Holt's Mentor Group - CLOSED (Page 9)

Personally I'm finding that training is as much about mental toughness as physical.  The physical is hard but progresses quickly on its own.  The harder part for me is getting my whining brain to shut up and let me finish a workout.  I had my longest run yet last night - 45' - and had to constantly remind myself what a beautiful day it was, pretty path, flowers out, birdsong, etc.  I look forward to the day that I don't need all that just to keep going.  My legs were tired but they weren't what was trying to give up.

As far as weather, my bad-weather experience last weekend told me I need to train more regardless what Mother Nature throws at me.  But actually doing it is another matter.  Experienced endurance athletes seem to go out no matter what, but again, my brain keeps stopping me even if it's just windy.  One woman said there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes - but I'm not convinced yet. 

I am a good but slow swimmer, but had the same experience as you only in running.  It comes, don't worry.

Your last statement is what I think it's all about.  Well put and I'll keep reminding myself of it.  Thanks for that!

soccermon15,

Hey guys!  I'm thinking that I'm probably going to be taking another week off from running.  The calf is better but I still feel it so I'd rather be safe than sorry

Absolutely right - looking after yourself is the number 1 priority even if it means the training is done at a slower rate. I doubt if there's many people on BT that haven't learnt that in some way over the years.

I don't think i've seen any mention of stretching so far in this thread - are you guys stretching after workouts? The stretching/cool down period is nearly as important as the exercising period insofar as it can aid recovery and reduce the likelihood of injury. If you're not stretching out after a session you should be. 

However, stretching after a cramp (or that feeling) is not pleasant so in that case i would advise rolling-out. There is a roller called "The Stick" which i would recommend, otherwise you can make you own (instructions here but i would recommend making a smaller one so its more portable). Alternatively you could try a foam roller or even a good old tennis ball...

Good stuff - keep at it, consistency is the key. Unless you are already a runner, running is the hardest of the 3 to stay injury free from - the constant impacts affect many regions and can be easily caused by running style or worn shoes etc. For a beginner runner i would say 3 days a week is sufficient - as you progress you can increase the number of sessions or the duration slowly to build up. For some people increasing the number of sessions works best and for others increasing the duration - unfortunately you'll have to learn which works for you.

Lewis.

sdejan,

Well done on finishing your workout. You will get more used to it and reach a comfortable point when you finish a workout and realise that you enjoyed it - it will come. But if you are having trouble with the mental battle try running a there and back route - then you know you have to keep going to get back home. Obviously if you need to, build in a get-out option (like carrying a mobile) - it's all about pushing yourself, but doing so safely.

No one likes training in horrible weather. Personally i go indoors on the trainer too often due to the wind here in Wellington - i convince myself it's a safety issue!  Like many i speak to, i'm fine if i'm already out and the weather turns, but if it's horrible to start off with i will either find an alternative or do something else. I've been tri-ing for a couple of years now but i'm still working on it.

However, as we have seen here, having the experience of being out and training in bad weather can be a big positive boost for you if the weather on the day of your event packs in.

Lewis.

OMG - your first two tris are two days in a row?  What were you thinking???   But then, you're a triathlete now!  Congrats!

Triathlon #2 : Day #2.

Bike and swim felt much better today.  Run was still a struggle but I cut about 3 inutes off my time from yesterday.  Still waiting on numbers to post before I put up a race report.  Yesterday was 1:34 and today was around the 1:30 or 1:31 mark.  I pretty proud of myself seeing as I was at least 50 lbs overweight and could barely run from the couch to the refrigerator just 6 months ago.  So if there is anyone out there tha thinks you can't do it; Think AGAIN.  Now I've got some starting numbers, I can set some new goals and work towards them.  My first goal was to be able to finish.  Now I will sit down tonight and come up with some new time goals for the rest of the summer.

82, so double that is 164.  I counted it twice at different times of the run - both times were the same!

Wesley congrats You are a triathlete!  Wow two Tri's in one weekend ... AND those were your first tri's?? Good for you and congrats again!

OK well where to start ....

So thank you everyone for the nice words of encouragement before my first Tri!  I finished it yesterday and finished around the time that I wanted to, so I was happy... BUT boy it was an experience.

I said to myself prior to race that I should expect things to go wrong, and that I would just have to keep on moving and finish the race.  I was more right than I could have guessed because the race did have it's challenges.  I will be more detailed in my race report tonight when I post it, but at a high level here were some of the "obstacles" or "focus-challenges" that occurred.  I forgot my cycling jersey, but just wore an underarmour tech shirt so it was no big deal. My swim cap ripped in half and flew 10 feet from me as I was waiting in line to get in the pool.  My bike computer sensor go loose on my bike fork and was rattling around the whole ride and rendered the computer useless.  I got caught in a crevis in the road and went slightly off road during the bike but was able to recover with out stopping, but when I went to clip back in my calve charlie horsed like I couldn't believe.  I tried to dismount the bike with bike shoes on and run with my bike on very wet pavement, which of course resulted in me doing a slapstick fall on my keister really hard in front of the transition area. And about 30 minutes after the race I realized that I had ripped my sock below my ankle during this fall and was STILL bleeding from my ankle!

Now with all of that above complaining being said, I got the times I was expecting (except for a slow bike bc I hadn't anticipated one of the hill sections), and I finished my first triathlon strong and with a big smile on my face!  I'm extremely happy about the race and can't wait for my recovery week to be over so I can start training hard for my next race.

I'm a little sore today (mostly my butt and ankle!) but am in a stellar mood.  Also my post race pizza and beer put me in a great mood too.  Thanks again guys for the posts and tips, I really enjoy this forum!!

-Andrew

My calf/ankle is feeling better today - took it pretty easy over the weekend.  I'm going to give it a couple more days before I try to do any running on it though, just to be safe.  I've got a tri coming up in 4 weeks and I want to be able to at least complete it.  Today starts a new training program for me to help me prepare for a tri in August.  It's one I did 2 years ago and the bike and run are nothing but hills.  So I'm going to start preparing now.  I'll ease back into running just 3 days a week instead of my normal 4 and for now I'm going to take 2 off days during the week, scheduled for Mondays and Fridays.  That makes today an off day.  I may do some yoga tonight, it depends on how the evening goes.  It's my DD's 17th birthday so we'll see what happens after dinner. 

Hope everyone has a great week!

I will have mine posted tomorrow eve.....

I actually felt better on the second race with the exception of the run.  With the exception of my left foot being sore, I've felt no ill effects from racing 2 days in a row.  As you can tell from my swim and run times, my endurance is still low but I'm working on that.  The second race was slightly longer (extra 50 yds on the swim and 0.37 mile longer on bike) but I was able to cut almost 2 minutes off the first race time.  I get need to get out and put in the miles and swim time to get my endurance up.  My original goal was to try in do day 1 in 1:30 and day 2 in 1:45.  Turned up a little short on day 1, 1:34:39 and 1:32:52 on day 2.  I have 4 more races in the Charleston series throughout the summer.  There is one about every 3 weeks.  My goal is to train hard and get it down to around 1:20 by the last race of the series on Aug 14.  I left 2 or 3 minutes out there in transition alone. 

Although I am pretty proud of myself for just being able to finish.  Coming from 6 months ago where I was 50 lbs heavier, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, just to name a few, to being able to complete 2 triathlons in one weekend is a huge accomplishment for myself.  Not trying to toot my on horn but just trying to encourage everyone that you can do it.  I've learned tons from BT.  Thanks everyone here for all the encouragement and advice.