Widget

Boldly On Our Way to the Finish Line!

Congratulations for recommitting to the program and taking the second big step on your way to becoming a HERO.

Now, this is where Coach needs to get serious with you. We have 9 weeks left until our event in Austin! HOLY FUDGE!!! Folks, we are running out of time. If you think that you could finish an Olympic distance triathlon based on the training you have done up to this point, I would say that you would probably be correct. However, what kind of state would you be in as you pulled in across the finish line??? You would be in a world of hurt. I hate to be blunt, but the Olympic distance triathlon is not a cake walk. It will be anywhere from 2 hours and 45 minutes to possibly 4 hours of hard work in the hot sun. It will test both your physical and your mental limits. There will be times that you will want to stop and walk, or even crawl. You might even scream from the discomfort that you will be in. There could possibly be a time that you will begin to cry because you want it to end. Yes, I have seen grown men and women cry on the race course.

Are you getting a little nervous now? I have two major suggestions for you right now:

First, Start coming to the Monday night swim workout AND THE SATURDAY MORNING WORKOUT EVERY WEEK. Saturday attendance has been dismal. Yes, I know it has been cold, but those have been character building workouts for the people who did attend them. Sadly, some of you have missed out on getting to know your TEAMmates a little better and putting some deposits in the fitness bank account. Every workout we do from this point forward is no longer base building, but critical race preparation training. Be there as if your life depended on it because there is someone who is battling cancer right now who's life depends on you being there.

Second, Sign up to participate in the Lone Star Sprint Tri on April 4th or the CB&I Sprint Tri on May 2nd. You need to have at least one sprint distance tri under your belt for practice so that you will know what to expect on Memorial Day weekend. Sign up today, without delay and if you are so inclined, sign up for them both. Hit on the name of each race and it will send you to the race website for registration.

**********
Thursday Night Track Workout
**********

Please bring your own water and the Mentors will be at the Memorial Park Track at or before 6:30 p.m. Here is the workout:

Warm-Up:
2 min of small bouncing on the balls of the feet to warm up those lower leg muscles. 2 min of running in place focusing on picking the foot up off the ground as if you were running on hot coals.
6 forward lunges on each leg. Step out into the lunge and then step back in to alternate legs.
6 side lunges on each leg. Step out into the lunge and then step back in to alternate legs.

Workout:
Newbies to running--6 x 800 meters (2 laps around the track, 6 times)
Seasoned runners--8 x 800 meters
Hard-Core runners-- 9 x 800 meters

Take a full lap (400 meters) around the track jogging or walking, or a combination of the two to recover between each 800 meters.

Keep track of the time it takes you to do an 800 and try to keep all of your 800's at or around the same pace.

Don't chop off that last 400 recovery. Use it as your Cool Down. Stretch after the workout.

**********
Saturday Brick Workout
**********

This weekend is our first Brick Workout. A Brick is when you put a bike ride and a run together and you allow the legs to learn how to be fatigued coming off the bike and going off on a run. Here are the important details:

Location: Memorial Park Picnic Loop--located just off Memorial Dr. on Picnic Ln. There are three stop lights inside of Memorial Park on Memorial Dr. and Picnic Ln. is the second light. We will be parking near the bathrooms on the left and if there is no parking, there should be plenty over by the ball fields on the right.

Time: We are meeting at 7:30 am

Workout: The Picnic Loop is 1.2 miles long. We will be riding the loop for 45 minutes and running for 20 minutes.

Please do not be late! We are moving back over to our regular picnic table on Arnot Dr. for a Nutrition Clinic at 9 am with the Marathon TEAM. We have to be finished at 8:45 am and ready to pull out of the parking lot at the Picnic Loop to go over to the clinic. As always, we will go somewhere for breakfast after the workout.

**********
Sunday Social Do Over
**********

We could not get our act together last weekend so we are going to try it again!

Location: Sunday Social is at your TEAMmate Vickie Pons' casa. Vickie is sending out directions to her place.

Time is 2:00 pm

Don't forget, Coach is bringing that Transition Training DVD so we can start leaning how to do transitions. Come for the fun and leave with some knowledge.

**********
Monday Night Swim Workout
**********

Dad's Club @ 7 pm
You missed Birthday Cake for Ryan last week if you were not there. This week, Coach Liz has something that she is giving away for FREE. Don't miss out!

100 yds. 10/10 drill
100 yds. 6/6 drill (200)
50 yds. Fingertip drag drill (250)
50 yds. Flick drill (300)
50 yds. Catch Up drill (350)
100 yds. Zipper Drill *NEW* (450)

50 yds. Free (500)
100 yds. Free (600)
150 yds. Free (750)
200 yds. Free (950)
250 yds. Free (1200)
200 yds. Free (1400)
150 yds. Free (1550)
100 yds. Free (1650)
50 yds. Free (1700)

4 x 25 yd. Free sprints (1800)

I leave you with one last bit of training preparation that we will be doing in the next few weeks...


See you at the park this weekend!

GO TEAM!!!

Coach Liz

Weekly TEAM Update.

Recommitment is on Friday!

Coach Liz at the near the starting line of the Disney Princess Half Marathon on Sunday.

Howdy TEAM!  I had a great time at Disney World and I am ready to be back on track with our workouts.  Here is a look at the information that is contained in this post:

1. Thursday Track Night
2. Friday Recommitment Day
3. Saturday Bike Workout
4. Sunday Social
5. Monday Swim Workout
6. Tuesday Wetsuit Orders

That is a lot of information so please read carefully so you do not have any questions.

*****

Thursday Night Track Workout

*****

We are doing the same workout as last week.  Please bring your own water and the Mentors will be at the Memorial Park Track at or before 6:30 p.m.  Here is the workout:

Warm-Up:
2 min of small bouncing on the balls of the feet to warm up those lower leg muscles.
2 min of running in place focusing on picking the foot up off the ground as if you were running on hot coals.
6 forward lunges on each leg. Step out into the lunge and then step back in to alternate legs.
6 side lunges on each leg. Step out into the lunge and then step back in to alternate legs.

Workout:
Newbies to running--5 x 800 meters (2 laps around the track, 4 times)
Seasoned runners--7 x 800 meters
Hard-Core runners-- 8 x 800 meters

Take a full lap (400 meters) around the track jogging or walking, or a combination of the two to recover between each 800 meters.

Keep track of the time it takes you to do an 800 and try to keep all of your 800's at or around the same pace.

Don't chop off that last 400 recovery. Use it as your Cool Down. Stretch after the workout.

*****

Friday Recommitment Day

*****

Information was sent out to you with details about Recommitment. If you have ANY QUESTIONS, please call the TNT office at 713-680-8088 and ask to talk to Sarah Riesner. Sarah is the Campaign Coordinator for the Triathlon and Cycling TEAMs and she is fielding all questions while Amanda is on vacation in Chicago. 

Once you have your questions answered, you have filled out your paperwork, and you have filled out your wetsuit order form you can either fax the paperwork into the TNT office (call the office as well to alert someone you are faxing it in and to look for it), you can go to the LLS/TNT office on Mitchelldale and drop it off by hand, or you can bring it to practice on Saturday.

*****

Saturday Bike Ride

*****

The weather looks like it is going to be rainy and cold so be sure to dress warm and bring dry clothes to change into! If you have time to hit a bike shop or Sun & Ski Sports you might want to pick up a cycling rain jacket if you do not have a water repellent top or jacket. Bring your water bottles and one Gu, Clif Shot, Power Gel, or package of Clif Shot Bloks to try out on the bike. You can find gels over by the Power Bars in your local HEB or Kroger or pick some up at Sun & Ski Sports or a bike shop.

Meeting Time--8:30 am
Meeting Location--Moody Gardens in Galveston, TX We will be meeting in the large parking lots to the left of the main entrance.
Route--We will be doing a 24 mile out and back route along the Seawall headed west towards Jamaica Beach.

After the ride--If you have time to hang out for lunch we will hit up Joe's Crab shack and put some money back into the Galveston economy.

Alex, Jake, Lori, and Nick were at the last bike workout. Where were you??? Don't miss the fun this weekend.

*****

Sunday Social

*****

This Sunday at 2:00 p.m. we will be getting together to socialize and have a good time and to watch a video on mastering the 4th element of the triathlon, the transition area. Location for our Sunday Social will be sent in an email with directions on Friday afternoon. If you are signed up for the Lone Star Sprint Triathlon, you will not want to miss this Sunday Social!

*****

Monday Swim Workout

*****

Dad's Club @ 7:00 p.m.

The pool is now set up for long course swimming.  Each length is 50 meters.  Down and back is 100 meters.

50 meters of the 10/10 drill (50)
50 meters of the 6/6 drill (100)
100 meters of the Finger Tip Drag drill (200)
100 meters of the Hand Flick drill (300)
100 meters of the Catch Up drill (400)
5 x 100 meters of Freestyle, breathing every third stroke. 15 seconds rest between each one. (900)
3 x 200 meters of Freestyle breathing every third stroke. 15 seconds rest between each one. (1500)
1 x 300 meters of Freestyle breathing every third stroke (1800)

*****

Tuesday Wetsuit Order

*****

Amanda is back in the office on Tuesday, March 17th and I will be stopping by the office to help her put together and put in the wetsuit order. We should get the wetsuits in enough time for you to practice with them a few times if you are doing the Lone Star sprint.

COACH'S RECOMENDATION--Order the LONG SLEEVE WETSUIT rather than the sleeveless one. Trust me, you want the added buoyancy and the added warmth. The sleeveless wetsuits let that cold water slide on in around your armpits. BURRR!!! The water temperature of Town Lake in Austin ranges anywhere from 68 to 76 degrees. It is still chilly.

Whew, that was a lot of information. Remember to give me, your Mentor, or Sarah Riesner at the TNT office a call if you have any questions and I will see you this weekend!

GO TEAM!!!

Coach Liz

Howdy TEAM!

There is a ton of important information in this post so please take the time to read through it. Sometimes you ask me questions that are answered in these posts. I will keep it short and to the point as much as I can. Here is the order of information:

• Thursday Track Workout


• Saturday Run Workout


• Monday Swim Workout


• Lone Star Sprint Triathlon Information


• (Re-) Commitment to Our Fight Against Cancer
  

___________________________________________________
Thursday Night Track Workout
___________________________________________________
Tonight at 6:30 PM at the track located across the street from the Memorial Park Tennis Center and Smoothie King, Ryan will be out there a little early to lead the Track Workout. You can do this workout on your own at a local school track, but if you want to meet up with some of your TEAM-mates, bring a water bottle and come on out tonight.

Directions to the Memorial Park Track:

From where we normally meet at the picnic table on Arnot St., turn right onto Memorial Park Loop and follow the road past the Golf Course entrance, past the Driving Range until you see the Tennis Center on your left. If you go too far, the road goes down to one way only and you will be forced to make a U-turn and head back towards the Tennis Center.
These workouts are designed to help you get a little faster with your running or run/walk combination. It builds upon what we have been doing for the past few weeks.

Warm-Up:
2 min of small bouncing on the balls of the feet to warm up those lower leg muscles.
2 min of running in place focusing on picking the foot up off the ground as if you were running on hot coals.
6 forward lunges on each leg. Step out into the lunge and then step back in to alternate legs.
6 side lunges on each leg. Step out into the lunge and then step back in to alternate legs.
Workout:
Newbies to running--5 x 800 meters (2 laps around the track, 4 times)
Seasoned runners--7 x 800 meters
Hard-Core runners-- 8 x 800 meters

Take a full lap (400 meters) around the track jogging or walking, or a combination of the two to recover between each 800 meters.

Keep track of the time it takes you to do an 800 and try to keep all of your 800's at or around the same pace.

Don't chop off that last 400 recovery. Use it as your Cool Down. Stretch after the workout.
___________________________________________________
Saturday Run Workout
___________________________________________________
This Saturday we are back at the Picnic Table at the front of the Memorial Park Pool Parking Lot on Arnot St. Please meet at 6:45 am to start your 4 mile run at 7:00 am. This is the same fun run we did two weeks ago. Ryan and Erich are leading your workout. Coach is absent this weekend as I will be running a half marathon at Disney World

SPECIAL SURPRISE!!!

Our Honored Teammate, Kathryn Geddie, will be at practice this Saturday and she will be running with you!!! If you have not heard Kathryn's story you really need to hear it. Kathryn is part of the Lone Star Tri Team so she is well aware of what you are going through with the training and the fundraising.

After the run, some of the TEAM have been known to go eat some breakfast tacos. At a $1.50 each, you get a great deal and some great post run fuel.

_________________________________________________

Monday Night Swim Workout

_________________________________________________

Dad's Club @ 7pm

The pool is now set up for Long Course swimming. Each length is 50 meters. Down and back is 100 meters.

1. 100 meters of the 10/10 drill (100)
2. 100 meters of the 6/6 drill (200)
3. 100 meters of the Finger Tip Drag drill (300)
4. 100 meters of the Hand Flick drill (400)
5. 100 meters of Finger Tip down and Hand Flick on the way back (500)
6. 100 meters of the Catch Up drill (600)
7. 100 meters of Freestyle, breathing every third stroke (700)
8. 2 x 200 meters of the following--Finger Tip on first 50M, Hand Flick on second 50M, Catch Up on third 50M, and Freestyle breathing every third stroke on the last 50M (1100)
9. 2 x 100 meters of Freestyle breathing every third stroke (1300)
   

__________________________________________________

Lone Star Sprint Triathlon

__________________________________________________

Your first opportunity to participate in a sprint distance triathlon is coming up on Saturday, April 4th. I highly encourage you to get at least one sprint distance race under your belt before we head to Austin in May. Besides Lone Star, there will be two other opportunities to get some experience in before the big event. Lone Star Sprint Triathlon is a very well run event and you will have a great time if you decide to participate in this race. By clicking on Lone Star, you will go to the event website and get information on registration. When you register for this event, you will be asked to provide a USA Triathlon Member Number. You will need to register as a new USAT member to do this. Please sign up for a yearly USAT membership rather than a one-day race pass because you will need to be a USAT member for the Cap Tex event as well as any other races that you choose to do. Wetsuits are recommended for this race and we will be placing the wetsuit order on March 17th and you will have them in time for the race.

If you would like to wait until May for the CB&I Sprint Tri or the Silverlake Sprint Tri, please make plans to come to Galveston to cheer on your TEAM mates or to volunteer for the event. You have the potential to earn $250 for your Pay Cor account by assembling a group of 10 people to volunteer at an aid station, directing traffic, helping at the finish line, or one of many other jobs that the race director and race staff needs help with. Amanda Duke from the office can give you all the details and let you know who you need to contact to get your group on the Volunteer list.

_______________________________________________________________

(Re-)Committed to the Fight Against Blood Cancers

_______________________________________________________________

We are all busy people. We are all dealing with a lot of personal and professional obligations. We are all tired at the end of the day. But what would you do if you found out tomorrow that your parent, sibling, spouse, or child was diagnosed with leukemia or lymphoma? Would you do everything in your power to find the money to send them to the best doctors in the country? Would you tell people about what you are doing to get that special person the help that they need? Would you make some sacrifices of your time and energy now if you knew it would pay off in a few months?

If you answered yes to one or all of these questions then you are ready to fill out and submit your Re-commitment paperwork. You do not need to be at the half-way point of your fundraising to recommit to the fight against blood cancers. So you have been out of town and you could not make it to the practices. That is ok, you can still recommit to the fight. Maybe you are already at your fundraising minimum. Keep fundraising and see how much money you can raise to help people in need. Maybe you want to share some of that extra fundraising money with one of your teammates who only has a few hundred dollars in their Pay Cor account. Talk to Amanda on how you can help out one of your teammates. I want all 33 TEAM members to cross the finish line in Austin. All you need to do is remember why you signed up back in January and recommit to the fight.

By recommitting, we can get busy behind the scenes ordering your wetsuit, making your hotel reservation, getting you registered for Cap Tex, and arranging for your Inspiration Dinner and Victory Party tickets. If I was not convincing enough, read what Lance Armstrong has to say about commitment...

Have a great weekend TEAM and be sure to check back on Monday and I will post a picture of me at the Magic Kingdom at the end of my half marathon.

Coach Liz

Thursday Track Workout and Weekend Practice

Happy Thursday TEAM Cap Tex!

Here is the information contained in this post:

1. Thursday Night Track Workout
2. Saturday Bike Workout
   
3. Photos from last Saturday

___________________________________________________

Thursday Night Track Workout

___________________________________________________

Tonight at 6:30 PM at the track located across the street from the Memorial Park Tennis Center and Smoothie King, Ryan will be out there a little early to lead the Track Workout. You can do this workout on your own at a local school track, but if you want to meet up with some of your TEAM-mates, bring a water bottle and come on out tonight. It is warm so make sure to bring plenty of water with you.

Warm-Up:

2 min of small bouncing on the balls of the feet to warm up those lower leg muscles.

2 min of running in place focusing on picking the foot up off the ground as if you were running on hot coals.

6 forward lunges on each leg. Step out into the lunge and then step back in to alternate legs.

6 side lunges on each leg. Step out into the lunge and then step back in to alternate legs.

Workout:

Newbies to running--4 x 800 meters (2 laps around the track, 4 times)

Seasoned runners--6 x 800 meters

Hard-Core runners-- 7 x 800 meters

Take a full lap (400 meters) around the track jogging or walking, or a combination of the two to recover between each 800 meters.

Keep track of the time it takes you to do an 800 and try to keep all of your 800's at or around the same pace.

Don't chop off that last 400 recovery. Use it as your Cool Down. Stretch after the workout.

___________________________________________________

Saturday Bike Workout

___________________________________________________

This Saturday we are back at Bear Creek Park for our bike workout. We will meet at 7:00 am at Pavillion #6. Remember, directions to get to Bear Creek Park from Memorial Park, head west on I-10 past the Beltway to the Eldridge exit. Head north on Eldridge to Clay Rd. (third stop light) and turn left and head west on Clay Rd. Go to the second entrace into Bear Creek Park on Bear Creek Dr. and head into the park. Drive about a 1/4 of a mile down the road and you will see the golf course on your right and then a huge white dome shaped picnic pavillion on your left. This is Pavillion #6.

Bring your bike, a helmet, water bottle, and a tire pump if you have one. The weather looks to be warmer than the last time we were out there but make sure that you have some warmer clothes if you need them.

After our workout, we will go have breakfast at Taco Cabana on Clay Rd. Yummy!

___________________________________________________

Fun Pictures !

Contact me if you have questions about the workouts,

Coach Liz

Monday Swim Workout

Howdy TEAM!!!

Great turnout for the workout this past weekend. So how many of you are a little sore from running on your mid to forefoot? The more you practice that running technique, the stronger your calf muscles will get and the longer you will be able to run with speed and without pain.

If you cannot make tonight's swim workout, here is what we are doing so you can get the workout in on your own. However, I hope to see you tonight because we have some fun planned. The Workout is in 2 parts. The first part will focus on kicking and the second part will focus on stroke work.

PART ONE
1. Do two lengths kicking on your side, with or without the kickboard. Concentrate on having a relaxed but mostly straight leg. Rest as needed. (50)

2. Swim two 50’s of the 10/10 drill with stroke. Rest 15-20 seconds after each. (150)

3. Swim four 50’s of the 10/10 drill with stroke down to one end and swimming back breathing every third stroke. Rest 15-20 seconds between each one. (350)

4. Do two lengths kicking with kickboard or lying on your side. (400)

5. Swim two 50’s freestyle breathing every third stroke, then one 50 of the 10/10 drill with stroke. Rest 15-20 seconds between each 50. REPEAT. (700)

6. Swim four 25 yards easy freestyle, breathing every three strokes. Rest 15-20 seconds between each. (800)


All Freestyle sets will be done with breathing every third stroke.

When streamlining off the wall, hold on to wall with one hand and stretch out the other hand down the lane. Dip 12 inches under the water and push off the wall with the legs and lock the arms above the head with one hand on top of the other and the head slightly tucked down.

Fingertip Drag Drill requires that you drag your fingers over the surface of the water from the point where the hand comes out of the water by your hip all the way up past the head where the hand would enter the water.

PART TWO
1. Push off the wall, streamlined with 6 to 10 small kicks. Do this 5 to 10 times until you can do it every time with ease.

2. Push off streamlined with kicks, and do the 10/10 drill for a 25. Rest if needed, then push off streamlined and swim breathing every three strokes on the way back. Repeat. (100)

3. Push off streamlined with kicking and swim either four 25’s or two 50’s breathing every third stroke. (200)

4. Fingertip drag drill—four 25’s or two 50’s, streamlining off the walls and kicking. (300)

5. Swim six 50’s, concentrating on having a good stroke, streamlining off the wall and kicking at starts. Rest no more than 15 to 20 seconds between each one. (600)

6. Do a 25 of the 10/10 drill and a 25 of the fingertip drag drill. Repeat. (700)

7. Do two 75’s, streamlining off the wall and kicking at starts and turns or doing flip turns with kicking off the wall. (850)


Hope to see you tonight!

Coach Liz

Weekend Update #2

Howdy TEAM!



This post is in two parts with some fun pictures at the end.



Thursday Track Workout is on your own this week. The mentors all have a function that they are attending so you will need to find a local school track near your home to get this workout in. I am giving you the same workout as last week since many of you attended the Fundraising Workshop. This workout should only take you 30 to 40 minutes to complete.

The Basics--1 lap around the track = 400 meters.
Track Ettiquite--Slower runners and/or walkers should stay to the right of the track. No more than two abreast on the track.

Warm Up:
20 Overhead arm swings (think of doing an underhanded basketball toss)
20 Trunk circles, 10 in each direction (rotate the shoulders around the hips in a big circle)
2 minutes running in place with high knees (goofy drill from the video on Sunday)
2 minutes small bounces on balls of feet like you are jumping rope.

Work Out:
Newbies to running--3 x 800 meters (2 laps around the track)
Seasoned runners--5 x 800 meters
Hard-Core runners-- 6 x 800 meters

Take a full lap (400 meters) around the track jogging or walking, or a combination of the two to recover between each 800 meters.

Keep track of the time it takes you to do an 800 and try to keep all of your 800's at or around the same pace.

Don't chop off that last 400 recovery. Use it as your Cool Down. Stretch after the workout.


Saturday TEAM Workout--Memorial Park @ 6:45 am and running at 7:00 am. Please meet at the picnic table at the front of the parking area on Arnot St. next to the Memorial Park Pool and Fitness Center. This is the same place we met for our first workout. Call me if you get lost or need directions!

Route--We will be running 4 miles on Saturday. As soon as we finish our workout, Dr. Hassenbank from Spine and Sports Therapy will be stopping by to give us a stretching and injury prevention clinic. Bring a beach towel that you can throw on the ground and use while we stretch.


Make sure to finish up your arrangements for a bike in the next week. If you have any fundraising letters that you want free postage on, please bring them to practice on Saturday. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by phone or email. Keep telling people what you are doing and keep asking them to help you find a cure.

GO TEAM!!!

Coach Liz

Monday Swim Workout!

Hey TEAM!!!

We had some great weekend workouts.  Ryan and Erich said that there were a few of you that went out to Track Workout on Thursday night but I heard that 13 of you went to the Fundraising Clinic which is awesome.  Don't forget that if you have letters that you need for me to take to the office for free postage, bring them tonight for swim practice.

On Saturday we had a small turnout for our first bike workout.  I hope that it was a small workout only because many of you do not have your bikes yet.  Please finish up your bike plans, either borrowing or purchasing, and start getting some time on the bike.  It was windy and a little chilly, but I think that once we got going everyone warmed up.  There were a few potential crashes, bit it looks like we avoided any injury.  Remember that riding your bike is like driving your car.  You need to let people know what you are going to do to avoid a crash.

Yesterday we had our Sunday Social and did a little eating and socializing and a little learning about run training.  The two major lessons that we learned about running to prevent injury were:

1.  Shorten your stride

2.  Avoid landing on the heel of your foot, but rather you mid- to forefoot. 

These two items will help you use your calf muscles and the facia in the foot to absorb the impact of landing back on the ground.  There are two goofy drills we learned and you will probably be working on the during your warm up at this week's Track Workout.

Tonight

Monday Swim Workout--Dad's Club @ 7 p.m.

Workout Week 2

• Do 2 lengths kicking on your side with or without the kickboard.  Rest as needed. (50)

• Do 2 lengths kicking the 10/10 drill with the kickboard.  Rest as needed (100)

• Do 2 x 50's kicking the 6/6 drill with a water bottle.  Rest 15-20 seconds between each.(200)

• Swim 4 x 50's of the 10/10 drill with stroke.  Rest 15-20 seconds between each (400)
  

• Swim 6 x 50's breathing every three strokes.  Rest 15-20 seconds between each (700)
  

So bring your kick board (Dad's Club has some you can borrow as well) and bring a water bottle and I will see you tonight ready to go at 7 p.m.

I have pictures from this weekend and I will post them later today.

Have a great day today,  GO TEAM!!!

Coach Liz

Track Workout and Weekend Plan

Great turnout Monday evening for swimming! I can say that I am pretty impressed with everyone's swimming ability and willingness to give those drills a try. If you are looking for more swimming lessons on the basics of freestyle and getting comfortable with the breathing take a look at Centergie Team's website. They offer Adult Learn to Swim classes and Masters Swim programs at 24-Hour Fitness and Bally Total Fitness gyms around the city. There are lessons and swim groups every day of the week both early in the mornings and after work. Their prices are reasonable at $40/month for gym members and $50/month for non members. You can attend workouts as many times a month as you want. Not a bad deal!



Ok, this post has a lot of information in it and it will be split into 3 parts: Track Workout, Saturday Bike workout, and Sunday Social.



Track Workout--6:30 pm at the Memorial Park running track across the street from the tennis courts and the Smoothie King. Ryan will be out there early, by the big oak tree and park benches, and he will have a few short warm-up drills for you before you get going. The track workout is designed to help you get a little faster with your running pace and to help you to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. Trust me, when you are out there at mile 3.5 of the run and it is almost 90 degrees, you will thank me for putting together these interval workouts.



The Basics--1 lap around the track = 400 meters. Slower runners and/or walkers should stay to the right of the track. No more than two abreast on the track.



Warm Up:

20 Overhead arm swings (think of doing an underhanded basketball toss)

20 Trunk circles, 10 in each direction (rotate the shoulders around the hips in a big circle)

20 count running in place with high knees

20 count running in place with butt kicks with your heels

20 step out side lunges, alternating sides



Work Out:

Newbies to running--3 x 800 meters (2 laps around the track)

Seasoned runners--5 x 800 meters

Hard-Core runners-- 6 x 800 meters



Take a full lap (400 meters) around the track jogging or walking, or a combination of the two to recover between each 800 meters.

Keep track of the time it takes you to do an 800 and try to keep all of your 800's at or around the same pace.

Don't chop off that last 400 recovery. Use it as your Cool Down. Stretch after the workout.





Saturday Bike Workout--7 am at Bear Creek Park. Bring your bike and a helmet.



Directions to Bear Creek Park--Head west on I-10 and get off at the Eldridge exit. Go North on Eldrige to the third stop light at Clay Rd. Make a left on Clay Rd. and go to the second stoplight and turn into Bear Creek Park on Bear Creek Ln. Drive a 1/4 of a mile down the road and on your left you will see a large covered picnic pavillion. This is pavillion #6 and we will park there.



Workout Objectives: Learn how to change gears on the bike. Basic bike rules of the road. Adjusting bike fit if needed on anyone's bike. How to change a tire.



Please bring a water bottle and the tools needed to change a tire (tire levers, tube, CO2 and inflater or floor pump).





Sunday Social--2 pm at Coach Liz' House 10802 Idlebrook Dr. Houston, TX 77070



Directions to Coach's house from the Memorial Park area: Take Hwy 290 past Beltway 8 to the Jones Rd. exit. Turn right on Jones Rd. and drive 5 miles into the Norchester Subdivision just past Grant Rd. Once in the Norchester subdivision, you will pass three stop lights. Take a right on Idlebrook, the first street immediately after the third stoplight. Coach's house is the 5th house on the left, a two story tan painted brick house with a white mailbox.



If you have an E-Z Tag, take Hwy 290 to the Beltway and go north on the Beltway to Hwy 249 just past the Sam Houston Race Park. Head west on Hwy 290 past Willowbrook Mall to the Cypresswood exit. Make a left on Cypresswood and you will enter the Norchester subdivision after the second stop sign. Take the first right on Balcrest after entering the Norchester subdivision. Make a left at the stop sign onto Idlebrook Dr. and drive down towards the end of the street. 10802 will be on your right. It is the 5th house from the end of the street and is the two story tan painted brick.



We will be enjoying a little social time and some good food as well as getting to watch a DVD on running technique. Evolution Running is an approach to running that I have been using since I had knee surgery in 2006. I have been injury free since then and I have run several half and full marathons using this technique posting some of my best running times. Running should be a natural movement, but many times we use inefficient techniques that can slow us down or lead to injury.


As always, if you have any questions feel free to e-mail me at tntcoachliz.gmail.com or call me at 281-787-6436 to get the answers you need. See you on Saturday!

Later Gators,

Coach Liz

Swimming at 7:00 PM on Monday

Howdy TEAM,

It was great to see such a big turnout for our first practice on Saturday. If you did not find all the swim gear you were looking for, you can always find kick boards, swim caps, practice suits, and other gear at D&J Sports. Hit the D&J name, and the link will take you directly to their web site on grab bag swim suits and from there you can look for other gear. I love this shop and they are right near my home up on the Northwest side of town.

The big question you might have is "Where is swim practice and at what time?" We are holding our swim workouts at Dad's Club. Here is the address:

Dad's Club
1006 Voss Rd.
Houston, TX 77055
713-461-6533

From Memorial Park, you will need to head west on I-10 past the 610 Loop to the Bingle and Voss Exit. Once on the feeder road, drive through the Bingle and I-10 intersection and Voss is the first block past Bingle. You will see a large building on your right with some plastic tarp near the roof. This is Dad's Club. Parking is around the back of that building and we are swimming at the outdoor pool. Our pool time starts at 7:00 pm and we have one hour so get there a little early so that we are ready to jump in the water at 7:00 pm.

If you cannot make the swim practice but would like to do the workout on your own, here is what we have lined up for tomorrow evening:

Freestyle Basics
Focus—Kicking, Body Roll, and Breathing

Workout 1
Rest when you become winded but keep rests to less than 30 seconds. If you’re experienced, rest 15 – 20 seconds. The numbers in parenthesis are cumulative yards.

1. Float and look down at the bottom of the pool. Let your legs and hips come up. Get accustomed to what that feels like. Your heels should be near or at the surface.
2. Do one length kicking lying on your side either with or without a kickboard. Rest. (25 yds)

3. Come back lying on your other side. Rest. (50)

4. Do two lengths kicking while lying on your side, rolling and switching sides every 10 kicks. This will be called the 10/10 drill with kickboard. Rest at each end if needed. (100)

5. Do 4 lengths kicking holding a water bottle, rolling and switching sides every 10 kicks. This will be called the 10/10 drill with bottle. (200)

6. Do 2 lengths kicking holding a water bottle, rolling and switching sides every 6 kicks. This will be called the 6/6 drill with bottle. (250)

7. Do 2 lengths kicking without the bottle, rolling and switching sides every 10 kicks and reaching and stretching with the arms. This will be called the 10/10 drill with stroke. (300)

8. Do 4 lengths kicking without the bottle, rolling and switching sides every 6 kicks and reaching and stretching with the arms. This will be called the 6/6 drill with stroke. (400)

9. Swim 25 yards, breathing every three arm strokes. Rest and repeat. (450)

10. Swim six more 50’s breathing every 3rd stroke, resting 15-20 seconds between each. (750)

Alright! So bring your kick board and a water bottle to practice and you are good to go. I am finishing up some photos for the weight workout so you know what it is you have to do. Here is a great little video from Dave Scott, 6 time Hawaii Ironman champ and TNT national triathlon coach:



Again, call me if you have any questions and if you want to comment to this post, just go to the bottom where it says comments and make a comment. I would also suggest that if you want to register on Blogger so you can make a profile for yourself or start your own blog about your training and send it out to your supporters, it is a great way to see how you will progress over the season! Check back often for cool photos of our trainings.

See you at the pool,

Coach Liz

Welcome!

Hey TEAM!

Thanks for joining the fight against blood cancers and to make a difference in the lives of others. This blog is for you. I will be posting lots of cool tools and things for you to use for your training as well as information that you will need for our weekly workouts. If you want to reply to any of the posts, just hit the link at the bottom of the post that says, "0 comments" and add your feedback for others in the group. If you would like to have anything posted to the blog such as a shout out for a workout partner or who wants to meet you for a training session, let me know and I will get it posted to the blog.

I hope that you are excited to get the season started and remember that right now you have a few weeks to get a head start on your fundraising and your training before things get going on Wednesday, February 4th.

GO TEAM!!!

Coach Liz