Gray Guys/Girls Master's Focus Triathlon Mentor Group--CLOSED (Page 2)

Hello Bob!

When you get a chance, post up a short bio so we can get to know a little about you.

Welcome to the group.  If past seasons are any guide, you will find a pretty diverse group here and a pretty substantial amount of experience.

What was the problem you had with the swim? 

Hey Stuart,

I mentioned Jeff Galloway because obviously you are going to have to get some miles on your legs if you hope to complete a marathon.  My thought was that a run-walk approach may lessen the impact during the training runs more than during the actual race.  Although, this past year in Kona, Sebastian Kienle walked every one of the aid stations and won the race so it is a viable race plan also .  As to how many training miles, you are likely going to be up to 2.5-3 hour long runs or 18-20 miles, depending upon whether you use time or mileage to guide your training.  That's just the long run.  Depending upon what methodology and/or plan you use, you may be running 3-5 times per week.  Some plans even more.  That would likely put your total minimum weekly mileage at your peak upwards of 30-40 miles per week.  You will build up to that over time but there is going to be a cumulative effect - hence a run-walk approach.  Some may argue you don't need that much mileage, others will advocate more miles, suffice to say you aren't going to successfully do a marathon with 5 miles per week.

Clearly changing your run style away from a heel strike will be beneficial.  When I started seriously running a couple years ago I was definitely a heel striker.  I got with a coach and in a pretty short period of time I was able to change over to a fore-foot strike.  That has made a huge difference in my pace as well as the wear and tear on body. I think it only took a few runs before the new style began to feel comfortable and another three or four weeks before I didn't have to think about it so it can be done.

You're targeting IMAZ 2016 which is 22 months away so you have plenty of time.  If it were me, I would spend the next several months slowly working on my run base and VERY gradually add miles.  Simultaneously I'd be working on swim/bike.  Then you will have the foundation for when you start adding miles and intensity down the road.  As I said earlier, I would give strong consideration to a run-walk approach to help lessen the impact.

One final thought, and I will definitely be interested in Steve's thoughts on this, there is a run program out there known as "Run Less, Run Faster."  At first glance it seems as though it may be the answer to running a marathon while running less mileage in training.  In my opinion, and I am certainly NOT a running coach, the problem is that the run less run faster plan achieves the lower mileage by raising the intensity.  That raises the question of which is harder on the joints, the intensity or the mileage?  I can't answer that except to say I have heard accounts from a number of people here on the BT forums that they ended up with injuries using run less, run faster approach and they attribute those injuries to the higher intensity.  Just sayin' as this is one of those "buyer beware" type of things.

You have your doctors clearance so take it slow, add mileage gradually, listen to your body, allow proper rest and recovery time, and you will do fine.

Kris,

It will be nice to have you back in the group!

"My tri-age in 2015 will only be 48."  Oh sure!  Rub it in!  Perhaps we should give you a seat at the kids table!  

On a serious note, you mentioned that you started a low carb diet.  A couple years ago I dabbled with the Atkins diet.  Yes, I lost a lot of weight very quickly.  I also learned, very quickly, that "low carb" really should have no place in a triathlete's vocabulary.  Like you, I was dragging during workouts.  I was also dragging all the other times.  I won't go through all of the issues the diet cause but it was enough that I moved away from low carb, high fat/protein to a more traditional diet.  In short, I found that eating the right things at the right time has done more for me than Atkins ever did and has me feeling better and able to perform athletically.  I shop around the perimeter of the store, eat something as soon as I get up, and then eat something every 2.5 to three hours throughout the day.  Just the voice of experience sharing something for you to think about.

Hi Brenda,

Welcome!

What part of Indiana are you in?  "Home" for me is Deputy, Indiana.  Down by Paris Crossing near Madison.

Shelly,

Welcome.  The group is definitely beginning to take on an international flavor with people from three different continents!

We all started as beginners and we have a pretty good group of people here who will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

When you get a chance, post a brief bio so we can get to know you just a bit.

Absolutely!  I did a Sprint two weeks before Christmas in Palm Springs.  The rest of the country was iced over.  At the starting horn the sun was rising in a clear sky and the water was nearly 70 degrees.  Definitely advantages to living in California.

Thanks for welcoming me to the group everyone!  I look forward to getting to know you and sharing this little passion in our lives.

SCOTT K - I'm in Warsaw in the northeastern part of the state between Fort Wayne and South Bend.   With you being on the west coast I wondered why you had IMLou on your 2015 race calendar and now I know.    I plan on being there to volunteer so you can count me in as part of your cheer group! 

JANET - I see you're coming to my state too for the Indy Mini!  Go YOU! I've not done a race with that many participants and the thought overwhelms me.   Curious as to why you picked this one? 

Here's my bio: 

USER NAME: bswcpa

NAME: Brenda 

STORY: A friend introduced me to the world of triathlons when I was in my mid-40s and didn't like all the shifting my body was doing.  I didn't know how to swim and wasn't active at all up to then. I did only sprint distance the first couple years and have moved up in distance slowly. It's now 10 years later and, although I still don't swim fast or well, I love all three disciplines. I'm involved in this to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I don't compete, my goal is just to complete and enjoy the journey. 

FAMILY STATUS: In my 33rd year of being married to the same ornery guy that I met in college and who still makes me laugh every day. Through adoption we are blessed with a son who's 19 and in his first year at Indiana University and a daughter who's 18, a Senior in high school and runs track. They're both bi-racial so we have a colorful family. We also have a Great Dane who gives us nothing but love. 

CURRENT TRAINING: Only once did I try and follow a training plan but it became too regimented and took all the joy out of it for me. I just do whatever I feel like doing for how long I have and, although that's not a recommended way, it works for me.   I generally have around 10 hours a week to give to this sport to keep me happy.   Unfortunately I'm scheduled for surgery next week (getting a notch cut out of my big toe joint to alleviate arthritis pain). I'll be in a boot for a month and only be able to do some light stuff for 2 months after that. Lifting a pencil during tax season (I'm a CPA) is about all the "training" I'll be able to do.

2014 RACES: Triathlons - 1 Sprint (it's 4 miles from my house), 2 Half Ironmans and Ironman Wisconsin (it was a bucket list item to cross off) / Road Run - 1 marathon / Trail Run - 1 marathon, a 50K and paced my friend the last 40 miles of her 100 miler (she's crazy that way). 

2015 RACES: A 50K trail run on Saturday (1/3) and nothing on the calendar yet after that. I want to see how well I recover from surgery and ease back into racing. After trying all 4 distances of triathlon, I think I like the Olympic or Half distance the best so that may be my focus along with trail running which I discovered I absolutely love too. 

WEIGHT LOSS: Although I gain a couple pounds during the holidays that usually comes off with the stress of tax season. I'm currently at a weight I can live with so I'm content. 

WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD MENTEE: Seeing how many of you had accidents for which you've recovered or are recovering, I'm anxious to learn the wisest way to rebuild. I also love the camaraderie of the mentor groups. I love to learn what others are doing and especially excited to find this mature, older group who I can learn from and share the journey with.  As an added bonus I figure SCOTT K will be an awesome source for helping me swim faster.

Congratulations on running 1000 miles, SHELLY!!   Wow, that's impressive!  And the fact that you want to do it again is more impressive!

To answer your question  "Almost all my "cycling" is on a stationary bike....Curious as to whether anyone else manages to train well enough this way".   Like you, I do the vast majority of my bike training indoors for safety reasons more than anything.  However, I have my tri bike set up on a trainer instead of using a stationary bike like they have at the Y.     I'm assuming that's the kind of bike you're talking about using?   I'll let the more knowledgeable folks on here answer to what's best but it's just my experience that being on my own bike prepares my body for the road miles when I do get out and race.   I wasn't sure if your question was more directed to indoor vs outdoor training or specific to stationary bike training?    So in summary, Yes I do indoor training like you and found that I can train just fine that way but No I use my actual bike which I think is more beneficial than a standard gym bike.  Hope that helps. 

To run on the racetrack!  Actually I'm not much of a racecar fan, but my husband likes to watch the races sometimes so I thought this might be a trip he would enjoy.  I try to do one "destination" race every year. Sometimes it's fairly close to home (Columbia, MO or Carlyle, IL are both only about 1-1/2 hours away), sometimes it's a little farther (I've been to Cincinnati for the Flying Pig and Little Rock, AR for the half marathon).  This year I picked Indianapolis.  I usually prefer to stick to smaller races but the bigger ones have some advantages - lots more crowd support, I don't finish so close to last, and it's a little more exciting than a race with only 500 people. 

Unless you're talking about trail races, of course - those are always exciting.  The ones around here are usually limited on the number of participants due to it being a trail race, but they're some of the most enjoyable races I do each year.  I got into trail running about 4 years ago and I love it (heading out for a run on the Lewis & Clark trail this afternoon, in fact).  You'll see quite a few of them on my calendar especially during fall and winter.  15k is the longest trail race I've done so far - 50k is intriguing to me but I'm not sure I could do it.  Of course, I also never thought I'd attempt a HIM and I'm seriously considering it in 2016 so you never know!

Good luck on your race this weekend!

Janet

Welcome back Scott.  I enjoyed watching you get off the couch and become a triathlete last year.  Bigger and better things to come this year!

And I think we should revisit the discussion we have started a couple times about Master's teams and swimming volume vs. intensity! 

Daniel,

We were all "newbies" once.  We have several people in the group that did their first triathlon last year so there will definitely be support as you start out on your triathlon journey.

Shelly,

We lived in southern Indiana until March of 2012 which means we had to deal with inclement weather - cold, snow, ice, all the fun stuff.  I got a Kinetic Road Trainer indoor bike trainer and did most of my training rides indoors during the winter months.  It would be equally useful trying to avoid traffic.  I think using your real bike on a trainer is preferable to an exercise or spin bike but you do what you gotta do.

I still use my trainer even now, living in sunny Southern California when I want a really good workout.  I use Sufferfest training videos which inspire REALLY hard workouts.  Absent the Sufferfest videos, my biggest problem on the trainer is fighting the boredom.

My personal opinion is that at some point, before you enter a race, you need to put in some actual road miles.  There are some things that you simply can't learn on a trainer; bike handling skills, dealing with wind, inclement weather, etc. 

I use my road bike on the trainer.  Some people advocate using your Triathlon bike (if you have one).  Again, my personal opinion/preference is to use my road bike.  The whole point of a Tri-Bike is to get down into aero position.  On a trainer, you have no wind resistance to overcome so I find it hard to maintain the aero position on my trainer.  Again, just my opinion/preference.  I have heard pretty heated debates over this topic.

Anyway, the short answer to your curiosity is, you can certainly put the miles on your legs on a trainer but you should augment that with some miles on the road before you actually race.

Janet,

I had to chuckle when I read your post.  Back in August of 2011 I was sitting on my couch in Indiana, enjoying my couch potato existence while contemplating the Ironman challenge I had just accepted from a friend.  I despised running and I was trying to reconcile that thought against completing the marathon at the end of an Ironman when a commercial came on TV.  A local running club was getting ready to start their annual training program for the One-American Indy Mini-Marathon.  I called the next day and they confirmed that , indeed, I would get to run a lap around the speedway.

You have to understand, I am a HUGE auto racing fan.  The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is hallowed ground for a racing fan.  When we lived in Indiana, I would give a reverent nod of my head in the direction of the speedway whenever we went past.  When I found out I could actually run around the track I couldn't sign up fast enough.  That race, the Indy Mini, is what got me seriously running.  To this day, I rarely go out for a run without remembering running around the track and that moment at the yard of bricks (start/finish line for the racing terminology challenged among us).

You can take your husband to the track and visit the Museum a day or two before the race.  Then you can take the bus tour around the track which, as a racing fan, will give him a cherished memory.

Have a good time!  It is a great race!  If I weren't going to Louisville in October I would be doing the Mini again this year but cross country travel is just to much work to do more than once a year.

HAPPY 2015 Gray Gang!!    What a diverse group we are - we span the United States quite nicely and hit the UK and Australia.   No matter where you are today, I hope this year starts out by bringing you blessings abounding!     I plan to spend this first one eating all day and watching football.