Beginner to nutcase in under a year :)

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2007-12-03 1:08 PM

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Horsham, UK
Subject: Beginner to nutcase in under a year :)
Hi guys,

I'm not really sure where this goes, so I fugred here would be a good place.

So early July this year I got this crazy idea to enter my first Tri - 10 weeks to train & at the end of September I managed to finish it with a smile & wanting more.. See my article "I finally did it" for the details..

Since then, I've been going a bit mad... I tackled a sprint duathlon at the end of November (2.5k/12k/2.5k) and I've got to say that not being a strong runner does not help wih Duathlon.. however it does give me something to work on over the winter while the waters in the UK are too cold to swim. I came in 7th out of 13 in the novice catagory...

I've also registered for another 3 Duathlons in the first few months of next year - Jan/Feb & April, closely followed by tri's in May/June & the London Triathlon in August. All Duathlons & Tri's are sprint type distances, with the longest runs being 2 x 5k in the duathlons & 20k in each of the bike rides.

My wife also got me to sign up to a 10k run with her through central London in July...

So it seems I have a fairly busy time next year with something happening in almost every month from January through to September.

For info - Currently, my training consists of doing between 15k & 20k's running a week over 4 or 4 sessions with anywhere up to 40 or 50ks on my bike normally over 3 sessions. My swimming is fairly strong, so I tend to neglect it - wrong I know, but I normally get away with swimming at most 2 sessions a week.

The thing is, while I'm all excited about my new found joy for getting fit & racing against my PB - am I being over enthusiastic, do you think that this is fairly normal of someone interested & actively involved in the sport, or do you think I'm going to head into melt down part way through the year? What sort of schedule do most other people have, and how do you make sure you're not burning yourself out ?

Thanks for reading, & I'd be keen to hear what you have to say. Oh yes, one other thing... I'm in the decision making process over attempting the Monaco 70.3 in September


2007-12-03 1:12 PM
in reply to: #1080728

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Pro
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Libertyville, IL
Subject: RE: Beginner to nutcase in under a year :)
if you listen to yourself when you feel burnout and back off, you will be fine.  Just be honest that every race on a yearly basis wont always be a PR and have fun and you should be ok.  Welcome to the asylum.  You will find there are a lot of nutcases around here and some of them might even try and talk ya into doing something dumb with em a la a first 50k run a month after a first Ironman, or open water swims in Wisconsin in early May.
2007-12-03 1:20 PM
in reply to: #1080728

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Denver, CO
Subject: RE: Beginner to nutcase in under a year :)
the sport is considered addictive by many. I've tried not to become a nutcase - but does eating tuna or salmon for almost every lunch make me a nut? I think I'm borderline but I am sure if I talk to others they would say I'm over the edge.
2007-12-03 1:58 PM
in reply to: #1080728

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Flower Mound, Texas
Subject: RE: Beginner to nutcase in under a year :)
From one nutcase to another:  Welcome to BT!
2007-12-03 2:53 PM
in reply to: #1080728

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Lethbridge, Alberta
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Subject: RE: Beginner to nutcase in under a year :)
'How much is too much' is a very individual question. It's also part of what draws some of us into this sport. Enjoy your own voyage of discovery.

If you're seriously considering a 70.3 though, then you might want to start pushing your distances up some more, especially the biking. Another thought might be to develop your endurance and skills with the shorter events for a while more before jumping to the longer events. Some of the current top pros have had success going that route.
2007-12-03 2:55 PM
in reply to: #1080728

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Science Nerd
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Subject: RE: Beginner to nutcase in under a year :)

Welcome to the club! 

As far as how much is too much, that's pretty individual.  I think the biggest thing is to make sure you're not pushing too hard so that you don't get injured.  Following a training plan will really help with that.  In terms of races, it really depends.  Some people race almost every weekend.  Personally, I try for one or two per month in the summer (June - September) and then have a few early and late.  Too much more and my husband gets annoyed. 

2007-12-03 3:10 PM
in reply to: #1080728

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Elite
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Subject: RE: Beginner to nutcase in under a year :)
I feel the same. Training for a marathon right now. Yesterday I went out for a 10 mile run and thought, "Only 10 miles today, great!" A few months back I would have dreaded a 10-miler.
2007-12-03 4:51 PM
in reply to: #1080741

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Subject: RE: Beginner to nutcase in under a year :)

jszat - 2007-12-03 11:12 AM some of them might even try and talk ya into doing  a  open water swims in Wisconsin in early May.

 

That would be a really long way to go for a swim. 

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