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2015-03-26 7:31 PM
in reply to: 3mar

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Subject: RE: Swimming Times

Originally posted by 3mar
Originally posted by Left Brain

Originally posted by 3mar
Originally posted by Left Brain

Originally posted by 3mar
Originally posted by Left Brain

Originally posted by 3mar This comes up time and again on here. If you compare yourself to the fastest of the fast...yeah, most of us are going to look pretty slow. Heck, everyone on this board will look pitifully slow compared to the elite of any field. If you want to get an idea of where you stand, check out the Masters motivational times. Or, you could just compare yourself to the Olympic trials and quit...but so would all of us. Heck, even the elites in triathlon would look sad compared to the elite swimmers. I don't know your age, but say you're 33... if you're averaging 1:55/100yd for an entire session, we'll just guess you can go all out and swim a 1:40, that would not quite put you on this scale, but gives you an idea, of where mortals of different ages fit. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&sour...

 

It's crazy how fast the times fall off.  In a lot of sports you are in your athletic prime at 30 years old........but just looking at the AAAA masters time in the 500....that would barely be an A time for 15-16 year old boys.  That's astonishing to me.

You know, I thought about that myself. You certainly wouldn't see that in running I would think. My guess is that swimming isn't something that's really kept up with after high school or college. For me, I'm just about at the speed I was in high school and I was an A then and now all of a sudden a AAAA or something. I'd still say that athletically I'm around the same though compared to my peers. So I think you have to take it with a grain of salt.

Here's the deal with triathlon from where I sit.  When I did my first triathlon in 1985 there were NO kids involved.  The standard "knowledge" was that it was too much for them.  Now, swim kids have found triathlon, and they may change the landscape.  It used to be that "you couldn't win a triathlon with the swim"...now it's "you can't win a triathlon without a good swim".  That's a big change.

I help find kids who may be interested in triathlon for a High Performance team.  I start by going over the state XC meets in our region.  I look for kids who can run sub 17 for boys and sub 20 for girls for 5K.  I then search the USA swimming database for some of the same kids.....who can already swim  a 5:00 - 5:30 500 for boys and 6:00 - 6:30 for girls.  When they find out the only thing they need to add is a bike ride......they're in......and they will win the overall at most any local sprint race.  It's pretty cool to see.  They might not be able to compete in the state XC meet or make the national meet in swimming, but they can kick some serious arse in triathlon.

We are seeing the first generation of kids who were raised on triathlon like we were on baseball, football, or soccer......and they are monsters.  It's the best part of the sport IMO.

Well, although not outstanding in either sport, the fact that they can hit both numbers in two sports actually is. That is what drew me to this sport (as an age grouper anyway), I'm kinda good at running and kinda good at swimming, but being able to do both kinda good opens doors in triathlon if you can get the bike going. I'm still working on that third piece.

Since you brought it up.....I'm curious as to what you mean, as an age grouper, when you say that being good "opens doors".  If you are talking about being competitive in your AG, then fine. Past that, what do you perceive is out there for you? The problem I have with the sport right now, and the part I'd like to see worked on, is that winning triathlons for teenagers, and they win A LOT,  really doesn't open any doors.  There will be a very few girls who go to college in the next few years for triathlon, but for boys they basically have to give the sport up to run track and XC or swim in college.  I think that's where we lag behind other countries on the international stage......we have no development of really fast triathletes in the 18-22 year old range.....and that's a shame.

Well, that's a very personal thing is suppose. In this sport my goal, quite frankly, is to go to Kona. Since my first IM is exactly one year to the day of my first triathlon period, I'd just love to hit that mark, although at this point I'm seeing that that might be out of reach....doesn't mean I can't try. As far as opening doors to a career, I guess that's not what I meant.

Going to Kona would be very cool for you.....I hope you make it!



2015-03-27 6:53 AM
in reply to: 3mar

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Exton, PA
Subject: RE: Swimming Times
Originally posted by 3mar

Originally posted by Left Brain

Originally posted by 3mar
Originally posted by Left Brain

Originally posted by 3mar
Originally posted by Left Brain

Originally posted by 3mar This comes up time and again on here. If you compare yourself to the fastest of the fast...yeah, most of us are going to look pretty slow. Heck, everyone on this board will look pitifully slow compared to the elite of any field. If you want to get an idea of where you stand, check out the Masters motivational times. Or, you could just compare yourself to the Olympic trials and quit...but so would all of us. Heck, even the elites in triathlon would look sad compared to the elite swimmers. I don't know your age, but say you're 33... if you're averaging 1:55/100yd for an entire session, we'll just guess you can go all out and swim a 1:40, that would not quite put you on this scale, but gives you an idea, of where mortals of different ages fit. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=...

 

It's crazy how fast the times fall off.  In a lot of sports you are in your athletic prime at 30 years old........but just looking at the AAAA masters time in the 500....that would barely be an A time for 15-16 year old boys.  That's astonishing to me.

You know, I thought about that myself. You certainly wouldn't see that in running I would think. My guess is that swimming isn't something that's really kept up with after high school or college. For me, I'm just about at the speed I was in high school and I was an A then and now all of a sudden a AAAA or something. I'd still say that athletically I'm around the same though compared to my peers. So I think you have to take it with a grain of salt.

Here's the deal with triathlon from where I sit.  When I did my first triathlon in 1985 there were NO kids involved.  The standard "knowledge" was that it was too much for them.  Now, swim kids have found triathlon, and they may change the landscape.  It used to be that "you couldn't win a triathlon with the swim"...now it's "you can't win a triathlon without a good swim".  That's a big change.

I help find kids who may be interested in triathlon for a High Performance team.  I start by going over the state XC meets in our region.  I look for kids who can run sub 17 for boys and sub 20 for girls for 5K.  I then search the USA swimming database for some of the same kids.....who can already swim  a 5:00 - 5:30 500 for boys and 6:00 - 6:30 for girls.  When they find out the only thing they need to add is a bike ride......they're in......and they will win the overall at most any local sprint race.  It's pretty cool to see.  They might not be able to compete in the state XC meet or make the national meet in swimming, but they can kick some serious arse in triathlon.

We are seeing the first generation of kids who were raised on triathlon like we were on baseball, football, or soccer......and they are monsters.  It's the best part of the sport IMO.

Well, although not outstanding in either sport, the fact that they can hit both numbers in two sports actually is. That is what drew me to this sport (as an age grouper anyway), I'm kinda good at running and kinda good at swimming, but being able to do both kinda good opens doors in triathlon if you can get the bike going. I'm still working on that third piece.

Since you brought it up.....I'm curious as to what you mean, as an age grouper, when you say that being good "opens doors".  If you are talking about being competitive in your AG, then fine. Past that, what do you perceive is out there for you? The problem I have with the sport right now, and the part I'd like to see worked on, is that winning triathlons for teenagers, and they win A LOT,  really doesn't open any doors.  There will be a very few girls who go to college in the next few years for triathlon, but for boys they basically have to give the sport up to run track and XC or swim in college.  I think that's where we lag behind other countries on the international stage......we have no development of really fast triathletes in the 18-22 year old range.....and that's a shame.




Well, that's a very personal thing is suppose. In this sport my goal, quite frankly, is to go to Kona. Since my first IM is exactly one year to the day of my first triathlon period, I'd just love to hit that mark, although at this point I'm seeing that that might be out of reach....doesn't mean I can't try. As far as opening doors to a career, I guess that's not what I meant.


Don't count on KQ in your first IM, however you definitely have the potential to KQ if you work on it.
2015-03-27 7:57 AM
in reply to: mike761

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Subject: RE: Swimming Times
Originally posted by mike761

Originally posted by 3mar

Well, that's a very personal thing is suppose. In this sport my goal, quite frankly, is to go to Kona. Since my first IM is exactly one year to the day of my first triathlon period, I'd just love to hit that mark, although at this point I'm seeing that that might be out of reach....doesn't mean I can't try. As far as opening doors to a career, I guess that's not what I meant.


Don't count on KQ in your first IM, however you definitely have the potential to KQ if you work on it.


The "minimum" to KQ in terms of swim CSS, power on the bike and run VDOT are pretty easy to quantify.

To put them all together, in a sub 10 or 9:30 race, with fewer and fewer slots per race is another story.

If a person has the talent and willing to put in a LOT of work of course it's an achievable goal, but I think people underestimate what it actually means. And there is a more to it that just S/B&R talent.

But 3mar does seem to have the determination, drive and energy. Looking forward to his IM report
2015-03-27 9:43 AM
in reply to: marcag

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Katy, Texas
Subject: RE: Swimming Times
Well, I'm not making any travel plans for Hawaii, nor would I bet my own, or anyone else's money on qualifying, but I think there is an outside chance. I wouldn't have even given it an outside chance a couple of weeks ago, but I think I have two things that could sneak me in; one is that my biking is coming around finally and two is that IMTX is known to be hot and humid. Most folks will not be acclimated to that, however, what they consider hot and humid in May in Texas is what I train in during January. My long run yesterday was 84 degrees and 89% humidity, and it was 6:30am. Again...it's a long shot, but I consider it a win-win. If I qualify, awesome, if I don't, then at least I have a carrot to chase moving forward. It will be one year to the day and I'm still learning and just getting into the groove in this sport. Hell, I just found out what a "clincher" was two weeks ago.
2015-03-27 2:50 PM
in reply to: 3mar

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Subject: RE: Swimming Times
Originally posted by 3mar

Well, I'm not making any travel plans for Hawaii, nor would I bet my own, or anyone else's money on qualifying, but I think there is an outside chance. I wouldn't have even given it an outside chance a couple of weeks ago, but I think I have two things that could sneak me in; one is that my biking is coming around finally and two is that IMTX is known to be hot and humid. Most folks will not be acclimated to that, however, what they consider hot and humid in May in Texas is what I train in during January. My long run yesterday was 84 degrees and 89% humidity, and it was 6:30am. Again...it's a long shot, but I consider it a win-win. If I qualify, awesome, if I don't, then at least I have a carrot to chase moving forward. It will be one year to the day and I'm still learning and just getting into the groove in this sport. Hell, I just found out what a "clincher" was two weeks ago.


What AG ?
2015-03-27 3:48 PM
in reply to: marcag

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Katy, Texas
Subject: RE: Swimming Times
Originally posted by marcag

Originally posted by 3mar

Well, I'm not making any travel plans for Hawaii, nor would I bet my own, or anyone else's money on qualifying, but I think there is an outside chance. I wouldn't have even given it an outside chance a couple of weeks ago, but I think I have two things that could sneak me in; one is that my biking is coming around finally and two is that IMTX is known to be hot and humid. Most folks will not be acclimated to that, however, what they consider hot and humid in May in Texas is what I train in during January. My long run yesterday was 84 degrees and 89% humidity, and it was 6:30am. Again...it's a long shot, but I consider it a win-win. If I qualify, awesome, if I don't, then at least I have a carrot to chase moving forward. It will be one year to the day and I'm still learning and just getting into the groove in this sport. Hell, I just found out what a "clincher" was two weeks ago.


What AG ?


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