Todd’s Tri Turtles 8 (Beginner, 5K, 10K, Sprint, Whatever) (Page 2)

Todd a smile and finishing is all that matters. I get the not cold running being from Texas too. I know running around 50ish for me is good but when it hits around that the cold kills my lungs for a few miles. Give me lots of water and I will run on our heat advisory days anytime. Good luck Sunday do great.

Hi Turtles,

Looks like the group is fairly active which is great. Looking forward to your race report Todd.

I completed 1 swim, 1 bike ride, 3 runs, 4 gym sessions and a game of golf this week. I wore my running watch to measure how far I walked during the golf game and clocked up 11.8 KMs. The course is around 6 KMs , also include distance from flag to tee and I din't always hit it straight down the fairway but I was surprised how far we walked. I had to cut the swim down to 45 minutes as I had some hip soreness. Outdoor training was again limited by the poor air quality due to the smoke from the bush fires.

Taking a fewer days off from running but will walk 8 - 10 KMs each day.

Feeling frustrated about not being 100% fit but learning to deal with it and train accordingly.

Hope you're all well and enjoying your training.

Well so the run was pretty good and worked out better than I could have asked for. We all know that I was by no means properly trained to run a Half Marathon, but I knew from past races and myself that I could safely complete it. I finished in a time of 2:23:02, which is pretty much in line with where I’m usually at for my half’s at the end of an 70.3. The most important thing for me is that this was the 2nd straight Half that I did with no stopping or walking. I did pee twice but in my book that’s a plus. I say it’s good because now I’m not run / walking anymore and can keep this going and work towards getting faster per mile on average. I ran a steady pace across the race and now just need to work to lower that pace. If it comes through here is a picture of me and several thousand in my corral before the start. Thank y’all for the well wishes before the race.

Edited by Hunting Triathlete 2020-01-20 6:01 PM




Attachments
----------------
3D3DC597-FDF3-4FA2-B76E-E26B9661F655.jpeg (2078KB - 25 downloads)

Awesome!! Glad to hear the race went off without a hitch.

Great Effort Todd.

I admire how you're already planning how to better your time.

Congrats Todd on a great event!!

Hi Todd,

I'd like to join the group please, as it seems like the right fit for me.

A bit about me:
My name is Kim. I am a 39 year old mother of 2 children. A hockey player and a ballerina. I've been married to my husband for 15 years, we met at band camp 25 years ago.

I did my first "try a tri" (I guess it would be considered a super sprint) 8 years ago, as it was always my dream to complete a triathlon. It didn't necessarily go as planned, though I can say I completed it. My focus this time around is to do it for me, so that I can be proud of my accomplishment, last time I was trying to prove to others that I could, and didn't quite feel satisfied once finished.

I turn 40 in March and have decided that for my 40th year I would like to complete another, but this time, do a sprint, with an open water swim. (The previous was a pool swim) The open water is a fear of mine, I'm afraid of all of the 'flailing bodies'...

I am currently 60+ pounds overweight. I know how to eat properly, I know what to do to lose weight, I can honestly recognize that I am lazy and grab the wrong foods on the go as I trek my kids around. I've made significant changes to my eating starting late December to change my habits. I have seen a difference on the scale, though I'm more pleased with my dedication of tracking foods, physical activity, moods, energy in a wellness journal. The weight loss is a result of my wellness plan, not the expectation or goal. It is also a challenge as I work towards my goal, but one that I am not allowing to deter me.

My goal is to prepare for a sprint triathlon scheduled July 12, 2020. I have just under 25 weeks left. I developed a plan based on some 'pinterest' research, but found this group as I read articles, and thought it would be perfect, to help me with my questions, concerns, fears, etc.

I look forward to following along with other people on their journey. Nothing is more inspiring than seeing others achieve their goals, which is the encouragement I need to fulfill mine.



Edit: Congrats on your race Todd!

Edited by KimFlo 2020-01-21 12:35 PM

Hi Kim,

You're in the right place for support and encouragement. Good luck on your race preparation and training over the next 25 weeks.

Sounds like a great race Coach! Well done!

Still here working on training so I will be able finish the first week of my plan when it starts (week of Feb 10). I was thinking of this process I am on where I - plan to train, train for the plan, train the plan, and finally race. Lot's of planning and training made me chuckle a bit. Oh well, it is something I have always wanted to do.

Kim.....welcome to the Turtles! Great group here.....

Actually did a “mini brick” this am....30 minutes on the trainer then to the treadmill for a mile walk....snowy conditions here so I decided to see if I had it in me to do both this am. My butt is soooo out of bike shape.....;0(.....

Bill

Thanks Folks!

I have a small question if I could. I'm struggling with rest days. Logically I understand why our body needs them, but my fears keep telling me 1 day off = 1 step backwards. Last Sunday I had a rest day where I didn't sit still but didn't exert myself. On Tuesday I had my best run yet and felt great. Today was hard and painful, it was a mental fight to get through it. So my questions are:

1. How many rest days do you typically take per week?
2. What do you do on your rest day, I'm assuming nothing 'exerting'?
3. I'm doing CORE exercises too, would it be smart to do CORE on cardio rest days? Or maybe yoga on those days?

Any advice is much appreciated!

Kim....probably many opinions on this and perhaps I'm not the best example.....but, listen to your body.

That said building a rest day or two into your training program is wise; on those rest days perhaps an easy walk, stretching, yoga, etc might be in order....and some rest days nothing. Don't worry about the 2 steps back....sometimes doing too much will set you back quicker than taking a rest day.

A couple of other thoughts, continue to vary your activities and as you get further along try to build into your routine the different disciplines of the sport. Also, for your running....be certain you have good shoes and are fitted properly for them. You probably already know that but thought I'd toss it out. A funny note....my son in law was here for christmas and commented on all the "OLD" Brooks I have stored in my basement! Told him those are destined for yard work....

Anyway, others will be along and will provide much greater wisdom than I've provided....just a few thoughts I'd pass along.

As Bill said, you will get many varying opinions on these subjects, so probably best just to listen to Todd. For me:

1. None, I try to do two workouts most days (before and after work).
2. See above.
3. I like the idea of doing CORE/strength and yoga training in addition to the cardio work. I personally wouldn't pay much attention to whether I was doing them on the same day or not. I like to sign up for some class each winter that will get me doing stuff besides the move straight forward at tempo pace we stick to with triathlon training. I find that when I have only done triathlon cardio work I get quite strong with those movements, and flexibility and balance go out the window. This makes me very susceptible to injury.

I aim for one rest day for 2 weeks then on the third I take 2 days off. This week I’m on a 2 off. Nursing a jacked tendon in ankle so I haven’t gone as hard as I want but if I can get this thing right I will step back up. On normal rest single rest days I do some stretching and foam roll/ ball rolling. On weeks it’s a double I lay one day off completely maybe even a nap. But again listen to your body and prepare for a lot of opinions from anyone it doesn’t matter what kinda endurance activity they do theres lots of thoughts on it.

Hi Kim,

Have a browse through the many excellent training plans available on this site and find one that meets your needs. You'll note that they all include rest days and your body will need them as you are training for 3 sports at once. Sometimes I get a bit of an additional rest by taking one week off every 6 weeks. Another method of resting is training on consecutive days as follows: Swim 6AM on Monday and run 6PM on Tuesday. That's a 36 hour break between sessions. There will be other times when you have a forced rest due to illness or family, work, friends etc. If you do have an extended break don't expect to resume training with the same intensity as before; you'll have to dial it down and rebuild in most cases.

I do a lot of cardio, core and strength work at the gym. I've found gym fitness compliments rather than substitutes for swimming, cycling and running.

Keep smiling and enjoy the journey.

Thank you everyone so much. I figured it would be a varied set of answers.

I've decided the best answer for me is to take cues from my body. I will pencil in rest days for the next 10 or so weeks, with yoga or simple 'walk the dog' on those days.

So at the moment I'm currently training to be able to complete a 12-14 week triathlon training program. Did I mention I'm seriously out of shape? The good news is, I'm a month in and feel so many changes. I actually lost 5 inches off of my thighs just from the last month, not to mention running fasting further. It's encouraging and I know I can get a lot done in the next 10 weeks - just need to get through it injury free. Thank you all for your feedback! I'm sure I'll refer back to it in about 10 weeks when I buckle down in prep.

Just checking in.... not doing too bad so far, but I definitely could be doing better. It's hard to say much of anything as to why I haven't been doing as well as I should be (from a volume standpoint) without it sounding like a weak excuse to me. My diet is absolutely not where it needs to be, and my weight loss is negligible.

Swim: Finally jumped in the pool yesterday during lunch. Full disclosure... If I could find a way to avoid leaving the house, I would take it. I don't do very well in public when there's attention focused on me, real or imagined. Unless I get there when the pool opens, i"m out of luck because I can't approach anyone to ask to share a lane. I went up there around lunch and there were lanes open, so... 6x50 later my arms are a bit noodley. I did manage to approach a life guard to ask if the pool was normally that un-busy at that time. Looks like mid-day swims are going to work. Got a good boss and a somewhat flexible schedule.

Bike: All exercycle. Keeping it moderate as I'm trying to re-build my base from nothing. Other than volume (2/3 ain't bad?), and seat, I'm happy with this so far.

Run: Again, trying to build base, but i need to actually get outside and run... The rest of the voices are pretty good at talking me out of it, especially when it's cold (yes, i do have gear)

Weights: Still tying to figure out a routine. Again, I should have already had this done... just lazy

Still optimistic about PRing my 2nd & 3rd race. I was in my best shape for the 1st the last time I ran it.

I love your statement about the "The rest of the voices are pretty good at talking me out of it". Man, I have those same voices and they yell at me!

Kim, it sounds like you are seeing some real improvements. Congrats!

Hi everyone, I'd like to get in on this group. Sounds like it's what I need.

I'm 45, live in the 'burbs of Chicago. Married with 3 daughters.

I've never done a triathlon before, so I'm not really sure what to expect. I'm planning on doing at least one sprint this summer, but haven't actually signed up. I've been swimming pretty regularly, but that's been about it. I got the itch to try this in the fall and set up my bike on an indoor trainer and started running some, but the running didn't go that well and I think that's what I'd be looking to this group for advice on.

Now that the possibility of doing this seems more "real" being in the new year, I feel like I need to work on my running. Outdoor running isn't really an option where I live right now. There is a (short) indoor track and a lot of treadmills at the facility that I do my swimming at.

Any advice on a plan to follow, or anything to get my running better would be great.

Thanks a lot everyone. Looking forward to this experience.

Welcome to the group but you can keep your cold weather haha. When you say short track does it have rounded corners that you can keep speed on or is it like a gym that I have by my house that’s 90 degree turns so u can’t carry any speed around it (it’s a walking track according to the not so nice people that walk the wrong direction of the signs). Also what did you mean by running is your problem are you just not a good runner in your mind or do you have injury problems? Either way start small and build up. No one wakes up and is a sprinter or a marathoner everyone has to start somewhere. Good shoes is a big thing too. You don’t have to spend a ton but they will for sure make life better.

Yeah, the cold weather is no fun. We're expecting about 5 inches of snow tonight. The track is runnable and doesn't have 90 degree turns, but it's 12 laps for a mile, so it's kind of rough. With the running, it's not really injuries, although I don't always feel 100% during the runs. Knees don't always like it. I was looking at the training plan on the site here for the 16 or 20 week running focus. I think something like that might work for me. Has anyone used any of the plans available here? Any thoughts?

Kim, congrats on the results and sorry for the late response. You have been given a lot of good advice, training plans, listening to your body, stay injury free by not over doing it. I want to add one thing that I think is important reading this post. You say you were seriously out of shape. That did not happen overnight and you already know it’s not going to change overnight and are seeing benefits of your hard work. That said, don’t get discouraged when the results slow or you don’t think you are improving, because you are. Also I would tell you not to view this as a challenge and training for a triathlon. Come at it from the standpoint of a lifestyle change and way to a happier, healthier life. So many start this sport and complete there first sprint or go all the way to their first Ironman and then stop the sport and exercise all together. Enjoy the journey, the race is just the payoff of your hard work. Also you are right about injury free. To many start getting injuries from over use or doing to much to fast and then stop out of discouragement. You are doing great.

First, welcome to the group and congrats on challenging yourself. So running for most and I was certainly one, a work in progress. Running is all about building endurance and getting your body use to it. I found that for me especially starting out that running more times each week at shorter distances was way better than less runs at longer distances. I would suggest not doing a running specific plan or any plan until you know you can safely run / do the distances within the first two weeks. I’ve always viewed my first race at any distance as making sure I could safely cover each distance, and remember if worse comes to worse you can always walk during the run portion. I don’t know how far you are with the run but don’t be afraid to look at it individually and do couch to 5k (app C25k) or if you are more advanced look at Hal Higdons running plans.

Well today was my first day back at it since the Houston Half Marathon. I typically take off 5-7 days after a race to make sure all is back to normal. This morning I did a 2 mile run followed by an 11 mile ride. I can not understate how nice it was to do both in 60 degree weather with the sun shining and sweat on my face. I have just over 2 months until Ironman Galveston 70.3 and am starting to get excited, probably more so than I was the first time I did it.

I had to remind myself today that I am a Turtle and do this for fun and my health. What do I mean? I caught the new bike bug lately and have really been looking and thinking about buying a new one. On my ride today I remembered a few things. 1. My bike is old (2010) but still a really nice bike that works great (Cervelo P3) 2. I can do a lot more work on the engine, which would have a much greater impact on my time / speed than a new bike 3. I’m no where near the podium so the money spent just wouldn’t make sense for the minimal time savings 4. I could just get a new / used set of carbon rims that would make the ride more comfortable and save a little time as a bonus. 5. Probably most important is that with me having limited disposable income I’d rather use it for another couple races / trips with my family. I don’t want y’all to get me wrong, if you have an old mountain bike and want to switch to a road or Tri bike that would make a huge difference. While on the subject of bikes, as long as you know your size and get one that fits a used bike can get you a lot for a little. I bought my P3 almost 2 years ago for 750.00 and it even came with a full xlab rear hydration system and bottle cages ($150+). This bike and everything on it sold originally for over $4000 and was used by the pro athletes at Kona in that and subsequent years.

Thanks Todd. I've done other events in the past, however this is the first time that I feel like I'm properly training and getting my body ready. It's almost become addicting. Something I started last week which has helped immensely is nightly yoga. I never thought I would be a yoga person but it really is helping with my mind and body. I've seen good days and I've seen bad days in the last month, but the good days show me how far I've come and encourage me to keep going. The bad days show me that I still have some hard work ahead. Just 4 weeks ago I was winded trying to walk 2km at a slow pace. Today I jogged 10 minutes as my warm up, before biking 30 minutes.

The biggest wins for me so far are my kids. My son is 8 and won the fall provincial cross country championships. He is so excited to see me running. I'm not sure that I'll ever be as fast as him, but he has already told me that he wants to run the last 2 kms of the race with me and that once we can get outside he wants to help me train with my running and biking.

My daughter is 11 and a ballerina. While she is athletic and flexible her cardio is lacking. She recently had to complete a 12 minute run and said she wanted to stop after 9 minutes but then thought about how hard I've been working and how if I can do it she can push herself too. She ended up beating her previous record by 4 laps.

THIS is why I'm doing it. Week after week, seeing my progress through their eyes. I think this is going to be a very positive change for our whole family.