Exercise! Love it or hate it, let's motivate each other to just DO IT!

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Old 10-03-2008, 09:24 AM   #1  
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Default Keep "tri"-ing triathlon chat!



So now that I'm committed to train for my first triathlon (a sprint), I thought it might be fun to have a triathlon chat thread, since I know I'm not the only one! Please join in if you're even considering triathlon training.

I'm still working on putting together a training schedule. My triathlon is on April 19th, and it's a 400meter swim, 10mile bike, and 5k run. I haven't swam a lap since I was about 10 years old so I think swimming is going to be the biggest challenge. I'm planning to hop in the pool this coming week though! I'm also still in recovery from knee tendinitis so I need to take it slow. Luckily I have lots of time!

How about the rest of you?
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Old 10-03-2008, 10:12 AM   #2  
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My 'training' schedule is a bit out of whack now that I'm officially training for a 5k run. So I'm supposed to run 4 days/week. I swim 2-3 days/week. I lift 2-3 days/week. I need to figure how biking fits in and just do a bit of juggling.
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Old 10-03-2008, 10:33 AM   #3  
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Paperclippy -- I have a post in my blog about the swim training I did for triathlon if you're interested...
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Old 10-03-2008, 10:37 AM   #4  
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What a good idea for a thread!

Right now I am focusing so much on training for my half-marathon, my biking has gone out the window. But I could totally bike 10 miles right now--maybe not quickly, but I could do it.

Which leaves me with swimming. Our pool is now 72 degrees and that is ***cold*** for me. I hate it when it is less than 89 degrees (yes, I am a wuss). At any rate, we are closing it soon, so I will need to come up with an alternative swimming plan. I do have some choices. The high school by my house has an indoor pool and early am hours for a reasonable fee. There is also our local YMCA with an indoor pool and I am encouraging my 8 yo to pick up a sport....maybe swimming, maybe basketball but both at the Y, so that is another possibility.
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Old 10-03-2008, 12:41 PM   #5  
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Midwife, our community pool is closed for the season too. I'm looking at a couple different indoor pools. They're about the same price ($3.50/visit at one, $4 at the other). I think I'm going to go to the one in the new fitness center our city runs because then I can pay like $1 extra and use their treadmills and stationary bikes (and indoor track, etc) too, for when I am up to doing swim + run or swim + bike at the same time, or when it's totally freezing and nasty outside.

Josephine - thanks! I think I'll try just hopping in the pool once and getting a baseline before doing a training plan, but I'll look at the total immersion program if I just flop around like a dead fish.

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Old 10-03-2008, 12:42 PM   #6  
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I joined a swim center which wasn't exactly cheap but since I joined as a couple, it came to a little over $200/person/year. They also do have a small workout room. Some of their hours are weird, especially weekends but it works well.
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Old 10-03-2008, 11:03 PM   #7  
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I started doing tris in 2004 after I overtrained myself into a stress fracture by running too much.

I've been mostly off exercise for a year due to a moderately complicated pregnancy, and my comeback tri (a sprint) is scheduled for October 12. I haven't been running much since my right knee apparently unhooked itself during said pregnancy and is slowly knitting itself back together, but I'm good for the swim and the bike, and there is no shame in walking the "run". This is shaping up to be a personal worst time for the course, but it should be fun and it certainly is motivating. I'll be happy to finish at 4 months postpartum and, sigh, almost 40 pounds above my race weight, but my secret goal is no more than 2 hours (my PR was in the neighborhood of 1h30m).

I'm trying to squeeze training in between caring for two small children, including breastfeeding my 4 month old son, and starting back to work part time after my maternity leave. It has been a struggle, and the first daycare induced cold has hit me. Fortunately my body remembers it used to be in shape after such a long layoff, and it is coming back more quickly, except for the run. Right now I'm happy to get one swim and ride in a week, and two walk/run sessions.

We have good public pools here in Tucson that are open and heated in winter. $1.50/swim. Limited hours, but a nice option. I'm thinking of joining the Y soonish though so I can get DD into swim lessons.

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Old 10-06-2008, 12:25 PM   #8  
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Good morning everyone! I got my run in for the day (couch to 5k week 4 day 1). My legs are pretty sore since I hiked 9 miles on Saturday. Oops! Oh well. I was planning my first swim for this Thursday, but I just realized it's Yom Kippur so there is no way I will have the energy to work out after work having not eaten since the previous night. I think I might try for the swim tomorrow instead.

Question for the swimmers . . . How the heck do I put on a swim cap? I bought one, but I can't figure it out. Do I shove it on my head, then try to stuff my hair up under it? My hair is pretty short, it just comes to the bottom of my ears, but since it's short I can't really tie it up or anything.
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Old 10-06-2008, 12:28 PM   #9  
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The swim cap is well interesting. Get it on your head as best you can and then stuff your hair into it. Some days I do better than others.
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Old 10-06-2008, 10:56 PM   #10  
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I have short hair so I'm not much help on getting the hair/cap thing straightened out. Just stretch it a lot before it goes on and try not to move it around much once it gets there because it pulls.

I was going to try to strog yesterday, i.e. jog with my big giant double stroller, but a nasty cold has its hooks in me, so I'm happy I managed to stralk. I don't know that I'm going to get in any last minute training before my race on Sunday, so we'll have to see how far a refusal to quit and minimal training will get me. It's an 825yd/12mile/3mile sprint, so I should be OK. I think. Yikes.

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Old 10-07-2008, 08:58 AM   #11  
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Anne, strog and stralk are my new favorite words! Your sprint is harder than mine is going to be, good luck!

I put together a triathlon training schedule for myself based on one of the plans at the beginner triathlon website. It has me running MWF, swimming ThSat, and biking TuSat, plus strength training TTh. Do you think that's too much? The running is not negotiable for now, until I work up to being able to run 5k, at which point it could drop to twice a week. This morning I did an upper and lower body strength routine, and this afternoon is my first planned bike ride (2 miles).
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Old 10-07-2008, 09:54 AM   #12  
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Jessica,

That training schedule is probably fine, unless all the workouts are very long or intense. You need to monitor how you are recovering from each workout and if you are starting to drag, make some adjustments. I like that there is one day completely off. I really needed that when I was doing intense training. I also liked a periodized training schedule, which is (for me) three progressively harder weeks building distance, speed, and/or intensity, and then one week where all workouts are "easy". Then build again.

I also found it very difficult to include intense strength training with intense tri training--I just got too sore and couldn't recover adequately. UBW interfered with swimming and LBW with running and biking, so I never found a good split. Core is helpful though.

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Old 10-07-2008, 10:13 AM   #13  
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That training schedule seems fine. Unfortunately, due to my 5k training, my biking is falling off. I need to try to fit it in but...

Run - Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday
Swim - Tuesday, Thursday (was also Sunday but Sundays are dropping off)
Weights - Tuesday, Thursday, Sat or Sun (this is very flexible)
Bike - When I can fit it in...

I'm also doing physical therapy right now which takes up a bit of time.
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Old 10-07-2008, 05:13 PM   #14  
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Anne, all my workouts are 30 mins or less, at least for now (until I can handle more time/distance). For example, this week I'm doing couch to 5k week 4 for my runs (26 mins, 16 of which are jogging), 2 mile bike ride, and 50 meter swim. My strength training is exercises given to me by physical therapists for when I was recovering from my knee and wrist injuries, so they are pretty light, plus standard core exercises. I don't think I could handle going without a rest day either! I'm interested in your three weeks buildup, one week easy plan though, maybe I'll try to incorporate that.

Actually I'm upset because today was supposed to be my first bike ride, but it is pouring rain outside. DH is apparently working late though, so in a minute I'll head to my office's gym and use the stationary bike, even though they only have a recumbent one.
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Old 10-08-2008, 12:00 PM   #15  
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So, I didn't make it to the stationary bike, but instead I went to the pool and did my first swimming workout. All I can say is that it's a good thing I have 6 months to train for this! Phew!

The pool is apparently 25 yards long. I went one length as kind of a warmup (after attempting to swim and failing after three strokes), doing a mish-mash of freestyle, breaststroke, and underwater breaststroke. I had to stop to catch my breath at the end. Then I came back breaststroke the whole way, caught my breath again, went out freestyle, rested, came back breaststroke, rested, then did a there-and-back all freestyle with a short rest in the middle. I was still breathing hard ten minutes after getting out of the pool! This morning my pecs and triceps are sore.

I had trouble remembering how to breathe correctly. I kept getting big mouthfuls of water, or lifting my head too high. Then when I started to get out of breath, I would feel like my legs were sinking too far. By the end I think I had my freestyle a little more under control, but this is going to take a LOT of work.

This morning: c25k w4d2, done! I'm bumping the missed bike ride to replace Thursday's planned swim.

Edit - so the triathlon registration wanted me to give my 100-meter estimated swim time. I put 12 minutes as just a random guess. Doing my last lap at the pool last night, which was 50 yards total, took me 2 or 4 minutes (I can't remember now). Do you think I should change my estimate? They seed people's entry times into the pool based on speed.

Last edited by paperclippy; 10-08-2008 at 12:02 PM.
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