Tri Blog, Sept 28, 2009

This morning my goal was to start running at a cadence of 85 strides per minute. Initially it felt way to fast, because I move like a turtle, but it eventually felt more comfortable. My goal is to train with a cadence of 85 - 90 stride per minute and today I did a run/walk for about 30 min to get used to it. I think the recommendation given in "ChiRunning" makes sense. p81 "Most competitive cyclists try to maintain a pedaling cadence of about 85 to 90 rpm. This allows a steady perveived effort level [PEL], no matter which gear they are using. If they want to go faster, they simply keep the same cadence , shift to a higher gear, and speed happens"p.82 "... cadence and stride length [the gears for runners] work together to affect your perceived effort level. Whe these two team up, magic happens. Once you can run at a steady cadence and keep your hips and legs relaxed, your PEL will take on a new dimension, because you are increasing only your use of abdominal muscles, not leg muscles. As you improve your ChiRunning skills, you won't have to think about adjusting your stride length; it will happen naturally, as a function of having relaxed hips and legs. In essence, your legs aren't working harder as you run faster - they're relaxing more". Sweet. I am a firm advocate of ChiRunning and believe that practicing ChiRunning is key to may success with finishing Triathlons and Marathons.

Here are some quotes from the "Triathlete's Training Bible" by Joe Friel, that I read this week:
p.6 "An athlete should do the least amount of the most specific training that brings continual improvement. What does this mean?... Least amount implies that less is better. It may sound counter intuitive for endurance training, but most successful athletes support the notion that small fitness gains made over a long time are better than quick finess changes over a short time... Each and every workout should have a purpose, whether it is to improve fitness, maintain fitness , or recover. Getting the balance of these three factors right is the key to success... Making gradual workout changes from week to week produces fitness that stays with you longer and ultimately allows you to reach a higher level than mking big changes does. Your body is prepared to handle changes of a bit more than 10% at a time. Doing more than what your are physically capable of absorbing is worse than simply wasting effort...p. 7 Consistency must serve as the ultimate standard in all training decisions.. Aim to finish workouts feeling as though you could have done more."

So this week I will be starting a training log and journal. I'll continue to do Weight Watchers and I have lost 5.4 lbs in 2 weeks. Small incremental strides done consistently - that is the key.