City Tri B'more

Open Water Again

2009-06-03T14:27:00.002-04:00

We're going to be at Gunpowder (Hammerman area) again this Thursday (6/4) for some open water swimming. We should be starting at 6pm. Afterwards we may do a short run.

The water should be pretty warm by now, some people apparently went the other day and were fine without wetsuits.

Let us know if you plan on joining us....

Open Water

2009-05-12T09:18:00.003-04:00

Hey Tri-people,

In anticipation for Columbia and some other races this weekend, we will be heading to Gunpowder to do some open water swimming. For now let's plan on 6 pm, meet in that far parking lot in the Hammerman area.

I'm thinking of bringing my bike just to get a quick spin in - there is a 7 mile loop around the area that we can take a few times if people want.

Oh, and remember to bring the 3 bucks or whatever you need to get into the park!

New Direction + Ride this Saturday

2009-03-05T14:33:00.004-05:00

If you don't know already, Dean has stopped coaching the triathlon swim practices at Merritt due to his work obligations. Elizabeth has taken his place, and she is a great coach - don't let Dean's departure dissuade you from coming.

Hopefully we can still use this blog to organize some group rides and open-water swims - the tri season is approaching fast.

Also, Alan and I will be at the TriSpeed group 9 am Saturday, feel free to join us...

January 8 workout

2009-01-09T15:56:00.000-05:00

Thursday night's workout:
Warm up:
300 swim
300 pull
300 drill

Kick set:
4 x 75: alternate 25 fast, 50 easy/ 50 fast, 25 easy

Pyramid:50-100-150-200-150-100-50
alternate recovery pace and fast/race pace (80%)

300 swim, alt 50 fast, 50 easy without stopping

4 x 50: 25 sprint, 25 easy

200 cool down

Cold Weather Riding

2009-01-06T12:43:00.003-05:00

Riding outside in the winter can be totally awesome, or totally suck if you're not prepared for it. Even when you are prepared, you can still experience some problems. Dean caught a little frostbite on his toes a few weeks back, and I had to go to the dermatologist to learn the blisters on my hands and feet are what's known as chilblains, some skin damage that occurs in cold, damp conditions. The blood vessels apparently shut off to protect themselves, resulting in little blisters/callouses on my hands and feet. They go away in the warmer weather, but my guess is that each year I continue to ride outside it'll get worse.

So before any winter training, make sure you're taking the proper precautions. Warm gloves, warm clothes and warm booties will make the ride more enjoyable and hopefully not give you frostbite. In fairness, I do ride with all these things, I just have inherited poor circulation and ride my bike for too long in the cold.

With that said, hopefully everyone is RIDING his/her bike, whether indoors or out. I've been heading up to TriSpeed on Saturdays and the groups have been small (this past week it was just me, my friend Tom and Sean, the owner). If 9 is too early, there is also the 10am ride out of Oregon Ridge which is a larger group and a very chill ride.

Mondays at Fed Hill have been booming, and of course last night I suspect a ton of people were there to fulfill New Years resolutions, so if you're lacking that motivation to get out and run, rely on the social aspect of the Fed Hill group!

"Protect Your Junk"

2008-12-17T14:35:00.004-05:00

I got this from a daily advertising email I get called AdRants and I just had to share... it's too funny/helpful to pass up for you guys out there who are cycling all the time:

DZ Nuts Turned David Zabriskie's Tights into Freedomware.

Cyclists have it hard down under. All those hours pushing pedals literally chafes balls, which is funny from a distance but sobering enough that the condition requires an anti-irritant, aptly called "chamois cream."

To contribute to the well-being of fellow bikers, pro cyclist David Zabriskie developed a cream called DZ Nuts -- pronounced "deez nuts..."

Ironman Kona on NBC Saturday

2008-12-12T15:52:00.003-05:00

In case you guys want to watch and don't want to miss it - NBC will be airing the Ironman Kona race tomorrow (Saturday) from 2:30PM - 4:00 PM.

http://ironman.com/mediacenter/pressreleases/30th-anniversary-ford-ironman-world-championship-airs-on-nbc

Maybe next year we'll be watching Alan and Ryan at this?

More Winter Workouts

2008-12-03T15:10:00.002-05:00

I stopped into TriSpeed yesterday and was reminded that they hold indoor cycling sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the winter. I've never been so I don't know how crowded it gets, or what kind of workouts they do; but given their connection with Troy Jacobson I would wager they probably do some Spinervals DVDs. I *think* they start at 6 or 6:30pm. Not a great indoor option for anyone in the city having to drive up 83 that time of day, but certainly if you are in the county or at least a little further north, it could work out.

They also still meet on Saturdays, ready to ride at 9am. I may go up Saturday the 13th.

Hope swimming's been going well, I may actually show up one of these Monday mornings now that I'm back in the water. Slow, but back in the water. Only 50 weeks til Ironman Arizona!

Winter Workouts

2008-11-14T09:30:00.002-05:00

Bleh, winter is rapidly approaching and after taking some much needed rest I guess it will be time to start training again.

As a reminder, we have our awesome Monday night runs in Federal Hill, 6:30pm at Fed Hill Fitness. Tuesday Night Track is discontinued until Spring, but we do have a small group of dudes that meets on Wednesdays at Canton Square at 6pm for a 7-10 mile run at or under 6:45 pace usually. Some people have been meeting for long runs as well on the weekends already, but we'll get bigger groups in a few weeks when the marathon season is totally over.

Riding - Saturdays through the winter the TriSpeed ride is always a good option but if the weather's bad they'll ride inside. On Thursdays, the ride I do in the summer up in Owings Mills moves indoors, of course driving up there just to ride inside isn't really worth it.

I noticed a cool little widget on the Georgetown Running Company's blog (http://georgetownrunningcompany.blogspot.com) that is a calendar for races - I think it would be cool to have a calendar with people's weekly training schedule plans so that others can check it out (assuming you don't mind having others around) . Winter training is all about accountability, so the more you can do with others the more likely you'll get out there and do it!

Over on our blog (http://teamthatswhatshesaid.blogspot.com) we have some running races that we plan on going to, including the Miami Half Marathon in January, and USATF XC Nationals in February. Another February favorite is Club Challenge 10 miler in Columbia, where all the local clubs compete against one another for bragging rights. If anyone is interested in doing that one just let me know.

Ryan

Monday Swim (11/10/08)

2008-11-11T10:00:00.003-05:00

WARM UP:

300 swim

300 pull

300 alt swim/drill

SET:

6 x 75 build pace (5 sec. rest)

6 x 100 w/ 10 sit-ups at the 1st 25 m. (10 sec. rest)

2 x 75 3-5-7

Thursday Swims

2008-10-24T09:05:00.004-04:00

We were discussing last night the possibility of ditching the "bike" portion of our Thursday night workouts in favor of a longer swim.

What's everyone's opinion of this subject? Personally I feel a ~90 minute swim to be more beneficial than 60 min - let's face it, sometimes our warm-up lasts close to 30 minutes by itself. Masters swim goes 90 minutes, why shouldn't we?

We could also alternate each week between a 90-minute swim and a 60 min Swim/60 min bike.

Pros & Cons I could think of:

Pros:
- Longer swims mean better quality swim sets
- More flexibility in terms of time - we won't be cutting sets short so we can run up to the spinning room

Cons:
- Will miss out on spinning session
- Could be intimidating for newer swimmers to join our group
- Type-A people might try to push through the set longer than they should and get injured

Thoughts?

Attention Elite Runners!

2008-10-13T12:35:00.003-04:00

From Friday's Baltimore Business Journal:

Think you're an elite runner?

Under Armour, Inc. will be the judge of that.

The Baltimore sportswear apparel company is looking for "running leaders" to be a part of its upcoming marketing campaign touting the release of its new footwear line on Jan. 31.

"By running leaders, we mean elite runners, but also runners who are pace group leaders, very active members of a running club, or runners who race a lot," the company writes on its Web page where striders interested in joining "Team UA Run" can apply.

The selected participants will be asked to wear the company's shoes geared toward runners and promote the release of the footwear line. Runners have until Dec. 12 to apply.

Team UA Run

More info about what to expect can be found HERE.

Monday AM Swim (10/06/08)

2008-10-06T12:05:00.004-04:00

Monday's Swim (9/29/08)

2008-09-29T14:43:00.003-04:00

Favorite Workouts

2008-09-25T09:33:00.002-04:00

Hey Guys,

I thought it would be nice to have a spot to post some Favorite Workouts, be it swim, bike, run, or whatever else. I put a spot for this on the discussion board on the Facebook Group because I'm not sure what's easier to post on for people or what's checked more frequently. So I did both.

So in the Comments section, post your favorite workout. I have one posted there now.

No official practice tonight.........

2008-09-25T08:33:00.002-04:00

Given the fact that the Canton pool is closed, the season is pretty much done and I am slammed at work, we won't have any official practice tonight..........of course you are all encouraged to arrange your own deal amongst yourselves........
Most likely we will be back on board Monday - I will keep you posted.

Tri Practice 9/18

2008-09-17T10:56:00.001-04:00

Hi all--

Dean is out of town this week, so I will be leading a swim-only practice on Thursday night. We can swim a bit longer-until 7:15 or 7:30 -if you are interested.

-Emily Jagusch

Today's Workout (Monday, 9/8/08)

2008-09-08T17:55:00.003-04:00

Don't forget that the women's locker room is closed today (Monday) and tomorrow (Tuesday)!

I think the men's locker room is closed mid-week.

Labor Day

2008-08-29T12:31:00.003-04:00

As you may be aware, this Monday is Labor Day. Even if you wanted to wake up for a 6 AM swim session, you can't, because Merritt won't be open.

However, with a bunch of us racing in Lancaster next weekend, I think we should use this opportunity to head to Gunpowder Labor Day morning....who's in?

I think the lifeguards get there at 9 (someone correct me if I'm wrong here). So if we get there at 8 AM, we'll have an hour to swim.

City Tri Baltimore?

2008-08-21T00:47:00.002-04:00

Oh SNAP, I can finally post...

Dean makes some excellent points, keeping "City" or "Baltimore" in the name makes it a little more gangster.

I'll get to work on the Facebook group after the Olympics are complete, so it gives us a few days to finalize a name. City Tri Baltimore or Baltimore Multisport seem reasonable.

I encourage you to attend our running workouts during the week. Primarily we just have the two that are more organized, and then there are a few other loosely organized ones. Mondays at Fed Hill, where we have at least 30 people each week, lots of different paces and it's an easy/social run. Tuesdays we meet at Gilman High School for a track workout. Ayesha and Matt have been coming for a while now and the dividends are paying off.

It's also nice to meet some other people who do the sport, it can be pretty individualized a lot of the time.

And finally, if anyone has an interest, Saturday evening a bunch of us will be gathering at my house (3903 Fleet St) to watch the men's Olympic marathon at 7:30. At 9:45 we will leave the house on our bikes and have our bike bar crawl. We'll stop at various bars and weave our way down to Locust Point and then go home. Last time we did it, it was unbelievable.

~ Ryan

City Tri on Facebook?

2008-08-18T17:04:00.002-04:00

Hey all,

So Ayesha, Ryan and I were chatting a few days ago about Ryan possibly making a Facebook group for those of us who go to the tri workouts and put together our own workouts from time to time.

Anyone who has thoughts or ideas for a group name, add them into the comments!

Plan for tonight (8/14)-- UPDATE

2008-08-14T12:02:00.002-04:00

Dean will probably not be at practice tonight-- so it looks like you are stuck with me! Here is the plan:

We are going to do a 1500 meter open water time trial after a warm up. We will start from the beach, do the swim and finish on the beach. I will time you and show you the course. Following that, you can opt to do the bike loop with those who are interested. We will go in groups, so people can go at their own pace. It is about a 7.5 mile loop, plan on going once or twice depending on your preference and the light situation.

As it will be getting dark earlier than last time we were there, if you want to run as well, I suggest you try to get it in before 6:15.

Finally- the weather might give us some problems... so keep your fingers crossed that it holds out until later!

If you have any questions, feel free to post here, email me (ejagusch@gmail.com) or call me on my cell (240-994-7058)

See you tonight!

August 14 - Open Water

2008-08-13T19:31:00.002-04:00

Due to popular demand we will plan to get in an open water workout tomorrow evening.

Lets plan on a 6.15pm start............anyone wanting to get there earlier can get in a WU and meet the group on the beach at 6.15............

If you want to ride and run also plan accordingly. We will probably break into a couple of small groups as is normally the case.

For those that haven't been before here are the directions:

Directions: Hammerman -- From I-95 take exit 67A for Route 43 east (White Marsh Boulevard). Follow 43 to route 40 east. Turn right at the first light onto Ebenezer Road and follow it for 4.5 miles. The park entrance will be on your left.

Open Water tomorrow???

2008-08-13T09:24:00.002-04:00

We discussed the possibility of this last week, but I thought I'd put it up here to see who's interested. I think it would be good to get in an open-water workout, as we haven't done one for a while, and Alex and I (and possibly Alan?) are racing the North East Tri on Sunday.

We can bike afterwards along that loop we did last week too. Or you can run. Anyone interested for this?

This morning's swim workout

2008-08-11T13:00:00.003-04:00

Here is the swim workout we did this morning (with a bit added in) for those of you who might be interested! The water was a chilly 74 degrees today... is fall on the way?

Warm up:
200 swim
100 kick
200 pull
100 kick
300 swim

Set
5 x 100 -- maintain steady 80% effort throughout
on 1:45/2:00/2:30/3:00/3:30 (choose your interval so you have about 5-10 seconds rest between)

3 x 200 -- descend (last one is fastest- race pace) 10 sec rest between

1 x 500 pull, breathe every 3,5,7 strokes per 50

4 x 50 -- 25 sprint, 25 easy 10 seconds rest between

200 ez loosen

Total: 2900 meters

Annapolis now "Aquathon"

2008-08-08T12:01:00.003-04:00

For those who haven't heard yet, the organizers of the Annapolis Tri couldn't get the necessary permits for the bike portion of the race. They are researching alternative routes but they haven't been able to come to a solution which would address all of the County's concerns. They are exploring the possibility of an Aquathon (swim/run) on the same day. The event would be the same distances for both the swim and run as the current triathlon, and obviously wouldn't include the bike portion.

So if you're looking to get Annapolis in, there might be some openings since people like myself decided to get the full refund and not participate. They are allowing the current registration from the tri to be rolled into the Aquathon, and the residual amount of the registration can either be made as a tax deductible donation to one of the several local charities they are planning to work with, or can be refunded in full in the form of a check.

FULL DETAILS : http://www.tricolumbia.org/Annapolis

'09 Columbia Triathlon

2008-08-04T10:23:00.002-04:00

They just opened this race up for next year. Apparently it will sell out in days. So if you're interested, I guess you should sign up for this now! Can anyone tell me what the huge appeal of this race is?

Racing update

2008-07-12T13:28:00.002-04:00

A quick preliminary report......
Matt and Joshi raced in Perryville this morning at the "Diamond in the Rough" tri. Sounds like it was perfect conditions.
Joshi went 2hr 58min and is already hungry to improve on that impressive result!
Matt banged out another solid performance in 2hr 34min - certainly a good 5mins faster than his last race in NH given the longer/truer distances!
Congrats boys - gotta love those Saturday races...........a few well earned cold ones must be on the cards tonight.

Ayesha is set to race the IronGirl Philly race tomorrow. Good luck to her on that one! I will update tomorrow once she is done.

Not sure if anyone else is mixing it up this weekend - be sure to drop me a line or post your report on here..........

If all else fails there ought to be some pretty interesting racing in the TdF with 2 Cat 1 climbs tomorrow and then the toughest day thus far with a couple of HC beasts - Col du Tourmalet and Hautacam on Monday.

Game on Thursday

2008-07-09T12:27:00.001-04:00

Lets make it an official practice tomorrow night. Those that want to should bring bikes. Others can get in a run after we swim. We can base our practice on the needs of those that turn up.
Anyone been up there lately? How warm is the water? I am guessing we could be right at the wetsuit limit..........
6pm start at the park.
Maybe there will be a keen group to catch a bite and watch the first "mountain" stage of the TdF afterwards........

Open Water Thursday?

2008-07-07T19:09:00.002-04:00

Anyone want to do an open water session on Thursday? I'm racing the Diamond in the Rough Tri this weekend (and Joshi is too I believe) so it would be a good tune up for me.

We can also do a bike too if any one wants, I discovered a pretty solid route from the Hammerman area this weekend.

Matt

07-07-08

2008-07-07T15:27:00.002-04:00

Here is this morning's workout for those that couldn't make it. It is a good solid strength/endurance session:

WU:
200 ez swim
4 x 100 as 25 drill/50 swim/25 drill
200 pull ez

Set:
3 X 500m as: 200 pull DPS; 100 kick - with board HARD; 200 swim - build pace
10sec rest between 500s

200 easy loosen

WD:
2 X 100IM

Total - 2900m

Gunpowder workout with BATC

2008-07-02T09:23:00.004-04:00

Not sure if anyone else is aware of this, but the Baltimore Area Triathlon Club (BATC) is hosting a Swim-Bike-Run workout at Gunpowder this Sunday (7/6) from (edit) 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM. I'll be attending, and anyone else is welcome to come as well(you don't need to be a member or anything).

I'm not sure the exact details of this workout, but it's apparently going to be geared towards the upcoming Diamond in the Rough race coming up soon.

Their website is http://baltimoretriathlon.org if you want to check out details.

Matt

monday june 16

2008-06-16T08:24:00.002-04:00

Nice turn out a the pool this AM. I don't know that we had anyone in race action over the weekend but if you did race and I don't know about it please let me know so I can throw the details up here....

This morning's W/O as follows:
WU:
200 ez swim
200 alt 50m cu/50m swim
400 pull

Set:
10 x 100 - steady pace. Alt swim/pull. 10 sec max rest

6 x 50 as 25m 3 stroke drill/25m build pace

Sprint pyramid: 25 - 50 - 75 - 100 - 75 - 50 - 25 w/5sec rest btw

WD:
100m real ez

Total = 2550m

We want to be able to get in another open water session this week or next. Please weigh in here on your preference.................I will let you all know the game plan prior to Thursday this week.

Cheers,
Dean

Heat was the name of the game.....

2008-06-09T10:00:00.003-04:00

Well if you raced this weekend anywhere on the East coast you deserve a big slap on the back - either that or a big ice-cold smoothy! What better way to get accustomed to the oppressive heat than to go out and red-line it in a race.
Matt and Alan were in NH for the Mooseman Olympic and Half Ironman races on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Both had technical issues on the bike but sucked it up and finished the race with respectable runs.
Ryan started out with a solid swim and first half of the bike at Eagleman before cramps and the heat took their toll. Being the tough bastard he is he dug his toes in and struggled through the last portion of the bike and the entire half marathon. I am sure he did a lot of talking to himself out there......big props to Ryan for pushing on through and finishing!
Al and Becky were also in action at the Eagleman with Becky finishing 5th in her age group (18th overall); and Al 3rd in his age group (22nd overall). Real nice effort both of you!
Andy was in action up in PA at the Pinchot tri - I have not yet seen results for this one but will update you all as soon as I hear.
The Bay swim was another hard fought affair with Canton local OJ Keller taking out 3rd place ahead of my good mate Rob Jones from Charlottesville.....coincidentally the top four were the exact same as last year! They haven't posted results for this earlier but I think Thomas went somewhere in the vicinity of 2hr40min........I am sure it was sans wetsuit too!
Again - congrats to all who busted arse and raced in these conditions!

Today - not surprisingly - was rather light on the participant front, in fact Ayesha was the only one to turn up.....this gave me the opportunity to bust out the old speedos and have a swim. Here is the workout we did:

WU:
3 X 100 swim
100 pull
100 catch up

Set:
10 x 100 - build pace w/10 sec rest
100 IM ez
6 x 50 as 25kick/25 build pace

WD:
200 IM ez

Total: 2500M

See you all Thursday........

Mooseman report

2008-06-08T22:19:00.003-04:00

Alan and I went to NH this weekend to race the Mooseman triathlon. I did the Olympic and Alan the Half-Ironman. It did not go as smoothly as I expected...I guess all this was bound to happen at my first race!

Here's a short rundown of the race:

The swim was delayed an hour because of fog on the lake. The race director eventually shortened the course to about 1000M because of safety. I did pretty well, however I did go off course at the second turnaround! I went about 100 yards off to the side before I realized what was going on. But I pointed myself in the right direction and finished.
Time: 17:59 - 1:48/100M

The bike is where things went wrong. Apparently I did not tighten the bolt for my seat post enough, as it went all the way down about a mile in. Having the seat so low made it really hard to get leverage on the pedals - I tried to get out of the saddle on the hills, but I still lost a lot of position on everyone. I really wish I could go back and tighten that bolt!
Time: 1:27:39 - 18.7 MPH

Having a bad race up to this point, I was determined to make something of it. Laced up my flats and put out a solid pace on the out-and-back course. Passed a lot of people that passed me on the bike.
Time: 39:56 - 6:26/mi

Learned a lot yesterday and hopefully things will go more smoothly next time...
Overall: 2:32:12

- Matt

Good Luck

2008-06-06T13:46:00.002-04:00

Alright - it seems we have a few people that I missed who will be racing this weekend:
Al will be racing the Aquavelo race at the Eagleman along with Becky and Ryan who is doing the half.
Andy is racing the Pinchot tri up in Lewisburg, PA.
Matt and Alan are headed to Mooseman in NH.
Thomas is doing the Bay Swim.
Good luck, have fun and watch your hydration and electrolytes - it is going to be hot!

For those that couldn't make it last night her is the session:
WU:
300 swim
300 pull
300 3-5-7 per 50m

Set:
6 x 150 as: 50 kick(no board), 50 catch-up, 50 swim-steady. 10 sec rest btw

8 x 50 as 25 drill/25 sprint - w/15sec rest

WD:
200 ez

Total: 2400m

Weekend Races

2008-06-02T15:14:00.002-04:00

Congrats to Joshi on completing not only his first half ironman but also his first ever triathlon! What an achievement given that Thursday's Gunpowder w/o was his first open water swim session! He is hooked and is looking to get in another couple of half ironman races before the season is done!

I am not sure if anyone else was in action over the weekend - apologies if I missed you. Feel free to post your results/report on here though.....

The coming weekend looks to be a busy one with Alan and Matt headed to New Hampshire to throw down in the Moose-man half ironman and Olympic distance respectively.
Becky and Ryan are set to compete at Eagleman in the Aquacycle and half ironman respectively.
Thomas is doing the Bay 4.4mi swim..........he just decided that it would probably be a good idea to rent a wetsuit - mad man!
Let me know if you are racing and what race you are doing so everyone can weigh in with their messages of support (and jest!)

We had a nice morning at the pool this morning - the "cold" water turned out to be the perfect temp to smash out a good AM session - here is the work out for those going later:

WU:
200 swim ez
300 pull
400 - alt 100 drill/100 swim

Set:
1000 build to race pace. *start out easy, focusing on form and build to a nice quick/clean race pace

300 - breathe 3-5-7 per 50m

WD:
200m real ez

Total: 2400m

We are set to be back at the pool this Thursday. Apologies for any confusion last week.....
I am open to suggestions if you are not keen on cycling inside.

Cheers,

Dean

Memorial Day

2008-05-25T20:07:00.001-04:00

The pool doesn't open till 8am tomorrow but we will be there then for anyone interested in getting in a work out. Look for either Emily or I.
Hope you all are having a good long weekend.
Dean

Tonight

2008-05-22T07:51:00.003-04:00

As mentioned earlier in the week I will not be there this evening. I am hoping you will all play well with others and get this w/o up on a board. Maybe we could designate Alan to be the whip cracker this time??

WU:
200 swim
400 pull
300 3-5-7 per 50m

Set:
6 x 300m descend times 1 - 3; build pace each 300 4 - 6. 10 sec rest

8 x 50 sprint on the 1.30

WD:
200 IM ez

Total 3300M

We have the bike room booked so feel free to use it if you want to get a spin in.......although with this nice weather it might be preferable to get in a nice ez run afterward.

Have fun and drop me a line if you have any questions.

Cheers,
Dean

one more thing.......

2008-05-19T11:42:00.002-04:00

My bike team Kelly Benefits/LSV is putting on the annual Bike Jam festival this Saturday at Patterson Park and are in desperate need of volunteers for races from 8am through to about 2pm. If you are around this weekend and able to help out for just one race please let me know and I will put you in touch with the volunteer coordinator.
This is always a great event and if you stick around for the Pro race you will see some of the top riders in the US hammering it out for an hour or so over the 1mile circuit!

Columbia

2008-05-19T08:49:00.003-04:00

Well i think those of you that did Columbia yesterday did a little more than blow out some cobwebs! Some solid performances all around that everyone pumped out:
Alan smashed a full 2mins off his previous swim time - not too shabby mate - well on target for that fast approaching half ironman.
Ayesha blew 6 mins off her previous Columbia 1500m swim time to take 2nd in the mixed teams relay - shows what a few solid weeks of race specific training can do!
Congrats to McGrath for annihilating his previous course best by 8mins - he will be banging on the door of the elites if he keeps this up.
Nice job Ken on throwing down and attacking your first ever tri - let alone your first ever open water swim!
Saw Jason had a fantastic race - nice start to the season - hopefully the work front will be a little more settled and he can get some training time in with us soon!
Maya stepped out in her first triathlon also and pumped out a solid performance to finish with a strong run - I bet an ironman attempt is not too far off?!
I thought Jes was racing also but couldn't find her listed......

If anyone feels like a workout in the water later - the pool is open at Canton and apparently warmer in the water than out(I froze standing on the side...). the w/o is on the board but here it is just in case:
WU
400 ez
200 pull
400 alt 50drill/50swim

Set:
6 x 100 - descend 1-3; 4-6 with 10sec rest
3 x 200 - build pace w/10sec rest
6 x 100 - race pace w/10sec rest

WD:
200m ez

Total: 3000m

**As mentioned, I won't be there Thursday - I will post a workout and you can figure on having the person with the nicest writing put it on the board.

Back @ Canton

2008-05-18T21:57:00.002-04:00

Congrats to all those who did Columbia today. I heard there were some pretty nice performances out there today - nice way to blow out the winter cobwebs!

For all those who didn't race today - and those that just can't get enough punishment - we are on same time, usual place for the Monday AM practice. Canton opened, outside, yesterday.

See you at 6.00am...........

Who's In?

2008-05-16T12:36:00.005-04:00

Who's doing Columbia this weekend?
If I head out there to watch, I want to look out for our peeps and support you guys!
GOOD LUCK TO ALL!

Thursday - Gunpowder again.........

2008-05-14T21:46:00.002-04:00

So the plan at this stage is to meet out at Gunpowder again tomorrow. The weather report is iffy at best. I will post here by 4.30pm with a call on what we are doing if it is questionable.......

So far as agenda is concerned: lets plan on meeting at 6.15pm in the parking lot again. The focus will predominantly be on the swimming - we had little time for much else last week...........but if you are keen to try some transitions or check out your position on the bike I can help you with that.
I am definitely keen to get in a run afterwards again........

I am not positive but I think that even though the park closes at 8pm you can still get out through the automatic gate if we run a little long.....

If you need directions etc check last weeks post.

Again my number is 410-440-8410 if you are lost, late or just have any questions.

If we can it due to weather we will plan on a swim/run at Fort Ave............Back to Canton Monday.

Cheers,
Dean

Pool change

2008-05-11T08:05:00.002-04:00

As you are all aware, the roof is coming off at Canton this week. We will meet at Fort Ave outdoor pool tomorrow morning - the water is warm, they have been open since May 1.

Thursday is looking like another open water/ transition tactics session at Gunpowder as a last minute tweak for all those getting ready to race Columbia next week.

Take it easy,
Dean

Gunpowder - Open Water

2008-05-07T19:05:00.002-04:00

OK - We are all set for tomorrow evening. Em and Ayesha swam out there last night and have given it the thumbs up.......wetsuits are apparently advised but not essential.....

Lets plan on starting at 6.15pm. We will swim as a group and look to get in approx 45mins in the water. Then approx 30mins on the bike finishing with a 30min run. We will work through it all as a group until everyone is comfortable. We will go as quickly or as slowly through everything as you want. This is your perfect opportunity to ask and have answered all those questions regarding open water swimming, ins and outs, transitions, bike set up and overall race strategy. We will accommodate everyone!

If you want to bang out a continuous effort I will have a couple of "course" maps roughed up so you can head off on your own.

For those of you that have not been up to Hammerman before the google-earth co-ords are: 39°21'53.58"N, 76°20'25.11"W - we will stage from the northeastern most parking lot and swim south passing 6 piers to a turn around point that is approx 750m down stream. I figure we can utilize the loop road for bike and run efforts........

Directions: Hammerman -- From I-95 take exit 67A for Route 43 east (White Marsh Boulevard). Follow 43 to route 40 east. Turn right at the first light onto Ebenezer Road and follow it for 4.5 miles. The park entrance will be on your left.

I don't recall the park entry fee but it is minimal and you will likely have to pay it.

My phone number is 410-440-8410. Be sure to call me with any questions etc.

See you tomorrow!

Monday May 5

2008-05-05T08:56:00.002-04:00

Nice morning at the pool today........bet is was just as nice to sleep in also!!

Here is the session the hardy 3 committed team members got in:
WU:
Pyramid - 50-100-150-200-150-100-50 all ez swim

Set:
3 x 300 at 100m pace + 5sec (so if you swim 1.40 then you would do this on the 5.15 (3 x 1.45))

450 stroke drill - 50m 3 strokes per side, 50m 2 strokes per side, 50m 1 stroke/reg swim(3x thru)

200m for time

WD:
100 nice and ez

Total = 2450m **If you want to stretch it out and make it 3000m add 2 more 300s to the set

I will post info regarding Thursday's session at Gunpowder tomorrow night.

Cheers,

Dean

Morning's swim - 05-01-08

2008-05-01T16:26:00.002-04:00

Nice session this AM..........if you couldn't make it, here is the workout:
WU -
300 swim
300 pull
300 3-5-7 breathing per 50

Set:
5 x 150 on 3mins ** sprint the last 50m of each

200 DPS pull

4 x 100 on 2mins. Descending times.

WD -
100 real ez

Total = 2350m

Thursday's deal.......

2008-04-30T13:57:00.004-04:00

Lets plan on being at the pool tomorrow morning for a 6am swim session. I have had responses from a few people who are keen so lets make a go of it. If you cannot make the morning session i will throw the swim workout up here and also leave it on the board so you can use it in the evening. You are more than welcome to hit the bike room at 7pm if you like. Let me know if you want a trainer workout for that session.
Also, regarding the Columbia course/race we received this info from Ryan McGrath:

Columbia: The weekend before Columbia can be a total cluster for training purposes. Just about every local tri club/competitor heads down there for a course preview and a run. Mid-Maryland Tri Club, DC Tri Club, etc. Best idea is to get there EARLY. This helps avoid some of the car and people traffic.

I will be going down on Saturday May 10th to do the following: 2 trips of the bike course, first one pretty easy on my road bike, second one faster on my TT bike, then two loops around the lake running. I'm planning on starting at 7am, average speed for the first go around will be in the 18mph range, second will be 21+. You're welcome to join if you feel it would benefit you, or even if you just wanted to start with someone. There will be a few people in my posse.

~ Ryan McGrath

Rainy Monday morning.....

2008-04-28T10:31:00.002-04:00

I guess that is what kept most of you away this morning??
Good to see Joshi and Becky though - made it worthwhile being there for me!

Here is the workout from this AM if you want to get it in later:
WU:
200 pull ez
600 swim ez - breathe 3-5-7 per 50m

Set:
10 x 100 as 25 kick(no board)/75 build pace - 10 sec btw
200 pull - DPS
10 x 50 as 25 drill/25 swim Drills as follows: 1. Catch up
2. Fist
3. Drag fingers (high elbows)
4. Catch up with 3-beat kick pause
5. Catch up w/3-beat kick pause/drag fingers
400m for time

WD:
200 nice and ez

Total = 3100m **Note - this is slightly amended from this morning's actual session - this is longer. So if you plan on turning up at the pool and using the board you might want to add the additional pieces in.

Thanks to Ayesha for stepping in and rallying the troops while I was down at TdG on Thursday. It sounded like you guys got in a good workout.

I have a work function to attend this Thursday evening so I want to get an idea of who would be interested in getting the swim done in the AM. Please respond to this post and I will see what kind of a commitment we have before I make the call to have practice in the AM......

Awesome to see that Alexis has thrown out the challenge to get focused on training.
I will post a very generic sort of training program here in the next couple of days. I think it would be really good to get some sort of feed back from you guys on the races you have planned.

I know we have a few people scheduled to race Columbia on May 18. That is only 3 weeks away. As we did last year, lets try to get in a session or two out at Gunpowder. This will enable you to get familiar with swimming in the open water and practice transitions. I am thinking we can set it up for a complete swim-bike-run session. The first session will be 5/8/08 - next Thursday. I will post more info on here for you as we get closer to the day.

Please post your thoughts.......

Dean

What's Going On...

2008-04-25T13:01:00.003-04:00

... with everyone's training?

What is everyone spending their weekdays and weekends doing, training-wise?
Feel free to include your upcoming race info for the spring/summer:)

Dean (or anyone): Any opinions on a good training regimen for where we are right now, based on what we're doing in class?
This might be really specific to peoples' personal goals for their races, but if you wrote a week's worth of training workouts, what would the week look like? Just trying to get a very general sense of how we could be spending the rest of the week with training. It doesn't have to be super-specific.
(Obviously, Monday: 1 hour swim, and Thursday: 1 hour swim/1 hour bike... and then filling in the other days.)

Monday 4.14.08 swim sesh

2008-04-14T14:37:00.002-04:00

I jinxed it..........I said it would be cold again in no time and this morning that rung true. Thanks to Matt, Ayesha and Becky for making the cold-roll out of bed worthwhile. I am still curious as to where the likes of Alexis and Alan were..!!??
Here is the session for those who prefer the evening for working out:
WU:
400 ez swim
400 pull ez
4 x 50 build pace - 15 sec btw

Set:
4 X 50 kick
200 steady
50 steady - breathe head up to navigate
**10 sec rest between 300s.

50 ez loosen

200 for time (hard)

WD:
100 real ez

Total = 2550M

Taste of Spring

2008-04-11T08:28:00.002-04:00

What a beautiful day yesterday was and what better way to fuel the motivation to get out there and log some quality training mileage. It was also the first little teaser for the removal of the pool roof at the end of the month................of course, as Murphy's law goes, i am sure it will be dreary and cold again as soon as the top comes off.........

Last night was another nice solid effort in the water and on the bikes. We should really be starting to bring that endurance into things in a big way now as we approach the start of the race season. If you have specific races in mind that you want to work towards please feel free to chat with me and we can look at getting some specific goals and sessions worked into your preparation.

So far as racing and group training is concerned I will put a little side bar of races to the right here and also update the training schedule to include other local organized group training sessions. Look for this in the next few days.

In the interim, this is the local running group that operates in our neck of the woods: http://teamthatswhatshesaid.blogspot.com/ Their weekly schedules are listed on the right hand side. Feel free to join them for any of their weekly sessions. For more info contact Ryan McGrath: rmcgrath@tmo.blackberry.net

The TT I am doing in PA next weekend can be found here: https://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?EventID=5639 Get registered by tomorrow and avoid the $5 late fee.

For those who (wisely!) opted to make the most of the weather and train outside, here is the swim workout from last night:

WU:
400 ez swim
300 pull ez
200 as 25drill/25 swim

Set:
3 X 400 steady effort
100 pull - DPS
10 sec rest btw

50 fast
50 ez
50 fast
50 ez
10 sec rest btw

WD:
100 IM
100 ez swim

Total: 2800M

Arrrgh techno-tard

2008-04-09T12:09:00.002-04:00

Apologies! I thought my Monday session had posted that morning...........

On another note, we are fast approaching race season.....the main reason we have all endured cold, early mornings; dark, damp swimming pools; uncomfortable, sweaty bike sessions......I am open for any suggestions you may have for training and tweaking your performance.
The request for 1500m time trials was put out there Monday morning and we will look to do that the first week after the roof is removed from the pool........more on that as we get closer......
Also we will get some sessions in up at Gunpowder as we did last year.
Feel free to list any other thoughts you have here.
Any thoughts for team dinner/drinks events are always welcome as a nice way to wind up the Thursday night sessions also.

Here is the Monday workout:

Warm up:
200 swim
300 pull
6 x 50 as 25 drill/25 swim
200 swim

Set:
3 x 200 pull with paddles - DPS - long and strong!
10 sec rest btw

3 x 150 as: 50 DPS
50 fast
50 kick - no board
10 sec rest btw

400m steady effort: @ 1500m race pace

WD:
100 IM (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle)
50 m real ez loosen

Total = 2600m

Thursday's swim.

2008-03-28T07:48:00.002-04:00

Here is last night's swim session if you were unable to make it:

WU:
200 ez
300 pull
400 alt 50 catch up/50 swim

Set:
6 x 150 - breathe 3-5-7 per 50. 10 sec rest

200-300-400 - build pace each one. Hold race pace by the last 1/3 of each
15sec rest btw.

WD:
100 real ez

Total = 2800M

**I am not going to list the bike w/o. I figure it is nice enough and everyone would rather be riding outside. On the off chance that you still have to ride indoors and feel like you want a work out, let me know and I will gladly send you something.

Cheers. Have a good weekend and see you Monday.
Dean

Monday morning - 3.24.08

2008-03-21T13:34:00.002-04:00

Here is your workout for Monday morning:

WU:
100
200
300
400
500
*all ez swim - feel good and strong

Set:
5 x 200 as: 1. Catch up
2. 50 fist/50 swim
3. Pull
4. Swim - Build pace
5. Max effort swim
* take 15 sec rest in between

4 x 75 - breathe 3-5-7 per 25
10 sec rest

WD:
200 nice and easy.

Total: 3000m

Have fun, don't kill each other and I will see you Thursday.

Renew your punch cards......

2008-03-20T18:46:00.002-04:00

If I mentioned to you last week that your punch card is done please be sure to pick a new one up at the front desk - make sure they give you the red tri card. If you do it by the end of the month it will get them off my case!!
Thanks for your help!!
Cheers,
Dean

Crushed.......

2008-03-20T16:26:00.002-04:00

I am sorry to have to do this but I am going to have to bail out on you tonight. Of course you are encouraged to still meet as a group and get some training in.
I am absolutely crushed at work and we are flying out to Costa Rica early tomorrow morning.

Here is tonight's swim session:

WU:
300 swim
200 kick
300 pull

Set:
10 x 100 as 25 catch up/75 build pace
10 sec rest
4 x 150 - 150fast/150 DPS recovery
10 sec rest

8 x 25 sprint - alt regular swim/head up
ALL OUT FAST!! 30sec rest

WD:
300 pull ez

If you are up for riding feel free to use the bike studio and stereo etc. Here is a sample work out for you:

10 min ez spin w/ at least 100 rpm

3 x 4min seated climb - adjust resistance up at 1 min intervals
1 min spin in btw

2 min spin at 100 rpm

5min focused Time Trial - steady consistent pace
30 sec recovery
6min focused Time Trial - steay consistent pace
30 sec recovery
7min focused Time trial - steady consistent pace

2 min spin at 100 rpm

30 sec burst - all out hard!
30 sec ez spin
30 sec burst - all out hard!
30 sec ez spin
30 sec burst - all out hard!
30 sec ez spin

10 min ez spin warm down.

Have fun!!

I will post your Monday w/o up here shortly.

03/17/08 - Monday morning session

2008-03-17T09:04:00.003-04:00

Hope everyone had a good weekend - Saturday was a real nice sign of things to come weather-wise!

Quick reminder: Those whose punch cards have expired, please be sure to stop by the front desk and pick a new one up - Cheers.

Here is this AM's workout for those who opted for the sheets rather than the water:

Monday 3/17/08 - Swim:
WU:
150 swim
150 pull
150 3-5-7 per 50
150 swim
150 pull
150 3-5-7 per 50

Set:
6 x 100 as 50 catch-up/50 swim
10 sec rest in btw
8 x 100 - Descending 1 thru 4 and 5 thru 8
10 sec rest in btw

100 real ez DPS

6 x 25 all out sprint

WD:
100 ez

Total: 2650M

3000M - now we are talking

2008-03-14T14:47:00.002-04:00

Good effort in the water last night - i know everyone was pooped - that is a good thing! We cracked 3000m for the first time this season so we are definitely making some nice gains.

Remember to post your plans up on here if you are looking for some accompaniment.
Also - for anyone interested, the Falls Road running group has an event at Slante in fells Point tomorrow at 8am - I am not entirely sure what is involved but it is some sort of pub to pub run with a pint of Guinness to finish up with back at Slante.......... contact Ryan McGrath at rmcgrath@tmo.blackberry.net for more info.......

For those who missed it the swim session was as follows:

Thus Swim:
WU:
200 swim
200 pull
150 kick
300 as 3-5-7 breathing per 50m

Set:

2 X 200 catchup
10 sec rest
200 DPS
10 sec rest
200 build pace
10 sec rest
200 steady effort

8 X 50 as 25 DPS/25 sprint (all out!)
30 sec rest

WD:
150m real ez loosen

Total: 3000M

Annapolis Triathlon

2008-03-13T13:22:00.002-04:00

Hey guys,

Just in case anyone was interested in doing the Annapolis Triathlon this year - they opened registration this week. I heard it filled up fast last year, so registering soon might be a good idea if you're planning on doing the race (I'll be there).

The website is http://www.tricolumbia.org/Annapolis/ . The race date is September 7.

- Matt

New week - new attitude.....

2008-03-10T11:35:00.000-04:00

With the start of Daylight Savings Time over the weekend I am sure new attitudes are kicking in....better weather just around the corner, longer daylight hours to train and be outside, and the kick off of the tri season just a matter of weeks away.......
That said, I know it was awfully hard to drag yourself out of bed a whole hour earlier this morning, so cheers to Matt, Joshi and Stephanie who made it worthwhile for me being there!

A quick item to note: this Thursday the Merritt people are commandeering the cycling room between 6 and 8pm for another rendition of their "virtual cycling" with Paris Roubaix being the race of choice. That said, you have 2 options for Thursday:
1. Sign up and ride with them - I think it is a single 2hr session - it will pay to confirm.
2. Meet me at the pool at the regular time - we will swim 6.00pm - 7.30pm and then call it a day.

As mentioned - please feel free to use this site as a place to communicate with your team mates from everything to race selection to training rides/runs/swims to social events. I have sent you all author invites so you can gain permission to post. Alan recently posted the following in the comment area:
I told some of you about a really good Tri Boot Camp in Central PA. There are 2 different weekends based on skill level and goals. The first one is the end of March for Newbies and the next one is the 1st weekend in April for those planning on doing Half or Full Iron Distance.

Here is the link:
http://www.midatlanticmultisport.com/camps.html

And finally - for those unable to make it this AM, here is the swim workout for you to do at your leisure:

Monday 03.10.08:
WU:
200 swim
150 kick
200 pull
150 kick

Set:
Pyramid - as: 200 DPS
300 build pace
400 steady effort
300 pull (recover)
200 build pace
** Take 15 sec rest in between. FYI - this could be done as any combination of distanceseg:
100-200-300-200-100
200-400-600-400-200 etc..........

4 x 75 as 25 kick/25 drill/25 swim - 10 sec rest

WD:
200 nice and easy.

Total = 2600m

Monday.............

2008-03-03T10:58:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Joshi, Stephanie, Matt, Jason and Alan for all making the rise from bed worthwhile this AM. For those who continued to log the zzzzz below is a recap of this morning's workout:

**We were all excited by the daylight streaming into the pool as we finished up this AM - just another sign that longer days(and hopefully spring weather) are just around the corner. Remember DST starts this coming weekend. Could be a great time to chat with your team mates and start arranging evening rides and runs..............let me know if you need any ideas, contact details for others etc........

See you all on Thursday!

WU:
200 ez swim
4 x 100 as 50 drill/50 swim - 10sec btw
200 ez pull

Set:
6 x 150 breathing 3 - 5 - 7 per 50m
**Alt btw swim and pull per 150 w/15 sec rest

4 x 150 as: 50 kick(no board)/50 DPS(feel good)/50 Tempo
10 sec rest btw 150s

WD:
200 IM ez loosen

Total = 2500m

Back on.........

2008-02-29T08:07:00.001-05:00

Nice turn out last night - it was good to see that my inattentiveness had not deterred you from continuing to train well. For those that didn't make it, here is last night's swim session:

Thursday Feb 28:
WU:
300 swim ez
300 pull ez

Set:
10 x 50 alt btw: 25 catch up/25 swim; and 25 kick(no board)/25 swim
4 x 150 breathe 3 - 5 - 7 per 50m with 15 sec rest btw 150s
3 x 200 - descend times - 20 sec rest

WD:
200 ez swim

Total: 2500m

I don't think anyone will want the bike session but if you do just let me know and I will throw it up here.

Have a good weekend and see you all Monday.

Cheers.

Thursday - on your own for 2 weeks now!

2008-02-06T23:19:00.000-05:00

I am going to posts tonight's workout for you to use in the event I don't make it back into town. My flight out of Chicago was canceled yesterday and I am supposed to be making it back this afternoon........hopefully.

I hate to not be there tonight. As you are aware it is my last session with you for the next 2 weeks as Em and I are going to NZ. I will post workouts on here for you over that period. Hopefully you will feel compelled to organize and work together to get these sessions done! Feel free to grab the dry erase board and write the programs up. The guards will make sure you have the 2-lane pool space that is allocated. You are also free to get together and bang out some cycling sessions up stairs on Thursday nights also.

Thursday Feb 7 swim session:

WU:
300 swim
300 as 50 drill/50 swim
300 pull

Set:
4 x 200 - as: 100 steady-50 fast-50 steady
10 sec max rest

8 x 75 - as: 25 kick (no board)
25 catch up 10 sec max rest btw 75s
25 swim

4 x 100 - descend times. Focus on controlling pace. 30 sec rest btw

WD:
100 ez

Thursday Feb 7 bike session:

10 min ez spin w/ at least 100 rpm

3 x 3min seated climb - adjust resistance up at 1 min intervals
1 min spin in btw

3 min spin at 100 rpm

5min focused Time Trial - steady consistent pace
1 min recovery
6min focused Time Trial - steay consistent pace
1 min recovery
7min focused Time trial - steady consistent pace

3 min spin at 100 rpm

30 sec burst - all out hard!
30 sec ez spin
30 sec burst - all out hard!
30 sec ez spin
30 sec burst - all out hard!
30 sec ez spin

10 min ez spin warm down.

Have fun!

Monday's Swim

2008-02-04T12:05:00.000-05:00

Hi there everyone:
I figured this could be a better way for the Tri group to keep up to speed with what is going on. please feel free to comment or post and keep in touch with your fellow team mates. I am open to any suggestions you may have regarding the blog and our training in general so by all means let me know what you are thinking!

I will endeavor to post all workouts up here as we progress toward the season. So if you miss a session you should be able to check on here and at least get the run down of what we did.

Here is this morning's swim workout for those of you that were unable to make it:

Warm up:
400m swim ez
400m pull ez

Set:
4 x 75 - breathe 3-5-7 per 25m - 10 sec rest

6 x 200m w/10sec rest as:
200 pull
200 DPS
200 steady
200 pull
200 DPS
200 steady

4 x 75 as: 25 catch up/25 steady/25 fast - 15 sec rest

WD:
100m ez loosen

Total = 2700m

Have fun and I will see you on Thursday.