Brian's group - FULL (Page 6)

You would be amazed at how long this takes many people to realize the above ... and those that do not are often the ones that get out of this sport.

1) Plan your workouts and build you day around it;
2) Communication with your spouse (first about why this goal is important and second about your schedule throughout the training);
3) Determination = success ... be careful though that your determination does not turn into disappointment in yourself when you hit that bump in the road (be it an injury, a sick child, work and/or family related *something* that causes you to miss workouts).

Bill: 

You are making huge strides ... and I believe the secret to your success is your positive attitude towards training.  (Your positiveness is infectious - keep it up!)

Kim:

You are also right on track ... it is a good amount of time before the IMFL schedule kicks off and you have focused on no stress base building volume.  There are times coming down the pike that you will have a schedule and feel that it drives you more than you drive it.  This is not that time - something you have taken into account in your approach to training.

This is not to say that you haven't put in some great training - you have. (Shoot you have tripled my swim yardage for the month! ) It is to say that you are rightfully eschewing the pressure that triathletes often put on themselves.

All:

I truly lucked out getting y'all for our group!  Wish that Marina + Jon were more active - it would just make it that much better - but think we are well on our way to a successful season.

Awww ... group hug!

Seriously, you guys provide more motivation for me than you realize.  As to the mentoring thing, I am just pointing you to information that you would have found out on your own ... it is just my hope that you do not make the same mistakes I did while trying to find this stuff out!

I lucked out in having a good Mentor at Team-in-Training as well receiving good information + guidance here on this site, so I am just trying to pass it on.

Who has an idea for the next challenge.  If we are all comfortable in our HR zones, then I was thinking (selfishly since I seem to be having a difficult time of it) we could have a contest to see who stays out of Zone 3 or Zone 4 or, alternatively, in Zone 2 the most over the next two weeks.

Since we all have different training times and volumes, this can be determined on a basis of percentage of total workout time.

If we are not all there yet with establishing our HR Zones, then we can make that the challenge for the next two weeks.

If we are not all drinking the HR Kool-Aid, then that's okay too as we can come up with an equally important subject matter to challenge ourselves with.

What say you? 

Hey all! I'm back! Lots happening over the past couple of weeks with jobs, car wreck issues and my imminent relocation. I certainly need to get myself sweating to ease the stress.

Anyway, will have to catch up with you all at some point today.

I hear you about perceived effort ... I can "feel" my heart beat as I reach the magical top of Zone 2/bottom of Zone 3 - but suspect that since I have spent so much time at that level over the past it is more of a function of conditioned learning than being able to feel my LT/AeT.

Careful about HR field tests. From my experience, they results can be pretty skewed - particularly the bike zones as it is difficult to find a course that does not vary in greatly in grade, turns and have no stops for 45-50 minutes of flat out riding.

As I may have mentioned before, I goofed up my numbers prior to Gulf Coast H-IM and continued using the goofed up numbers through the SC H-IM ... and bonked on the run both times.  I initially thought it was nutrition but after doing my VO2max test and having my zones establishes it turned out that I had been training above my LT/Aet and simply ran out of gas mid-way through both runs.

Not saying that good numbers cannot be had from field tests, just saying that they are hard to come by

Aside from the ~$100 it cost, the main problem with metabolic testing is finding someone who can do it.  If you are interested in getting it done, I would recommend asking some of the personal trainers you see in the gym, your local bike shops and/or triathlon clubs in the area.

You can also e-mail a triathlon coach to see if they have any suggestions.  Below is a listing of coaches in SC from the USAT website. http://www.usatriathlon.org/Coaches/FindACoach.aspx to see if they can point you in the right direction.

Again, not saying that you will make the same mistake(s) I did ... but want to point out the ones that I made so that you do not face the same problems I did.

Team,

 Got my bike over the weekend....love it.  Alil sore....alil chaffed....extremely happy.  Although the stationary isn't the same, the training on it ha sprepared me nicely for the bike.  My approach on the stationary has allowed me to have decent pedaling form/technique, and a strong lower back.  Gearing is a problem for me....any suggestions on information that may help to educate me a bit better?  As soon as I figure out how to put my pics on my profile, I'll get 'em up there.

 Thanks for all the support you all have provided.  I've been up, and down.  Sick, and healthy.  Motivated, and unmotivated.  And you all have help to spirit me on.  I intend on doing you all proud on march 18th in Hillsboro, NC.

Jon

kimje - 2007-03-02 2:42 PM I would like to join the challenge, but I am going to have to use my field test MHR and RPE combo. There is no one here who does VO2 testing and travelling out of town for something like that is not going to happen. After all, this is just a HOBBY right? So someone tell me how to determine the Z zones please! Marina, Great to have you back!!

Hobby or obsession ... seriously, yes it is a hobby and when it becomes a burden then it ceases to be fun.

For some background on the field test to establish your run + bike HR zones, see: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/index.asp?catid=54.  There is also a rather long thread hosted by Mike Ricci at D3 Multisports that I just bumped in Triathlon Talk: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=25733&posts=267#M715974 ... it may be too much information too spread out, but the Q&A  does make for some interesting reading.

Jon ... don't beat yourself up - after all, you completed the race by crossing the finish line!  Time is immaterial at this point. What is important is that you met adversity along each step of the way and dealt with it.

Your first race sounds like my first one.  I trained my rear off for it - and had a similiar experience: I blew up on the swim, got passed by a lady in her sixties going up a hill on the bike (she was good!) and then cramped up on the run.

In retrospect, I went out too hard on the swim and let the race day adrenaline get the best of me by not slowing down enough to breath/take in a full breath. I blew up about 150-200 yards into the swim and came _ <= that close to signaling the rescue canoe to pull me out of the water.

Dave Scott spoke to our TNT group right before St Anthony's last year and handed out the second best advice I have heard about racing: "Start out slow and just focus on breathing - especially for the first 50-100 yds.  You will be passed by many at first - but you will see a lot of them breast stroking or floating on their backs at the 200 yd mark because they simply put their head down and went out too hard while forgeting to do the most important thing in swimming - breathing."

The best advice I have received was from one of our coaches: "No matter what happens during a race, just keep moving forward ..." - and that is precisely what you did.

Good job on getting your first race under your belt.

Team,

I start my masters swimming program tomorrow.  I believe this will help me start working on my base like I need to.  I've got 10 weeks before the next race (6.9.07).  Should be plenty of time to get sorted, if I'm diligent.

Brian..amazing that our first races came out so similar.  I remember you tellin me that I should focus on building my base...I listened somewhat...but you know how it is....lol.

I will focus on that now.  Speaking of that, I'm lookin at these training programs for novice Sprint Triathletes and don't really see anything that matches the sorts of "times" I "believe" I need to spend building my base.  Any suggestions?

Which programs and what times did you have in mind vs. the times in the program? (I am no longer a Performance Member, so I cannot see the same programs you can - ) 

gygyhawk - 2007-04-02 7:01 PM Just thought I'd share... I belong to a MOMS Club and I chair a special interest group nicknamed "Fit & Fabulous." We meet once a month and discuss our exercise/diet wows and woes. At our last meeting the ladies were finding it hard to find the motivation to exercise. Since I enjoyed our challenge a few weeks back, I decided to challenge them to the same. We just finished a two week challenge amongst 6 of us. Almost everyone met their goals, and even those who didn't are ready to give it another two week try. Maybe I'll cultivate another tri-newbie out of this. I love how positive energy is contagious!

That's awesome!  Get them all to sign up for a sprint this summer ... one sip of the Kool-Aid, just one sip ...