T3 beginners welcome sprint and OLY = Closed (Page 5)

Tim,

I have been stalking your workouts and you are looking to be set up great for the half. i did not want to derail any training you were doing because volumes and pacing was looking good. now go injoy a great race.

Great numbers, Tim (as always). Good luck this weekend.

Thanks guys! Dave you really helped me this year, Thanks again! Oh I forgot to record a ride last Friday, the wind was brutal (25-30 + gusts) so I didn't push too hard. On the return trip for a 2 mile stretch I had it directly behind me & I was running 36.5 on the flat, I was in low zone 2, that part was Awesome! So correct bike total (I think) 318.9 miles. Good training & good luck if anybody else is competing this weekend! Tim

I'm doing bike focused ... Because of a 60 mile ride next month
These are my totals for the month again
Swim
5577yards - 6 hours
Bike:
174.5 miles - 15 hours
Run:
19.6 miles - 3H42

Is this too much for a first month back into exercise ?
I'm for some reason scared of overtraining and yet want to get my mileage way up
I Read you should train specifically for races and not more ...
build load taper type thing can't remember the lingo
I feel fine

What I mean is Obviously this is not too much if you are Ready for it Maybe I should look at the training schedule for further distance races
Compared with Sprint

Seeing all your May posts is a bit daunting! Still excited but also pretty nervous! I truly believe i can do this but seeing how far i need to go is like i said...daunting.

Don't worry Ridarling!!!
Beginning can be a slow process
I think now that I must have built up a base in muscles and endurance which I maintained with a few attempts at getting back into it every few months for say one week
But I'm not sure how well to rely on it - this base
I took the gentlest training plan I could for running And I probably made it last at least twice as long

I was so afraid of injury I under did it and didn't follow advice like interval training walks of 1-4 minutes with .5 - 2.5 strong efforts improves you so quickly I couldn't believe it

I think I'm right that swimming is your least strong sport of 3? It improves quicker because of the lack of load bearing

You will get some great advice from the others
I think we remember thinking WHAT ? How many miles !?

Thanks Cloud dog!
I hope you're right that the swimming will improve quickly!

I'm definitely going to go with the swim focused training plan and adding in 3 Orange Theory Fitness workouts each week. Orange theory fitness is kinda like boot camp/cross fit style classes. My hardest thing is already turning out to be making myself take 1-2 rest days a week.

hey guys,

sorry I took at 2 day triathlete vacation with some crazy work stuff. have to love the unpredictability of the job.
well, topic for discussion this week,
What fear do you have for training or racing? lets see where we can all help too.
have a great week.

Well I can say I had a blast at the KS 70.3! My time however was another story, 6:24, swim went Bad on the first leg, I was inside the first buoy outside the second inside the third & WAY outside the fourth, goggles fogged & I saw what I thought was a yellow buoy & kept swimming toward it, I was thinking why am I curving left so bad that I have to keep turning right (thinking was obviously out the window) turns out it was a kayak & she kept trying to go wider than me to get me to turn, finally one of the boats came out & said dude turn left you are Way off course, I guarantee I swam atleast 1.5 miles, finished in 50 minutes. T-1 was slow, 6:24, I didn't give myself enough time before to set up properly. The bike, I flatted at the end of the dam with a puncture, (between mile 5&6) great location as there was a service truck helping another guy with a flat about 100 yards up so I rode to them, that d@&$ tube fought the 3 of us for 20-30 minutes (I have changed tons of bike tires over the years & never had this kind of trouble, go figure) so back on the bike I took to passing people like no tomorrow still keeping the run in mind then at about mile 14 chain popped at the base of a hill, quick fix just frustrating, started to cramp at about mile 16, right leg went full spasm I was barely able to unclip it, so I pedaled with the left for about .25 mile til it relaxed (still held my position though, I'm glad I practiced that over the winter!). Rest of the bike was uneventful, except that i was cramping bad, such that i couldnt stand to climb the hills like i like to do for a change & a little extra, just basically rode the left side of the lane, I wish I had a count on the # of bikes I passed it had to be a couple hundred! Oh yea chain popped off again about .5 miles to go but I was able to catch it so no harm no foul. T-2 wasn't bad 1:48. Run was slow with a 9:50 pace, but I was cramping horribly, I walked when I absolutely had to, I walked through the aid stations, but I was having fun pretty much had a big smile most of the time, I can't wait to do it again! I'm completely baffled by the cramping! I drank 44 oz of Gatorade & probably 60 oz of water on the bike, I drank some Gatorade in T-1 (had a bottle for T-1), & drank quite a bit on the run. I don't drink that much when I train & I didn't push as hard as I have in training. The bike was crazy, being that far back, I lost momentum & had to hit the brakes Hard so many times when people would pull out right in front of me to pass somebody else (that was frustrating) they would turn & look me in the eye & pull out clear to the yellow line > I was already out wide to pass them! I So wanted to shoot the middle but I also didn't want a crash or a penalty! But I had fun! Hey if you take the flat tire out of it, I beat Hines Ward (NFL Pro wide receiver)!!! I guess it's not too bad for my first triathlon ever... Tim

Wow Tim, looks like you had a rough day! Can't believe you kept a smile through all that!
I had read that Hines Ward was going to be at KS 70.3...should have got you to get an autograph for me.

My Sprint this weekend didn't go too well either. Took a big humility pill as I only managed a 10/18 in my Age Group.
Swim was terrible. It was an ocean swim against the current with 3 to 4 foot swells. Strong current too left over from TS Andrea I think. They shortened it from 750m to 500m due to the conditions, still took me 15:10 to swim the 500. Not much good happened after that. Pretty bummed but more motivated and determined to train harder than ever.
Full race report in a day or two. Right now the family and I are staying over at the beach for a few days of vacation.



Edited by Dominion 2013-06-10 4:18 PM

Oper water combat swimming.

I am headed with my fiance out to a local spot where a bunch of people train for HIM/IM on a normal basis this weekend after work. I just want to get out there and see how far I can go. I feel that my rythym is good in the pool but I want to push myself and see how far I can actually swim without having the luxury of being able to stand up in the pool.

Side note, Im 198, only 18 more pounds to go for my race weight goal. I imagine that will come off quick as I have been honing in on my diet/intake an training 2x a day when I do not have work. (swimming in the morning/running at night).

Right now I’m afraid of jumping the next hurdle and racing an oly. I promised myself I would do one this year and intend to. I have been using a training plan geared towards oly distance and this is the last week of it. I have been planning on racing this weekend but due to my strange work situation, I haven’t actually registered for a race. There are two in my local area – a beginners’ sprint and a regular run-of-the-mill oly. I also plan on driving pretty far out of town on July 4th weekend (guaranteed 4 days off work) for an oly. So this begs the question: should I do a fun sprint this weekend that I think I can do pretty well in OR do I climb the mountain and do an oly so I have some experience (and data) for 4th of July weekend? I did a race about a month ago halfway between a sprint and an oly – 1200m / 15mi / 5mi. Based on that my training volume I believe I can complete the oly this weekend without drowning in the swim or walking on the run, but it definitely won’t be pretty and will take a lot out of me. The sprint would be a little too easy, I think. Having trouble deciding and pulling the trigger! Any advice? I know the season is young, but again -- I might find myself without an abundance of free/training time any week now.

Also, any good suggestions on how to train over the next month to improve my standing on the 4th?

my two cents:

DO THE SPRINT!!!!! do not set yourself up for a performance that you will not be proud of. Also then the data you get from it really does not help you for future races.

On the sprint I would set some hard pacing goals and push yourself that way. example look at negative splits on the run without holding back the first half. or look at increasing bike speed average by 1/2 a mile an hour.

if you wipe your self out then you will take longer to recover and not get back in your training cycle for the july 4th race.

Clouddog, I'm sorry I missed your post from 6/2. I think it was directed to me. First, I'm a rank newbie to tris. I started training October last year and my plan is to only do sprints this year. I believe my profile is open so you can see my workouts and plan. I do eight workouts (3S, 3B, 2R) over five days. It was recommended because of my age, 60, that I have two recovery days per week. My week is as follows:
Saturday - Bike and Run done as a brick
Sunday - Swim and Bike done separately
Monday - Recovery
Tuesday - Swim then Run
Wednesday - Long Bike
Thursday - Long Swim
Friday - Recovery
Keep up your great work. My goal is to be able to do a sprint tri at any time without having to prep. Currently my Saturday Bricks are 12-15 mile bike with a 3 mile run.

OT: But Im beginning to teach myself to bilaterally breathe every 3 strokes. I was only breathing on my left side every 4 strokes or so. While I could bare it, I still feel I was building up too much CO2 in my lungs and I sometimes panic and stop mid pool and get pissed off at myself. I hope I can pick this up quick in the next two to three weeks as I feel that it will greatly help my breathing and in turn making me way more relaxed (not that I am not already) in the water.

Thanks Dominion! Wow that's rough water! Sorry your race didn't go better! We had a thunderstorm over night & the water was kind of rough but not like that, the worst part was you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. I had a choice to make when I got back on the bike, I knew my time goal was out the window but I had a shot at goal #2 (beating my neighbor) & #3 (finishing my first tri), I felt good (at that point) & it was a beautiful day so why not enjoy it. I do have to say I was Very frustrated by the flat. I learned a few things; next time I will start the Clifshot Turbo at the end of the bike (I was flat mentally & felt short on energy until I took the 1st one), give myself enough time to set up in transition & don't be the nice guy who leaves right away when they tell us to, finish setting up then go & make sure it's really a buoy you are swimming towards! Dave, do you have any thoughts on why I might have cramped so much? I made sure to hydrate all week prior to with water & Gatorade, I drank 44 oz of gatorade & 40-60 of water on the bike, it wasn't overly hot & I was very conscious of how hard I was pushing as I was planning to have enough for a great run. I wasn't able to sleep at all the night before, I tried relaxation techniques etc but I couldn't shut down enough to sleep, I had enough adrenaline pumping to make up for that though! I'm a bit down on my performance but not too, I want to go again! As for now I'm resting & pounding the protein for the Tough Mudder Colorado on Saturday! Have a good week all! Tim

My biggest fear right now is that i am having some pain in my right knee when i run & bike...DO NOT want to get injured but have to force myself to take days off. I am so very competitive and driven right now but i have to learn to listen to my body (i'm not 20 years old anymore) and I went from not doing much (running 3 or 4 times a week) to doing Orange Theory Fitness 5 to 6 times a week. I've backed down to 3 times a week now that i've started the tri training plan...but i find myself still signing up for a class or wanting to run or bike when i'm supposed to be off.

I'm also still concerned about the swim...but only time will ease those concerns...i know my confidence will build as my time in the water and distances increase.

~Rhonda

TBJeff,

Drill to help with breahing. Alright I had this given to me last year. I truely love hate this, and some days can not finish it. So with that try to get done what you can and note it then work to improve it over time.

Swim breathing dril. Swim a 3x 200. with about 45 second recovery between each 200.

during the 200 the
first 50 is swam breathing every stroke either every left or every right side.
second 50 is swam breathing every 3rd stroke so you are alternating sides.
3rd 50 is swam breathing every 4th stroke
4th 50 breathe every 5th stroke.

That is the goal to improve breathing control. I have been working on this for about a year, and have to some times breathe twice in a row on the 5 stroke. do what you need but use the above as a goal to try to achieve. This will begin to change the rate your body processess O2, and will help in the long term with breathing and increasing distance.

NOTE: Do not look at your watch for times or splits. if you can not resist the urge take your watch off. there is zero need for speed and your speed will adjust to how are are breathing so be ready for drastic pace changes at different breathing intervals.

Tim,

With your race that really is a great day. You embraced the suck and finished strong. I have had those day with the tire, fortunately not in a race.
You might look at the Redman event in OKC if you want another one. great course and very well put on. I have done it 3 times now and looking for my 4th this year.

Cramping: It sounds like you an dme are in the same boat here. I am also a cramper and have to watch my salt and potassium intake 10 to 14 days out before a big race. I will have that same effect on a OLY distance if above is not monitored. I have found that bannana can easily take care of the potassium issue which is a main cause of cramping. Your gatorade has the electrolytes but sugary and no salt. leading up to a race I eat pickles and drink pickle juice to help with warding off cramps. If I do gatorade I will cut it 50/50 to water and my system tolerates it much better. The pickle juice also contains potassium and salts that process quickly. Most long distance runners (the 50mile + guys) carry a bottle of straight pickle juice to combat cramps. You might start giving it a try.

Will do this week. I also found a local swim group on BT thats in AZ and Ive been invited out to come swim OWS. There is a group called WannaTri too and theyre holding a free 2 hour clinic for at a local spot.. going to try to go.

Thanks Dave, I will use your suggestions! I wish I would have picked up some GU electrolyte tabs, I almost bought some in the IM tent but I got hung up on the "nothing new on race day" idea, in the future I won't be quite so rigid. I was already thinking about the Redman, I remembered you mentioning it, it sounds like a great race, I will if I can keep my training volume up over the summer. Again Thank You! Tim

How is everyone's training going? Whens the next race? My sprint isnt until September.. I feel that I need to throw in a 5k or something in between, lol

races: my race that got canceled with tornados is now rescheduled for July 14th. then doing an OLY in Aug. and HIM in Sept.

On the combat swimming post earlier. To get over that I started a swim time at my gym where we throw 4 to 6 triathletes in a lane and swim cirlces. try to do distances in the 400 range and you will get lots of passing and people all over the place. You will learn to spot and pass and get passed very quickly. We do this once a week with our team. but every so often it would really help.

Tim: looks like I am jumping in the Redman 1/2.

My race report from last weekend's sprint is up on my blog link below.

It didn't go that great for me, so give it a read, and maybe a little feedback.
Thanks!