SPRINT & OLY FOCUS - closed

In.

I'm 35, live just outside Ottawa, and 2015 will be my first triathlon season, though I trained for triathlon in 2014 (a recurring knee injury pushed me to plan B: swim-cycle). I really enjoyed the swim-cycle and am looking forward to doing full triathlons this year - gearing for a couple of sprints starting in June and hoping to get to Olympic distance in August.

I consider myself primarily a cyclist, having an extensive mountain biking background and switching to road biking last year. I swam a lot as a kid but pretty much stopped completely after high school. It came back quick when I started up last year, and I did surprisingly well when I raced. I've jogged during the summer for the past 5 years or so, but last year year went too hard first run of the season and injured my knee. I got too impatient with the rehab processed and continually reinjured the knee, so I've been very diligent with strengthening and stretching this offseason, and am going to ease into running volume very carefully once I get running in the spring.

Having two kids and a demanding job limits my training time, so I've been trying to get the most bang-for-the-buck by doing lots of high intensity intervals on the bike in November and December. I've been reading Friel's Training Bible and have planned out my season, and the plan goes into action next week - I'll be getting back into the pool after a couple months off, and will be putting in lots of Zone 2 time on the bike. Unfortunately running outside is not in the cards and I don't have a treadmill, so I'm making do with stair work until I can get outside to run, hopefully mid to late March.

Big step: I'm in.

My Story: I am a 48 year old woman who has decided that I want to complete a Sprint Triathlon. I love swimming and biking(for recreation) and have been working on the c25k.

Hometown: Milton, Vermont

Family: Married, 3 dogs, 6 chickens

Prior races: I haven't done any type of races in the past.

2015: I am planning on racing in the Vermont Sun Triathlon in either July or August.(whichever my work schedule allows,I work 12 hours shifts Fri, Sat, and Sundays).


I am willing to take any advice I can get. I am currently doing 3x week c25k, 2 days indoor cycling 30-45 mins. I havent really started swimming on a regular basis yet.

Really am excited about accomplishing this goal.

Welcome guys & gals...

Shift question...
3/12s ? Days or Nights?



Edited by simpsonbo 2015-01-01 9:55 PM

I'm in.

After a serious lapse in physical fitness, I've decided doing a sprint this summer would be a good goal for myself. Admittedly, I am a little nervous about a number of things, but I'm also excited to see if I can do it. I was a serious swimmer in High School (about 15 years ago) and did some life guarding; I recently got back in the pool, but have a ways to go.

Looking to make my heart happier, my muscles stronger & to cross a finish line! I'm ready to learn- I'm good at taking direction & encouraging others!

Age: 31

Family Status: Very happily married w/1 dog.

Location: South Eastern, CT

Previous race experience: a couple 5ks about 2 years ago... No tri, open water swim, or bike experience whatsoever.

Cheers!!!

days i get up and do a workout before my shift.

Open water is kinda like meet warm ups... chaotic and some contact.

Most former swimmers adapt to triathlon quite. Our bodies are used to the "abuse". My suggestion is doing lots of short stuff at the pool. A long set for the next few months should be 15-20x100. Nothing wrong with doing 25s and 50s slightly faster than your target pace instead of just swimming your distance (500-1000 depending on the race, 750m is the official distance). The intervals will be an easier mentally.

As for cycling, do you have a road bike yet? Trainer?

No access to an indoor track for you ? Even at 1x/ week your running condition will improve quicker once you are able to run consistently outside. Are you worried the cold will be hard on that knee. I ran though the winter I was in Regina, it sucked but I managed.

Sounds like you are on the right track. Stay away from the LSD in the pool once you get going.

There is an indoor track about 45 minutes away - I'm taking a modified "couch to sprint" approach for the run in order to ease into it, and I'd feel kind of dumb spending 1.5 hours in the car and $10 a track session in order to spend 5 minutes running, but I may bite the bullet and do some track sessions in March to get a head start on running.

As I live in a rural area, there are no sidewalks to run on, and it just seems really sketchy to run on the side of the road when the plow doesn't leave very much shoulder. I am doing cross country skiing (classic and skate) which isn't exactly run training but better than nothing.

Yeah, I've got some plans for 50-100m intervals in the pool - I did the LSD thing last year and plateaued pretty quick.

Sounds like a measured approach to recovery. I guess 5 min is not worth it. My dad ran rural roads in Northern Alberta in the 80s before cell phones and made it ok. Personally I am not worried about vehicle traffic, large snow heaps and poor road conditions are the big danger.


Ski lots it helps.. I raced a little as a kid and it is a great sport.
Be safe and smart.


See if you can combine trips as well. Even if you have to take 2 cars shopping you break off and the family goes home and you go training.

Edited by simpsonbo 2015-01-02 5:12 PM

I'm in!

33 yo trying to get back to the former athlete that I was.

Location: Middlebury, VT

Priors: Ran long distance in track and ran cross crounty all throughout middle and high school. Have only run one 5k a few years ago.

Looking to participate in a tri in June or August here in VT.

I know triathlons are mostly physical but I think that the mental part is just as important. I need to work on that aspect.

Hello everyone,

I think this group is a good fit for me.

Name: gabby's mom/Michelle

Married with 2 step children (14 yo boy & 16yo girl), a dog, a cat, and a few beef cattle

Home is southeast Tennessee

A couple of years ago my body started reminding me that as I "matured" my metabolism drastically slowed. In order to fight this natural process I Have focused on walking 4-5 x a week and improving my diet. Have successfully decreased my intake of processed foods and attempt to eat a clean diet, though I still have a lot of room for improvement. This year will bring the big 50 and I refuse to give in quietly. My goal is to be in the best physical and mental shape ever when the birthday rolls around in September.

Current training: walking/jogging 4x a week, (slowly jogging, no speed involved) stationary bicycle 2-3 x a week for past month and occasional Pilates video. Swim background is minimal -pleasure only. I anticipate this to be the biggest challenge as will need to join fitness center to swim during winter weather.

Previous races: one 5k in 2013 and one 5k last month.

2015 races: 5k in 2-15
8k in 3-15
Cedars of Lebanon sprint tri in May 2015 (supposed to be a good beginners tri) -now that I've written it I can't back out!
Hopefully more to follow after I get in a training routine

Looking forward to learning from the group and to providing encouragement to the rest of you who have made this commitment.

Edited by Gabby'smom 2015-01-05 7:02 AM

Middlebury has a decent aquatic centre, one of my club teammates swam there. See if the masters program fits your schedule. It won't hurt to try.


A reminder for everyone training for swimming is not the same as running or cycling. There is way more stopping and starting in a swim practice. Many ttiathletes view it as wasted time. It's not if your sets are structured properly.

Going out to swim a continuous 1500m/1650y is not a productive daily session. I am going to post more on this over the weekend.

I will post some YouTube videos on various topics. They will all be unlisted, which means the link I post is the only way for you to find it.

-18C / -27C with windchill tonight!!!

I'm in.

Name: Pat, 2001jeepwrangler

Location: Charleston, SC (profile says Wyoming, but I can't see where I can edit it???)

Background: 46 years old, physically active / athletic as a youngster up until 20 yrs ago then got married, had kids (3, ages 8 to 14)gained weight, etc. Last summer I began to exercise again and made the decision to change how I was living my life (unhealthy). One of my goals is to train to avoid injury so I watched some youtube videos on proper form for running. One video after the next led me to get more excited and eventually led me to this site.

Running: I really wasn't ever a long distance runner, but did enjoy "jogging" a few miles. I have run a few 10k's in my younger days - best time was about 42 min. I now run 8:30 for a 5k and do a long run up to 7 miles currently. Would like to get my time down to below 7 min/mile and work on the distance to run a marathon in 2015.

Swimming: I feel I'm a strong swimmer, but have never had any formal lessons. All I know came from watching videos. Have access to a junior Olympic pool year round. Currently swim 500m at 9:30.

Biking: probably my weakest area. I ride a mountain bike up to 10 miles at 15 mph. Don't have a road bike yet. I feel this is the area I can make the most improvement on to get a good time on my first sprint triathlon in April.

I'd like to learn more about this..... For my running training, I do 1 long run each week and try to increase it by 10%. Does increasing your swimming distance not help in the same way?

Like to be in.

Name: Derrick

Location: Wasaga Beach Ontario - Mississauga, Ontario during week for work

Born 1967 Married 24 years with 2 older kids 18 and 22

Story So far:
Woke up one morning in April this year really unhappy with who I had become. Well over 300 lbs and miserable. Started watching what I ate and trying to run or more accurately crawl around the block a few times a week. Developed runners knee and had to take some time off the running so switched to a bike. The weight started to come off and I started riding a little further each week. Started doing group rides 2-3 times a week which really motivated me to keep going. lost over 110 lbs so far and will get the last 20-30 off before spring

Spent the last 8 weeks doing Interval training on the bike with a small group and a coach as well as at home on a Kurt Kenetic Rock and Roll Trainer Start Monday January 5 with a Running Room program hoping to avoid injury again. Figure I am allot lighter than when I tried running in the spring so it should be far easier on the knees if I build slowly.
Swimming will be my Achilles if the few swims I did in December are any indication.
Need to decide this week if I want to continue with the bike coach or switch over to Trainer Road

2015 Events
March 5k Run - Running Room Program is geared to end at a 5k in March
Blue Mountain Centurion - September 18-20
Wasaga Beach Triathlon - August 29 - Distance TBD

Edited by derrickyoung95 2015-01-03 5:57 AM

Bo can you comment on active recovery vs actually stopping during a swim workout? I've always been more of a proponent of active recovery, just slowing right down and completing 25-50m at a leisurely pace before kicking it back into high gear for the next interval.

When you say "stopping and starting" do you mean physically stopping and chilling out at the end of the lane for like 30s, or does active recovery work for this?

In swimming its usually passive recovery unless you are doing a super high intensity set.

IE


10x100 1 Fast (flat out) / 1 Easy each cycle is on 5.00

It could easily be 16x50 with cycle on 2.30 or 3.00.

Bo Would you mind explaining this is simpleton terms.

Swim workout nomenclature is like chemistry... it really is a unique written language. There are some variations in short hand but most swimmers can walk on to the deck look at the white board and do a workout.

Sets are written up like this.

30 x 25 @ 30 Free


30 (number of reps) x 25 (distance in metres or yards) @ (on) 30.

30 in this case is a fixed send off. You start each 25 exactly 30 seconds after the previous one. So in this example I swim a 25 in approx 15 seconds which means I earned 15 seconds rest, 30 seconds comes around and I go again.

In the prior post the example the interval covered 2 repeats and then started over again. So I swim 100 metres flat out, catch my breath for a few seconds and then swim an easy 100, that makes one cycle. At 5.00 after I start the first cycle I start the second.






Most pools in Canada use analog pace clocks like this one. But digital clocks are quite common at most of the pools in the US that I have swam at.

I'd love to join the group, if I may!

Focus : Sprint Tri & half marathon

NAME: el pengiuno/Nancy

My Story: Born 1969. I did a marathon many moons ago (15 years maybe?) Last year I pulled my head together, lost some weight and started training for a half marathon. One of my husband's college buddies and my boss at the time got into tris at the same time, and convinced me to train for a sprint. I did both and finished. I've been kind of unfocused since then, so I've signed up for the same half marathon in June, and have some plans for the same sprint this summer in July or August, possibly both. I'm also trying to get my older son to do a kid's tri- he's 12. I have another son, 7, and a husband- he's a biker (bicycle, not motorcycle) and built my road bike for me. He's not a runner or a swimmer, so we haven't converted him yet.

Hometown: Bristol, VT

FAMILY STATUS: Married w/kids (2).

CURRENT TRAINING: Training for Sprint and a half-marathon

LAST YEAR'S RACES:
I did the Covered Bridges Half Marathon and the VT Sun Sprint tri in August. Was also signed up for a second tri in September, but it got cancelled for logistical reasons, not mine. I'm a very slow runner, so I wasn't going for time, but finishing, which I did! I did much better in the sprint then I thought I would, so I was really happy with how that went. I'd love to do better this year.


2015 RACES: Half Marathon, Sprint Tri or two.

WEIGHTLOSS: Yes, that's be nice.


When I'm not training or hanging out on the interwebs, I knit or spin in my free time.

Edited by el penguino 2015-01-03 7:36 PM

3 people from Vermont... sounds like you guys and gals may cross paths. 8 all together so far.

Still putting my into videos together.

I will make my outlook alias email open to the group.

This way all emails go to a dedicated folder.

[email protected]

Subject line should start as :

BT : topic of discussion

Edited by simpsonbo 2015-01-03 9:20 PM

I'd like in.

NAME: Matt

Age: 38

Hometown: Hershey, PA

Family: wife, two kids, one dog

Story: Got off the couch last year after about ten years away from any type of fitness. Was pretty average distance runner in high school. Started doing tri's last year when I realized my demanding job and type A personality were probably not a healthy combination and am a much better and healthier person for it.

2014 races: 4 sprints and the bike leg of a sprint relay. Good progress through the year and one podium (2nd AG Keystone State mini-sprint....disclaimer, all the local fast guys were racing the Oly the next day and one near podium (4th in AG at Cape Henlopen but crashed my bike and missed 3rd by a minute and change).

2015 races: 'A' race will be the Oh My Goddard Olympic Tri at Goddard State Park in RI in June. Will do the bike leg of the Got the Nerve? Tri again in May (cause its fun racing with friends). Will probably sprinkle in 3-4 other sprint-Oly races as the summer goes on depending on schedule. Will finish with the Newport Triathlon in RI in September.

This group sounds good for me. I'm looking to make the jump to FOP in sprint and survive the distance increase up to Oly. Swimming is my week point as I have no background here. Did better in the water than I expected, usually MOP after swim. A nagging knee injury has me a little behind in my winter work b/c I had to shut down completely after last season to let the knee heal. Now about 90% better and doc has cleared me to go back to exercise.

90 Minute Indoor Trainer Workout: http://youtu.be/M45BSE6Qz3E

Yesterdays bike session. Remember go easy on the recovery folks....

Intro Part I: http://youtu.be/5xTRNAb8U9s

My trainer set up and some swimning talk... my phone runs out of storage and the video cuts off.

Intro Part II: http://youtu.be/IJYo5xgBsQ8

Continue swim talk and showing of swim gear...
I think I will need to explain what each thing is for and when to use it.

Intro Part III: http://youtu.be/QJFQdprkLpg

I am a shoe hoar . There I said it.

I will do a Q and A video this week. Please send questions to the email posted above.


Edited by simpsonbo 2015-01-04 11:15 AM

Thanks for the videos Bo.

Looks like a good trainer session vid. How would you say a video like that fits into your weekly training plan?

My current plan for the base period has me doing 3 bike sessions a week (one interval session and two steady rides in Zone 2). 60 min for the intervals and 90 min for the Zone 2 rides for a total volume of 4 hours/week.