We Don't Just Tri - We Do (Season 2) - Closed (Page 3)

funny enough Marcy I run in the afternoons and yesterdays first run was my first 'cold' run, I didn't notice the cold in the morning as I went around in my shorts at work but as soon as I started running in the afternoon I had a slight headwind I was running into the fog coming out of my mouth.it was only around 1* and much harder to breathe but that it what I have been concentrating on lately, deep breathes in through the nose and slowly out through the mouth, I concentrate on this and not my running, my legs are moving and my chest is moving, my legs my chest, legs chest. I try to look ahead (as I mostly run on the road) and its all chest and legs until I hear my time splits then I know if I need to speed up or slow down.

Thom,
I am using a custom BT plan, the times I will be changing as I get better

the problem I have is the high expectations I have for myself, as I have dropped my run from 10.30 min/mile down to 9 min/mile it is like a tempo run every time I go out. if I was going to drop down to zone 2/3 then I expect that would be more like 10 min/miles.

I would say my biking is there abouts right.

I would like to touch on Nutrition as I am looking to drop a few pounds currently I am eating

Breakfast :

Porridge, Banana, golden syrup.

Lunch :

Sandwich on half and half bread usually peanut butter and jam
apple, orange, banana
yoghurt bar, cereal bar

Dinner

chicken sweet and sour with rice or
casserole with potato and veg or
Roast


for my runs I am drinking water or High 5 Zero, if I remember I will take a High 5 Gel

Welcome to all our new members! Looks like we have a very diverse group which should make for some great learning for all of us.

I run in the cold quite often, teens to single digit Fahrenheit. I find that I need to start off a little slower to get my lungs used to the cold, I have actually done some damage in the past after not running in the cold for a long time and then taking off in single digits thinking nothing of it, the next day my chest hurt like crazy and I could hardly take a deep breath. If it gets into the negative temps I will usually wear a balaclava, that helps warm the air somewhat before I breath in.

I was finally able to get out and do some slow easy runs, 2 so far, foot feels pretty good so far no negative effects. Pretty excited to be able to run again.

I'm happy to see there are a few of us that need to lose some pounds/kg's
the off season along with the holidays and not running have really taken it's toll on me and I leave for vacation this weekend. Touring the wine country with my oldest and his wife then watching my Niners will prove to have negative effects on my waist line! I'll try to behave, but........
Back in 12 days and then it is time to hit it very hard!

Good luck everyone!

p.s. Marius, I love that song, reminds me a very funny time with my youngest son.

Hello everyone! Warmest welcome to all of our new members. I have not been able to spend much time on the board due to work. Just caught up with the threads and I am loving the diversity we are building.

There was a question regarding bikes. I usually jump all in when I do something. 2 years ago when I decided to do a tri I went out and bought a bike. I would not say it was a mistake as I was planning to do a full IM. I will say I was impulsive. If I was to do it all over, I would have continued to use my road bike for another year before buying a tri bike. And If I did not already owned a bike, I would probably buy a road bike before a tri bike because a roadie is more comfortable and would probably get more use than a tri. There is a new book out called Faster. It breaks down the variables that come into play in all 3 disciplines. The bike portion is rather interesting and makes me feel quite good about not spending a ton of extra cash in expensive upgrades that save weight or promise aerodynamic benefits. I highly recommend the book.

Training wise - unlike last year were I was focused on build a base in all 3 disciplines, this year I am focusing on biking strenght first. I am working with virtual power via trainerroads.com. I will continue to ride indoors exclusively for another 2-4 weeks before starting to work on my running.

The plan I will be following for running this year is based on the book Run Fast Run Less. I actually have not read the book but the approach is available online. More importantly, there is a website available where, based on a recent race timing, you can create a running plan based on the book concepts. The site is http://www.firstrunningcalculator.com. I will be focusing on a 5k plan first to build speed an after a few weeks, I will switch to a marathon plan.

Swimming - not sure how I am going to approach it as I just cancelled my pool membership after 8 months of non use. I figure I need 3 months of training before my A race towards the end of July. Hope to get into a masters class or for the water at the local lakes to warm up enough to start swimming in Late April or early May.

Thom - what do think of doing an Olympic the weekend before and ironman?

Armando

I thought I'd post a couple of resources that I think are good for the beginner triathlete. When I first got into the sport I tried to learn as much as I could.

One of the first books I purchased was Joe Friel's "Your First Triathlon". There is a second version out now: Your First Triathlon, 2nd Ed.: Race-Ready in 5 Hours a Week.

This book has just the right amount of information without being too technical and too long. For those just getting a feel for the sport and not sure they are committed long term I think you can't go wrong.

For those who want to know a little more of the science behind the sport Joe Friel's Training Bible is the standard. Also out in an updated version the latest is the third edition: The Triathlete's Training Bible

USA Triathlon has published a couple of outstanding resources: Complete Triathlon Guide - which is a great resources with chapters from several different authorities on the sport and USA Triathlon: Triathlon Training Series DVD set (http://www.usatriathlontraining.com/). Both of these should someday be in your library.

For strength training I am a fan of Andrew Johnston's: Holistic Strength Training For Triathlon, but Patrick Hagerman's: Strength Training for Triathletes is also very informative and in my library.

Some training/workout resources I use and recommend - especially for self coached athletes - are:

Bobby McGee's: Run Workouts for Runners and Triathletes (Workouts in a Binder)
Nick Hansen's: Workouts in a Binder for Swimmers, Triathletes, and Coaches
Swim Smooth's Swim Plans (www.swimsmooth.com) (they also have a very cool animated swimmer you can download to your computer that demonstrates swim technique).

If you have not been to www. slowtwitch.com make a point to visit that site.

For great reviews of gear go to DC Rainmaker's site at: www.dcrainmaker.com. In addition to tech reviews there are great articles and great information for beginners and advanced triathletes.

There are of course many, many others. Some others of you might have other favorite references that you can recommend. If you do, please post them here.

Thom

Armando - great post. Thanks for all the info.

I came across an article which included an excerpt from Faster - it is no my buy list. Since I started - other than the decision to get my first tri-bike - I've taken the approach that if the improvement to my bike (read more carbon, more expensive gadgets, a 2nd tier or higher bike etc) that until I was missing the podium because of the rig I was riding I wasn't investing anymore money. The easiest way for most of us to reduce weight on the bike is to work on the heaviest item on the bike - the rider. Losing weight is very cost effective vs buying more carbon. The other thing is riding skill and ability. I have been passed by many a rider on lesser bikes than mine and I've passed many riders that were riding $5,000 bikes. So, Your focus on your bike limiter is a great approach. That said - if you're doing HIM or IM distance races I'm told an all carbon frame (meaning 2nd tier and above price point for the bike) makes a huge difference on the impact on the rider.

I love trainer road. I like to take the Andy Potts approach, which is spend as little time out on the road as possible. That my not actually be his philosophy, but he does do a lot of his work indoors. For one it is dangerous out there. Every time you head out the door you risk getting hit by a car, getting blown off bike or some other calamity. Even in a very bike friendly state like Colorado where I live people get killed on the road. The other is you can control most of the training variables on the trainer as compared to the road. For only 10 bucks or so a month it is a great deal and there are some really good training plans and workouts.

I think I'd like to add the Run Fast Run Less book to my library as well. As I struggle to overcome the heel issues I have running less would not be a bad idea though I am learning to manage my issue. An interesting thing I heard about was the gentleman who is credited with being the father of CrossFit is training (or did train) for an IM using CrossFit principles and training. Meaning, no century rides, no marathon length runs etc. I'll have to see if it actually came to be.

With regard to the Olympic before an IM - I would be very reluctant to recommend that. You should be in a taper period the weekend before your IM. Even though the Oly distances aren't great you have to be concerned about pushing the effort. If you did do it you would definitely want it to be a C race. The thing I would be worried about is the competitive nature creeping in and pushing too hard. My advice would be to skip the Oly that close to the IM.

Thom



Edited by sundevil87 2014-01-15 10:04 AM

Great points Thom. The bike I bought is mid level carbon. My original "Tri" bike is aluminum. Having ridden both bikes on the same roads, I can attest to the suppleness of carbon. Over 112 miles, I will take carbon. For a sprint or Olympic and certainly for using with my trainer, my rigid aluminum would have been just fine. I always want the latest but like you, I have learned to save my hard earned cash until I maximize the engine (me) and miss podium by seconds due to equipment. Thanks for the feedback on the Olympic. My biggest concern was whether I could really treat it as a C race. Once I got going, I know it would be tough to dial it back. Some times I need others to confirm what my instincts are already telling me. Armando

Weight-wise- I am on day 2 of 4 of a raw veggie diet. I brought a ton of veggies to work and let me tell you, it is tough. I don't have a bad diet but needed to balance the over eating over the holidays and my bday. Goal - lose 10 lbs. currently at 185.

Two days of no training for me. Finally got into see a PT about my heels.

It was my first experience with dry needling with electrical pulse applied. The PT used ultrasound to find trigger points in my calves. Then he inserted the pins right into those bad boy, which I knew right away. Then he applied pulsing electrical current for 15 minutes. Imagine a really, really bad cramp. That's what it felt like. Right until the trigger point relaxed, gave way and it was all better. Immediate improvement in my Achilles tendon. More of the same in store next week with work on my alignment and core to fix gait issues. Finally feel like we're going to make progress.

Thom

Good news Thom. Hope it heels soon and that you correct the gait for a pain free and successful season.

Last bike workout for the week this AM. Going skiing for the weekend. Have a great weekend everyone. Armando

ok Mentors time to earn your worth, (or others if you've done 1 already)

this is obviously my first ever Tri at Tri, (he he see what I did there)

could you give me a detailed pre race day preparation and race day do, donts and through the race, Transition, what you would wear when you would wear it, what nutrition you may take if any (I know it all depends on the person) what you do after the race and post race days.


dont rush.

On the same point I train using strava and nike+, the down side is that I need headphones in to hear distance and time splits. Looks like I'll need some kind of watch gps at a good price any suggestions

Edited by Jynxy 2014-01-18 8:42 AM

This is going to be long.

I'll start with the first best piece of advice - don't do anything on race day that you don't do in training, especially with respect to nutrition.

I will tell you what I do and I am sure that Dan and Armando can give their advice as well.

Race day prep actually begins well before the race. You need to know the course conditions and the typical weather for the time of year you do the race. Then you need to prepare for those conditions. If you are racing on a hilly course - you of course need to train on hills or hit the trainer. Makes sense. If you are racing on a relatively flat course you need to be working off a strong base and have the ability to generate continuous power for long periods (on the bike). It sounds counter-intuitive but flat courses can be more difficult than hilly courses (IMHO). That is because a flat course does not give you any respite from pedaling - no rest for the weary so to speak.

You also need to consider weather conditions. Especially heat and humidity, If you live in a relatively cool and dry climate but will be racing in east Texas in the summer (hot and humid) you need to figure out how to simulate those conditions. You also have to dial in your nutrition requirements, fuel, hydration, supplementation etc. If it will be cold you need to be sure to have the right clothing with you.

As far a pre-race routine there are some great articles on this. I will direct you to D3 Multisport's website and their blog area at: http://d3multisport.com/category/race-day-planning/.My coach has posted some good articles on this as have some of the other coaches.

This is probably an area I could do much better in. I will share what I do and then you can get info from other sources.

I do not tend to pre-race the course. Meaning I don't go to the race venue early and swim, ride and run the course. Many - perhaps most - athletes do. I think I probably should ... a place for me to improve. I do follow my training regime up to the race.

On race morning my routine goes something like this. I get up early how early depends on my location with respect to the venue. If I am driving up that morning I usually have to get up earlier. But in any case when I get up I drink a glass of water to flush the system and get some liquid in me. Now - this is not to hydrate. Pre-race hydration begins well before race day - like a week or so before. Just like carb-loading, you can't do that the day before the race and you can't do it on the morning of the race.

I have a piece of toast with peanut butter and a banana along with a cup of coffee. I have to have my cup of Joe. Not to be crass - but I also want to make sure I have my morning constitution. Ideally, before I leave the house or hotel. I have also added a product called UCAN to my repertoire. I recommend the stuff. Except for adding something into my stomach so I don't feel hungry - I might skip the toast and peanut butter. In fact for shorter races I have. All I use pre-race is UCAN.

I already packed the night before. It is a whole other article or response for packing but needless to say I have my transition bag already put together with everything I need. I load up my bike and head to the venue. Some races require that you register and set up transition the day before. This is especially true for Ironman events. So set up either happens on the morning of the race or the day before. You may also have to register the morning of so give yourself plenty of time to do that. There are a lot of great video clips on You Tube and on BT that show you how to set up a transition area. This will become personal to you as you gain experience. I set up my transition area as follows: I rack my bike, I unload my transition bag and place my helmet on my aero bars with my sunglasses inside the helmet. I place a small towel at the side of the bike. On it I place my bike shoes and my running shoes with my socks rolled up in each. My bike is set up - meaning all my nutrition bottles are on the bike and ready to go. I do not do place my shoes on the bike for a running start. I just take the time to put them on my feet. I might add that in someday, but I have sissy feet and don't want to run across the parking lot (most races use a parking lot for transition) with bare feet. I have my running belt that holds my race bib over my bike shoes. That way I remember to put it on. I lay my wet suit over my bike and my goggles and swim cap are placed to the left of my shoes. I wear athletic slides (flip-flops, swim deck sandles - I'm not sure what you guys call them in the UK) to the venue with run socks on. Once my transition area is set up, I put on my running shoes and get ready to go warm-up. BTW - I wear tri-suits for races. I like to wear single piece suits but sometimes wear a two piece tri-suit. I wear that under my wet suit and leave it on the whole race. Some people like to change after the bike. If you're in Germany you can change right at your transition area - but in the rest of the world you have to go to a changing tent. I don't mess with it. The bigger races like an IM have that all orchestrated pretty well. If you're doing one of those let me know and we can let you know how it works.

Like I said earlier - I don't go for a bike ride pre-race. A lot of racers do. I might get a pre-swim in but not before I do my general warm up. I follow Bobby McGee's Dynamic Warm-up routine. I do some various walking and skipping routines to get my legs warmed up and lossened up. I'm not just worried about muscles but also ligaments and tendons. I get blood flowing to my arms as well. I do a short run - maybe a half mile or so.I do not do a lot of stretching other than what comes from the dynamic warm ups. I then head back to the transition area to get my wet suit on. I probably hit the porta-potty on the way back in. Depending on how much time elapsed from when I got up and ate my toast I might drink another UCAN. I definitely drink some more water. Not too much though as I don't want sloshy stomach. Before I put on my wet suit I spray on sun block and add chap stick to protect my lips. After I get my wet suit on I head to the swim start. I'll get in a pre-swim at this point if I can. When done I'll find a quiet place to sit and then wait for the line up.

Transition is considered the 4th event of the triathlon. You need to practice this as you do your other training. It doesn't have to be crazy but you want to go through the motions. Learn what it takes to get out of you wet suit. Learn the sequence of taking off stuff and putting on stuff. But generally here is how it goes. Coming out of the water loosen the wet suit zipper and take your arms out. Remove your cap and goggles and run to the transition area. When there, pull down the suit to your ankles then step on the suit on one side of you leg and pull out your one foot. Then do the same to the other. Put the suit to the side. Glasses go on then the helmet. Race belt and shoes next. Take the bike off the rack and head to the exit. Mount the bike wear you are allowed and get clipped in. If your shoes are already on the bike then you'll strap them in over the first few yards. Make sure your bike is geared to get out of transition. Some people take on nutrition before heading out on the bike. I do that after I've been on for a few minutes. You start doing nutrition right away and throughout the race. But you already know your routine because you've practiced it. When you come back into transition after the bike you dismount and jog to your position. I mark my row with colored tape when I am setting up my transition area. Another reason to arrive early at the race venue is to get a choice spot. You re-rack your bike. Helmet off spin race belt around to the front. Shoes off. Running socks on (I haven't learned to run without socks - maybe some day) and shoes on. Running hat on. Off to the exit and the run.

That's it. I'm sure I've missed some stuff. I would pick-up one of the references I mentioned in an earlier post. There are checklists all over the net if you do a search. They are also on here. Another good source is to read race reports form other BT members. The questions asked by the BT site for their race reports is really good. I have posted a number of them. Look for a race report from the race you are planning. Those are best.

Thom

NAME: Luis

STORY: I am 37 yo from Mexico, married and with two lovely girls ages 5 &7. I want to start doing triathlons for the following: about 1.5 yrs ago (July-2012) I got a weird disease (Guillain-Barre) which left me in bed and not able to move legs or hands for two months, after which I had to learn to walk back again. I tried last year to start running but felt pain and doctors recommended me to delay running but keep swimming (I had swam as part of my therapy and enjoyed it sporadically prior to my disease as well). I added some bike last year as well but had to regain muscle (still do but much less) so it was harder than normal. This year I decided to do a triathlon around two years after my disease to "graduate" from my disease and get in better shape than I have been in years (I used to do strenght training before but no cardio other than the sporadical swim I mentioned earlier).

CURRENT TRAINING: I am slightly working on my jogging (wouldn't call it running at this point) using a C25k app, mixing swimming and bike around 2 - 3 x per week (total, no bricks yet) along with weight training.

2013 RACES: Definitely a short sprint in May and a regular sprint in October, maybe mix one or two short ones in there depending on how I progress.

2014 PLANNED RACES: not really have anything in the works, but an olympic or even a HIM (there is one an hour drive from where I live) might be possible depending on how this year goes.

WEIGHTLOSS: Not really, maybe a couple of pounds, but definitely not part of my goal

WHAT WILL MAKE ME A GOOD MENTEE: Just thought this would be a good way to keep motivated and get helpful

My 2013 races were meant to say 2014 and 2014 are really for 2015, guess it is still that early in the year when i get the years mixed up! I really did not do any races in 2013 other than the swimming part of a couple short sprints that a firend asked me to swim in for him, and which really are jsut a regular training day

Btw, I will be doing my tris on a mountain bike, at least my first one, and depending on how the bug gets me I will but a tri or road bike later on.

welcome to the group Luis,

don't forget to take it easy if you are still building a base, its better to get over the finish line later than anticipated than to not finish.

afternoon all i thought I would do a little weekly roundup,

last week was supposed to be a recovery week, I think the only thing that changed was the distances I covered. I am unsure whether or not I should of eased back on the paces as well for the week.

I think I have finally found my base week now,
my long run and short bike on the sunday @ easy pace,
my long bike on Monday @ easy pace
a middle distance run on Tuesday @ fast pace, with swim in the evening
having my rest day on a Wednesday
a medium bike on Thursday @ fast pace, with swim in evening
a medium bike and short run brick @ race pace
Saturday is either referee or playing. if I don't do either I can do sundays bike here
short bike and long run brick @ easy pace

currently my race pace is 3:45 bike and 9min run
a easy pace would be 4.15 bike and 9.30min run
a fast pace would be 3.30 bike and 8.30min run

I will weigh myself tomorrow when I wake up and blog it but it feels like ive lost a few more pounds.

how has your week gone ???

Hiya

I am late to the game here but I was wondering if you would mind mentoring me. I have been using training peaks for the last few months to schedule workouts and I am really enjoying it.

A little about me. I'm 46, work full time with 3 children, one with quite a severity metal illness. I have decided to take up Triathlon a couple of months ago. I got relatively fit (relative to my normal state) about 5 years ago and managed to drag myself around a half marathon. I picked up an injury (Achilles tendentious) and developed swine flu soon after which resulted in me developing asthma. I felt totally dejected and stopped for a couple of years. I tried again a couple of years ago and although and got up to about 10 miles but I had a loss in my family over a protracted illness which put me back. Around this time I also developed what appears to be a temporary heart problem and spent a couple of nights in hospital with chest pains and very high blood pressure. My weight had topped at 240 and I was unfit.

After getting myself checked out over a few months the realisation came to me that I need to do something or I was going to die. I rejoined an app website called my fitness pal with my weight topping at at 247. I had no idea really how to lose weight or get fit but by listening to people on the site I finally worked out I need to change me rather than just what I eat. I couldn't do much so I started to walk, very slowly but as as much as possible. After a while I put some swims in as well although this was hard because of my Asthma. I started to run a bit and became paranoid over my Achilles so started to swim and ride my bike a bit.. I think my first mile run was in October last year. I decided to really ready to change myself so I overdoses of the LA channel on TV where I bumped into the slate man - wow. After 5 minutes knew what I wanted to do. I joined this site as well as TP and got my moving every which way I could.. Started going to the gym, running, walking, swimming breast stroke and doing aerobics in font of the TV (much to my wife's amusement). I went to a swimming class and I'm learning crawl, got myself a second hand tri bike as a Christmas present. I've entered a sprint Tri (BRAT Lichfield at the end of April) and an Olympic (BRAT Kingsbury in August) . So far I can swim 400m crawl (very hard for me and mainly using arms), run 7.5 miles cross country and bike (furthest is 8 miles but I could go further) . My weight is now down to 200 and falling :-) I am very keen to get as much support as possible so if you could take me under your wing it would be great :-)

Cheers
Dave

 

Joe I have only done one tri, but one thing that threw me in a spin was swimming with my tri-wetsuit for the first time. If you are going to use one, make sure you practice with it as much as possible and learn how to put it on properly. They help with buoyancy but it really changed my body position and I struggled for a few days getting used to the suit and the new buoyancy. I also didn't pull it up far enough and it was very constricting through the chest which effected my breathing.

 

I just purchased a Garmin 310xt which is on sale at Amazon for $179. I don't know what your shipping would be to the UK . I am having fun learning how to use it for runs and pacing, but also put it in my swim cap yesterday.

 

 

Regarding pre- race routine

Make sure you pee right before the race. I forgot to do that and had to make a pit stop during transition.

I watched lots of YouTube videos on transition set up - it was very helpful to get a step by step setup and be able to see the organization of the area.

I did a sprint so I only needed a water bottle and used a few fig newtons in lieu of gels.

When is your first triathlon?

Edited by MamacitaT 2014-01-19 12:12 PM

Luis,

Welcome to the group. You truly have an inspiring story. I love the stories that involve triathlon helping people overcome life's obstacles.

BT and the mentorship group are great resources and a great source of motivation - even for folks like myself who have been doing them for years. Last year I was going to pull out of a iron distance race and it was because of this group - Dan, Armando and the rest that I stayed with it. I completed the hardest triathlon I've done to date.

There are some great sprint plans on BT. I would recommend picking one that fits your comfort level. Or look at some of the resources that i provided in an earlier post. There is great advice for establishing a training plan.

Keep coming back here and posting your progress, questions and to encourage others - I find that helps with keeping me motivated.

Thom

I did my first on a mountain bike. I had a blast. The approach I took was to go into it to just have fun. No competition, no pushing the limit, just enjoyed the experience.

You'll do fine on a MB. Enjoy the race, the racers and the atmosphere.

Thom

I did my first on a mountain bike. I had a blast. The approach I took was to go into it to just have fun. No competition, no pushing the limit, just enjoyed the experience.

You'll do fine on a MB. Enjoy the race, the racers and the atmosphere.

Thom

Dave,

We're glad to have you with us. You've come to the right group. There are members of the group who I am sure will connect with you and can relate to your story.

Goal setting and working toward them can be great avenues to getting back on track in life; fitness and triathlon goals especially so. Triathlon is so cool in that regard because of the differing distances you can set as goals - sprint one year, an Oly the next and so on until the big IM. Finishing your first tri is great. Each time I completed a new distance I felt great pride. You will too.

With life style changes and a commitment to triathlon I shed about 40 pounds. I've ticked up a bit but I will be back to where I like to race at by the time my races come along.

Looking forward to sharing in your progress and accomplishments over the season.

Thom

Hi Tara

Thanks for your post. I enjoyed reading it

I've tried "dieting" and it never worked for me too :-) I've now decided to change me and my lifestyle instead of just cutting calories. That said, I though I have adopted a lifestyle where I do count my calories in and out and watch my major macros daily. I use a free app called my fitness pal to do this. I think the macros on it are pretty dubious but I have managed to set my own. I enter a daily calorie deficit and then add my food (either scan a bar code from my phone or look up the food in a database). I then add in all of my exercise and it works out how many calories I need to eat to maintain the deficit. It tells me how close to the carb, protein and fat levels I set as well as vitamins and minerals etc. I know this may not be everyone's cup of tea but I thought I would mention it :-)