PhoenixAzul's Mentor Group -Full up! (Page 2)

Learning how to breath properly took me a few months. I had to get comfortable with developing a pattern of bilateral breathing and which patterns I can use and for how long until I need to take a breath. It also took me a few months to figure out how long I can handle being uncomforatable without breathing.

Not, nothing prepared me for the swim leg as far as anxiety and breathing. In short, my first race was a sprint and it wasn't a sanctioned one so you had all kinds of folks swimming. It was a group of about 65 people split into 2 waves. I took the back of the pack. I was fine for the first 25 yards and then as soon as I made a left at the bouy, WHAM, it hit me. I started to panic and that I wasn't going to make it. I have no idea what happened. I was calm in the beginning and didn't have any mental or physical issues. The swim course was laid out in an "L" pattern.

I think I may have just lost it with the adrenaline. I knew I could do the distance and I swam the course before.

So I have to work on getting over that feeling and I don't think you can really traen for it. You just have to enter races and get more experience with it

Do any of you guys have some handy tips about that?

(sorry gang for the duplicate post , I was typing too fast and I think I accidently hit enter 2 times.)

I think your right about just entering more races, and eventualy you will get over it. That kind of think dident happen to me in either of my races last year, so i dont completley know the feeling. The first race i did last year was a pool swim so i found that to be a big help just getting used to the crowd, as there was only i think 4-6 other people in the lane.

phoenicazul and anyone else,
I have some swim questsions for you. As you have read previously, the weakest part of the tri for me is the swim. I didn't come from a swim background. I worked with a coach for the season of 2007. I could swim to save my life but I didn't have proper technique. I have improved tremendously since then and I am still working with a swim coach. I am working with a differnet coach now. She is one of my employees (I am a PT manager and one of my trainers is a coach for a local high school team and I believe she is USA Swim certified). Anyways, she has really refined my technique. My old swim coach saw me today swimming at the club (I work at a large health club) and she was very happy that I have become more smoother and much more efficient.

I am currently on a preseason swim focused program. Please look at my workout logs. My question is for the planned training for today and my actual training for the day. I was to swim 10x100's. I could only swim 7 of them. I did the regular warm up specified but I think I swam the 50's too fast. I am trying my best to stick to my planned program. I just got too tired. I was running out of gas quickly and my form was going.

My question to you: is it okay to slightly modify the program BUT still get the same yardage in? I was wondering that if I can't do the 200's and cut that down to 100's until I have better endurance. Or should I do the perscribed workout and just put up with getting tired-I am concerned that my form will suffer tremendously.

Any ideas/suggestions anyone (Bueller...Bueller) HEE-HEE I couldn't resist that one.

THanks in advance

I cant say for sure but i would suggest just cut down the number of sets but keep the same distance, that way you will be able to just add more sets as you feel needed, and as your endurance goes up

Edited by Triboy77 2008-02-03 3:07 PM

It sounds like you have to build your endurance up- and you may have already had it at a good level, but since you are working with a coach and improving your technique, you are using your muscles in a different way in the pool, so you are back to building endurance again. Unfortunately it's going to take time. Step up your yardage each time you are in the pool- and sounds like you were on the right track with your thoughts- slow down the 50's and focus on technique, your speed will come later as you fine tune the stroke and build up endurance. And get in the pool as much as possible! Keep up the good work!

I have done 0 tri's, just a newbie, so I have no idea of my strengths or weaknesses. I'd guess that the run will be my strength because I come from a running background and am able to squeeze out a decent (by my very modest standards) 10k time with little training. The bike will likely be somewhere in between with the swim being my weakness. I share the problems with breathing that many of you have mentioned. I do well at first but after a bit my breathing gets off. Once that happens, my form and concentration go to crap and I end up doing more flailing than swimming until I can calm myself down and get back into a rhythm.

I am currently doing a beginner to olympic training plan with 2 swims, bikes and runs each week. Between grad school and life in general, just managing the workouts with my schedule will be a feat, but I think I am at a place in my life where I am ready to get into something new and achieve some goals I have been thinking about for a while.

I have not been saying much, but to all of you who have, I've been reading and your comments and advice are greatly appreciated!

Well, welcome to our wonderful sport of triathlon. I wish you all the best in your training and racing. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

I am on the swim focused winter maintenance program so I am swimming A LOT!!!!

In your experiences, have you heard of anyone getting headaches from swimming? I have been reading the hypoxic posts that are quite extensive and it occurred to me that I just might be building up a small amount of CO2 which is giving me headaches. I only get headaches if I breath a 3:1 pattern on anything that is really challenging me. I don't get headaches if I am doing a warmup with a ration of 3:1. I found that out when I was in the Endless Pool on Sunday. If I switched to breathing every other stroke on the same side I don't get headaches. But the downside of it is that I have to work on my pull when I am putting my head back in the water. I will have to work on that and I told my coach about that. She hasn't heard of getting headaches. She did ask me if I am breathing out all of the air which I am.

Any ideas on what is going on and how to solve it?

Hi - is this group still open?

I'm "training" for my first tri (a sprint) this June. Things have been going ok except for the training part and I could really use some motivation.

I am 33 years old and live in Minneapolis. My wife has run several marathons and has been doing triathlons for a couple of years now. We have a 3 year old and are expecting our second at the end of May. I have a pretty hectic work schedule, so squeezing in workouts consistently is tough.

Swimming's probably my strongest event. I can run ok - not fast, but can handle 3 miles without much trouble. I'm going to get worked on the bike. I've only been on a road bike a handful of times and am relegated to the basement and the trainer for the winter months.

I am also kind of new to this site (I started out using the training log and then stopped for a while) and am still learning all the features. I'm looking forward to getting to know you all.

Dan

Edited by dwest09 2008-02-04 9:38 PM

I would like to join the group as well if it is still open.

My name is Jason from San Antonio

Story: I am 32 years old and I tried to join the tri group last year and things were going really well early on in the year, but then two sudden tragedies struck and it was really hard to get motivated afterwards. I am overweight and instead of just trying to lose weight by doing a regular exercise routine, I think that training for a tri would help me by default to lose weight while striving to reach a goal of actually finishing a race.

Family: I am a divorced father of a beautiful 6 year old girl

Current Training: I am training with a church group. Running at a local high school, swimming at a pool, and riding from the church a couple times a week.

Goals: I want to run in at least 4 races this year. The one that we are currently training for is on May 10th. I also want to lose a lot of weight, my ultimate goal is to lose 90 lbs. I know it's a long route to get there, but I am taking my first "baby steps" to achieve this.

Thanks,
Jason

Hey gr8jason!!

BT is a great place for motivation. We all need it from time to time. Sometimes it is hard to keep motivated when you are training for a race/s that is/are 4 months at least away.

What races will you be doing?

Hey gang, apologies for being MIA.

Firstly, welcome to everyone who just joined! You are all most heartily welcome!
Great to see so many coming on board. I will be trying to be on top of this a little more. Again, apologies. I'll try to get to everyone's questions. Here we go!



Born and raised in Pittsburgh! I went to Perry Academy for high school, and work(ed) at the Downtown YMCA and for Pittsburgh Public Parks, which is how I got roped into volunteering for the Pgh Tri. It's weird that there's so much Pittsburghing going on in this thread/group, not that that's a bad thing!





I tried Ultima and LOVED it. It is a lot lighter in terms of flavor that Gatorade or Lucuzade (what you get here in the UK, it's not very nice). I found that to be helpful because I get kinda nausease with things with too strong a flavor. However, if your water is warm, it can be sickening. Try the strawberry-kiwi!

I think that NUUN is also sugar-free. www.nuun.com.



Doing sets when you're totally exhausted is no good because you won't be able to hold your technique together. It sounds like you're really working on that technique, and struggling through sets won't help that. What sort of interval are these 200's on? For example, is it 200 yards in 3 minutes? I'd be more inclined to extend your rest period between 200's so that you recover your energy and can refocus on technique. It's not about swimming harder, it's about swimming smarter. The balance between pushing yourself and frustrating yourself is very, very fine in swimming. Glad to hear your coach is really working with you .


I'm going to add everyone who just joined to the list, and I think I'm going to go ahead and close us off at who we've got now. Welcome welcome welcome, and please accept my humble apologies.

Here's a question for you...how many of you train with heart rate monitors? I'm in a bit of a debate with the people at work over the usefulness of the HRM. If you use it, what do you do with the data? If you don't, why don't you?

Hello ledhead,
Thanks for the words of encouragement! My first race will be called the Rookie held in New Braunfels TX. It's a 300M swim 11 bike and 2mile run. Which is perfect for me as a beginner. My cousin, who is also training in our group, is training for a 1/2 marathon that and he is in my ear to run that with him in November. As far as other tri's I have a listing of upcoming races in my area in my training booklet, but that is at the house and I am at work, but when I get a chance I will post the other races and their distances that I wanna run.

phoenizazul,
Thanks for letting me into the group.
I look forward to using as much info as I can away from here, and a quick thank you to everyone on here for helping me achieve my goals.

Jason

I do use a heart rate monitor. I found that when I was working out with out one I was burning up way to much energy and getting tired way to early in my workout. By wearing my monitor, I can slow myself down and get my heart rate in it's target zone and go for a longer period of time.

Doing sets when you're totally exhausted is no good because you won't be able to hold your technique together. It sounds like you're really working on that technique, and struggling through sets won't help that. What sort of interval are these 200's on? For example, is it 200 yards in 3 minutes? I'd be more inclined to extend your rest period between 200's so that you recover your energy and can refocus on technique. It's not about swimming harder, it's about swimming smarter. The balance between pushing yourself and frustrating yourself is very, very fine in swimming. Glad to hear your coach is really working with you .

It depends on what my planned training calls for. Check my planned logs. Here is an example: for today, I was supposed to do 4x200 pull with 30" rest and then 8x100 with 15"rest. I switched it to 8x100 with 30"rest and 8x100 with 30" rest. My splits were close.

I always have one on me. For basic use, it can be very useful for beginners to use since they can learn where they can push themselves and coorelate that to how long that can sustain that pace. Also my HR ranges are not the same for each area.

I have a Polar 625 and 720 and I am a techno geek and I love the graphs with the Polar Training software.

I do use a heart rate monitor. I found that when I was working out with out one I was burning up way to much energy and getting tired way to early in my workout. By wearing my monitor, I can slow myself down and get my heart rate in it's target zone and go for a longer period of time.


Now that is exactly what I am talking about. You can gauge your intesity and coorelate it to how long you can go at that intensity.



Edited by ledhead1944 2008-02-08 5:41 PM

I dont currently use one right now because the one i had broke and I havent had the money to either get it repaired or buy a new one. I will be getting a Polar HRM soon though

I was given one at christmas a few years ago, and I feel naked training without it. My boss (I work at a running store) is a multiple marathoner, a very accomplished runner, and she doesn't use one. Other people at work say that they don't think there's any benefit to the information you get from it.

For me, I could probably use the information out of mine better, but the main function it serves for me is to keep my logs nice and ordered. I can see that my average HR is coming down when I run. And I like the calorie burning tracker, although I've heard that that isn't always as accurate as it can be. In terms of my running, it helps a lot, and with swimming, it helps me know when I'm slacking off and need to push harder.

The tech factor is also a consideration. Although I have a very basic model (Polar F4), I like the little bells and whistles it has. Now a Garmin on the other hand...hehe. At the same time, I feel that I'm not serious enough about training/racing to shell out the cash for it. If I happen to somehow hit the lottery, sure, but i'd probably invest in a tri-coach first.

I do not have a HRM, so I don't use one. My husband, though, is training too and loves his; he has always used one, and likes it because it lets him know if he is overworking. Maybe because I am such a beginner I feel like I'm too much of an amatuer to use one? I have to buy important things first, like bike shorts (OMG my thighs! my inner thighs! they want the padding NOW!) and a pink helmet (pink makes me go faster- scientific fact). My hubby has a Timex one and it is currently malfunctioning- they are suprisingly good about standing behind their product, so we are sending it in this week for repair or replacement.

Welcome to everyone!

Gr8- I'm finding weight loss is happening as a side effect of training for the tri I'm doing in June. I have a modidified diet because of migraines- I avoid processed foods and eat mainly produce and whole grains and lean proteins. Changing my nutrition for health reasons, with the help of my family doctor, helped me lose about 20 pounds 2 years ago. I kept it off- even while having a baby inbetween then and now. I still eat the same foods and with training, I have even added in more protein to keep up with the baby's nutritional needs. I have lost a total of 4 pounds over the last 6 weeks, and today I noticed during my run that my running pants were slipping down - they have never been loose! My point is- the weight will come off as you work towards your fitness goal. Just keep focusing on putting good thigns in your body so it will continue to perform well in your tri!

So that brings me to my question- nutrition. For the veterans in this forum, what changes do you make prior to a race nutrition-wise, and do you do anything different based on the length of your races?

The tech factor is also a consideration. Although I have a very basic model (Polar F4), I like the little bells and whistles it has. Now a Garmin on the other hand...hehe. At the same time, I feel that I'm not serious enough about training/racing to shell out the cash for it. If I happen to somehow hit the lottery, sure, but i'd probably invest in a tri-coach first.
***
For future reference, the Garmin watches are NOT waterproof. I have read many posts and quite a few BTers had the get theirs replaced.

You could look into getting any of the Polar monitors that has the software with it. The software is very handy. I have no experience with the Polar GPS units. Perhaps there are some posts on BT discusisng them.

You must practice your nutrition stategies well before your races and during your training runs. I would also highly suggest you log your nutrition here on BT or some other site. I have used quite a few nutrition programs and BT works just fine.
Obviously, you should increase your calorie intake when your training picks up. Since one of your goals is to lose weight, I would find a certified personal trainer to take your girth measurements. If you only monitor your weight, you might become disappointed when the scale seems to not respond to your activity (i.e. increase in training and fluctuating weight gain/loss).
Remember as you go through your training program, you will be building muscle and muscle weighs more than fat. The best indicator is how your clothes/training clothes fit and your girth circumference measurements.
I would also recommend reading some sports nutrition books for endurance sports. Some books that I have read are any of Nancy Clark's book, Advanced Sports Nutrition by Dan Bernandot (spelling??), Nutrition Periodization for Endurance Athletes by Bob Seebohar, Optimun Sports Nutrition by Michael Colgan (this may be out of print but you might be able to find it used on Amazon.com), Endurance Sports Nutrition by Suzanne Girard Eberle.

As being a personal trainer as my profession, I have to keep up with everything including nutrition. I have read quite a few books on the subject and have been to many seminars and I think you will find these resources worth your while. HOWEVER, just make sure your follow your doctor's guidelines to keep your migranes at bay. I would even share with your doctor some of your nutritional logs. If you run into problems, he may be able to pinpoint the culprits.

Do you think you will be racing the half marathon?