Experior and Slornow's Spring/Summer Mentor Group-CLOSED (Page 85)

Well done, Jamie!  That's a solid run!

And speaking of 'solid' -- wow, that's a fantastic week of training, Rene.  You and Jason and Jim are all putting yourselves in a great position for your IM races.  Great to see!

I did what I suspected was going to happen and reluctantly postponed my long run today -- legs are just too fried.  I spent the time cleaning the yard and hacking down lots of vegetable matter, then mapping out the path to a hope-for ~1:23 half marathon in 10 weeks' time.  I guess we'll see.  I'll hit the run tomorrow.  The cool temps today really flipped a switch in me, and I'm ready for fall to be here.  (I don't say 'winter', because we don't really have winter around here.)

I have made sure my kids learn to swim for the same reason.  None of them is, nor cares to be, competitive, but at least they have the basics.

Great that you can enjoy that experience with her!

How is everybody doing? Good but cold back to back 9 mile runs over the weekend. One on Saturday and on on Sunday. I attempted a 24 mile bike ride which was cut short due to my buddy having two flats in a matter of 10 minutes. I barely made it 17 miles. Run focused strength training tonight. 

I hope the weather improves a bit ... I got two Sprint Tri's scheduled for Oct. 21st and Oct. 28th. My Tri season is then officially over. I have a feeling that with all the run training I am going to nail the Dec. 9th Dallas Half Marathon. 

Hello all-did an easy 45 minute spin yesterday. Despite an extreme lack of motivation I swam at lunch. May try to do another easy spin this evening to keep my legs moving. Not going to worry too much about sticking to a schedule this week since I am now in the "off season".  Hopefully, over the coming week I can map out some running races to put on the calendar.

In looking back over my season I am pleased with my results/placing in races. I may or may not be a faster swimmer as compared to a year ago but I do feel like a more comfortable swimmer. Fewer panicky or uncomfortable episodes during open water swims. Bike and run speed have definitely improved.

So, since I moved up to the 50-54 age group this year I thought some of my better age group placing may be due to moving up from the 45-49AG. I figured I would be at least 2-3 spots further down in the younger age group given my times this year. Surprisingly, in 5 of my races I would have had the same placing in 45-49AG as I did in 50-54AG. In one race I would have dropped from 1st to 2nd if I were competing in the younger group and in one race I would have dropped from 2nd to 3rd.  Not sure that all of this really means a whole lot since you can't control who shows up at the race but makes me feel like had improvement rather than just got older

Randy

Rene-  awesome week for you! 

I took Sunday off as I had just come off a week of nights and was too tired.  Started this morning with a 3750 yard swim.  First mile was more or less a time trial for me.  I got faster near then end as I was working so hard to avoid being "chicked".  Well, I lost that battle, but it took her 10 laps to finally pass me.  I love how we got into a race without even talking or knowing each other (at least I was racing, maybe she had no idea??).  Rest of my swim was various drills focusing on hip rotation, arm entry and catch-ups. 

Finally back to working day shifts and hopefully will now get more routine into my training.  I'm excited as I subscribed to Trainer Road and am awaiting my Ant USB stick and Cadence counter to arrive in the mail.  Think this will be a great training tool for the upcoming winter.  Anyone else using Trainer Road??

I really like TrainerRoad. Most of my bike workouts have specific intervals but when I have something general like moderate ride or something similar I will pick a workout off of TR and follow it.  An outstanding product in my opinion providing many benefits similar to training with power.

Randy

jimmyb - 2012-10-09 7:20 AMSecond day in a row for early morning swim.

I'm watching with interest. I hope to do the same thing. But not yet...

What do others have going on today?

My half marathon is this weekend! I'm really hoping to do much better than my current PB of 2:14 and change (can't even remember what the change was).

Have to admit, I've been frightened off of road cycling. I'm going to get a road bike and a trainer. If all I ever do outside the house is an MTB ride on the weekends, this will do for a road triathlon? What else do I need?

Yes, you can do 100% of your training on the trainer, if you want.  There are some pros who do basically that.

In addition to the trainer, you will need some fans -- industrial strength!  I, personally, also need entertainment of some form.

If you are going to train a lot indoors, you might consider rollers instead of the usual trainer, although they can be a bit pricy.  But it is much more like riding outdoors.

Jimmy-nice work on the morning swim. That's the one thing I have trouble getting up early to do! Good job.

Blanda-I hope you have a great race. Your increased mileage and consistency will get you to that PR.

Today is a scheduled rest day. However, since I will be in court all day tomorrow I will probably go ahead and do tomorrow's swim.

Randy

Question for those of you with both a road and tri bike. How much do you use your road bike? I have been thinking about getting a road bike to do some of my Winter training on and also participate in some group rides. No real thoughts about doing any cycling races.....just something to mix it up a bit.  Not sure it is in the budget anytime soon but it is fun looking.

Randy

I love my road bike.  The feeling is completely different, even though I have it set up more tri-like than a true roadie would.  I think of the tri bike as like a freight train -- very fast in a straight line.  The road bike feels more like a sports car.  I ride the road bike almost exclusively in the off season, and occasionally during tri season just to mix it up.

Good morning all!  I have been thinking a lot about run volume lateley.  I am on pace to a month of 150+ miles, one of my largest months ever.  I have been averaging over 100 miles a month for the year.  I have definitely seen gains in my running.  Yesterday I did a 6 mile run meant to be "easy" and I clocked an 8 min 15 pace, one of my best this year despite the fact it felt easy.  Same route as usual. 

So my question is the relationship between run volume and performance improvement.  Sure adding in sprints, etc. helps but this question has mostly to do with volume alone for improvement.  Maybe this is not a good question but I am curious what others think?  I do notice many things with my runs 1) that I can go longer "almost autopilot feel" and 2) when I start and I feel tired, after I "warm up' I start to feel better 3) many negative splits.  Hope this question makes sense?

For those who do higher volumes eg. 50+ week (injury free) what added benefits do you see that you woud not normally see at lower volumes?

Well...all I can say is that today I got my training in, although it was frustrating. Swam this morning, starting at 5:40, but I can tell it's going to be a problem with the new Masters class on MWF from 6-8. The class comes in and fills every lane; they share the lanes, but I always get stuck with someone really slow, so I have to pass or slap their feet the whole time. I'm going to have to go on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I guess.  Then I rode when I got home, and felt great at the beginning, until I turned around. Then it was a headwind for the next 1/2 hour...miserable and demoralizing. Finished off with a 2-mile brick run that went OK, but was really glad just to get through the day.

Overall, I'm feeling good going into my first Oly this Sunday. I am a little nervous about a race with a day-before check-in and two transitions, but I'll spend the next couple of days getting my gear separated out, and everything should be fine. 

I'm not doing that kind of volume now (thou I'm heading in that direction), but I have in the past. I definitely saw an increase in endurance in the sense of being able to hold the same pace for longer distances. I was also able to avoid breakdown in form for a much longer time. I think I saw some gains in speed as well, but that's harder to verify. I would also say that there was a somewhat less tangible benefit, namely, that it gave me a kind of confidence about longer runs, a feeling that running 15 miles, say, is no big deal (because I was doing that often a few times a week).

I would also say that many of these benefits have stuck, even though it has been a year since I've run very high volume. There is a sense in which those miles 'stay' in your legs. I believe that I was able to ramp up very quickly for IMWI without burnout or (re)injury this year because of those previous miles.

Speaking of running, I had a good one today, in great weather. It seemed like the entire city of Columbia was out running.

Good job getting it done. How we manage on the difficult days says a lot. You should be pleased. You are ready for this race! Plan your transitions carefully, and practice what you plan, and you will be good to go.

Jamie-I agree with Michael. Plan ahead and you will be fine. Tough training days help us both physically and mentally come race day!

Jimmy-Michael is much more experienced than I am when it comes to running volume. There are some theories that lots of volume, even at easy pace, can help not only your endurance but also your speed.  Dr. Phil Maffetone advocates doing all runs at Z2 HR. His theory is that over time you will be able to run faster at the same HR.  I think Mark Allen is an advocate of Dr. Maffetone's method. I remember reading an article on the Mark Allen coaching site about his experience with training that way.  I see how it could work for IM training since endurance is going to be more critical than speed at that distance.

In court out of town all day today. Got home in time to get a good run in. Stopped by the LBS. They were closing but the Cervelo rep was there so hung around with my friends that own the shop, had a beer, and heard all about the different Cervelo road bikes.......this did nothing but fan the flames on my current road bike itch!

Randy