Gray Guys/Girls Maturing Triathlete - Always OPEN (Page 3)

Hi Rebecca,

It's never to late to be a Gray Guy/Gal!  Welcome.

I can empathize about the injuries as I have had my share the last few years.  Slow is good when you are recovering from injury.  The last thing you need or probably want is to aggravate an injury because you pushed to hard or did too much too soon.  As hard as it is to do, wait for the doctors and follow their orders.

I've learned a couple of things since I started in sport all those years ago - there's almost always someone faster than you, and there's almost always someone slower than you.  Don't worry about your pace in training - that's why we train, to get faster.  

Again welcome.  Looking forward to getting to know you.

Bryan,

I'm going to echo everything Steve said with one addition.  If you are planning to primarily race locally, by which I mean here in Indiana, you will likely be happier with a full sleeve wetsuit.  Also consider the fact that a full sleeve wetsuit is going to be faster than a sleeveless wetsuit.  More rubber equals more buoyancy.  More buoyancy means you are higher in the water and faster.

As an alternative to buying, you might consider renting one.  Many of the companies that rent wetsuits will apply a portion of the rental charge to the purchse if you choose to buy the wetsuit you rented.  It's a good way to try different wetsuits and find what works best for you.

Here are a couple of rental companies -

https://www.triwetsuitrentals.com

https://www.wetsuitrental.com

That's a great article Steve, thanks for sharing.  It even has a 6-week sample training plan.  Good stuff!

Here is the current list of Gray Guys/Gals

It would be helpful if everyone could put their name in their signature if you don't already have it there.

(gray guys-gals group.jpg)

I'm sitting here in the midst of a fairly good winter storm.  We had freezing rain overnight and now a couple inches of snow per hour is coming down.  Outdoors really isn't very inviting right now.  That got me thinking - who really wants to train when it's like this?

Staying motivated during the short cold days of winter can be tough on the hardiest of athletes.  It was hard when I lived in sunny Southern California and it's even harder now so I thought I'd offer a couple of the things I have done in the past to help keep motivation up and training on track.

1. Schedule your training . . . and keep the appointment.  Don't just say, tomorrow I will go train.  Schedule your workout at least a day or two in advance and WRITE IT DOWN.  "INK" it into your calendar, put it into your phone.  Make yourself accountable to that specific appointment.  That way, you know what you will be doing and when you will be doing it - regardless of the weather.
2. Make your training short and focused.  Be realistic about how long you can be outdoors - if at all.  Add some intensity to compensate for the shorter duration but keep it simple.  Know exactly what the purpose of each training session is and don't go beyond that.
3. Keep a positive focus.    In the winter, when the weather turns bad and the elements conspire against us, it's easy to allow our focus to shift from the positive to the negative.  Instead of considering all the benefit we get from a workout, we instead consider the things that we have no control over - the weather.  Remember that excellence in sport is built upon a positive mental focus.

Happy training!

Hey Kris,

A signature is a saved block of text that is automatically added to the end of every post you make. - so for example you can add your name to the end of every post.

To add a signature -

At the top of the page, hover the pointer over "Hello Krys60," from the drop down menu that appears, click on "Settings."  On the settings menu, go down and click on the "+: sign beside "Forum Settings."  When forum settings expands, go down and click on "Signature."

Once you are on the signature page, make sure "View Others Signatures" says "Yes," then make select "Yes" under "Use Your Signature."  Under "Signature" put your name or however you want your signature to read.

Takes about two-minutes.  Hope that helps.

“You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream” C.S. Lewis

Kris,

I just noticed your signature.  Well said!

Good job getting a run in.  Apparently you wore the dog out too!

Right now we are in what is commonly referred to as "off-season."  Some of you may have taken a bit of time off - which is generally a good thing to do.  Some of you may be following a "winter-maintenance" plan while others are already working on base building.  Since we have some really new people, as well as some more seasoned people that maybe could use a refresher, I thought I'd offer up a couple thoughts on season planning and training in general.

Before we talk about season planning, we need to talk about the one thing that will do more for your success than any other - consistency.  It doesn't matter if you have just gotten up off the couch and are on your way out the door to do your first workout or you are training with the expectation of winning the Ironman World Championships - NOTHING will derail your training faster then not training consistently.  When I was swimming, my coach always said, "If you miss a workout, it will take seven days to get back to where you were before the missed workout."  He wasn't talking about getting faster and stronger - he was talking about just getting back to where you were.  Arguably he was talking about a highly trained athlete, but the point remains the same - missing scheduled workouts has a negative impact on training.  That doesn't mean you need to train every day.  It doesn't matter if  your plan calls for training three days a week or seven - the single most important thing is that you consistently do the planned workouts.

Knowing what you are going to do in training is also important - having a plan.  Whether you create your own plan, download a plan from any one of a number of sources (there are excellent plans available right here on BT, both free and paid), or you have a coach - having a written plan is a big help.  When we don't have a plan, we get up and think, "What am I going to do today?"  We then tend to favor those disciplines we like, and avoid the ones we don't like.  Or we don't train with the correct intensity.  Either of those result in unbalanced training.  With a written plan, you don't have to think about what you should do - it's already planned.  You'll have balance between the three disciplines, and you won't be doing too much or too little.

I said earlier that some people call this time of year the "off-season."  The previous season has ended, inclement weather has gripped much of the country and thoughts often turn away from triathlon.  There is documented evidence that points to the value of taking time off at the end of a hard season of training and racing.  Indeed, when I was swimming, following both Short Course and Long Course Nationals, we would take 3-4 weeks off - didn't even look at a pool, let alone get in one.  That break allows your body to fully heal and recover from the previous season's hard work.  It allows your mind to refresh and generally recharges your batteries.

After that brief break, we still have a couple of months before we start our race season training plan.  During that time, some people do "winter-maintenance" - they are doing enough training to maintain their fitness level, but aren't necessarily trying to get stronger or faster.  Others may be working on improving a weakness - improving their swimming technique, a focused cycling block to improve FTP (strength and speed) are a couple of examples - or beginning to work on their base aerobic fitness.

Next up in the season is the base phase.  This is traditionally when people are working on developing or improving their base aerobic fitness.  This is typically done with long slow miles.  Those long slow miles train the body to better utilize fat for fuel - the aerobic energy pathway.  Once you have built a good aerobic base, you can begin to build upon that fitness.

During the build phase you continue to develop your aerobic fitness, but you also begin to introduce much higher intensity to develop speed and build strength.  Also during the build phase is when you begin to apply the principal of "Specificity."  Specificity says a couple of things - if you want to be good at something you need to do that thing.  For example, if you want to be a fast swimmer - you need to swim fast.  Specificity also says that the closer you get to your race day, the more your training will start to look like race day.  During base phase you were running long slow miles.  As you progress through build, your runs begin to be done at race pace - looking more like race day (using running as the example, specificity also applies to cycling and swimming).

Finally you have the peak/race phase.  This phase is where you are doing final preparation for your race and then the actual race.  This phase is likely the shortest phase - typically only 2-4 weeks.  While this is the shortest phase, it is one of the most important.  During this phase is when you are tapering and allowing your body to rise to race form.

So that's a high altitude look at training and the season.  Obviously it's somewhat simplistic.  If you have multiple races that adds a level of complexity to season planning.  Longer or shorter races can change the length and focus of the various phases.  Admittedly this peak at a season isn't complete but it hopefully gives you some ideas.

So, where are you at?  Do you have a plan?  Do you have a vision of what your season will look like?  The best time to answer those questions is now, before we get into the triathlon season.

I'll start!  I'm in the midst of a very intense swim build that will lead to the U.S. Masters National Swimming Championships in May.  I am also working though a 14-week focused cycling block designed to improve my aerobic base and increase FTP.  After the cycling block I will begin a long base phase, then in mid-May begin the build to Ironman Louisville.  I can't flesh it out much more then that because my training is predicted on completed trainings.  

I'd love to hear what everyone else has in mind for your upcoming season.

I actually go WAY beyond that.  I actively encourage all the 140.6 athletes I work with to use a run/walk strategy on race day.  Sebastian Kienle won an Ironman World Championship using a run/walk strategy by walking all the aid stations.  Run/walk is a good strategy on race day, and it's a good strategy in training.  I think run/walk is a valid strategy for both 140.6 and 70.3 races (my personal opinion).

If anyone is interested in more information about run/walk, you can check out Jeff Galloway's website at -

http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/run-walk/

Hey Bryan,

It's true that part of the reason for the walking is to help prevent injury.  However, that's actually not the primary reason for the walking.  Anytime you are doing exercise below your aerobic threshold, you are developing your aerobic "engine."  The walking is doing exercise below your aerobic threshold.  As you walk more, you build fitness.  Then at some point, you begin adding short runs - which further builds your aerobic fitness.  Remember back when you were in school learning math?  You didn't start with Calculus.  You started with simple arithmetic, then progressed to more challenging concepts.  In exactly the same way, a Couch-t0-5k run/walk plan is building your fitness by building on what you have done.  If you simply went outside and started to run, you likely wouldn't get too far and you'd be discouraged, even frustrated.  By using a run/walk plan, you gradually build fitness and then progress to build more fitness.

Be patient.  In no time at all you will be running and looking back on these early days with a smile.

First thought I have is what distance is your duathlon?

I'm going to suggest a VERY controversial alternative for your running - at least short term.  It's called "The Maffetone Method."  One of the components of the Maffetone Method involves running well below your aerobic threshold.  Quite a lot of people take issue with the method because Dr. Maffetone suggests a formula to determine your optimal 'Maximum Aerobic Function" (MAF) heart-rate.  My response to those people is they probably don't fully understand how the plan works and what it is trying to accomplish.  At any rate, the HR target will be relatively low - often a Z1 HR - which results in VERY slow running.  It isn't uncommon for people new to the plan to frequently need to walk in an effort to keep their HR within the target range.  Here's the thing though, by diligently following the plan over a series of weeks, you will begin to be able to do more work at the same HR as you train your body to better utilize fat for fuel - you will be running faster at the same HR.  The added "side benefit" of the plan is, because of the slow pace, you are dramatically reducing the pounding on your joints and muscles - which drastically reduces the injury potential.  I've had a number of athletes utilize this plan.  One in particular comes to mind - a maturing athlete in their late 60's.  This athlete, after just a couple of weeks, said, "I just realized, I don't have any aches and pains for the first time in years."  That athlete also enjoyed over a 30-second/mile improvement in Z2 running pace over 3-months.  That isn't to say you would enjoy the same result, however there are many reports of similar success.  In any case, the Maffetone Method is a very good way to begin running after an injury do to the reduced stress on the body.

Here are links to more information on the Maffetone Method -

The formula - https://philmaffetone.com/180-formula/

The MAF test (to establish a baseline) - https://philmaffetone.com/maf-gps-test/

Maffetone Method Overview - https://philmaffetone.com/method/

Finally, where to go from here?  That depends upon whether you intend to only do duathlons or are also going to continue doing triathlons.  If you are going to continue with triathlons, you can use a triathlon training plan while you are preparing for your duathlon.    Maybe drop one of the swims each week as you build towards your duathlon. One thing that is often overlooked when preparing for a duathlon is in addition to bike/run bricks, you should also do run/bike bricks as you will be transitioning both ways.