kenj - motivated triathletes in training - CLOSED (Page 4)

Thanks for the input I will look into getting it and give it a try...For example after my HIM this year I thought I would try to carb down for a few weeks to see what happen so I took in 50 carbs or less, 100 fat, 200 protein daily,,my fat came from udo's 3-6-9 blend and protein from lean meats, Vegan shakes and Whey shakes, did this for 2.5 weeks with no cheat meals and lost one pound...

MarlaS

I'm in the Columbus GA area...

Ok, so here's the bio.

Name:Wesley

Story:I'm 38 years old and from a small town about 45 miles south of Charleston,SC.  I have a wonderful wife and two young girls,6 and 9.  I got started in triathlons last year.  I started training for triathlons last January.  Last November I was almost 240 lbs.  I lost down to 190 lbs by the end of last summer but I've put about 20 lbs back on since my last race. I was a three sport athlete in high school and went on to play football in college. I own a restaurant and a tax business, so I stay very busy.  

Races:2011- I did 6 sprints, a 3 mile river swim and 1 Oly.

          2012 - Jan: Charleston 1/2 Marathon

                     March: Parris Island Sprint Triathlon

                     April: Langley Pond International (Aiken, SC)

                     May: Florida 70.3

                     Nov: IMFL

                     Not sure about races for the summer yet.

I look forward to working with everyone!

It measures calories actually burned during the day.  Not so accurate on the bike, I don't think.  Then you log your food and it shows the calorie deficit.  Unsure how I like it yet.  Only been using it about 3 weeks minus the interruption with the surgery.  

Great Wesley! Glad to have you part of the group!  We can compare notes as we prepare for Florida in November. 

Good conversations going on!  I have some thoughts on the equipment I will post a little later this morning. Right now it is time for the bike.  I am doing the cycling program that Jorge and BT has for the power meter.  The CP test is 2 part and I have the second part this morning. 

Robin - My training partner smokes salmon ( which is AWESOME) we are having some tonight.  I've never had caribou but would love to try it.

Ken - I've read about Jorge's plan on BT forum but have not found the actual plan on the site. Can you post a link or the plan please.  Thanks!

Oooo got to love those tests  HA!  I start back with my coach Jan. 1.  Testing will be first up.  Interested to see where I'm starting from after the surgeries.  Won't be pretty.  My FTP was 319.  Hoping for 300 and to work back higher than before but we will see.  The power meter doesn't lie.  

If you click the programs button up top, that should take you to the free plans.  Jorge's 2 plans are the last 2 at the bottom of the page.  One is for heart rate or perceived effort the other is for those that have a power meter. 

There is also a challenge forum thread here that people use to discuss the workouts or get questions answered by Jorge.

Both are great programs and the people that use them all speak highly of the results.  I think this is the 4th year, but the first year that they have been available as a BT program.  In prior years you had to get them from his website a week or 2 at a time. 

Not where you are at powerwise Ice, but pleased so far.  In a month, I brought my CP from 227 to 239.  During this time I missed an entire week on the bike as I was traveling so no complaints so far, other than the workouts are tough.  But, they are producing results so that makes them worth while!

As far as equipment goes for a first timer there have already been a couple of good posts.  I will add a couple of things to consider though.

For the swim, a wetsuit is not required but definately recommended unless the water is real warm.  I think rentals have already been mentioned which is a great idea.  I will caution you however, that if you are going to rent, try and get at least a couple of swims in the wetsuit before race day.  Swimming in a wetsuit is definately a different feeling and a lot of people struggle initially with the constriction of the wetsuit, especially around the chest.  Also, put body glide around the neck so you don't get any wetsuit hickies!

On the bike, shoes and clipless pedals are nice, but for the first race, using the pedals that come on the bike is fine, assuming that a lot of bikes come with flats.  You can wear your running shoes and not have to worry about changing them in transition.  Helmets are required and obviously mandatory, and I would highly recommend sunglasses.

For the run, you need good running shoes, as was mentioned, maybe a hat or sunglasses.

A towel works for a mat to set everything up on.  All in all, keep it all simple as you can, otherwise you'll wind up a gear junkie like me!

I have power but it doesn't necessarily translate to speed. It's the power to weight ratio that makes the difference.   I started I think at 225 three years ago with my coach and steadily have gone up both for FTP and VO2.  Speed has gone from 17.5 for a 12.5 mile TT to 22 plus.  I held 19.9 for the half IM in 2010. The IM sucked from cramping and the hernia but got it done.   So I'm hoping to be 20-21 for the half IMs this year.  That would be great.  But I need to shave weight. 

Marla,

We may know each other.  I raced with UCF Team Fight last year in the Iron Girl, my first tri.  We should try to hook up and train together.  I'd love to know when and where you will be running.  Running is also my weak sport.

[email protected]

Vivian

I am hoping as well that a strong off season on the bike and getting the pounds I put on post season plus maybe another 10 will get me the speed I am looking for, especially on the longer distances.

kenj- I really hope this group is still open. It looks like just the thing I need. Since August, I've been struggling to consistantly train and have regained some weight. Please let me know if I can join. I will post a bio soon.

Robin- Awesome to see you again! Congrats on the move and sorry about the running injury

Absolutely, any friend of Robin's is welcome to our group!

Post your bio as soon as you can!

Got room for ONE more?! :-) (I've been part of the SWBKRUN group for two or three times, but it has been a little too chaotic and hard for me to keep up because I'm not online as often as I used to be...and would like a little change of pace!)

NAME: CyborgQueen : DJ (CyborgQueen because I have Cochlear Implants in both ears, so it makes me a little "Cyborgic". And yes...it takes about 2 seconds of my T1 time to put it on!)

STORY: I'll try to make it short and sweet, like me! I'm 33 years old and I led a very sedentary life for a long time in NJ. Three years ago, I moved to Las Vegas for a change of career from Veterinary Technician to Game Art and Design. I miss doing Animal Dentistry though. I have one more quarter to go before Graduation and 9 months to go before I get married (about time too...we've been together for 8 years!).  When I moved to Vegas, I got into cycling and lost some weight, then I decided to try Triathlons and got the bug in 2010 season. Irongirl was my first race, and the finisher's photo from that race is my avatar. That season, I did Irongirl (sprint), Lake Las Vegas Tri (Sprint), Las Vegas Tri (Sprint), Pumpkinman (Oly), and Rock n Roll Half-Marathon.  For 2011, I fell off the triathlon bandwagon big time. I was hit in the head hard at Irongirl and suffered hydration issues/migraines that kind of bummed me out for the race. It was the only triathlon I did this year. I think it was a combination of slightly overtraining and the fact that schoolwork was very tiring and a LOT of work, that I didn't do any more triathlons.  However, I did finish out the 2011 season with my first Century ride (as well as other cycling rides), and RnR Vegas Half marathon (yes, it was a HORRIBLE RACE ever....I was undertrained, but I still had a PR, and had a great time...majority of the other people didn't).   For 2012 season, I really would like to aim to try a HIM, Barb's race is something I'm considering.   I don't want to find a HIM in Las Vegas because of the hills...they're TERRIBLE here in Vegas. I would like to get back into training again because I only have one class next quarter, then I'm free until I get married or find a job. I'm in NO rush to find a job, so I have more free time.  I really really would like to lose at least 20 pounds before I get married!

FAMILY STATUS: Getting married in September. Been together for 8 years. He's not into triathlons. He just prefers to do some workouts in the gym. Supports whatever I do. Triathlons is my hobby and collecting old Vegas and Mid-Century modern stuff is his hobby. :-) Oh yeah, I also have 5 cats, Mocha, Hobbes, Reno, Penny, Telly and a dog, Stardust (figure out which ones has been adopted in Las Vegas? :-P). Aside from triathlon training, I enjoy going on hikes with Stardust and playing video games.

CURRENT TRAINING: Nothing currently. I've been careful with my weight. Even though I've been slacking off for a month (plus being in cold NJ for Xmas isn't helping...no cold gear!), my weight has still been the same, so that's a plus as I was more worried about gaining weight. However, my muscles/fitness suffered. I'll get that back in no time.  I'm slow with running, and steadily getting better on the bike.  I need to embrace pain a little bit better.  All I can say is for the two years I've been doing this, I never got injured.  I cannot focus on all three sports, so I want to make running speed a focus as a priority, and getting better with hill climbing on the bike.  Swimming will come along. I'm slowish, but I do the best I can.

THIS YEAR'S RACES: 2011 - One triathlon (lousy race. I finished with a PR though...would like to beat this race again). Other than that, I did some charity rides, my first Century ride, Half marathon (PR was a total surprise) and a local 5K charity race.  Too focused at school

2012 RACES:  A couple sprints, an Olympic and perhaps a half distance. Barb's Race is on my mind....but I'll be okay with doing a couple sprints and a couple Olympics. Haven't registered for them yet, but will do so soon.

WEIGHTLOSS: Since I started doing training/cycling in 2009, I lost 20 pounds. Would like to lose more before my wedding.

What I need help with?  TRAINING SCHEDULE!!  I had a coach my first year, and it was alright and kept me honest, but I kind of want a little bit more flexibility, especially in cycling because I'm part of a cycling group that does LONGER distances than called for in the schedule. I rather hang out with them for their rides (they are a little faster than me, but it's a way for me to get better), and I can do hill intervals when they don't have group rides.   I hate to be told "you can only do 15 miles today", when the group ride is 20 or 25.   I recover from bike rides very quickly (a couple hours or overnight).

Anyone have tried the BT's training schedules? I was thinking about doing the Run focused Olympic training and follow the swim/run schedule, speedwork/hill intervals for bike when there is one, and just bike whenever I want and whatever distance I want. 

PS - I went to school at RIT for a few years, so I'm familiar with Rochester. :-D

Welcome to the group DJ!  RIT is a great school!

I have used a lot of the plans here on BT.  For certain races I am pretty structured and want to stick to the schedule (like IM events), for other races or during the off season I prefer to use the plan as a guide, but adapt daily to keep it from becoming a chore.

You can also mix them up as well.  For instance, if you are training for a century and need more bike time, but also have an Oly triathlon you could take the plan with higher bike miles, delete the swim and run portions, then add an Oly plan and delete the bike portion. 

I have also used a Pfitzinger marathon plan that I put in the template and uploaded that to replace the run training in the IM plans here.  I don't think that people realize the amount of flexability that is available here with the plans.  Unfortunately, a lot of this flexibility is in the higher membership levels, but compared to other sites or paid coaches BT is a relative bargain.

I can look for the links to the instructions for some of this if you or anyone else is interested.

Again, welcome to the group!