Athena/ Clydesdale Official Mentor Group (Page 38)

The Weather Channel said it was 35* but that it felt like 27* outside.  I went for a walk anyway.  Jacket, gloves, and hat made it possible.  You know what?  I don't plan to ever miss a walk/run again because of weather.  If I can walk in those temps I can walk in pretty much anything.

3 AP today, up to 22 for the week now.

ETA:  Oh yeah, 1.01 miles in 18m 14s.  AHR 125, so I went faster, but worked less ,,, supposedly.

DBG shaving 25 minutes is REALLY impressive!  At the end of last season the best I could average was still just shy of 15 mph.  I'd be ecstatic if I can start TinMan able to average 17.5 mph by June 15th.

kent hang in there brother.  Spring is breaking and days are lengthening.  I'm sure you'll start "finding" time and increase your consistency soon.

Walked 1 mile in 20 minutes, no HRM or GPS today.

3 AP today, that's 3 to start a new WW's week, and five straight days of some activity.  Finished last week with 22 AP.  Goal for this week will be at least 25 AP.  Weather Channel says 40* outside, w/wind chill feels like 32*.  Yep, I confirm that.  That's what it felt like.

Decided to do something different today just to keep changing things.  I took Samson, my Airedale, walking with me.  Even with him stopping, sniffing, and dragging we still covered the mile in 20 minutes.  Tomorrow it will be Buddy's turn (the Chocolate Lab), unless I ride instead of walk.

This week I completed the following:

I took the plunge!  The other Lieutenants used to make fun of me because I was "crazy" about organization and deadlines.  I've always known I had a little OCD when it came to those areas.  I like structure and I like planning.  So Sunday I bought a Silver membership to BT and downloaded the Couch-to-Sprint training plan. I started it today.  I feel better already knowing that I have preplanned training schedule.  No more wondering what I'm going to do "today".  Just look at the calendar and see it.

The first day went off without a hitch.  It was REALLY easy, but then again, I haven't done diddly for nearly two months between the bronchitis and the surgery.  I got .75 mile in the 10 minutes and the 400 swim was fairly easy too.  I'm hoping to step it up next week.  This a 12 week program and I only have 10 weeks to train before TinMan.

Now if I can just get some kind of meal plan in place to jump start this season's weight loss.  Hmmm, wonder if BT has any?

Woo hoo!  Welcome back!  Smart move to splurge for the membership. Mike and I both joined too and figure that it not only supports BT but offers some great training options.  The couch to sprint is a great idea for you coming off sickness and surgery but don't be surprised to see really fast progress once you are feeling 100% since you had a base before that.  I am sure you will definitely be ready for your first race in 10 weeks.

As for diet,  I don't think there is anything here on BT.  BT does however offer the opportunity to log your food through your training log.  Mike and I use My Fitness Pal which is a free site that you can use to log your food and like it since it has an app that we can also access while on the go.  It has a profile questionnaire to give you a good idea of calories you should be eating.

I just couldn't imagine trying to train without a schedule.  I would seriously do nothing.  Maybe I'd ride my bike twice a month, I might still run on a semi-regular basis (but it would be a schedule of some sort) and I'd never swim.   Good luck with the plan!

BT does have nutrition counseling as a component of the Gold package I believe. It's an add-on.    I have the plain Gold and let me tell you the custom training plan creator is SO worth it.  Very cool stuff.

BOY!! Are my thighs a-popping and a-twitching!!

	1h 30m 23s 12.94 miles 8.59 Mi/hr	Min HR: 99 Avg HR: 145 Max HR: 171
9:34 AM

	13m 24s 1.66 miles 7.43 Mi/hr	Min HR: 124 Avg HR: 132 Max HR: 146
11:39 AM

	57m 22s 7.64 miles 7.99 Mi/hr	Min HR: 106 Avg HR: 141 Max HR: 161
12:24 PM

We have a similar mentality...jump right in and then some. Congrats on today's bike segment.

W1 D3 of C2S plan

.25 mile W/U walk then jogged out and back for a total of .75 miles in 10 minutes.  Surprisingly, after yesterday's pedaling insanity, my legs did not revolt or refuse to function.  I was really pleased to see my pace for the .5 mile jog was at 5 mph.  I think if I went into TinMan jogging the entire 5k at 5 mph I'd be satisfied.  NEW GOAL!

Looking at the B2B website.  Can somebody please tell me what a "Special Needs" bag is, as opposed to a transition bag.  Apparently I need a T1 bag and a T2 bag.

Oh yeah, And I'm going to have to rent a wetsuit.  Should be interesting finding one in my size.  Now way I'm buying one yet, as I will still be around 300 lbs at the end of October.

Found this thread on it since I had no idea either  -  https://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=230195&start=1

Also,  try wetsuitrental.com since I believe they have larger sizes available for rental. I ended up purchasing my used wetsuit from them too.

Hey, Newbie here, just signed up for my first sprint distance in August. Right now I'm 314lbs, but relatively fit. I can do all the distances for my tri (750m 20km 5km) individually, now I just need to work on getting my times down for them all. currently at around the 2hr mark, hoping to get to about 1.30 by august.

Anyone else in the same boat?

chubito welcome to the group dude.  I did my first sprint last fall at 350 lbs.  It was supposed to be a tri, but the morning of the race it was 31*.  They canceled the swim, substituting another 5k run at the front, so we'd "get our money's worth".  Obviously that kicked my butt, but I finished.  It took me 3 hours.

The only advice a freshman like me can offer you right now is to start incorporating bricks into your training, maybe every other week or once a week.  Swim and then ride, or ride and then run immediately after.  There is a huge difference between running out of the house and running off the bike.

And remember my Number One Rule:  HAVE FUN WITH IT!

Chubito,

Welcome!   I was in your shoes last year -- and I am again, in a way -- I'm preparing for my first Olympic distance tri in June.  I've gotten to the point where I can do the individual distances (10K run and 1.5 km swim are no problem -- and I'm sure I could do the 40km bike if the bloody snow would just go away!   I am 6'3", started at 267, currently at 237.

I have about 9 weeks to go before the Oly so I need to work on putting it all together.  Running a 10k is one thing, running it after two hours of other activity is a different matter altogether!  Couple of thoughts...

• Soon I will start doing bricks (as leatherneckpa suggested). 
• One thing I'm doing to increase my confidence level is shooting for "distance + 50%" on each discipline -- so e.g. can I run 15 km standalone.  In your case, can you run 7.5 km, bike 30 km, swim 1200m?  In my own head, if I can easily handle "extra distance", then race day will seem that much easier.
• Is your swim open-water?  Definitely would suggest getting some practice doing open-water swimming if you can.  It's very different from pool swimming.
• Practice transitions.  If you have a time goal, you can usually shave lots of time easily in transition.
• Think about signing up for an earlier event - e.g. can you find a 5K earlier in the summer?  That can help focus training on a nearer-term goal. 

Congratulations on entering the world of triathlon -- keep us posted on progress, and definitely let us know when you crack 299.  Always a cause for celebration.  

This past week, I wasn't as active. However, I did get to the gym to swim 1x (1/4 mile in 12 minutes) and I completed a 5k Fitathlon in Hartford (18 crossfit style challenges). I'm still a bit sore today.

Overall, I put on 26 miles walking, running, cycling, and swimming.

W1 D1 of C2S

Swam 600 yds.  I know I'm doing extra distance, but this is a good thing.  And really, the swim for TinMan is only 400 yards.  I can almost do that sleeping.  A - It means I'm getting my base rebuilt quicker than a true couch potato.  B - It means I'll be able to trim those 10 workouts out of the C2S plan.

Want a good laugh though?  I've spent the last 8 months growing a nice handlebar moustache.  Problem is, after a lap or two in the pool the wax melts out.  Then the moustache falls into my mouth while trying to breathe and I nearly choke out.  I've been fat for so many years that I can't remember ever being vain about my looks, except for the styles of my moustache.  I REALLY do not want to have to cut this moustache down  just so I can swim.

Pics or it didn't happen!

I had my first event yesterday -- a sprint that got downgraded to an indoor splash'n'dash (500m swim, 2K run)  due to snow.  Kinda disappointed that the original event got scrubbed but I was happy with my performance -- very good paces vs. my usual -- 2:25 / 100m swim, and under 5:30/km run.

Now gearing up for a HM in late May, and an Oly in June -- big step up on both!

Today was one of "those days".  C'mon, you all know "those days".  The days when you are SO tempted to just chuck it all in.  The days when you think "Why bother, who cares anyway?"  The days when motivation is somewhere BELOW the basement!  I can't say I wanted to go out.  I can't even day was willing to go out.  But two things pushed me out the door.  My good friends here on BT, who can relate to what I am working through.  And the picture note my wife drew on the fridge last October, the morning after my first race.

W2 D2 of C2S.  Not what was written, but I had to catch up to what I missed yesterday.  Motivation has been lacking this week.  Baby brick.  25 min bike and 20 min walk/jog.

W2 D3 of C2S.  1st work out of the day, a 20m walk/jog.  Felt better about going out today.

Still have a swim this afternoon. I am making a conscious effort to hold myself back on the training. I have been doing a lot of reading and listening to a few podcasts from triathlete coaches. Virtually ALL of them say that one of the biggest mistakes beginners make is "jumping in with both feet", overdoing it.

Yep, guilty as charged. And I could tell it because workouts were becoming something to dread, not look forward to. I was worn out after them. It's one thing to be briefly fatigued. It's something else entirely to be so worn out that you still feel tired as you are prepping for the next day's workout. So now I just have to ease off, do only the prescribed workout, not overdo it. Just trust the program, the way it is written, and have faith in my own mental drive on race day.

LAZY BUGGER!!  I blew off the bike yesterday.  I told myself it was a recovery day.  An intermission, if you will, between my previous gung-ho attack and my new "follow the plan as written" mentality.  I'm not sure if it worked or not, but I really enjoyed my swim today.

So today's swim workout consisted of 800 yds in 18 minutes.  4x50, 1x100, 1x200, 1x100, 4x50.  Rest periods varied, 30s, 45s, and 60s.  Followed that up with 20 minutes in the sauna.  Aaa-a-a-aah.  Unfortunately, it was raining and windy by the time I got home, so I didn't get my walk/jog in today.