Beginner 1/2 Ironman Plan Group (Page 112)

First of all, I'm an "average" swimmer at best, so take what I say with a grain of salt, there are some very good swimmers here that will hopefully respond with some expert advice. I have found that it is more important to be able to comfortably breath to either side, than to bilateral breath every third stroke (or however many).  In races, it may become necessary to change your breath side because of waves, sun, traffic or being able to sight buoys.

That being said, I do feel much more balanced and smooth when I bilateral breath every third stroke.  Last year was my first year of training and I tried to do it, but gave up early on because, like you, I struggled and could barely hold it for 100 yards.

When I started training again this season, I decided to give it another go and have had much better success.  The key for me was staying relaxed and exhaling more slowly.  Exhale slowly, when your face is in the water, keeping more air in your lungs until the next breath.  I've also found that when I tell myself to relax and go slow, without worrying about how long it takes to get to the end of the pool, I need to take breaths less often... and surprisingly when I tell myself to "go slow" I often end up going faster because my form is better.

I still breath to just one side when I feel like I need to, but after getting more air for a bit, I can go back to bilateral if stay composed and relaxed.

Welcome.  I think missing workouts will happen, and sometimes may even be necesary to let the body recover.

Another thing I am struggling with is the bilateral breathing.  I feel comfortable in the water, am a decent swimmer but after 50/75m of bilateral breathing I don't feel like I am getting enough air and have to switch to 1 sided breathing.  I read it is best to exhale while your face is in the water so I have started to do that, it doesn't seem to help.  Does anyone else struggle with this?  Any drills that have worked for you or does it just take getting in better swimming shape?

I go to a very experienced swim coach - he doesn't ever recommend bilateral breathing unless it's yur natural way of doing things.  As he says when you run you breathe when you need to, swimming is the same, you breathe when you need air, generally for triathletes he says that is one sided breathing.  We all have a good side and a bad side.

For drills he does laps of your good side and laps of your bad side, also do laps where we breathe every 6th or 7th stroke.  This is all good for when you get into the OWS.  I breathe to the right and in OWS that can mean getting smacked in the face by the swell a lot!  So if you can change sides that's great (I can't seem to get dizzy and disoriented in the OWS if I change breathing to the left)

The swim part of the triathlon is the smallest part - seems to give us all the most stress though!  so I suggest getting through it with comfort is the goal because it's a big race once that's over.

Thnks for the great insight.  I tend to overthink these things.  So far, I've gone it alone, except I have gained some from reading the TI book.  I just haven't been able to transfer the drills into my swim as well as I've hoped.  I have a group of swimmers that are asking me to swim with them often, but their always doing some crazy fast paced intervals that kindof look like insanity to me, a bop'er.  I read today that less can be more in the water, and I think I may chew on this for a while.

Today was awesome!  I'm on spring break as a teacher, so I was able to wait till 10:00 to ride.  it was 40 degrees!  I did my first ever bike run brick.  I've only been at this since last September, and spent all winter on a spin bike at the Y. 

Thoughts from today.  The difference between 16 mph and 21 mph on a bike is about 21 minutes for me.  I need to take more than 1 bottle of water with 2 Gels mixed in.  I had planned on a glorious dismount, strap on my water pack, and head out on my run, but what actually happened is I almost face planted in my front yard, I went in the house to relieve bladder preasure, and grab a LARA bar because I had low blood sugar.  T2 was about 6:00 for me today!

I ran a 6.2 miler.  I spent the first 3 on pretty wobbly legs, but managed an 8:05 pace.  I sprinted from 4.7 miles to 6.2, and ended with a 7:50/mi pace.  Felt nice to run in a T-shirt, as it was above 50 degrees F. out.  I'm still a little timid about running in Tri-shorts.  I could have taken off the sweats, but not there yet.

All in all, a great first brick.

X2.  I think I spend so much time analyzing swim, that it is not as fun or enjoyable.  It is a mere fraction of the time and effort of the other 2 disciplines.

Absolutely....and unfortunately for me LOL (swim is my strength...). I've been doubting myself a lot the past two days in b/r. I even had the thought go through my head to downgrade to an Oly. I have already registered for my HIM and I want to do it - but I'm nervous that I'm only biking 21 miles, running 6-ish (or less) at nearly 10 weeks away from race day. I'm trying to remind myself how far I've come (swimming 1000 was a big deal a little bit ago and now I'm swimming 2400)

I took the advice to bike on the flat today and sort of messed up - I tried a bike path in the valley that was in HORRIBLE shape! So, I think I ride a bit faster but again, the doubts.  Tomorrow I'll do a 6-mile run after Yoga - here's hoping for more confidence. I don't know where this all came from and I'm hoping to get back on the confidence wagon very soon.  Has anyone else dealt with these doubts? How did you get back on track?

Good advice, I need to relax. 
With the bilateral breathing I think to myself, "I'm not going to have enough air!" and get sloppy with my form to hurry up and breathe.

Everyone deals with doubts.  You have good days and not so good days.  Trust in the plan.  If you do the work, it will all come together on race day.

One thing to keep in mind is that we suffer from cumulative fatigue from day after day of training.  I talk to my running friends about this all the time.  They feel that if you are not covering a certain distance/speed in practice than you cannot do it in a race.  That is not true because of the cumulative fatigue that builds up over time.  It is only after a proper taper that you will see your true potential.

I agree with this very much.  I have never utilized bilateral breathing because it does not feel natural to me.  I could force myself to do it if I wanted but have always focused on practicing breathing to either side like you mention.  In the pool I breath every other stroke to the left going down and every other to the right coming back.  I know that I am faster breathing to the left but want to be proficient to either side if OWS conditions dictate.

Ditto to all the above.  I'm going throught the self doubt at the moment - 2.80.20 is 8 and a half weeks away, don't feel ready at all.  However I've put in the hours, I know I've got the swim sorted, I'm pretty sure I can crawl/run/walk through the run - the bike remains my big issue.  My longest session so far (on the trainer) 1 hr 50mins.  I figure I'm going to be on the bike nearer three and a half hours.  Still 8 weeks is a fair amount of time to get some biking in.

It's my recovery week and I find I'm short on endorphins in recovery weeks which makes me a little down.  Big training weeks I get full of energy and motivation.

Thems the breaks!

Jobaxas I know what you mean about the bike. Nice to find a kindred spirit--most triathletes seem to find the bike the easiest! For me, I don't worry about the swim (except, maybe, getting kicked in the head, getting hypothermia, or getting stuck in my wetsuit), and a two-hour run holds no terror, but 90 km on a bike--OMG! Until January I'd never done a training ride of over two hours, and 90-100 km still feels epic, esp. since I manage to get a flat every single time! I just don't enjoy it the way I do running and swimming. Doesn't help that there is nowhere nice to ride here. My bricks actually go pretty well as I look forward to running and the run feels good because at least I am off the bike and I know I won't get another flat LOL. All my races have been a matter of (more or less) ace the swim, fall way back on the bike, and play catch'em on the run.  Just don't know why biking feels so HARD!  Keep hoping it's just due to lack of base and it will eventually, get better. I feel like I just don't have the strength that the bigger, more muscular women have but then I don't look like a swimmer and I manage, so maybe it's all about training.

Kevin--I thought of something that might help swimming. Have you done those 100 easy-build-easy-hard workouts? I find they are great for training me to hold my best form while picking up the pace. You do the first 25 easy, really focusing on good stroke, breathing, etc. The second 25 is a gradual acceleration, back to easy, then the last lap you try to hold it together going fast. I've never been a graceful, TI type swimmer despite excellent coaching. My strokes tend to be shorter with faster turnover; can be an advantage for choppy open water but when I get tired or try to sprint it can kind of be "whack-whack-whack". I've found those 100's really help with keeping a smoother (and faster) stroke rhythm at higher speeds--both with myself and the kids I coach. 

I feel the same on the bike.  I have had maybe 10-15 outdoor rides.  Just not enough experience at it yet.  Hoping to increase on bike mileage after marathon in May and decrease the run volume.

Hot Runner.  This is a great thought.  I was deep in TI when I went through the 100's in the earlier weeks.  Today I did the 20x75.  I was unsure how I would do before this workout.  I did 300 yards of TI side-glide-side for wu, and carried that right into the ms.  It worked great.  I hit all the 75's in 1:30 with :30 rest for most.  3x I took a 1:30 rest during the middle of the sets (20 is so many!) 

The next time I do 100's, I'll do this.  That's helpfull having a description of the way to do them.  The description in the plan isn't that clear.  Thanx.

Gimee a break.  Sunday I ran a 10k race in a snow storm - yesterday I ran the same course in a t-shirt and shorts in 60 degree sunshine, today it is 33 degrees and snowing.  Really???

That's just crazy.  At least you got a nice day squeezed in there for what must have made for a pleasant run.  It's just been plain crappy around here.  Might be a nice weekend though.

I found my Mojo!  I had lost motivation this week - damn recovery weeks suck - I just don't get the same endorphin buzz.

Anyway - went along to swim squad last night and I smashed it!  Workout below.

Warm up with Fins:

200m Freestyle (100m breathing good side, 100m breathing bad side)

200m - 50 back, 50 breast x 2

200m - 50m front scull, 50m otter x 2

200m - 100m breathing every 2,3,4,5,6,7, 100m fists

200m- breathing every 4 - bad side only

200m - 8 strokes no breathing, 8 strokes normal breathing

200m - breathing every 5.

NO FINS MAIN SET

3 x 300m

300m - breathing good side

300m - breathing bad side

300m - breathing every 3

FINS ON AGAIN (CRAMP FOR ME)

4x150m - 2xleft arm, 2 x right arm

I hopped out after 2600m due to ball of cramp in my calf.  but I consider this workout SMASHED!

Holy Hosiery - I wish I could join you for these awesome swims! FANTASTIC!

I hated bike focus week - and then it's followed by recovery week which I seem to hate too!    Haven't looked at next week yet, dread to think!

Managed my 30min run with strides yesterday and today, took my daughter and hubby along today, was good fun.

1000m time trial tomorrow in the pool.  Hope I can get my own lane.

Sunday need to get on the bike again, yuck!  Got to practice getting off of it and also drinking while riding.  hehe!  Be long day on race day if I can't a) drink b) stop!

Oh no, I thought next week was supposed to be run focus week! Now I really want to scream--could I have put the pages in wrong? Going to think of a way to make it bearable (probably do bricks), esp. since I don't have my bike buddy here this weekend.  Next week I have to work every day until 6 PM or so; it looks like there's going to be a lot of running in the dark, AM or PM. At least it's running, not biking.

Last week was my run focus and I switched the following bike focus week with the recovery week due to last Saturday's marathon.  I had a very good run on Wednesday and feel fully recovered.  My recovery has gone so well I talked to my wife about running the Windemere marathon in Spokane next month.  I played up the part about staying at the Davenport Hotel (grand historic hotel).  It is only three weeks before my HIM but if I can recover this well in a week I should be good.  Maybe I'll see you there Kevin.

I'm skipping the 1000 yard tt because it's only been three weeks since the last and I do not see a point.  I'll do something like 4 x 500 instead.

I have a 5 mile running race tomorrow and will probably get outside on my bike for the first time this year.  The forecast is for it to get a little warmer this weekend.

Don't forget to work in: "it's just down the street from the Riverpark Square mall, Nordstroms, Macy's, The North Face, Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, etc.".