Maine Rob's Group - Closed (Page 3)

jstdoit - 2010-01-05 8:32 PM Wow, with all the time off around the holidays I forgot how busy work is. Anybody else feel like that. I am stuck in a hotel the rest of the week in Dallas. Doing employee evaluations as we speak wanting to go get on the treadmill instead. Oh well, I feel like I need to give my legs a day off anyway. Anybody got some sure fire stress relievers other than a workout? On to a question. I have a backyard pool but really no good for swimming laps(not to mention its freezing outside) due to size. At some point I am going to have to join a center that has a pool to train in. Considering my schedule and not wanting to throw away money too early are there specific exercises I can do to prepare myself for the swim training? Is this just wishfull thinking? As you may notice from my question, Ive never really been a swimmer. Thanks, Tommy

I'm struggling with staying as hydrated for the day as I need to be.  I get busy at work and forget to drink my water even though it's right there with me.

Yeah, I assumed so - would be nice if we could run that fast though .

Early on it's ok to miss some workouts, as long as in the big picture you remain fairly consistent.

A 5k in June or July is very attainable for you, and will likely help you stay consistent.

Yeah, work and real life can be a pain - I ended up doing no training yesterday as I was in a meeting from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.  I used to feel some guilt if I  missed a workout, but now I've gotten to the point that I just roll with it,  pick things up the next day, and keep moving. 

Cris made a good point about motivation and getting workouts done - sometimes you just need to not think about it and just go through the motions to get started. Put on your workout clothes and get to it - the more you think about it, the worse it gets.  Usually you'll be glad you did it once you get moving.

There was a question about small pools and/or dryland training. Becky gave a good link for some dryland exercises, which will help some, but are not a substitute in the long term.  I have used a stretch cord to "swim" in my kids' 12 foot pool in the summer. I've even done it with my wetsuit on (the water gets cold in Maine ). Fortunately, our backyard is very private and no one could see me.

You can do some inside workouts with the weights and the ball, such as some good core workouts like these.

http://www.d3multisport.com/articles/core1.html

http://www.d3multisport.com/articles/core2.html

http://www.d3multisport.com/articles/core3.html

Run when you can, but if it doesn't feel safe you can always do some brisk walking for now. Everything you can do to move and be active now will provide some benefit to more structured training come spring.

As far as adding friends - click on the "Settings" link at the top of the page (there is a picture of a wrench). Then click on "Training blog customization", and then on the "Friends" tab. You can then enter usernames on a list of friends. After you are done, click on "Update friends", and when you return to your training log there should be a list of your friends on the left side of your log. You can then click on any of those friends to visit their logs, and then click on the "inspire me" link for that day on their log to leave them a note.  If someone leaves you an inspire on your log, you can reply in their blog by clicking the reply button.

So here we are one week into the new year. How is everyone doing with training, nutrition, etc.? 

Keep at it, no matter how this first week went. It's easy to drop into the "all or nothing" mindset, where you miss a few days of workouts, or eat some junk, and think to yourself, "oh well, I've blown it, I guess I'm done with the whole triathlon training thing" (or whatever goal you had in mind).  Every day is a new start, and another chance to move closer to your goals.

For me, I'm finding it pretty challenging trying to juggle the P90X program with my triathlon training.  The strength work in the P90X program is pretty new to me, and is working me over pretty well.  The nutrition part is definitely different for me, and has been requiring some discipline to keep from the snacking and grazing on sugary stuff (like feeling a little hungry and popping a few handfuls of lucky charms ).

At the same time, I'm excited to see some changes in myself already (down a few pounds and some reductions in body fat percentage), and the fact that the program is broken into week-long segments helps, as I can feel good about completing each week. 

This can work well for motivation - try to find some goal each week, or something that you can accomplish and be proud of each week.  Often, when people are following a long term plan (like training for a race 4, 5, 6, or more months away), it's easy to lose motivation as it seems so far out there. Finding some goal or some accomplishment in each week, or even every workout, can make a big difference in keeping us going.

Happy training all!

-Rob

You can put the link at the top of your training log in the "goals" section. If you click on the "edit" button, then you can insert a link.

Good to hear! Keep it up!

How's everyone else doing?

Week one went pretty well,  I have to take it day by day to keep that overwhelming feeling of "I have to train or I will fail" feeling. I do great during the week, but when the weekends come I get pretty lazy.

I found myself moving some of the workouts around in order to get at least something in everyday. Winter is a real obstacle since I hate the indoor training, but think about how prepared we will be once those nice days arrive and we can go outside. I was reading the description of the race I did last year and this years race is going to start by shooting down a water slide..lol.  That should be a hoot! I can't wait.

I agree with setting a weekly or short term goal. Once you hit that goal, step back, readjust as needed and attack.

I can't speak for that specific bike, but being new to this sport and purchasing a new road bike recently, I had many questions as well. The questions I got from most experienced (recreational) rides was if I was going to use the bike for anything besides triathlons? I tri-bike may not be the best option if you plan on doing any bike only events where the packs are tight. Also, if you plan on doing weekend rides where you may be required to use your brakes alot. 

Just a tip I picked up before I bought my bike. I plan on strapping some aerobars on my bike and in the future I might spring for a tri-bike if this year turns out to be a good year.  Either way I saved myself about $500 to $1000. 

I woud say yes on the shorts, but not a necessity unless you are jumping from the pool to the bike. Good padded bike shorts are good for the bike rides, but it all comes down to your own comfort.

Hope some others can give you some advice.