Jonathan22's mentor group - CLOSED
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Master ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() NAME: Jonathan22 STORY: I got into triathlon's 2 years ago to loose a little weight. The first year I did 2 sprints and 2 olympics. I was hooked. This past year I won a lottery slot to Kona. What an amazing day. FAMILY STATUS: Married, 2 Kids CURRENT TRAINING: I had 2 different coaches last year. I learned a lot and I'd love to still be under the watchful eye of a coach but I also have to put food on the table. So I have a basic training week that I try to follow which involves 2 swims, interval bike, long bike, interval run, long run and 2-3 maintanence runs per week. I'm a big believer in doing something everyday. THIS YEAR'S RACES: Here are my 2009 races
WEIGHTLOSS: I've always had a small frame (even though I'm kinda tallish). In 2005, my wife and I did body for life after seeing 190 on my scale. I got down to 165 but then went back up to 180. My race weight entering Kona was 148. I'm in the 150s now and refuse to allow my scale to show me 160+. I have threatened it. WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD MENTOR: I started multisport two years ago thinking it would be cool to just finish a sprint. I'm totally hooked now. I love the positive influence that the multisport lifestyle provides. I just want to give back.
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Edited by jonathan22 2009-01-29 9:37 AM |
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New user![]() | ![]() Hey, I'm originally from Dalton, GA, now living in Birmingham. 37 years old. I'm a partner in an architecture firm. I COMPLETELY understand the concept of mentoring, so I do not feel to old to be mentored and helped. I'm married with THREE chidren. This will be my second year doing triathlon. I've always dreamed of completing an IM. I already have my entire family and friends committed to going to Hawaii if I ever make it there!! Last year I made the mistake of being over confident and started with the Oly Alabama Coastal Tri; swim was cancelled and we went 1M Run, 19M Bike, 4.5M Run and I almost couldn't finish. I made it point from that point on to JUST FINISH without walking so much. Next sprint race was Buster Britton here at Oak Mountain and then finished at Lake Lanier Islands (and finally finished the race all the way through without walking.) I noticed you were from Georgia so I'm hoping you are familiar with these. My goal races this year are: 4/13 Whistlestop Duathlon (C) 5/4 Alabama Coastal Tri (B) 7/13 Chattanooga Waterfront Tri (A) 9/14 Tugaloo (B) 9/28 Ironman 70.3 Augusta (A) I'm in decent cardio shape, but need to lose about 10-15 pounds for sure. Maybe more. I feel like I would have done much better last year, but I had no accountability and ended up doing pretty much the minimum to "finish." I know putting a half IM on my calendar is probably rediculous, but I want to just go for it! I could have accomplished much more last year if I had been more disciplined. I will be perfectly happy finishing strong in Chattanooga, but I thought the introduction of Augusta was just too perfect. I noticed you had Chattanooga and Augusta on your list so I figured you were a perfect mentor! My ultimate goal is to FINISH an IM, not compete or go fast, just finish, all the way through, without stopping or walking. My weakest leg is the run. I have a swimming background, competive swimming in HS and around water all my life. I LOVE the bike, so motivation is always there to work hard on the bike. I have tons of questions and just need some guidance and motivation and accountability. Thanks, Chad Bryant |
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Hey Jonathan, my name is Chris. Would like to join your group if you have the room. I have had the itch to get into triathlons for the past year. I just did not know where to start. My strongest background would be in cycling, followed by running then swimming. I am single, finishing school up and working. I really am looking for advice to get my training off the ground. This Monday will be the start of my training for my first event. I have roughly 15 weeks if i counted correctly to the first race. What would you recommend as a good starting plan? I plan to train 6 days a week atleast. My tentative race schedule is as follows:
I also would like to hear your opinion on what is a good heart rate monitor to purchase? Any and all pointers to get me started would be appreciated and I look forward to reaching my goals of competing in triathlons.
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Master ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Welcome Chad. I worked in The Ham for about a year a few years ago. And I am familure with those races. I understand running being your weakest leg. It is mine too. Even though I have a running background, I typically give up slots from the swim to the bike to the run. This is year 3 in triathlon for me so I'm hoping to change that this year. |
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Master ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Chris, I have plenty of room. I'm very happy for you to join. 2) Get a plan. There are some great plans on BT as well as on training peaks. There are also some books like Training Plans for Multisport Atheletes and BeIRONFit (check out this list: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=triathlon&x=0&y=0). As you investigate plans or already have one, let me know which one and I'm happy to give you my thoughts. |
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New user![]() | ![]() I was already wonderng if Tugaloo would be to much to handle just before a half IM. If you think Augusta isn't out of the question, I will definitely drop Tugaloo and just go for it. I'm trying to create my own plan via Joe Friel's Training Bible. I followed (very loose term) a few of the BT plans last year. I say a few, because I kept jumping around plans as the weeks slipped away (i.e. 20 week to 16 week, etc.) I really let myself down last year not sticking to a plan. So...I thought I would take a diff approach this year and draft my own; maybe by spending enough time on it, I will stick to it! By setting my goal as Augusta, my training plan actually starts next week. I have the entire thing on excel, and I'm thinking it's a bit over the top for a newbie, but I can send it to you if you like. I've registered and started my training log and begin entering data soon. Logistics: How does all this work? Do I continue to check this forum for reply's? How often will you check in? Will you be checking in on my training log? As far as training is concerned, my biggest problem last year was muscular endurance on the run. My legs cramped EVERY time I left out of T2. It was soooo dishearting to have to stop and stretch them out. Finally, my last sprint I just ran through it. It hurt...a lot....but it finally went away and I ended the run strong. So, even though my times are consistently in the lower third, I ended last year feeling like I finally met my goal of finishing a race without stopping, which was encouraging. I'm trying to loose about 20 lbs. I'm trying to weight train my legs and core to see if this helps. I honestly don't know what causes the cramps in my calves except possibly a general lack of fitness. Any thoughts on that is very much appreciated. Thanks for doing this! |
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Master ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() I just think that Tuguloo will be right when you are peaking and then tapering for Augusta. Why tire yourself for a B race? You asked some great questions and I apologize for not addressing those in my original post: How does all this work? My definition of a mentor group is a place were folks of all abilities can ask questions in a safe environment. Often when you ask a question in the general forums, you get 20 different answers. By asking the same question in a mentor group, I think you get more consistent and directed answers. Second, I think there is an accountability that you get. This is my 4th mentor group: 2 as a participant and 2 as a mentor. Do I continue to check this forum for reply's? Yes, I'll check in several times per week. I will also check your blogs. The forum will be the main avenue to ask questions. I typically check training logs twice per week. Having said that, it is important that I am not the only one leading the discussion. The best mentor groups I have been a part of have been very collaborative with everyone contributing and everyone encouraging each other. I think cramps can be a sodium thing, it can be a fitness thing and it can be unexplained. More often than not, I think it is a fitness thing. But that is just my opinion. Finally, great job on finishing the season strong. |
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Regular ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Thanks for getting back to me. Looking forward to an exciting year. As much as I would like to have a coach, I am leaning more towards picking a plan. Nothing is set in stone yet, but I would like to have my mind made up to start Monday. I have roughly 15 weeks till the first event, which is a sprint. My 4 races I have interest in have the following distances, Sprint/ Sprint/ Olympic/(in between these events I am riding in the 100 mile LiveStrong Challenge in Philly)/ International. I would like to throw another one in there as well. This brings up few questions.
1) Is that a good build up of distances for a beginner to tackle? 2) Since I am looking to do an Olympic, should I start with an Olympic training program right out of the gate or stick to a sprint plan? (The shortest Olympic Program is 16 weeks, so I would have to modify it due to my first event being 15 weeks away) Let me know what you think and I will then go a pick a plan and discuss with you. 3) Do you use a HRM? If so what have you found to be the best for a multi sport application? I am a big fan of buying right the first time, so trying to get more info on HRM’s.
I am in the middle of reading Joe Friel’s training bible. Trying to soak in as much as possible. As far as which race do I plan to focus on, I am not sure. I would probably lean towards one of the last races. Thanks again for your help. |
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Master ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Chris, 1. That is exactly the distances I did in my first year. You will do great. 2. Specifically, what is your athletic background? You said cycling, running and swimming but could you elaborate? If you are starting from zero endurance base, it is probably best to start with a sprint plan. Then you could do the Sprint to Oly bridge plan from this sight to get ready for New Jersey State Triathlon. If on the other hand you have some athletic fitness, it would be fine to do the Oly plan. I would just ensure that the Oly plan ends with your Oly. But then you will need to figure out what plan to follow between now and then. You need to be a little careful following an Oly plan to do a sprint thinking that doing more volume will make you faster still. Instead of using that approach, I would start with the intermediate sprint plan and then use the bridge plan. A good way to solve this question would be to upgrade to gold membership where you get a chance to ask one of the coaches on this sight. It's a very cheap way to get some quality advice.
3. Garmin Forerunner 305. That is the gold standard of training devices IMHO. |
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Regular ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Hey Jonathon –
Good to hear about the distances. As far as my athletic background, I have played ice hockey and baseball up until about 4 years ago. Continue to play men’s league Ice Hockey, but that is not every week. From there I moved into running for fitness. Only competed in a handful of 10k’s and a bunch of 5k’s. Then I got shin splints 2 years ago and had to take a break from running. That gave me the opening to jump into cycling as I had always had an itch to do so. I have been cycling for the past 2 years, with last year being the best year. I did the MS150 City to the Shore 2 day ride ( I did the extra loop the first day to push my miles to 175.) and also did the 70 mile LiveStrong event. Swimming on the other hand is my least experienced. I have only been swimming the past year recreational to give a break from running. I do weight train as well 3-4 times a week.
I am thinking I will use the NJ Triathlon as the A race. That gives me roughly 24+ weeks to train for that. The 2 sprints to start off I can use to gain experience.
I was considering upgrading my plan as well to get a developed plan. Out of curiosity, I am assuming that is a cheaper route then maybe going with your coach on tripower? I couldn’t find a price on tripowers website to compare.
So the Garmin Forerunner 305 is the way to go eh? I have seen it for $160 so that is not bank breaking. Do you use the cadence sensing in training?
Thanks, Chris |
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Master ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Chris, It sounds like you have plenty of background to do the intermediate plan here on BT. |
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New user![]() | ![]() BIKE: I have a Trek1000. From what I read, this was a good beginner bike, good response, and I'm happy so far. I quickly learned investing in clipless pedals was well worth it. I also learned about proper air pressure in my tires. And you know, before I knew it, I was averaging 2-3 mph faster on my rides! I have yet to get the bike fitted, and I don't have aerobars. I've tried to fit it myself from what I've read, but I don't trust what I've done. I do have a Catey Mity 8, which is cool and tells me how far and fast I go, but that's about it. RUN: I don't have any kind of HRM or any other monitors. I did have my foot looked at and invested in proper shoes for overpronation. Other than that, nothing special for the run. SWIM: No wetsuit, no special swimming training equipment likes fins or anything. I do have access to kick boards and pull buoys. I invest in googles regularly. Which leads me to my question: Other than a coach, what would you consider the best equipment/service to invest in? In your judgement, what would be the order of importance as well. I don't have tons of money to invest, but when I do, I want the most impact. I know we've got bike fittings, VO2, swim analysis, stride analysis, camps, coaches. We've got all sorts of monitors and power meters, ALL KINDS of stuff for the bike (which is what I typically envy most about other athletes) and I think just getting swim technique right and taking advantage of a wetsuit when you can is about it for the swim...but I don't really know for sure. To much stuff. Could you offer your advise on what you found the most impactful in your training and racing...other than coaching. |
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Master ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Great questions Chad. First I want to make sure that everyone understands that although I mentioned having a coach it is purely a matter of choice and convienence on my part. You can and most do, this sport by self-coaching. Nothing, nada, zero wrong with that approach. Just want to make sure you guys understand that I'm not coming off as a "get a coach or go home" mentality (although, you will find some here on BT that are that way). The main thing when training is to get a plan and stick to it. Wesuits - can be rented, purchased for pretty cheap on ebay or you can choose races that you don't need one. I raced my first season without a wetsuit. Only one race would have been cold enough to warrent one but then again it was only a sprint and I was unsure of my ability to get it off quickly at the time.
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Member ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Is your group still open? I'm interested in joining if it is. I'm in Peachtree City, GA, a transplant from Birmingham, AL. This would technically be my second year of tri although I have only one under my belt at this point. I'll provide additional details later, at work right now. Thanks! |
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New user![]() | ![]() "I think you might end up mentoring me a little too. I am a senior manager at an Big 4 accounting firm. Sometimes (like now) my travel schedule is brutal and I am consentatly trying to figure out how to balance work and the rest of life. I'll be interested to hear how you find this balance and what things you might advise me on." My priorities/roles in this life are to be a Christian, service my family, my neighbor(country) and my work; and definitely see it as service, not obligation or a means to anything. It definitely starts at the top and makes it's way down. Each one supports the next down the line. Nowhere in the equation is Triathlon. Therefore, I already have plenty of desicions made for me. Any training to achieve this goal must never interfere with my priorities; transparent if you will. It sets my workout times, it sets the money I spend on equipment and races and travel. Example, I MUST be up and worked out and back home so I can enjoy my time cooking breakfast for my girls. I don't have the right to workout during dinner, but rather before or after, however, it must also work with my wife's schedule, and I would sacrifice my time for her time, as in service to her. By making a solid list of your most prized priorities in this life, the ones that people will remember you by at your funeral, most of the balance and "rest of life" is decided already. I think the trick to managing much is having that firm grasp of what is ultimately important, and everything else must find a slot, and it shouldn't be difficult at that point to figure out how it fits. And you will fail, but we are human, and as long as you go back to your prized priorities you can get back in right at any time. It's somewhat peaceful knowing most of the decisions are made already; and I think, in a round about way. My 2 cents. |
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New user![]() | ![]() What is your take on morning workout vs. evening workout? |
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Master ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Hacksaw, Yes, the group is still open and you are more than welcome to join. Please tell us your race schedule and any initial questions you might have. |
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Member ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Name: Hacksaw (Tim) Age: 38 Dimensions: 6’-0” / 230 lbs and dropping Habitat: Peachtree City, GA Significant Others: 1 wife (13 years), 3 kids (elementary and younger) History: 2009 Goals: Current Training: Race Schedule:
Questions: Heart Rate Zones: I’m using the 200-age formula right now to estimate HR zones. I intend on doing an LT test soon on the bike to get a little more accurate. I find in training that my HR is much higher than this formula would predict. The formula says my anaerobic threshold (80% of HR max) would be about 145. I routine run in the low 160s on bike (and in spin classes) and can maintain that for a long, long time. By working backwards, this would then say my HR max would be around 200. Does this seem reasonable? Base training: My motto for strength training has always been to go to failure. Have the sneaking suspicion that’s not so good for endurance training. In my ad-hoc training so far, I’ve always gone out hard in training, granted I pace myself to go whatever distance I intend but I’ll adjust so that by the time I’m home, I’m exhausted. Never really give myself a “light” day. Is this really counterproductive? Edited by Hacksaw 2009-01-13 1:11 PM |
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![]() ![]() | ![]() Still room for me? I haven't put a training log together, but I'm doing that today.
Here's me: I played two years of organized sports when I was 7-8, but the rest of my life I just ran and played. I did the mile swim in Boy Scouts when I was 14, but haven't really done much swimming in the last 10 years or so. I used to have a high metabolism, but alas, no more. I'm 39 years old, 5'8" and 176 lbs. I should be in the 150's with my lean frame. My job is mostly at a desk or talking with people. I'm a student pastor, so my schedule is kind of set, but hectic and a little seasonal, which makes consistent training tough to do alone. This past summer we took our 6yo daughter to her first beach and built sandcastles and played in the sand and waves. When I saw the pictures, at first I thought my wife had gone to the beach with my dad, then I realized it was me. I was ashamed. Then and there I decided to do something about it. We joined the Y and I soon found out they had a duathlon. Since I didn't have a bike, I knew I could do the du, but found out they didn't do it anymore, so I just upgraded to a tri. At first my wife laughed, then she watched me begin to work out and has been very supportive since then. I just bought a bike last week and went for my first ride this morning. Here's why I want a mentor: I'm doing this alone and my life is kind of crazy between work and family and trying to train. When I read about the opportunity for a mentor, I was excited. Then I saw yours, J22, and saw that you seem to have similar circumstances in your life: fluctuating weight, married, kids, priority, goal for first tri: weight loss. So, if there's room, I'd like to join. Could you help me out? My goal for right now is the local Smithfield Sprint Tri, April 4. It's a pool swim (328 yds), 10mi bike, 3.11 mi run. I've been doing some running, weightlifting, stationary bike, a little swimming (not near enough), and this morning started my bike. I want to set a good training schedule for this tri so I don't collapse or look like an idiot. What do you say? Help a brother out? |
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Master ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() cbryant148 - 2009-01-13 9:10 AM What is your take on morning workout vs. evening workout? I personally favor morning workouts.
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Master ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Welcome Tim. I hope the shins get recovered. How frustrating. I think getting a training plan and sticking with it will go a long way towards helping you meet more than a few of your goals. Check out the plans here on BT. They do a great job of getting you ready and are very reasonable when it comes to run volume (e.g. build slowly). There are a few tri races you could sign up for (Tanner Sprint comes to mind). I know it would not meet your expectations but it's a sprint and you could swim, bike, walk. No shame in that if it gets you more experience and keeps you healthy. Just an idea. I like to race once per month but that's just me. Now to your questions: First, and I won't beat around the bush, but 220 minus your age is crap. You might as well pick any number between 120 and 200 and go with that. LT test is the way to go. There are a couple of ways to get there: Read this: http://www.d3multisport.com/blog/index.php/220-age-misconceptions-a... Ricci and D3 wrote the training plans here on BT so if you determined your zones based on the above, they would work for the BT plans. The other way to measure LT that gets you the same numbers are recording your HR for a 5k (and taking 95% of that number) or recording your HR for a 10k. Personally, I always use race data as it is more accurate in my belief. For the bike, I will either use a 10 mile time trial or the bike leg of a sprint tri. For example, if you look at my race schedule, I have 3-5 options to test my run LT (based on the 5Ks and 10Ks I will sign up for) and 3 options to test my bike LT (1 time trial and 2 sprints). Regarding sweating, I have 2 thoughts for you:
Having said those two points, don't overthink it for the shorter races. When you get to HIM and IM distances, they started to become important.
Regarding base training: get a plan based on HR, calculate your zones and stick with the plan. Going all out all the time is a recipie for disaster. You WILL (not might, WILL) get burned out. You chance for injury will be very, very high. You could try to figure it out on your own but honestly, just get a plan. Great questions; keep them coming. |
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Master ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() astafford, Definitly room for you. I think you will do great. Are there specific questions you have? |
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Master ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Guys, There are not rules as to how big a mentor group can be. The suggestion from the moderator is to keep it managable; the last group I had I shut it down right at 5 folks. For this group since we started a little later in the process, I'm going to keep it open for others to join, so long as no one objects.
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![]() ![]() | ![]() No questions yet. If I can find my swimsuit I'd like to be in the pool tomorrow morning. If not, I'll just run and maybe ride. I'll let you know tomorrow. Thanks for letting me in! |
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Regular ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Hey Jonathan, My name's Ian and currently go to the University of Missouri and train at the rec there. I have always been athletic and its been one of my deep desires to compete eventually at Kona. I decided this is the year I need to start training if that's going to ever happen. I come from a background of competitive fencing and weightlifting. I have been predominately focused on weights for last few years and thus have lost most of my endurance. I'm not very experienced at cycling, swimming, or running. However, I have done long distances of all in the past, just not together or in awhile. I'm running a 5k in a couple of weeks. And then hopefully just training a lot and can't decide if I want to do a couple of sprints this summer or just do one and try to be as competitive as possible in it. I am very dedicated and am open to all suggestions and advice as far as a training plan goes. I purchased a Felt S32 bike and a trainer and have been doing about 30min every couple of days on it this past month. Because of lifting I have put on some extra muscle that I think will only hinder me in triathlons so I'm currently working on losing 10lbs as well. Thanks and let me know if you can mentor me as well as the others.
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