Tri/tbay group - CLOSED (Page 3)

I hope everyone had a nice New Years weekend, back to work tomorrow.  I have been looking at the posts and it looks like our group will have quite a showing at St.A's this year.  I still have to register, I am still gun shy because I have not been in the water yet.  I am signing up at the Y tomorrow.  I will be running in the gasparilla 5k for sure and am thinking of doing escape from Ft.Desoto as a warm up and my first tri before St. A.

Lots of work to do in the next few months.  Good luck to everyone and stay healthy!  I look forward to reading everyones training and success stories this year!

Thanks, it does look like a good showing at St. Anthony's this year. Don't hesitate on getting your swim base going, the spring races aren't that far away. Ft. Desoto is a good warm up event it does fill up so check their website and don't miss getting registered.

 Did you see my post on getting your friends set up?

Hope you all are staying warm this week.  The wind was really blowing during the morning run.  We ran in a park so it wasn't quite as bad.  I hope your training is done inside for the next few days.  I still need to bike ride today.  For tomorrow, I will swim at a later time than normal so the temperature is above 40.  At least the weather was great over the holidays.

I was thinking of St. Anthony's but it just didn't work for my schedule.  I will need to see if I can make it work.

Bill

Hello! I'd like to join this group. I am a total newbie and could really use the encouragement.

I'm 33 (almost 34!) and a stay-at-home mom of three boys who I homeschool. I've been married for 12 years and traveled a lot in that time.

I have been overweight since I was a kid and not particularly athletic in a competitive sense, but have always been pretty physically active. For a long time now I've thought it would be cool to try a triathlon but honestly it was too intimidating. I used to lifeguard but was never a fast swimmer. I do NOT enjoy running. I currently own a bike that was given to me second-hand--my first bike since I was kid! But I've decided I don't care if it's intimidating and my gear is lame, I want to try it anyway.

So here I am. I spent the last month just getting back into a good routine at the gym, and yesterday was my first day following the balanced 3x Sprint training program. Biking went well, the swimming was pathetic but just shows that I've got some room for improvement. Today I did a short run and it wasn't bad. I'm excited to be starting this and to see how things improve with time.

I'm planning on participating in the Dunedin Sprint triathlon in June. I have a lot of work to do (and body fat to lose!) but I am trying to take one day at a time and not get overwhelmed.

Hi Roy,

Room for one more??   I am in Tampa and looking to learn while I stumble through training!!   My best friend roped me into training for the Ft Desoto Tri on May 5th.   I do bike and walk/jog, uh... some.   But no race experience at all.

About me:  39 yrs old, mostly work from home and I have a side business, volunteer with my daughter's GS troop and with my Gluten Free group.   Heart disease and obesity run in my family (on separate sides) so I know I need to be more active.

Family Status:  Married 19 years, one 13 yr old daughter (will be involving my hubby and daughter in my training!!)

2012 - planning for Ft Desoto May 5th - need to officially register     Considering the Dunedin in June but its looks kind of hard core and a little scary.   I think there is another in the area in Oct and may sign up if I don't make a fool of myself in May  ;-)

Weightloss:  I do intend to loose some fat, but I know I will be gaining muscle and so the end result weight may end up near what I am now - 146  5'4".

What will make me a good mentee:   I love to learn new things and will be asking questions... I have already started increasing my walk / jogs and intend to keep building.    I am a positive person in general, for myself and supporting others!! 

Greetings jenngregoryev and melintampa welcome to the group. Looks like you both will heading down the same path. It's exciting, nerve racking and huge amount of fun and feeling of accomplishment.

Welcome.

Hi Roy,My name is Bill, this mentoring thing sounds like a good idea, i am 54 and want to commit to a half tri this year. I have picked the Cooperstown race Sept. 23rd as the most likely race that works for me. I guess you can call that my "A"race. I also want to run a marathon on May 20th and have begun training. This is my "plan" and i am hoping you will critique it. First i want you to know that i logged 635mi. last year from May to Dec. and ran the Erie presque Isle Half marathon in 1:50. Since then i have done what i call maintenance running and started biking about 60mi. a month on a trail bike. I will be getting in the pool in mid Jan. and hopefully with the help of a swim coach learn to swim the correct way and build a good base before getting in open water at a local lake. I want to pattern my run training on Jeff Galloways 3 day a week program, but am not totally familiar with the nuts and bolts of that yet. So as you see i am a novice to the tri but not a total greenhorn to fitness. Some of the issues i will have are biking and swimming training and fueling my body in training and races. I hope you have time to help me out and would appreciate any insight your experience can provide.   

Good luck this year coach!  It was great being part of this group in the past.

Lopadrino, please look for the fishhawk triathlon club.  We're not that far from your area.  

Welcome to the newest members!  For anyone who is feeling at all intimidated by tri's or just needing some inspiration, I highly recommend the book "Slow Fat Triathlete" (Jayne Williams).  Not saying anyone is slow or fat, but that book just really helped me to have the courage to get into this, and to find joy in the journey.

Roy, thanks for the swim school advice.  I feel like my balance in the water has somehow gotten worse instead of better, so hopefully having someone look at it will help.  I felt the need to get back to the pool enough to get back up to swims of 2K yds prior to the lessons just so I won't be gasping for air from the get-go.  But I'm sure I'm reinforcing whatever is wrong.  Return to running after ankle/crud is going pretty well.  We have had some awesome running weather here, and I hope sunny Florida is the same! 

All signed up at the Y.  My first swim session will be Thursday ( have to get out and get a pair of goggles tomorrow).  

Roy I saw the post and followed your directions. I think I am set with the training log sharing but I still don't even see how to add some one as a friend.  I can not be this incompetent on here!

NEVER MIND- I figured it out  Thank you

Thanks Olman good to hear from you. I hope all is well? I'm pretty sure I'm going to run the 1/2 marathon on the 29th at Alafia St. Park. Thats your neck of the woods.

Good Morning,

wrhall2 you are the last member of this years group, Welcome.

Well how is everyone doing? With the spring triathlon events still some time off, this is the time of year to be working on your base endurance phase of training, or a very aerobic, moderate heart rate(HR) type of workouts. If your just getting started with your training don't push to hard to soon, let your body begin the adaptation process and as the winter progresses your intensity of workouts will increase. If your following one of the BT plans or another this should be reflected in the workouts.

In looking at everyone posts, most have some running events in the near future me included, so you may be in a run emphasis phase which is fine and then your begin to increase your cross training to get more into your triathlon specific mode.

Cold here today 25 degrees as I write. That sucks.

Roy,

Can't argue about the temperature.  My day has been messed up since the temperature was to cold to swim at my normal time.  My thermometer was at 20 when I got up.  I plan to go in later when the pool opens (temperature above 40).  Swimming is my only activity on the schedule today.  Yesterday's bike ride was very windy and cold.  I did manage to complete my planned ride of 25 miles.

My training log is set to be shared with everyone.  If you cannot see it let me know.

St. Anthony's will not work in my schedule.  Good luck to all that are planning to race.

Bill 

Wow, I finally got around to checking the posts on here, and I am impressed with all the new members!  Welcome everyone and good luck in reaching your goals this year.  I especially like to read about the newbies to the sport because it's so inspiring...welcome to a new lifestyle and warning: it's addictive..you will forever be altered once you start on this journey.  My ultimate goal is to complete another Ironman in 2013 when I turn 65.  I completed one Ironman in 2009; DNF'd on a second attempt in 2010 so I am committed ... or should I say I should be committed?!

So, now since 2012 has officially begun, I no longer have the excuse that I am "building my base" and have the luxury  of missing workouts (signed up for 70.3 in Florida May 20th). This week, so far so good.  I swam 2800 yards yesterday, and although I am slower than I like to be, it is the longest I've gone in a long time.  Today, gritting my teeth, but will be riding my bike for at least 2 hours on my computrainer with music blaring here in my workout room (rain in the forecast here in Seattle, so what else is new?) followed by at least a 30 min run (which I call a slog because I am so very slow..yeah like 12 min miles are good for me and if I have to take a walk break, my pace is even slower..sigh).    

Squirt: Did you ask for swim tips?  All I can say about learning to swim is it takes time and patience.  Most importantly, you have to first learn to relax in the water...I believe this can be done most effectively by doing drills and more drills.  It's hard for me to give advice because I have been swimming since childhood and it comes naturally to me so I don't quite understand when I see people fighting the water unable to just breath normally and stay relaxed.  It will come though.  I had a friend who I was very concerned about because I was certain he would drown during Ironman (he could only swim 25 yards at a time in the pool).  However, he went to the pool consistently, got some help from a coach and did weekly open water swims; he ended up swimming a 1:33 at IMAZ.   So you can do it too!

I'll be in Florida April/May so I am considering doing the Ft Desoto Sprint..not sure of the date OR St Anthony's as a warm up for the 70.3.  

Have a good training day everyone!

Mona

Hi Roy and thanks for accepting my request My name is Bill, and as i saw in your post it is cold here as well. 8 degrees last night so it looks like the treadmill tonight and i am getting on the trainer bike at the college i work at tommorow. I don't know what i'm doing but thats never stopped me before. They have a "spinner bike"? also so what do you do on a spinner bike? 

thanks

Bill

Hi all, sounds like our group is getting a little consistency going.  Kerry and I were discussing the BT training log graph this morning.  He is now obsessively wanting to see it go up each week like I do (evil grin).  OK, maybe he is less obsessive, but you know what I mean.

Mona, thanks for the swim tips.  I really wish I had gotten into swimming as a kid.  After much angst at first, I'm pretty relaxed in the water at this point.  Maybe too relaxed!  I finished my OLY swims in 2011 determined to take it easy and just finish, but would like to see if I can step it up beyond that.  I'm stuck at about 2:15/100 yds for long sets in the pool, and even slower in OW.  Hopefully the swim class will help unlock my inner fishie .

My hat is off to all of you who use a bike trainer for long sessions.  Kerry & I just got trainers, and have only done short sessions so far.  I could swear time moves backwards.   

Hi Bill, got take advantage of resources when they are available. A spin bike is a stationary bike that is a bit more like riding a road bike than some of the other stationary bike devices. It certainly will not take the place of getting outdoors and riding but it's an opportunity to get some cardio fitness going. I've never done an organized spin session but I hear they can/are pretty intense depending on the instructor and level of class. Use it to your advantage but get outdoors on the road as soon as you can.

St Anthony's training us underway here in Ohio.  I am still learning how to juggle kids school, their activities, work and triathlon.  Some days all went as planned...other days not so much.  I had to cut a 1:30 bike to :30 to accomodate my hubby's schedule but that is life, friends. 

 I got some swim assistance from a swim coach at the Y and some tweaks made all the difference.  She adjusted the angle that my hand entered the water (from flat to 45 degrees), and got me to reconsider bi lateral breathing.  At least for the pool   Feeling much smoother now, but she recommends slowing WAY down during training until I get the hang of it. 

Question for my fellow northerners - how to do prep your body for a race in warm weather?  We'll all be used to training outside in 30 degrees.  St A's promised to be a hot humid mess.  I was thinking of sauna?  Any ideas???

Hi Melisssa, I think that is good advice, and it really holds true for most of our training unless we are in the final cycle of our training for an event. Your work for now should be very aerobic, with some upper end aerobic work but you don't need to worry about weather your at race speed just yet. Speaking of triathlon season.

Thats always a tough thing for the northern crowd to come to Florida for their opening events of the season, for us who live hear even when its cold(yes it does get cold here some) there is humidity and finding training days when it is hot is not a problem. But for you all the best I can recommend is train later in the day on the weekends when temps are at the high for the day. Hydration is a tough one to, I"m sure you all can get out and train this time of year and hardly have a need for hydration, but when you come to race another story. So get yourself ready for that. Also with the swim waves sequence at St. Anthony's which aren't released yet it makes a huge difference from the early waves to the late waves.

The run is well supported with stations every mile, there is some shade when you go over the little bridge and get into the neighborhood but still hot. Typically there is an easterly wind that time of year some years stronger than others which is why the swim has been an issue. It blows across the bay right into St. Pete.

The ice cold towels they had out at the finish really feel great, look forward to that.

Also as my sig line says "do what you can when you can", is really how it is for me and most anyone who has other life responsibilities. As long as you are following your plan to the best you can then don't worry about some missed time/miles etc. it will turn out OK.

Yes it will require a little tinkering to find the adjustments that fit your body diminsions, play around with it try to get in as close to a position as you would for an outdoor bike. I find that the spin bikes or even the precore bikes don't set up that well but they are functional and will be an aid to your bike fitness.

I"ll take a look at your log.

Troy, thanks for the tips on the trainer.  I'll check out spinnervals.  And yes, I think learning anything as an adult is a bit harder.  I cede the swim lead to anyone who wants it, just hoping to get closer to the middle of my middle aged lady pack .

As for training to race in the heat/humidity, I don't know that even those of us who live in it ever really acclimate.  One thing I have found helpful is to pour cold water on my head at the water stops.  I've also been known to put ice in my sports bra.  Yes, it makes me sound kind of like a martini (shaken, not stirred), but it works for a little while.

Got in a 9 mile run this morning, so on track for ramping the miles back up in a semi-reasonable way prior to the Carlsbad half.  It won't be ideal, but should get me to the starting line healthy, and finishing decently (for me), just not as speedily as I had hoped.  Pool school starts tomorrow with filming and analysis, so hopefully I can go from being a crab to a guppy. ><>  ><>  ><> 

Completed week3 of the couch to 5k. Still feeling good and enjoying it. I'm starting to mix in some easy biking on a trainer. I'm still looking for a road bike but not in a hurry.  If I find a great deal I'll jump on it, but it will have to be a good deal right now.

I'm amazed at all the distances & times you all are doing.  It's great.  I know I won't catch up quick but I'm trying to be consistent.  I've signed up for one 5k in February and plan on doing another in April.  Assuming I those go ok I'll start looking at 10k's which is my goal. 

Hope everybody has a great weekend!

Kerry