Meulen's 'Let's tri this Thing!' beginner mentor group-CLOSED (Page 9)

Go Steelers!

Seriously, I would die at 18 degrees.  It was 70 today.  It is supposed to warm up to 75 this week. You guys are diehards.  If I lived where you all do, I would do nothing but stay at home with the heater pointed at me.  Brrrrr.  I have been wearing shorts and a tank top all weekend.  Aren't all the pools frozen there?  Must have indoor pools or something.  Well I tell you what, if you guys can train Triathilon under those conditions, I have absolutely no excuse whatsoever not to do it here.  

Hi, my name is Anne. I am looking to join a group to keep me motivated. Hope u can make room for yet one more. I am 11 years married, no human children but 4 furry best friends we treat like our kids. My husband, Brian, who is a triathlete, is very dedicated to his training and always focused on the next event. He and I are definitley at two different levels in our abilities but we still try to do some training together. I started doing triathlons last year when I scrambled at the last minute for every one I did to register. Naperville's sprint tri was supposed to be my first one but I ended up doing one just a few weeks earlier because I didn't want to just watch my husband as he did another race. Not that I didn't want to cheer him on, I just wanted in on the fun too. I registered last minute cause I wasn't sure that I was quite ready. I made it thru, he told me I would and I had a blast! That was the Evergreen Lake sprint tri. I had so much fun doing Naperville and Evergreen Lake I ended up registering for the Chicago Sprint tri. I am very glad my husband and I have found this sport we can do together! I do have one other active hobby which is ice dancing. I started that just 2-3 years ago. My husband is not to interested in that sport. That is definitey my hobby! Getting back to the triathlons, my biggest problem is staying consistant with training. I find it very hard to stay motivated without an event right around the corner. I find doing some biking, running and swimming alone boring at times. I just need to remember it will all be worth it in the end. It definitley helps me to train with a spouse or a group, just getting out there on my own is tough.

Your husband sounds like a fun guy! LOL I think I can make an exception and let you in. Welcome Anne!!

Well it's 20 this morning and another inch of snow on the ground.

No, you wouldn't die, your blood would thicken up. I lived in Vegas for four years...coming back was hard, but you get use to it. And yes, indoor pools. The rivers here are mostly frozen!!

Okay, who has the question of the day? I'm ready for some great training this week!!!

QOTD: How do you keep motivated for training and keep your training interesting?


Me: I'm always thinking about what race is next. I'll sign up early if I have to. I surround myself with supportive people and try to train in groups with friends when I can. By myself I always look at training as an "ends to a means". Even if it's not fun I know it's for the greater benefit and I'll have fun if I do better in races. I try to split up my workouts so I do something different or focus on something different every 5-10 minutes. Like intervals on the bike or focusing on staying aero or perfect circle pedal strokes for certain time intervals. Oh.......and sometimes I have a tall glass of chocolate milk waiting for me when I'm finished!

btw...I fixed that recipe this morning.

Edited by Meulen 2011-01-24 8:33 AM

Anne, did you see this deal on wetsuits?

http://www.xterrawetsuits.com/bt/

you're going to need one this year.

QOTD: I'm totally the same way when it comes to motivation, Brian. I only started doing races of any kind last summer, but I find it far easier to stay active and to properly manage my nutrition when I know I'm going to be jiggling around in front of people on a certain date. LOL And since I bought a trisuit for my first sprint it's double the motivation! Spandex & I are not friends. :P Last year I signed up for my first 5K 6 months in advance. I was seriously that worried about being able to run the whole thing. I ended up signing up for another 5K several months earlier and not only running the whole thing, but beating my goal of 33 min. And a good thing too, since the back injury kept me from running the one I'd initially signed up for. I had to walk it. For my first tri I signed up the day registration opened, about 4 months in advance. I'm still 3+ months out but I've dropped all my holiday pounds and I'm going strong. Good thing I've still got time to untrain my weight lifting tendencies though, eh?

lol hahahhahahhaha.....

I laugh cuz I'm the same way. I've been losing some winter weight because I know tri-swim classes start in a couple weeks and I got prance around in a jammer!! Vacations always get me going too because I know I'm going to have spend time at the pool with my gorgeous wife!! Nobody wants to be the fat balding old guy hanging out with the gorgeous chic in the bikini by the pool! I have some stubborn problem areas because I was so heavy before. I'm pretty sefl conscience about them because I'm so cut every where else it just looks goofy. I guess they'll go away eventually.

Nothing wrong with the weight training as long as it doesn't overshadow your tri purpose training.

First of all, my primary goal is to finish my first triathlon. That alone will make me pretty darn happy. I always like to set multiple goals though. Split times, etc. I won't stress about meeting them, but it's fun to see how I hold up against my predictions (and my goals are usually pretty realistic given no unexpected circumstances). I imagine as I get into my brick workouts I'll get a better sense of how much my time diminishes when I'm doing multiple sports, but is there anything I should expect in terms of "add 5 minutes to your best time" or something like that to predict tri splits? Based on last years' race times (55:11 - 2:44:41 and that's the whole race. my age division range was 57:27 - 2:04:09) I'm hoping to finish somewhere around the 2 hour mark. Is there even any way to realistically predict how my body will respond to my first full race? I know it depends on how much I practice my transitions too...what is a good transition goal for a beginner? 2 minutes? less? more? LOL I know, I know, I'm asking the impossible when there are so many factors. I'll start timing my individual swim/bike/runs this week and post them.

Obviously, you're going to be a little slower. However, with a proper taper and the race adrenaline it might not be much slower, but that's if everything goes right. I think you're talking about an Olympic. My Evergreen Olympic run last year was about 10 minutes slower than normal 10k times, but I was cramping up by mile 2 because of the severe heat. My bike times in races have been faster than anything I've done in training. Different courses and elevation can also have an effect. So it is kind of hard to predict your performance. But it's also important to have some goals. Take a look at last years results for your race. Guage the performance of mid packers and the top 10 on that course. Make yourself a judgement of where you want to be and set some goals. You've already got a 2 hour overall goal. Break that down to each event and see if that's realistic.

Edited by Meulen 2011-01-24 12:36 PM

Thanks. Those times were from the sprint and that's what I'm doing. My best 5K time is 31:40 and running is probably my weakest link. I'll be running a lot more in the coming weeks but I've had to really dial it back cos of my back injury. I can cycle 13 miles in under 45 minutes I think, but I have yet to try it right after swimming. I think I can swim 600 yards in less than 20 mins but I'm going to start timing myself this week (so far I've only been timing my whole workout which includes rest & drills & stuff) so theoretically I could go for better than 2 hrs, but like I said, I like to give myself broad goals.

we should set goals. Infact, before our races I'd like to see you guys post up some goals and then after analyze them.

i'm human so, of course i want to be faster and better. and while races (and swim suit season) is motivating enough for me,  i also try to remind myself to allow the journey to be just as good and fulfilling as the destination. i try to enjoy each activity as if i won't get another chance. we're blessed to be doing what we do, not everyone is able to.  cliche, yes, but it works for me.

blessed we are!!!


btw....

here's the final list of group members

Username	First name
Meulen	Brian
dandr614	Rich
HammerOZZ	Andy
JCambras	Jon
Melich	Marc
sbux87	Sarah
shrevemaintenance	Dale
LetTheSparksFly	Rhea
libramom	Erin
smsphoto	Sue
Erin85	Erin
mcommend	Michael
QeerDrummer	Henry
stribbett	Sheree
gadgetlaw	Karen
Summergirl2	Anne

You are so right! After losing 65 lbs in 2004, I kept it off for several years but by 2009 I had gained about 25 back and ended up suffering from a herniated disc in my lower back. It took 6 months of daily chiropractic, massage, physical therapy and eventually 2 spinal injections before I could even walk w/o pain. While I was laid up I swore to myself that if I ever healed (cos it felt like I wouldn't) that I would get the weight off and keep it off. I took off that 30 plus another 15 since then and these races are helping me go even further. I refuse to take my health for granted anymore!

Okay, yikes, another painfully Beginner question. LOL So I like the training program in the link I posted above and I think I can successfuly modify it to fit my needs. However, my Masters swim class is on Tuesdays & Thursdays. Even if I started this training plan on a Tuesday I would only hit class days once per week. Is it more important that I follow a training program (rather than invert a day or 2 - I do realize that this particular plan has me doing sets of 3 days in the race order) or that I keep swimming with the class where I will be more motivated and get solid instruction?

Hi all, hope everyone had a good weekend!  Mine was less that fabulous.  I left work a little early on Friday because I was not feeling great, and let's just say I barely made it home in time!  I spent the rest of the evening in the bathroom, Saturday just laying around with no energy, and Sunday just kinda being a bum.  I guess it was a touch of the flu, which makes me mad because I got a flu shot.  Anyway, I am feeling fine today, but had a totally unproductive weekend.

QOTD: How do you keep motivated for training and keep your training interesting?
Absolutely to keep motivated I need a goal to work toward.  I would like to say that training itself is motivation enough, but that is so not true for me.  I need to see that race on the calendar on a specific date, or it is too easy for me to blow off a workout.  That is something that I am really trying to change, because I love working out and I love how I feel when I work out.  I try to remind myself of that!  To keep things interesting?  Hm, I guess that just comes from running or biking different routes, to at least keep the scenery changing!  And I will admit to my weirdness - sometimes I will count things.  Like, how many dogs or how many horses will I pass today?  Or, how many footsteps or pedal strokes till I reach that white house.  It kindof becomes a game to see how close I can guess it.   And chocolate milk at the end is usually my bonus for finishing too!!

As far as setting goals for races, I always do that.  Actually, several.  One that I tell everyone, that I am pretty sure that I can meet.  One that I tell most people, that I think I can meet, and will be very happy if I do.  And one that I usually don't tell anyone but my husband that is a real long shot, but not outside the realm of possibility.  I usually don't meet all of that one, but have on occasion met at least part of it.  I don't know if that makes sense to everyone, but that is how I do it. 

And, I remember at my first race that I was actually pleasantly surprised at how I did.  Don't dismiss the power that adrenaline will have on your performance.  I ran the 3.5 miles at my first tri faster than I had ever run a 5k before.  Of course, it was totally flat, but still, I was faster, and it was longer that a 5k.  After swimming and biking.  And, seriously, practice everything.  Especially transition.  I always have some of the fastest transitions.  And I do practice, and go thru it in my head as I am coming into the Transition Zones.  It becomes kindof a mantra that I repeat to myself.  And, my neighbors think I am nuts because I practice, complete with showering in my tri suit to get wet, then running out of the house to my bike, gearing up and riding around to neighborhood, coming back into "transition" and going for a run around the block.  Repeat.  Usually 4 times.  Yep, my neighbors definitely think I am strange. 

Karen

keep swimming with the class. Shuffle the other stuff around to fit it in. I like the plan, but personally prefer distance based plans. I want to build to a distance and improve time on that distance. That's just me though.

that's amazing!! i love hearing stories like that!! when you have something like that that happens to you, you really have a whole new look on life, don't you? in 2001, i was diagnosed with a first stage ovarian cancer. luckily, the huge tumor's cancer was encapsulated. i was even  able to have kids since only one ovary and fallopian tube were removed. i guess we all have stories we can share, but it is really wonderful that sometimes we can have another chance to be grateful for what we have/do.

Karen

Absolutely I always have at least two goals in mind. I usually have my regular goal plus my secret goal. I usually set my secret goal unattainable so I'm either really happy if I meet it or I beat myself up about it and use it for motivation to get back and train harder!

That's hilarious you use the shower to get your wetsuit wet and practice. I'd loved to here what the neighbors are saying! Lol

Too true. We're all so lucky to be out running around the block and making the neighbors talk!!! LOLOL

And side note about that to Karen: I've really been wondering the best way to practice my transitions since all my training is at the gym right now, and even later I'll still be doing all my swimming at the gym. I'm totally going to try your approach! LOLOL Wow, my weekends are about to get more colorful. ha!

Cool thanks! I think I'll invert the first half of the week so it's Sunday-cycle, Monday-run, Tuesday-swim, still take Wednesday off, and then the 2nd half of the week can be in race order: Thursday-swim, Friday-cycle, Saturday-run and back to Sunday-cycle.
Oh I also did the full 50-min p90x stretch video on Sunday morning. That felt GREAT! Wednesday's rest will probably include either the stretch video or a yoga class most weeks.