Hokies 1st Timer's Group - FULL (Page 7)

Hey Christi,

I'm not familar with the Nike wristband but here is what I did.  Initially I went out and purchased an inexpensive watch from Wal Mart that could tell you HR.  I think it cost me around $20.  It could tell time, had a stop watch and it would remember 15 lap times.  In addition, you could push a button and it would display your current HR.  Not fancy, but neither was the price tag and it worked super.

XMAS before last Santa Claus left me a Garmin 305 Edge.  Now I use the Garmin for my bike/runs.  It's a GPS/HRM and I love it.  I no longer have to map out distances for ride/runs etc...  It tracks everything.  More expensive that $20 but not too bad (I think it was under $200).  I don't use it for my swims (although for OWS's I have put it in a ziplock and stuck it in my swim cap).  It worked, but doing something like that might void the warrenty.

What would I recommend.  Well if you don't want to spend much money just get an inexpensive watch capable of telling you your HR.  Train with it, it will work just fine.  Then if you decide that triathlon is something that you really enjoy and want to take it to the next level look into getting a GPS/HRM. 

Hope this helps.

James,

Yikes.  The good news is that happened during a training session and not on race day.  Probably would have made the bike and run mighty difficult!!

Folks,

For those of you interested here is a link to a video (5 minutes long) by Gordo Byrn where he talks a bit about getting started.  In the video from minutes 2:45 to 4:00 he talks about an approach to training.  One minute long and really good stuff.  Have a listen:

http://www.endurancecorner.com/library/endurance_training_essentials/my_number

Edited by junthank 2011-01-10 11:51 AM

One more great article on HR and training with HR by Mark Allen (perhaps the greatest male triathlete ever!!).

http://www.markallenonline.com/maoArticles.aspx?AID=2

Hey guys,

I have a Nike wrist band (Nike Run, I think its called), from memory it cost me about $50aud (but don't quote me on that) from wiggle.co.uk an online site where i also bought my bike and other tri-apparel. You may also need to buy the shoes (or compatible shoes) if you do choose to go with the Nike run option, for the timing chip to go in (there is a little groove in the base of the chose for the chip to go and the sole of the shoe goes over the top. I bought the shoes as well cost me about 200aud and it can only really be used for the run and maybe the bike (though i have never really tried to use the timer on a bike training session (may work, i doubt it but i am not sure).

One thing you may also want to be aware of I've had issues with accuracy on the display at times (it shows less distance than I know I've covered), but they say it's 90% accurate. So as an example i run around my local park (which doubles as a bike track, and is used by local tri-clubs for bricks) which ppl tell is about 3km but when i use my Nike run it says 2km on the display but in saying this when i upload my workout data to my lap top it is accurate. So i dunno its a little hit and miss, I've used it for about a month. It's not a bad piece of equipment but i thought you should be aware of what can happen.

If it was me having my time over, knowing there are alternatives like the Garmin (for a similar price, when you consider shoes and wrist band) I perhaps would have gone for that instead, personally.

You might also want to keep in mind that there are alternatives to the Nike Run option, that are very similar, there is also Adidas "mi coach" (i think it is called) if you don't mind which brand it is.

For the swim I have a "pool mate" it counts laps distance (in either Y or M), stokes (measure efficiency), calories and total time but I am not sure about hr. However this little baby does cost 150aud so it's not that cheap. You can obviously take this into the water.

The Garmin option seems interesting thought, I also notice that in the training log section under a specific days bike run or swim there is an option to upload/import data from you Garmin.

Jeff, I am really interested to hear a little more about it.

Sorry guys typing this on the train, excuse the typos and grammatical errors!

James



Edited by jamesjong 2011-01-10 5:27 PM

Great stuff Mel!!

James,  thanks for the info on the Nike wrist band.  I've seen they also have an option to plug into your ipod instead of your shoe.  I think I'll hold off on that for now.  

I did go to the links that Jeff provided and read/listened to Gordo's info.  For the time being I'll go with how I feel/breathe to gauge where I'm at and use my resting HR as an improvement indicator.  Really, I have so far to go that I don't need to be real precise right now.  Whether I'm in a "race" or training, I'm going to be slow and steady anyway.  

Currently when I bike or wog outside I use my android phone and Map My Fitness.  It logs my route by GPS and calculates distance, speed and approx. calories.  I wish I could download that onto this site.  For that reason, I'll keep Garmin in mind when I'm ready to consider devices again.

I forgot about the lap timer on my watch.  That is a good option to count and track.  I'll have to go figure it out.

Thanks again,
Christi 

Yay me! I'm really glad to have this group for motivation 'cause I really didn't want to go to the Y after work today. Since I said I was going, I knew I needed to do it and made it over there. And I finally managed to breathe correctly!!! Y'all have no idea how much I have struggled with this. I took some lessons a year ago to prepare for a tri last summer, but it never managed to come together for me. I managed 3 laps with bilateral breathing that didn' t feel like I was going to drown or explode! Now just need to work on distance. 

My question now...how far do you train for the swim? Do you train up to the distance or go a little
beyond?

On the GPS question, I have a Garmin Forerunner. I actually have one of the earlier 301 models with the HRM and a 205 without. The 205 and 305 (205 with HRM) are pretty cheap at amazon.com now because newer, fancier models have come out in the past couple years.  I love the goofy things, but I like numbers and now can't get by without the darn thing. I forgot to take it with me for the half I did in October and just fell apart not knowing how to run without the toy! I use it for running and biking and have been told you can use it for the swim portion of a tri if you stuff it under your swim cap.

Edited by melkat 2011-01-10 7:26 PM

James,

Garmin has number of products and I'm certain there are a number of Garmin competitors out there was well (Polar).  I really can't comment on any Garmin products other than what I have utilized in my training. 

I wanted something that was inexpensive, could track my routes (distances, paces) along with HR data that I could use while biking and running.  So I purchased the Garmin 305 Edge.  There is a bike mount kit (it it mounted on my handlebars so I can see it while riding).  I run with it in my hand.  At 1st I thought this was going to be a pain but now if I don't have something in my left hand while running I feel naked (actually there are a number of elite Aussie triathletes that have things like sticks/gloves that they run with - they say it helps them find their run rhythm - Greg Bennett is an example).

In addition to tracking all the data (HR, pace, distance, elevation) I use it as a "governor" during my workouts.  By "governor" I mean I'll have a HR cap on a specific workout that I don't want to exceed, the Garmin provides that data immediately so I know when to "cool" it. 

Finally, as I mentioned earlier, if you follow my workouts over the course of the next couple months you will see that I do a lot of HR testing.  For example, on the run I'll do a continuous 5 mile run where I'll do 1 mile intervals testing my pace at Walking, 125bpm, 135bpm, 145bpm, 155bpm.  As I collect that data over time I'll be able to understand if my fitness is improving.  I know that currently my run fitness is improving because on 6/1/2010 my pace was 8:24/mile at 155bpm, while on 11/3/2010 my pace was 7:39/mile at 155bpm.  So the training is working, I'm getting faster.

As far as loading the Garmin data on the BT site, rather by typing in all the data by hand (time, distance, HR, etc...), the BT software will recognize that I have my Garmin hooked up to the computer.  I simply hit the download workout button and all the data is transfered into BT. 

Having said all that folks - I'm a data junkie.  I do it because I enjoy doing it.  IT IS NOT WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT.  Getting out there everyday, execising, being consistent, IS WHAT IS IMPORTANT.  Collection of the data by a Garmin just helps me with the enjoyment of the sport.

Christi,

Getting out there and having fun is the important stuff.  Garmins, Nike Wrist Bands, Powermeters, etc., are only tools.

Regarding steady and slow, one of the great things about being a beginner is that you will experience great improvements in your endurance and speed if you just keep at it.  If you keep getting out there on a daily basis your are going to improve.  Do this for 6 months and you will have developed a habit of daily exercise.  Keep logging the workouts as you go along.  In 6 months go back and review the previous 6 months.  I think you will be amazed at your progress.

Jeff and James,

Your info and opinions on gadgets is perfect, just the kind of discussion I was hoping to hear.  I do understand that the gadgets aren't what it is really about.  But I guess I'm like James and like the numbers and gadgets. Thanks, I'm looking forward to seeing the results! 
Christi 

Hey Melissa,

Yes, yay you.  I'm glad you got out there and did your swim today.  Like you I have found that I tend to be a little more accountable when my peers are watching.  So that is a good thing.

If I remember correctly your 1st race is a Sprint distance at the FIT.  So, you have about 18 weeks to work on your swim.  Regarding the distance, what I wanted to do for my 1st TRI was feel confident about going the distance.  I didn't want to walk out there on race day wondering if I could do the distance.  So, to build that confidence I worked on building my endurance to exceed the race distance.  Not by much, but I wanted to go over the distance.  I didn't care how fast I was, or if I would be the last person out of the water during the race.  I just want to get to the next phase of the race that I was better at (bike and run).

I've been enjoying tracking my runs (and will use it with the bike when I take it off the trainer) with an ap on my phone (Runkeeper Pro).  Uses GPS to track things.  I just started using a cheap HR monitor I bought a couple of years ago (but never used it).

Does the GPS on the phone work well? 

Yes, it works great and it was free.  It put the route I took on a map, even mapping my use of the bike paths and places I turned back around.  It saved the workout and I can get ave pace, ave speed, calories burned, distance and time.  
You can also log other workouts....biking, swimming, running, etc.  You just have to enter the data manually.
Hope that helps,
Christi

Evening all,

I've had a bit of a challenge getting my training done this week -- Atlanta is frozen solid here, and no one went to work for the second day in a row. They didn't even deliver the mail. My gym was closed (again), and I was very antsy to do my triathlon training, so I emailed my neighbors and asked if anyone has a treadmill or stationary bike I could use. Got an immediate response from a neighbor and went over there to do my wogging. When I got back, there was another response from a neighbor with a stationary bike -- so I'm going to line that up for tomorrow, in case the gym is still closed.

I use a Polar FT4 HRM - it doesn't have GPS, so can't track my distance, but it does track HR, cals, and is waterproof, so I can use it in the pool.

This is my second week of training, and as a rank beginner, I AM noticing that the wogs are easier.  During week 1, a 2 minute continuous run felt interminable.  Today, I upped it to a 2:30 min run, and it was definitely doable.

Barb

Barb,

Way to be creative and get those workouts in. 

Regarding Run/Walk - that's great news.  Continue to play with it.  Slowly increase the time of the jog and decrease the time of the walk between the Run/Walk intervals.  Whatever you do, don't do anything that will compromise your ability to do the next day's workout.



Edited by junthank 2011-01-11 8:50 PM

Melissa,

Regarding your comment below.  I always have my Garmin with me during my run/bike workouts (indoor or outdoor).  I did my workouts in the gym today.  Got home and could not find my Garmin.  Turned the house upside down.  Wife finally said call the gym.  Luckily it was still there.  Meltdown avoided.

Yikes...that would be tragic....or...an excuse to buy a cool, new one 

Interesting conversion with my son (Austin, just turned 18 and is a senior in high school) earlier today:

Me:  What is that your making?
Austin:  Protein shake.
Me: Where did you get that stuff?
Austin: GNC
Me: Why are you drinking it?
Austin: Just went to the gym and lifted weights.  I want to get bigger.
Me: So that drink is going to make you bigger?
Austin: Yep.
Me:  You know Austin, if you want to get bigger you should probably go to the gym more than once every 3 months.  You should probably go every other day.  Be consistent.  That stuff your drinking is not magical.
Austin:  Whatever.

I'm sure we will have the exact same conversion 3 months from now. 

Edited by junthank 2011-01-11 10:07 PM

That is hilarious! 

Glad you found your GPS.  

Hey Gang,


Alright, I'm going to get off my "consistency" bandwagon.  You all have heard me harp enough over the course of the last couple weeks about the issue.  However, I just want to share with you one last thing.  The following article was written by Brett Sutton (he's an Aussie James).  He has probably coached more world champion triathletes than anybody and is the head coach for teamTBB.  He is quite controversial for his past personal conduct.  However, this article is one of my favorite.  Even though the article focuses on the training of professionals there are valuable tips for us beginners.  It can be read in less than 5 minutes.

http://www.teamtbb.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1049%3Aspecial-feature&catid=94%3Aspecial-features&Itemid=17

Seems to work reasonably well.  They have added the feature that it will interface with a blue tooth HR sensor as well.  I may go ahead and get that to round everything off and then my phone will track everything.

Okay, so here's my question....I am getting ready to pick my first race so that I can plan when to start an official training plan.  I've just been focusing on improving my overall fitness and losing weight.

I look at several of the plans and when I look at distances/times it seems that some of the workouts at the begining are less than I already do (runs and especially the swim portion).  Is there a problem if I just ignore there plan and continue to swim on my own?  Or will it hurt my overall readiness?  Also not sure if first race will be a sprint or an olympic.  feedback?

Edited by tkdrq 2011-01-12 4:02 PM

Evening all,

I'm still iced in here - so I went to a neighbor's house and used her stationary bike, then did a st DVD at home.  The bike was so ancient that it didn't track mileage.  So, I just did my regular time (50 minutes) and kept my HR around 140-150.  I sweated a lot, so I guess it was a good workout!

I'm also interested in TK's question, because I always exceed my training plan's scheduled bike workout.  I'm supposed to be biking 5 miles right now, but it's such a short workout -- so I do 50 minutes, which is 13-15 miles.  It doesn't tire me out for the following day's workout at all.

Barb