The Dominon - Beginner Focused Group - Closed

Hi Roy. Welcome to the group. I think you will be a great fit here. We have had several members over the past years start out exactly where you are. The key is to stick with it and remain consistent. If your just getting active again, remember the workouts should start out really easy. It's about creating good habits, not killing yourself. I'd encourage you to log all of your workouts here on the BT training log. That way myself and other group members can check on your progress, and offer any advice or encouragements. Feel free to ask any questions you have or bring up any topics you would like discussed. 

Hi Kurtis, and welcome!

It sounds like you've gotten your first taste of triathlon and are now ready to take it to the next level! 

Good job on running through so many people in your race and coming all the way up to 16th. Usually good running and cycling gains can be had by just getting out there and putting in the training miles. Swimming is a little more technique oriented. Try to start logging your training on the BT training log and I will check in and see how you are doing. 

You mentioned doing a few sprints and maybe an olympic this year. Do you already have specific races in mind? I find a great motivator is to pick a race or two and get registered, that way you have that date set and know what you have to go to get ready between now and then.

Welcome back Tony! 

Three years and only 43 posts! You need to be more active.!!! 

Are you still in England? I'd be interested to here more about the racing over there.

Kurtis,

Wow, 10 mile run to close out 2016, Nice!

On the swimming, just keep at it. Try not to let it frustrate you. Remember that breathing while swimming is just like breathing on land. Try to keep that mindset...Breathe In, Breathe Out...Breathe In, Breathe Out. Be sure to fully exhale while your face is in the water, then just turn your head to the surface and take in the next breath. Try not to be holding your breath at any point. It's just breathe in, breathe out. There is a rhythm to it.

The clipless shoes and pedals are a very worthwhile upgrade. Get comfortable in them, but remember everybody falls at some point. Everybody! Even when you think you have it down, there will be that time when you just forget. Trust me on that one, but don't feel bad about it, it happens to everyone eventually.

Josh, you're in! Welcome!

Congrats on the weight loss and under 2 hours in your first HM!

Putting on a few pounds of winter weight is pretty common, I usually gain 10 or so myself. It should begin to come back down once you get into consistent tri training. The swimming will help with that too. Once you get that pool membership try to swim 2 or 3 times per week with at least 1500 yards per session. Also as I mentioned to the others if you use the BT training logs it will help me to be able to check in and see how things are going for you. That is purely optional of course but I do think it helps to receive that occasional encouragement and to be accountable to something other than just yourself.

Here's the way I would approach it. (and this may get long)

You're running around 20 miles per week currently according to what you posted. That is plenty for a sprint triathlon. Now if your goals are to run a 16 minute 5k off the bike or something insane like that then obviously you would need to run a lot more, but for just starting out, 20 miles per week is plenty to get you to the finish line in a decent time. But, depending on how important your half marathon is to you, I would do 2 things. First I would add another run each week so that you get in 5 days of running. This run can be another short 3 miler or so. Second I would increase that Saturday long run to 10 or 11 miles between now and race day. Those 2 additions will get you to around 25 miles/week. If you already have the run base and ability that I think you do, an increase from 20 to 25 should not be too much to handle. You can even spread this increase out over 3 or 4 weeks if you feel you need to. Week 1 add the 5th day of running (3 miles), week 2 increase long run to 9, week 3 increase long run to 10. Remember a long run maxing at 10 to 11 miles is really all you need for a half marathon. If you can run 10 at the end of a week during a full training load, you can run 13.1 on race day coming off a nice taper.  Once you get past the HM then you can drop that long run back down if all you have upcoming are sprints and 5K's. If you do decide to do an olympic distance keep the long run at 7 or 8 miles. If it's just sprints, you can do well with just a 5 mile long run. Work on increasing your speed at the 5 mile distance and it will pay off with gains at 5k.

For the trainer you can use a standard wired bike computer, you would just need to move it to the rear wheel. This can be a pain if you only have 1 computer, but if all or most of your riding will be on the trainer for the next couple of winter months, then you could go ahead and make the switch to the rear wheel and plan to leave it there until outdoor riding weather comes around. Three sessions a week for now is fine. You may want to try to get the 30 minute ride up to 45 but it just depends on how much time you have available. During your rides try to mix in a few intervals, things like 3 minutes hard or 1 minute all out efforts. Slow it down and recover your heart rate after each.

Swimming 3 days per week is great. I would try to get a minimum of 1500 yards in each session though. It doesn't have to be (and shouldn't be) swimming 1500 straight through. A basic 1500 yard session might look something like this:

Warm- up ( 400 yards)  2 X 50 , 2 X 100 , 1 X 200

Main Set: (1100 yards) 6 X 50 , 6 X 100, 1 X 200

Push hard on the main set 50's and 100's. Keep rest between each to 30 seconds or less.

Throw in another easy 2 X 50 as a cool down at the end and you have 1600 yards done!

Hope some of this helps or at least gives you some ideas. Overall your plan looks very good, these are just my recommendations. Let me know if you have any questions.

Hi Emily, Welcome to the Dominion.

North GA is a beautiful area for cycling. Do you live in that area? I'm in Georgia as well but a little more south near Savannah.

It sounds like you already have some pretty good cycling experience. Good luck in your upcoming 5k. Let us know how it goes. This group likes race reports!

Good to have you back Scott!

I know last year was a bit of a disappointment for you with the ankle injury you had to deal with. Hopefully you are running pain free and will find that mojo again. As I remember you were starting to make a name for yourself on the local area scene there in Michigan. Come back strong and reestablish that. Once you are in the full swing of training All 3 Disciplines (See what I did there ) that weight should fall off. I've got about 10 pounds to lose myself.

Hi Matt,

Did you do the RAAM last year or some other type of ride across the country? That sounds amazing. I wish I had the time to do something like that.

What area of western Carolina are you in? We try to make it up to the Maggie Valley / Waynesboro area every year or two.

Ease into the running slowly. Maybe just 2 or 3 short runs per week to get started. The key is to allow for adaptation without injury. Shin splints and joint pain/swelling can be fairly common when just starting out so don't push it. Start slow and be willing to take a few extra days off if you do have any issues start to develop.

As for the swimming, my advise it to get pair of goggles, some jammers and just get in the pool and get started. Swimming is an entirely different cardiovascular endurance than running or biking. It will take some work but consistency in the pool will pay off. Once you get your feet wet (literally) feel free to ask any questions you may have. Lots of good experience in this group.

Kurtis,

If you have a nagging injury (or potential injury) then by all means listen to your body and do what you think is best. Incidentally my goal for an upcoming half marathon is also 1:40. My race is February 4th, so I am running out of time!

If you haven't already, you could put a TV or computer in front of your trainer. Youtube has lots of cycling videos and things that you can watch for motivation while riding. CTXC are some of my favorites. They have several group ride videos of different lengths. And yes being able to see things like distance and average speed will help keep things much more interesting for you as well.

Welcome back Randy!

I can't wait to see what you can accomplish this year. What race are you doing for your half in September?