Gray Guys/Girls Master's Focus Triathlon Mentor Group--Now Open (Page 4)

Hilde,

I can fully empathize with what you are going through.  Before my mom passed away, we dealt with much the same thing.  First there was the whole driving thing and the fact that she was unsafe behind the wheel, then as time progressed, she couldn't be left alone.  She was a person that had been highly self-sufficient all of her life so us kids insisting she not be alone was a hard pill to swallow with all the drama and conflict you can imagine.  All I can say is, at the time I would often get so mad and frustrated that I could scream.  Now, I would give just about anything to hear her complain one more time, to have her call me rather unflattering names just one more time and to have her roll her eyes at something I said just one more time.

Hang in there, deep breathes, walking away and counting to ten works wonders!

Janet -

I think this is where we, collectively as a group, gang up and say, "DROP AND GIVE ME 20!"

Seriously though, it really doesn't matter how many times you fall down.  What matters is how many times you get back up.

Tomorrow is a brand new day with the opportunity for a brand new start!

I took a look at your logs and it appears you have been putting in sufficient volume that the tri a week before the duathlon shouldn't be a problem.  Just make sure that the Monday after the tri is an EASY recovery day, Tuesday is a light workout day and you should be fine.

Hey Dave,

Welcome back!

The "re-hydrating" is what makes the race worthwhile!  Congrats on your HM.

Chris,

I suppose now would be a good time to talk about what you NEED and what you DON'T NEED.

As you already alluded to, Triathlon can get VERY expensive very quickly.  You could easily go out today, spend $20,000 and still be WAY behind what the top echelon spends.  There is a saying, "You know you're a triathlete when your bike costs more than you car."

I am of the mind that this is your first year in triathlon so figure out if you enjoy it or not before you spend a great deal of money.   What you NEED is a bike, which you already have, a good pair of running shoes, clothing to cover up with, and a pair of swim goggles.  That is the bare minimum to get you to the starting line of your first triathlon.  I suppose it's really arguable whether you really NEED the goggles or not, but now days, they are so inexpensive, I put them in the "must have" column.

Next up is maybe a tri-suit.  That is a suit you wear for the entire event - you don't have to change clothes.  You swim in it, then get on the bike, then run.  There is a thin chamois on the backside to help with comfort on the bike.  Those go for anywhere from ~$50 on sale to upwards of a couple hundred dollars for the really high end skin suits (you don't NEED the high end skin suit at this point).  Or, you can use a swim suit, running shorts and a shirt.  That is one of the really nice things about triathlon, there isn't anyone that is going to care what you are wearing.

You will see/hear people saying you need a "better" bike.  My advice is get through your first year then decide what you need.  You can easily spend 5-digits for a high-end triathlon bike which is of absolutely NO use if you aren't going to be on the pointy end competing in long course events.  A couple thousand dollars will get you into a nice, fast triathlon bike that will be more than sufficient unless you hope to qualify for Kona or other really extreme goals.  You don't NEED any of that at this point.  Talking about bikes, you will hear you need clipless pedals.  Again, you can get through your first year then decide if you really need them or not.

Then we get to electronics.  I outlined in my earlier post what you need for Trainer Road to work - the speed sensor and ANT+ dongle.  You can add a cadence sensor which will help you set your cadence but that isn't strictly necessary.  Trainer Road will "pair' with the sensors and display the information so you don't necessarily need anything else.

You asked specifically about power.  That is the advantage of Trainer Road - it uses "virtual power" so you don't have to run out and buy a ± $1,000 power meter.  That said, having a power meter is a HUGE advantage in a race, especially on longer races.  However, even so, I would not spend the money for power in my first year unless you are independently wealthy which you implied you aren't.

As to a bike computer or something similar.  This gets into an area that is often debated.  There are watches available that will record endless metrics including bike data (speed, cadence, power, etc.).  Those watches will also record swim data as well as run data.  Some will even function as a day to day watch.  The high-end watches (Garmin Fenix 3, Garmin Forerunner 920XT, Suunto Ambit 3, etc.) run upwards of $500.  Garmin also makes less expensive watches such as the Garmin Forerunner 310XT - currently $135.99 on Amazon, including the ANT+ stick (which would save you the $35 for that) - http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Forerunner-310XT-Waterproof-Running/dp/B0025VKW5K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453335740&sr=8-1&keywords=garmin+310.  The 310 doesn't do swim metrics, which personally I don't think is a big deal.  It will display and record all the run and bike data.  I currently own a Fenix 3 and a 920XT but prefer my 310XT so it is a REALLY good watch for a relatively low price.  The 310 will get you through any training and race up to and including an Ironman distance.  Any of the watches or bike computers below will record heart rate data,

The drawback to a watch is that it is hard to see on the bike.  Enter the bike computer.  However, if you don't have power, there really isn't that much to see.  You can get bike computers that can provide turn-by-turn directions much like what you might get in your car.  Garmin Edge units go for ~$270 (Garmin Edge 500) to upwards of $600 for the Edge 1000.  I prefer a bike computer on my bike so I can see it better, but again, if you don't have power, this is kind of an un-necessary expense since a watch would display the same data, albeit more challenging to see it.

You already have the Timex which will provide HR data.  I don't know if that particular watch is a GPS which is very beneficial as GPS provides fairly accurate pacing information.  The watches above as well as the bike computers all have GPS.  All of the watches above have a programmable "multi-sport" capability that would allow you to do a triathlon and simply press lap between each segment.  The watch would separate swim from T1 from bike from T2 from run.  The bike computers do NOT have that capability.

Finally, what to do with all that data once you have it.  If you were to end up with a Garmin, you would upload the data to Garmin Connect (Garmin's data repository).  The general opinion is that you can do better than Garmin Connect.  You can upload data here on Beginner Triathlete.  As a member you have access to your own exclusive logs.  If you become a BT member, even at the lowest level, you unlock the analytic's so you can geek out over your data.  As an alternative there is a site called TrainingPeaks.com.  You can set-up a free account there to upload your data.  TP arguably has the best analytics available, however that is with the paid account (I want to say less than $20/month).

Hope that helps clear up what you need and don't need.  I would strongly suggest Trainer Road and the things you need to make that work.  If your watch isn't GPS than I can say from firsthand experience you won't be disappointed with the Garmin 310XT (with the added benefit that it comes with the ANT+ dongle you need for TR so you are effectively further reducing the price of the watch.)

One last thing.  I saw on another post that you might be doing the HIM with a group of friends.  If that is the case and changing to the Olympic distance becomes problematic, we can figure out how to get you ready for the race.  It might be a long, painful day, but it can be done.

Chris,

I responded to this separately because HR training is a topic all unto itself.  As anyone who has been with our group in the past can tell you, I have been known to get EXTREMELY long winded.  This is one of those topics that is just crying out for me to sit down and write . . . and write . . . and write.  So, I will try to control myself! 

If you think you are running too slow, you probably have your zones close to correct.  Z1 and Z2 are widely considered to be the recovery and aerobic zones respectively.  The reason you train in Z2 is to develop your aerobic energy pathways and train your body to utilize fat as the primary fuel.  I submit we should actually be training at the high end of Z1, but that is another discussion for another day.  Suffice to say, training the aerobic energy pathways requires exercising at a pace that will keep your HR low.  It is not uncommon for athletes to occasionally have to walk to keep their HR in zone.  The good news is that as your body becomes more efficient at utilizing fat for fuel, your pace at the same HR will begin to increase - you will be doing MORE work with the same effort!

I regularly suggest to people that they "check their ego at the door" as they go out for a training run.  The proper training pace is going to seem VERY slow.  There is a valid reason for that.  Triathlon, even at the relatively short sprint distance, is an aerobic athletic event.  If you go anaerobic early in the race, you WON'T make the end of the race.  Since that is the case, it is incumbent on us to develop the energy pathways we will use to power the race - hence Z2 training.  Once the aerobic base is sufficiently built, then occasional tempo/speed work can be added to the training schedule to further develop the aerobic base, increase muscular endurance and build speed.  Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes athletes make is they jump straight to the speed work, thinking, "If I am not training at a fast pace, I won't get fast."  That is inaccurate and an almost guaranteed path to injury.

The proper way to set your run training zones is with a Run Threshold Test.  Once you have made a final decision on the HR monitor we can chat about how to perform the test and set your zones.

OK, my first, and undoubtedly not my last, senior moment of the new season.  Let's try again with the correct links.

To that end, here are a couple links to articles on my website - 

http://triathlonswimcoach.com/index.php/en/resources/stroke-technique/31-novice/77-freestyle-from-the-beginning - this article talks about the fundamentals of freestyle.  Basically it walks through the things taught to beginner swimming classes.  At first glance, many of the items in the article will seem silly.  However, often times, adult on-set swimmers fail to learn the fundamentals and it comes back to haunt them.  I encourage you to take a couple hours and master all of the fundamentals.  Also, at the top of the "Freestyle From the Beginning" page is a video that show what proper freestyle should look like from above the water.

http://triathlonswimcoach.com/index.php/en/resources/stroke-technique/29-advanced/59-freestyle-stroke - This article is a little more advanced and talks about the freestyle (front crawl) stroke.  It provides a little more detail about stroke technique.

Hi Kathy,

The best bike for you is the bike that fits.  If the bike is too big or too small, it will be uncomfortable to ride and you won't ride it, or won't enjoy riding it, which will ultimately end up in you not riding it.  Typically the first advice would be to go get a bike fit, from that you will know the correct size, and perhaps even exact manufacturer for the "perfect" bike.  However, it doesn't make much sense to spend a quarter of your budget on a bike fit.

My suggestion would be go to your local bike shop and tell them you are in the market for an entry level road bike.  Explain to them you have absolutely no idea what size bike you need.  I would also tell them you are NOT going to buy a bike TODAY - that way you are being upfront and will be able to get some answers without the pressure to make an immediate purchase.  The staff at the LBS will be able to point you to bikes in the proper size range.  Once you know that, you can price similar size bikes and make your ultimate decision.  I would suggest visiting a couple different bike shops.  Ride a couple different bikes - yes, test rides are not only possible, they are a REALLY good idea.  After a bit of research and time, THE bike will call out to you.

At your price point you will probably be looking at an aluminum frame, Shimano Sora components, likely a 9-speed cassette.  That will typically retail at slightly less than $1,000.  For a few dollars more you can step up to Shimano Tiagra components which are slightly more robust and a 10-speed cassette.  A few dollars above that would get you to Shimano 105 components which are a significant step up.  Which components are best?  That depends upon how serious you are about triathlon and how much riding you plan to do.  If the triathlon bug has bitten you and you are in it for the long haul, it might be worthwhile to get the slightly more expensive components now.  If you are going to be on-again, off-again, then the lower components will do fine.

Once you decide on a bike, assuming you get it at a local bike shop, make SURE the price includes a fit so the bike is set-up properly for you.

Hope that helps.

Scott ... the reason there's not much there is because - well, there's not much there.  I am pitifully bad about posting my training.  Altogether most of my training is pool swim time.  I typically swim a mile for each session, albeit at a slow pace. Typically a mile swim for me is just under 40 mins.  Given that I've just started back swimming probably in the 45 min range.  I am not a long time swimmer - only 5 years or so.  I have had some coaches make passing comments about technique which always helps and I can see it in laps times.

This stated, let me know what else I need to provide so I can get some specific training drills going. Thanks

They are made to get wet.  The are light enough they absorb very little water and then dry quickly.  There are people that go without any type of chamois or padding in their tri-suit.  All I can say is "Ouch!"  Just a side note, I actually prefer my tri-shorts over my bike shorts when I am out for a training ride so there is something to be said for tri-shorts.

Padded seats present a couple problems.  First, the padding will typically "absorb" some of the power you are generating.  You will be exerting energy bouncing on the padded seat.  Granted, it isn't very much, but it is measurable.  Of more importance, having a padded seat as often as not will increase discomfort.  We aren't on a beach cruiser out for a cruise down the boardwalk.  We will typically be putting down a fairly hard effort.  Bouncing on a padded seat will simply cause additional chaffing and pressure on the various parts in contact with the seat and trust me, you really don't want to get your privates bouncing on a soft seat.  Generally speaking, the less padding the better.  I know, that is counter-intuitive, but it is true none-the-less.

Chris,

When you first start true aerobic training the pace is going to be painfully slow.  As to walking a little bit - last summer I had an athlete compete in Ironman Louisville.  We went into the race with the plan to have him run/walk the marathon.  He walked EVERY aid station - there was one every mile.  Run/walk can be a VERY effective strategy.  Indeed Sebastian Kienle won the Ironman World Championship in 2014 utilizing a run/walk strategy for the marathon (he walked all the aid stations).  That said, if you have to walk every now and again to keep your HR in zone, then you have to walk every now and again to keep your HR in zone.  The payoff for enduring the frustration brought about by the slow pace will be huge!

Here is a link to an article that discusses how to do a field test to determine your run lactate threshold - http://beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=633.  The article talks about not doing the test if you are just starting out, are returning from injury and a couple other conditions.  Doing the test is entirely up to you.  It will essentially require a 30-minute effort near your 5K pace to determine your LTHR (Lactate threshold heart rate).

Assuming you do the test, once you have a number, use the following percentages of LTHR to determine your zones (based on Joe Friel's running zones):

Run Zones
Zone 1 Less than 85% of LTHR
Zone 2 85% to 89% of LTHR
Zone 3 90% to 94% of LTHR
Zone 4 95% to 99% of LTHR
Zone 5a 100% to 102% of LTHR
Zone 5b 103% to 106% of LTHR
Zone 5c More than 106% of LTHR

Edited to add:  The Field Test article also talks about testing for the bike.  If you decide to go with Trainer Road you will not need to worry about a LT test for the bike.  The very first workout you would do in Trainer Road is a FTP test to determine your training zones.  The FTP test will also determine LTHR (assuming you have a HR monitor paired with Trainer Road).

Dorm,

Generally I am of the belief that drills should only be used for a specific and identifiable problem.  Since I haven't seen you swim, that is a little bit tough.  Here is what I suggest -

a) As I told Chris in an earlier post, it is likely that you have a number of technique flaws. That is where you want to start. You can swim hundreds of thousands of yards but if your technique is bad, you are wasting your time. To that end, here are a couple links to articles on my website -

http://triathlonswimcoach.com/index.php/en/resources/stroke-technique/31-novice/77-freestyle-from-the-beginning - this article talks about the fundamentals of freestyle. Basically it walks through the things taught to beginner swimming classes. At first glance, many of the items in the article will seem silly. However, often times, adult on-set swimmers fail to learn the fundamentals and it comes back to haunt them. I encourage you to take a couple hours and master all of the fundamentals. Also, at the top of the "Freestyle From the Beginning" page is a video that show what proper freestyle should look like from above the water.

http://triathlonswimcoach.com/index.php/en/resources/stroke-technique/29-advanced/59-freestyle-stroke - This article is a little more advanced and talks about the freestyle (front crawl) stroke. It provides a little more detail about stroke technique.

From either of those articles you can get to all of the stroke technique articles on my website. I would encourage you to click on the "Stroke Technique" link in the right column, then at the bottom of the page, in the "Sub-Categories" section, begin with the novice articles and work up through the advanced articles. That will give you a good starting point as to what proper technique should look like. If you are like most people, it will be difficult to take words on paper to the pool. Eyes on deck are the best way to improve rapidly. Absent a coach or instructor, video analysis is the next best option. I will be happy to provide what help I can from across the country!

b)  Here is a link to a 12-week plan I created that will build the base in preparation for a Sprint triathlon - http://triathlonswimcoach.com/index.php/en/workouts/2014-11-30-18-57-20/sprint-base.  In that plan it repeatedly refers to STP - swim threshold pace.  Here is a link to an article that talks about what STP is and near the bottom links to the actual test - http://triathlonswimcoach.com/index.php/en/resources/2014-11-30-20-43-15/ct-menu-item-3/84-swim-threshold-pace-what-is-it.  On the one hand, you need to improve technique, on the other hand, you need to increase swim fitness.  Technique and fitness are two-sides of the same coin so starting with the workouts I suggested will get you started on the fitness end and we will improve technique as you go forward.

c) Last but not least, if you can get some video of you swimming I will be happy to take a look and make some suggestions.  It doesn't have to be great video.  Video from your cell phone will suffice.  You can get your spouse, significant other, mom/dad, brother/sister, kids, pets, anyone that can hold a camera/phone while you swim a couple laps.  Once you have the video shot, let me know and I'll give you a link so you can upload it to me.  Once I see some video, then we can talk about stroke improvements and perhaps a couple drills.

I didn't mean to get so far behind.  You've all been busy.

Chris - Welcome to the group.  I love that you've been asking lots of questions.  I'm envious of your "slow" 9 minute miles.  Maybe I could run that fast if I were being chased by a bear (reminds me our youngest daughter used to say she wasn't worried about bears because she just had to run faster than us).  When I first started running my HR would shoot up to 178 in just a couple minutes but as I continued to run it has calmed down considerably (typically in the lower 130s) so don't worry too much it will change fairly quickly.

I'd also like to second that padded saddles are not a good option.  As for Tri-shorts I love mine (for any distance).  Since I bought them I've only worn the bike shorts twice in 3 years.  Just choose the most comfortable ones you can get.

Kathy - You got some good advice on buying a bike.  An aluminum frame is no problem but aim for the best components that you can justify.  A lady I swim and ride with owns an aluminum frame bike that serves her well and, she rides faster than me.

Hilde - Sorry to hear about your family issues.  Don't let it get you down and above all keep your sense of humour.  It will help you.

Dave - I like the "re-hydrating" idea.  

Scott - Very interesting idea to suggest I step up my swimming.  Since before Christmas I've been considering checking out a harder faster working swim group with a local fellow that is ranked pretty highly.  He is even a BT member (JonnyO).  The only thing holding me back is they swim at 6:00am.  I'm thinking of getting up early tomorrow and just watching one of their swims.

Tonight I rode a 20 minute time trial in my cycling class.  I was thrilled to keep my speed well into Zn 4 for the full time and my cadence well into the nineties (96rpm).

George,

I know of JonnyO through the forums here on BT.  I don't know if there is a coach on deck with the swim group your are talking about.  If there is, it becomes a "no-brainer."  There is no substitute for eyes on deck to improve your swimming.  Beyond that, swimming with a group often provides additional motivation to push yourself harder than you might otherwise push yourself.  Sometimes that is a good thing, sometimes it is not so good.  In general however, a group can be beneficial if for no other reason than you can often see proper, or at least better, technique which will help you improve.

I have no problem with that (except I can only do 15 right now - I'll have to make up the other 5 when I get a little stronger).  Sometimes I could use someone to tell me to "suck it up, buttercup" or words to that effect.  I'm not much of a self-motivator (trying to get better at it though) so it's nice to have people around to push me a little.  Now if I can just get my husband to push me out of bed on these cold mornings when it's too easy to talk myself out of going to the pool...

Hey everyone!

The weekend is here!  Couldn't have come fast enough this week if you ask me.

What's everyone have on their agenda the next couple days?  I know some of you are probably dealing with really NASTY weather - stay safe!  How about the rest of you - long runs this weekend, maybe a long ride?

I'm doing a swim clinic tomorrow.  An hour of dry land then to the pool for a couple hours of instruction, video, and analysis.  We have a full class with 25 reservations so going to be a busy day.

Sunday is all about FOOTBALL!  Hoping Denver can beat the Patriots - not holding my breath.  Not that it would matter, I don't see ANYONE beating Carolina.  But hey, that's why they play the games right?