2009 SB Fitness Exercise Challenge!!!

[sarita75]

First open water swim in training for the tri. Went with my best friend, her fiancé and my husband. The latter two were along simply out of disbelief that we were actually going to go into the water. Well, within 1 minute, my best friend and I went in, swam two strokes and then histerically came out laughing. It was so cold! We gathered our strength and wits and we went back in. This time with less lofty objectives. Once in we swam more than we had originally intended when we reentered, but less than we had initially hoped when we went this morning. The water was biting cold, i would estimate approximately 51 degrees. In a 3mm, with no hood, gloves or boots, my skin was pink when we emerged. I feel good for trying and now realize the changes to my gear that need to be made!

 

[wb416]

brrrrrrrrrrrr.... you are a hardly soul, eh?

 

[sarita75]

brrrrrrrrrrrr.... you are a hardly soul, eh?

It's either hardy or stupid. Unsure which it is. I definitely need to reconfigure everything though... I did some research on how to do it better as well, and found some tips - especially to combat the dizziness.

Sunday 12/20 - Our Sunday run turned into a hike along the Presidio Coastal Trail which meanders all around the Golden Gate Headlands.
http://z.about.com/d/sanfrancisco/1/0/i/N/-/-/landsend5700.jpg
It was really lovely but quite strenuous. Total time about 1.25 hours of hiking. Fun.

 

[wb416]

Warmup:
Rowing 250m x 4 with 30 second rest intervals between

Workout:
I had something exotic planned as a timed workout, but it was kinda late by the time I got around to doing it. I opted for simplicity and did deadlifts for reps.

Deadlifts 145lbs (21,15,9) with 30 second intervals between sets

DL 145# x 21 reps
30 second rest
DL 145# x 15 reps
30 second rest
DL 145# x 9 reps

Not so heavy that I couldn't go quickly and keep reasonable form, but also nicely anaerobic. 45 Deadlifts did tax my grip strength though.

 

[kathydee]

Wow Sarita that does sound chilly.

I slipped out yesterday for a day of diving. My new teammate has a zodiac so we dropped off the boat into some amazing sites with great vis. 2 dives to 84ft.

Amazing day. Great teamwork for a second day diving - it's all very promising. Now to crunch the last details of the semester and back to the normal workout routine ;-).

 

[sarita75]

Kathy - Nice that you were able to do some diving off a zodiac. I love diving them - makes me feel like Jacques Cousteau!

Monday 12/21 - Week 9, Day 2 of the C25K program. Only one more day. Granted it has taken me much longer than 9 weeks to complete the program ... Hahaha. More like 13 weeks! Hard to focus solely on running when training. Anyhow! I did just under 3 miles. I was feeling really sluggish and out of breath the entire time. Mind you, I was going up hill for a majority of the run, but still. I was kind disappointed that I didn't feel lighter. Oh well. Tomorrow - spinning class.

 

[wb416]

Warmup:
Easy Cycling 15 minutes; 3.25 miles; 12mph average


Workout:
Sprint Intervals in the Mountain Mode (hardest) setting
Hard cycling 4 minutes; 1.2 miles; 18mph ave; 26mph


Mountain Mode sucks!!!

 

[sarita75]

So, tell me something WB. How does your trainer work? Especially re: modes?

 

[wb416]

So, tell me something WB. How does your trainer work? Especially re: modes?

The one I have, a Cyclops SuperMagneto, has four resistance settings on it to help mimic riding environments (Easy/Road/Interval/Mountain). Essentially, the faster the tire goes, the more resistance is introduced to simulate effects of wind resistance or gravity (e.g hills). I have to get off the bike and change the setting on the trainer.

On the link, there is a horizontal menu bar just below the picture of the trainer. If you click on "Power Tuned", it shows you a comparison of the different modes.

There are some higher-end units that will change resistance based on electronic input and what you're seeing on the screen, or some lower-end units that only have fixed resistance settings (you can still use your gears to make it easier/harder). My buddy that does tri's uses the higher end unit, but I only wanted something to give me saddle time through the winter and let me do some sprinting.... got a good deal from the LBS that I frequent, so I took the SuperMag home.

For attaching your current bike to the trainer, your current bike probably has a stem through the rear wheel with plastic end caps on it. This would get replaced with an all metal stem so that the trainer can clamp your tire in place and then metal roller is moved up against the tire to simulate the road and give your wheel momentum when you stop pedaling.

I can probably come up with a couple of pics or short video if you want more info.

Hope that helps!

bob

 

[sarita75]

Makes sense. I am just torn. You see, in SF we can pretty much ride all year b/c we don't get snow. I don't really want to hook my bike up to something which is difficult or cumbersome to get the bike in and out. I have been toying with the idea of getting a stationary bike, but not sure it is worth the $650.00 for a more decent one .... Hm. Decisions.