Guys have it pretty easy when it comes down to what to wear for their triathlon. We can grab a comfy pair of tri shorts, perhaps a dri-fit tee shirt, and we’re off. The ladies have a different situation, and definately have more options.

One such option is the TYR family of women’s triathlon suits. A review at BeginnerTriathlete.com had this to say:

Straight out of the box, I had no chafing issues and it literally felt as comfortable as my own skin. It moved and stretched with me, dried quickly after the swim, and did a wonderful job wicking away perspiration off of my skin on the bike and especially during the run. The elastics on the pant legs kept the shorts in place wonderfully without much irritation to my skin. One thing that I really liked about this tri suit that I didn’t have when I used to make my two changes in clothing was the Velcro pocket in the back. It is large enough for at least 4 gels and easy to access. However, I did wear another sports bra underneath it.

So, if you’re one of our lovely female readers, give them a try and let us know what you think! You can find them here: www.tyr.com

Triathlon Gear, Triathlon Suits, Women’s Triathlon Suit

I know this is a problem I have - while attempting to train, start a business, and occasionally have a social life - I just don’t get enough sleep. I found a great article at BeginnerTriathlete.com talking about the importance of getting a good amount of sleep - both for the body and mind. Here’s an excerpt:

Studies vary, but most recommend the average adult should get somewhere between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night. If you are like me, you burn the candle at both ends more often then not. We stay up late to get in that extra load of laundry and get up early to squeeze in an extra mile or two in our runs. The problem is that depriving our bodies of sleep is cumulative. Sleeping only 5 hours a night can be done, but doing so regularly will bring on a host of problems.

So, if you’re training, make a commitment to yourself to get a good night’s sleep. Your body will thank you.

Triathlon Training, Sleep, Exhaustion

Man, I found a pretty intense hill workout to do on a treadmill. Well I have 3 of them, but I tried one yesterday. First I did my normal lifting, and it seems now that MSU switched our summer work schedule from 7:30-4pm, that I will be doing all my workouts after work. So I lifted for an hour, and believe me it’s an intense lifting session in an hour. I’m probably the only person who lifts in there that leaves with a wet shirt before cardio. I also have a great ab workout that I’m doing now to go with it, and I’m seeing results in the mirror.

Well the hill workout, and if you think it’s easy try it! You set the treadmill on a level 6-8 incline (I did 6) and then you set the mph so that it comes out 3 minutes slower than your best mile. Well my best mile is normally around 8 minutes, so now I needed an 11 minute mile or 5.5 mph pretty much. So you run on a 6 incline at 5.5 mph for me as long as you can. Well I made myself run for 35 minutes because my training yesterday called for a 35 minute run. I was completely tired and soaked after that 35 minutes, and breathing like crazy. So I can assure it is intense and you find new leg muscles from running up a hill for 35 minutes. I’m hoping this makes me faster in the long run and a better hill climber.

I’m still debating on the tri for next weekend. I don’t want to go alone, and I also have to work all weekend and continue all my workouts which will make for a long week next week. I really want to do it, but I’m thinking.

Next couple of days…Today-58 minutes of swimming, Tomorrow-hour of lifting and then a 117 minutes of biking (hopefully no rain), and then Friday-56 minutes of running after working at night. Oh well, the price you pay to train.

LJ

Well I may not be doing the YMCA triathlon, because I spoke to Heax last night and he isn’t going to do it. I would like to do it for practice before my first Olympic size in Louisville, but this stuff isn’t as fun alone. I may decide at the last minute to drive up there and do it by myself, but I don’t know.

Well I’m still training and doing well. I did an 1.5 hour bike ride followed with a 30 min. brick run yesterday in the middle of the day and heat…rough! Today will be a long, busy week of long training evenings and work on the weekend.

Hope everyone had a good Memorial Day!

LJ

Well last week was a bad week as far as actually working out. We had somethings come up at work, and instead of going to the gym at 5 a.m. I was reporting to work, and staying late. So by the time I got home, going to the gym was not an option.

But this week has been back on track. Yesterday I did some upperbody work out, and much like Randolph I am a little sore. I move my hands out on the bar a little more, and worked a different part of my chest. Pretty intense. Tomorrow will be biceps and triceps and that is by far one of my favorite days.

Anyway, that is about it. On Friday I will be posting my goals for the month of June. I don’t do tri’s, so I will just have to post personal goals.

Well I guess since Scott is throwing out a goal for the Old Hickory I will to then. I looked at my splits from last year and used some running and biking numbers from now for my new goal this year. I hope I get even faster during the summer doing a couple of other events and keeping on training, but anywho here they are.

Swimming-9:00…30 seconds faster than last year. My endurance is up and I can swim long distance without getting tired, but I can’t get faster for some reason. Well technique is the reason I’m sure.

Run-12:30…1:30 faster than last year, and I hope this happens

Bike-36:00…5 minutes faster. I’m hoping the new gear and new biking routines will get me here, but I can’t forget those Nashvegas hills.

Run-11:00…I just can’t believe that last run is 1.5 mile since it said I did it in 12:00 last year, so I’m just going to try and cut a minute off, but I really can’t run 1.5 miles in 11:00.

Transitions totalled 2:30 last year, and I don’t think those will get better for a few reasons. I thought that was a pretty good time, and this year I will have to change from running shoes to my biking shoes and then back out of my biking shoes to my running shoes.

Old Hickory total—1:11 and that is being very ambitious. That would be so awesome though. That time would have given me 3rd place in the beginner division last year. This year I will not be a beginner anymore, because I think you can’t do more than 3 tri’s to be a beginner and if I do the 3 I have planned this year then Old Hickory will make my 4th. But 1:11 would still put me in the top 50 of the others. I better pray hard that day!

LJ

Well - things have been progressing along. The last few weeks haven’t been stellar as far as diet is concerned - it always seems like something comes up, but I’ve been on caloric lockdown the last few days, and I can tell it. I’m still feeling great on the bike for long stretches - now I’m just waiting for the 10th and the Katy trail. I don’t really want to run until then, because I’m afraid of wearing out my knees (and I’ll need every bit of them soon enough).

We did get back to the gym for some weight training - we decided to start that back up. While my triathlon times are important - I also want to add a few yards to my golf swing, and be able to hang on to the wakeboard rope - so I figured I better start getting my upper body back in shape. I’m sore as can be today though - it’s been a while since these arms have pressed iron.

I’ve been doing some swimming too - I’m at about the same point I was last year - with 400-500m swims not being a problem. The only problem is the pool at our gym is so shallow, I bust my knuckles in the shallow end.

Man - I can’t wait for September again - my bike time should be a heck of a lot better - that 1:15 seems like it’s within reach! Well - as soon as I can lift my arms back over my head, that is.

Well Heax I hope you are getting ready. Our next triathlon is only like 3 weeks away.

This weekend went pretty much as planned. I got up Saturday and headed out on an hour bike ride, about 18 miles, then ran the loop once (2 miles), and then I went to the pool for my long swim day. It was a 58 swim workout. I was very pleased with my swim. I was going to warm up and then do 3 sets of 800 meters. Well after the first 800, I was like why quit and have to do it again in a few minutes. I kept swimming, and ended up doing 2400 meters non-stop or for us Americans that is 1.5 miles of swimming. I wasn’t even tired at the end, but my times still aren’t great. That took me like 54 minutes of non-stop swimming, which is roughly a 9 minutes 1/4 mile, and I would like to be at an 8 minute 1/4…oh well. The thing is when I got finished, I guess the water pressure had pushed my goggles against my face so hard for so long, that I had raccoon rings around my eyes for like 5 hours afterwards.

Today is a short 21 minute swim, and 47 minute bike ride. This is my easy week as far as times go, and then next week my training schedule throws in the long times again. Oh, I lifted yesterday and shot hoops. So I didn’t take a day off because the gym will be closed Sun and Mon. of this week, and one of those days will be my next day off.

LJ

Well I guess Stark quit his training since I’m the only one posting on here.

So since posting my new workout, I’ve stuck to it just not to the tee. I’ve done all the liftin and distances for tri training, but the tee part is because I moved days. On Tuesday I did swim for 35 minutes and stationary bike for 70 minutes, then yesterday I lifted in the morning and instead of doing the 35 minute run I did the 58 minute run since I wanted the short run on Friday in case I want to go out Friday night, and then instead of doing the 117 minute bike ride on Saturday I did a little over 2 hours today since we had a work retreat out at Kenlake, and then Saturday I’ll do the long swim of 58 minutes and probably do a little bricking with that. I’ll probaby bike to the gym, swim the 58 minutes, then bike around town for about 30-40 minutes, then come home or do the loop running for 20-25 minutes.

Today I biked out to Kenlake from my house 18 miles, worked and then biked the 18 back. It took me right at 2 hours total, averaging around 19 mph. The big difference with this bike and the mountain is weight. I can pedal faster up hills than I use to could, but going down hill this lighter bike just doesn’t get up to 40mph like that mountain bike. The wind has been horrible the last couple of times that I have rode it, so maybe that is really holding me back on the downhills, because I did get in a downhill spin today that had trees blocking all the wind and I easily hit 35 mph.

I’m out to watch TV!
LJ

Well here is my training for the next 9 weeks starting next week. Well I’ll sorta start this week, but next week I’m going to be real strict with the times and routines. I’m now training for the Olympic Size tri in Louisville on July 23rd. I figured this training routine will still keep me going for Owensboro and definitely have me prepared for September. It’s a 16 week program, so I’m starting on Week 8 since I don’t have 2 months to prepare. I think I’m ready to begin at week 8 from my other training. For the cardio/tri training part those are minutes. For example week 8, Tues 21 minutes of swimming and 42 minutes of bike, Wed-35 min swim, etc. etc. I incoorporated my weighlifting into it on MWF and my lifting schedule is posted below. It would be a fullbody workout ran through 3 sets of 5 reps on Monday, then Wed. 3×15, and Thur. 3×10 and then the next week I would switch exercises. The parenthesis are weights either in dumbells, weight plates, or barbell loaded. Pullups is the assist machine, like using 35 lbs of assistance on the 3×5 days and around 70 lbs of assistance on the 3×15 days.

Should be a busy, but good 9 weeks. I’ll have to make time for all this, but hopefully it will be worth it come July and September. Biking during the week will be a lot of stationary since it’s handy to get out of the pool then straight on the bike, but as the weather gets better and days long they will be outside. My weekend ride will probaby be outside unless the weather is bad. I don’t think I could handle 2 hours of biking indoors.

Week 8
M T W Th Fri Sat/Sun
Lift 21-swim and 42-bike Lift and 35-swim 21-run lift and 35-run 70-bike

Week 9
Lift 35-swim and 70-bike lift and 35-run 58-swim lift and 58-run 117-bike

Week 10
Lift 38-swim and 77-bike lift and 38-run 64-swim lift and 64-run 128-bike

Week 11
Lift 42-swim and 85-bike lift and 42-run 70-swim lift and 70-run 141-bike

Week 12
Lift 25-swim and 51-bike Lift and 25-run 42-swim lift and 42-run 85-bike

Week 13
Lift 42-swim and 85-bike Lift and 42-run 70-swim lift and 70-run 141-bike

Week 14
Lift 46-swim and 93-bike Lift and 46-run 77-swim lift and 77-run 155-bike

Week 15
Lift 37-swim and 74-bike Lift and 62-run 62-swim Lift 124-bike and 37-run

Week 16
Lift and 39-swim 23-swim and 47-bike Lift and 30 run 78 bike and 23-run Lift race

Lifting
Mon 3×5 Wed 3×15 Fri 3×10 week 1
Bench (70) Decline (135) Bench (65)
Flys (50) Incline (100) Flys (45)
Pullups (35) Pull ups (75) Pull Downs (130)
Seated Rows (190) Bent over Rows (75) Back Flys (25 or 30)
Overhead Press (130) Lateral Raises (15 or 20) Overhead Press (120)
Shrugs (70) Pistons (30) Shrugs (65)
Squat (185) Leg Press (180) Squat (155)
Calf Raises (250) Lunges (30) Calf Raises (230)
Abs Abs Abs
Dips (25) Dips (10) dips (15)

Mon 3×5 Wed 3×15 Fri 3×10 week 2
Decline (165) Bench (60) Decline (155)
Incline (120) Flys (40) Incline (110)
Pull ups (35) Pullups (75) Pull ups (65)
Bent over Rows (95) Seated Rows (155) Bent over Rows (85)
Lateral Raises (25) Overhead Press (110) Lateral Raises (20)
Pistons (40) Shrugs (60) Pistons (35)
Leg Press (230) Squat (155) Leg Press (200)
Lunges (40) Calf Raises (200) Lunges (35)
Abs Abs Abs
Dips (25) Dips (10) Dips (15)