shmeeg's Winter Madness Mentor group - OPEN TO HIPPIES (Page 18)

Yeah, I'm not much for riding on the roads at night.  Drivers are distracted to begin with in the middle of the day.  No need to increase your chances of a poor outcome.

Hey Guys!

Sorry I've been gone for so long! School started and I've had a difficult time balancing everything all at once. Then it all unravelled when I got the flu for two weeks straight in bed. Of course, in the middle of the smester, so I've been playing cath up on my studies. I fealt totally out of it!

It's now mid-terms and I'm very excited to not be overwhelmed anymore and restarting back into my work out routine. Walk/jog everyday, swim once a week, and bike twice a week. I scheduled myself too tightly before, and became wacko and stressed trying to get everything done-now, I will do what I think is realistic, and if get extra workout count it as a bonus!

Of  course now, I've had pink twice in two kiddos, and one now has strep....lets say I'm at Costco quite a bit stocking up on bleach wipes!

Irt's been intresting catching up on the form! Hope everyone is doing well!! I love the fact I can finally be outside again!!!

... and why is it that the Crossfit WODs are all named after women?  Is it to make you feel less manly when you get your butt handed to you after the workout? 

Is your metor program still open? If so, I'm just getting into tri's (2 scheduled June and Aug) and I'm looking to talk with people who have experience. Thanks.

Hey there!  Jay, the mentor, is absent on some field training exercises at present.  I'm helping out in his absence.  I don't think he would have a problem with you jumping in and joining of us since there are only of few of us still around.

So, if you're still interested, just tell us about yourself and want you want to achieve for the year.  There is a template for the introduction on the first page of this forum.  You can just cut, paste, and fill in the blanks.

Tim

Hey Tim and thanks for the invite. This is my first year of training for a triathlon. I've run a few races in the past but competitive biking and swimming are pretty new to me.  I'm scheduled for two races so far. The first being a sprint in June and the second being an olympic in August. I wouldn't mind squeezing a third in if the opportunity comes about. 

As far as training goes, I'm in pretty decent shape as I lift five days a week and run at least two. Over the past three weeks I've started to incorporate biking and swimming into my routines. I'm struggling with proper swimming technique as I've never been properly taught. Any thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated. Also, I recently downloaded an 11 week olympic length beginner plan that I plan on starting in later April.

My overall goal for both races is to compete. I don't want to simply "get through" the race. More specifically in my first race I want to get accustomed to transitioning that way I'll know what to expect and be more prepared for the second.

Thanks again for the invite.

Scott

Scott...  Good information.  It seems that you have made some realistic goals for yourself.  Now, lets get a little more specific!

Realistically, how much time do you think you can train each week?  Do you have any swim experience?  How much cycling experience do you have?  These will all play a factor in how you train for these races.  Just from what you have told us so far, I would suspect that you need to weight your swim training in whatever plan you choose.

As to swimming, don't fret.  This is normally where most people struggle.  Are you able to swim the distance of your sprint race already.  If not, how far can you swim without stopping?  How many yards are you swimming in each session?  Can you breath bilaterally?  Can you site breath?

Usually, it is best to start your swim sessions small (to avoid fatigue) and drill focused (learn correct form).  As you start feeling more comfortable in the water, then you should build in distance and start to incorporate endurace sets.  Here are some Internet sites I like:

www.swimsmooth.com

http://www.enjoy-swimming.com/

http://ntcmastersswim.blogspot.com/

I'm sure this will lead to more questions.  Don't hesitate to ask. 

Oh, by the way Scott, it helps if you log your training.  Not only does it provide tangible feedback for you, but it helps us give you input as to your training.

One more thing, where are you located?

Just remembered this article series posted right here on BT.  This is a 5 month program with heavy focus on drills.  This should give you a good idea of the drills used to reinforce correct front crawl (freestyle) form.  You can also find video examples of each drill on Youtube.

Here you go:

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1945

Tim thanks for the great feedback. I'm located in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

As far as time for training goes, my schedule is pretty flexible and allows for quite a bit of time for good training sessions. I don't have any competitive or coached swimming experience. I'll just be getting into it. I could currently swim 800yds without stopping. My last workout consisted of 3 sets of 600yds each set. I do breathe bilaterally. Not sure what you mean by site breathe.

Again, I don't have any competitive or coached cycling experience. I did however get in with a crew of guys where I bought my bike that do 25-30 mile rides every saturday morning that I plan on participating in.  Additionally I plan on doing a shorter ride (around 15 miles) another day during the week.

I didn't get a chance to look at those sites you've given me yet but plan on doing some research tonight. I'll post question as they come up.

By the way, I'll put in my last few workouts and continue to put new one's in as I do them. Additionally I weight train on a 2 on 2 off schedule. My weight training sessions are high tempo and include a lot of supersetting. One more thing, we're still in the midst of winter and have been getting pounded with snow so I won't be able to really get after the cycling for at least another 2-3 weeks.

Thanks again Tim.

Scott

OK.  This is good.  You have a good base if you can bilateral breath and swim 3 x 600.  As such, you will probably want to structure you workout with a warm up, drill set, main set, and warm down.

Site breathing is a technique you will need to learn to navigate in open water.  This technique incorporates breathing while lifting your head out the front to see where you are going.  Basically, as the hand in recovery passes your ear, you lift your head as the other hand pulls.  You use this time to take a quick glance for your landmarks then turn your head to the side and re-enter the water.  In the open water, I usually site breath about every 9th stroke.

Group rides are good for motivation and enjoyment, but remember drafting is not allowed in triathlons.  It is much easier to ride faster and farther in a peleton.  I recently did a century ride where I was amazed at the speeds I could travel with minimal effort!  Don't take this the wrong way.  There is nothing wrong with group riding; just be prepared to do it alone on race day!

Similar to the run, I like to break my cycling workouts into three main categories: speedwork, distance, and recovery.  Speedwork might take the form of hills, large chainring work, or anaerobic efforts.  Distance, as the name implies, will be my long ride for the week at an easy pace.  Recovery rides as just aerobic paced rides for building mileage. Also, if doing a brick (bike-run), I'll do these on the days where I have a recovery ride planed.

Not sure how much you want to invest, but a trainer works good for the inclimate weather.  It can be monotonous, but its better than nothing.  I find it easier to do speedwork on the trainer and usually ride for no longer than 2 hours.  If interested, I would recommend the CycloOps Trainer.

One more thing, are you wearing a HR monitor when on the bike or run?

I hear ya!  I have three boys.  I'm constantly juggling my workouts around their school, swimming, and baseball.  Oh, and lets not forget about work and my wife.... My advice: be realistic in your goals, strive to accomplish those goals, and anything extra is a bonus.

Remember this is suppose to be fun!