medic0020's Group - CLOSED--BUSTIN AT THE SEAMS (Page 3)

Sounds like a nice pool!

As for the length of time and the frequency.... What's your swimming background? If you're a beginner, you might just want to go to the pool, try swimming and see how you do. Then build on it from there.

Or, you can take a look at the BT training programs that are "swim-focused." The BT programs are available here (scroll down and look for the swim-focused ones):
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/trainingplans...

I won't claim to be the expert on swimming.  I'll defer to some of our members for that role, but you may want to consider looking at some of the BT Training Plans.  Check out the ones that fit not only your goals distance wise, but also your time frame (both in weeks until a goal or race and in how much time you'll invest in training.  This is a great time to be building endurance. If swimming is your weakpoint, I'd consider investing more time in it now.  I'd try to do it 2-3 times a week.  For now, I'd just work on seeing how many laps you can string together.  It may be 1-2, but it's a start.  Then just focus over the next month or so on being able to swim further.  Speed is great but your body has to be able to do the distance first.  Work on stamina now and then we can help you try to add speed later.  Oh well, so much for me not giving too much advice on this topic

If anyone can help, it would be greatly appreciated.


I just tried to do a zone 2 run. I did my .25m warm up, then took between 5 and 8 slow jogging steps and my HRM was alarming like I stole a gun from Wal-mart.

I felt like one of those crazy speed walkers, only I could not have kept up. I was, if you can call it, running over 13.30 minute mile. When I would slow to a walk, I almost kept up the same pace. When I finished my three miles, 45 minutes later, my avg. HR was 145. Which is well into zone 3. I had a gnarly burn in my calves from running so slowly. I could have gone further, which is good, but I was on a time constraint.

So, where is my question? I guess I need help understanding my HR zones. To stay in zone 2 I would have needed to stay under 130. Riiiight. I have read posts where people say they ran slower and it helped them run faster in the long term. Am I doing the right thing? Do I not understand what I am doing? Am I making any sense?

I would have posted this for Mike Ricci but I am not a paying member

Going out with the girls tonight, so I will not reply to posts until tomorrow. Yeah Haa!

Thanks for any help you all may be able to pass along.

Sorry, sorry! I'm not usually this quiet ____ or let's say "never" this quiet. But work has been crazy and haven't had any down time. Today should be better, so I'm going to try and get up to speed here on BT.

I'm Amy in Indiana, that's proabably how I will sign myself so you can distinguish between the two special Amy's in the group. I started training one year ago for my first Tri and this has been one of the best adventures of my life. It has challenged my spirit, mind and body and it has shown me that truely anything is possible if you decide you want it.

Ok, so lets get to the meat of it.

WEAKNESSES: Running - I have worked very hard to become a better runner. Gee, last year at this time I couldn't run a block without sucking air so bad you would think I was dying, but I have worked up (slowly) to running what I think is acceptable for my abilities, you can ask me more if you want to know. BIG/HUGE WEAKNESS is doing practice open water swims, I will tell you why in my next reply, I was asked by another member to share this with her, but I want to share it with everyone in case anyone is ever in the same situation.

STRENGTHS: My God is number one without "Him" I have nothing. My mind is strong because it keeps me from giving up when I want to and that would be on the days when it is just easier to sit in the lazy boy instead of go out in the cold or rain to run, or drive to the Y to workout, I always tell myself to just go out for 5 min. and then I can come back in, well we all know after the first 5 you are usually ok, so you keep going. I also do the two day rule, if I haven't worked out in two days, I have to do something on the third day even if it's just walking the dog. Biking is definately my strongest out of the three, and once I get my new bike, well the sky is the limit.

GOAL FOR JANUARY:
SWIM - 4,000 METERS IN THE POOL

I just want everyone to know I'm very glad to be in this group, and I'm so excited to watch everyone progress and meet their goals, and for the newbies, get ready to the transformation of your lives, please hang in there and don't give up.

Always Keep Tri-ing...

Amy in Indiana



Edited by amy mutz 2007-12-13 7:36 AM

I also just figured out that I should have put the number mike ricci gave me in the LT calculator. I was using the age adjusted. My zone 2 in like 150 - 163 or something like that. Much better number. I feel better. There is just so much information out there. Being new, it can become overwhelming.

OPEN WATER INCIDENT


I started with a YMCA triathon training group in May of last year, that allowed me coaching in the three disciplines and also places to workout. I started out swimming in the Y pool in Jan of last year, and then in June the group started having lake swims in different lake in a huge wildlife preserve near here. I had loved to swim since I was a kid, took the red cross swimming lessons for two years when I was 8 and 9, and then I was good to go at the local pool or my uncles small acre pond. I hadn't really swam since I was 18 and I'm now 46...hmmm But hey, I got in the Y pool last Jan. and boom I could still swim and not to bad either, I was set and good go for the swim... I could swim for a good two minutes straight...ha
Well I kept. practicing at the pool until June, and new now it was time for the group to go on the dreaded "OPEN WATER SWIM"... yikes!!!! I now could go duration of about 20 mins without putting my feet down or grabbing the the side of the pool, so ok, I'm ready.

The first open water swim was in the small lake we would do our triathlon in, it was about 10 acre lake, looked huge to me. I was nervous, but everyone else was too, there were about 20 people together. She (coach) just had us swim out 200m and back, and there were lifeguards on surf boards and she was in a boat the we would swim to, go around, and return to shore. Well we got in and first we had to walk through slimmy mud with creatures in it to get out to swim level, and I wasn't prepared not to be able to see the bottom, taste the stagnet water or have the others right beside me. I survived and it wasn't that bad, so we continued to swim this lake for the next 6 weeks, so now, hey I'm good got everything under control, right? Yeah,
so I added my talents to another team so I would have double the experience in water, they had two different lakes I could swim in... The name of the first lake was "ASBURY CEMETARY LAKE"... I got there 20 min. early to look the lake over................................ IT WAS THE BIGGEST LAKE I HAD EVER SEEN, aside from Ky Lake that they flooded entire towns to make ... It is about 40 acres. But wait - where is coach in her boat and the lifeguards????? They don't do that your on your own, swim where you want in the lake, and get out when your done. These people are all vertern triathletes and have 1000's of hours of swim under their belts. They said the only criteria for swimming with them was to have a couple of swims at the other lake under my belt, your ready, no problem. I said were do you want me to swim? They said oh just swim over to that house and back to start, I looked, the house was about 1/2 mile away... I got in the water and there were about 5 people around me, they took off and I was swimming "the lake" almost alone. I managed to do this swim, and get back to shore. I was very proud and said way to go Amy your in the big leagues now. I did about 3 more swims like that, we swam at 4:30pm on those days.

They gave me a new schedule and OMG they have early morning swims 6:00AM. I can go swim, get back and work, then train on the other two disciplines that night, cool beans... I am really a great triathlete in training.....hmmmm

a friday morning in july 6:00am.

Got up had my ate my healthy breakfast had my Starbucks, kissed the hubby good-bye, and went for my early morning swim.

Three of us showed up to swim, fog was over the lake, it seemed very erie that morning, I didn't hear the usual birds, and I couldn't see across the lake, but I wasn't scared, I was a expert now.

Got in the water with two men from the group, Mason was the man in charge, and the other guy I didn't know. We were all going to do our thing, we all took off in different directions. I decide to do an across the lake and back, which was only about 700 meters, no hill for a climber.
I was at center point in the lake and noticed there was fog all around me and the water looked blacker than usual, my body was a bit tight, but I was breathing ok. I got to the other side and started back.
I got to the center of the lake again looked up, and all the sudden everything went: I couldn't breath, my arms felt like they had 20lb weights on them, my legs couldn't kick hard enough to make me move forward. I'M IN BIG TROUBLE. I start struggling to stay afloat, went under, I felt nothing but the cold dark lake below me, and the fog suffocating me from above. I got to the top, sucked in air , and looked for help. NO ONE IS THERE. I thought about crying but I knew if I did that it meant I would die that day in July, it was nothing but me and the water now. I tried with all my heart to start swimming again, but my body was in lock down, I look for help again, NO ONE IS THERE. I'm hyper ventilating, and I'm going down, I try treading water, I can't stay up. Amy you either die today or you live, make a choice. Live, live, live...
I remember Tina said (my Y coach) anyone can float. I got on my back and started floating, but I look up and the sky is spinning. Here is the part that saved my life: I got on my back again, said "God" please help me not die today, I closed my eyes and started humming and smiling to myself like I loved were I was at the point in time, then I started to slow down my breathing and just float, my body started to relax, a deep breath in and slow exhale, and still humming, float, float, float - hum, hum, hum. I can't say how long I did that, but after a while I swam back to shore.

I made "many" mistakes that day! Swimming in a fog ridden lake, swimming alone, and thinking I was envincable, not telling the guy in charge that I'm not a advanced swimmer.
I did get back in the lake two day later, you have to get back on the horse.
I don't do early morning swims anymore. I swim around the perimeter of the lake now so I'm always 40m from shore, I make sure there are always people near me and aware that I'm only a intermediate swimmer.

The two things that I feel were the most valuable tools to not dying that day were my prayer to God and my "MIND"! Never let your mind say I am going to die today. NEVER GIVE UP!

Ok, that is enough from me... Sorry to take so much space.

Amy in Indiana

I'm back!!  Wow...lots of stuff has been going on in the day I was gone.  I did something unbelievable and didn't touch my computer for a whole day :-O  Thanks for all the well wishes about the test...It actually went pretty well...so I am happy...but more paper writing today

Julie,

Congratulations on getting back into the pool! Nice swim!

And a Master's class? How cool is that! (I wish there was one around here....)

I should look for a masters program...a structured swim program might be very good for me.  What is everyones experience with them?

Put it this way... If there was one around here, I'd join it.

But there isn't, so.....

I'd think it would be good for giving you structured workouts, and if you're lucky, there'd be a coach who could evaluate your swim technique, too.




Edited by D001 2007-12-13 9:26 PM

So I did my research...and we actually have a masters swim team at the pool that I practice in all the time.  I am contacting them for more information....might be a great way to improve my swimming!

Hey everyone,

The work is done and it's time to chill... I will join my husband for our Friday night AB (Adult Beverage) and just enjoy our time together. I hope all of you have a great weekend.

Does everyone have their goals for 2008? Are you doing Tri's, marathons, Du's, 5k's??? This is the year we make our mark.


Have a terrific weekend! I'm am so glad to be in a group with such great motivated people.

Amy in Indiana

Always Keep Tri-ing...

Hm. Did you change your BT name?

Hope you're still Mike's sister, though.....





Edited by D001 2007-12-14 5:31 PM

My Goals:
1) Get through the December Swim Challenge with both arms atill attached.
2) Survive the January Challenge, whatever it will be.
3) Sign up for a Sprint Tri or two.
4) Improve my swim technique so I don't contemplate throwing my shoulder in the garbage.
5) Improve my run technique so my knee doesn't join my shoulder in the garbage.
6) Sorry, according to Mila (Milaminute), there is no #6. No, I don't know why #6 is banned. You'll have to ask her.
7) Get a bike.
8) Convince Cat and Pam that doing the Mooseman HIM as my first tri is probably not a good idea. (A HIM as my first event? And in New Hampshire, of all places?)
9) Survive the Sprint Tris that I sign up for.
10) Well, I've run out of ideas, so there's no #10, either.



What are your goals?

Not a good Idea to try an HIM the first year, train smart, work hard and do some sprints, to get your feet wet. I too had the idea of doing some long ones my first year, but listend to more seasoned athletes glad I did. Am now in second full year of training And feel ready to go longer. "Carpe Diem" Mike (stilltri-ing)

So tomorrow I think I am going to hit the pool...based on my able to swim almost continuously for 30 minutes with small breaks every 500 yards (so total distance was about 1500) does anyone have any good workout plans for a partially intense workout put not something that will overly stress me?

My Goals:

2008 - Do all the same roadraces that I did last year, but better times.

Do 2 sprint tri's
Do 1 oylmpic tri

Do 2 1/2 marry's (never done one before)

Start training late in 2008 for the Louisville Marathon in April of 2009

Make training plans for 1/2 IM in 2009
Ironman in 2010 or 2011, before I'm 50.

Well a year ago I couldn't run two blocks, but now I run on a regular basis, and my long run have been extremely strong the last two months, my longest was 9 miles and I figure by April 13 will not be a problem. I would run the Louisville Ky Derby Mini Marathon, and the Evansville Indiana YMCA Mini, one is April and the other is October. What I figured out this summer is I am very strong mentally and physically and I can acheive whatever I set my mind to... I just this morning signed up for the Louisville Mini - so there is no turning back now.