Saturday, January 28, 2012
Another Sufferfest! 30 minute TT effort
I'm downloading another Sufferfest vid released last week. It's a 30 minute TT effort. Nice add-on to whatever else you are doing.
Double routine of weight lifting
I did a twice-through of the weight lifting routine Thursday, and it affected me alot more than expected. The first time through, I did sets of twelve reps. This is the second week I've been using a bigger weight on every muscle group, too. The first time through felt great!
The second time through, I knocked the weights down to a weight equivalent to two cycles ago. Each cycle is a three week period that I do one specific amount of weight per muscle. After three weeks (or when I feel appropriate), I add weight. So, all in all, I went to where I started a couple months ago, which felt really light. I did three sets of ten on everything, and it still felt easy.
It seems that the extra muscle is starting to eat into the extra fat I have right now. It's hard to tell because I can't stay away from all the cookies at the meetings I go to. If there ever was a real cookie monster......
By Friday morning, my body was already telling me that I overdid it. I wasn't incredibly sore, but there was definitely some soreness. The heavy soreness moved in later in Friday. As I write this on Saturday morning, I am quite sore. Just one more recovery period that might keep me off the bike today.
But I'm still hoping to get out on the xc skis with the boys in the cruiser today!
The second time through, I knocked the weights down to a weight equivalent to two cycles ago. Each cycle is a three week period that I do one specific amount of weight per muscle. After three weeks (or when I feel appropriate), I add weight. So, all in all, I went to where I started a couple months ago, which felt really light. I did three sets of ten on everything, and it still felt easy.
It seems that the extra muscle is starting to eat into the extra fat I have right now. It's hard to tell because I can't stay away from all the cookies at the meetings I go to. If there ever was a real cookie monster......
By Friday morning, my body was already telling me that I overdid it. I wasn't incredibly sore, but there was definitely some soreness. The heavy soreness moved in later in Friday. As I write this on Saturday morning, I am quite sore. Just one more recovery period that might keep me off the bike today.
But I'm still hoping to get out on the xc skis with the boys in the cruiser today!
More swim stuff and random notes
This Master's Swim practice has me writing about nothing but swimming. I'm pretty excited about it. On the flip side, I haven't run in three weeks and my bike volume is down because I don't recover well from all the swimming. But I am still lifting and seeing improvements there, although it is making me gain alot of weight that will be hard to carry when I start running again.
Mr Swim Smooth sends out a weekly e-mail. Many of them are good stuff, and this week's e-mail is about the big picture of training rather than some detail of form and technique.
http://www.feelforthewater.com/2012/01/performance-technique-fitness-ow-skills.html
Mr Swim Smooth sends out a weekly e-mail. Many of them are good stuff, and this week's e-mail is about the big picture of training rather than some detail of form and technique.
http://www.feelforthewater.com/2012/01/performance-technique-fitness-ow-skills.html
"Are you getting a feeling of deja-vu with your swimming? Doing the same things every year and getting the same old results? In this situation you need to shake things up both from a physical and psychological perspective."
Well...I definitely shook things up with the Master's Swim practice, and my swim is improving quickly. But I need to improve my bike more than anything else, and I definitely need to run more.
Paul and I hit the cross-country ski trail last week. It was pretty good once we got a bit higher and into the real the snow. Amazing...it's the end of January and the snow level is 6,000ft. But it's really good once you get there. Of course, I forgot to prep my feet because it was the first ski of the year, and I got huge blisters right in the same spot as I get them the first ski of every year. These xc ski boots are nice but they really rub on my heels. A bit of duct tape fixes the problem easily; the biggest issue is remembering.
On the bike, I got in four rides last week, and I thought I was finding some consistency there. But Tera is gone this week, so I'm alone with the boys. That timing just isn't working out. Noah is standing now and also crawling around and getting into everything, so he has to be watched nearly constantly. And then like I said in the first paragraph, I just don't recover from the swimming effort very easily.
I do manage to get some consistency in the weight room, and it's showing. The place it shows up the most is on the scale when I weigh-in. Wow! Muscle weighs alot. I'm not huge or anything by any means, but all the shirts that were almost loose last summer are fairly tight now. Pants are tighter too, but that doesn't account for all the weight I've gained. At this point, I'm only a couple pounds from competing in Clydesdale.
My run is non-existent right now. Haven't run in probably three weeks. When I get that going again, alot of this extra weight will come right off.
Paul and I hit the cross-country ski trail last week. It was pretty good once we got a bit higher and into the real the snow. Amazing...it's the end of January and the snow level is 6,000ft. But it's really good once you get there. Of course, I forgot to prep my feet because it was the first ski of the year, and I got huge blisters right in the same spot as I get them the first ski of every year. These xc ski boots are nice but they really rub on my heels. A bit of duct tape fixes the problem easily; the biggest issue is remembering.
On the bike, I got in four rides last week, and I thought I was finding some consistency there. But Tera is gone this week, so I'm alone with the boys. That timing just isn't working out. Noah is standing now and also crawling around and getting into everything, so he has to be watched nearly constantly. And then like I said in the first paragraph, I just don't recover from the swimming effort very easily.
I do manage to get some consistency in the weight room, and it's showing. The place it shows up the most is on the scale when I weigh-in. Wow! Muscle weighs alot. I'm not huge or anything by any means, but all the shirts that were almost loose last summer are fairly tight now. Pants are tighter too, but that doesn't account for all the weight I've gained. At this point, I'm only a couple pounds from competing in Clydesdale.
My run is non-existent right now. Haven't run in probably three weeks. When I get that going again, alot of this extra weight will come right off.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Learning bilateral breathing for swimming
My efforts in triathlon training are basically focusing on the swim right now. That's exactly where it shouldn't be, by the way. My annual plan is to focus on run and bike in the winter and maintain my swim. Well, starting on this master's swim team has completely changed everything.
I now swim for an hour three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday), and it's kicking my butt, kind of. But I'm also finally learning how to breathe to my right side. For twenty..actually thirty... years, I breathed solely to the left. Ms Keller...you failed me 30 years ago when you didn't force me to breathe to both sides! But you were then at 6am every day, so thank you for that!
Anyway, the process for learning to breathe to both sides is coming along a bit faster than I expected. It's coming along nicely, but it's not at all easy.
Below are a few comments and tips for people who want to learn to bilateral breathe on the swim. Set aside about two months to learn to breathe bilaterally (alternating sides).
1. Start now! The sooner you start, the better. It's hard to break thirty years of muscle memory.
2. Expect to slow down significantly while you learn. If you're doing 100's on 1:50, expect to do them on 2:10 or so for a bit because you will struggle in ways you never thought possible. You'll lose your streamlining and any efficiencies you have. You'll be sucking for air, which will break down your endurance.
3. Take it slow and concentrate on streamlining, head position, shoulder rotation, and arm extension at the top of the stroke.
4. One drill the coach is having me do is breathe to one wall only. Effectively, I'm then breathing to one side for 25 yards, then another side for 25 yards. That is a good starter drill. Pretty soon, you'll want to move to always breathing on the "new" side so you can get used to that and get your muscles in shape for the new actions they take.
5. Remember to exhale in the water. The timing of the breath is so very important, and you don't have time to keep your head sticking out of the water sucking air. Breathe out while your face is in the water. Breathe in quickly with your face to the side and out of the water.
6. You'll find that you tire very quickly when breathing solely to the new side. Use your pull-buoy when you get tired so you can force yourself to learn good form. It's hard to learn good form when you're tired and weak. In fact, it's not a bad idea to just concentrate on form and totally forget about speed until you build up strength and endurance for those actions required to breathe to the new side.
Here's a quick sample of progression for those who might try to learn this on their own:
First week: Breathe to one wall only, thus alternating which side you breathe to for entire length of the pool. Focus on good form over speed. Expect to tire much more quickly than normal. Use the pull buoy when you get tired, and consider using it the entire time you are doing freestyle.
Second week: Breath to your new side almost exclusively. Start with no pull bouy and then use it whenever you need it (error on the side of sooner rather than later). Expect to be out of breath the entire time; focus on your streamlining and breathing.
Third week: Go back to nearly 100% use of pull-bouy, and assuming you are grasping onto some good form, start adding thoughts about speed and strength of stroke. Focus on extension of the arms at the top of the stroke, shoulder rotation, and breathing.
Fourth week: Alternate use of pull-bouy and no pull-bouy while maintaining the same focus areas of the week prior.
Fifth week: Still alternating us and no-use of pull-bouy and assuming your strength and endurance has built up, start alternating the breathing sides with two strokes in the middle. You will now be almost back to step one or two and sucking for air like never before. Why? Because you aren't breathing every stroke, and you're basically getting about half the oxygen you are used to getting! Prepare to slow down again because you can't get enough air to keep going. Focus on good form, streamlining, rotation, and breathing.
Sixth week: You might be ready to swim entirely with no pull-buoy while alternating breathing sides. Your body is stronger with more endurance for breathing to both sides.
Good luck with your training!
I now swim for an hour three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday), and it's kicking my butt, kind of. But I'm also finally learning how to breathe to my right side. For twenty..actually thirty... years, I breathed solely to the left. Ms Keller...you failed me 30 years ago when you didn't force me to breathe to both sides! But you were then at 6am every day, so thank you for that!
Anyway, the process for learning to breathe to both sides is coming along a bit faster than I expected. It's coming along nicely, but it's not at all easy.
Below are a few comments and tips for people who want to learn to bilateral breathe on the swim. Set aside about two months to learn to breathe bilaterally (alternating sides).
1. Start now! The sooner you start, the better. It's hard to break thirty years of muscle memory.
2. Expect to slow down significantly while you learn. If you're doing 100's on 1:50, expect to do them on 2:10 or so for a bit because you will struggle in ways you never thought possible. You'll lose your streamlining and any efficiencies you have. You'll be sucking for air, which will break down your endurance.
3. Take it slow and concentrate on streamlining, head position, shoulder rotation, and arm extension at the top of the stroke.
4. One drill the coach is having me do is breathe to one wall only. Effectively, I'm then breathing to one side for 25 yards, then another side for 25 yards. That is a good starter drill. Pretty soon, you'll want to move to always breathing on the "new" side so you can get used to that and get your muscles in shape for the new actions they take.
5. Remember to exhale in the water. The timing of the breath is so very important, and you don't have time to keep your head sticking out of the water sucking air. Breathe out while your face is in the water. Breathe in quickly with your face to the side and out of the water.
6. You'll find that you tire very quickly when breathing solely to the new side. Use your pull-buoy when you get tired so you can force yourself to learn good form. It's hard to learn good form when you're tired and weak. In fact, it's not a bad idea to just concentrate on form and totally forget about speed until you build up strength and endurance for those actions required to breathe to the new side.
Here's a quick sample of progression for those who might try to learn this on their own:
First week: Breathe to one wall only, thus alternating which side you breathe to for entire length of the pool. Focus on good form over speed. Expect to tire much more quickly than normal. Use the pull buoy when you get tired, and consider using it the entire time you are doing freestyle.
Second week: Breath to your new side almost exclusively. Start with no pull bouy and then use it whenever you need it (error on the side of sooner rather than later). Expect to be out of breath the entire time; focus on your streamlining and breathing.
Third week: Go back to nearly 100% use of pull-bouy, and assuming you are grasping onto some good form, start adding thoughts about speed and strength of stroke. Focus on extension of the arms at the top of the stroke, shoulder rotation, and breathing.
Fourth week: Alternate use of pull-bouy and no pull-bouy while maintaining the same focus areas of the week prior.
Fifth week: Still alternating us and no-use of pull-bouy and assuming your strength and endurance has built up, start alternating the breathing sides with two strokes in the middle. You will now be almost back to step one or two and sucking for air like never before. Why? Because you aren't breathing every stroke, and you're basically getting about half the oxygen you are used to getting! Prepare to slow down again because you can't get enough air to keep going. Focus on good form, streamlining, rotation, and breathing.
Sixth week: You might be ready to swim entirely with no pull-buoy while alternating breathing sides. Your body is stronger with more endurance for breathing to both sides.
Good luck with your training!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Sighting drills in the pool.
The last set of our swim workout this mornin was 6x25 sighting drills. A day late on finding this!
I like the 3/3/6 combination because it seems to make the most sense to me.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Thoughts on my first Master's Swim practice
A Master's Swim Team has started up in Pocatello, and I went to my first practice with them yesterday.
Quick take-aways:
1. Definitely going to do this at least til summer hits. We did all those things that I don't do on my own.
2. Nice and warm water is easy to get into in the morning.
3. I did some drills, which is something I really NEED to do.
4. I did some butterfly and breaststroke. I guess muscle-memory lasts over 20 years because that's how long it's been since I did those strokes.
5. I got in just a bit of high-intensity work early in the morning, which is really hard for me to do normally.
6. I can justify the cost because it provides additional flexibility in time by giving access to a pool at 5am on the weekdays, and a 6am swim workout on Saturday. The ISU pool doesn't open til 6am on weekdays, and I can't swim til noon or 1 on weekends.
The Long Story For Those With Too Much Time on Your Hands
I've been swimming completely solo for the last 25 years (I swam on a club swim team from sixth or seventh grade to eleventh grade). My solo workouts consisted of basically simply do sets of freestyle varying from 25 or 50 yards to 2,000 yards . I've kept the intensity level down a bit for the most part, although at one point a couple of years ago I was regularly doing some really hard 15-20 x 100 yard sets. Outside of that, it was get in, swim at a decent but not hard pace for about 1,500 - 2,000 yards and then get out. Simple.
Yesterday was simple, too....it simply much more difficult!
Alarm goes of at 4:25am, and it takes me a few minutes to realize that it's the alarm. I've had a 50% success rate of getting up for a workout in the past 2-3 months. I thought about not going, then the voice in my head said "Just go. You'll be glad you did. How hard could it be?" Out of bed at 4:35.
Getting up and going is ALWAYS the hardest part of early morning workouts.
I had pre-staged some of the Starbucks micro-brew coffee single packs next to the baby formula. That's a lifesaver idea, by the way! Thirty seconds later I have a full-on awesome 20oz coffee to get me started. I put on the clothes I prestaged the night before because I know that is a stopping point for me if I can't get up and get out of the door right away in the morning.
Fire up the car to warm it up a bit. It was about 15-20 degrees outside, so I wanted as much heat as possible going when I got in the car. Less than five minutes of warm-up in 15-20 degrees doesn't get much heat going, by the way.
To the pool. Streets empty but not deserted. Parking lot is dark. Hmmm....I'm on time so far. One guy hanging out by the door. A couple folks running around; I guess they ran to the gym and don't want to stand around and freeze to death. By now, I 'm getting comfy in the warmth of the car and waking up as I finish my coffee.
Into the pool and quick change. Four other people! OK, I'm "one of the few" here, too.
Now, the biggest problem I always had with swimming at zero-dark-thirty in the winters of North Dakota back in the day was getting into the water. It's cold as heck out, and then you have to jump in cold water in the morning.
That problem was not present. I sighed some relief as I slid into the nearly-90-degree water. No shock whatsoever. You know that any water that doesn't cause a chill-shock at 4:55am is pretty warm. But I consider it "just right" because it solves my biggest gripe about early morning swims.
The workout itself went great. I finished 2,150 yards if I remember right. That's the longest swim I've done in eight months. Intensity level was much higher than I've done in the past year, even at that early hour (I generally can't get a high intensity level before 1100). Again, the water was nice and warm (only felt way too hot a couple of times, although it definitely was way too hot).
Then we did a few 100's. This was the high intensity part. It felt pretty good, though!
Then we did some drills for each stroke. Wow! I haven't done a drill in many, many years. And you know what? The catch-up drill is probably the solution to my snaking issue and just might be the way I learn to breathe on my right side! So things are looking better already.
Out of the pool at 0558. When I got home, of course Noah was already awake. That's the only bad thing about the timing of this workout. Tera is probably going to have to get up with Noah because he often gets up at around 5:30am and doesn't go back to sleep. Incidentally, that's how I'm writing this post this morning...Noah is up at 5:10am while I was supposed to be on the bike trainer.
I met the other swimmers very briefly on my way out of the pool. Nice people of course, but they must be a bit weird because they get up and go swimming at 5am on a cold winter morning.
Quick take-aways:
1. Definitely going to do this at least til summer hits. We did all those things that I don't do on my own.
2. Nice and warm water is easy to get into in the morning.
3. I did some drills, which is something I really NEED to do.
4. I did some butterfly and breaststroke. I guess muscle-memory lasts over 20 years because that's how long it's been since I did those strokes.
5. I got in just a bit of high-intensity work early in the morning, which is really hard for me to do normally.
6. I can justify the cost because it provides additional flexibility in time by giving access to a pool at 5am on the weekdays, and a 6am swim workout on Saturday. The ISU pool doesn't open til 6am on weekdays, and I can't swim til noon or 1 on weekends.
The Long Story For Those With Too Much Time on Your Hands
I've been swimming completely solo for the last 25 years (I swam on a club swim team from sixth or seventh grade to eleventh grade). My solo workouts consisted of basically simply do sets of freestyle varying from 25 or 50 yards to 2,000 yards . I've kept the intensity level down a bit for the most part, although at one point a couple of years ago I was regularly doing some really hard 15-20 x 100 yard sets. Outside of that, it was get in, swim at a decent but not hard pace for about 1,500 - 2,000 yards and then get out. Simple.
Yesterday was simple, too....it simply much more difficult!
Alarm goes of at 4:25am, and it takes me a few minutes to realize that it's the alarm. I've had a 50% success rate of getting up for a workout in the past 2-3 months. I thought about not going, then the voice in my head said "Just go. You'll be glad you did. How hard could it be?" Out of bed at 4:35.
Getting up and going is ALWAYS the hardest part of early morning workouts.
I had pre-staged some of the Starbucks micro-brew coffee single packs next to the baby formula. That's a lifesaver idea, by the way! Thirty seconds later I have a full-on awesome 20oz coffee to get me started. I put on the clothes I prestaged the night before because I know that is a stopping point for me if I can't get up and get out of the door right away in the morning.
Fire up the car to warm it up a bit. It was about 15-20 degrees outside, so I wanted as much heat as possible going when I got in the car. Less than five minutes of warm-up in 15-20 degrees doesn't get much heat going, by the way.
To the pool. Streets empty but not deserted. Parking lot is dark. Hmmm....I'm on time so far. One guy hanging out by the door. A couple folks running around; I guess they ran to the gym and don't want to stand around and freeze to death. By now, I 'm getting comfy in the warmth of the car and waking up as I finish my coffee.
Into the pool and quick change. Four other people! OK, I'm "one of the few" here, too.
Now, the biggest problem I always had with swimming at zero-dark-thirty in the winters of North Dakota back in the day was getting into the water. It's cold as heck out, and then you have to jump in cold water in the morning.
That problem was not present. I sighed some relief as I slid into the nearly-90-degree water. No shock whatsoever. You know that any water that doesn't cause a chill-shock at 4:55am is pretty warm. But I consider it "just right" because it solves my biggest gripe about early morning swims.
The workout itself went great. I finished 2,150 yards if I remember right. That's the longest swim I've done in eight months. Intensity level was much higher than I've done in the past year, even at that early hour (I generally can't get a high intensity level before 1100). Again, the water was nice and warm (only felt way too hot a couple of times, although it definitely was way too hot).
Then we did a few 100's. This was the high intensity part. It felt pretty good, though!
Then we did some drills for each stroke. Wow! I haven't done a drill in many, many years. And you know what? The catch-up drill is probably the solution to my snaking issue and just might be the way I learn to breathe on my right side! So things are looking better already.
Out of the pool at 0558. When I got home, of course Noah was already awake. That's the only bad thing about the timing of this workout. Tera is probably going to have to get up with Noah because he often gets up at around 5:30am and doesn't go back to sleep. Incidentally, that's how I'm writing this post this morning...Noah is up at 5:10am while I was supposed to be on the bike trainer.
I met the other swimmers very briefly on my way out of the pool. Nice people of course, but they must be a bit weird because they get up and go swimming at 5am on a cold winter morning.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
A great example of "here and now"
Why wait to get in a race? Do it NOW.
Mr Swim Smooth has some advice that fits my motto this year "here and now"
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Good Food!
1. Eat your vegetables. These "Steamables" mixed veggies taste great and couldn't be easier to prepare. Put the bag in the microwave for five minutes, and they're ready to go. If I remember right, they are $1.29, so you pay for that convenience versus probably $0.69 - $0.89 for basic frozen veggies. As you can see on the label (actually not quite clear but you can trust me on this!), they are pure veggies with no chemicals or preservatives or anything. You no longer have an excuse for not each your veggies!
#2. A great, relatively healthy and low calorie Christmas Eve dinner. I figure this comes in at about 1,600 calories. There is no butter or sauces; all extra flavor is done with spices. Here we have grass fed rib-eye and wild-caught salmon from the Fish Off The Old Block shop in Pocatello with the Steamables mentioned above and some rehydrated potatoes seasoned with Italian seasoning and NO BUTTER so that they remain basically 100% carbs. Sometimes we have long-grain rice under the fish instead of potatoes on the side.
This is a very special meal for us because it isn't cheap, but because it is at home, it's still cheaper than a comparable meal at The Outback Steakhouse or Texas Roadhouse. I definitely prefer this meal over a chain-restaurant meal any day.....the best steak in town is in my backyard!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Motto for 2012: "Here and Now"
My motto for the year is "Here and Now." It means to live in the here and now. Previous years' mottos were "loose" and, when that didn't work out quite as I thought, I went to "looser."
Anyway, here are some things you can do "here and now," as in TODAY, to be well on your way to a healthier lifestyle and faster triathlon times.
1. Cut out soda. Here are the progression steps for someone drinking several cans of Coke per day:
1. First month: Switch to diet.
2. Second month: Cut intake by 1/2
3. Third month: Cut that 1/2 by 1/2
4. Third month: Completely switch to water, adding Lipton Iced Tea drink mixes as desired.
** This will help you lose about ten pounds pretty easily, and it will do wonders for your overall health.
2. Minimize alcohol. Follow the same steps as above to minimize your alcohol intake. This will help you lose some weight, too, without completely killing your social life.
3. Plan for consistent workouts. If you have to dial down the intensity to get in a workout, do so. Don't blow off a workout simply because you're tired. Take an hour for each day that is a standard workout time that is easy to get to (ie it's not at 4am).
4. Mix it up. When you hit a plateau or you are getting bored, mix up your workout a bit to shock your body and get out a rut. This includes using a cross-training period in lieu of a scheduled workout, like going cross-country skiing instead of a run. It's important to keep your mind and body fresh during a training program lasting several months.
5.Track your progress. Write down your workouts and track your progress. For instance, I do a standard 10k run at lunch (see the one hour concept in #3). I track my time all season, and it is incredibly motivating to see the times go down as the training progresses. That motivation helps build a burning desire for consistent training, too.
Here's to great training and fast racing in 2012!!
Anyway, here are some things you can do "here and now," as in TODAY, to be well on your way to a healthier lifestyle and faster triathlon times.
1. Cut out soda. Here are the progression steps for someone drinking several cans of Coke per day:
1. First month: Switch to diet.
2. Second month: Cut intake by 1/2
3. Third month: Cut that 1/2 by 1/2
4. Third month: Completely switch to water, adding Lipton Iced Tea drink mixes as desired.
** This will help you lose about ten pounds pretty easily, and it will do wonders for your overall health.
2. Minimize alcohol. Follow the same steps as above to minimize your alcohol intake. This will help you lose some weight, too, without completely killing your social life.
3. Plan for consistent workouts. If you have to dial down the intensity to get in a workout, do so. Don't blow off a workout simply because you're tired. Take an hour for each day that is a standard workout time that is easy to get to (ie it's not at 4am).
4. Mix it up. When you hit a plateau or you are getting bored, mix up your workout a bit to shock your body and get out a rut. This includes using a cross-training period in lieu of a scheduled workout, like going cross-country skiing instead of a run. It's important to keep your mind and body fresh during a training program lasting several months.
5.Track your progress. Write down your workouts and track your progress. For instance, I do a standard 10k run at lunch (see the one hour concept in #3). I track my time all season, and it is incredibly motivating to see the times go down as the training progresses. That motivation helps build a burning desire for consistent training, too.
Here's to great training and fast racing in 2012!!
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