apw0397's group - Closed

Hey Andy,

 I'm new to this site -- about 5 minutes new.  So, I don't know if this "mentor program" is out of date or not, and I'm not even sure how to navigate this website yet. But, I think you'd be a good mentor for me.  All of the other mentor's seem kind of well... old.  Here's my bio:

 I'm a 17 year old high school student... and a maverick.  This semester I completed two college courses, 4 high school courses, and I attend a Art Magnet twice a week.  I get things done and get them done well.  I made A's this semester in everything, but it was crazy. I was constantly busy and had NO time to exercise. Needless to say I gained 15 lbs. of fat last semester. This semester, I'm dropping the college courses and a high school class to focus on getting my body in peak shape before college starts.

Anyway, when I get my mind on something, I get it done -- which I think will be my greatest strength in triathlons.  Here's my exercise background.  As a kid, I was fat. Then I woke up one day in 10th grade and decided to change that.  I purchased the book Body-For-Life and it changed my life.  I transformed my body from flab to a regular physique.  So I kind of know what I need to do as far as diet goes, but I could use help on the training part (and everything else).  

Some of my physical accomplishments that will probably help with triathlons include two 10k runs.  I was also on swim team when i was around 9-12 years old.  

 Anyway, if you could give me a heads up what this whole "program" means that would be cool. 

 This is cool and exciting, I've always wanted to do one of these,

Welcome Steven. Thanks for making me sound so "young." I learned to text last week, so I guess that counts for something.

I've been where you are. I was a brainiac in high school as well. Finding a way to balance things out can be tough. Sounds like you have a good handle on things though. It's good that you recognized the need to change early. It's a lot easier to transform your body when you still have a youthful metabolism.

As for training...do you have a target race in mind? Is it realistic that you can be ready in time? Do you have the time to train? What is your strength? What is your weakness?

Those are the kind of questions to start asking. If you already have something in mind, that's great. If you don't, find something. Sign up for it. I'm the type that signs up for something early so there are no excuses for me.

So...let's get started!

Yeah.  I did a quick google search for Louisiana Triathlons and I came up with this list.

 http://www.trifind.com/la.html

 I like the looks of the X-terra Gator Terra.   http://www.dltmultisport.com/Rustman/index.htm  what do you think?

Seems pretty reachable to me. What do you think?  I definitely have time to train for this with the recent cuts.  I have a gym membership, too.  Would cycle classes help here?  Also, I don't have a bike.  the xterra triathlon is off road so i think i need a mountain bike.  Do you know of any well priced beginner bikes and the best place to buy them? And are these "sprint" tris for people like me who are just hoping to finish?

 http://www.dltmultisport.com/Rustman/index.htm

A sprint tri is definitely the place to start. I've never done an off-road (Xterra) tri myself, but I've heard they are a blast. They aren't going to be as fast as a regular tri due to the terrain, but you should still have fun.

The hardest part of doing tris is the initial investment. We did our first tri (my wife and I) on $50 mountain bikes from Target. We didn't want to shell out bookoos of $$ only to find out we really didn't enjoy it too much. So we started slow, then later got road bikes, and now we both have tri bikes.

That would be my advice to you. Start cheap. Everyone will know you are a rookie when you show up, but that's OK. You won't catch any grief for it. Everyone has to start somewhere.

What part of Louisiana do you call home?

I live in a small city 45 minutes equidistant from Baton Rouge and New Orleans.   Lake Charles, where a lot of these tris are held is about 3-4 hours away from my home city.  The Xterra one in Ruston, LA is about 3-4 hours away, too.  

I'm thinking of switching from the off road tri to a new one because it's 3-4 hours away from my city, I would need a wetsuit or something, and I can borrow a road bike from a friend.

The new one is at the University of Mississippi.  This is alot closer than the others.  This is about an hour and 45 minutes away and it's inside swim so that takes care of the extra expense of a wetsuit.  But it's March 29th.  Do you think that's too soon?  (I think it's reasonable but then again I'm on this website because I don't know anything).  

 http://www.trifind.com/ms.html (click on the first tri down, for some reason there is no link)

Definitely doable. Good call on the pool swim too. Open water swimming is something you probably don't want to try your first race.

So, let's start with the swim. Where are you going to pracitice it? Local gym, school, YMCA? Start slowly. Having been on a swim team not too long ago, you'll want to ease back into it. Try some 25s at first. If that's too easy, build up to 50s or 100s. Just see how it feels.

For the bike, as soon as you get that mountain bike, get out there on it. Go for a spin and just get used to riding. The race is only 10 miles, so you have plenty of time to get ready for that.

If you've already done two 10Ks, you should be golden for the 5K run. My only advice on the run is to not run too fast in training. You probably don't have a heart rate monitor now, and that's cool. The biggest mistake I see people do is training too fast. My general rule is if you can't speak a 5 word sentence while running, you are going too hard.

For now, focus on easy training sessions for each area. If you have time to fit in 2 workouts per week on each, that would be great. The most important thing is to have fun.

HI ANDY!!!

NAME: Erin Wood
STORY: I'm 33 (birthday was yesterday!) and married. I have played sports my entire life and have recently really put exercise on the back burner. I never thought I would want to take part in a triathlon, I just always told myself I couldn't do it. I said to myself that I am a mom and that's all, not a triathlete. My husband is really into any kind of sport and has been so disappointed that I've stopped participating in running and swimming and biking with him like I used to. Training with my husband for this upcoming sprint is going to be so awesome and make a huge difference for both of us. We both love the competition and the challenge of playing sports and I know this is going to bring it to a whole new level. The only thing is, I really don't know where to begin!  I want to challenge myself with triathlons and my goal is to compete in my first triathlon by this summer ( I have the triathlon I want to compete in and location and everything but it's too early to actually register) My family is hugely athletic - my dad rides everyday, does centuries once or twice a week at 65, and has done many marathons; my two younger sisters have each done a handful of marathons and my father-in-law has done tons of triathlons and lives, eats and breathes exercise. I'm pretty lazy and can always think of a reason to put it off- but once I start I absolutely love it. I would say I'm an all-or-nothing type of person. I'm sick of feeling lazy and out of shape and am inspired about not just completing a triathlon, but being an excellent athlete as well.

FAMILY STATUS: Married with 2 boys, ages 4 3/4 and 3.
CURRENT TRAINING: Not too much! Starting P90X and starting official triathlon training 1/1/09. 
THIS YEAR'S RACES: None

2009 RACES:  Randolph Lake Triathlon, 7/7/09
WEIGHTLOSS: I would like to lose about 15 lbs. Not a problem losing weight at all though when I exercise, just when I'm sedentary I get a little chunky. But -15 lbs would put me at optimal weight.

Hey Andy,

I'm very new to the triathlon world.  Here's a bit about me...

I'm 28 and married.  No kids yet, but a dog that doesn't know he isn't human.  Growing up and even through college (some), I was pretty athletic and always playing soccer.  Don't let me lead yo to think that I was a skinny kid, I've always been a little on the larger side.  The later years of college are the ones that did me in the worst.  Then, I decided to get a second degree, and that is when everything kind of went downhill.  Gained a good bit of weight and just became a little lazy.  I've worked out and run off and on the past couple of years which has just led to weight fluctuations.  Now, I'm determined as ever to stick with a regular diet and exercise schedule.  I've made it my goal to race in a short sprint in May.  Then I'd like to do a couple of more sprints over the summer and end with an olympic distance in the fall.  My training for the next couple of months was going to focus on weight loss so I don't kill my knees when I start training for triathlons hardcore.  One of my buddies has convinced me to run in a marathon with him in February.  He is doing the full and I'm going to do the half.  Starting March 2nd, I'm planning on going by Joe Friel's 12 week training plan. 

So, there is a little about me...Talk to you later

-Eric 

HI ANDY!

Here's my bio, I'd like to join the group.  

NAME: dkaho64 / Dan
STORY: I'm 26 and engaged.  I have two spoiled cats (dog's aren't allowed in my apartment complex).  I have been in sports my entire life and have always had a competitive edge.  I was in my first triathlon last year (Tri-ing for Childrens's - Wisconsin) and LOVED IT.  I have coworkers that are in tri's with their spouses and we have started a team.  Unfortunately, we don't train as a team and I don't have anyone in my area that I can train with due to my hectic work schedule and the fact that my workout times are at 5AM. I am getting married at the end of April and I want to not only look good for my wedding (in Mexico) but I want to lose weight as well.  I'm looking for someone to keep tabs on me and visa versa. 

 I coach hockey and play as well.  One of my biggest frustrations is that I'm a big guy (5' 10" - 250 lbs).  Another frustration is that I can't run or swim for long distances but I can bike until the sun goes down.  One discovery I have made this year is that my body recovers well.  Example: I can play for 2 minutes straight on the ice and be ready to go back out in 45 seconds.  The reason for my consistent weight problem is food.  I LOVE FOOD and I don't hide it. 

FAMILY STATUS: Engaged with cats. 
CURRENT TRAINING: 2 to 3 times a week in the gym.
2009 RACES:  I have my eye on three races in April/May.  Two in June and one in August. 
WEIGHTLOSS: 50 pounds.

Welcome Erin! Congrats on setting your mind on a non-sedentary lifestyle. Hopefully you will be as hooked on tris as we were after our first. We weren't exactly sure what we were getting into, but as soon as we did one, it was time to sign up for another.

So, where to start? That's always a tough question. It really depends on your fitness level. Start there and build up each week. If you can run 2 miles, do that twice a week. If you can ride 5 miles, do that twice a week.

I'm a big believer in the 10% rule. Every week increase your distance by 10%, then on the 4th week decrease by 40%. Then on the 5th, pick up with your 3rd week. So it would look something like this for running:

Week 1: 2 - 2 mile runs

Week 2: 2 - 2.2 mile runs

Week 3: 2 - 2.4 mile runs

Week 4: 2 - 1.5 mile runs

Week 5: 2 - 2.4 mile runs

Week 6: 2 - 2.6 mile runs

Increasing a little bit at a time allows you to slowly and safely build up. If you try to add too much you risk injury.

If you give me a little bit about what feels comfortable distance-wise or time-wise for swimming, biking, and running, we can get you started.

Hi Eric, welcome to Tri World!

The half marathon is probably my favorite run distance. It's a little bit of pacing but not so much that I get bored with it. What are you doing right now to get ready for the half? I would suggest you focus on running 3X per week. Do 2 runs of around 3-5 miles and 1 long run on the weekend. Again, use the 10% rule. Don't do too much before you are ready.

For now, keep your biking and swimming to 1-2 days per week and on the easy side. Those are your recovery days for now. Once March rolls around you will start focusing in on those.

Exercising for weight loss is a good motivator. What a lot of people don't realize, however, is that you don't burn more fat just by running faster. There are 5 (or 7) different heart rate zones in exercise. Most people would think that the harder you work, the more weight you will lose. Actually, the opposite is true.

In Zones 3-5 (or 7) you are burning the majority of your calories from carbs, which is stored up in your body as glycogen. You have about a 90 minute supply of that. Now, if you train in Zone 2, you are burning the majority of your calories from fat. We have a pretty limitless supply of that.

Training in the proper zone does several things for you. First, it builds your aerobic base, enabling you to go longer at around the same pace. Second, it doesn't wear down your body as much, so you can recover quicker from workouts. Finally, it burns more fat, enabling you to lose weight.

If you don't have a HR monitor, you can go by relative perceived effort (RPE). Zone 2 is probably around a 3-4 out of 10 on the effort level. You should be working up a sweat (assuming its not 19 degrees outside like my run this morning), but you should still be able to speak in short sentences. If you are out of breath and struggling, you are going too fast.

Howdy Dan, welcome to the party and congrats on the upcoming wedding!

So let's talk about food for a bit. Nothing wrong with loving food. I love it too. That's part of the reason I do this stuff. Well, that and because I love wearing mult-colored spandex.

The trick is to eat the right foods. You have to find the way to still be satisfied by food but make it healthier. Chicken instead of beef. Wheat bread instead of white. Skim milk. Etc.

Now you may already be doing these things and not seeing the results. Have you ever kept a food diary? They have a nutrition tracker here on BT that is very good. You can enter in everything you eat and see what your diet looks like. If you write down everything you eat, we can try to pick out a few things here and there to change or eliminate.

Also, like I wrote earlier, take a look at how you are training. If you are in the right HR zones or RPE, you will lose weight faster and more easily.

Some things for all of you.

• What kind of equipment do you have? Bike? Running shoes? HR monitor? GPS watch?
• Do you have gym access?
• Start logging your workouts. Be as detailed as possible. How did the workout feel? Etc.
• Rank your abilities in the big 3? Do you feel you are a strong swimmer, or can you barely dog paddle? Can you only run 30 seconds before you get winded? Etc.

Hi Andy! Thanks for your response! So, I could definitely do two (2) mile runs to start. Is the plan to train in all 3 sports consecutively or to concentrate on running at first? For swimming I'm pretty rusty. I live on a lake so I do swim during the summer but have to get a Y membership in the next couple of days. I think I will be comfortable starting with about 200 meters 2x/week. For biking, I have a pretty crappy mountain bike but can do 12 miles to start comfortably. I have to get my bike inside to start training that way. Have you done P90X before?

I hope this helps. And thank you for being my mentor!

Erin

I would say start right now with all 3. That way you get started early on everything. By the time your race comes around, you will be in good shape for all 3. Contrast that with just running now, then just biking for a while, then just swimming for a while. You would eventually feel like you are playing catchup.

Now there is a training paradigm called periodization. In that you focus on a single sport for a while, say 3 months, while you just focus on maintaining your fitness level on the other 2. That's what I did from October to December. My goal race was a half marathon (last Sunday). During that phase I was running 4x per week, swimming 2x, and biking 1-2x. I have another half marathon at the end of February, but I have my first tri of the season in mid-March. So my training will shift to 3 runs, 2 swims, and 3 bikes. When summer hits, it will probably be 3 runs, 3 swims, and 4 bikes.

Basically you want to change things up depending on what you are training for in the near future. Break the year down into segments. Winter is great for building run volume. Summer is great for bike volume.

For starters, let's just work on getting a good feel for 2 of each per week. Build up a good base first, and then you can start focusing on your limiters.

I've never done P90X personally, but I have a good friend that does it and stays in great shape that way.

Thanks for the advice Andy.  For the ½ marathon…I had started to train back in early November for the half marathon.  I was running anywhere from 1.5-3 miles (short runs M/W/F and longer runs T/H) a day and a long run on the weekend (anywhere from 6-9 miles).  I have always been one to do too much to quick.  I ended up getting tendonitis in my foot.  I could barely walk on it let alone run.  So that kept me from running for a couple of weeks.  Once I felt like I could get back to running, I came down with a nasty cold that knocked me on my butt for about another week.  So here I am at the end of December trying to jump back into things.  I’m going to be sure to “listen” to my body better.  I would hate to re-injure my foot and have to lie off while it heals.

As for equipment…I am borrowing my brother in-law’s road bike (Allez Sport).  It has Cateye Mitty computer and clipless pedals (definitely going to take some getting use to).  I have a pair of Brooks Running shoes that I got fitted for at a local running specialty store (The Trak Shak).  They have been working out well so far.  I have a HR monitor.  I still need to figure out all of the modes and features.  I was planning on doing that on my days off around Christmas and New Years.

Of the big 3, swimming will probably be the biggest obstacle.  I love to be in the water as much as the next person, but I haven’t ever really had any proper instruction in technique.  I have a gym membership at a 24hr fitness facility.  It isn’t very large, and there isn’t a pool.  I’m planning on joining the Y in March.  There is a masters swimming group at one of the branches in town.  Are they usually pretty good with “beginners?”

My current workout is a plan that I got off of Men’s Health.  It is the “belly off” workout.  It consists of lifting M/W/F and cardio T/H/S.  The cardio in this plan is interval training (100m sprints followed by 2min medium run for several reps which increases as the weeks go on).  Would this be ok to do for my ½ marathon training if I throw in a long run on the weekends or should I stick with endurance the entire time?

I know I might be waiting too long to do my first tri, but I want to hit the ground running after the one in May.  What is typically a good amount of time to have between triathlons?  I would guess that 1 a month is fine.  Would a couple of weeks be enough time to recover and then get ready for the next one?

Thanks for being my mentor Andy.  I’m definitely looking forward to getting this going in full swing.

-Eric

Hey, 

It turns out that the triathlon I chose is a lot farther away than I thought.  I don't live in a very good area for triathlons (so I've found).  All of the triathlons are so far away for a 17 year old to drive.  So, I'm left with 1 triathlon in my reach. I must do this one, or none at all.

 http://www.lawired.com/html/basic_information.htm

I can't tell if it needs a wetsuit or not. It says water temp could be as low as 65 degrees.  Is this wetsuit temperature?  

What kind of equipment do you have? Bike? Running shoes? HR monitor? GPS watch?

Bike: I have a trek 7200.  It's a good road bike / mountain bike that has gotten me through the local rides in the area.  My ultimate purchase would be a Trek Tri bike, but I am saving for a road bike instead (more practical - If Tri's become a common habit, I'll have to convince my fiance on that one...)  I want something that's more aerodynamic and provides a nice "riding" position and allows my hands to maintain feeling on a long ride.

Shoes: Brooks Running shoes (they are some kind of platform shoe... quite ugly lookin - I have very flat feet)

HR: Nike HR Monitor/Watch

I am a member at the local gym that specializes in strengthening athletes in their specific sport.  Unfortunately, they fired the lady that was really trying to get a triathlon focused training program into the gym.  I have started a program for hockey and that really focuses on legs, hips (mobility and flexor strength), and core strength.

Abilities - I have never really been a runner, but I've proven that I can include it in my training.  I have read a lot of articles that say to start slow (brisk walks) and work your way up.  I am a good swimmer, I swam my first 800 M in about 15 minutes (with minimal training).  My weakness is endurance in swimming and running.  I'm assuming that adding these things to a weekly training regimen will help to increase endurance?

I usually write down my workouts and will transfer them to the logs tomorrow.

Have a good night everyone!

Dan

I've been there, several times. I've fought achilles issues off and on for two years now. The macho thing to do is run through the pain, but I promise you that doesn't help things. For your half, try running 2 easy runs of 3-4 miles each, a tempo run (1 mile easy, 2-4 miles at your race goal pace + 20 seconds or so, 1 mile cooldown), and a long run. When in Feb is your race? Hopefully at the end. So you can do long runs of 7, 7.5, 8, 6, 8, 8.5, 9, and 7. That's a guess but you can see the gradual progression of slowly increasing the distance.

I'm a big proponent of HR training. Definitely need to get your zones figured out. There are a couple of ways to do this. First, you could go to your gym and have it tested. Not sure about 24 Hr, but at Lifetime it's about $100.

The alternative is free, but it hurts like crazy. Here's how to do a field test:

• 15 minute easy warmup. Towards the end of the 15 minutes, throw in some 15-second bursts to bring your HR up
• 10 minutes hard. Here you want to be running hard but not quite all out. You are just trying to get your HR up. At the end of the 10 minutes, hit the lap button on your HR monitor.
• 20 minutes HARD. Don't go crazy, but this is where you want to push it. I mentally break it into 5 minute segments and try to run faster each segment. You don't want to sprint for 3 minutes and then be completely blown up the next 17. Either keep the pace consistent or speed up as you go. You should be pretty gassed at the end of this part. At the end of the 20 minutes, hit the lap button.
• 15 minute cooldown.

Once you are done, take a look at your average heart rate for the 20 minute segment. That is your Lactate Threshold Heart Rate. From there, you can figure out your HR zones. We can talk about that after you do your test. Do it as soon as you can so you can start training in the proper zones. Make sure you are well rested beforehand, maybe taking a day off before. Do it somewhere flat without any stops. A track is perfect, but it can be a little monotonous.

I highly recommend masters. I do it.

Just make sure that the coach understands you are triathlon training.

Yikes. 65 is cold. A tri is wetsuit legal anywhere below 78 degrees. If it's 65, you'll definitely want a wetsuit.

There are lots of places that will rent you a wetsuit for about 30 bucks (that number could be off). Might be an option. Or you could scour Ebay and try to find a used one on the cheap.

Hips and core are a great focus for most sports. That's where a lot of our power comes from. You may also want to do some flexibility work. Most of the injuries I've had have been from a lack of flexibility. If your gym has some yoga classes, and your fiance (and you) is (are) ok with you more than likely being the only guy in a room full of girls, try doing that. It would help a lot. Heck, maybe it could be something the two of you could do as a couple.

Consisitency is one thing that will build endurance. Doing things preperly will as well. For biking and running, definitely figure our your HR zones. I would caution you to make sure you can run for an hour first. If you can do a test at your gym, it's less difficult, shorter, and less stressful.

The hour I was talking about is the lactate threshold HR time trial I mentioned above:

HOWEVER, if running an hour seems like a reach, don't worry about it for now. You can run by relative perceived effort. Most of your running and biking should be fairly easy. Generally if you can't speak in short sentences while running or riding, you are going too hard. That roughly will correlate to Zone 2 when you have your HR zones lined up.

Training in Zone 2, or by a fairly low RPE may seem silly or easy at first. In fact, it might seem too slow. It's odd that running slow in training will enable you to get faster, but it does. I did ZERO speedwork from May to October other than races, and I had my best season ever. Give it a try and you will see some results.

You mentioned you had a HR monitor but didn't really know what to do with it. The point of a HR monitor (to me) is to tell you if your body says it is going too hard.

Again, the one hour test may be a bit much if you don't have a good base of running right now. There are other methods to figure out your HR zones. You can get it tested at a gym or sports training facility for around a hundred bucks. There are also some formulas you can use, described here. Basically you just want to use it so you can build your aerobic base, get faster at the same effort, burn more fat, recover faster, and eventually see better results.