dragoman's group - FULL

Hello Vicente! Hello John!

Welcome to the Group.

I'm just getting back from holidays and catching up on my messages and logging my workouts. I'll get back to you guys tomorrow so that we can get started together.

In the meantime, please add me, and each other, to your "contacts" on your blog so that we can keep track of one another.

Félix

Great! The blogs will be really useful to see how each of us is doing and to "inspire" one another.

First of all, can you guys tell me a little bit about your athletic background? If this is your first time pursuing sports, much the better.

Also, I'd like to know how many hours you're willing to invest daily/weekly, what days of the week, time of day, etc. so that we can "officially" start this coming week!

John,

Great attitude! I can relate to your story as I'm far from being a strong swimmer myself. In fact, I got into swimming so I wouldn't lose too much fitness while healing an injury and that's what finally led me to triathlons.

The best thing that you can do for your swimming at this stage is find a master's group. Have someone experienced take a look at your stroke. In the pool, it's all about form, being efficient and avoiding drag. It's actually a bad thing to spend endless hours in the pool if your form is deficient as this may reinforce any bad habits.

If you can get your hands on the Total Immersion book, do so. It's a great read.

The couch-to-sprint plan seems great. My advice is log everything, even nutrition if possible. That'll help keep you true and follow your progress.

You seem like an achiever, so I don't think that an OLY is out of the question at all. But for now we want to get you to that finish line of that Sprint "with a smile".

Félix

Vic,

The short vacation in Mérida was awesome. I posted some comments on my log about the hiking and mountain biking sessions I did down there.

Right now, you shouldn't really focus on just losing weight. You're right about reconfiguring your body. Our goal should be "to lose fat and gain muscle".

With regards to food, you definitely need to make sure you're eating healthy. For me, it's all about choices. If I'm short on time and can only have fast food, I'd much rather walk in to a place like Subway's than McDonald's, for example. Quality fuel leads to quality performance!

Are you following a training plan yet? If not, I definitely recommend the couch-to-sprint plan from this site. It also incorporates weight training. I definitely recommend strength training because it prepares your muscles and joints for the punishment derived from tri training and racing.

Here's an idea:

Every Monday we should post at least three tri-related goals for the week and check the status at the end of each week. It doesn't matter how challenging or easy the goals may be; it's all about getting them done!

Here are mine for this week.

1. Start eating like an athlete again.

2. Complete all 11 scheduled training sessions.

3. Get maintenance done on both bikes (MTB and road).

4. Re-read Total Immersion.

5. Get new batteries on my heart-rate monitor and strap.

Félix

Excellent goals guys!

Good call on doing the Oly AND the Sprint, John. I would recommend following an olympic-distance training plan and doing the sprint as a race rehearsal, with the Oly as your "A" race. They're sufficiently distanced from one another that you can use the experience from that race and make the necessary adjustments for the Oly. I've never done a sprint, but all that speed frightens me to death! It's great you've already found the book; happy reading.

Vic, I would suggest this plan http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=36. It's not necessarily couch-to-sprint, but it's not so hard either that you would burn out or get overuse injuries. If following that plan, I would lift on Tues and Thurs following a program containing several phases, such as this one: http://www.d3multisport.com/articles/weights2003.html. Repeat initial weeks so that it matches your race date.

By the way, the similarities continue, Vic: I grew up in Miami (my mom still lives there); last time I visited I got a ticket at Crandon Park (venue for your race) for leaving my mom's car there after sunset (was out running on the trails!). Also, in 2001 or 2002 I competed in 3 MTB races (Amelia Earhart, Oleta and Markham) organized by the folks at Multirace (your race organizer)!

Guys, any questions you may have in general, post them here (if you want an answer from me) or in the "triathlon talk" forum. This site is a great resource.

Félix

Good questions, Vic. 

1) A sprint, especially if it's your first, should be about getting to that finish line, fast or slow, with a sense of accomplishment and a smile on your face! Only when you've done a few tris should they be about speed. For me, I always race myself, whether it's my predicted or previous race times.

2) Yes, the dreaded mass swim start. Check with your organizers; the race might start as a mass or in waves. The contact I guess is part of the sport. It's not really that bad, IMO. I've swum in a mass start (900 participants, orinoco river) a couple of times and did get some arms and legs, but probably hit other swimmers as well. It usually lasts a couple of minutes then everybody spreads out. The important thing is to keep your cool and expect some contact here and there. You could also start a little bit off to the side.

Hey John,

I'm not a huge fan of fins (don't own a pair myself), but I have heard that they're good for doing drills, specially if one has a tendency to sink the legs. I would use them for drills but not for distance swimming. I don't use paddles either anymore as my shoulders were hurting. I do use a pullbuoy for arm drills, however.

In Total Immersion, it is recommended to try to push your chest downward and keep the head below water to prevent the legs from sinking. I believe the author calls it "pressing your buoy" to elevate the hips and legs. That really worked for me at the very beginning.

Thanks for asking about my back. I'm not in so much pain right now. Unfortunately, here in Venezuela, one can't just walk into a clinic and get an MRI as there are only a few centers that have them. So I've got to wait until my appointment tomorrow evening.

In the meantime, I'm taking these prescribed painkillers and B-complex vitamins and trying to eat smart (yesterday doesn't count; it was my B-day!).

Félix

Take this with a grain of salt...

This is the diet prescribed to me by a sports nutritionist. The data he based it on was 13% body fat, 73kgs and 164 cm height (like I said in my original post "a rottweiler racing greyhounds". Average training week: 11 hrs. About 2800 calories per day.

Pre AM workout: 3 servings of fruit / 1 serv. of carbohydrates

Breakfast: 2 serving of fat / 2 dairy / 4 fruit / 4 meats / 3 carbos

Snack: 2 fruit

Lunch: 2 fat / 3 fruit / 3 meats / 2 veggies / 4 carbos

Snack: 2 fruit

Dinner: 2 fat / 2 dairy / 2 fruit / 3 meats / 2 veggies / 2 carbos

No more than 5 teaspoons of sugar per day.

This works perfectly for me ONLY if I'm training the scheduled number of hours or more. The important thing is to remember that carbos are your most important source of energy and they help process protein as well; they are essential. I don't think corn tortillas are empty calories; I actually believe that in moderation and in a balanced diet they are a great source of energy.

If you were to follow something similar, you'd definitely need fewer servings, but should maintain the principle of having balanced foods in all your meals.

Félix