Whizzzzz's Group -- Full! (Page 4)

What's the rush?

Why not focus this season on getting the training down for some more sprints and a couple of Olympic distance events? It will give you a good base and will let you ease into the whole training thing.

I found training for a HIM to be pretty all consuming. Of course, training for an IM is even MORE consuming. I'm not sure how that could even be. (!!!)

I did a season of sprints, a season of sprints and then one Olympic and THEN a season of a couple of sprints and a couple of Olympics before I tried a Half. You don't have to wait that long, if you don't want to... but if this is truly a lifestyle choice, you've got the rest of your life to tackle the various distances. Take your time and do what fits best into your schedule right now!  

Episcopit - I may not be the right person to chime in on this.  Or maybe I am.  I don't really follow a set plan.  I read plans, and I keep track of the volume that they recommend, when to do speed training and in what quantities, and that kind of stuff.  But I don't really follow one per say.  I just try to do what I can and make sure I hit some touchstones, like a weekly long run, etc.  I also try to rotate my training to do more of one activity for a few weeks and then switch.  See, all I can do is as much as I have time for, which is not much, so that has to be enough.  So I don't think I'd be much help if you want to adapt a plan and follow it strictly.  My approach might help you though if you want to be less rigid about following a plan. 

If you want to talk about it some more post a link to a plan you would like to follow and I'll tell you what I think.  Also post if certain days of the week are better for you to do certain things, what days are best for rest, do you do mornings or nights, weekends, etc.

Ok, then we are in very different work situations but similar "time available" circumstances.  My approach isn't that different than what you've been doing.  Instead of me telling you what to do (which is a bad idea!) I'll just tell you what I do and you can modify it or ignore it at your pleasure.

My base week right now with the bike on the trainer is like this. 
     2 runs, 2 bikes, 2 swims.  One run has to be long (10+ miles for me).

My ideal week would be 3 bike sessions and one more S-M run.  That doesn't happen too often with life interfering.  The last couple weeks I've slacked on the swimming (Whizz might say I've been slacking on swimming for a year).  I don't really have key workouts on the trainer or in the pool which is probably why my winters seem to be run heavy.  Consequently, that is my best event.  Once I get my bike on the road in the spring I'll be focusing way more on bike and a weekly long ride there.  I know I'm bad about the swim, I guess that puts me in the majority of triathletes.

Anyway, I rotate the workouts based on what I did last and what my body feels up to.  Running three days in a row - probably not a good idea.  As far as what I do DURING the workouts, that's where you can incorporate the times and types of workouts described in the plan of your choice.  Personally, I'm just trying to do as much as I have time for.  That's probably not the best for everyone.

As my time for workouts disappears based on my work, kids and wife's needs I'll drop the swimming first, the 3rd and 2nd bike next, and the running last.  The weekly long run would be the last thing to go if it ever got to that, but that's because I'm working toward a marathon at the end of the season and want to keep putting miles on my legs.

Monday is really my only planned rest day, because I usually hit it pretty hard on the weekends.  The other rest day just happens during the week anyway so why plan it?  I used to write this out in a calendar type format but after a while I just do it.

Hope all this rambling helps.

As my time for workouts disappears based on my work, kids and wife's needs I'll drop the swimming first, the 3rd and 2nd bike next, and the running last.

As time for working out disappears based on life obligations, you should WORK YOUR WEAKNESS! If all my time disappeared, I'd be RUNNING almost exclusively. All the running you do at the expense of your swimming doesn't help. Unless you want to be ((mainly)) a runner that happens to do triathlons.

Get in the pool Marty! (I've taken to calling you that, as I think it suits you better than your actual name!)

TGIF.

 Whizzzzzzzzzzzzzz (I smell chlorine...)

You're right.  I know.  I'm like the kid that has to be told to clean his room.  I know I have to do it.  And once its done I'm glad I did it.  I just have trouble getting around to actually doing it.  Plus, before fall of 05 I had never once run for excersize in my life before.  This still feels new to me and maybe part of me is that if I let up at all it is all going to crumble away.  Ok, this is probably too much analysis of the guy who was just going to chime in once in a while.  Sorry to be a thread hog.  Hopefully some of you feel similarly so all my blithering is somehow serving a purpose.

Anyone else want to chime in on the "working your weaknesses first" thing?  Or what you strip it down to if you can only get in one or two workouts per week?

No offense intended! I'm in awe of people that can actually run. On land. Speedily and without expending huge amounts of effort. I look like a lumbering....well... lumberjack when I run. I'd really love to consider myself a "runner" at some point... I'm DEFINITELY not there yet. *SIGH*. Am jumping back into running, though, as the knee allows. Knee feels pretty good so I'm looking forward to a fun spring and summer chock full of RUNNING!

I consider myself a triathlete that runs only because it's required to get to the finish line. 

Ya 'mon!

Alright.  Just to get some conversation going and learn some more about each other here goes.

List the longest distance you have done in each event.  It can be in training or in a race.  If in a race it can be in a tri or individual sport race.  If you swam (for example) in college and did 10,000M workouts but that was 20 years ago maybe you want to give two responses, then and in your current fitness incarnation.

Longest tri:
Longest swim:
Longest bike:
Longest run:

Longest tri: I did 2 HIMs last season... Spirit of Racine and Lake Geneva. I was supposed to do Lake Geneva as a HIM in 2005, but I didn't have the run base, so I switched to the Olympic Distance on race day.
Longest swim: 4850 yards. Not last weekend, but the weekend before, for my friend Pete's 52nd birthday, we did 52 x 100. I took some breaks so wound up with 4850 yards instead of 5200.
Longest bike: 101 miles, August, 2005. Katie and Pete were training for IM that year, so we did more really long bike rides. My longest bike ride this year was only about 80. I was ready to give my bike away to the first person who might have asked for it after that 101 ride. Heh. My butt was SORE and chafed. I wasn't enlightened to chamois butter yet. I am now!
Longest run: Checking my logs.... 13.86 miles. Hmmmpf. I thought it was longer. August of 2006.

I've been working up to IM distance training... I know I can do the swim and the bike... right after each other... without too much of a problem... the run... I'm not so sure. I need intensive run training in order to wrap my teeny tiny mind around the idea of running 26.2 miles after biking for 112.  My plan is an IM in 2008 as well... We'll see... depends on how the knee comes along... and how well I'm able to absorb another year of training. My engine is just not as big as I'd like it to be...

I forgot to do it myself.  Duh.

Longest tri:  Pleasant Prairie OLY last year.  HIM this summer.

Longest swim:  Crystal Lake (where I live) 2mi OWS.  (3520 yds)  Cheap race held every July.  Good OWS practice.  Did it last year for the first time and I'll keep doing it every year because it is such good practice.  I really had no business swimming this far based on training, all I can say is thank heaven for wetsuits.

Longest Bike:  50 miles last July.  Tired but not too sore.

longest run:  20 miles.  About a month ago.  It was tough but I built up to it pretty well so it didn't completely wreck me.

My ultimate goal is IM.  Hopefully a HIM and marathon this summer will help put me in a position to do IM next year.  The two things I need the most work on are bike speed and swim pace.  My problem is tearing myself away from running to concentrate on the other two.  I want to qualify for a starting corral for the Chicago Marathon this year (1:35 or less for half mary).  The race I'll be attempting that at is in early May.  After that run I'll have 10 weeks to really hammer the bike and swim training before Spirit of Racine.  Then marathon training begins.

Longest tri: sprint - 2004, 2006
Longest swim:  3600 meters in pool  2004
Longest bike:  40 miles training
Longest run: 4 or 5 miles 2004

Athletic history:

Swim team 1973-1980 or so

HS basketball

HS track and field (high jump and javalin)

HS biking - long rides in farm country

college - played intramural anything - if someone is willling to keep score, I was willing to play it.   Was rather good at floor hockey.

Dabled in weight lifting, lap swimming, jogging, mtn biking.

I know there are still two people's responses to get, but we have a pretty similar group, I think.  If you are someone who has a weak event that you are concerned about signing up for an event that focuses on that can really help.  My example is me with swimming.  I'm very lucky to live in a town with a decent lake and every year they have a 2 mi OWS race.  A lot of triathletes in the area do it.  It's great OWS practice.  Just knowing that I can do the distance, regardless of pace, is a big confidence builder.  But knowing  how hard it is and what it is like to try to come out of the water after two miles helps me realize how much I need to work on my swimming. 

Anyway, the point is that some of us may simply not have done a certain distance in a certain event due to opportunity.  Seek those opportunities out, especially if they are in your weakness, because it will make you a better and more confident athlete.  They can be in races or in training.  Maybe a planned training event with a partner.  I know this summer I'll be doing some long rides with others to help get me up to that 75-100 mile region.  Whizzz pointed out that's why she did 101 miles in 05.  I focused a month's worth of running around getting a 20 mile training run accomplished just because I wanted to achieve that goal.  And of course there's always that da** swim.