Todd's Tri Turtles - (Beginners, Sprint, 5K, 10K) - CLOSED (Page 2)

I am happy to see that this group is attracting members and the conversation is starting to pick up!

I made it to the YMCA after work yesterday and was able to get in a quick weight lifting session before my fiance showed up for our beginners yoga class. I don't think I want to hit the weights before yoga again... my arms were like jelly which makes downward facing dog a chore. I fully intend to do yoga 2 or 3 times per week as I definitely have some flexibility and balance issues.

I had run yesterday morning so I decided not to this morning, in the interest of starting off slowly. I didn't want to "waste" the morning so I decided to wake up my finance at 6:45 for a morning walk. She was a trooper and we ended up walking 2.35 miles. I like to include her in my exercising whenever I can. She doesn't have the same motivation to train as I do and that's OK. Maybe my journey will inspire her.

Tonight is my "beginners cycling" class at the YMCA. I am excited and scared. I am heading to a local sporting goods store to pick up some bike shorts and a water bottle. I want to try and make my first cycling experience as enjoyable as possible. I plan to put forth a decent effort but make sure not to push it too far in the beginning.

On a different note my finace and I have registered to volunteer at the Lake Placid Iron Man. We will be in the timing tent, printing race results for the finishers. I am very excited to see the atmosphere on a IM event first hand. We plan to make a fun weekend of it up in Lake Placid. She has family who owns a cabin about an hour and thirty minutes south of LP, so we won't have to pay for a place to stay.

I think I am going to register for my 1st Tri today. A sprint distance (750m/12.4mi/5k) up at Hunter Mountain. Once I do that I can officially say that I am training for a Triathlon!

Welcome Noreen, you have already accomplished several things including your first sprint, but more importantly not letting yourself become a couch potato.  You seem to have a good hold of your physical condition and are the only one (along w/ doctor) who can know when to put your foot on the gas and when to take it off.  Don't forget that there are training options that may decrease the stress to your hip for running purposes, aqua jogging and the eliptical to name a few.  I'm sure you know this but some sprints and longer distance tri's even have, duathlons were you just swim and bike.  I tell you this just to let you know that even if the hip is bothering you run wise, you can still be active and particpate in events.  I really like your attitude towards things and believe that you will be great for the group.  Also, don't worry about your time in this group, PR's (personal records) will be celebrated, but our accomplishments will not be measured in time or what place we finish.

Reading about your Yoga class reminded me for the first time I ever did Yoga.  It was a portion of the P-90X training and while I was doing it I thought what a joke, no weights, minimal activity, bendy bendy, downward dog, until I woke up in the morning.  I could not believe that I was sore in places I did not even know that I had muscles.  I don't do it but a few times a month but know how much it helps with flexiblity and balance.

Nice job on the Lake Placid Volunteer.  You will learn a lot by just watching and are giving back at the same time.

Beginner Cycling (again way to take advantage of options you have) - it is good that you are going to get yourself a pair of bike shorts, but unless you buy both you will have to make a decision.  Do you get Cycling Shorts or Tri Shorts?  What's the difference, the padding.  Cycling shorts have a much thicker padding then tri shorts.  If you can only buy one I would suggest the Cycling Shorts becuase they will help you acclimate to the saddle time and prevent some of the pains you have to endure when you first start riding on a regular bases.  The down side to them if used in a shorter distance tri is that most do not find them comfortable to run in and the thick padding soaks up alot of water during the swim (wet diaper).  You will likely use the cycling shorts way more often for training than the Tri Shorts especially at the start.

Sign up for first try? Why not!  If you feel that you will be ready to complete the distances there is no reason not to. It will give you that goal to work towards, help to keep you motivated, and like I have said several times, already it doesn't have to be about the time on the clock.  First one should be about, Fun, Expericence, and the Memory. 

The bike shorts I was looking at were lightly padded. I was taking a look at the bikes in the cycling studio at the Y and they seem to be fairly well padded. I know hat won't be the case on my road bike when I get around to buying one. I am hoping that the lightly padded shorts, along with the padded seat will help me acclimate slowly this way I can get some tri shorts this summer (when I get my bike) and go from there.

I remember the P90X Yoga... it was like an hour and forty five minutes long! I did it once and that was it for me. My shoulders are a bit sore today. It was a beginners yoga class so it was fairly easy. They only offer that class once per week so I may have to suck it up and go to the regular yoga class. We'll see. 

Also...

Congratulations Michael,

Now you are Training for a Triathlon!

Hi Jason,

I am not sure how much experience you have with the swimming but as you mention you are starting lessons I thought I would share a few tips that have helped me over the past few months with getting to grips with it.

Push your chest into the water so you feel as though you are swimming slightly downhill - this will cause your legs to come up in the water and therefore there will be less drag and you will use a lot less energy to get to the end of the pool. :-)

I find breathing every second stroke instead of every third (bilateral) makes it easier as I get more oxygen in.  Also try just to turn your head to breathe rather than lift it as this causes your legs to go down again.  Slow down!  If you are trying to go fast you are wasting energy.  Long smooth slow strokes are more effective and you will actually go faster.  I also found that if I slowed down enough I found a pace at which I could keep going for ages - this took a few weeks but I found it eventually.  I went from not being able to swim a length without being totally exhausted to now being able to swim continuously for two miles (in the pool), this was accomplished in a few weeks. It is surprising how quickly it builds up once you get your technique right. I also found a nose clip a great help as part of my problem was water going up my nose and causing me to panic / choke / cough etc.

I hope you find some of these useful, I know they helped me.  I am now looking forward to my next challenge which is open water swimming!  Good luck with your lessons I hope it all comes together for you!

Welcome to the group Jason,

Your run experience and training will carry you much further in this sport than you may believe.  Do not stress over the swim, within a month of regular swim sessions you will notice quit a difference in the distances you can swim.  This increase will likely be much greater when you add in the swim classes becuase they will catch any major and most minor swim flaws you have.  Think of swimming in a little different terms,  you are a runner and have been for a while, but you are training to run a Half Marathon, why because you need to.  For some reason most people, and I was one, believe that there is a difference in the pool and that they should just hop in and swim a mile.  You also did not hop on a bike as a kid and go for a century ride.  I promise you it will come and probably come quicker than the increases you have felt when you started running.  Heck you will likely be at or near the 750 mark a month or two from now by taking lessons and swimming 3x a week.  You might even find yourself signing up for your first sprint tri in a few months.   

Jason again, welcome to the group.

Fellow Turtles,

I was going to post this when we were full but Noreen stepped up and got the ball rolling, so here it is.

When a member of the group post a question / comment, I encourage anyone who feels they have information to offer to do so.  I am by no means the be all, end all of triathlon (not even close).  My daughter's teacher told me something that I found very interesting in reference to this topic.  (Please bear with me for a minute)  We were talking about my daughter and her behavior / performance in his math class.  He told me that she would interupt in class and offer her opinion on how a math equation or problem could be solved.  He said that he shut her down several times until one day her called her out on it and told her to tell the class her thoughts.  He said that what she said made sense, and more importantly worked without flaws.  He then told that some of the other kids that were having problems with working it his way, tried hers and it worked.  I say this not to brag on my daughter (maybe a little) but to instead remind everyone in the group that everyone learns in different ways.  The the person asking the question will have several options to chose from and will do so.  I do however ask that no one call out anyones ideas / tips as wrong or crazy, if you don't like it don't use it.  I will only say something if I know it to be dangerous or a violation of the rules or forum rules per BT, which I really don't see happening.

Morning all,

Wow, so much has happened while I've been asleep!

Todd, thanks for such a warm welcome. Hopefully I'll remember 5km is 3 miles and the distances will make sense to me. I'm sort-of following a set half marathon plan from the Sydney marathon site, but with adjustments for strength training and a swim. Basically one long run, one short run and one speed session each week, but I overdid last week's first ever speed session (I was having fun!) and am now nursing bilateral hamstring strains so I'll stick to the slow work for a while longer. The other 3 days are 2 at the gym and 1 in the pool. Yes, it will be my first half marathon, if I can make the distance.

Noreen, your story is amazing! It's inspiring you've managed all that after the doc said no more running. The body is a wonderful thing, I always marvel at just what it can do given a bit of time and perseverance. I feel like I'm still conditioning mine to cope with running, I've walked a lot all my life but it's taking some time to develop the running muscles. I'll get there with time!

Hi Jason, and welcome! I'll add a +1 to everything Noreen said about swimming. Swim downhill, and keep your head in the water, just turn to breathe. I imagine a big spike like a narwhal's tusk sticking out of the top of my head and piercing the water for me to pass, and I try to keep it in the water pointing forwards (maybe a strange image but it works for me...). I found a lot of useful stuff in the Total Immersion websites and YouTube videos, it helped me rebalance and streamline. 

Sounds like we've got a fine group coming together. I've added all of you to my friends list on my training log, hopefully I've done it right and you can see  it. It'd be nice to work out how to put photos on (I believe it's possible), I'll have a play around with it. Good luck with your workouts, everyone!

First Spin Class

Sweat

Ouch

Will I ever walk right again?

Ouch

Gonna go stretch

Michael, this cracked me up.  Let's do a first timers spin class test.  Did you look around to see who, if anyone, was struggling like you?  I remember looking around and seeing people that appeared out of shape that were killing it, and I was just wondering when the heck it was gonna end.  It's funny though because when you finish and cool off you kind of want more.   Almost forgot the other test question. Did you feel a little funny walking in with bike shorts on?  Great Job Man

Room for one more?

NAME: Rnay225/Rennay (pronounced like Renee)

STORY: I'm a 25 year old second time college student. I did my first and only sprint tri last summer and have kept up and improved my SBR all winter even though I'm still pretty slow. I'm planning to do more sprints this year with the first being on May 18th which I'm super nervous about since it'll be my first time in a wetsuit. I originally planned to do my first oly this year but started graduate school in January and got too overwhelmed with everything to add in more intense training. I'm now switching programs and starting the path of becoming a Registered Dietitian and moving from Louisville, KY to the Dallas, TX area at the end of the summer and couldn't be happier! I'm not sure what started me in triathlons other than wanting to try something new. I used to run and did a full marathon in 2010 before quitting altogether for 2 years and gaining 60+ lbs so once I started working out again I decided I wanted to one day do an IM so went to the beginning and started with a sprint.

FAMILY STATUS: Not married but in a long term relationship. No kids. 2 cats and 1 dog who runs with me from time to time.

CURRENT TRAINING: I've been running all winter and just capped off my winter races with a HM on April 27th. I haven't been swimming as much as I should but I've been riding on the trainer and in spinning classes and lots of running. 

THIS YEAR'S RACES: Again, I've done lots of running races since January (2 10-milers, 2 HMs, a 10K and a couple of 5Ks). I'm planning to do a sprint on May 18th and another in June. Not sure about the rest of the summer yet though.

WEIGHTLOSS: I have been trying to lose weight for about a year and a half and am down 50 ish pounds. I set goals in 10 lb increments and have 25 lbs left to my overall goal weight. I'm really into food and nutrition and that's really the way weight is lost in my opinion.

WHAT YOU HOPE TO GET FROM THE GROUP: I'm just hoping to find a place where I can talk about tris with people who won't get annoyed and with people who can get it. I also just want to feel more connected to the triathlon community and be more comfortable with my race times and performance regardless of how slow they are.

I would love to join your group if there is room!

NAME: KaraSchmitz

STORY: Hello All!  I signed up for my very first tri (sprint) today...about 15 seconds ago, and I am terrified yet exhilarated at the same time.  I have been a long time runner, usually finishing middle of the pack, so that was a big draw to this group.  I am not fast but I am fierce .  

Because of my experience the run is no big deal, but the swim is a different story as I have never been a particularly strong swimmer.  I found a place that will do open water lessons that I hope will prepare me mentally as well as physically. 

FAMILY STATUS: I am recently married.  Our first anniversary will actually be the week before the race.  We have 2 spoiled dogs that shed, bark, and drool, but we love them all the same. 

CURRENT TRAINING:  Of course I am running.  I am currently training for a half marathon in June, but I have not yet added biking or swimming components.  I have been upping my weight training the past few weeks to develop more strength in my upper body and quads.

THIS YEAR'S RACES: I have not completed any races this year yet, but am signed up for two half marathons in June and one marathon in October, in addition to my tri on August 24th.

WEIGHTLOSS: I have that last nagging 5 lbs or so that I would like to lose, but I mostly need to tone up.

WHAT YOU HOPE TO GET FROM THE GROUP:  MOTIVATION, MOTIVATION, and ACCOUNTABILITY.  I tend to let life get in the way of my training, and I know that I have more potential than my race results show.  Also, my husband is rather against this, mainly due to the swim, so having support and encouragement from others that may be dealing with discouraging voices would be great.

Also, I have no idea where to start, what gear I need, how the transition between legs occurs....and a host of other details, so I look forward to benefiting from the knowledge of the group so I can be as prepared and confident as possible on race day.

So excited!

The triathlon is August 12th this year, so we have time to get my cardio on for running. Currently I manage a mile in under 9:30 and I would be very happy if I could keep that for the 3 miles.

Rennay, welcome to the group.

Let me tell you first off that you are more than welcome and I along with the others in this group will make sure you know that.  Trust me there will be no issue with speed in reference to you or anyone else.  We will all work together to accomplish our goals, whether we run like rabbits or the mighty green turtle.  We will have fun, stay active, and support each other.  I can also tell you that there is a huge triathlon community in Dallas as well as the surrounding area.

Welcome again, Rennay

Kara, first off welcome to the group.  Second, Congrats on taking the leap and signing up for your first sprint try.  As I have posted previously the biggest thing to help with the swim is to swim.  Swim classes if available are the best way to go, but they give you the tools you still have to drive the machine.  We will get you ready for your first tri and I encourage you to stop giving much weight to your times especially your first triathlon time.  Your first needs to be about the journey.  Don't let your husband get you down, it could be that he's worried about your safety, is afraid you will change, may wonder what is bringing this on, or he may be afraid that you will try to get him involved.  I can tell you that I have a way that supports as far as going to the races, but does not understand and would never consider doing a tri, which is fine.  I just had to get her to understand that I enjoy it and learned to set workouts so they don't affect the family much.  Your question about the transition and things I will answer and address shortly becuase the group will likely be closed in the next day or so, and we will kick things off then.

Welcome Again, Kara