Scott's Mentor Group-Closed for training. (Page 6)

Paul,  Massage and acupuncture can be very effective for treating back pain.  I don't know if you considered those as possibilities, but I have seen it be helpful for people with sciatic problems.  Good luck my friend.  

ETA:  Injuries are sometimes just a part of it all.  Try not to get too down, rather try to truly appreciate the times that you feel great.  Easier said than done sometimes, but that's why we are all here together.  To try to pick each other up sometimes.  

Scott thanks, I'm really looking forward to participating and learning here. Here are some details:

Name: Andy Chatman

Location: Bangkok, Thailand (I'm currently 11 hours ahead of EDT -- GMT +7)

Story: I am a 49 year old computer programmer  from New York State living in Bangkok, Thailand. About 15 months ago I realized that my weight had crept up over the years, and that if I didn't do something about it now it might be too late. I spent 2011 accomplishing this. I lost 40 pounds (down to 150) at my lowest, now at 155. Lost 5" in the waist. I have done 2 complete rounds of Athlean-X and one complete round of Visual Impact, now back doing Athlean-X again. My motivation came from creating personal goals and then blogging the entire process. When I reached my weight and body fat goals I then decided to train for a half marathon which I accomplished in February. My new goal is to complete the Laguna Phuket Triathlon on November 25, one week before my 50th bday.

Family status: Single.

Currently training: I train at the gym 5 days a week (have been doing this for a year). This includes compound movement exercise to build lean muscle, HIIT on treadmill and with various bodyweight routines, and cardio sessions usually on elliptical. I had been doing training runs up until February's half marathon but I am not doing that now. I plan on hitting the pool 2 or 3 times a week, and my indoor bike trainer 2 o3 3 times a week. I'm planning on using the 20-week Olympic Beginners plan here on the site, but I won't start that until July. Between now and July I'd like to work on drills that improve my stamina and speed, and help with the proper techniques. 

This year's races so far: Standard Chartered Bangkok Half Marathon. First race of any distance ever. Finished in 1:59:54 (6 seconds ahead of my goal).

2012 upcoming: Laguna Phuket Triathlon November 25. 1.8km/55km/12km. The swim is open water. The bike is hilly.

Weightloss: I'm probably 5-6 pounds heavier than where I'd like to be to compete, but I'm happy with this weight as my general overall weight. At the lowest I was around 8% BF (down from over 17% when I began working out). At around 9% now.

Goals: 1) Complete the triathlon; 2) Learn proper technique in Swimming and Biking (never did either before); 3) Have a great time doing it

Other: As you can see, I'm new at all of this cardio distance stuff. Before last November I had never run more than a mile. I just purchased a used entry level bike and an indoor trainer and I started with that last week. And yesterday I joined a 50m pool not far from home. I did my half marathon training on the Bangkok sidewalks -- good to get me used to the heat, bad having to zig zag around the crowds (even early weekend mornings). It's not easy to do outdoor bike rides so for now I'm on the indoor trainer at home.

Thanks again for including me in this group, looking forward to it!! Andy

Good morning peeps! Remember me?

Sorry I've been so absent ... I had an AMAZING weekend in Boston and was SO glad I didn't have to run that marathon in the heat. Caught up with tons of friends ... this is our weekend to gather every year from all over the country, and we've become a great group of running friends. About 8 of us gathered at our normal spot at mile 25.5 to hand out cannolis to anyone who would dare to take them.

I went for a nice long run along the Charles River with a friend on Sunday and we ran into Lance Armstrong running from the other direction. He was moving pretty good, so we didn't try to catch up to him for stalking purposes ... cool to see him in action, though.

I'll be catching up slowly to learn about all the new members we've acquired. Welcome everyone!! Things are going to continue to be very busy for me at work as the academic year winds down, but I'll do my best to get back into regular participation.

**********************

This morning was another medium long run ... 12 miles. Legs are finally bouncing back after last weekend's half marathon and all the walking/standing from the weekend. I need to get back into my groove. Time in the saddle is going to take a hit for a while while I finish out this marathon training. The good news is, though, that my Masters Swim coach has put together another short session beginning next week! I miss the pool.

Train hard!

Troy 

Good morning peeps! Remember me?

Sorry I've been so absent ... I had an AMAZING weekend in Boston and was SO glad I didn't have to run that marathon in the heat. Caught up with tons of friends ... this is our weekend to gather every year from all over the country, and we've become a great group of running friends. About 8 of us gathered at our normal spot at mile 25.5 to hand out cannolis to anyone who would dare to take them.

I went for a nice long run along the Charles River with a friend on Sunday and we ran into Lance Armstrong running from the other direction. He was moving pretty good, so we didn't try to catch up to him for stalking purposes ... cool to see him in action, though.

I'll be catching up slowly to learn about all the new members we've acquired. Welcome everyone!! Things are going to continue to be very busy for me at work as the academic year winds down, but I'll do my best to get back into regular participation.

**********************

This morning was another medium long run ... 12 miles. Legs are finally bouncing back after last weekend's half marathon and all the walking/standing from the weekend. I need to get back into my groove. Time in the saddle is going to take a hit for a while while I finish out this marathon training. The good news is, though, that my Masters Swim coach has put together another short session beginning next week! I miss the pool.

Train hard!

Troy 

Troy,  Glad to see you back.  It sounds like you had a great weekend following your HM.  

As for me, my sore throat never fully manifested, so I ran last night and this morning.  Achilles issues seem like a distant memory, and I'm feeling as though I'm getting my running legs back.  Be great today.  

Be great today!!

That is awesome - heading for a 4 mile run and a ride as my bike just got serviced - rim problems!  Can't wait to get out.

Have a good day all.

Paul, I feel your pain, literally.

My "A" race is on Sunday.  However, I will be a DNS.  I pulled a muscle badly on my taper run on Monday.  I was pretty depressed and angry on Monday and Tuesday.  Now I'm going to focus as hard on recovery as I did in training.  I'll find a new "A" race at some point but first recovery then slowly start training again.  I'll keep up my swim and cycle and have an appointment to see a run coach to see what he says about why I keep getting injured.  Maybe he'll even make me faster eventually.

Races are races and there's always another one.  Remember what's important for the long term.

Until I actually get to race I figure I have a very expensive t-shirt collection.

Keep motivated and take care of the leg.

Craig.

That's what I'm talking about!  Great attitude Craig.  You have changed your life since starting this, you too Paul.  There will always be another race.  Have the same intensity towards recovery as you do towards training.  It will all come together.  My wife and my achilles have taught me that.  

Alrighty, pool was closed this morning for maintenance (aka the college kids that seem to run the place must've had a kegger last night???) So instead I decided to knock out a brick at lunch. Got in 17.1 miles on the bike and 3.4 on my feet. Bike felt great, run felt like mine always do, and are... slooooow!

All this talk about Boston, and I'm actually going to be up there this weekend! I plan on getting in an early run on Saturday and Sunday along the Charles! Weather permitting, looks like there may be some rain on Sunday?

-Matt

Hello All,

Welcome all new members! I am also sorry I have not checked in for a while. I been pretty busy with school stuff. My training has been going great though. Yesterday I met @ my local bike shop with a group of about 7 bikers that meet every wednesday for a ride. Needless to say these guys were the REAL DEAL! I'm talking smoking it going up huge hills....or rolling about 25-27. It was all I could do to keep up with them....they would wait for me at a big intersection so I would know which way to follow. After about 10 miles the pack seperated apart. We totaled 31 miles, with about 4 big climbs. It was a great experience and I will go back, they really pushed my limits and overall will make me stronger on the bike.  Tonight , got in a 5.8 mile run in just under 50 min. I felt really good after I got done. The next couple of days I will be in Knoxville, TN for a track meet. I will try to get some training in down there.

Scott-Thanks for the swim link that really helped!

Gareth- I love Chuffed to bits. Can't wait to hear some more new phrases!

All- Does anyone prefer/have been successful with certian tri shorts/wetsuits/swim goggles?

Happy Training!

-Caleb

  Good Evening,

    I am still recovering from this weekends marathon and today did Insanity: Max Recovery I also spent some quality time with a foam roller. My diet was decent, but I did indulge in a few diet sodas :<. Tomorrow I will begin doing serious workouts again. I am off work during the day so have planned a 1.5 hr session at the pool in which I will work on the drills the coach gave me. I also plan to get on the bike and hit the road for an hour or two. ( I have been off my bike for the last 11 days due to maraton taper and post race soreness). I do have a couple of questions

1. I am looking to start a structured HIM training program, right now I am looking at the 20wk program from BT and the 16wk program from AE. Keep in mind I may not due a HIM in September if the June quarter distance doesnt go well. I cannot however wait until the end of June to start a training program. I am leaning toward the AE program at this time due to its simplicity.

2. I will sometimes have scheduling conflicts where I am stuck at work for days and cant get out to swim  run or bike on these days I plan to do core focused resistance training. I would like everyones thoughts on this.

3. I also love doing yoga. I use the yoga x DVD from p90x and am also planning to do this at least once a week, does anyone have a better stretching and flexibility program they can recommend?

4. Since I am not the greatest swimmer, should I look into an affordable wetsuit and purchase it now to use for training, or should I just rent one when the June race approaches and see how that goes?

5. What Tri shorts/top do you all recommend and why, or is it just purely a matter of personal preference.

Sorry if any of these questions seem redundant or silly, it is late and I am tired. Here's to hoping for a decent nights sleep!    

                                                 -Brian

Good morning all ...

?Just in from a nice run. 9 miles total with 5 x 1000m on the track (3:53, 3:48, 3:45, 3:45, 3:44). If I could run those splits straight, without the 600m recovery in between, I'd go sub 19 on the 5th. I don't think today was a good indicator of my potential, as I was still feeling a tough week of mileage.

********************

Lots of great workouts being logged. A few thoughts:

Total Immersion: Before I hooked up with my Master Swim team, I was absolutely devouring any online videos I could find to give me some pointers on technique. The TI videos certainly helped me visualize what I was supposed to be doing in the water. For me, though, nothing came close to what I got from personal instruction with a coach. There are a group of us in the water, so my 1:1 time is limited, but he's been tremendously helpful. A lot of people have great things to say about TI instruction.

Wetsuit: I wouldn't use it to make up for what you think you currently lack in technique. I was a complete hack 6 months ago and was told repeatedly to just keep at it and it'll eventually click. I was seeing very small but continued improvements by just getting in the water 3 or 4 times per week every week. After about 2.5 months, I was finally able to join the rest of the team in timed drills. If the water you'll be racing in is cold enough for a wetsuit, then certainly buy one and get a test swim or two in prior to your race, but I wouldn't use it as a training tool. Swim, swim, swim. It really will click.

Time to walk the dogs and get this day moving. 

I had the worst swim last night. I forgot my stopwatch in the car and I had planned to try a few drills. By the time I realized it I was already in the pool and I wasn't going to run out in my swimsuit to get it (not allowed anyway) or give up my lane in the pool. I just decided to swim a straight set and concentrate on bilateral breathing and entering the water with my hand at the proper angle. I tried 2-3-2-3 breathing but I kept screwing it up and I was concentrating on it so hard I'm not sure if I counted my laps right. I was all over the place with my flip turns and I kept forgetting to breathe out steadily throughout the stroke. I tend to breathe out in short bursts as I stroke, which may be fine as long as I empty my lungs but going 2 strokes then 3 means I have to breath out at different rates. OTOH, I felt less short of breath with the pattern and breathing bilaterally really makes my stroke feel more even. As crappy as my swim was overall, I had moments where I really felt like I was gliding through the water even breathing on my left which is my weak side.

Andy-I used Total Immersion a year ago when I was first getting back into swimming, since I hadn't done much since I was a kid but I didn't really complete it. I found as my stroke cam back to me I dodn't need it and it slowed me down. It is good for breaking your stroke down and helping you to concentrate on the mechanics of it but I'm not sure it's so great long term- just my opinion. I also like swim smooth (www.swimsmooth.com) and will often go there for advice on stroke mechanics.

Brian-I love yoga! Hot yoga is the best for increasing flexibility fast! I have to do it once a week or I end up with my back out of place. i probably should do it more to get more benefit but I can't seem to find more hours in the day.

I'm going into my half marathon on Sunday, hopefully well rested and fully recovered. I'm still waiting to hear if my friend will be doing the race with me. If she does, I promised to stay with her and she will be walking. It looks like she won't though as she just closed on her house and is in the process of moving. I'm just as happy if she backs out because I want to see what I can do and the point of her signing up was to get get her moving and she's really done well with that. It's really cool watching a new runner start up! For me, I've never run for anything but to finish and not being last is a bonus if I can manage it but I think I've improved (slightly) and I could have a good race. Still slow by most standards but good-i'm nervous and excited about that!

Sorry for the long post. I guess I had a lot to say.

I just wanted to say I agree with this and personally, I don't know about getting a wetsuit at all. I mean, I haven't tried one and that's why I didn't want to comment on it but unless the water is pretty cold I don't know if I want to deal with the restriction of it. I know a lot of triathletes like the bouyancy and feel like it makes them faster but if your swimming is solid and the water isn't cold you shouldn't need it. People get kind of worked up if they don't allow them in a race if the water temp is too high-but that's the purpose of them-to swim in the cold, nothing more. Anything else is just a crutch.

That being said, I don't know everything. Feel free to correct me.

Good morning all.  My thoughts on some of the things posted:

Total Immersion-I will echo Nicole's experience.  I had a lot of success with it in the very beginning, then once my stroke was proficient I continued with some of the drills and now my swimming is in the hands of my coach.  I worked with the original book mostly and any videos I could find online.

Wetsuit-  If a swim is wetsuit legal, wear one.  Even the pros will do this.  As far as using it to correct body position, I don't think that is wise.  This is like using a pull buoy all the time to correct position.  Try to work on your swim technique as much as you can, then on race day you will feel like your flying.  

Gear-  I am a big fan of the onesie (trisuit).  I have been wearing zoot.  They work for me.  I have a quintana roo ultrafull wetsuit and wear speedo vanquisher goggles.  All work as advertised.  

Nicole-Good luck with your HM this weekend!

I was recommended Total Immersion from a local club member so I'll be placing an order for that today. I need all the help I can get when it comes to swimming. I found a local swim coach to give me a few lessons so I can get started with proper form.

New Gear: I've been wanting a new Garmin bike computer and since I am training for my first Tri then I have been looking and researching the new Garmin 910XT. I finally pulled the trigger and got it yesterday. I've got it all setup and can't wait to try it out tomorrow morning. Planning a 20 mile bike with a 2 mile run just to begin to get my legs used to the transition from bike to run. Hopefully I can get a little time in the pool tomorrow also but since I don't really know what I'm doing I don't want to practice the wrong things.

Nice 26 mile ride and good swim today.

Scott - had a good 12-14 miles on the bike and then slowed down - this is my longest ride so hopefully just doing it and building the base will help.

Swimming - tried some of the intervals - usually doe 1200- 1400 a session and did 200's with 135 and then rested till 2 minutes and did second one in 145.  Did 4 of these plus a 200 warmup and then did 100's.  Thinking of alternating this and doing 200's & 300's.  I have 3 weeks left till my first tri and well want two good work out week and building endurance.

Bought the wetsuit so I will survive in  New England waters!! 

Our stuff is here!  Our stuff is here!! :D

After living out of my suitcase for over 9 weeks, the rest of my belongings have finally arrived in Saipan!!  ...but they are still all boxed and packaged.  I can't wait to get the new house cleaned up so we can start unpacking everything.  It will be like Christmas!

I DID recognize the shape of a bike, hidden beneath all the packing papers.  But it is here now!!  And hopefully I can get out to ride soon!

I have been running, adjusting to the humidity, and doing daily hot yoga - hot and humid in my 90 degree, 80% humidity apartment.  Woo!  What a way to wake up!

We may not have an internet connection for a little while - electricity runs 10x more here than back in Ohio, and it's expected to take another jump soon.  Sooo.... it will be free wi-fi from coffee shops for a while!

Yay!! Kate's back and I'm not the only girl!!

Glad you're doing ok, Kate! Good luck with the move!

Haha!!  Yay!!  Girl power! ;-)  No running today or tomorrow - but plenty of physical activity cleaning, scrubbing, and painting the new place!  Hopefully Monday I can hit the pavement again and see how it goes!

Thanks everyone for the input on Total Immersion. I have found an instructor that will be returning to the country next week and will meet with him. At least on paper it looks like he's well qualified in various techniques. In the mean time I'll continue the early balancing drills from Total Immersion -- no matter what I end up doing I'm sure this will be very helpful.

I am reading everyone else's posts and I'm both very impressed and very daunted by your training. I have to be honest when I first came to this site based on it's title, it didn't occur to me that most of the participants would be so experienced in one or more of the triathlon disciplines. The fact that I really am a beginner is leaving me somewhat nervous about my target race, even though I have 7 months to prepare. On the bright side I'm lucky enough to have access to all of your experience and that will definitely be helpful. Every goal I've set the last 15 months tied to exercise and nutrition has been met, and I'm confident that I'll achieve the triathlon goal as well, but at this early point my lack of experience is a bit limiting.

Andy