Triathlon Dreams, Tips, and Training

[Outback Jess]

Re: Triathlon Dreams, Tips, and Training

Well, my house is all abuzz this morning, my husband has registarted for the triathlon I am in in Oct. He has spent the week in the water every day trying to get himself swimming! We have a DVD on swimming. He watches it once a night and is starting to see improvements in the pool.
He is in shape, and an athlete who struggles with water, and was pulled out of a triathlon 20 yrs ago...but me doing one has inspired him to face his demons....water demons....So, at 6 am, I was trying to creep to the coffee pot and He was just waiting to converse..."I think I am going to rent a wetsuit"....oh goodness I thought to myself....He is skin and bones. I suspect it will be cold, but heck ya warm up quickly expending all that energy... Mr. Micro-manager is in high levels of obsession this morning...He is going swimming at 7:30 to feel the pool...it' is cool here in Atlanta this morning, the heat waves have broken, but I suspect they will be back!

[Outback Jess]

Re: Triathlon Dreams, Tips, and Training

Well, this being Saturday, I am going to exercise today. This morning I am off to walk with a bunch of people who want to do a triathlon...Lisa my training partner has gathered them all up from our church, considering our Sr. Pastor was "selling" the whole triathlon concept from the pulpit! He has some people excited! So this will be our first "get together"...
We will be walking!
I took the last two days off because of deep fatigue. I could feel it each time I came up the stairs, and I know what it feels like on my body...
So all I said about rest, well it's the greatest tool, and now I am fresh and will do something today, bike and run or swim....My DD and I usually go over to the club house and one of us gets on the treadmill and the other the bike and we go for half an hour and then switch! We shall see. I am flexible and rested.
One of my goals is to understand weight training in the off season, so I can get stronger arms for the swim portion. Swimming is the biggest challenge for me.

[funkychickenchica]

Re: Triathlon Dreams, Tips, and Training

Before I read your last post, I was going to ask about weight training, now I will ask everyone. I know we are suppose to balnce cardio with weights. Is that different during triathalon training. My training right now is not intense for the traithalon. It is about 8 months away. I am getting use to the running and hopefully in the next couple weeks the biking. Is it okay to do the weights on the off days?

That's great about your husband getting back in their for a triatholon. Are you doing the same race? It is also great you have a group of you training! I was told by the guy at the bike shop yesterday that once you do one, your hooked!

Thanks for all your advice.

[kisstuck]

Re: Triathlon Dreams, Tips, and Training

Another day in the life of a would-be triathlete here! Here is my typical training schedule...warning! this is not necessarily what everyone else does and may not be the perfect balance, but hey, it works for me!

weights: 2x week (before a run or bike)
running: 2x week (short run, long run)
cycling: 2x week (short ride, long ride)
swimming: 2x week (short swim, long swim)

I always have a stack day (a day that I do two sports back to back) usually swimming and cycling or cycling and running. I take 1-2 days off per week. Sometimes as many as 3 days off, depending on my schedule and how I feel. Each week means more minutes/distance added.

I have my training set up so I will actually be overtraining for the swim and bike portion but I have a 10k the month before the tri and a 45 mile/5 man relay running event the weekend before the tri so I am trying to condition myself for all three events.

[Outback Jess]

Re: Triathlon Dreams, Tips, and Training

Kiss, you are amazing! I had no idea you were this planned and organized....I've not lifted weights at all...It was just too much for me to do...
When I started training, I swam every day, but keep in mind, I could only go for 5 mins without being totally wiped out...10 links, moving up to 20 links, which is 10 laps....Our swim required 22links, which was 11 laps....in a 25yd pool.
Weight training has never been a favorite of mine, it's very very taxing on my body.
Yesterday was a milestone in my whole triathlon package! I got up and went out with some girls who are interested in training for a tri...next spring. We walk/jogged 2 miles....It was light and fun...At one point I was jogging and my training partner said, "I swam a mile yesterday"... I looked at her like she was crazy....she said she did it, with some rest stops.... I thought to myself, "I'm the better swimmer, I can do that"... Well you know I went home and did it!
It took me 44 mins. I have developed a wonderfully effecient stroke so I just moved along. I'd go up and back and take a penny out of a jar, until I had removed the 36 pennies I put in....Then I got out of the pool, I was dizzy and wasted...Went home to shower and change for a breakfast meeting...I was so sick and nauseated by the time I arrived at the resturant, I had to put the seat back and just lay there. I had a bowl of fruit first thing, and that helped, but wave upon wave of illness swept over me. I drank water had some eggs....Went back to lying in the car...I drove home, walked in, laid on the couch and was asleep in a couple of minutes.... Woke up had some electrolyte drink, rested, and fell back asleep and finally felt like myself again in early evening! Clearly I had never ever pushed myself like that, and it wasn't like I "pushed" to an aerobic threshold or something....I was breathing comfortably, and I was having a great swim, just moving thru the tiredness and light pain, and I just did it! What an accomplishment....So, today is a rest day, with the exception of a light ride with friends tonight.

[Outback Jess]

Re: Triathlon Dreams, Tips, and Training

Tip of the day, swimming!!!!
I watched the demo's on the www.totalimmersion.com website. I visualized an effecient stroke! I started to "'practice that stroke" up and back....the mentality I picked was to "practice a consistent effecient stroke", but NOT TO train by racking up laps.... It was about the stroke, not the distance covered that makes swimmers strong.
Clearly yesterday proved the underlying point, "get the stroke smooth and effecient and you can go longer and longer"...
Long, smooth strokes. "Reach, reach, reach, turning at the hips to breathe"...and head down, causes the hips to rise and you are on top of the water.
NONE of that helped me in a real triathlon. I completely was unable to do those things in the water in that lake last weekend. There were too many people, too much chop in the water, and I had to stop and breaststroke and find my barings constantly...and then restart all the forward momentum. I was exhausted when I got of the water and it wiped me completely out, that's why I had a 4:48 second trainsition the first time, and a 2:28 the second transition...
Swimming is nothing like running and biking...You think you can just jump right in, after all you are in shape right! Swimming requires different things, it's the most technical, and it requires time to build a base. I feel that base in my arms today.

[Alexa]

Re: Triathlon Dreams, Tips, and Training

Hi Jess,

What a great thread, thanks so much As I said before I definately want to do a triathlon at some point. This has been helpful reading. I'm quite a confident swimmer, and can do around 80 25m laps, but that's swapping between breaststroke, backstroke and front crawl - I'm not so good at laps and laps of front crawl, so I need to work on that.

At the moment I can zero cash for stuff like this but am planning to do a tri in 2008 or 2009 - it must be such a good feeling! Congrats on your sucess

[kisstuck]

Re: Triathlon Dreams, Tips, and Training

If I do have one strength, it is plan...plan...plan! I need a clear path with a plan to accomplish the goal. That's why I have a regimented schedule!

I have noticed a disturbing trend, though. My running is struggling. I don't mean a little. I mean A LOT! Although my biking and swimming are getting stronger, my running is sorely lacking. I ran 1.5 miles today-----the least I have run in months. I was slower than ever and even had to walk a little just to catch my breath. And it wasn't like I actually ran any faster.

[Outback Jess]

Re: Triathlon Dreams, Tips, and Training

Maybe you are tired? Maybe you are going, going, going and it is showingup in your running, at the moment....
For me, it's easy to get totally fatigued from training and it will show up in something....one time I biked with this girl, and we went on a very hilly road, we were planning on a 20mi ride, HA! I just could not do well, and I felt sicker and sicker....she turned us back! Often times in the pool it goes from good to a real struggle quickly...now I don't run as often as I use to at all, so running seems to stay strong since I do it only twice a month....Fatigue definately shows up in me.

I have to concentrate on eating well and sleeping more when I am exercising at this level.

[Outback Jess]

Re: Triathlon Dreams, Tips, and Training

Went to the pool this morning, at 7:30....it was in the 50's outside and quiet a shocker to get in the water...i will tell you that you just get going so you warm up, no loitering!
My friend wants to do a triathalon in the spring, so she wanted to jump right in and swim today! I am still dragging from Sat. swim...went leisure biking yesterday and had to do a dead stop and went over my handle bars as the back wheel came up and flipped me....not hurt, but I almost hit a little boy....

[bradybunch]

Re: Triathlon Dreams, Tips, and Training

Thanks for sharing Jess, I have enjoyed reading this thread this morning. You are and so inspiring. Completing a Triathalon, I am impressed.

[Outback Jess]

Re: Triathlon Dreams, Tips, and Training

I've been working with my husband who is training for his triathlon...He was pulled from a lake swim and tri 20 yrs ago and now he wants to over come that...We go to the pool each night and He battles the water, trying to smooth out relax and become effecient in the water. Tonight it all clicked for him, in that he felt the roll of the hips when you turn for air, and the sync of shoulder and hips....I smiled because i remember when it clicked for me, and that's when it went from being a drudgery to a "zen swim"...a zone swim, a new way of moving...which is WHY I could swim a mile with burning arms...
We are going out on the lake this Sunday afternoon! I can't wait to face that open water again, because I was none too thrilled when I got out of that lake during the race...My friend is getting us access onto the lake and brining her wave runner, so she can "spot" keith...(whew)...It's gonna be very challenging for him, but very good exposure....we'll crush some more of the fear...(his)
I've been really worn out, and not up to training much...I need to do a mini probably friday, because I need to really get back out there with all 3 sports...Tomorrow I am doing a bike work out on hills....hope my core strength is back up!

[Adena]

Re: Triathlon Dreams, Tips, and Training

Jess, geez I really have been wallowing in my own issues, as I just now discovered this thread. Very interesting... you can start working on me in March.

Awesome that you are helping K -- in fact, have inspired him, I'd guess -- to get over his fear of this...

[funkychickenchica]

Re: Triathlon Dreams, Tips, and Training

So I have another bike question. I talked before about buying a bike. My friend has a mountain bike that she can let me borrow, how much of a difference would there be if I start "training" on that before buying the hybrid. I would prefer to be able to pay some cash instead of using credit.

[Outback Jess]

Re: Triathlon Dreams, Tips, and Training

Yeah, you can surely use a mountain bike to start biking! It has nobby tired and will be slower than a smooth tire bike, but that being said, bike away friend! I agree with borrowing a bike, and checking out "biking"....it's a non-weight baring sport, and being so over weight, I really could do alot on a bike! I have biked consistenly for over a year. Last night, DH said, "you are a strong biker"...

As He plans to participate in the upcoming triathlon, I told him, I was really sorry I was also entered in the one He is doing, because I am so worried about his swim! I can't say that to him, as He is doing all he can to prepare...but I tease him and say, "you better pass me on the bike, and I'll freak out if you don't pass me on the run"...
I am sure I'll be his rabbitt!