Broompatrol's Group - FULL (Page 2)

Pam, you are my new hero! Make sure those old bikes are lubed. I hate it when the chains sound like mice being tortured in a pillowcase.

Has your Dr. cleared you for swimming? Don't worry about being the slowest runner. at the race there is always someone slower. Even if you finish last there is the other 98% of the population that didn't even race, so you're still in the 98th percentile for running in a triathlon.

Erica,

I guess if you want to do a race find one near you and sign up. If you are already healthy enough to run and swim a bit  then an ywhere from 12 weeks for a spint (more time if you want a longer distance) on would be fine. That Yoga will serve you well! The combination of strength and mobility shoudl give you a strong foundation for the other disciplines. Like anything else, you just do it! No ones going to come drag you out! you just go.

If you're comfortable in the water, thats great. Most people have trouble with swim.

I think 11 weeks is enough time if you do it right. Depending on your goals and budget I'm going to offer several suggestions.

All in all you should always work on your weakness. If swimming is your worst and running you best, then perhaps drop a run in lieu of a swim.

• Private swim coach: will analyze your stroke and get you started in the right direction. Even one session may pay big dividens. Its really hard to critique your own form. So, if you are swimming really bad, more practice may make bad from worse.
• Swim lessons: as above but without the personla attention
• Total Immersion DVD (and drill cards if desired): Expereinced swimmers have differing opinions about TI. It is the only program I have experience with. It will not make you the fastest swimmer, but it is very helpful for teaching you to relax in the water, and the drills are helpful for good from. Good for for having a relaxed and efficient swim, (IMO).
• Wetsuit. If wetsuits are allowed, you will be warm and bouyant. Practically impossible to drown in a westuit since you won't sink. If the race is in salt water you'll be really bouyant!. There are many brands to choose from. The brands that are for swimming tend to be more fragile than those for other sports, but I think they are worth it. There are a couple of very economical brands (think cheap).

There are many threads on the site regarding swimming, check them out.

Sometimes the transition from the pool to dry land can make you wobbly. Especially after getting water in your ears and rolling form side to side. It may not necessarily be a weight thing, but you'll have to judge that yourself. 22 weeks is enough time to survive a swim if you go about it right. The biggest thing about swimming, I think is relaxing and letting the water hold you up. When you get comfortable with a stroke and can relax and learn your pace, you should be able to do 30 minutes straight within a month. After that, its building speed an technique.

hey "Other" chris,

I'm in!

 Hey,

Yep im on bord.......please add me 

munecalinda 

have a great day 

Hey Chris,

OK i know this sounds dumb, but as a teen, i was doing the swimming, biking, and running, even strength training, yet i had no idea i was doing what was needed for being in a tri. I did not really even know what one was, until one day my college teacher asked if i was in training, again.... i did not know what she was talking about. I just loved it, and i relished in the "fun". 

She explained to me what it was, and she herself had been doing tri's for a few years. She was going to be doing a 1/2 Ironman. Short story, i went, was hooked, continued my training, and did what i was told.

i have experienced 3 tri's and one run, bike, & swim. 

my first tri was indoors, so i could get an experience of it all. 

then, i did another tri abut 4 or 5 months later. I loved it!! I later did another in Mexico, The shear adrenaline in itself is an experience..... trying to remember "everything" of when, how or how not, just gets jumbled, in an unorganized way in your mindset. Focusing on all the others in the swim (like salmon going down stream) and trying to see were your going so your not going off course.

I would say Keep focused, you have been practicing and you do know what your needing to do.

If you can, visit the are and practice on it through out the time leading up to the race, different times, weather ect... get to know the road sort of speak.

Also if you can find a

"indoor" tri if you have never done one, or if your getting back into them. I think is a favor to yourself.

Stay connected with like minded people, ask questions, remembering Everyone had a first time! 

It is necessary...... therefore it is possalbe.

Chris -

Thanks for taking me into your group.  I am looking forward to training and doing that first tri.

The doc said I can do whatever is possible.  I had talked to my therapist a while ago about swimming and, although he wasn't sure it would help, wasn't opposed to the idea since I seem to have stopped progressing.  At this point, it seems to be a matter of pain that is restricting me.

I started swimming on Monday, but am only able to do the breast stroke.  I try a couple of freestyle strokes each time, but am having trouble getting my arm out of the water.  I am still doing home exercises, so have hopes that I will be able to improve enough to get past this plateau.  As a side note, the breast stroke was always my strongest stroke, so would have to work on my freestyle even if my shoulder was okay.

 Pam

Chris -

I'm in.

Pam

Oh yeah!!!!   I have completed week 1 of my 22 week training and I can honestly say that I have not exercised 6 days in one week in years!!!  I did my bike ride outside today and it sure is different than riding a stationary bike.  Hello thighs!!!

I am one of those fortunate ones that can enjoy the great outdoors all year round.  However, there are "things" out there that scare me, so I am a daylight person.  If I can't get out during the daylight hours, my training has to happen at the gym.  There was a snake in the road today!!!  Don't they know its the middle of winter?  It wasn't a rattler, thank heavens, but snakes are snakes.  When one thinks its okay to come out of hibernation, I'm not naive enough to think the rest of them will stay put.  I guess I should count my blessings and be glad it wasn't something that might want to eat me (like that mountain lion that occasionally comes down out of the hills).

Hope everyone's training is going well.

Pam

YOU GO GURLLLL!!!

Keep it up!!!

Angela -

I also am feeling my age (a few more than you are, I must add).  I feel as though I've pulled a groin muscle, but I don't think so.  I'm fine when I get up in the morning and when I walk, swim, bike.  However, after I sit for a while (and I'm talking as little as 5 minutes), I can barely walk.  After walking for a while, it gets better.  My job requires that I sit and stand several times during the day, so I am constantly limping around the office as I try to get moving again.  I'm hoping things get better soon, but am not ready to reduce my training yet.  This old lady isn't ready to let a little pain get the better of me.....

As a side note, I am pretty sure its not that serious and will see my doc if it continues, but I'm a nurse practitioner and am constantly analyzing my symptoms.  Have also run this by one of the docs I work with, who agrees its probably my muscles "getting in shape" after all the years of disuse.  I'm hoping not to find other unused muscles soon, but meet with a trainer tomorrow.  Oh my achy body!!!  (:

Hey!

I am ready to resume my life! I am finished with Jury duty and my wife and daughters are doing much better, so I am statring to actually have a spare few minutes.

Anyway a few of our athletes are complaining of soreness. This is relevent to the topic I am writing about this week.

RECOVERY and self care! (that means rest, eating and sleep)

Samantha McGlone wrote a very good article in Trithlete Magazine about the secrets of the pros. Basically, professional athletes take time out to rest. They (pros) aren't necessarily putting in more time and miles, but are gaining more from their training because they can eat and nap after a run, while the rest of us must do chores, play with the kids, go to work, etc.

There are a million articles telling the virtue of proper rest, but it really is important! There are a few things to keep in mind with your training.

• Sleep and rest: This is when your body heals and lots of chemical stuff happens. Adequate sleep improves performance, recovery, weight loss, and mood. One night of bad sleep won't ruin you, but the effects of lack of sleep is cumulative. This also means that if your are following a 6 or 7 day a week plan, the rest of your time is technically recovery. You don't have to take the stairs anymore. You can ride the elvator guilt free.
• Eating: Even if you're trying to lose weight it is important to eat enough calories, and enough of the right things to repair your muscles and keep you're energy up.If you don't eat enough you will sabotage your training and wind sabotagin your weight loss. Plan your after workout meals. Frequenlty I plan the meal while running or riding, that way you don't end up standing in front the freezer eating ice cream out of the bucket at 2am in your sleep.
• Easy means EASY: If you're following a structured plan or getting coached you more than likely have easy or recovery workouts scheduled. Many amateurs go too hard doing these sessions. Let the hard sessions be hard and give your self permission to go easy during the easy ones. This is what makes the hard stuff stick.
• Listen to your body: I mean really listen. You body doesn't always shout, sometimes it whispers and the signals are subtle. Pay attention to those little aches and pains to learn if they are normal soreness or the sign of a problem. Problems always need to be addressed. This also means you need to gently stretch, especially after a run! Ever seen how much care a thouroughbred horse gets? Showers and massages and like? You should be thinking about your body the same way now.

There are tons of resources regarding the topics I listed. I'll gladly tell you guys which ones I use, but my expereince is by no means complete.

It should get easier fairly quickly, be sure you're getting enough rest and drink plenty of water. Gentle stretching before bed and throughout the day should help.

nurseangel78 - 2009-01-27 12:03 PM I'm in. Thanks for all the tips so far. I just contacted an instructor to start receiving private swim lessons. I am doing the couch to sprint rpe program right now, but need to figure out how to switch the days up in my training log. I am thinking I have never been so sore and hope that I don't spend every day of the next 20 weeks feeling like a elderly lady.

You should stop feeling real sore soon, as long as you're not overdoing it. A guideline to follow is: you workout should not be so difficult that it interferes with the following days training. If it does you'll accumluate fatigue and owie-booboos.

BTW, AWESOME job doing the 6 days! You  will probably start feeling strong after 4 weeks if you keep it up!

Please get familiar with the controls on the bt website, so you don't miss private messages. For the dake of simplicity, I'm going to do most in the forum but I'll be using PM instead of email. PLease chime in with questions, cheers and boasts so we all know whats going on with you guys! You can leave "inspires" on each others logs and send private messages if need be.

There are a lot of members and I am slowly learning everyone by name. I've never felt so popular!

I checked out everybody's logs. This who aren't posting, I hope everything is going well.

This weeks article is: Helpful things on race day I learned the hard way, or read about and used it and it worked, or I read about it and it seems a really good idea to use someday.

• If the race is local its nice to be familiar with where the parking and bathrooms are. There is enough stress about the race, don't add to it by running late or getting stuck in really long line for the nasty port-o-potty's. If you can, identify a local donut shop or something where you can go peepee if need be.
• If you drink coffee, don't skip it on race day, but don;t overdo the liquids on race day morning either. I used to compulsively sip gatorade before the race. I realized I was starting off with my stomach so full I was bloated and had to pee when the gun went off. Now I consciously drink enough and stop.
• After you set up your transition area, walk to the swim entrance of transition and get a good idea of how to find your bike.  Mentally note how you're going to find your bike when you run into T1.
• If this is your first or second race, move from the water to T1 and T2 quickly BUT, composed. Going too fast by trying to sprint from the water to T1 can leave you hyperventilating. Forgetting to tie your shoes, or fumbling with your equipment doesn't save you time and may create a hazard. Don't lose your head because others around you are.
• keep your head: As the previous tip indiciates, the entrances and exits to T1 and T2 tend to be chaotic. People bottleneck at the bike exit. Be sure you are composed and your bike is in a low gear get on comfortably and try not to impede atheltes that are faster than you. Same goes for the entrance to T2, navigate the bottleneck calmly dismount and briskly but calmly rack your bike.
• If you are doing a sprint just run fast. Do not worry too much about pacing, just go hard but not so hard that you can't run the whole way.
• Sprint distance doesn't require a complicated nutrition and hydration strategy. drink a bottle of water or 2 on the bike and some sips on the run and you should be fine. There is no need to eat during a sprint.
• Get a good nights sleep 2 days before the race. If your race is on Sunday that means you need a good sleep on Friday. Saturday you may not be able to sleep because of nerves or that wild sensual feeling from just shaving your legs, but you'll be fine as long as you're not already short on rest.
• make list of things you can control and do those well, and don't worry about things you can't control (you can't control the weather, but you can control what clothing to bring).

Hope this helps!

There are many useful threads on swimming on BT.com. But it sounds like you are too tense/stiff in the water.

Swimming is my weakest discipline and I had some of the same issues with breathlessness.

If you are too tense and work too hard you will go hypoxic really fast and go into a downward spiral where your form disintegrates as you thrash your way toward the wall. usually if you tense up your legs start to sink and you start working harder with no benefit.

The number one thing that will help is a coach. short of that here are a few things that may help.

• Relax! The fastest swimmers are relaxed, focused and have good technique. The water will support you, so don't fight it. This is where drills come in handy to help you get comfortable in a bouyant position.
• You can't breathe too much. You need air. If you feel like you're holding your breath you're creating tension in your diaphram, and that's not helpful. If you need to breath every second stroke then go for it. Exhale underwater, and when you turn to breath let the air flow in naturally, don't force it.
• You body is like a see-saw High head means your legs drop and you slow down. Your chest is full of air and your legs are all muscle so they want to sink. relax your neck so your head is in a neutral position and kick gently from the hip to keep your feet up. Be sure to roll your body some as you turn your head to air.
• Incorporate drills into your workout that help with relaxed position. I read the Total immersion book and bought the DVD. It was really helpful for starting out. But its not the end all.
• Keep in mind that with good form your swimming endurance will come naturally as you put in yardage. The technique is crucial to improvement, you can't force it like you would by riding really hard or lifting weights. It is a technique to be developed like a golf swing. Or imagine how in martial arts the movements are developed in a relaxed manner and then when the moevements are mastered, more power is applied.
• If you having trouble with your from a pull buoy can help you focus on your stroke by taking the legs out of the equation.