Beth and Yanti's New Manatees - FULL! :-) (Page 3)

I plan on doing the Beginner Half-Ironman from BTs plans starting in January. 

Yanti....what plan did you use when you trained for a HIM?  I need all the help I can get. I'm starting with a week base and I need to sustain my motivation to get me to the finish line. 

Thanks for starting this group.  I look forward to getting to know everyone.  

 Nathalie 

Same here, I am desperately looking for ways to sustain motivation and keep up with my workouts. How do you guys fuel your own motivation?

welcome aboard Joel!

You are not alone when it comes to the swim being your Achilles heel, that is the case for many many people.

Yanti and I both have a background in swimming (which is maybe why you picked us ),  We will do our best to help provide pointers that can help you feel comfortable in the pool

That's great that you have a time frame for your goal!  Are you following a specific plan?

I can't speak to recommending an approach for training to a HIM, although as with the shorter distances, I think the training plans on the site are really solid and provide a good approach

there is one available for free and the rest are available, with a membership, here is a link to the free one

http://beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/trainingplans-list.asp?h=1&racetype=1&racesubtype=4&level=-1

It's pretty cool because you can download the plan right into your BT training log

As a general rule, when I am picking out a training plan, I look at the general description of both the base that it recommends that you have as well as the  min and max for each discipline - and pick the one that most closely fits where I'm at.

I'm sure Yanti will provide more insight on this topic

As for motivation, that is a good question. 

I do better and stay more motivated if I actually am registered for an event or have a specific goal in mind, in fact, that's what led me to do the 1/2 Mary in January.  I was having a hard time getting going - totally lost my mojo, and Steve (Reno08) suggested that I register for a running race since it's no longer tri season here. 

I thought - what, who me - run in a race?  But the more I thought about it, the more I knew he was right - so I set my sights on the Philly 1/2 Mary at the end of Nov - once I started training I got sick and realized that it was not enough time, so I set my sight on a race in January that I am going to do with another fellow BT'r.  It's been great, I found a plan that is really working for me and I'm totally stoked to see the progress I'm making.

The goal can be an event, or an important milestone, like being able to run or swim or bike a certain distance by a certain time. My one word of caution would be to be realistic - certainly set stretch goals, but if the goal is unrealistic, it's too easy to get frustrated rather and it can backfire (JMHO)

I also find that I am much more motivated when I am following an actual plan, I'm not sure what it is, but I feel like I want to accomplish what is set out in the plan.  For me that's why it's so important to pick a plan that fits me, if it's too hard or too much for where I am at, it's too easy to give up or take short cuts.

And of course there is the challenge forum here on BT.  For me it is a great way to keep motivated as well as to *meet* other BT'rs.  I think I've only missed one month since last November - and that was due to injury.

I've *met* so many people here on BT that have also helped me find my mojo when I've lost it, given me a KIA when I needed it  - the community here on BT is a great source of support, encouragement, and inspiration!

I'd love to hear from others on what keeps you going!

Hi Joel,

Are you planning on the Oly distance for April/May timeframe or would you consider a Sprint?  The  reason I'm asking is that the swim distance is shorter for sprints and might not be a bad idea to do a shorter distance as 'training' for the longer distance.  Thoughts from anyone else?

I would recommend finding a training plan that you could follow specifically - a swim focus one with drills would probably be beneficial

The nice thing about training plans is that it takes a lot of the guesswork out of it for you and provides you with an approach that is specific to the type of event you are training for

I'm also personally a fan of following a specific off season plan, depending on where I'm at relative to an actual event.  The off season plans can a great way to focus on what is limiting us, for me that's the run

I'm not as familiar with training plans from other resources, but I'm sure Yanti is, and I can do some hunting myself

I used the BT Intermediate 16-week training plan, since I already had a strong base from running, cycling everywhere (I'm car-free ), and swimming.

For you, I'd definitely recommend the Beginner 20-week plan that has about 7-10 hours of training per week. You have a Gold membership so it's available to you.

There are other good HIM plans here; the reason I'd say this one is that with a weak base, the other plans already begin more aggressively and quickly build up, and you're better off building slowly.

Be assured the Beginner 20-week plan is excellent and will definitely work. It does say you should be able to swim 40 minutes, run 60 minutes, and bike 90 minutes to begin. I'd say if you were able to do that within the last few months or so, you should be fine.

If not, then the idea is to start pre-training now--very, very easily and that way you can build up to the starting minutes in a few weeks. If you put too much effort in, you won't be able to go for as long.

Swim 40 minutes can mean breaks between laps; run 60 minutes can be run-walk or even a fast walk. Bike 90 minutes, similarly, means you can do it slowly.

MOTIVATION

Ah, it's difficult for all of us--especially in the long winter months!

First of all, I applaud all of you for signing up for a mentor group--the support is wonderful and as you see others building towards their goals, it's very inspiring to do the same.

Second, it's wise to follow a plan. There are many free ones to choose from here, and if you find a paid-membership one that you might prefer, it is definitely more than worth the money to become a paid member. You won't find better plans or support for cheaper anywhere.

You can also build plans; say, do an Olympic one and then use a Half-Iron bridge if that works with your time frame better. Or, if you are able to do the work, you can choose a plan and begin in the middle.

Third, especially in the winter during base-building, it's important to remember that most if not all of your workouts are to be taken at a comfortable pace. It's a lot easier to get out there and do it if you know it's not going to be hard and it's not going to tax you; in fact, these workouts should be refreshing and energizing, as Beth said after her 7-mile run, she felt like she could do more.

Fourth, I find that mental training helps. I'll post more on it later, but it's amazing what a 5-minute meditation or visualization can do in terms of keeping you focused and motivated.

Fifth, read inspirational literature. I have many, many book recommendations for those of you who are interested (I'll probably post it all anyway!) It's so wonderful to read of people like yourself who are doing similar things and succeeded. It's great to read training tips you can put into practice right away. Etc.

Sixth, I find that when all else fails, I put on my running shoes and go outside. I tell myself, I do not have to run. All I'm going to do is put on my shoes and go outside. If I still want to just go back inside, I will. But at that point, if I've put the equipment on (or packed my swim bag, or taken the bike out and put a helmet on), I've usually cleared the hardest hurdle, which is just to get going.

HIM: FOR THOSE WHO PLAN ON DOING ONE

Recommended (required? , nah everything is a suggestion!) reading is The Perfect Distance by Tom Rodgers.

Thanks for the detailed insight. I would be interested to find out more about mental training. 

Here are some of the things that drive me and keep me focused on my routine workouts:

1. Swimming - I need to build a strong base. Starting to swim at the age of 38 is not easy. In order to learn the technique and form I need to practice a whole lot and there is no magic here, other than getting into a pool and following instructions from a coach. According to my coach, it will take me 3-4 years to improve my swim and get better and faster at it. I am about to finish 2008 with over 250,000 yards of swimming - and I still feel that I do not know how to swim... I cannot wait to the day that everything I learned will click together and I will witness a  real breakthrough in my swim!

2. Setting example - mostly to my family but to other real-life or virtual friends. I do not come from an active childhood. I had never seen my parents working out nor they have ever practiced any sport. I want show my kids a different way of living by setting an example. My kids are not that active either, but I hope that my commitment and dedication will reflect on them as well one day. My wife and older son (13 yo) just finished their first 5K race a few weeks ago. I felt great about it and I was proud too. In addition, a couple of friends of mine, started following couch to 5K plans and are running regularly now - knowing that I inspired them is a great rewarding feeling that I would like to keep.

3. A desire to stay healthy - After my first year of running, I realized that running in itself can take some toll on the body. I have lower back past injuries and I knew from reading that running might aggravate lower back pains. That was part of my decision to expand to other disciplines as well. Swimming and cycling are considered good cross-training to running so over all, it helps me stay healthier as well.

4. Weigh loss - I've been always challenged by my weight and found that commitment to consistent training helps me a lot on this end. I love to eat! A regular training regime definitely helps on that domain as well.

5. Finally, a dream of becoming an Ironman - (sometimes in the far future.) I know that every stroke in the pool, every mile on the bike and each step while running is helping my get closer to fulfill  this dream. Reality is that dreams do come true - but they need some help...

I would love to hear more from you all.

Thank you, Ronen! That's wonderful motivation.

x2!

INDEX PAGES

Since this is an active and fast-moving group, Beth or I will post an INDEX PAGE every 5 pages listing what topics were covered on which pages. It's difficult for Beth or I to imagine, but we do know that not everyone lives on BT and in any case, it will be helpful for all of us to be able to refer back to topics without scrolling through every page.

Lookie what I did, I hope it works!  Here's a table with links to all the Manatees,

What a gorgeous Manatee table, Beth!

You can just copy and paste it into your logs under Goals (long term or short term) and click on the links and it will take you to the individual Manatee's log.

Everyone remember to keep your logs updated so we can inspire each other and follow progress!

One thing that helps me with motivation is logging my workouts.   This gives me something to look back on when I am not feeling like getting out the door and it shows me how far I have come.  That motivates me to keep that up rather than let it go down the drain.

As stated before...the Challenge Groups are great...especially in the "off season".

Getting and giving "Inspires" from other BT'ers is something that helps make me be accountable to myself as well.

Steve

Thanks for the cool table Beth! 

I really appreciate the recommended reading Yanti...keep the titles coming.  I find that my mindset is what often stalls my training, it's usually nothing physical.  I welcome any recommendations for getting past this...I like the idea of making a deal with myself to just get out there...that's a good first step. 

Yes, awesome table.

x2 on the literature suggestions.  I am always looking for some thing inspiring to read. 

Hi everyone!  Oh, my goodness, you have no idea how happy I am that the table worked out, the last time I tried to create a table, I blew up an entire thread and Marma had to fix it!

so, to copy and paste it into your log, you will want to highlight the table, and copy (ctrl C), then go to your log, click on control panel and paste it (ctrl V) into the goals section

I'll also create a post with the raw html, that sometimes works easier for people