BigDH - Checking Off the Boxes - Mentor Group - CLOSED (Page 9)

Today I got a nice strength workout in at the gym during my "lunch".  Then after work, I was able to get a 50 min bike ride in.  Felt great other than having to contend with rush hour traffic.  What does everyone do as far as your Garmin is concerned when you come to a stop light or other extended stop on your bike?  Do you pause/stop it or just let it run?  I was thinking I might get some more accurate pacing data if I stop it every time, but then again it is one extra thing to have to worry about.  I have enough trouble remembering to unclip before coming to a stop and making sure I don't fall over once stopped.  

Tomorrow will be a nice easy 3 mile run.  Friday a day off.  and then Saturday is my half marathon.  

One of the other never ending debates, to get a coach or be self coached. Without a competent coach I think you have to be careful. You cannot push it hard all the time. You will break. A coach encourages you to go easy on your easy days and HARD on your hard days. That is the challenge, with or without a coach. It is too easy just to go medium all the time which is great for general fitness but mostly useless for breaking through plateaus.

I am still getting back to a good base level of fitness, beofre I attempt to break through any plateaus!!  However I have been very fit before when I was in the forces, which is obviously highly coached!!  Nowadays though I normally start getting into training and get a level then really start pushing, but having rest days.  The coach question has to be down to budget and personal goals.

I think a group sessions or training with someone better than you can push you hard enough to make good gains.  Or a tough circuit sessions for overall fitness would also be a cheap option, if you have an all round fitness you can then push hard in individual events.

I did get my missus to cycle and I run for example, her average speed (not fast) meant that I had to push it running.  So I will do that more often.

I would struggle to justify the cost of a coach, unless I had a really good shot of winning events, but I will probably have to compete until I am 100 to have a shot at the age group category medal!!

Thanks, Mark

Hey Ryan!

I try to remember to hit stop on the bike when I am at a light - but all to often I then forget to hit start in the scramble to clip in an get moving. 

Regarding biking vs running.  When I bike, I have to push hard to get the same Heart Rate as I do when I run.  Not sure why that is.

Regarding the garmin and stopping, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the autopause feature.  I use it for both cycling and running.  That way when I'm stopped to tie a shoe, or wait for a light, the timer automatically stops.

I just looked at it on my garmin.  Hit the mode button, go into training, then training options, select "autopause", then select "when stopped".

I found out that you have to select it in the run mode and in the cycling mode.  Also, make sure you turn it off for races, since if you stop, the clock keeps running.

Deb - Thank you!  That will work perfect!  So - if I understand correctly, there is a seperate setting for each mode?  So, I could have autopause on for biking and off for running? 

As for me, I got a bike and a swim in yesterday.  The bike was great, and I went for longer then I needed to.  I used the babysitting co-op I belong to and dropped the kids off for a couple hours in the afternoon, then hit the road.  Loving it.

The swim, I was rather lacking in energy.  Maybe the bike took more out of me then I realized.  Anyways, it was okay after all.  I was really working on my body roll, so doing drills for that.  In a way, maybe it was okay that I was tired out, because it kept me from pushing hard and made me focus on the technique instead.

Pre-race meals?  For breakfast, I've settled on toast with peanut butter and banana.  For the night before, the only one that I've specifically worried about what I ate was my half marathon and I did pasta with a tomato sauce and some chicken breast.  My other races have all been 5 or 10ks, so I didn't worry too much about it.  Having said that, I make sure I eat pretty much clean for a couple days before.  Otherwise I can end up with GI issues on the run.

That's how it works for mine, at least.  I have the 305, so I have no idea if it is different for other models.  You just have to be in the cycling mode, or the running mode to set it for that sport.

Deb:
Huge thanks.  Just the ticket.  Changed modes from run to bike - and did the same.

Breakfast:

Steel cut oats rock!  I alternate steel cut oats with frozen blueberries on one day and non-fat yoghurt with Bear Naked Peak Protien granola on the other.  If you cook up a batch of SCO's on the weekend -then just nuke for 2 minutes, add then frozen blueberries and you're off.  I eat the same race day as every other day.

Yesterday workout was great.  I biked to the Y in the cold drizzle on my old mountain bike - lifted and 15 minutes of Abs work- ran 30 min tempo on the 'mill, and rode home.  Highlight was remembering a running dream while I was on the bike.  I was trail running, came to a big hairy cliff-like decent, tried to turn around, and ended up in Manhattan.

Morning all!

This week has been a rough week for me.  I've had some really good workouts, but at the same time, I've just been feeling kind of off.  I took my rest day yesterday (rather then today) and I'm feeling a bit better.  I think it's a combination of sleep, nutrition and allergies.  I haven't been sleeping enough.  Some nights, I don't have a lot of control, but others, I just need to hit the hay sooner.  My nutrition has been sub-par.  I was going to cut out sugar for a week, and I just haven't followed through.  Sugar is a major trigger for me, and I do much better when I limit/eliminate it from my diet. 

And, I'm getting hit with allergies, and it's triggering my asthma.  It's the factor that I have the least control over, but I actually made a doctor's appointment for next week.  I feel like it's the worst controlled it's ever been since getting diagnosed - I'm using my rescue inhaler almost every run and bike.  I'm also doing the highest level of exercise, outside, that I've ever done at this time of year.

All of the above link together, so I now need to control the things I can and deal with the ones I can't.

Now, having said all that, I got out for an early morning run today!  It can be hard to roll out of bed for those ones, but they really do make me feel better for the whole day.  I got all my stuff ready the night before - that is key for me.  Then I woke up before my alarm even went off at around 4:30.  (I usually set my alarm for 5:00).  I tried to stay in bed, but finally decided I was awake anyways, so I may as well head out.  I started my run on sidewalks in the community, but when I was around halfway done and passing an entrance to the pathway system, it was light enough to go away from the street lights.  Love it!  I love running by the river in the mornings.  It's just so peaceful.  The sound of the water, birds, etc.  And I have it all to myself.

Deb:

good for you! It was a COLD morning - 31f here. I skipped yesterday too - just too much family drama.  I am determined to do something long today. Ride or run or both. 

Ben, you'll have to forgive me if I don't think that's very cold.    Around here, there are plenty of people that wear shorts when it's right around freezing.  I'm not that crazy, but it was -2c (28f) here for my run this morning.  I just wore pants and a long sleeved shirt and thought it was the perfect temperature.  Just goes to show how we get acclimatized differently.

Not cold,  but cold for 6 May!

I have to agree with Ben!

My week has been alright, felt a little off, I think it's cause i'm doing the same short workouts for the 3rd week in a row and I want to push myself a little more.  At least this weekend I get back into some longer workouts.  I'm doing a 5k tomorrow morning and might go for a quick mile or two run after work today just to keep loose rather than not doing anything today.

Hope you enjoy the 5K!

Rode past the 20 mile mark - great route out in the country - even did a road called Devil Road!

Feeling great - that pause thing on the Garmin worked great.  My cadence magnet slipped again - this time about 3/4's of the way into the ride.  You folks who have the Garmin 305 - any suggestions on better securing that magnet to the crank?