Short Course 19-25 August
It's that time of year when we have finally gotten enough experience with the EN training plans through our time in the OS, SC, and the various GF options to "tweek" them to fit our race plans, fitness levels, and "niggling" issues that aren't quite injuries (yet). So, post your questions, recommendations, or even observations so we can benefit vicariously (Yes, I looked that word up 
).
WJ - welcome to the forum and your insights make excellent reading! 
David - welcome back! 
Kim - looks like you are in a taper week for your next A Race next Sunday - an oly! What to do with all that extra time!!! 
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Comments
Kim how is the foot?
Not gonna lie, still a little slow after yesterday.
@William - I'm with Kim, I would give a lot for some of your running pace. I guess I just need to work harder.
@Kim - You are right, I totally neglected to anticipate that there is no way to get nutrition during the swim. I guess why the swim is supposed to be first.
@Joe - Granny is looking pretty good, I will get some shots up soon. The new aero bars are nice in that I can stay in aero for 3 hours with no problem. Thats an improvement.
Have a great week you all!
R
Planning to swim tonight but sometimes more often than not, i can't get enough mojo to do anything on Mon. so I may procrastinate. Not too worried. As they say, the hay is in the barn so any training this week is just to keep what I got, right?
I think I've got just a touch of insertion achilles tendonitis though...a bit of pain (more "discomfort" than "pain") in my heel I can't really otherwise explain. Anyone had experience with that? I had it once before in the non-insertion version (a bulge in the classic achilles tendon area) and found the "stair exercise" and ibuprofen to be pretty effective.
Today was swim only for me. I finally got to the pool on time to get in a real hour of swimming. I seem to keep getting there just in time for 55 minutes or something.
Kind of a race-pace strength workout today. Lots of hundreds and 50s after warmup. 8 of the 100s had 25 fly...so it wasn't about speed so much as doing a strong 50 out without getting winded, then 25 fly, then recover for the last 25 to do it again. My butterfly stinks, but I think it has helped me improve strength a bit for a deeper catch.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/361627997
I'm curious if anyone else wants to volunteer... how many strokes does it take you to get across the pool? In our LCM, I've dropped down to 27 (25 if I intentionally push it) right strokes (so double that if you count both arms). I have been doing almost exclusively LCM, but I'm guessing I'm down to 10 in SCY (20 counting both arms).
I got a birthday card from a friend that said "Congratulations you are 350 dog years old" and the first thing I thought was "I'm glad I don't have to do the birthday challenge on THAT!"
I think I finally figured out how to put a garmin activity online. Someone please check one of these links to make sure it works.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/361093841
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/361093804
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/361299087
@William, I don't know but I will count in my 25 yard pool.
True to form, I bailed on my swim and opted to stop by my parents on the way home for some dinner. The pool will be there on wed...
@William - Just wondering if you might have Plantar Fasciitis and not an achilles tendon issue. The "discomfort" more than "pain" you describe in the heel is what makes me question this. PF sometimes feels like a stone bruise on the heel when if fact, it's the plantar tendon on the bottom of the foot which is inflamed where it connects to the heel. I had PF last year and it needs to be treated aggressively or it can linger for 6 months or more. You'll know its PF if you have a lot of pain when you first get out of bed and put weight on the afflicted foot. See the Med forum thread on this topic if that's the case.
@William part 2 - Last week you asked about racing with my Garmin. Funny, but I know several who have multi-sport watches but don't use them in races. I guess hitting the wrong button a few times will do that. I've hit the wrong one too when I first got the watch but I practice hard with it in multi-sport mode when I do my T1 & T2 practice. The key is that you don't want to think (mostly because you can't) when it comes to which button to push. Do it so many times that its second nature. To that point, I saw a picture of me crossing the finish line at the USAT Nats and for a completely unknown reason, and in violation of the EN finish line code of conduct, there I am pushing the stop button on my watch. In fairness to me, my brain is totally oxygen deprived but my habit of pushing the correct button is will entrenched.
Reading the posts here I see that there is still a lot of positive energy flowing through the SC Forum. Love it.
I'm in week 20 of the SC as I head to my last major race of the season - the Chicago Sprint Triathlon this Sunday. If the USAT AG Nats was my A+ race, Chicago is right behind as an A race. Hard to separate them but the USAT was a really big deal for me and I found it hard to move off of the emotion of that race and re-focus on Chicago. But it helps to do workouts and I had a couple of good ones over the weekend hitting my numbers on the bike Saturday during the bike FTP. Actually, I exceeded the the numbers since my FTP is 242 and for the 3x8' I hit: 255, 254 and 250. Then did a 3.3mi run at Z3-4. Sunday was 4x800M - I was kicked off the track by one of the coaches at the local private HS where I've been running for a few years. I had to just use my Garmin on some less traveled back roads. A bit of a bummer but it wasn't all bad and it was my fault for going so late in the morning. I'm usually at the track before 6:00 AM so no one is there. And running on the roads is more race-like anyway.Two more semi-hard workouts and then taper. I travel to Chi-town on Saturday.
Regarding racing...have you figured out how to use laps within each event? That's one thing that would kill me...I really like my laps. :-)
Good luck this weekend!!! Sounds like you're ready to go.
The Plantar fans out and attaches to the heel so the pain will depend on where the inflammation occurs. If you grab your big toe and gently pull it upwards, the plantar is easily exposed at the foot arch area. Trace it back to the heel and see if you find any pain spots.
Send me a PM with your email and I'll send you an article I have on treatment
Anyway, it was another 3 x 10 day on the bike. Looks like about 240, 235 and 228 W. uggh on that last one. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/362137250
4 mi brick run...wasn't going to turn into TP...I knew that from how the bike felt. Just ran first two miles easy and then tried to put a little more effort into the way back. It was definitely a "muscle" run, not an "elegant" one. 8:33, 8:15, 7:35, 7:21. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/362137258
As I told Jim offline, no heel pain today, but I'm not just letting it go...am keeping an eye on it.
@William - in a 25 SCM pool, I do 11 maybe 10 if I stretch. For a 50 LCM pool I do 23 and maybe 22 if I stretch.
@Ralph - I saw your Birthday post. Not that it makes a difference now, but you can do that total amount in more than one day. It just has to all be within 3 days of the birthday. I couldn't imagine doing a 5K+ swim at the end of a 10+mile run then a 50+ mile bike! You deserve a badge that twinkles!
I tweaked tonight's wko. Supposed to be 3 x 6' z4 but I did 8 x 1' Z5 then 1 mi run around the block z2-ish. I'm doing a "taper-light" so it's kind of whatever I want to make the legs feel better.
I followed the bike with a quick brick run @ Z3 for 2.5 mi. I did sneak in a 400 at Z5 at the turn-around point. And then at lunch I hit the pool and felt some minor discomfort in my left shoulder. I don't think it's anything to worry about but I'll watch it - just needs to last until Sunday! But the truth be told, at this point, anything that even hints at injury is cause for concern.
Today I received notice of my qualification to be a member of Team USA for the 2014 ITU Short Course Triathlon World Championships in Edmonton, Canada. How cool is that!?
Monday my road bike PT battery died so I'm w/o a bike until I can fix something.
So I tried a Vdot test today 85 degrees the pace was not there the HR was I think I will just keep my paces and power on.
@ Kim - Good luck Sunday, sounds like you are ready to go!
@Joe - Thanks! I thought about splitting it up but I had a kid to take to college so Sunday was the day. Just trying to keep up appearances in a fast crowd here. Tried to swim some this AM to try out the fancy Garmin indoors but failed after about 800 yds. Probably need to give it another day or two...
@David - tough on the bike luck. I have that happen but it is a little more old school like the stone wheel on my bike cracks or the branch that holds the wheels on breaks. (sorry, fred flintstone reference) Good luck getting things going, that can disrupt your training for sure.
@William - I don't know iif it helps but I swim in a 25 yard pool and it usually takes me about 13-14 strokes. My swim golf is about like my regular golf.
Have a great day all.
Swam this morning. Series of 300s. If you look at the graphs and you see a couple extra slow ones, that's where I was dragging a parachute. I admit I'm kind of a swim toy guy. That parachute is a fun way to make yourself do some "muscular endurance" sets. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/362713022
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/362940062
It was actually a good swim for me. The Garmin shorted me 75yds so I manualy adjusted the total. You will clearly see the 3 lengths it combined. 1600 yds in 31mins which is about T-pace + 3".
One more swim for the season (aside from races) and I'm DONE til like March! WOooHoooooooo
@Jim - congratulations on making the World Team! Now, you've got me thinking about trying to do Nat'ls at the sprint also! EN has me way faster than I've been in a very long time at the sprint distance!
@Kim - taper week. Catch up on sleep is a priority! Workouts just enough to keep loose. Until March? Hey - the OS is just around the corner!!
Today was 3 X 1mi @Z4 and my target was 7:30. I did a 7:49, 7:27; and a 7:17. Then during lunch got in my 2200m swim. Surprising - did not do all that much slower than Monday at the same workout given the morning's run intervals!
@David - 4sec/mil for every 5 degrees over 60. Got that from Aleksander!
Yes, I will def. get some extra zzzzs. Today's swim was more about confidence, since I have totally been a slacker with swimming this season, esp. the last month or so. I'm feeling good now.
Night night!
Kim - permissions don't let me look...sorry!
I did 4 x 800 tonight. It was darn hot. August has come back. I should be running a bit faster than 6:30 for these, but two were around 6:20 and two were around 6:55...the difference? gentle hill that coincided with the wind...and a straight half mile I went back and forth on! Anyway, I should be pleased with the average, given the temps...but I still like to see the real numbers! :-)
Today was a swim and run day. Swim was a total of 2900m with 3 X 300; 4 X 200: 5 X 100 all done at 2:00/100 despite what I as supposed to do with the designated rest. I started off at 1:46/100 on the 1st 300 and eventaully dropped it to 1:36/100 on the last 100.
Run - supposed to do a 40' @ Z1 with some strides. But yesterday, I biked to and from work for a total of 34miles with backpack on my MTN bike and I was still a bit tired in the legs. So, I just did 2miles and called it a day.
Tomorrow - I'll do the outdoor option and just do my normal 52mile bike ride and get some distance in.
@Jim - I looked at the Sprint Nat'ls results! Well done - I am now interested in next year. My sprint is way better than my longer distances now thatnks to EN. Got me thinking!
See you there next year!
Heading to Chi-town tomorrow for the Chicago Sprint Tri on Sunday. The race starts at 6:00am but I'm in the 19th wave which is slated to start at 7:20 - good lord. I plan on taking some water and a Gel with me while I wait, and wait. I'm excited about the race - just don't like waiting that long.
@Jim - also, good luck on the race Sunday!!! Chicago - what an awesome venue. The only good thing about the wait is the fun of passing all the younger guys!
Speaking of fun. I decided to do the outdoor option today on the bike. I guess I was working through a headwind on the way out and on the way back, was just smoking. I averaged 21.3mph on my 52mi course, which is a top ten finish for me on the course! Unplanned awesome ride!
Out tonight for a burger and a beer with my wife and will meet up with a tri-group I am with here in town. I love this sport!!!
In the mean time it will just be swim and run.
Oh well.