Dominion's Sprint/Oly Focus Group - OPEN (Page 9)

Nice job Jeff!  Great race report.  It sounds like you learned a lot and had a really great friendly atmosphere.

Here are a few thoughts that might help.

If at all possible get in the water and do a brief warm-up before the swim start.  Make sure your goggles are adjusted and sealing tight  during this time.  You mentioned buying new goggles.  I can recommend Speedo Hydrospex 2 and Tyr Special Ops 2.0 from personal experience.  Both are reasonably priced and both have served me well.  The Speedo's I have found very cheap (around $11) that last 2 I have bought.  They last about a year of regular chlorine use before the seal starts to deteriorate.  They come in clear and tinted versions.  I did a quick search and found some on Amazon though I used to buy them at Swim Outlet but didn't find them there.  They may be a discontinued line but there are still some around.  The Tyr Special Ops 2.0 are about $25-$30 and I am using them as racing goggles this year.  They are well made and seal extremely tight.  Also they come in various national colors and other designer editions. Search Swim Outlet for Tyr 2.0 to check out the options.

T1 - don't worry about gloves for racing.  I wear them for training but never take the time to mess with them in a race.  You probably already figured that out! What vest are you referring to?

Sounds like you had solid bike ride.  I'm glad you found your way.  During the real race, the course should be well marked and usually volunteers at all the turns.  At least every race I've ever done.  So I wouldn't worry about that much.

T2 - Don't worry about the bike rack.  That wasn't your fault.  I've heard of that happening before with flimsy bike racks but never had it happen personally.

Good job on run, pushing through it and passing a few folks.  Throw some brick workouts into your training and you will be amazed how much better your legs will feel coming off the bike.

All in all well done.  Now you have a much better idea of what  to expect and what it  will feel like in the real race.  

Also good on waiting for and cheering on the last finishers!  Everyone needs support out there! 

Nice race Nate.  4th place out of 8 ...It won't take much to move up to the podium. 

Let me suggest swimming in you tri top.  Don't waste the time trying to put it on in T1.  Those tops usually fit tight and when your skin is wet, they are tough to get on!  Swimming in it could easily save you 30 seconds or more in T1 I imagine. 

Excellent bike leg!  I'm guessing you rode the new QR.  It's amazing what a new bike and race day mentality can do to increase speed. 

Work on increasing your weekly run volume a little to help keep you from fading.  I noticed most of your runs are in the 4 and 5 mile range.  That is fine, keep those, but work in at least 2 shorter/higher intensity runs each week.  A good way to do that is just run a 1 or 2 mile brick after a ride.  I mean set up your run gear in the garage or wherever, just like a race transition.  Come in on the bike, practice your transition and go run.  Run hard, gut it out .  It will hurt but it will help.  Start at  1 mile and set a goal time.  Then go up to 1.5 and then 2 miles over a couple of weeks.  Remember, What breaks you also makes you. 

Hi Jake.

Feel free to ask any specific questions you may have.  We have a good active group going here and I'm sure we will be able to find some answers for you. 

Start logging your daily training here on BT.  That way I can take a look at how and what you are working on and hopefully offer some advice if needed. 

A HM on just three days a week can be tough.  If possible you should try to add at least one more run each week.  The brick is really a triathlon specific workout and that run really can be considered just an add-on to a bike workout.  So if you can get 3 stand alone runs in each week plus try to add just a quick 2 mile brick run after a bike session.  As far as the 3 runs, yes, i agree pretty much with your idea.  One long run, I see from your logs that you are around 6 miles right now for that.  Gradually work that up to 10 over  the next three months.  One tempo run.  The tempo run should be hard, at or above race pace.  If you race goal is 9min/mile, start at 3 miles and work up to 5 or 6 running under 9 minute miles.  For the third run, you can do intervals or what I call a Steady-State run (or mix them up week to week to keep some variety).  The steady state run should be faster than your LSD (long slow distance) but slower than tempo.  It should be a pace that you have to work a little to maintain but is reasonably comfortable to sustain.  (Ex. my race pace currently might be around 6:50, my LSD is around 8:00, my SS pace would is around 7:15 to 7:30).

As for the tri top, you are right, chlorine is not good for them, but one swim is not going to do any damage.  Repeated pool sessions is what starts to break down materials and fabrics.  Do a session in your top and then just wash and rinse it out good when you are finished. It will be fine.  As long as it is a "tri top" it is made to swim in.  (Just don't try to swim in a cycling jersey....trust me.  )

Good points here, Randy.

I've been to a few events as a spectator but never had the opportunity to volunteer.  I will one day.  I always try to thank them for being out there and making the race possible. 

Jake, I agree with MMW37.  Try to find a used road bike or borrow someone's for now.  At 15, what fits you this year may not fit you next year.  Look around the bike shops and see if you have any deals, also might look at pawn shops.  If you buy from a bike shop they should be able to get you a basic general fit.  That is all you need right now, just something you can ride comfortably and safely.  Later if you decide to stick with the sport you can upgrade and get a true fit done to maximize your aerodynamic potential. 

As far as specific workout advice, right now just try to find a road bike and start getting a few miles in.  You can start with 15 to 20 mile rides (or less) and just get comfortable on the bike and on the road.  As far as swimming, are doing anything now?  If not just get in the pool and start getting some laps in. If you haven't been swimming, it can be very tough at the beginning, even for those with good run fitness.  Swimming is a whole different beast. There are lots of youtube videos and such to show proper technique and form.  Start posting your workouts on your training log and I will take a look and might be able to offer more specific advice once you get started.  Good luck in your bike search!

Aero bars are a nice edition.  they made a huge difference for me when I added a clip on set to my road bike.  Just keep riding them and you will get more comfortable.  The position puts more weight on the front of the bike so it will handle a little differently, but you will get used to it.  Soon you will be screaming downhill and cornering in aero. 

As for the barefoot thing, well, that is all you .  I couldn't do it, but if it is your thing, go for it.  You may want to check the USAT rules page but I haven't heard of anything mandating a certain kind of footwear, or footwear period for that matter.

There have already been a few thoughtful and in-depth responses to this post but I would like to address the motivational aspect if I could.  I have small children as well (6 and 10) but my career/schedule is vastly different from the norm so I can't offer much in how to fit it all in.  From that perspective I live on an entirely different planet.  My respect goes out to you that do the 5am thing or the 9 and 10 at night thing.  I could, and have, made those hours on occasion but it would be very tough to do it consistently. 

Motivation to me is very internal. Spend some time thinking about why you do this.  Better health? Competitive outlet? Look and feel better? Personal challenge?  These are just a few of the ones that come to mind for me.  Yours may be different.  You don't have to get out of bed in the morning and go to the pool or get on that bike, but you want to for some reason.  You may not want to right that minute, but there is a reason you started all of this.  Try to remind yourself of what that reason is and use that big picture approach when you have those feelings of being tired or lazy, or whatever it is.  We've all been there, and we all have days like that.  There are times when you just have to push through and get a workout in when you don't feel it.  There are other times when your body is legitimately telling you it needs a day off.  Learning to tell the difference is key. 

Here is an example.  Last Thursday I had 2 threshold runs scheduled; a 3.25 miler and then a short lifting session followed by another hard 2 mile follow up run.  I do this workout often and it's tough but I know I can get through it.  Not Thursday.  I did my warm-up and could just tell that my body was saying it wasn't up for it and it was time to take a day off.  I listened.  Same thing Friday.  A short swim and a run.  I took that off too and just got an hour in at the gym instead.  Saturday morning, a 50 mile weekend ride scheduled.  Now I wake up Saturday morning and am groggy and don't feel like riding.  This is something different, this isn't my body telling me it needs rest, this is me being lazy early on a Saturday morning. I get out of bed, go to the kitchen, take a quick look outside, check the weather, etc.  Feeling tired I tell myself its not going to happen and go lay back down.  I lay there for 10 minutes, then convince myself to get back up.  I get up, go and eat breakfast, get online, check BT, etc.  I get up from the table and tell myself that now I am even more tired after eating.  I go lay back down again!   5 minutes I lay there with this internal conversation going on about whether to get up and go or lay there and be lazy.  I know from experience I will feel great after the workout and that I will feel horrible and that I let myself down it I don't get up.  Finally I jump up, throw my gear on and am out the door in less than 15 minutes.  Once I was outside, I felt great and knocked out a 51 mile ride on a beautiful Saturday morning.  The satisfaction of getting that volume in was even greater afterward because of the fact that I had gotten back in the bed and written the workout off twice.  I knew that my body was fresh and ready to go after what amounts to 2 days off prior.  I knew that this was just a mental hurdle and that I had to get up and get going. 

I really enjoy being out on the open road.  I have my ipod shuffle going and it is my time to get away and clear my head and get work done.  I will say that when I first started riding it was my weakest sport by far and I really didn't enjoy it much that first year or so.  But the more you ride, the better you get, and the better you get, the more you will enjoy it.  Trust me on that.  It is a process. 

So stick with it.  Keep the big picture and long term in mind.  Remind yourself why you are doing it in the first place and think about how you will feel after the workout.  Hope some of this helps.

Hi Benjamin.  Welcome.

Lots of knowledgeable and helpful people in this group and this forum in general.  If you have questions, ask away.

You say your focus is Olympic but you may want to find a Sprint somewhere just to get a little experience first.  It will give you a chance to iron out the little details and figure out what works best for you as far as setting up transitions and all the other small things that go into a race.  The other obvious questions are do you have a bike and how is your swimming.  Any Open water experience?  An Olympic distance race will most certainly be a 1500m open water swim. Do you have a race in mind or a timetable as to when you will race?

Just a few things to get you thinking.  Good luck and glad to have you join us.