Archive for category Training
Swimming Facilities and Programs at Mount SAC
I’ve been swimming this summer at a nearby pool that is open to the public for lap swimming and also provides a Masters Swim program and other training programs. I love this pool. The water is fresh and clean, not like the over-chlorinated, chemical soup at the 24 hour fitness pool (my alternative swim location). So where am I swimming? In the outdoor Olympic size swimming pool at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, California, or Mt. SAC as the locals refer to it.
Kicking Drills for Triathlon
Posted by sheila in Tips and Advice, Training on August 12, 2010
Somehow in all the reading I had done about the swim portion of triathlon, and how triathletes should train for and approach the swim, I got the message that the kicking was very de-emphasized. That kicking was almost not necessary. Let your legs drag, if you wanted to. Use your upper body on the swim and save the legs for the bike and run. Makes sense, no?
And then I started my Masters Swim workouts. And the coach was having me do a fair amount of kicking. Although I thought I didn’t really need to be doing kicking drills, I tried to just suck it up and say nothing. After all, I was seeking the expertise of the coach. He knows more about this than I do, right? That’s why I was doing the Masters Swim. Eventually I did ask him about it and he said I needed to keep that end of my body up, or something like that. So…ok. Still doubtful but…just doing the drills like he said.
Why do swim drills? Don’t you hate them?
So I started a Masters Swim program at Mt. SAC back on June 17, 2010. Six weeks ago today. Although I seem to do fairly well at self-coaching myself on running, I have no swimming background and I’m not very good at it and I knew I needed someone with knowledge to watch me, coach me, give me tips. I did do some reading…Total Immersion swimming books, articles on Active.com, TriSwimCoach.com, BeginnerTriathlete.com. And reading was good, and did help, and I did try to use the advice. However, implementing what I read was just not going all that great without a coach.
Now one thing I did notice was that a lot of the reading material encouraged drills. The TriSwimCoach specifically encouraged doing as much drills as you could stand. And other sites also recommended drills for improving stroke technique and efficiency. It makes sense. In running I do speedwork on the track and I would say that is analagous to drills in the pool. I know that speedwork really does help me. I have to assume with all these articles recommending swim drills that that would help me, too.
But I really hate drills. Or at least, when I was trying to figure out swimming on my own, I really, really disliked them and almost never did them. I would maybe do a few laps of drills. Less than 1/4 of my workout for sure. Maybe much less than that. And then freestyle all the way, baby, because that seems to be the most fun to me.
Exchange between a cyclist and a motorist
Yesterday after I got off work I took a ride on my bike. There’s a local 14-mile loop that I ride regularly. It takes me westbound on Temple Ave in Pomona towards Cal Poly Pomona University. The streets I ride are generally fairly busy, depending on the time of day, and cars travel 45-50 mph and faster. Most of this route has a bike lane available, but not all of it and some of the streets without bike lanes are narrow although they have 2 lanes for motor traffic in each direction.
So last night about 6:30 PM as I road west on Temple approaching Valley Blvd a motorist in a large SUV whizzed past me in the left lane, honking, and then swerved just ahead of me into the right lane where I was riding.
Ocean Swim Entry/Exit Tips
Posted by sheila in Tips and Advice, Training on July 10, 2010
Here is a pretty good article from Active.com on entering and exiting the ocean for open water swim triathlons. I practice ocean swimming fairly regularly with the L.A. Tri Club, but I am not using all the tips suggested in this article. Saving the link here so I can review it from time to time and make sure I’m doing all these things…
Heart Rate Training for Triathlon
I have mostly avoided the whole heart rate training thing. I’m not big on wearing the chest strap, and though I have a Garmin 305 that includes a chest strap, I just don’t wear it and I don’t monitor my heart rate. I train by pace and perceived effort, mostly.
Well, at some point I will probably look into the whole heart rate thing. Here is a good article on the topic that seems to go into quite a bit of detail and I will want to come back and review it again. Seems balanced. Pros/cons. Alternatives. Etc.
Triathlon Training Principles: Heart Rate Training | Trifuel
Cycling Drills
Posted by sheila in Tips and Advice, Training on April 6, 2010
Here’s an interesting article at Active.com that discusses some good cycling drills to help you learn better control on your bike. I really like some of these suggestions and am sure it would help me to practice them:
Bike Handling Clinic: Drill That Skill
Yoga Pose – Squat
Here’s a link to an article on Active.com on how to do the squat pose from yoga. It’s a fairly detailed description not only of how to properly do the pose, but also of the benefits of the pose. Sounds like a pose I should be doing regularly!
Race Schedule August 2009-March 2010
Posted by sheila in Race Events, Training on July 29, 2009
OK, I’ve finally made some decisions about my racing schedule. Since I just finished the San Francisco Half-Marathon this past Sunday, I found that I had not signed up for any further events, nor did I have any training schedule.
Not to worry. I did a 6 mile bike ride yesterday. And today I did my own triathlon: 1500 meter ocean swim in 45 minutes; 3 mile run in 23 minutes; later in the day 14.8 mile bike in 1 hr 6 minutes on a hilly course. Tomorrow I will swim laps at the pool.
Anyhow, I do need to sign up for events and put together some more training. And I’ve finalized my events up through March 2010. Here they are:
Aug. 2, 2009 (Sun) 5K Paws for Cause
Aug. 16, 2009 (Sun) Hansen Dam Triathlon
Sep. 13, 2009 (Sun) Oxnard Splash-n-Dash (I think the long course)
new -> Sep. 27, 2009 (Sun) Mighty Mermaid Triathlon Santa Cruz (olympic distance)
Oct. 11, 2009 (Sun) Long Beach Half Marathon (completes my California Dreaming award)
Nov. 7, 2009 (Sat) Catalina Triathlon
Nov. 26, 2009 (Thu) 10K Turkey Trot at Dana Point
Feb. 7, 2010 (Sun) Surf City Half Marathon – I think I have to do this every year. I’m a legacy runner for this race.
Mar. 7, 2010 (Sun) Napa Valley Marathon
Mar. 21, 2010 (Sun) Los Angeles Marathon
Apr 23-34 (Fri-Sat) Ragnar Relay L.A. (Santa Barbara to Dana Point)
OK, so I have to get my credit card out and start registering for some of these. And tomorrow I’m going to have to hunker down and start writing my training schedule for at least through November 2009. That is always so much work.
So, from no events to 9 events. Really, though, I’ve been thinking about most of these for a long time. Just hadn’t committed to the registration and written out my training plans. Working on it, working on it!
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Daily Mile Training
Upcoming Races
Sheila Runs- Swimming Facilities and Programs at Mount SAC August 18, 2010
- Kicking Drills for Triathlon August 13, 2010
- Why do swim drills? Don’t you hate them? July 29, 2010
- Strawberry Fields Olympic Triathlon – Race Report July 26, 2010
- Exchange between a cyclist and a motorist July 25, 2010
- Ocean Swim Entry/Exit Tips July 10, 2010