Gary's Mentor Group - Re-OPENED for Training (Page 18)

I am David and am looking for answers to simple questions and encouragement. 51 years old with 5 grown children and 3 wonderful grand children. Have always wanted to do a tri, but hate running. So last summer I started running a little and completed my first 5k in October 2010, and then my second in November 2010. I am looking at my first tri this summer, a sprint distance, on July 10 here in Michigan. I am 6'5" and could use to lose 30 pounds and gain energy, hoping this will help. I enjoy bike riding and love to swim, although with Michigan winters, I haven't swam or biked outside since last fall. Mainly working on the tread mill and ellipticle in the basement so far. Hoping to kick up the workouts a bit now and get outside.

First question: About to register for my first tri in July, is there an advantage/disadvantage to signing up as clydesdale (I am currently 240) verses age group (currently 51). I like the idead of competition, but my goal for the first one is to finish and the second one to beat my first time and overall is to get into and stay in shape.

Second question: I currently only own a mountain bike .. can I get by with that for the first couple Sprint distance tri's, or should I find a way to get a road or tri bike?

Looking forward to learning from this group!

David - First welcome!!!  This is a great group and lots of support here.

As for your questions, to me if you qualify for the Clydes then register that way.  Not sure if there is much of an advantage/disadvantage at this point for you.

Second, bike.  Ride what you have (as much as you can and as often as you can).  Two advantages is you can save money until you are sure Tri's are for you and second you have more time to learn about the types of bikes out there (sizes, types, price, etc).  There will be lots of different types of bikes and knowing what your options are is very important.  The only disadvantage is that you will work harder and probably be slower than those with Tri/Road bikes.  Use that to motivate yourself.  That said I did my first duathlon on an MTB and survived.

Once again, welcome to the group!

David,

Welcome to the group. I am Shelly and I am doing my first tri next month. I have to agree with Gary about the bike. I purchased my bike in January and I do wish I had known more about bikes, what I might really want or need and what was out there. I did tons of research and I absolutely love my bike. However, I do think I probably could have gotten more bike for what I spent, if I had known more about what I wanted/needed etc. Thankfully, I love my bike so much that I don't really care- lol- it's only money- you cant take it with you, right. But seriously, I do feel like I know a good bit more now and will probably learn so much more after my tri. It would have been nice to have that knowledge before I bought my bike. 

Welcome again,

Shelly

Athleta Iron Girl- May 22- sprint- New Orleans

OK, so last weekend I raced the Cary Long-Short Duathlon.  This was a tough race for me ... bike leg was good ... running legs were not so good.  That stated I have:

• A sore knee which is swollen and so I'm not running for a while but still swimming, spinning and cycling.  It is better from this past weekend, but still a bit stiff and sore.
• To train more in the running arena

So I looked at some of the Couch to5k programs (here: Training Programs ) and intend to start next week with the aggressive Couch-5k program. 

In talking with the trainer at the gym this week, she talked about runners who are 'heel' strikers vs. ones who's foot lands more flat and how the latter puts less pressure or impact on the knees. 

Gary any insight you can add to this ... can a runner change their technique or do we just have to HTFU and deal with it?

sFred ... I'm in so start countin'!

Dorm, a couple of items:

1.  Knee - Have you seen a Dr on this?  May be I am forgeting a post about a previous knee injury but if you haven't had this checked out you need to.  Did you twist it?

2.  Spin - 16mph I think is what we can use.  Let me know if this works for everyone.

3.  C25k is a great program

4.  Changing your stride can be done but it needs to be slow and done right (combining with the C25k program will help a lot).  So you know your a heel striker?  Have you been fitted by a LBS for correct shoes?  Can the trainer at the gym work with you on this?

David - I recommend reading thru the previous pages to catch up.  If you are ready we can add you to one of the challenge teams for this month.  No pressure, just lots of fun.

All, okay plan seems to be working okay.  Couple of small workouts yesterday and one for today.  Last night got a great nights sleep which is important as I won't get much sleep tonight.  Started packing last night.  High for tomorrow is 78 and the morning temps should make it wetsuit legal.  Nice!

Captains, remember that you need to report progress each week.  Sundays would be best.

Finally getting nicer weather around here. 70's all week then it snowed yesterday; you've got to be kidding me. 

I'm doing a personal research project on listening to music and running and if a songs beats per minute effect running pace. I will keep you informed on what i find out. When you all run do you listen to music or enjoy nature to it's fullest?

Fit,  my logs are up to date for this week. Swim and run will not be a problem. The bike is where I'll need some serious help.

Dw, welcome. The sense of accomplishment and pride when you cross your first triathlon finish line is unreplicable.

Knee ... it's not twisted or anything like this - it's just sore from the running.  It's much better than from this past Sunday.  Did I say how much I HATE running?

Spin ... I'm good w/16mph!!

Stride ... 1 reason my knee is sore is the pounding it takes from being a heel striker.  I have been fitted for shoes (earlier post wherein these cost me ~$200) with orthotics.  So I plan to focus on the stride a bit with the C25k program. 

David, first off - welcome to the group and hang on for the ride.  This sport is truly amazing and a pure enjoyment. (And I HATE running too)

My 2 cents worth on the bike is ride what you have for a couple of races and do your research on this site.  I was amazed at the number of cross, cruiser and mtn bikes I saw in my first race.  Being a bit patient will help you spend less time and money.  Do your research via the forums here with recommendations on brands, sizing, TT vs road bikes and such. When you know what you want, then it's easy to snap up a deal when one comes across.

Hey all!

Rough day, swim was cancelled due to the high winds, bike was tough due to high winds but hit my goal, run was great for the first 9 miles than it went down hill but still did okay.

Shelly - nice meeting you today.  Wish I could have visited more but the race had my mind elsewhere.

Tired and sore, will catch up with everyone later.  RR (Race Report) hopefully tomorrow.

Hey all!

Feel human again, yesterday I was a tad bit sore.  David I am adding you to one of the challenge teams for this month.  Don't worry it's simply just do your workouts and your team captain will tally for the team.  Great fun and no pressure.

sFred - David has joined our group and we are hoping for some more folks soon.

Okay all, question time: What is your favorite workout?  Distance swim workouts, run speedwork?  Let me know!

Nothing with the word "run" in it is a favorite, so the default answer is distance swim ... although my fav is a ~20-30 mile bike ride at a nice 16-18 mph pace

Race report up here: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=249070