hblackmon's Group - CLOSED!! (Page 4)

I just wanted to second the importance of a professional fit. I bought a Giant OCR 3 two years ago because I wanted a road bike, but I didn't want to spend tons of money on a bike if I really hated biking, but I had had a mountain bike and didn't like it. I rode it until this August how it was when I bought it. Then I read about bike fitting and got it fitted to met my needs as a triathlete and it is SOOOOO much better. I am so comfortable on my bike. I am sure it would be better if it had been fitted when I bought it, but I only spent $500 compared to the $1000 that was looking at for nicer bikes. I am small (between 4'11" and 5'0") but didn't want to pay for a women's specific bike. I love my bike. After I finish grad school and some more tris I will probably get a tri bike, but for now the fit has helped my cycling tremendously. Now if I could find a way to enjoy swimming lots....

OK--This is going to be much harder than I thought. I guess having 2 babies in the last 18 months took more out of me than I thought. I am much more out of shape than I thought I was. I am thinking I am going to change my workout plan to the couch to sprint program so I don't feel quite so overwhelmed. I just don't like the name of it--the couch is not a place I spend very much time!! Anyway I swam today for the first time and it was great. I think I am in the minority because swimming is my favorite and I feel it is my strength. I am hoping to make it to the gym again tomorrow assuming my husband is home to watch the kids. My goal is to have at least 4 workouts a week and tomorrow will be number 4. Also hoping to do a little bike shopping tomorrow!

Heather,
What is your fueling strategy for a sprint tri? It seems you don't need to take anything in during the race or do you? What about before?

My training week went pretty well. I am getting into a more consistent pattern now which is great and I really enjoy working out. Bike news for me is that I finally got one! I had been riding my sister's bike last summer, but moved to NC and have been looking for a while. I ended up getting the Trek 7.2 FX, women's design. It's a simple hybrid bike (which is easy for me to ride and understand) and it will be great for riding on the greenway trails here in Raleigh. The Trek store is right next to my apartment complex which is convenient if I need anything, since I am a true beginner with biking. I think this will be a great starter bike for me to learn on, since it was relatively inexpensive but it will work for my short sprint tri's. I'm excited to have it finally!

My training went pretty well. I cut one swim workout and one bike workout short, but I ma happy because it is a longer week than I have had in a long time.

my shoulder is really bothering me when swimming so I hope I can do all three workouts this week, but I might make them a little shorter than 2000 yards. I want to stay healthy even if I go a little shorter. My shoulder bothered me today swimming too.

So I don't know all the days, I will feel it out but I want to do three swim workouts, two bike and then wed. I will run 30 minutes. Then the weekend is the kicker, I am doing a stage race with 5 running races on trails over two days. It is a total of 24.3 miles on Saturday and Sunday. And we are thrilled because Saturday it is a high of 17 (yes that is fahrenheit and I am being sarcastic). My friend and I are doing it, but we will have fun together. One race has a double stream crossing that went to my waist last time I did the race.

So I am resting a little or going easy in my workouts to save myself for the weekend.

Congrats to those who got bikes.

Angi

Last week - 3 days off, SICK.
This week and the rest of the month
Monday - 15 min swim, 35 bike, 15 run
Tuesday - Lift Chest, Bis, Calves, Core
Wednesday - 23 min swim, 45 bike
Thursday - 23 min run, Lift - Back, Tris, Hamstrings
Friday - 28 min swim, 55 bike
Saturday - OFF COMPLETELY
Sunday - 28 min run, Lift - Shoulders, Quads, Core
All Natural Alcohol Free Diet
Each swim workout include drills
Log workouts and diet on this site
2x a week spend time reading forums and watching videos online
Learn all uses of my heart rate monitor

Week of 1/14/08 --

Monday -- skipped b/c feeling blah - think getting sick.
Tuesday -- ran 2 m on treadmill at slower pace b/c now sick (not full out -- but definitely lack of energy to point of not doing normal workout)
Wednesday -- plan on swimming / will have to see how feel
Thursday -- plan on running / "
Friday -- better be back to full speed health wise (hope) -- plan on swimming
Saturday -- going to try to do long run.

Angi ,Your race sounds fun. I am not sure about the 17 temp. That might make it a little crazy. I have done some trail races in the past but nothing like this. Good luck, have fun,stay warm and keep us all posted. Tania

Update on goals: I'm still working on the consistency part. I was only able to complete 3 days of training last week, which means I took 2 days off when I hadn't planned for it primarily due to scheduling & fatigue. I think I pushed myself a little too far the previous week. I now have a membership at the Y, so I'm ready to start building my swim volume & incorporating 2 days of resistance training.

Weight: After Christmas I was up to 197#, but it has been pretty stable around 192# the last week. I'm a little closer to that goal.

This week: Although I may need to switch some things around, I'll pretty much stick with the workouts I had planned for last week. I'm currently scheduled to run a 5K race this weekend, but its supposed to be pretty darn cold. It'll be a game-day decision whether to run or not. If I don't race, I'll get a long run on the treadmill.

Thanks Heather. I didn't swim today but thought I would try 30 minutes tomorrow. I will then be off for swimming till Monday. I looked at the article and I think it is too much too soon or poor form. My friend and I are taking a few semi-private lessons so I will get form check and I am going to a chiropractor that does active release therapy on Tuesday. He helps lots when I was having hip problems. I wanted to follow the plan and was proud that I could do the swimming, but since I don't like it, I probably increase the yards to quickly. I am on a long training schedule so I can work up more slowly and minutes for the plan pretty much stay at 3 one hour sessions the whole schedule, but you just change what you do in that hour and also are expected to increase your yardage during that time. I think I will cut back some and try to work up to 6000-7000 yards in 8 weeks adding a little each week and spread through the workouts.

Thanks for the article.

I use a POLAR s120, it has a ton of functions of which I have no idea yet how to use. I use it for avg and max heart rate to log on BT. I do not heart rate train though. Do you have any recommendations regarding the HR Monitor?

Thanks for reference to the article. That is something I have been putting off utilizing too. The books I have been reading address using a HR monitor and zone training but are not near as detailed and specific.

WARNING: LONG POST

Below is my race report from my weekend adventure. I am alive and sore, but very proud of myself .

Earlier this week, my shoulder was bothering me so I only swam twice, but hope to get three workouts in this week and I seeing my chiropractor on Tuesday.

Well, the Chili Hilly Stage Race was quite an adventure. For experiences trail racers it may not be as bad, but one of my friends whi did it for the first time said it was the hardest thing she had ever done. It definitely lives up to its name this year. As always, it was hilly with the same courses for the most part as the previous years, but the chili was in the food and the cold weather. There are 5 races spread out over 2 days. Here is the website: http://www.hoosier200.com/chilihilly.htmlif you want to look at details and pictures when they are posted. It started Saturday afternoon with a 10K when the temp was 13 with -3 wind-chill. People went out really quick and I just got caught up in it. I realized after the first mile that I had gone out too fast and the cold air was really messing with my asthma. I normally do well in cold and not in hot, but I think the extreme was too much. I remember the first time I did this race I remember that the 10K was a rude awakening to this experience, but this time I knew it was coming. After the first race, I wore a baklava or scarf over my mouth and breathed through it to keep my air warmer and moister. At night, at 8:30pm we did a 4 mile run on the roads and a little bit of wide woodchip trail with head lamps. The temp was 5 with -6 wind-chill. I still had some trouble breathing but I went more at my pace and felt better. The food options were nice and lots of food around. We stayed in cabins, which were warm, but the air was very dry and so I had some trouble sleeping. I think I was dehydrated, but I am drinking a lot now to make up for it.

In the morning, we got up and did a 5K at 7:30 when the temp was -5 and wind-chill -15 or so. I was running slow at my own pace and was the last person (still it would be been 35 minutes for a 5K on trails and 2-3 harsh uphills) but I thought I was lost and backtracked to the last marker, but then realized I must be fine and ran back and finally found another marker and found my way, but I was backtracking and retracking for 10-15 minutes so I ran a mile extra. But, I still made it back to change clothes and have some liquid and a little bit of food before the 10-mile race. My breathing was fine on Sunday and I felt much better, but on the next race my legs reminded me that I had not run enough for this event. I have been doing a lot of cross training as I have been preparing for my summer tri season, but since it is a balanced plan, I have only been doing some running. When the race started it was about 1 degree and the wind picked up so I think it was still a below 0 wind-chill. My friend Sabrina was with me this weekend and she was ahead of me in all the races except the 10-mile where she ran with me or just ahead of me the whole time. She was my superhero to help me feel that I could do it. I knew I would finish but with her support, it was a good race, not such an ugly one. During the 10 mile there is a stream crossing at 4 and 6 miles. If I had gone in it would have come to my mid-thighs. Some people went in and got wet, but many of us used trash bags and slid carefully across the frozen creek as we heard it crack as we walked across. But for me and the people around me, it did not crack. I was glad to keep my feet dry and warmer. I couldn’t feel my butt and legs most of race, because I had only worn one medium layer because I was worried that it would be too cold it they got wet with chilly water. Finally, after 30 minutes of defrosting, we ran a one-mile final race. It was straight down a very steep hill for ½ a mile and then straight uphill on switchbacks to the finish.

Overall it was 24.3 miles (or 25.3 with my extra backtracking) and I ran from 307 minutes. I average over 12 minute miles, but I was happy with that for all the conditions and I know that I did the best I could right now and it will help me in my training this year. I am really glad I did this and I know that I will be fine, but I learned a few things that I will take into my triathlon season. I need to train more for running and I want to make sure that I do brick workouts to be sure I can run well after the other sports. I also realize that extremes are hard for me and my breathing and I need to think about that when I choose races. I am glad that I ran my pace and finished comfortably and happy and will remember in the future to enjoy myself and the process (Sabrina might argue that I wasn’t enjoying myself as I complained about how stupid this was, but I really did have fun, I just needed to finish). I also used some coconut water and that really helped me so I am going to be a fuel belt so I can put that in my bottles. I also need to keep fueled up with calories and that helped me. I will need to drink more and not get dehydrated. I hope this is the beginning of a great year of training and races and accomplishing new goals. Tomorrow, on youtube you can find videos of the stream crossing if you put in Chili Hilly, but be sure to look at the ones from this year, since there are also some from last year. The night run from last year will look the same. Thanks to everyone who supported me and will in the future.

Angi

Angi, Great job!! You are one strong person !! You should be very very proud of yourself.

Thanks. There were several times I questioned my sanity, but I know that I am stronger now and learned stuff that will help me in future athletic endeavors.

Way to go Angi. It sounded like an extremely difficult event with the downright chilly weather. You showed alot of strength, determination, and perseverance in this event, and I'm sure that will carry over to your tri season.