out so they include the swim.

LOL at the no flats, your bike must have forgiven you again! Haha.. Wow three gigs, that will keep you on your toes.

I did a four hour MTB ride today it was awesome. I pushed a bit harder on the way home, I wanted to test out my stamina and I was pretty happy with how I went especially considering I was carrying a CamelBak. I'm looking forward to hitting some hills on the roadie when my IM plan starts.

Did my longest run ever today - 15.48 kms @ 1:58:55... I actually negative split the second half of the run! I am SO happy and feel so much more confident now going into my half marathon which is 5 weeks away. Apart from a couple of blisters I pulled up fine, no cramps this time either.

Hope everyone else is having a ripper Sunday!

Hi Team.

Been a few days for me to check in - sorry. I had a very busy end to my last week of work and am now on vacation. I decided to rent a cottage in Northern Ontario for the last two weeks of June to reward myself for a tough year (at work and at certain parts of my life - lol) . Anyway, I am not safely in a place called Burk's Falls Ontario - got a nice open water swim in this morning in Lake Cecebe - a bit chilly but not bad. I am here for two weeks - I entered an Olympic distance Tri for new Sunday up here so I am looking forward to that. I am still working on this crazy IT band but slow and steady it is getting better. I finally think I will be able to start checking in regularly and hope to do so starting tomorrow. I hope everyone is doing well.

KC

Hey Team.

Here are a couple of pictures of where I am at right now.









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Looking good KC, enjoy your break and have fun at your Olympic triathlon!

Jen - how did your race go on Sunday?

Simone - great job on the run.

KC - Wow, nice place to relax and unwind!

Tim - your wife is a saint! You work full time, you train. you play in a band that had 3 gigs this weekend, and you are a family man. I don't know how you do it.

Mike - good luck in finding your HR zones. I know it seems daunting at times but they do really work.

I finally heard back from my coach on Friday. Not sure why it took the whole week for her to respond to my email on Monday but she understood. Her time of getting back to me helped me with my decision.

Was having major Garmin issues this last week, cadence not working on one bike and then data being lost as soon as I turned it off. However, I think I have finally got it fixed.

Was suppose to work out this morning but I was not feeling it so either I will skip today or do it later tonight.

Back from vacation, I went fishing for a few days! Still got my workouts in

First race is this Sunday, Pleasant Prairie in Wisconsin. My calf is feeling good. I practiced an OWS with my new wet suit. I swam fast, but the suit appears to constrict my breathing. Being an asthmatic, this scared me a little. Anyone else experience the same thing? I am going to try one more OWS with the suit and see how it goes. Mostly recover this week: OWS, easy run, easy bike.

Did a full brick last Wednesday: OWS, bike 13, and run 3.5. Went pretty well albeit was tired and lacked proper nutrition.





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Wow, that is one good looking fish! Glad to hear your calf is feeling better. Can't give you any advice on the wetsuit, don't own one yet.

Glad to hear you got thiings sorted with your coach, you must feel relieved now.. it seems as if she didn't seem all that interested in coaching you in the first place.. so hopefully your new coach will give you the attention and help you deserve and pay for!

Glad to hear you got the Garmin working, I was going to suggest a cold start or to check out to see if there was an update to the software online that could fix the issue.

So I got my first official day of IM training under my belt. A cruisey 30 min run on the dreadmill and 2500m in the pool, my longest swim session ever. These swim sessions are brutal too, haha, I'm gunna have shoulders like Arnie by the time Shep and IMOZ come around! I have a feeling Tues and Thurs will become my "I don't want to play" days as they are swim days! Haha... Tomorrow is brick and weights day, yippee, I love weight training!!

So what is everyone else up to?

I have a friend that is a pro triathlete that is asthmatic. She says the same thing about wetsuits. She definitely prefers to swim without one but will wear it if the other pros are.

Where did you catch that Walleye? Nice fish.

I will also be up at Pleasant Prairie this weekend - last minute kind of a thing. I will be guiding a para-triathlete in the Olympic race with Dare2Tri. I am performing at a wedding in the the Milwaukee area Saturday night so and will get out of there around 1:00am then drive down to Pleasant Prairie (about 45 minutes) catch about 2-3 hours of sleep in the car then race at at 6:30. Kinda crazy but looking forward to it. Maybe we can meet up?

No help on the wet suit question. I do find the wetsuits tight when i first put it on but once I get in the water I don't really notice it.

Nice work Simone on the swim. It will get easier and before you know it 1500Y will be a warm up/cool down and 2500 will be an easy swim day.

Looks like a beautiful area KC. hope you are enjoying your get away. How did the race go?