Why not "Tri"? - Closed (Page 9)

Hey gang, sorry I've been quiet for a few days. Out in Yuma Arizona with lousy internet connections. To those who have raced, congrats and well done. To those who are about to rock, we salute you. Be sure to taper your training down a little before a race. If you are behind in your training plan people sometimes try to load up the mileage right up to race day. I strongly recommend you not do this. Accept that where you are about a week prior to the race is where you are going to be for race day. Take is easy so you don't injure yourself prior to the race.
Slides, I have to admit that you've finally stumped me. An inner leg injury is one I haven't had (other than a contact injury/bruise). My guess is that you strained something by landing funny on the uneven surface. Rest, ice and anti-inflamatories would be the regimen, and then try running again on hard, even surface at first before going back to uneven trails.
Cheers
Mike

It is a weird injury which i just get. I ice it after each run, warm my legs up with a roller prior to runs and streatch like crazy after each run. Nothing else irritates it besides running so im stumped. I have concluded though that for my HIM (boulder 70.3) im able to walk the entier half marathon and still finish in time worst case scenerio.

Today i took a bag of ice to work so i can ice it on and off, i plan on getting some new shoes today and test them out on the treadmill for a longer run. I have also thought about doing the run 4min walk 1min to reduce the amount of force i have on my injury....idk something to think about.

Anyone have any free apps they would recommend for training? I use Strava for running and biking. There is also a tabata app that is 20 seconds on vs 10 seconds of rest for 8 round. I use it for all sorts of exercises like pushups, burpees, etc.

I usually use Endomondo as it has all the other sports I do (like kayak, inline skating, walking etc.) The free version does what I need which is basically just distance, time and pace.

It's gotten really quiet here. How's everyone doing? I have a 5k coming up on Saturday and still about a month until my first Tri.

Good luck on your 5K. It has become a cricket filled jar on here. How is your training going? I've been upping my run, swim and bike times. I'm still doing my bike workout on my trainer. The roads here in San Antonio are packed and its safer. I have saved a couple of bike training videos that I ride to. On the run side, I've been battling leg cramps for the past 2 weeks. When I am supposed to do a long run, say 50 minutes, I have been breaking it up into a warm-up and then one minute of sprinting followed by 2 minutes of fast walking. I ran yesterday for 40 minutes and my calves are sore. I'm not sure what is going on. My swimming is coming along. I'm going to do a pool workout today and practice a proper breast stroke. Got to love Youtube. Hope everyone else is doing well. The heat of the summer is upon us, so stay hydrated.

Hey everyone, hope you are all well and enjoying this warmer weather. I have a question.

I know the importance of strength training and I also know that excessive exercises can be a waste of time and can lead to injury. I hurt my shoulder and was not able to really swim for 2 weeks now. I have a plan to 2 swims/2runs/2bike a week. How much strength training should I do? I something like a 30 min session 3-4 times a week enough? I need wisdom from the experts. Thanks! 

Edited by HK8 2015-05-26 1:00 PM

HK,
I do my strength training after I swim. I try to swim twice a week at Gold's and then hit the weight room. Normally after the swim I am already whipped, so I focus on some basic movements. I usually do light weight, high reps. I stick with a bench press, squats, bent over rows and deadlifts. Usually I pick three of the exercise and perform 4-5 sets per. On normal run and bike days, I incorporate what I call garage crossfit. A normal workout will look something like this: 5 rounds with a 200 m run between rounds. 20 body weight squats, 20 push ups, 20 kettle bell swing and 20 ab movements (all one round). My goal during the workout is to keep moving with minimum rest. Most workouts take 20-25 minutes. I combine all sorts of exercise to give me 4.

I hope this gives you some ideas. Enjoy!

Nice i like that.

I hope everyone's training is going well. Im getting ready to taper for boulder 70.3 I cant beleive its already here.

Good news is i have finally figuered out my run strategy so im feeling pumped for the entier event. Just need to work on calming the nerves for the lake swim since its still too damn cold to swim in minnesota even with a wetsuit.

Here is a good post:

http://www.active.com/triathlon/articles/mark-allen-s-12-best-stren...

One of the things to be careful with when doing strength training is that you should train for speed and power and not for mass. Too much mass will slow you down.

I personally don't do any strength training as I go to gymnastics twice a week for two hours, which covers most aspects of any strength training.

Looks like that is tomorrow. Best of luck Slides! Looking forward to a race report.

Guys I finished my first Tri yesterday. All things considered an "ok" performance.

Race report here:

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp...



Edited by johnthecat 2015-06-22 10:32 AM

Congratulations! Great job and great report. Thanks for sharing.

Congrats on the race and good report. My favorite line: "What would you do differently?, Go faster"

Hey gang,
Hope everyone is well. Sorry for the long absence. Too many excuses to bother, so lets just say that "I suck" and call it even.

By now I think everyone has done their first race of the season. Hope you achieved the goal you had for that race. Now is the time to reflect on your performance and see if there is something you'd change for the next one. Avoid the following two dangers in analyzing your last race.
1.) the "I suck at this, I'm never going to be good enough to race." This is crap. You may not have earned money or a podium spot, or even beaten anyone in your age group, but the mere fact that you were out racing puts you head and shoulders above 95% of the rest of the world. Think about that a second. You are an elite athlete just by participating. So don't get down about your performance, especially if this was your first Tri. Think about small things you could change, build a schedule to improve your SBR, whichever you feel you need to, and hold your head high.
2.) The other danger is 'Wow, I did so good, I'm going to quit my job and become a professional triathlete. In fact, I'm going to race again next week and qualify for Kona!" Slow down, hard charger. Congrats on doing so well and being proud of your performance, but don't break yourself or your life for this "hobby". Pace yourself. Build a plan. Race again, but don't hurt yourself because you think you are the "next big thing" and want to race week after week.

Assuming you avoid those two pitfalls, rest a moment and then get back to training! Shave a minute off your time here or there.

Cheers
Mike

How is everyone doing? Any recent race reports?

I have taken a few days off from training. I last ran a race on 21 June and took a few days off. I got started up again and then had some lingering aches and pains, so haven't trained too hard. Not to mention the heat here in south Texas is now brutal. We are in the upper 90s and its not fun.

My next event will be at the end of September, so I have time to train. Time to get to it.

Hope all is well and everyone is having fun.

My next race is labor day. I hear you with the heat in Texas. It's brutal. I do my runs either during lunch on the treadmill at work or after 9 outside, even though it's still pretty toasty outside then. They started a Master Swim class in our neighborhood a couple of weeks ago and I've attended a couple of times so far and that has helped my swimming quite a bit already (My main problem is my kick or more like the lack of a kick)

I gotta say my runs are finally improving, while still not as fast I want to I don't have to suffer as much anymore to complete my workouts.

I hope your aches and pains go away soon.

Was your race on June 21 a tri or just a run?

I ran the Lake Pflugerville tri. I was recovering from what I think was a heat injury I suffered about a week and a half before, so my energy levels were still lacking. The weather was great due to cloud cover and a little rain. It kept the temps down. Lake Pflugerville had a lot of weeds located along the swim route. I managed to wrap them around my arms, legs and one around my neck. Learning experience fore sure.

Good luck on your Labor Day race!

Question: Any recommendations for calf cramping during the run?

I returned off of vacation in which I spent 7 days on a beach, walking in the sand. No other exercise. When I got back home, I went for a short run and my calve muscles cramped almost the entire time. Maybe HK8 can recommend a supplement to aid?

Are you still dehydrated from the beach?

I didn't think so. I made a point to drink a lot of water. I stay away from soda and rely mainly on water, tea, Gatorade after workouts and wine after dinner.

I'd try magnesium, calcium and potassium and see if that helps. In addition to that roll your calves with a foam roller, might be a tense muscle in there too.