Beginner Miscellaneous Questions..Swim/Run/Strength Training

Swim: the chlorine can be irritating to your upper respiratory tract. I wouldn't worry about it if it's going away. Some folks like to use a saline nasal rinse and ear drops to dry out the ears after swimming (or use earplugs).

Run: IF you have a good running base (several months of several runs a week, progressively increasing mileage)--hard to tell since you haven't started to log your data here yet--you might consider doing intervals. What those might be for you is an entirely different question, based on your running history, current pace, and goals.

Strength Training: you'll probably get a lot of voices here telling you not to strength train. Hard to know because you didn't say what your goal with strength training is.

It's possible to get ear infections from swimming.  At this time of year, it's also possible that you just timed swimming with getting some kind of cold.  If it keeps getting better, don't worry.

Just run.

Depends upon your goals.  Doing more is generally better than less as long as you can handle the load.  If you can't handle the load, do less.

Agreed. If you have specific questions regarding strength training, you might want to go to the Strength Training forum - it's a very touchy subject around here, so it got its own forum, where strength trainers can discuss the topic without fear

Agree with Yanti regarding the swim thing and the run thing - what is your running background? I couldn't answer that question for you, since I'm not a runner by trade, but it'll be hard for more experienced runners to assess your situation without any more info.

It's generally only 'touchy' when peple try to extrapolate weight training to performance gains in triathlon (or other endurance sports).  It's open to (quite a lot of) debate whether one can lead to the other.  But there are still many good/valid reasosns to weight train outside of triathlon performance and there's very little debate about that (or 'touchiness').

I wear swimming earplugs for now especially while the water is cold.   You might try this.

As far as strength training goes.  I have alot of experience in this and some personal experience with body building.  1st thing to remember is that whatever you are doing is better than nothing.  No matter what people say about it being neccesary for tri, the benefits are good.  It can help loose weight, increase tones, strenghing muscles and tendons and make you look and feel better.  

Regarding sets and reps: 3 sets of 12 is fine, I generally do 3 or 4 sets of 10.  There is not much reason to sweat the details on this unless you are really trying to gain alot of muscle mass.  One day a week though on each muscle group is not really enough.  2 is better and if you are not working out really hard (I suspect this is the case), 3 times a week would be fine as long as there is a day inbetween. 

In the days that I worked out really hard, I would do 4 sets, usually starting lower weight and increasing to weights that I could not do a full 10 reps or I needed help.  The weight I started was backed into based on what weight I knew that I would do my last set on.  So if I was doing bicep curls and my max weight at a given time was 135lbs, then I would start at 75 and add weight on each set and end at 135lbs.  Likely, the last set would be very difficult and I may not be able to do 10 reps but eventaully I would.  Once I could do 10 reps at that weight, then it was time to increase the weight.

I would work each muscle group 2 times a week.  day 1 was biceps and triceps, day 2 was shoulders and chest, day 3 was legs and back.  I would work in some abs somewhere too. 

Now, I try to work out 2 times a week but I don't do legs anymore and usually I do more of a fast routine that is 3 sets of 10 reps and two exersizes for each muscle group.  This means I do all muscle groups on each workout day except legs.  Therefore, each muscle groups gets worked 2 times a week.  This works for me right now considering that I have a busy life and swim, bike and run too.  I am able to build some muscle with this yet not get too intense or spend too much time.  I usually only spend 30-40 minutes on a workout because I don't take a break between exersizes. 

Now bring on the nasayers.  And all I will say to them is that I and my wife really like the results of the strength training. 

And we like seeing the "benefits".  Keep it up!

You're not going to find any, as you made no claims as to your weightlifting directly improving your triathlon performance. Rarely does anyone here deny that strength training produces a host of other benefits.

Yeh, I know, I was just trying to entice someone.....   LOL.  All in good fun. 

How about this then. 

Since I started weight training, my per mile time has gone down from 12 minutes to 10.5 minutes.  I attribute this to all the upper body strength training that I do.  I have found a secret in running.  The stronger your arms and chest are, the harder you can pump them and this makes your legs go faster.  So, off the the gym again to improve my running.  I will run again in a few weeks and see if I can get down to 10 minutes a mile after working my chest and arms really hard. 

You need to just run.  More would be better.

 Why only three days a week?  What's your definition of tempo run?  What pace do you run for each?  What distance for each run?  What's your most recent race times? What's your running background (how many months/years)?  Any injuries to speak of?  What are your goals?

pfffttt....  If you want to see real gains, you'll go out and start running with a metronome to make sure you run consistently at 180.  And then spend the next 3 years adopting some new running style.  And then get new shoes.  Actually, screw the shoes.  Never buy shoes again. 

Just a suggestion, take it for what its worth .......

You have only two days of cycling for about a 1/2 hour each.  Bottom line suggestion, you need to ride more, both time and number of sessions.  2 half hour sessions is simply not enough to comfortably finish a tri, especially an XTERRA event.