Ontherun and gearing up-CLOSED (Page 9)

Here's another training question, Joe. On the occasion my training plan calls for a long ride, or run, what's your advice about splitting the workout. For example, I'm scheduled to do a 32 mile ride during the week, what if I ride to work in the morning (16 miles) and ride home in the afternoon. Is it all about getting the time in the saddle or is it more effective to do the endurance training in one session? Same with the run. My plan is to run 7.5 miles on Monday; is it the same if I get 3.5 miles in at lunch time and 4 more after work as doing the whole distance in one session?

Sandy

Let's get rid of those crickets, group!! What's new with everyone?

I'm working up to a half marathon at the beginning of may and just this week made a resolution to get some more swimming in too (i only completed one swim workout in march! problem!).

Sandy has a race coming up this weekend! Do you have any goals for the race?

I’m with you Annie. It’s been awfully quiet with the group.

I do have my very first sprint triathlon this Saturday in Santa Barbara, CA. Been training pretty consistently and feel confident about finishing; hopefully I can be a little competitive in my age group too. Still can’t help feeling just a little apprehensive and anxious; maybe chalk it up to first time jitters.

Two months ago I had set goals of: pre-race weight of 185 pounds, 16 minute swim (2 minutes/100 m), 55 minute bike (18 minutes/mile), and 28 minute run (9 minutes/mile) for a total time of approximately 1 hour 40 minutes. My weight is within a pound or two of the goal, I’ve bricked the bike and run and have exceeded my goals; the swim is my weakness. It’s really difficult for me to even get close to the 2 minute per 100 meter mark; I’m sure I’m not alone. Swimming has actually turned out to be my favorite activity but I think a little more coaching and practice is needed.

Hopefully, my wife and sister will get some good photos I can share next week.

Sandy, nicely done on your getting your weight goal! And that's fantastic that you are doing well with the bike and run times, too! The swim definitely sounds the hardest, but as it's your first, I say have fun with it. And sometimes being nervous can give you a boost of energy, so it's not all bad

Joe, what's new with you?

Hey, congrats, Sandy! Sounds like everything well well Great job!!

Got back late last night from 4-day "vacation" to see my family; ready to get back at it!

Thanks Annie and Joe. I need some help with another little problem:

I’ve been doing some research with regard to proper running technique to see if I can pick up some tips for improving speed and endurance. What I think I’ve discovered is that my technique is not good. My run style is basically a modified walk; my heel strikes the ground first with every step. On today’s run I tried to correct my form and over-compensated by running too much on the balls of my feet and really worked over my calves. I can definitely see that the correct form will improve my run but it’s going to be tough to unlearn the bad form I’ve been using. I would sure appreciate any tips any of you could give me related to figuring out the best way to get through this learning process. Has anyone experienced the same problem?

Sandy

Sandy, I did not know I had a heal strike issue until I started to run in Vibram 5 finger shoes. The quickest way for me to answer this is to say look into chi running. I like it although there are many who do not. The basics are run as if you are a marionette, head and shoulders being lifted strait up with strings. Then push your hips forward as if being pulled lightly by a leash. This will force your feet to strike the ground under or behind your knees.

You are correct about the heal strike possibly slowing you down. picture your heal hitting the ground, then you have to lift your body up and over your foot to move forward. A different way to look at it is like putting the brakes on each time your foot hits the ground and then accelerating to the next foot strike.

When I first tried to chi run with the Vibrams, I felt like I was floating on air....for about a 1/4 mile. Then my core mussels felt like I had just done 1,000 sit ups in 30 seconds. In the end, you will find that working on form is as important if not more important than repeats, lifting etc. Poor form done over and over only makes it harder to change later.

Good luck, and I hope I did not just confuse your or discourage you from trying to adjust.

BTW, be careful and go slow. Change takes time, and if you are doing it wrong or too hard you could end up getting hurt.

Had a thought pop into my head during this mornings run in regards to running form. I was working on my form today when I realized I needed to up my pace. Part of the good form includes around 90 foot strikes per minute. With a turnover like this, it is much harder to over stride and heel strike. A good way to work on this is find faster paced music that has a strong quick pace that you can follow. Eminem's "Loose Your Self"  and "Until I Collapse" are pretty good ones for me.

Another way to work on foot turn over is to do strides. These are repeats that are only about 50 yards long with as many foot strikes as you can in that distance. It helps to do these on a slight slop heading down to keep your momentum going. Be careful with these as you can over do them very quickly.

Sandy just posted a very good race report from last month. Here is the link, it should work.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=483289

Hi gang,

My daughter and wife have been wanting a treadmill so we picked up a used one this weekend and I tried it out this afternoon. I've gotta say, a five mile run kicked my butt! I wasn't able to keep the pace I usually keep outdoors and it felt much harder than the same distance on the road. Is this typical of treadmill running? If I train on the treadmill, can I expect my outdoor runs to be faster and more productive? What are some of your treadmill insights and experiences?

Sandy

Let me first say that I own, but hate to use my DREADMILL. They serve a purpose, and that can not be denied. With that said, I do not have a ton of respect for their accuracy. When I run on my dreadmill, my perceived effort is the same as outside, but the MPH is down. This may not be true for all treadmills, but I have yet to run on one that I feel is close to what I feel is accurate. Also, your perceived effort can be affected by incline. The last thing to think about on the treadmill is it dose not care if you are tired. It set a pace and holds it. If you running has been less than consistent on pace, it will show on the treadmill.

Now that I have you despising ever running on a treadmill, let me tell you what I do like. When I chose to run inside, I almost always set it with an incline of at least 2. This is like running on a constant hill. I also feels it helps me get up on the balls of my feet more to help prevent the heel strikes that I once had. Also, after prolonged runs (months) on a treadmill, running outside seems to be easier for me. I think a lot of it is mental, but you no longer have a machine dictating your pace and effort. You now can attack hills or recover after a harder effort. Either way,  there can be benefits from running on the treadmill.

With some time, you will find what your new treasure can offer you and what you have to do to make up for any shortfalls.

Hello out there! It's been a while since I've had to pick your brain, Joe. I've been logging some distance and minding my own business but I read something today that got me thinking. Logging miles without a plan or program are not as beneficial as working with a plan; I think the author called them "junk miles." I believe I'm at the point in my training where I need some direction and coaching. Is just counting time and distance enough? Should I continue on my path for a while longer before seeking guidance? If I'm needing a more detailed plan, are the programs offered here on BT adequate or are there other plans/programs you can recommend for comparison? I'm not looking to spend a lot of money on a professional coach, mind you, but I'm willing to shell out a little dough to get me started on the right direction.

Sandy