jmk-brooklyn's group-- FULL (Page 4)

Glad to hear you're safe from the flooding, and great job at finding a way. I have a friend who went to an all-girls school in DC that had the slogan "I will find a way or make one". Always liked that.

I always have to work around my family's schedule. That's kind of the deal I made with them and with myself. Sometimes that means I don't get to the pool until 9pm, and sometimes it means I spend 3 hours on the trainer after my son goes to sleep, but I have to be creative often. I try to "make a way" as often as I can, but sometimes I have to miss a workout. It sucks, but I remind myself that this is a hobby. But it feels awfully good when I can find a creative way to train when life conspires against me. I've had some really interesting runs when I used to travel for business, and once I swam for about an hour at a hotel pool in Montreal when it was below freezing and the pool was only about 50 feet across.

Ugh-- sorry about your daughter's pinkeye. Hope she gets better soon.

It's amazing what a big difference weight loss makes on your running. I can feel a significant difference in how beat up my legs feel between 185 lbs and just 5-10 lbs lighter.

The numbness thing is concerning. Have you had a bike fit? I'm not a disciple in the "church of the One True Bike Fit". Some people get really obsessive about bike fits, as if to ride a bike that is not professionally fit for to you, at great expense, is tantamount to a mortal sin. I think that bike fit is important—critical, even, but I also believe that 90% of bikes can be fit to 90% of people and that an experienced person at a good local bike shop ought to be able to get you 90% to where you need to be to be comfortable and effective on your bike for very little money. If you want to go the motion-capture animation with wattage and pedal stroke analysis, and so on, then great, but I don’t think it’s a requirement, especially if you’re a beginner.
That said, you shouldn’t be numb after a short time. I’d bring your bike to the shop and see what they say. Do you have something under your front wheel? If you don’t that could be the problem. If your bike only hurts to ride on the trainer, and not outside, make sure the wheels are at the same level. The only time I've had numbness was after a hundred miles or so in the saddle.

Before I read your last sentence, I was about say, "get a foam roller". Why don't you want to get one? I've been lucky to not have IT band problems, but whenever I do, a few minutes with the roller and it feels better. You could always get regular deep-tissue massages, but I don't think that even regular stretching will prevent it completely if you're prone to those kinds of problems.

Is a "turbo" the same thing as a bike trainer? That's a MUCH better term than "trainer". When people in England say "trainers", they mean "running shoes", right? The English guy from the Paris tri club that I ran with last week told me to meet him outside the track and that he'd be wearing orange trainers.

I think I added where I'm from now...Houston! I have only been using BT to track miles, so I have a lot to learn about the site. I don't know how to add friends at this point, so maybe someone can talk me through it.

I had another great workout today. Still out of town in flooded Oklahoma, but the waters went down a lot today, I was able to get to the gym & could pay $5 for the day. My sil said the main teacher is fantastic, so I was planning on trying 2 of her classes. My plan was a kettle bell class (w/another teacher...something I've been wanting to try!), then.a core class & then an advanced step class. I was excited! Unfortunately, the lady wasn't there & her classes were cancelled.

So, I did the kettle bell class. I thought it would be very aerobic, but was more like a strength class. Well, I need that, too!

Then, I hoped on the treadmill. I didn't have my iPod as I thought I'd be in class. But, the treadmills overlook the basketball area & it was fun to watch.

Today's purpose (every workout needs a purpose, right?) was speed. I did 3.3 miles with about half of that at a 10:30 speed. My usual speed is 12:30-13:30, so this was great for me! And, I ran one entire mile in 10:31!!!

I'm hoping to go on my first group bike ride tomorrow night. It varies, but my sil says they are usually 20+ miles. At this point, my longest ride has been 20. And, I'm not used to the hills. It should be a terrific workout!

My next tri is a week from Sunday!!

Took yesterday off. Had a pt test for the fire department. Passed it. Interview next Tuesday. Biked today for half an hour. Trunk twists 2x50 with 6 lb axe. 30 sit ups. Jump rope for 10 mins. Good sweat. Hopefully won't be 340 lbs for long. Had talapia and steamed vegetables for dinner. Hmm.. Fish is not so bad. Hope everyone is having a good day. Good luck with your training. God bless.

Hi Sujith:

OK, so: “WU” means warm-up. So warm up for 15 minutes.
“MS” means “main set”, so your main set here consists of 5 intervals of 3 minutes each with a one minute RI (recovery interval). Finish with a 15 minute CD (cool down).
As for the RPE stuff, if you look at #1, think it means that at the end of that particular interval, you should be at a level 7 of RPE. I’m not sure what scale you’re using. Are you using a 1-10 scale, where 10 is the hardest? That would make sense.
Does that help?

Well, I am a jet-lagged mess, it turns out. I haven’t slept well the last couple of days. I planned to go to the gym last night and then update my logs when I got home, but I fell asleep while I was putting my son to bed and woke up at 10pm. So we’ll try again tomorrow.

I haven't gotten them, but maybe you’re tensing your muscles too hard while you’re swimming? Other than when you’re applying the effort to kick, you should be fairly relaxed and smooth in the water. Your kick, especially as a triathlete, is more about helping to keep you level in the water, rather than propelling you forward. You need to save your legs for the bike and run, so you shouldn’t be kicking as hard as you would if you were competing in a swimming race.

My parents live in Houston! We were there last Thanksgiving. They have a place in Galveston and that's where we spend most of the time when we visit. Have you raced Lonestar? That's my all-time favorite race.

Great workout-- good job getting to the gym and making the most of workouts on the road. I'm excited to hear about your group ride.

Congratulations on passing your PT test for the FD!. What did the test consist of?

Wow, was it hot in the gym. I should have run outside because it's a pretty nice night. I wanted to run six miles, but I had to stop after 4+. I was really starting to overheat.

Time to start running outside consistently I think.

I'm going to run 8 miles with my buddy on Saturday. Sunday's going to be hit or miss b/c of a death in the family. Have to go out to central PA for the funeral.

No, I haven't one Lonestar...just did my first tri this month & it was up in the Dallas area. But, I probably will one day!

My bike ride was incredible! First of all, I was surprised that the other riders weren't more friendly. I got there about 25 minutes early & am kind of shy so just stood around. Nobody approached me for the longest time. Fnally, someone did. She had her 12 yo with her & came up to meet me saying this was her first ride. Ha! So, she's not a regular. Anyway, after we started talking several others came & said 'hi'.

One of the ladies said she'd be in charge of the slower/shorter group. We'd be going 18 miles while the other group would be going 30. I was kind of disappointed as I wanted to go farther, but it turned out to be a wise decision to stick with that group.

I am still in Oklahoma and we are in a small, college town. We headed out of town towards the country. It was hilly from the start! But, for the 1st 2 miles I stuck at the front next to the lady, Jen, who would be leading our slower group. I thought that's what I was supposed to do!

About mile 2, we started a bigger hill & I got passes quickly. A guy stopped & chatted for a bit, but then pulled away with the faster riders. I was left all alone.

When I got to the top of the hill, the road split in 3 ways & I couldn't see anyone. I looked behind me and realized I wasn't at the back of the pack after all. There were a few riders behind me. So, I stopped & waited.

After that, I was quickly left by myself again. A lady rider came back & told me to stop at the next stop sign. Jen circled back then & I met her. Then the other lady caught up with us & said the other riders had turned around. It might have been just the mom/son or maybe there was a 3rd rider...I'm not sure.

So, the 3 of us took off again. There was another steep hill & then a fast, downhill curve they warned me about. There was also a section with sand on the road and Jen warned me not to brake there.

I got through that area & we met the rest of our slow group at a little gas station. We stopped for water & fuel.

Jen told me to eat all of my ful supply as we had a big hill ahead. And, she warned me that since I didn't have clip less shoes, just tennis shoes, I'd be working twice as hard as I could only push, not pull. She said not to worry if I had to walk the hill...she expected me to. They'd meet me at the top.

So, off we go! I will have to get the stats on that hill, but it was a long, hard hill! After Jen left me, I was all alone. It was kind of scary as this is a highway. It is in the country & there isn't a shoulder. Since it is a country road, it isn't super busy, but there were a handful of cars that passed me.

Early on, I wasn't sure if I could do it. I decided to just watch the road in front of me & started counting 1-2. I pushed & pushed. I was going about 4 mph. And, finally, I reached the top...without walking!! I had to go around the curve to see the others. Jeb cheered me & I told her I did it without walking. She said the guy who is now their fastest rider stopped & walked 3 times on that hill his first time. I felt incredible!

After that, we did a long, fast downhill..I got to 34.5 mph! Oh how I loved it! We were riding along the Illinois River that flooded a few days ago. It was beautiful!

A little while later, my chain came off while shifting to go up a shorter hill. I yelled at Jen & she came back & fixed it for me. It was the 1st time that had happened & I really need to take a basic maintenance class! When we caught up with the others, we were down to 5 riders...there had been 10 in our group. The rest of the ride was easy & uneventful.

I was amazed that the faster group showed up about 5 minutes after we finished...they'd rode an extra 10 miles! So, again, I'm glad I only did the 18.

Som of them were headed to dinner, but I decided to go 'home'. On the way, I drove past a track I've ran on several times. I decided to get my brick workout in & run a mile. Well, I was amazed at how fast I ran...11:12! That is my fastest outdoor mile! Incredible! I have been working on a new stride, & I think it & my speed work are paying off!

I woke up with very sore abs (does riding hills do that? Or could it have been my kettle bell class from the day before?). My legs were aching, too. So, I took 1 Aleve. I am walking fine & feeling kind of like Superwoman this morning! I can't believe I rode that hill!

Sorry so long, but I'm so thrilled. And, if you ride in a group regularly, it might be nice to see how a newcomer experienced a group ride for the first time.

I am taking a well deserved Rest Day today as we leave Oklahoma & head to my mom's in the Dallas area today. I plan on doing a 7 mile run Saturday morning & heading home to Houston later that day. On Sunday, I have my open water swim clinic in the lake I'll be doing my tri in the following weekend.

Hope everyone else is enjoying their training. I'm really enjoying this group!

Wow—that sounds like a lot of fun. Sorry the other riders weren’t friendly. I have to say that that’s kind of the stereotype of cyclists (“roadies”) vs. triathletes. They can be kind of exclusionist and judge-y. 18 miles in tennis shoes is no mean feat.

The key with shifting on hills is that you never want to shift “under load”, that is you want to kind of take the pressure off the pedals, while still turning them, as you shift. I know that sounds contradictory, but you’ll see what I mean once you get the hang of it. I forget if you have a trainer or not-it’s an easy thing to practice on a trainer.

Hi Kelly-- welcome to the group. Kelly, this is everyone. Everyone, this is Kelly.

(And with that, now that we have our lucky number 14, I'm going to declare our little group CLOSED!!)

So, Adam, Roy, I heard there was some kind of wedding or something happening near you? Did you hear anything about it?

My wife took advantage of her jet-lag and got up at 5:00 in the morning to watch it. It was mostly done and dusted by the time I got up, although I did catch a little of the tail end of it.

I found it funny to see that the Queen herself doesn't participate in the singing of "God Save the Queen". I suppose that should have been obvious, but I never thought about it.

I'd be less worried about the hills and more so about how you're going to cross the Channel on a bike.

You may want to wear your wetsuit on that ride. I imagine the section between Calais and Dover gets a little damp.

Welcome, Kelly! That's a lot of races. I started running & losing weight last June. I've lost 30 pounds (maybe 5 more to go?) & completed ypthe following:
3-5ks
1-10k
1-HAlf Marathon
1-Sprint Triathlon

I have my 2nd HM & 2nd sprint tri coming up in the next 5 weeks. After that, I think I'll focus on running speed (5k distance) & biking. My daughter does summer swim team & that eats up 7 weekends in May/June

What about the rest of you? How many races have you competed in?

And, as far as the trainer...no, don't have one to practice gear shifting on, but thanks for the advice. There is so much to learn!

One more question, is there a great book or website where I can learn biking basics? I need basic terminology (like 'shift up') & much more! Thanks!
Dana

Dana- Shift up means to put your bike in a easier gear( you will feel less push/resistance on the pedals). Shift down means means to put it i a harder gear (you will feel more push/resistance on the pedals).