I need some honest feed back

For 20 years on the couch, or in your case on the barstool, it sounds like you are doing pretty well.

You are a ways from 6 minute miles, and they likely aren't coming back anytime soon.  But if you keep going you should do fine.

September is a long way away.  Keep training, find a sprint tri or two to do between now and then, run a few 5ks, I think you have a chance to make your time.  You would need to shave a good 25 minutes off your current times AND handle transitions.  But if you build slowly I think you have a chance.

What do I know, I'm 10 years younger, at the end of my first season, and right about the same times as you.

Thanks, that helps.  Don't think I'll ever get to that 6 minute mile again but we'll see.

I see you're in Houston.  So am I.  Ever run at Memorial Park?

From time to time, I'm more toward the Katy side so memorial is more of a trip or if I'm stopping on the way somewhere.

I run a lot in Cullen Park, ride in George Bush when I can. 

Depending on where you are I can point you to a few clubs / groups in the area.  PM me or post in the Texas forum with questions.

So if I'm reading this correct... you want to finish a Oly in the same time as you did 25 years ago after sitting on a bar stool and smoking 2 packs a day for a good portion of that time???

I'm no expert, but that sounds a little unrealistic. But don't dispair. You can most certainly reclaim your fitness and September is a long way away. I started in Nov last year to do a HIM in Aug. I wanted to do it in 6 hours and a Oly in 3 hours. I stopped smoking in Nov, lost 30 pounds and was a couple minutes over for my oly time in July. Grew up swimming, cycled recreationally for 15 years, never ran in my life. Let my self go for a few years and I'm 44. But by my HIM I was in the best shape of my life, and only missed my time by 11 minutes.

One thing I will say is that I need a carrot. I have to have a reason and my reason was my time goal. I knew I could finish and so do you... I wanted 6 hours. However, I fixated on it too much. I would find justification in my training to confirm I could do the time splits I needed in the tris... but then in the tris that was too much putting it all together and I cooked myself a couple of times. Blew up on the run in the HIM. So my point is to use what ever carrot you need, just understand the point... the point isn't to get your 2:35... the point is to get off your butt, stay off the bar stool, ( I have not seen one in 10+ years) reclaim some fitness, and enjoy being out there before we all turn to worm poop. It's a fun ride. Get moving.

How are you doing? Better than me at my first Tri at the age of 51. 

If you want some times to shoot for and/or an idea of where you'd fall in a triathlon, look over last year's results for some races in your area and look at what people in your age group are doing.

Thanks for the feedback.  You're right about a carrot.  That's me too.  An athlete growing up and an X-smoker.  Well I don't feel alone.  Congrats on just finishing a HIM.  Long way away for me if at all.  Long time ago when I quit I blew out my knees and I'm afraid of doing the same this time.  As you said, staying fit is the ultimate goal.

those times sound decent to me.  faster than my run now.  when I did my first sprint last year I'd only done a handfull of bricks and never a full lenghts combo.  my theory is if you can do each component individually you can do all three.  I think you're in a pretty good place for just getting back in .  keep up the good work.

Here's my input:

Yes, you are doing good, wait no, great

No, a new bike won't gain you nearly as much as riding yours more. I started with an '87 Schwinn Tempo (high-end Schwinn) and gained just about no speed switching to a Klein tri-bike

Yes, you are asking too much to revisit your youth times within the first year. Broaden that timeframe to 3-4 years and I'd put money you could better them.

**DISCLAIMER: I know nothing about running.

Being a avid running avoider my whole life, I hated running. My ankles got tore up every year in football... that's why I like cycling so much. Anyway, one day I gave it a shot cause a friend was doing tris.. got some proper shoes from a proper store, and here I am injury free. I committed to improving this off season due to my performance in my HIM, and you will hear tons of folks here praising the run often run easy approach. Most coming off of injuries. I drank the kool aid and now I'm running 6x a week at 40 mpw... injury free. well minor shin plints... but wow, what an improvement. Take it easy on your knees... you still need them. Run often, run easy, speed will come.

A) you're doing fine. Getting out there is the hardest part.

B) Take all of your 20 year old PRs and completely ignore them. The what ifs and but I did this thens and the back in the days are pointless and only make you either rest on your laurels or feel frustrated. You're a new you, so start over.

C) re: "I hadn't lost it and miss doing 6 minute miles." 

I wish my youth wasn't gone too...but whoosh, there it went. :p As far as yoru fitness, yes, it does suck to get out of shape. But here's a dirty little secret: even if you'd been training or working out the last 20 years, there's no guarantee you'd either be in shape or be running 6 minute miles anyway. So... the past is like car keys in a volcano full of molten lava. Let it go man, cuz it's gone. :-)

Be you, be happy, and congrats on getting off the couch!

Winner!

Thanks to all of you for your feedback.  Just needed a little chat and support if you know what I mean.

MMRocker...Love the cat.  Lost mine a year ago.  She lived to be 22.

You're doing great.  You'll hear it time and time again:  "the engine is the most important part, just keep running the miles, swimming the yards (or meters)."

Just keep training.  It sounds like you have a solid place to start, and a good idea of what you're capable of.  Don't get discouraged,  you can do it!  Start with a few, reachable goals and go from there.

You CAN do triathlon, not just one thing at a time-have faith in yourself.

And listen to the advice you've been given by previous posters about the past.  You're a different person now.

Red

How are you doing? Well, you're off to a good start. You're taking action and heading in the right direction. This is a big first step. Getting involved in BT doesn't hurt either -- great people, neat backgrounds, all levels of ability and all ages (well, not so many young 'uns, actually), and plenty of helpful advice and inspiration. As Powerman said above: remember what you're in this for, and ensure that you keep that goal in view. Are you just looking to do a good time in an Oly next year, or is that just the carrot to get you on a path to long-term health and fitness?

Will a new bike make much difference? Not really, at least not at this point. The newest bikes are a couple of pounds lighter, but who cares about that if you're carrying a whole bunch of extra pounds yourself. Get rid of those pounds before saving weight on the bike. And most tris are on relatively flat courses where your aero profile matters a whole lot more than your weight. Just work on getting bike fit for now, and you'll see big returns. If things go well and you get hooked again, then perhaps worry about a tri bike upgrade, but there's no need now.

Is it feasible to do a 2:35 Oly next summer? Not too far out of the question, actually, depending on how you train. If you can do 28 mins for the swim (you're just 2 minutes off right now -- if your time was for meters), 1:15 for the bike (20 mph, quite doable on a road bike on a flattish course), 50 minutes for the run (8 min/mile), and then add 4 mins for transitions, then you're at 2:37. Are those feasible? Maybe. If you have a lot of weight still to lose, and you take that seriously, then you might be able to get as much as 1 min/mile in running from that alone (for 30 lbs lost).

Will you see 6 min/miles again? It's probably a long shot, but you might surprise yourself with how much you can regain if you train consistently. I'm about 10 years younger than you, and had only a running background, but similar to you I took a hiatus of almost 15 years, and put on ~50 lbs. In summer '08 I tried to do a 10k, and it killed me to make it around in 53 mins. I started biking in '09, and running in '10, and by this time last year I was running 15 minutes faster for 10k; I recently beat a half-marathon PR that I set back in 1983. I had dreamed of seeing 7 min/miles again, and never could have imagined doing 6 min/miles again, but it happened. But at the same time I'd be just as happy to be much slower, as it's being fit and healthy that's the best part. The keys: sustainable lifestyle change, and take weight loss seriously. There are *lots* of really cool stories of folks on BT who have turned things around far more than this. 

Well done for getting back in the swing of things!

Here's my $0.02 worth based on my experience.  I am now 51 and was a competitive athlete to a high standard (rugby and crew) when I was in my twenties and early thirties.   Got serious about my career; settled down; started a family etc.  and didn't do much during my forties - stayed somewhat active and wasn't in horrible shape, but certainly let it go a bit.... 

Took up tri in summer of 2010 to try to get fit again - loved it.   Started working with a coach and getting more serious this time last year.  Have performed reasonably well and am improving considerably in all three disciplines (sprints and Olympics) but my observation is that it has taken me 12 months to develop what I consider a good "fitness base" from which I can now really start to work hard on improving.

I guess my messages are:

Go out and enjoy the journey

Don't be too hard on yourself if you don't find yourself quickly back where you were

Don't overdo it and cause injury

You genetics sound as if they are pretty good - no reason why you shouldn't get back to where you were with some patience and hard work 

Have fun!

An Oly in September in 2:35?  Hmmm.  That might be tough.  But in 2 or 3 years, definitely realizeable.  Adaptation only happens so fast. 

As for the bike- no, a new bike isn't going to save you that much time... but if you can afford it, create a goal for yourself, weight loss, or a sub 2hr half mary or something, and if you achieve it, buy yourself a zippy new bike.  They're not much faster, but owning a new bike will motivate you to ride it a lot- which in turn, will make you faster.

the new bikes out these days are really cool.

First and foremost, congrats for getting back at it.  I don't think you should lose sight of that 6:00 mile.  Maybe you'll get there, maybe you won't, but set your long term goals high, and keep your day-to-day goals reasonable.

For (I hope encouraging) comparison, I was never athletic, also drank far too much (but never smoked, at least nothing that was legal) and then started running, etc., at age 40.  6:00 mile is not a big deal for me now, 3 and a half years later.  If you could do it once, it is in your body.  You just have to find it, and doing so might take time, and will definitely take consistency and dedication.  (Yes, I realize that stuff happens between age 43 and age 53.  On the other hand, there are 60yo men who can run sub-5 for a mile!)

Well, dang... now I'm curious if I have a 6 min mile in me! Recently I wanted to see how fast I got... never tried. On a 8 mile run, at mile 5, I went all out... hit 6:30 at times... but overall it was 7:00m/m over two miles. Humm... maybe.

Yes, you can probably run sub-6.  Spend a 3-4 weeks doing some short harder stuff (like 200s and 400s -- not too much) just once per week, then taper a bit, and then destroy yourself for a mile.  It'll probably be sub 6.

Can you do 2:35? Maybe, maybe not. You'll never know unless you try. Lots can happen in 10 months.

I rode an early 90s Bianchi in tris for several years. Won my age group a few times and had an overall win in a duathlon at age 48. I would still be using it is I didn't get a super deal on a tri bike from a friend. I can still average 20+ on the old steel Bianchi. Get out there and put some time in the saddle.

You'll probably be able to get close to the times of your youth more easily in the swim and bike. Sadly, everyone slows as they age and it may be impossible to recapture the speed you once had. That doesn't mean you can't still run some decently fast times. At 55 I can put up some decent times in lots of races.

Nothing ventured nothing gained - go for it.