Trail info -- from Nathalie

Nathalie sent me some interesting distance info on some of our frequent trails:

• The Al Buehler trail, located around the Washington Duke Golf Course, is a moderate to advanced trail totaling 2.8 miles 2.91 mi or 3.1 miles 3.13 mi if you include the connector to the fitness loop. Here's a map of the trail with relevant distances.


• The East Campus wall has a beginner trail that runs around the inside perimeter. One complete lap totals 1.7 miles.

Also, check out the Google Maps Pedometer. It's a really cool site where you can draw your route on google maps and calculate how far you've gone. It's also got elevation information too.

Speaking of running, don't forget: Tomorrow, golf course trail, 10am.

Swimming workouts -- from Andy

I asked Andy for suggestions on how to structure swim workouts, and below is his reply. The example workout may be pretty long, so please adjust by a factor of .25, .5, etc. as necessary -- don't be intimidated! =) -E

Andy's response:

When it comes to training for distance swimming events there are a few things to keep in mind:

• warming up
  
• stroke technique and efficiency (which includes balance in water, swimming straight, breathing technique, etc)
  
• warming down
  

I would use the following skeleton in designing workouts:

• Warmup: different for different people but this should start with a nice long slow swim, thinking about body position and technique. Start with something like 200yds, a short rest, and then a few hundreds of drill, focusing on one drill aspect per 100.
  
• Long swim: Do your big set here, something around 1000-2000yds. Break it up usually (4x500, 2 X 1000, 8 x 200, etc) and occasionally push yourself into a straight long swim (2000 yds straight, that sort of thing.
  
• Kick set (500 or so of kick.. and switch this up a little now and again too)
  
• Warm down (again thinking about technique and working lactic acid out of your arms and legs with consistent slow swimming. A few hundred yards should take care of this.

An example (3600 yds total):

• 200 slow freestyle warmup
  
• 8 x 100 drill freestyle (2x100 zipper, 2xflip, 2x8kicks right/left, 2xswim with fists)
  
• 800 swim
  
• 600 swim w/ paddles
  
• 400 swim w/ snorkle
  
• 200 swim
  
• 400 kick w/ fins
  
• 200 warmdown

Obviously if people are at a more or less advances stage in their swimming, this skeleton workout can be adjusted by a factor of +/- 1 (ie do 1/2 or 2 times the yardages) just make sure you're nicely warmed up before you start to push yourself in the main set.

Running tips -- from Jen

Jen, a fabulous long-distance runner, and Neil, her husband and a cross-country coach, put together a short document on some running training basics. Check it out. It has great info on nutrition, weight training, recovery, and generally taking care of yourself while training. Thanks for sharing the tips, Jen and Neil!

More biking tips -- from Tom

If I can give you any advice after today, it would be:

You guys can find any information you need on how to improve any aspect of
your riding - between your friends and the tremendous amount of
information out there on triathlons, there probably won't be any gaps at
all.

But you should set some real (I mean, like, numerical) goals, or even
fabricate incentives, to get you to actually train. It's terribly easy to
ride a bike for 13 miles. It's very hard to ride 13 miles in 30 minutes,
and pretty hard to do it in 40, but you can totally do it if you train.

It's easy. Find some course on which you'll regularly time yourself -
maybe a 7 mile stretch somewhere. If it takes you 24 minutes now, can you
take 30 seconds off each of the next 5 times you ride it? With a
computer, you can keep track of your average speed and go from there.
With a heart rate monitor, you can do the same.

Having something like that really helps me - otherwise I just go ride and
it's fun, but I don't get any faster. There's much less motivation to
work toward anything if there isn't anything to work toward . . . So set
some goals, experiment with position, and ride a lot. This will surely
make you faster on the bike.

Biking positions -- from Tom

Thanks, Tom for bringing the trainer and taking all the photos and videos of us on our bikes! Below is more info from Tom on what to do about our cycling positions:

Here are links to some more information on position - this is a good site
in my opinion, especially because it doesn't have a single "ideal"
position it pushes on everyone. It also shows you a nice variety of
people and positions you can examine when you consider what might be your
own optimal position for triathlon, speed, aerodynamics, comfort, etc.

www.bikesportmichigan.com/features/exisitingfit.shtml

www.bikesportmichigan.com/bikes/karma.shtml

Pool etiquette & general info -- by Sara

Etiquette:

• If the lane is empty, don’t worry about what part of the lane you’re swimming in.
  
• If there’s already 1 swimmer in the lane, ask if you can split the lane. Essentially, you will stay on one half of the lane both up and back and the other swimmer will do the same.
  
• With 3 or more people in a lane, you will be circling which means you will go up on the right and down on the left, just like driving.
  
• In choosing a lane, I generally try to gauge the speeds of the other swimmers and try to fit myself in a lane where I’m about the same speed. If you’re circling, it can be frustrating if you’re either faster/slower than the other swimmers.
  
• Always make sure a swimmer knows you’re entering because it’s amazing how much tunnel vision you have when you’re in the middle of a workout.

General info:

• The Wilson pool is 25 yards (half an Olympic which is 50 meters).

• Location of backstroke flags can vary. Generally about 5 yards.

Wilson pool hours:

• Monday to Friday midday: 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Monday to Thursday evening: 7:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.
• Friday evening: 7:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
• Saturday & Sunday: noon-5:00 p.m.

East Campus pool

• Monday-Friday early morning: 7:30 am-9:30 am
• Monday-Friday midday: 12:00 PM-2:00 PM
• Monday-Friday evening: 5:00 PM-9:00 PM
• Saturday: 2:00 PM-6:00 PM
• Sunday: 4:00 PM-9:00 PM

Tips from Sara and Jack's Swim Clinic #1, 2/7/07

Pre-Swim Stretches
Arms

• Windmills
• Right hand to left hand

Legs

• Touch toes
• Indian position
• Stretch quads with right hand holding left leg & vice versa

Others?

Freestyle technique & form
Arm work & stroke

• Place arm in water
• Pull through and rotate shoulders

Kicking

• Legs should be somewhat stiff and not floppy
• Don’t want too much splash

Head position

• Head should be tilted down normally and looking at lane stripe

Breathing

• I recommend every 3rd stroke
• Should turn head slightly to side & back and breathe in pocket formed by shoulder and neck

Warm-up

• Do an easy few laps

Technique Drills
Kicking:

• Use kick board. You can work on your freestyle kick both on your stomach or on your back. Work in sets of 50s.

Arms:

• Use the swim buoy
• “Arm catch up”

Example Sprints, intervals & endurance drills
Sprint:

• Initially, work in sets of (6)50s with 30 second rests in between. Sprint every other set.

Intervals:

• Do (5)50s with each 50 on the ? second (The actual time will vary on your own ability.)

Ladders:

• Do (5)50s but reduce the amount of time in between that you rest

Endurance:

• Build up to swimming 100, 200, 300 as you train. Remember, the triathlon is 800 yards. (I think)

Cool down

• Do an easy free swim of a few laps

Ways to improve your bike time -- by Tom

Things which cost mostly time:

1. Get used to riding in the drops, on your aero bars, in a tucked position. This matters very little if you average under ~16mph, and matters a lot for speeds faster than this. It takes practice to be able to both hold a good aero position and keep your output high.

2. Get used to turning a relatively high cadence. People who come to biking after being runners often pedal too slowly to be efficient (like, 60-75rpm). Pedaling faster (90+rpm) lets you take hills and challenges with your lungs instead of your legs.

3. If you have clipless pedals, use them. Get used to pedaling in fast circles.

Things which cost mostly money:

1. Get a road bike. Get high-pressure tires. Adjust your handlebar position for a good balance between aerodynamics and power (that is, maybe move it down a little, but not so far that you can't put out power).

2. Get aero bars. These are great if you train to use them - they can easily make the difference between ~18 and ~20mph for a given amount of work if you can keep the "work" constant in the new position - and are a waste of cash if you don't.

3. Get clipless pedals.

Things which don't cost anything!:

1. Wear tight clothing. Your aero position is totally wasted if you wear a drag chute. Use safety pins to take up a jersey. Take a jersey to an alterationist and get it fitted. Buy a sleeveless top that's pretty much skin-tight. Bike in your swimsuit.

2. Take accessories off your bike to reduce weight.

3. Pump your tires up to their max recommended psi.