Todd's Tri Turtles 2 (Beginner, Sprint, 5K, 10 K) - Closed (Page 16)

Michael, have you ever been to a parkrun? It's a 5km timed run, on every Saturday, put on by volunteers and the people you meet at parkrun events are fantastic. You can run or walk, it's not a race, just a weekly outing and if you've got saturdays free it's a great way to start the weekend and get a bit of motivation going. There's one at Bulli: http://www:parkrun.com.au/sandonpoint/ 

Originally posted by AussieTurtle Hi Turtles It's been a big week for me. I'm working again, my ankle is getting better each day and a new gym has opened up near home. Being back at work I'm sitting at a computer 8 - 10 hours a day and I have an hour commute each way. That's the scenario I've faced for the last 20 years which has led to a sedentary lifestyle. This time it's going to be different. There is a pool 5 minutes from work so I'm aiming to get there 3 days a week. I can't believe how fortunate I am to have a pool close by when I read of the effort some people in our group make to go for a swim. If I'm tempted to slack off I'll think of those early starters to motivate me. I've joined the gym near home and been there twice already concentrating on upper body & core exercises. Today I went for a swim at the beach to test my ankle and managed to swim with little or no kicking so I should be ok at the pool. There will be no running or bike for me for a while though. I'm focussing on what I can do rather than what I can't do. I've had the chance to catch up with some reading while I'm on the train travelling to work. The latest Tri magazines have the usual features on the elite athletes but seem to have more articles about "weekend warriors" which is recognition for age group participants like us. Good to see. Keep the posts coming, they keep me motivated Rod PS: While some of you are in the snow we're going through a heat wave. The minimum temperature overnight was 30C / 86F. Unfortunately a lot of bushfires are now starting to break out in rural and some outer suburban areas.

Having a pool so close by is a bonus! Especially when you're nursing an injury, the no-impact cardio is great. I've never tried aqua-jogging but that's meant to be very good for keeping (and increasing) run fitness while you can't run, maybe it's worth looking into that technique as well?

Hey Dayra, good to hear you're back on deck and well again. Starting over can be a great thing! Lovey, fantastic perseverance, and Cassowary, I'm glad the turtle sitting on your shoulder had a little word in your ear and kept you going in the pool ! Rach, that's a bit of a bummer about the swim lessons, maybe you can put yourself down on a waiting list in case someone pulls out?

OK, need some advice...I'm toying with the idea of a half iron distance race in August, I don't know if it's an achievable goal or a nuts idea. I still consider myself a newbie at the sport, I've only completed one sprint tri so far. I have been training around 18 months and in that time I've done a few enticer tri's, a half marathon, a 10km race and numerous 5ks, but I haven't logged an olympic distance tri yet, which seems to be a normal and sensible part of the progression. I'm just coming back from injury and feeling my way rather cautiously, I don't want to be back on the sidelines injured again. Currently I can devote around 6-7 hours a week to training, at the most I'll be able to push it to 10 hours some weeks.

So, given my situation and available time, what do you think?  Is 7-10 hours per week enough to be able to finish the distance?