bhoover10001's Group - Closed for the holidays! (Page 9)

Just an update - I am out of my whiney funk.  I blasted through a spin class yesterday (we did a 6 minute set of sit-stands = BRUTAL).  But I'm back to my old, energetic, happy self!

On a side note, I was having some knee pain when I hit stairs recently, I think it was from a weird stretch I tried last week.  Anyway, I tried some kinesio tape, the colored stuff they use on the athletes, and it feels better already.    I'm not sure if it's just placebo or what, but there's a definite improvement!  Anyone else ever try it or have it used in PT?

The knee hurt isn't from the spin class, it was from a stretch.  It only bothers me on staris - or should say, it did, but has stopped since I taped it and iced it last night.  Now, it's right as rain.

MY Lactate Threshold test, which one of my non-tri friends thought I was pregnant and was having that kind of lactate testing doen (weird and gross), was OK.  It was HARD, that is for sure, and I got kind of woozy.  I am a horrible runner, as we have prevously discussed I am sure - so my paces were so minimal that I could not have pace training established.  I got my heart rates whcih is really what I wanted from the first time.  As I increase my fitness and get stronger I will have it done again.

I really liked my tri coach though, he was awesome.  I am going to actually be in a swim clinic with him in Feb as well.  They will be doing swim stroke analysis - so in need of that.  Sometimes when I think how not great at any of these three sports I am, I wonder - why in the world did I choose this sport, hahaha.  I do love it though!

Sorry John, I'm a n00b so won't be much help on this one... BUT, you may want to look into some of the winter conditioning plans they have available to do until your IM training starts.  That was what Mike Ricci recommended to me to ramp me up for my oly training.

Originally, I had pasted together several plans from this site, building up to an IM plan.  I just more or less put them back to back, starting with a sprint plan, then an Oly plan, then the Oly to HIM bridge plan, then the HIM to IM bridge plan.  I had races panned at the end of each of these.

The races are still there, but I've changed plans.  I have now constructed my own plans based on studying several sources.  I started with the Triathlete's Training Bible (Friel), but after that read several other triathlon-specific books and articles that I think I like better.  It took a long time to put together a plan, and in fact I'm not done with it, but that's what I did.

The basic outline is this:  I'm in what Friel calls 'prep' mode right now, which for me right now means working hard on the swim, and very slowly increasing run mileage, and using the bike mostly to 'fill in' to help build aerobic fitness and get time in the saddle.  In February I begin 14 weeks of building to a HIM.  I have two sprints and one Oly along the way, but I am going to 'train through' them -- no tapering or altering my training for them.  Then, after a week off, I begin a 15 week plan to get me to IMKY.  It has the usual periodization and so forth.

Not sure if that answers your question, but that's what I'm doing, in broad outline.  I'd be happy to share details if you want, BUT:  I'm new at this (not new at training, but new at tri training), and could easily be making some rookie mistakes that the books don't cover, and of course everybody is different.

 Happy training everyone!  I'm off to swim...

Oh, well, I guess I never answer your question about what to do with those 10 weeks.  Sorry!

If it were me, I'd spend that time working on my limiter (for me, swimming), and easing the other two disciplines in, so that when the training begins in earnest, you solid base of fitness.  This will help to avoid injury.

I'm NOT talking about what some people call 'base phase' of training, by which they mean 'never getting out of Z1-2'.  I don't believe in that.  But that's just me.  There are some hotly debated threads on this topic.  If you want to watch some sparks fly, just post something like "shouldn't we all be doing base training right now?" in the Tri Talk forum and sit back and enjoy the show...   Or, read this one.

OK,now I really am going to swim!

Yeah i did 4 HIM last year so i'm not sure how many i'm doing this year.  I'm about 20 weeks out from the kansas 1/2IM so i'm not sure about that one.  I might try to find a HR plan for the next 8 weeks or so and switch to my IM plan and try to hit that 1/2 in June.  I was un-impressed with the IM HR training plans on this sight.  I want to know exactly what zone to be in on each interval for the running and cycling and it only gives you HR zones sometimes.

I wish I could be more help.  I don't train by HR at all.  I did once, but found that the work I had to do to adjust for all of the contingencies that affect HR was too burdensome.

Have I misunderstood, or do you have plans for your actual races that you like, and you're just looking for something to get you through the weeks until those plans kick in?  If that's right, then maybe you should try winging it for that time.  Make up a plan!  I don't think you'll go far wrong if you observe a few basic principles, such as:

1. Every 3rd or 4th week take a week of lower volume (not necessarily lower intensity)

2.  Incorporate a mix of intensities, but since this is early days, focus on lower intensities and avoiding injury.

3.  Do more on your weakest discipline.

There's lots more one could say, but I think that those three principles will get you 90% of the way to a good plan.

Oh, and about being 1/2 way down the second page, or whatever.  Don't sweat it!  We've clearly lost several people, which is fine.  I'm still planning on learning a lot from you guys and gals...

Thanks to Brian, I have a link to this thread from my blog, and I just click on that after I've entered my workout info for the day, which takes me straight here -- no need to hunt through the threads to find us.

arny - 2009-01-23 11:46 PM Hi there: I just wanted to wish everyone a very happy, healthy and successful triathlon year Enjoy the moments when you are out there doing your events With friendly farewell....signing off.... Ann

You're leaving us?!

So I had a Tri nightmare last night...

I got to my event which was packed and was dorking around - I walk into this room of a house where everyone was supposed to meet and look outside, EVERYONE is in the water waiting for the start.  I was like OH NO, so I run outside and it's FREEZING cold.  I don't have a wetsuit.  They are taking 3 people at a time in these stupid row boats to the starting area of the swim and there is just me and one other lady.  Then I, for some reason, decide I need to tell my husband something so I go running through this house (I have no idea what the heck was the deal with the house) and can't find him.  I'm not sure what happened after that bc the dog woke me up to take him out, but it was SO frustrating, and holy COLD!

Lol.  I hate nightmares. 

Train harder and you'll be too tired for nightmares. 

HAHAHA I think the dream was a direct result of me giving myself a mental talking to about slacking off too much lately!

I need to work out a formal day to day plan that works for me, esp since I have 1/2 mary training to incorporate shortly.  

 How is everyone's weekend?

I did spin today and went to see Slumdog Millionaire this afternoon.  It was great.  Last night we saw Gran Turino, which was good and also funnier than I expected.

Great weekend for me -- solid run on Saturday, and finally got the new bike outside today.  I was able to hold the aero position for 30 miles nearly continuously (breaking a few times to climb standing up), which is far longer than I've ever done before.  This makes me start to believe that I can do it for the IM.  We'll see...

I hope you all had a good weekend as well.

Hey, I was beginning to worry that everyone in the group had abandoned me.  Was it something I said?

Good job on the 30 miles, how did you feel after?

I had an awesome run session today.  I ran barefoot on a treadmill for about 15 minutes.  I loved it, have never felt so awesome.  I am going to get a pair of regular trainers and slowly work my way into them as a full time shoe.  Considering taking a pose or chi method class. Other than that, just a lot of speedwork.  It would be a slow jog increasing in speed with a sprint along the last 1/4 of the track and start that all over - hard but awesome!  I really see myself making progress, not just in endurance but also in breathing and form (which helps with everything else).  Now I'm just babbling...

Always happy to entertain!  If you thought that was funny - I had my first experience with an ice bath yesterday.  That was SUPER not funny to me, but everyone else seems to be getting a kick out of it.  I thought it would be a good idea since I was doing barefoot running, speedwork, and form improvements - I was correct in theory.  The practice was a bit more... not good (heh).  If you have never done one, allow me to summarize my first encounter:

  5 seconds pass

OMG *#%(*&Q#%)($)*(%$*()%

  5 seconds pass

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE  $()#*&%#()*%Q$&*(%)&%

  30 seconds pass

(Sound I have never heard me make before) and a whimper

$(%)$(%^*$)%(*%$*()%$ THAT WAS COLD

After all that, I hear from Dave (husband) from the family room "Umm... are you OK?" 

At least my friend that recommended the ice bath was nice enough to also recommend wearing a swimsuit.  Also, when you realy that to people that don't really get why you are doing the ice bath to begin with - they are not so surprised that the bath was cold and have no real sympathy or empathy for you.  hahha

(spelling edits)

I do an ice bath for any run over about 12 miles.  Works wonders for me.

There is pretty good evidence that the water doesn't need to be colder than around 50 degrees or so, but I still go for colder than that.  I wear a sweatshirt to keep my top-side warm as well.

I'm sorry to say that getting in the ice bath doesn't get any easier.   I've been doing them for years and the sequence of events tht you described is still pretty much how it happens for me...