General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Setting up for 2015 Rss Feed  
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2014-10-21 1:58 PM


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Subject: Setting up for 2015
Hi everyone,

I've done my first sprint triathlon this year end of August, and am hungry for more!

I'm hoping to get to an OD in 2015, secretly even dreaming of an IM 70.3

I am wondering however how many races you can do in one season. F.e. if I would see that my training gets to an acceptable level to target IM70.3, I would probably plan to participate in one at the end of the 2015 summer, but would like to do at least one or two OD's as well.

If I would feel I wouldn't be up for an IM 70.3 yet, I would probably like to do 3 OD's, but again, not sure whether that's too much and I should rather combine sprint triathlons with one longer distance.

All advice is welcome!



2014-10-21 2:12 PM
in reply to: #5061811

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Subject: RE: Setting up for 2015
I was in a similar boat this past year. I would think a few olys sprinkled with a sprint here and there and you should be fine for the half towards the end of the season.

I'm trying to figure the same thing out but with the goal of IM Maryland as my end of the season hoorah. Gotta be more organized with my training to make that happen and it begins now...well, as soon as I get home anyhow.
2014-10-21 2:23 PM
in reply to: pnobels

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Subject: RE: Setting up for 2015

Some people race a lot, others very little. There's nothing about either of your possible schedules that would be that unusual to see someone in their second year of triathlon pursuing.

2014-10-21 2:28 PM
in reply to: pnobels

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Subject: RE: Setting up for 2015

3 OD races is not too much...just space them out a bit to allow for some recovery. 

Jumping up to a 70.3 will be dependent on your bike/run volume assuming you can handle the OD swim fairly easily.  It's not a big jump for the swim (.9 miles to 1.2 miles) but the bike and run are 2x+ the OD...you need to respect that increase in distance. 

2014-10-21 3:21 PM
in reply to: JoelO


11

Subject: RE: Setting up for 2015
Thanks for the comments so far.

Indeed, the run and especially the biking volume are worrying me the most.

On the running, I'm working up to a 10 miles and half a marathon event in resp. April and May, so I should be able to handle that, although times won't be competitive I reckon.

The main challenge however will be the biking, and especially finding the time to train a sufficient volume to at least get some basic speed on it.

I lost 25 kg (about 50 lbs) over the last year, but with that I also seem to have lost a lot of power on the bike on flat tracks... so I need to find that back in pure muscle power, not just weight power :-)

I'm probably best at not aiming too high and stick with the OD's and see where 2015 will bring me. No use overdoing things, especially when free time is limited..
2014-10-21 3:30 PM
in reply to: pnobels


11

Subject: RE: Setting up for 2015
Ow, and to add to this, I noticed I stay more focussed and motivated when I have goals/races to work to. Reason I want to do as much as possible of them, just to avoid I find my way back to the couch


2014-10-21 4:05 PM
in reply to: pnobels

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Subject: RE: Setting up for 2015

Wow, congrats on the weight loss!  I agree, it's motivating to have a race to target.  If you're pressed for training time, just do sprints and the occassional OD...they're fun and a bit easier to prepare for.  There's no rush to jump up in distance, especially if you want to compete vs complete.  As far as the bike goes, get a trainer for winter/bad weather workouts.  It also helps if you can find a local bike shop that sponsors group rides...they'll help you up your volume while having fun socializing with the group.

2014-10-21 8:31 PM
in reply to: JoelO

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Subject: RE: Setting up for 2015

Originally posted by JoelO

Wow, congrats on the weight loss!  I agree, it's motivating to have a race to target.  If you're pressed for training time, just do sprints and the occassional OD...they're fun and a bit easier to prepare for.  There's no rush to jump up in distance, especially if you want to compete vs complete.  As far as the bike goes, get a trainer for winter/bad weather workouts.  It also helps if you can find a local bike shop that sponsors group rides...they'll help you up your volume while having fun socializing with the group.

Ditto on the lifestyle changes, awesome!

When I started I was full of enthusiasm and went from sprints to Oly no problem (well the swim is always a "problem"), using my MTB.  Then 2 years later, my biz partner said "lets do a HIM" and I trained 6 months for it.  Each month I was setting PR for distances for the SBR and did the race.  Fast forward ~10 years and I've been doing 2-4 races a year lately.  This year I did 3, a HIM, a Sprint and an in-betweener (1.5x Oly distances, 2k, 62k, 15k). 

I only bring this up because since 2009 about 70-90% of my training has been on a trainer using Virtual Power, and the others on group rides, I rarely do I do solo rides anymore.  I believe a solid trainer WO is much better than a mediocre start stop traffic riddled solo ride.  Check out the BT Winter cycling plan.  This is what I used for the first few years with great results.

2014-10-22 9:04 AM
in reply to: Donto

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Subject: RE: Setting up for 2015
I am doing a half marathon in February, a half marathon on May 3rd then a full marathon on May 9th. I have IM Coeur D'alene on June 28th, IM Muskoka on August 30th, IM Lake Tahoe on September 20th. Then a half marathon in October. Too much is never enough.
2014-10-22 10:47 AM
in reply to: DeVinci13

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Subject: RE: Setting up for 2015

If possible I like to have at least one event a month, either a triathlon or a run (10k or HM). This helps to keep me motivated by always having something on the calendar "soon". This season I had a 10k, HM, then MTB sprint triathlon on back to back weekends. Now that was a busy 3 weeks!

2014-10-22 12:09 PM
in reply to: MOlsen

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Subject: RE: Setting up for 2015
First, 25 kg is 55 lbs, so take full credit for that

Right now I am going through the same thing I did last fall and winter. I start looking at races and events (like a gran fondo). I put everything I want to do on a calendar. The calendar gets VERY full. I pick a couple "must dos", and register for those as soon as registration opens. Having goals keeps me on track through the winter (Savageman registration opens in one week). Then as the year progresses, I decide which second tier races to register for.


2014-10-22 4:23 PM
in reply to: happyscientist


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Subject: RE: Setting up for 2015
Thanks for the good advices!

I think I'll try to set up some sort of calendar in that sense indeed. Now just a question of finding the calendar for 2015 for Belgium.

THe winter cycling training sounds like a good idea as well. I got a (very basic) trainer a few months ago, so I guess I'll need to jump on it shortly.

I don't have a history of sports (quite the contrary) so I'm very curious to see where I'll end up! I'll keep you guys posted!
2014-10-22 6:23 PM
in reply to: #5061817

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Subject: RE: Setting up for 2015
I do one race per month from March-November. Winter is brutal around here so lots of trainer time then.
2014-11-05 12:49 PM
in reply to: pnobels

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Subject: RE: Setting up for 2015
My first few years of triathlon, I raced 5-6 times per year. Now-a-days, I do 3-4 per year. There are a lot of factors to consider: do you need an event to keep you motivated to train? How much time do you have to train, and how much money do you have to spend on racing and traveling? Would you rather do a bunch of races for fun, or do really, really well at just a few races?

Building up to a 70.3, I'll usually do a sprint (after 6-8 weeks of training) and an oly (after 12 weeks of training). It's fun to race; it gives you a way to test your fitness and speed (more fun than doing time trials!); it gives you some open-water swimming experience (I always have trouble making myself get in a lake); and it's more fun (albeit more expensive) than doing a brick in training!

I would reiterate the need to respect the 70.3 distance. With proper training, it can be a great day! Without proper training . . . let's just say it's entirely possible to have a run split slower than your bike split.

If you'd like some help getting started on your indoor trainer, I have some free workouts available here: http://www.trihardist.com/p/cycling-workouts.html
2014-11-06 8:22 AM
in reply to: pnobels

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Subject: RE: Setting up for 2015
last year when I stuck to Sprints/Oly's with a HIM at the end of the season I raced probably once a month

this year training for an IM, I opted to pretty much focus on that with only a 10 mile run worked in during the season

while I don't regret the dedicated training - I found that I missed racing as well - I like the competition - my goal for nextyear is going to be to find a good balance between racing and training while taking into account other issues (military reservist, so lose those weekends for training etc)
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