Tri with Seren - CLOSED! (Page 2)

Happy Monday everyone!  

Whats on your workout agenda for the week.  Me?  I'm just trying to survive getting up at 4:30AM and NOT workout.   This is my early week at work.  Even though I'm going in early I do not get to leave early! So  I'm gonna bring my run clothes with me today and see if there is time at lunch.  Otherwise I will be running after work - even though I don't really have the time.   But a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!  Otherwise I'm looking at getting up at 3AM.  NOt sure I'm ready to do that quite yet! 

Hi Seren,

I would like to join!

My name is Lori

age 44

I am new to triathlons. I signed up to do a sprint triathlon in Aug.  I know I have lots of time to train. 

My husband I have been running 5k races the past few years. So in addition to training for 5k races this year I wanted to cross-train and do a sprint triathlon, so this year I signed up. Plus lose 10 pounds I gained over the past few months.

I have signed up for beginning swim lessons so that I can get the right technique down.  I will know today if there was enough people to do the class. 

I am running inside at my gym and started to take spinning classes to get used to biking.  Am I on the right track?  I know I have lots of time to get conditioned to do the race.

Thank you so much for your help.

Lori

Hi Serenity.  I'd like to join your group.  

History: I was pretty active growing up but not so much through the child raising years.  At about 45, I started to feel "creaky" so I started casual running.  At 50, I needed something to distract me so I trained for and ran a half marathon.  It worked well for me to have a race as a motivator so I ran a marathon a year for the next four years.  Then we bought a water access camp three years ago so running became a lot more difficult and I didn't compete.  I decided to do a tri a try last summer since I could swim a lot at camp and slip in some running and biking.  I am hooked.  I feel much more fit overall doing a multisport rather than hours of pounding the roads.  I also did a duathlon early in fall and enjoyed that as well.

Goals:  This summer I'd like to do a couple of sprint triathlons and maybe again a duathlon later in the season when the water gets cold.  I'm from Northern Ontario.

Assessment: I pretty much know where I stand with running but I'm just a beginner with biking and swimming.  I bought a dvd for swimming and am trying to figure out biking on my own.  I'm a lousy swimmer.  I'd appreciate any help I can get.

Seren,

I ran a little bit on the treadmill today.  I was concentrating on landing on the mid-foot.  It feels like my legs have to work harder this way, and also, landing with the whole foot seems like a harder (or louder?) landing than a heel landing.  So in that way, it seems counterproductive to me.  Did you feel the same when your coach started you running this way?  Does it take long time to unlearn bad habits?

This week is my recovery week so I'm doing less mileage all around.

Brian

Hi Serenity, I'm interested in joining the group. I have always done better achieving my goals if I had a group of like minded people to help push me.

NAME: User name: MLeech77 Real name: Matt

MY STORY: I got a scare last year when my doc told me my blood pressure was bordering stage 2 hypertensive.  Being the kind of guy I am I refused to be put on medication so the doc gave me 6 months to get it under control. A change in eating habits and starting to work out again had me back to acceptable levels. Doing that made me feel really good since I was working out again, but working out for the sake of working out isn't enough for me, I needed a goal.  I decided to look at what my friends who are more athletic are doing for inspiration. Some of my friends are heavy into biking, some are heavy into running, and my wife absolutely loves swimming. I figured, why not combine all of those, and be unique amongst my group of friends. I started looking around the internet, found a few blogs and started in on my own training. 

FAMILY STATUS: Married 2 years, 2 Siberian Huskies

CURRENT TRAINING: I'm fortunate enough to have a treadmill, indoor trainer for my road bike, and a nautilus universal gym in my house. The gym that my wife and I are members at has a 25m pool and is 15 min from my house. I've been going to the pool do to laps for the past week and half. The treadmill and indoor trainer see at least 30 minutes each 3x a week. I haven't incorporated the nautilus into the routine yet, but it will get some attention this week. Before I found this website I was already doing a plan similar to the couch to 5K, so I've just continued with that. For swimming I'm working through the zero to 700 swim program, and then plan on doing the 0 - 1650 program. For the biking, I'm just pushing myself a little more each day I'm on the bike.

MY PROBLEMS: I never was taught how to swim properly as a kid. My parents threw me in the water, I didn't sink, I could move around, so swim lessons weren't done. Therefore I don't breath "properly", basically I swim for a bit, pause, pull my head out of the water, breath, continue swimming. The fact that until recently every time I'm in the water I have a SCUBA tank strapped to my back hasn't helped matters much. The other issue is my shoulder. I was in a pretty bad motorcycle accident a few years back, and separated my shoulder. It's taken a while just to get decent strength back in it, so this just hampers my swimming even more.

MY GOAL: I'm hoping to be fit enough for sprint triathlons by spring, and maybe an olympic one by the end of the season.

I've uploaded all my recent workouts from my Garmin Forerunner and Garmin Swim to my training log and will continue to keep it updated with information from them.

I does take a bit to get used to.   I felt like Frankenstein lumbaring down the road.  All I needed to do was to stick my arms straight out in front of me and the villagers would go running.   I actually had to slow my speed down in order to get the form down.  But once you get it, the speed comes back naturally!   I just offered the info as food for thought.  Since I cant actually see you run I don't know for sure that your form is off.  BUt I do know that a mid strike is the going trend.  It started off with barefoot running, which is the most natural way of running.   The idea is to have your body in alignment as you run.  Begin to notice other people's form.    See who  rounds over, who stands tall, who moves the arms from side to side.  

Check out the chi running form.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UYkAB18wgs

Welcome Lori, B2run and Matt!  Looks like we are getting a full group going!  I do have to run and get ready for wok this AM but I just wanted you all to know that this is YOUR group.  We are all here to help and encourage one another....and most of all have fun.  Coz if it ain't fun, then why are we doing  it?  If there is something missing from the group, please don't hesitiate to let me know and we'll add it in! 

Please log your worrkouts in so that we can encourage eachother.  Its also easier to copy the link to the group to your page, that way you don't have to hunt around the forum for it.  Its also easier to friend eachother to give each other inspires and encouragement. 

Have a great day guys!

sorry error

Hi Seren, I would like to join.

My name is Michele.  I am 40 years old and married. 

I have one sprint duatlon, but no triathlons.  I have signed up for a sprint triathlon in July, and there are 2 olympic distance tris I want to do in September.

I have done 3 half marathons, although I am temporarily sidelined from running due to an Achilles tendon injury.  I have an orthopedist appointment tomorrow, so I hope to get the green light to start up again.  I have done one bike race and have joined my company's bike racing team.

Currently, I swim for 45 minutes 3x/week, bike 3x/week (how much depends on if I can get outside or am stuck on the trainer), and do upper body weights 2x/week.

10 years ago, I weighed about 55 lbs more than I do now.  I gained 10 lbs last year that I am in the process of losing, and I hope to lose at least another 5 past that.

As a warning, I am the type of person who asks a ton of questions.

I've ran with a heel strike for many years.  A couple of years ago I tried switching but it messed up my mechanics and slowed me down.  I stuck with it for a month and things weren't getting any better so I quit.  It took me another month to get back to my previous pace.  

I don't know if that helps you.  

Sometimes you just gotta do what works for you.  I just offered the info up where you had knee issues.    A month is a fairly good amount of time to give it.  It took me a good four months before I could stop thinkoing about running and just run.   Now my form only falls apart when I get exhausted. 

Welcome to the sport of triathlon Paul!  A word of warning!  IT can become quite addicting!  A good place to start is to look at some of the sprint plans that BT puts out.   I used these plans for the first 2 years.  While they don't give you specific exercises to do, they do tell you how much time to allot for each sport in the week.    If you have a lagging area, they also have plans that are address this and give you extra time with that lagging area. 

Your lucky that its summer over there.  It makes it easier to start.  Get a good pair of running shoes, a bike and a bathing suit.   Start the running slow.....you don't want injuries!  

For swimming info a great website is  www.swimsmooth.com   You can download Mr. Smooth on to your desktop and watch his perfect stroke as he swims.  The site offers great info too!

Start to think aboout forward propulsion when running and biking.   In running, instead of bobbing up and down think about moving forward.   Your upper body should be still except for your arms which are pumping from front to back. Your arms should not cross in front of your body, you lose energy this way. Ladies, here's a trick I use.   I put my hair up in a ponytail and when I run I try to not let it swing around.  THe stiller my ponytail is, the more efficient my running becomes. 

Same on the bike.  If you think of the pedal going  around a clock, most people pedal up and down or from 12 to 6 on that imaginary clock.  Begin to think about pedaling from front to back or 3 to 9 on that imaginary clock.  Obviously you are still pedaling around and around, but the muscles you use switching it up like that are slightly different.   And again, like the run, the upper body should be still.   

If you learn good habits now you wont have to unlearn any bad ones later....like I had to do!  Its tuff unlearning something! 

I watched this video and a couple others and read some articles.  I am definitely going to give this a shot.  What do I have to lose?  Not much, but if it works, I can get back to doing what I love: Triathlons!  The mid-foot strike really does look more natural.  It makes me want to take a video of myself on a treadmill and see what I look like.  I might do this tomorrow.  If I could upload it somewhere, you could actually see what my stride looks like.

Hi Seren,

I had my first beginning swim class last night and boy was it exhausting but fun!  We did some drills swimming on our sides and learning to breathe.  WOW how different and hard.  I already know how to swim but need some technique work and guidence.  With me just starting to swim, how many times a week do you recommend me start to swim to work on the drills that I learned in class? 

Thanks!

Lori

Seren,

I took a video of myself today on the treadmill and uploaded it here: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/photos/show-album.asp?albumid=16783&photoid=146671

Would you mind looking at it to see what you think?  Thanks!!

Seren,

If you still have room, I would really like to join your group. 

Name:   John

Story:  I am a runner who really wants to be a triathlete.  Unfortunately, I am not a swimmer.  My main goal for a Tri is just to make it out of the water alive.  Once I am out of the water, everything else is just icing on the cake.   I would like to join a group so that I am held accountable for my workouts.  Getting into any kind of a group helps with motivation and sometimes getting to the pool when you rather be in bed. 

Family:  I am 45 years old and have been married for 19 years.  I have three children ages 10,8, and 4.  My family keeps me very busy so unless I get out at 5am, my workouts don't happen.  My wife is very supportive of my running addiction.  In fact, she did her first Sprint tri last year and I think she is hooked as well. 

Current Training:  Right now I am only running.  I live in Indiana so the weather can make things a bit difficult.  I am in my off season running mode.  I won't race again until April.  My "A" race will be the Mini Marathon in Indy though.  I need to sit down and decide what Tri's I would like to do this year.  I need to get in the pool more though. 

If my bio fits the group, let me know.  I post just about every day. 

Thanks,

John

Welcome to the group John...  Triathlons are very addicting.  Once i did one,  I wanted to do another and another and another.   I am in the same boat with training.  I get up at 4AM to get it done before work otherwise it won't happen!   Despite the weather outside you can get great workouts in in the pool and on a bike trainer or spin class.   BT has some great sprint plans to follow.  If you follow their free plans they will break up the time for you but not specific training ideas.   We got those here. 

Just let us know how we can help!  We all come to this group with skills that we can share with one another.  

A question for the group about swimming.   I've read/heard from various people that do tri's that you should use your legs as little as possible for the swimming portion of the race.  Basically, the idea is to conserve your legs for the biking and running portion.  That is what I've been doing for the past couple weeks, using my legs just enough to keep them from sinking/dragging.  My wife joined me at the pool this morning, and all I heard on the car ride home was "you need to use your legs more, you're missing out on a lot of potential power".  She's a swimmer only, has no desire to get into running or biking, so she didn't understand the logic when I explained what I'd been reading/hearing.

So. . . . thoughts?