Fred D's triathlon training group CLOSED (Page 96)

No apologies. I'm genuinely curious or I wouldn't ask, and an N=1 coming from you (or anyone else in this group) is worth some thought to me. Thank you!

When I think engage my core with respect to SBR I simply think good form.  As an example, when I get tired running I slouch badly.  So I just think of standing tall.  One pretty much takes more core out and the other takes my core to get back out of that slouch.  So, just being aware of how you are fresh and working to stay with that form when you get tired. 

I'll echo the sentiment about swimming.  I feel stronger, and typically swim a touch faster when thinking more about my core for rotation (if I think about rotation that's a win).

As for running and riding, I don't give it any thought.  I just think about my legs and my breathing, and that's about it.

Great job.  Not a bad run after setting the bike course record if you ask me.

I deliberately avoided signing up for this one so I don't hurt myself

New question - indoor trainer rides.  I only get outside once a week, and the rest of the time I'm indoors - usually 2, maybe 3, times on the trainer and only for about an hour.

Just wondering what type of intensity you guys are putting out for similiar time.  I ask, because I'm wondering if I should push myself harder on these.

For shorter trainer rides i am doing almost everything at 100% or higher FTP.  Mostly V02 max or anaerobic.  1 min on/offs, 5x5's, ladders etc.

i try to mix it up as i get bored easily, but Sufferfest and Trainerroad are making it much much better though.

Neil:  I am pretty much in the same boat.  Usually get only 1 outdoor ride per week and the rest is on the trainer - between 45 minutes and 1.5 hr sessions.  I am training for Olympic and HIM races this year so my intensity is fairly high to compensate for the small amount of time I can devote to the bike.

I usually structure my week the following way:  1 recovery/aerobic ride; 1 alternating interval ride between 80-95%FTP; 1 threshold ride; and my long ride outside is usually at HIM pace or above (80-90%FTP).

I listen to my body though and back off when necessary but that is what I strive for each week on the bike.

I'm about the same as this. I generally default to ladders. I've also got a program called TurboCrank which has a ton of different workouts that are all about an hour long. I won a free download, but its only $20, and worth it. You can try a workout for free on their website.

if you like ladder sets, you would love downward spiral, and if you have a good base built and are looking for a little kicker, a ladder set i do occasionally is a 1m-3m-9m 85/95/105% FTP,  no rest between the 1-3-9, but 10min rest between sets, i usually do 2, but have done 3.

I threw up a little just reading that! Thanks

Managed to stress myself out over my upcoming training/travel/race schedule...

...but, I figured it out. There will be a few split long rides done mid-week, an Xterra race on VERY tired legs, and a skipped day of work. But I managed to come up with solutions that are realistic.

And with that, I am happy.

Jason - Awesome results, Man! If you and Rudy keep it up, You may convince me to give bike racing another whirl - haven't done it in over 20 years, and not sure that I have the nerve for it any longer. I guess there is only one way to find out, right? I am interested to hear your thoughts on how your bike racing is impacting your tri results - I can only think that those kind of efforts are making you a stronger TT rider as well?

Rudy - congratulations on what sounds to me like another great race. I agree - A 24 minute 5k off that kind of bike effort is none too shabby. I suppose there are two ways to race: Go out hard and try to hold your competitors off, or go out more measured and try to run folks down. I saw a running study a few years ago that looked at winning splits from 5k, 10k, 15k, HM & Marathon races. You often read that running a negative split is a logical strategy, but this particular research implied that way more often than not in races up to the 10k distance the winning strategy was to actually run a positive split (go out hard with a little fade). I wonder if that can be extrapolated to sprint/oly distance tris, particularly if your strength is the bike? Why lay back on the bike if your run is going to be a little slower anyway?

James - I for one would count your race well into the success column. Anytime I am within an hour of the OA winner on a HIM I feel like I have done pretty well for my age and abilities. Mussleman is a tough course, and it sounds like weather played a significant factor. Are there things you think you really could have done differently to have a faster run or do you think you just got a good measure of your current fitness? Great results regardless; and knowing a bit about where you were just a little over a year ago your race seems pretty spectacular, honestly.

Great racing this past weekend everyone!

TriAya - I'm late to the game, and far from great, but I am with you in that i have never quite gotten the "engage the core" thing. It seems like it means so many different things to different people. I was able to add general "core focused" strength training to my routine two seasons ago, and will add it back just as soon as this season is over. I think the isolateral/dynamic stuff has helped me keep my form from breaking down on both the run and the swim while the more static core work has strengthened my cycling. If you watch really good cyclists and TT riders it is amazing how still and efficient their upper bodies are. I think that is partly the result of a really stable core that can withstand thousands upon thousands of tiny little corrections by the abdominals and lower back throughout the entirety of the effort that allows fixed leverage point for the hips. When you see riders really break down it seems to often manifest itself first through a breakdown of these "core" muscles causing a subsequent recruitment of the arms, shoulders, and upper back, but those forces cannot be efficiently transferred to the hips and legs through a broken-down core. Or at least that is the way that it has been explained to me.

Pretty much the same as others have stated - I mostly get assigned two kinds of rides designed for the trainer: Hard and really hard. The hard stuff is mostly over gear work, while the really hard are usually Threshold intervals or progressions (similar to the ladder as Rudy described it). FWIW, during my LT block I also do progressions on the run as well. My least favorite workouts, but also the ones that probably do me the most good. Funny how that works...

That's an interesting question.  The last 2 years, I've been mainly focusing on tris and TTs up till about June, then focusing on road racing from June to August.  When tri training, I ride about 120 mpw...but when training for bike races, I drop the running and swimming so I can ride 200+ mpw.

So naturally, if nothing else, the pure mileage increase helps my bike fitness, and thus improves my TT ability.  But if the goal was to improve my TT ability, I would be better off training 200+ mpw on my TT bike, with TT based workouts.

Road race training has improved my ability to road race.  Being able to constantly ride at different effort levels where you may absolutely red line yourself in the middle of a ride, then you have to recover and do it again.  Things you would never do to yourself in a TT.

But I don't think training in that way provides much benefit to your TT other than improved fitness.  If you want to really get better at TT'ing, you have to do TT focused workouts.  Someone like bryan who only has a TT bike can be an excellent TT'er, but have trouble in a road race with other strong riders.  And the flip side is also true...that pure road racers would have trouble hanging with Bryan in a TT.

I have spent about 80% of my training miles in the past 12 months on my road bike, training like a roadie.  My TT'ing has improved, but not nearly as much as my ability to ride with stronger roadies has.  One of my goals next year is to crack an hour (actually smash 1 hour ) at 40k, and I have already thought about how I will need to change up my training next spring to include more TT focused workouts.  Because even though my short burst 30 second to 5 minute power has increased in the past year...my 20 minute power has not increased as significantly.

OK......
 
This is my MusselMan swim.  Sighting is everything in open water swimming.  Checking the sight and maybe re-checking is good.  This is not quite GatorDeb’s quality of work but should get the point across.  The blue line was Half-Iron swim.  The buoys are in yellow.  My actually swim was the red line. 
 
Notice the big zig in my swim past buoy #2.  That was not supposed to happen.  When the kayaker stopped me I was closer to buoy #4 than the turn buoy #3.  I thanked him said a few choice words and swam to the turn buoy.  I was mad but got over it in a few strokes.  I didn’t panic or try to pick up the pace but continued with the same pace until the second turn buoy. 
 
This was a costly mistake in time but I still swam :34 minutes with no wetsuit.  I can not compare all the swim times because a lot of people wore wetsuits.  The winner an ex-pro swam :29 minutes.  Bob Stocks a fast BT swimmer swam :32 minutes.  My overall swim position was 85.  So still a good swim.

James:  That is a tough way to start the day but sounds like you handled it pretty well and were still able to pull off an excellent swim time.  Alot of folks can let something like that ruin their entire day.  Way to move on!

Ran this morning - 80 degrees and disgusting humidity at 6:00 am.  I walked out the door and it was just on me...started sweating immediately.   My air conditioning is getting a serious workout this month...not looking forward to that bill.

Swim planned for this afternoon.  The rest of this week is devoted to the bike since I am headed to Columbus, OH to my brothers place for the weekend and won't have my bike..probably just run both days.

Anybody else getting a little bored with the TdF?  Team Skyy is just so strong and protecting Wiggins that it seems like nobody else is going to get close.  If Cadel was maybe :60 seconds back as opposed to 3 minutes I think the Mountain stage coming up would be interesting.  Wiggins and his team just look to strong and he is a beast in the TT coming up as well.  Thoughts?