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What's your most recent training breakthrough?
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 2013-10-28 8:45 PM |
Veteran  732    Pittsburgh, PA |  Subject: What's your most recent training breakthrough?There used to always be threads along the lines of, "Freestyle finally clicked!" and the poster would talk about going from being unable to swim 50 meters to being able to swim 750 all at once. Or doing their first 50 mile ride. Or running for 10 minutes straight. Those threads were always fun to read and they always got lots of encouraging replies. In light of the "decline of BT" thread, which I do agree with- what cool thing have you done lately? So we can all celebrate it! Edited by chayes 2013-10-28 8:51 PM |
| 2013-10-28 8:59 PM in reply to: chayes |
Expert 2355 Madison, Wisconsin | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? Learning the art of suffering in races. Unfortunately I learned this as a medical issue arrived and has postponed me from racing until further notice. Hoping to be cleared for NOLA 70.3 and continue on the sufferfest. |
| 2013-10-28 9:06 PM in reply to: chayes |
Expert 2192 Greenville, SC | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? i bought a snorkel based on the advice from a collegiate swimmer i know. swim pace is getting faster! im also spending a lot more time wearing fins; also based on his recommendations. |
| 2013-10-28 9:12 PM in reply to: chayes |
Regular 673 SF Bay area | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? Multiple times I tried to get a handle on bilateral breathing, but gave up because I felt it was preventing me from getting my workouts done due to the copious amounts of water I was swallowing. I vowed this off-season I would focus on an master it. Started out last week, hydrating with every breath. Went to trying with a swim buoy and had better success. Today swam 2000 using bilateral or weak side breathing (still with the buoy) and can now see that I will be able to do this. A couple more sessions with the buoy then it is time to drop the crutch and go it alone. |
| 2013-10-28 9:31 PM in reply to: TTom |
Expert 2192 Greenville, SC | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? Originally posted by TTom Multiple times I tried to get a handle on bilateral breathing, but gave up because I felt it was preventing me from getting my workouts done due to the copious amounts of water I was swallowing. I vowed this off-season I would focus on an master it. Started out last week, hydrating with every breath. Went to trying with a swim buoy and had better success. Today swam 2000 using bilateral or weak side breathing (still with the buoy) and can now see that I will be able to do this. A couple more sessions with the buoy then it is time to drop the crutch and go it alone. i've been working on this too. for some reason its easier when i use paddles, but thats still progress i guess. |
| 2013-10-28 9:34 PM in reply to: Clempson |
Veteran 869 Stevens Point, Wisconsin | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? Started to have most of my runs at sub 8 minute miles, also broke 150 miles in a month for my first month ever. |
| 2013-10-28 9:40 PM in reply to: Clempson |
Regular 673 SF Bay area | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? Originally posted by Clempson Can you elaborate a bit on why the snorkel is helping you get faster? Able to concentrate on stroke mechanics better? Higher oxygen content allows for harder swims? Same with the fins - what are the benefits you are realizing? I'm in learning mode right now, so this is very interesting.i bought a snorkel based on the advice from a collegiate swimmer i know. swim pace is getting faster! im also spending a lot more time wearing fins; also based on his recommendations. |
| 2013-10-28 9:43 PM in reply to: Justin86 |
Veteran 732 Pittsburgh, PA | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? That's funny- I'm still a mediocre swimmer, at best, but have no troulble bilateral breathing. Maybe I'm just equally bad at both sides? I just bought a used mountain bike and have been doing little else for exercise but ride it, mainly so I can enjoy the fall leaves. It has been the source of all kinds of life epiphanies. Biggest thing is to not get mad at myself when something doesn't work out, but I had no way of knowing it wouldn't work out- like if a trail dead ends at a cliff, or it turns out you can't use the momentum from a downhill to propel yourself up a hill when the hill is made of dirt... those aren't mistakes, so much as things I never knew before. It's also fun because whether I'm swimming, running or riding my road bike, I have an idea of what would be a decent pace for me, and whether I'm hitting it. I'm also vaguely aware of how many people I've passed, and how many are passing me. On the mountain bike I have no idea if I'm going fast or slow, just enjoying the ride. |
| 2013-10-28 9:44 PM in reply to: Justin86 |
Veteran 732 Pittsburgh, PA | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? Originally posted by Justin86 Started to have most of my runs at sub 8 minute miles, also broke 150 miles in a month for my first month ever. Wow on both counts! |
| 2013-10-28 9:51 PM in reply to: TTom |
Expert 2192 Greenville, SC | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? Originally posted by TTom Originally posted by Clempson Can you elaborate a bit on why the snorkel is helping you get faster? Able to concentrate on stroke mechanics better? Higher oxygen content allows for harder swims? Same with the fins - what are the benefits you are realizing? I'm in learning mode right now, so this is very interesting.i bought a snorkel based on the advice from a collegiate swimmer i know. swim pace is getting faster! im also spending a lot more time wearing fins; also based on his recommendations. i use the snorkel and fins together mostly, but i have been advised to just swim as much as possible in fins so i am thinking of getting a shorter finned set. the guy i swim with is also a cyclist, so he broke the concept down for me in terms i would understand. basically going faster(fins) allows me to feel drag more where it is present. The snorkel allows me to work on specific form techniques without having to worry about breathing, which just throws everything off. so i spend a lot of kick sets at a 45 degree position in the water with one arm fully extended getting a feel for for good position; i have basically ended up "laying" on my armpit with my other arm directly behind me. once you are in this position the pull is just a dropped elbow and rotate to the other side as the rotating movement actually assists in the pull stroke. |
| 2013-10-28 11:20 PM in reply to: #4886793 |
| 25 | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? I managed to come off of injury and overcome depression, I not only started to workout again but actually been enjoying it for the first time since last fall. |
| 2013-10-29 12:40 AM in reply to: Trigirl91 |
Master 4452 | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? Not really a training breakthrough, but I surpassed my 2012 yearly run mileage on Sunday, and did not run in January or February due to injury. |
| 2013-10-29 6:29 AM in reply to: chayes |
Extreme Veteran 929 , Kobenhavns Kommune | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? None. That's right: Haven't really had a break through, it's all been more steady progress. The only "break through" was a stone that broke through my tire - so far first and only flat I've had on the road. |
| 2013-10-29 6:35 AM in reply to: Trigirl91 |
Expert 1128 Fort Riley, Kansas | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? My last 100 mile+ run month was December 2011, and for almost 2 years now haven't been able to hit my running goals since I have been plagued by injuries or illnesses. Well, I have been able to stay well and overcome my injures and I'm only 5 mile away from 100 for October, which I am heading out the door to do right now |
| 2013-10-29 6:47 AM in reply to: chayes |
 Bronze member | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? I was thinking of starting the same thread! My breakthrough is also swimming. I've been stuck at a stale pace for a couple of years. A combo of back pain and always swimming by myself drained my motivation. Well my back is better and yesterday I swam with our local Y swim team coach. Nothing like trying not get to lapped to give me a kick in the pants! I had my best swim times in probably 3 years. But now I know I can do it and have no excuses when I'm by myself on Thursday |
.| 2013-10-29 6:51 AM in reply to: bcagle25 |
| Bronze member | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? Originally posted by bcagle25 Learning the art of suffering in races. Unfortunately I learned this as a medical issue arrived and has postponed me from racing until further notice. Hoping to be cleared for NOLA 70.3 and continue on the sufferfest. Hate to read this! Now I'm going to have to go check out your blog to see what happened. |
| 2013-10-29 6:53 AM in reply to: chayes |
Melon Presser 52116 | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? What a positive thread! I was already a decent swimmer and dreaded doing what I thought I needed to do to improve--severe, prolonged suffering in the pool (since it was that mode of training during youth that had made me a decent swimmer to begin with ... so I thought I needed to do even more of it, more painfully to improve) 8 weeks into the 16-week progression of Swim Speed Workouts (Sheila Taormina -- it's advertised here on the site) I blew away all my previous good swim results in a triathlon, coming in 7th OA out of ~200 swimmers in a sprint tri I'd done six times before. A few more weeks into it and I went from being a ~1:25 Ironman swimmer to 1:12 (in fresh water, which is slower, and being in the last wave of a 2-loop course, which meant constantly swimming into and through previous waves the whole time). Don't get me wrong--there's some suffering in the Swim Speed Workouts. But they're incredibly doable and really efficient swim training in a very specific progression that's tailored for distance swimmers and triathletes. To have this kind of breakthrough on far less work and pain than I'd feared was really delightful and amazing to me.
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| 2013-10-29 7:11 AM in reply to: TriAya |
| Bronze member | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? Originally posted by TriAya What a positive thread! I was already a decent swimmer and dreaded doing what I thought I needed to do to improve--severe, prolonged suffering in the pool (since it was that mode of training during youth that had made me a decent swimmer to begin with ... so I thought I needed to do even more of it, more painfully to improve) 8 weeks into the 16-week progression of Swim Speed Workouts (Sheila Taormina -- it's advertised here on the site) I blew away all my previous good swim results in a triathlon, coming in 7th OA out of ~200 swimmers in a sprint tri I'd done six times before. A few more weeks into it and I went from being a ~1:25 Ironman swimmer to 1:12 (in fresh water, which is slower, and being in the last wave of a 2-loop course, which meant constantly swimming into and through previous waves the whole time). Don't get me wrong--there's some suffering in the Swim Speed Workouts. But they're incredibly doable and really efficient swim training in a very specific progression that's tailored for distance swimmers and triathletes. To have this kind of breakthrough on far less work and pain than I'd feared was really delightful and amazing to me.
WOW!!!!! You make me want to buy that book except whenever I drop in your blog those workouts sound awful ha ha ha |
| 2013-10-29 7:19 AM in reply to: chayes |
Veteran 1677 Houston, Texas | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? I'm coming back from a knee injury that did not allow me to run for over a year. I started back about 12 weeks ago and have been building slowly. I started running 10 minutes at a time and was struggling to keep my HR within Z2 (less than 160bpm) while doing about an 11 minute mile. On Sunday, I was doing a 2.2 mile run and realized that, not only was it easy and comfortable (HR was less than 150bpm), but I was actually moving at a decent-for-me pace (9:30 minute miles). It's not really a break through, but it's tangible progress that makes me very happy! |
| 2013-10-29 7:23 AM in reply to: chayes |
Expert 972 Falls Church | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? I have discovered group training sessions! I've always been a loner for any training. I decided to try some early morning track sessions with a local group. Lo and behold...I work much harder surrounded by others than by myself. I don't think I could do this all the time but certainly once a week is reasonable. I also going on a group ride on Saturday mornings that is sponsored by a local tri shop. It's a challenging hilly route and everyone is super supportive. |
| 2013-10-29 7:46 AM in reply to: TriAya |
Master 8247 Eugene, Oregon Bronze member | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? I think I need to check out Swim Speed Workouts. I've been swimming more than last year since the pool's open longer, but my swim speed is getting worse! Maybe my form is falling apart or I'm just too tired from getting up early (below), or I really lost fitness from not swimming much last summer. My big breakthrough sounds silly, but it's important for me. I've never been a morning person and until this year rarely managed to do early AM running consistently, and almost never early morning speedwork. But last spring when rainy season started (it rains heavily most afternoons), I realized that consistent quality run training just wasn't going to happen in my life unless it happened mostly before work, and I bit the bullet. I'm now getting up at 4:50 (gasp) three days during the work week to get in a run, and one of those is hard speedwork. Also fairly early on weekends as well. After lots of experimentation, I've discovered I CAN handle early morning speedwork as long as it is preceded by some coffee, a small amount of easily digestible food, and a 20-minute warmup. I was afraid running hard before work would wear me out for the school day but actually find I'm a lot less sore if I'm on my feet all day teaching after a hard run than if I do it late in the day and lie around/go to bed after. The only complication....I'm having a hard time making it past 8 PM lately! |
| 2013-10-29 7:50 AM in reply to: Hot Runner |
Master 3022 | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? I finally had the "perfect" race. Not really perfect, but first time race prep, nutrition and pacing have all come together in one event. Ran the Detroit Half Marathon last weekend and beat my previous best time for that race by 10+ minutes and beat my previous best HM time by 5+ minutes. Finished at 1:38:02. First time I've never walked in a HM. Chalk it up to a run focus summer and better consistency in running frequency. Oh yeah, losing 7 pounds helped as well! Hard work pays off! |
| 2013-10-29 8:01 AM in reply to: Hot Runner |
Regular 287 Levittown, PA | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? Sounds kind of corny to mention a break thru on the spin bike at the gym, but with cold weather here I have been forced inside to train. I started training for triathlons in February of this year. I started on a spin bike at the gym and would do most of my work on level 9 or 10 and I would go up to level 12 for intervals. Most of my rides were about 30 mins. I went to the gym the other day and right now I am using the maffetone method for training and trying to really focus on keeping my heart rate low while building my base. Well I jumped on the bike and did 50 mins on level 13 and was able to keep my HR below my maffetone max HR for the entire duration. . I was blown away at home much my fitness has increased. Also, I can probably stake claim to the only person on this site that is going to say they have shown gains on a spin bike. hahaha |
| 2013-10-29 8:16 AM in reply to: chayes |
Veteran 360 Waukegan, IL | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? About a month ago, I swam my first 100 in less than 1:30. I haven't done it since and I couldn't do more than one in a row. But I'm dang proud of that 1:28 100. My best a year prior to that was 2:08. |
| 2013-10-29 8:21 AM in reply to: spiderjunior |
Master 1736 Midcoast Maine | Subject: RE: What's your most recent training breakthrough? I am an adult onset athlete and have only been doing triathlons for four years now. Until about two months ago - the primary focus was to complete the distances...run the 13 miles, swim the 1.2 miles, ride the 56 miles, etc without regard to how fast I was going. Two months ago, something clicked (dunno what it was, but I'll take it) and I am now able to push myself during the workouts to go faster. I have increased my swim training (from maybe two times a week on a good week to a minimum of four times a week in the water) and instead of spending the time in the pool cranking out the laps, I am focusing on form and speed/sprints. I am actually making progress (and 500y no longer sounds like an inconceivable distance)...but more importantly to me: I have been running off and on for the last two years due to a chronic foot injury. I finally stepped back and just started slowly, slowly cranking up the miles (per BarryP) with a little speedwork thrown in maybe once a week. Last Saturday - I PR'd a 5K (I haven't run a 5K in more than two years for a variety of reasons) and came in third in my age group (I can't get too excited about the podium - it was a small race). I am so psyched to see the improvement from when I started running (I have dropped more than 14 minutes off my 5K time). Whoo hoo! |
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| Swim question for "beginners" who've made recent breakthroughs | ||
| What's your recent success Pages: 1 2 3 | ||
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