Gordo Byrn's Group - FULL (Page 9)

NAME: Matt (mh37909 - my initials + zip code, YAWN - does anyone know how I can change my name without losing all my data?)

STORY: Never played sports - well, Little League, but nothing since then. I have watched and fantasized about Ironman (I used to think Kona was the only event that existed) for about fifteen years. Got married about 18 months ago and realize that I have a lot of responsibilities as a husband and future father. I'm turning 40 in 2010 and decided to do a triathlon on my 40th birthday. This has been refined to doing the Nation's Triathlon (Olympic distance) in DC about a month after my 40th birthday.

G,

HRMing info. from my last ride (22.33 miles of flat Florida terrain).  HR lower than my previous ride by 5-6%.  The avg. speed for this ride was 14.4mph vs. 15.7mph - some of that was due to a stronger head wind for the last 11 miles.  However, I did make a very conscious effort to keep my HR down (it worked).

Before ride: 74
@5 minutes: 115
@20 minutes: 120
@21-93 minutes: 115-121

Got out of the saddle twice for a short period of time (just to test it) and got it to 130 but it quickly come back down to 118.

This is the same ride that you commented on earlier.  Along those lines - maybe I missed it from earlier in the thread but how often do you want us to log this in the forum?  When HR's change while doing the same workout, going longer distances, go harder, etc..?

 Jeff

12/23/08

RUN

Today's ride. Cool, but not brutal. A lot of traffic - seemed that everyone was very impatient. Must be that holiday spirit showing through.

I'm continuing to have issues controlling my hear rate. More difficult for me on the bike than running. Need to get this under control. If I can't control it in a training run it's gonna get ugly under the excitement of a race. Still lower than what I had been doing on my own, and I don't feel nearly as beat up as normal. Must be doing something right I guess...

Bike 42:51 - 9.93 Miles

HR Data

Gordo,

Question 1: Would you recommend taking a swim clinic, like the ones given by Total Immersion, now or waiting until I have logged some time in the pool (ie a couple of months from now)?  My understanding of the clinics is that they focus on technique not volume?

Thanks and Happy Holidays

Hello all.

final wrkout before the holidays....

45 mins on the indoor trnr

18 mins in the pool.

no HR data on either, going from store to store, chking out the available HRM watches....the plan is to have one purchased by the weekend.

BUT i did continue to work on the breathing...lft rt lft breathe, rt lft rt breathe - and focused on body placement in the water - nose pointed down to the bottom of the pool, 'buoy' pushed to the bottom, swimming 'downhill'

swam 800+ yds total, relaxed, easy pace.  but 'busted a move' and swam my swiftiest 50 yds, to date.

coming into tri trng, id say the swim was my 'weakest' discipline.

its motivating/encouraging to see progress.

theres a great beginners swimming plan here on the BT site, in case anyone was looking for help in this area - id highly recommend it.

well, off to spend some quality time w the family. 

Happy Holidays, everyone!

the HR monitoring is good a practice for me.

otherwise i would just 'zone out'

this way im thinking and working.

will keep your suggestions in mind as i continue on.

thanks!

Gordo -

I'm planning to start the Basic Sprint program on January 11th. This should have me finishing up for the race day on my April 4 tri.

Question. Almost every Sunday has a run and  bike workout listed. Should I be doing these as a brick?

 Welcome Diane!  Thanks for the intro.

 Welcome Jeff --

I am looking forward to helping you get ready for the Superbowl Sprint.  

g

 Matt -

 Thanks for the background info.

 g

 Jeff,

 I'm really enjoying the group so you can count on my checking the thread most days.  I've caught myself checking 3-4x on some days already... I have an addictive personality so I need to watch that I don't get hooked on the forum!

Check back as often as you like -- the more we collectively build our "team" unit the better the positive social pressure we will all feel to be smart and consistent.  We'll all have off-days over the next few months so having a group to chat with... that helps get us rolling again.

 As for myself... even experienced folks have set backs, I've had Sun/Mon/Tues very light as my knee swelled up after my 10K race (which went well aside from the swelling!).  It's tempting to eat the house and want to sleep all day... -- this is where a network (like this one, or my lovely wife) comes in... over the last three days, I've iced, rested, stayed active (upper body weights, easy spin, walking) and will be ready to go tomorrow.  So (for everyone), when you have a low day -- know that we ALL get them!

 With your riding -- if you are in the flats in Florida, then see how sitting around 125 feels for you -- try that out and report back.

 Don't sweat the average speed as that is highly variable based on terrain/wind/pit-stops.

 HR variation of +/- 5 bpm is absolutely normal -- that said, I want everyone to be cautious on the top side -- even when it "feels easy" to crank it up -- hold back for the next few weeks.  Let's try to develop different aerobic "gears" in all sports.

 More than you asked but a good opener for some ideas that I wanted to share...

 g

 Great question... without fail, when I have been questioning the benefit of a session... I am tired.  So that means I need to dial it down.  I also need to consider what resulted in my getting tired in the first place -- otherwise we end up in a circular pattern of fatigue.  So, dial it down AND consider if something else needs to be reduced so you don't have unexpected breaks.

 Unexpected Set-Backs -- now, even when we do everything "right" we all are going to have unexpected set-backs.  Key thing there is focus on what we can do to mitigate... stretching, icing, continuing to eat well (BIGGIE).

 Who's in charge -- remember that when we find ourselves binging, hammering, skipping workouts... WE are always in charge and able to start at anytime.  Half a cookie doesn't mean that we have to eat the whole box... this is something that I really struggled with in my 20s and 30s.  One small crack, leading to a multiday collapse.  In reality, my inability to moderate was a sign that I was under excessive stress.  So watch for that.

 Recovery Weeks -- as a working athlete... dial it down at a minimum every 4th week.  Some will find that every 3rd week works best (I do).  If you find that you need to back off every other week or get sick more than 1x in a two month period... then you need to reduce your "on" weeks (likely by at least 25%).

 Hope this helps,

 g

 PS -- this is great, the group is helping me write a "intro to tri" manual here.  Very valuable for me to be asked the Qs.  Thanks for your participation.

 This is a good workout -- you are going great here.  Learning to moderate is a VERY tough skill, even in training, especially in group training, near impossible in racing.  As a "old" pro that started late, I didn't have the talent not to do everything right on the execution front.  The skills that we are learning in training, will help us deliver on race day.

 For those of you that have read "The Last Lecture"... the 'head-fake' of training this way is that we can be unaware that we are repeating our training patterns at work, and in our relationships.  Be becoming awake of our training patterns, we can see other areas where these patterns apply.  My best coaches taught me a lot more than swim/bike/run.

g

 Good Qs:

 1 -- I really like the TI programs for people that are unsure about the water as well as their technique.  For you, the best aspect would be the video analysis (before/after) showing you areas where you can become more efficient.  Any good swim teacher can do this for you but if your coach is TI certified and respected locally... that takes some of the guess work out in terms of quality control.

 2 -- Masters -- the #1 issue that most people have is that they absolutely will not swim "slow" in a group situation.  Therefore, they never learn skills (such as relaxed three-stroke breathing) that are the quickest way to become an efficient swimmer.  It is not the fault of masters, or the coaches.  It is a fact of human psychology that only the rarest of athletes is able to go easy and learn technique in a group environment -- I like standing out, so it was never that tough an issue for me.  Still... to learn three-stroke, I had to swim alone for a winter.

Finally, some people won't swim at all if they don't have a fixed time, like masters.  So for them... swimming masters (or swimming anything) is better than not swimming at all.  So I take that into account.

 What To Do -- for you... start swimming now using the program as laid out; find that clinic; get the coach that reviews your swimming to make recommendations for what you need in terns of training (remember that ANY program will get a former swimmer going again); and ask around what local swimmers (of your current fitness/ability) do.  If you find a group then I recommend that you aim for one at your own level -- speaking for experience, it is REALLY tough to be the slowest person in the squad.  I used to get lapped every 150m.

g

 Yes, if possible then when you have bike & run on the same day... run after the bike.  Helps your body learn to move from one muscle pattern to another.

 g

Happy Holiday everyone!

Run 40 mins: 2.83 miles

Today's run was best so far at controlling hearrate. I could have gone a bit harder and kept it in the range, Had 2-3 times where it dropped out of the bottom of my range, which is new.

Went through a funny debate with myself this morning. Miles were slow and told myself, 14 min\miles are embarassing. 2 secs later realized here I am, an overweight 41year old man, running through the streets in a pair of spandex tights and my SPEED is embarassing??? LOL! Put things in perspective pretty quick.

Heart rates

Have a great holiday break everyone

nice to have read about your training and hopes for next year.

Thanks G for taking us all under your wing

Dave

G,

Per your suggestions: 1/2 mile walk, 1/2 mile run intervals with 30 second walks between run intervals. Did this on my 2 mile run.  Here are the HR's at the end of the intervals:

@Walk - 105
@5 mins - 141
@10 mins - 145
@15 mins - oops I forgot!!!
@20 mins - 148
@The various 30 second walk intervals - range of 118 to 124

Felt really good. I can sustain this longer. I'm going to keep the pace as it is and bump up the distance (i.e.. "build capacity to absorb work not endure pain".  That is of course unless you think I should do something else?

Jeff

Gang,

It's been a pleasure getting to know your stories over the course of the last 2 weeks.  I looking forward to continuing our journey in 2009.  Enjoy the rest of your holidays and best wishes to you and your families.

 Jeff 

Happy Holiday's to All and your families!

Gordo

Happy 40th on the 26th.  best to you and your family.

Cardholic - 2008-12-24 8:13 AM

	30m 26s 6.37 miles 12.56 Mi/hr	Min HR: 76 Avg HR: 128 Max HR: 138
5:21 AM

Today was all about my new cadence sensor... I tried to keep the cadence between 60-70 while keeping an easy (but not too easy) spin... On my last ride, my ave HR was 119, this time the Ave is 128... should I be aiming lower or keep the spin where it is or both? Average Cadence 63 rpm's according to Garmin Training Center (I wonder why BT doesn't show that info?)  HR Data (The zones I created are the same as my running zones, so I have no clue if this is correct - RHR = 49) 0% - 60% 117 - 130 10m 28s 60% - 70% 130 - 144 20m 05s 70% - 80% 144 - 157   80% - 90% 157 - 171   90% - 100% 171 - 184

From what I remember reading my Cyclist's Training Bible, higher cadences are easier over distance. Rather than mashing down hard on the pedals 60-70 times a minute you're better off spinning the pedals lightly 80-90 times per minute. Has something to do with being easier on the joints/muscles/etc. and really using the mechanical advantage of the gears on your bicycle. Gordo can probably explain that better than me, I read: "spin faster = better, easier, mechanical advantage, blah blah blah. LoL. "

My own limited experience has been that if I close my eyes and focus on finding a comfortable working pace (ie, i can carry on a conversation with my wife without puffing), I end up at approximately 84 rpms. When I first started I was closer to the low 70's where you're at. To try and get my cadence up I've been doing unstructured spin ups and it seems to have been working. Every few minutes during my workout I spin my candence up to as high as I can and still feel under control (high 90's currently) hold it a few seconds and then let it come back down naturally to wherever I feel comfortable.

Happy Holidays!

                 Merry Christmas!