Big Steve's Group (Year Three) - Closed (Page 3)

I think previous race experience as shorter distances is really important and thats the route I took....sprint, Oly, Half Marry, HIM, Marathon, IM.   You can bypass that but only if you're comfortable with the distance.  If you can pull off some training bricks with a 10 mile run off a 56 mile bike you should be OK.

Now that I'm at a computer where my shift key works, this will be a bit easier! =D

NAME: sozzie aka Shawn

STORY: Started running in 2007, but always had a desire to do triathlons. Started competing in triathlons in 2009. Did a couple of Sprint and Olympic distances, and did Ok, nothing special but I've never been excited by those distances. I'm definitely a long distance enthusiast. I love getting to the point where it's body vs mind; best challenge ever.

FAMILY STATUS: I live in Ottawa Canada, so I do lots of training in winter. Been happily married for 3 years but no kids.

CURRENT TRAINING: Been rebuilding my base in preperation for my first HIM in Sept, IM Muskoka 70.3. I'm lucky to have been blessed with great muscle memory so I can usually pickup from no training for weeks to running over 14K and biking for over 2 hours without having any soreness.

THIS YEAR'S RACES:

Unfortunately, I was only able to compete in 3 races last year because I was in a car accident in July which sidelined me for the remainder of the summer.

• Sprint Distance Tri: 1h16m59s
• 10K Run: 55m43s
• Olympic Distance Tri: 3h29m27s

2013 RACES:

The main races for 2013 are going to be:

• Olympic Distance Tri in June
• Ironman Muskoka 70.3 in Sept

Like Steve, I may sign up for more races, but I spent a large chunk of my 'tri' money on my new(used) bike this winter so, we'll see.

WEIGHTLOSS: I’ve always been a bit heavier, never raced under 190lbs, but I really want to be more competitive and try and qualify for the 70.3 World Championships. I was lucky enough to be in Vegas for the 2012 WC and I was so much in awe of that race and I instantly wanted to qualify for it. So I made it my goal to qualify before 2015. So, to do that, I need to get to my ideal race weight of around 165~170lbs.

I would.  If I can't get in a full brick I try and get in at least 2 miles after every bike workout to get you very comfortable running on tired legs.

Welcome the group Shawn!  Very jealous about your muscle memory gift.  Nice.

Welcome the group Gordon.  There are plenty of really good Olympic and HIM plans on this site.  Have you checked them out?

Training Schedule:

This is what my training plan looks like till April. Just doing maintenance/base for the moment.

  Custom HIM Maintenance 3x

Everything is defined in my planned calendar. There a small progression from the beginning till the end but nothing too big.

Daily Training Check-in:

Missed my Bike and Swim on Sunday due to illness, so I did an extended bike session yesterday. 2h55m of Spinervals On the Road - Lake Placid. The last 40 mins on that video are BRUTAL! But I got it done and I was very happy with that. Later on, towards the end of my base, I plan on redoing that video with a run after for a nice brick workout.

Tonights plan, well since it's a nice and warm 0ºC (32ºF) here today, I'm going to get outside for a 10.6K (6.9miles) run after work, followed by a quick 30m swim after dinner.

Question for everyone:

Does anyone have any experience with any of the online triathlon training services, either BT's or something like Mark Allen Online? I've been toying with the idea of getting this kind of service for my training starting in April for the Muskoka HIM and was wondering if anyone has any comments, suggestions, things to check for and/or recommendations?

TV! I catch up on lot of recordings and always have 2 DVD's from NETFLIX waiting to be watched. 

TV Show DVDs are the best for indoor training! I think I watched most of the first 3 seasons of Battlestar Galactica from my trainer.

I have a computrainer.  http://www.racermateinc.com/computrainer.asp   

Pricey, but I love it.  It has boat load of predefined simulated courses and you can create your own with optional software.  Riding with a virtual faster friend is awesome.

Hi Steve! I would like to join the group as well.  As for my info:

NAME: mirkearn  / Mike

STORY: I have been running very consistently over the past couple of years and completed the Chicago Marathon last October. Prior to running, I was doing some Sprint triathalons a few years ago. After a job change in the last year, my schedule is more consistent (closer to 50 hour weeks vs. 70 hour weeks) which has provided me more time to train. While the marathon finish was satisfying, I was looking to do something more this year. About a month ago I signed up for Ironman Louisville and since then I have been counting down the days until August 25, 2013!

FAMILY STATUS: I live in Chicago, IL and have been married for just over 2 years. We do not have any children. We have an awesome 2 year old rescue dog who does consume some of our time, but unfortunately hes a little too small to run with!

CURRENT TRAINING: I was doing well before the Chicago Marathon, but slowed down a bit afterward. I picked back up OK in November, but fell off the wagon in December as I was travelling for 25/31 days that month. My job does require me to travel a bit to San Francisco, and I need to get better about being consistent in training on the road.

THIS YEAR'S RACES:

• Chicago Marathon
• Rock and Roll Half Marathon
• Various 5k's through 10 milers

2013 RACES

The main races for 2013 are going to be:

• TriZou Sprint Triathlon
• Ironman Louisville

I'm sure I'll sign up for a few more as well.

WEIGHTLOSS: I raced the marathon around 180, but with the holidays put a few pounds on and weighed in at 186 this morning. We just got a scale with body fat and other data as well, and my body fat was 22.5% this morning. WAY higher than i thought it was going to be! My goal IM racing weight will be 165, so about 20lbs to lose.

Looking forward to joining the group!

Mike

I took the time today during my Bike workout to figure out my Lactate Threshold, if you havent tried it you may want to.  I used the method from this site ???http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=633.  Mine is 176 bpm.  The test kicked my butt, my legs havent been this dead after a workout in a long time.  

I pluged the number into the calculator and it remaped my HR zones to numbers that fit me much better.  The 220-age numbers did not work well for me at all.  I hope this leads to higher quailty workouts.

Welcome to the group. Sprint to Ironman - you're in the right place!

Well, training didn't go as expected yesterday. Run was horrible, sidewalks were crap and had to run a lot harder to keep pace. This caused me to be very tired so I didn't go swimming yesterday night.

I did go swimming this morning instead, and I’ll be jumping on the bike tonight for nearly 1h20m.

I really need to rethink my 2 workout day on Tuesday now that the city pools have changed their schedule and the pool near my work doesn’t have a lane swim from 6am to 9am. Doing 2 workouts after work isn’t working and I’m getting junk laps for my swims when I do go. Since swim is my weakness, I can’t afford to have any junk laps.

I’ve been looking at my workout schedule and trying to find a way to fit in some strength training. I’ll work on that this week, maybe post a few schedules to get feedback from the group.

Key Point: I’ve learned in the past two years to not be so stiff with my training schedule; it needs to be flexible if we’re going to have a work life and a family life along with our triathlon life. Or else we’ll just burn ourselves out and we won’t have any of those 3 lives working for us and that’s not a place where you want to be… ever.

Comment on your training schedule ... I would put in a Long Bike + Med run in there.  You definitely want to get used to running on very tired legs.

4 mile run yesterday. Missed the PM workout due to work.

6 mile run this morning. Planning on not missing tonight due to work.

Hi there Steve,

I would really like to join your mentor group if possible? I found your bio really motivating! I started doing triathlons last summer and really enjoyed it and the whole triathlon lifestyle. I am Australian & Canadian and moved to New York City with my husband in Sept 2011. We are both Chef's but I didnt get a work permit so in a sense I have had a lot more time than before to train.

Cycling is my absolute weeakest leg and I want to get better at it this. Swimming appears to be my strongest but I can improve everything My goals for 2013 are

• to compete at the age group nationals in Milwaukee and do under 2:20 (i qualified for the olympic distance in 40-44 ag
• to improve my cycle leg and conquer the running mount and dismount on the bik (looks daunting
• conquer my fear of riding on the roads in and around manhattan - currently 100% of my bike training is indoors
• to place in my age group category in top 5 in all the races I have entered

Hopefully you let my in the group. Cheers and I look forward to hearing from you and meeting some more beginners!

Good to have another New Yorker in the group.  I live in NJ but still consider myself a New Yorker since I grew up there.  Welcome the group!