Ran a 10k in June (3 Viewers)

[tri-man 47]

Workhorse - it's exciting to read of your plans! Hopefully you'll stay on schedule and achieve the dream. It'll be fun to watch your progress. Make sure your running coach understands, though, that you've got a whole team of assistant coaches here!

pmbrown - glad to hear about the swim. Now you see what we mean about doing a length or lap and then thinking it through. There really is a lot to concentrate on.

prosopis - it's about sticking with it, hopefully making some progress, having fun, finding satisfaction. We all know it's relative to where each person is at ...age, health, availability of time, etc. It helps me to see the bar set high by gruecd, BnB, and Sand, for example.

 

[Sand]

Well, I did not drown. I did 10 laps and was not feeling all that bad. I realized that I have a lot to learn about swimming. I was a little overwhelmed and tried to concetrate on everything. Did not read Sand's post until just now. Up until now, I have no swimming experience other than learning how to swim and playing around at the pool. Always have been interested, but never tried anything serious until now. The only thing that scared me a bit is that I woke up yesterday and my hamstring felt as though it was coming out of my leg. I was able to run, and not feel anything, but it is still a little tight. I will keep at it though and make sure I look at those training videos. I looked at a few, but probably too many as I was trying to figure everything out at once. My biggest problem was I was concentrating on the water strike and breathing then all the sudden I realized I was not moving my legs very much. There seems to be a lot more to it than running. I am up for the challenge though.

This may be hard to do at first, but try to keep your legs relaxed. Having them tense doesn't do anything good for your stroke.

 

[Third]

Roads have been iced over for the past few days, so I finally got out yesterday afternoon once things began to thaw out. Did 8-miles at 8:45.

Things are going to start livening up around here in the next month as the late winter marathon season hits.

Anyone catch the March issue of RW yet? Kara Goucher ! (obviously, the one on the right). My first running crush.

 

[The_Man]

Was supposed to do 3 on Saturday and then my personal record long-run of 8 miles Sunday, but was worried about snow blocking the sidewalks Sunday and did 8 miles on Saturday instead. It went really well. Did just about a 9:00 pace, which is my goal for the half-marathon, though I didn't bring a watch so I don't know the exact time. For this run, I wanted to concentrate on feeling good during the run and not get caught up in how fast/not fast I was running.

All my life, I've always gotten winded before my legs got tired. But as I was cresting a small hill at the 7.5-mile mark Saturday, my breathing was still fine but my legs were feeling tired. Definitely a first, and it made me think about doing the squats and lunges that have been recommended here before. Don't belong to a gym, though, and don't own any weights. I think I might load up a couple of shopping bags with heavy canned goods from the basement pantry and do some lunges holding those as "weights".

It was just starting to snow as I finished my run, so that was cool. At the end, I asked myself if I could turn around and run another 5.1 miles right then and there like I'm going to have to do on March 20. The answer was -- probably, but it would definitely have to be at a slower pace than the 8 miles I had just run.

 

[tri-man 47]

Was supposed to do 3 on Saturday and then my personal record long-run of 8 miles Sunday, but was worried about snow blocking the sidewalks Sunday and did 8 miles on Saturday instead. It went really well. Did just about a 9:00 pace, which is my goal for the half-marathon, though I didn't bring a watch so I don't know the exact time. For this run, I wanted to concentrate on feeling good during the run and not get caught up in how fast/not fast I was running.All my life, I've always gotten winded before my legs got tired. But as I was cresting a small hill at the 7.5-mile mark Saturday, my breathing was still fine but my legs were feeling tired. Definitely a first, and it made me think about doing the squats and lunges that have been recommended here before. Don't belong to a gym, though, and don't own any weights. I think I might load up a couple of shopping bags with heavy canned goods from the basement pantry and do some lunges holding those as "weights".It was just starting to snow as I finished my run, so that was cool. At the end, I asked myself if I could turn around and run another 5.1 miles right then and there like I'm going to have to do on March 20. The answer was -- probably, but it would definitely have to be at a slower pace than the 8 miles I had just run.

The lunge steps, particularly as you're getting used to them, can be done without weights. Trust me, it'll be enough of a workout without the weights. Squats, too, could be without weights. But you could stop by a sporting goods store and pick up some dumbells - maybe 15 or 20 pounds. That would allow you to do a couple of sessions per week with the weights (the squats, but also curls, lifts, etc.).

 

[pigskinliquors]

Roads have been iced over for the past few days, so I finally got out yesterday afternoon once things began to thaw out. Did 8-miles at 8:45.

Things are going to start livening up around here in the next month as the late winter marathon season hits.

Anyone catch the March issue of RW yet? Kara Goucher ! (obviously, the one on the right). My first running crush.

Not Bad!The_Man- : Great to hear that you've made it to 8! FWIW, your long runs should be at least :45 to a minute per mile slower than race pace = if you are shooting for 9:00 miles during the race, your long runs should be at 9:45 to 10:00. Lunges help tremendously, especially now that you have built a base.

__________________________

My Update: I got a nice 10 miler in with one of the guys who will be running the tri with us. He's the fastest of the rest of the group, while his wife will definitely be the slowest. We ran approx. 9:05's for the first 7, then finished with an 8:52, 8:44 and 8:29. Our 8:57 pace was faster than he'd ever run over 6 miles As per the note above, this probably wasn't all that good for him. His wife ran prior to us and ran all 10 (no walking) at a 12:06 pace. Three months ago, she ran a whole mile for the first time in her life All friends are on track except for my wife who started the Police Academy today, and she's holding back as she's nervous about the P.T. she'll have to do, and wanted fresh legs (just in case).

I'm still in a strange limbo, where I'm just glad to be running, and don't want to start training for anything. Part fear, as I don't want to re-injure, but also I can't find an event that I'm excited to go after. I'll have to spend some time on Google later.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I haven't posted in this thread forever.

TCM registration opens up tomorrow, and my wife and I will both be signing up. I actually made hotel reservations near the finish line a couple of months back, but putting down a non-refundable deposit is good point-of-no-turning back. This will be my second full marathon. I posted about it way back in this thread someplace, but the long and short of it is that I finished but not as well as I would have liked. My only real goal for this one is going to be to have a more enjoyable experience this time around and to come in around the 4:00 mark. My half PR is 1:48, so this should be very do-able. I'll almost certainly sign up for the 4:00 pace group, which will be something I've never experience before since I've never done a race large enough to feature pacers.

Off-season training has been fine and uneventfull. I'm currently doing 5 miles three times a week along with a 10 miler. I figure this is a good a maintenance base that should pay off once real marathon training starts, which won't be until Memorial Day.

Mrs. Karamazov hits 40 in a few weeks, and she's leaning strongly toward shooting for the 3:50 BQ time. She can do a 1:50 half so this is realistic, though this will be her first full. It would be nice to run in the same pace group, but I'm certainly not going to ask her to forgo a BQ attempt, and 3:50 is seriously pushing what I could train for, so oh well.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Had a sit-down with my running coach/trainer yesterday and we're in the process of mapping out a 33 month long gameplan that will result in me qualifying for Boston when I turn 40 years old (3:20 marathon). We're breaking it down into 6 month segments with various benchmarks that I'll need to hit along the way, training programs designed to build up my chicken legs, begin a real hill and speed program (which I've never done) and eventually work into a total reconfiguring of my diet.This is going to be one hell of a ride. I'm effing PUMPED to get to where I need to be. I don't think I've ever wanted anything more in my life than to qualify for Boston. To run that marathon when I lived along that route for much of life is pretty much my number one bucket-list goal and for the first time in my life, I feel like it's within reach.

This is seriously awesome.

 

[gruecd]

TCM registration opens up tomorrow, and my wife and I will both be signing up.

Hey, Ivan. I ran Twin Cities back in 2005, and despite the fact that it was my worst-ever marathon time (3:51:25), I loved the event. Actually thought about running it again this year (since my sister lives up there), but I'm seriously thinking about taking a shot at sub-3, so I opted for Chicago's flatter, faster course instead. Registered today, actually.Good luck with your training!!

ETA: Just looked up my 2005 TCM results for ####s and giggles. I knew it was bad, but I ran a painful 21-minute positive split (first half in 1:44:46 and second half in 2:06:39). Rookies.

 

[BassNBrew]

I haven't posted in this thread forever. TCM registration opens up tomorrow, and my wife and I will both be signing up. I actually made hotel reservations near the finish line a couple of months back, but putting down a non-refundable deposit is good point-of-no-turning back. This will be my second full marathon. I posted about it way back in this thread someplace, but the long and short of it is that I finished but not as well as I would have liked. My only real goal for this one is going to be to have a more enjoyable experience this time around and to come in around the 4:00 mark. My half PR is 1:48, so this should be very do-able. I'll almost certainly sign up for the 4:00 pace group, which will be something I've never experience before since I've never done a race large enough to feature pacers. Off-season training has been fine and uneventfull. I'm currently doing 5 miles three times a week along with a 10 miler. I figure this is a good a maintenance base that should pay off once real marathon training starts, which won't be until Memorial Day. Mrs. Karamazov hits 40 in a few weeks, and she's leaning strongly toward shooting for the 3:50 BQ time. She can do a 1:50 half so this is realistic, though this will be her first full. It would be nice to run in the same pace group, but I'm certainly not going to ask her to forgo a BQ attempt, and 3:50 is seriously pushing what I could train for, so oh well.

Ummm...why don't you target 3:50 then? Your half is faster then hers and you've done a marathon. What am I missing?

 

[gruecd]

Ummm...why don't you target 3:50 then? Your half is faster then hers and you've done a marathon. What am I missing?

I was wondering the same thing. If your 1:48 half is even somewhat indicative of your current fitness level, then 3:50 should definitely be do-able for you.

 

[pigskinliquors]

Ummm...why don't you target 3:50 then? Your half is faster then hers and you've done a marathon. What am I missing?

I was wondering the same thing. If your 1:48 half is even somewhat indicative of your current fitness level, then 3:50 should definitely be do-able for you.

I'll third that! Runner's Wold Training Calculator suggests you could go 3:45!

 

[Tecumseh]

Ended up doing 2 miles today instead of 5 yesterday. Very nervous about screwing up my knee. It feels a little squirrely, but doesn't hurt. I'll do another 2-3 tomorrow, then try for the 5 on Wednesday.

 

[tri-man 47]

Ummm...why don't you target 3:50 then? Your half is faster then hers and you've done a marathon. What am I missing?

I was wondering the same thing. If your 1:48 half is even somewhat indicative of your current fitness level, then 3:50 should definitely be do-able for you.

I'll third that! Runner's Wold Training Calculator suggests you could go 3:45!

Wow - tough crowd today with high expectations! IK, even if 3:50 seems to be a bit out of reach, you could go out at that pace with your wife and help to keep her loose and relaxed for as long as you can ...make sure she gets fluids and gels, feed her positive comments, etc. If you then fall off the pace, so be it, but playing rabbit for her could be kind of neat, although that might mean you struggle through the last several miles. But she'd then owe you big time.

 

[jonmhend]

Been a few weeks since my last post - been dealing with knee pain. I'm pretty sure it is IT band related - at least my internet medical degree tells me so. Took 2 weeks off and have been stretching. Tried to run on it over the weekend. Did a slow warm-up then within the first 1/2 mile I started to feel it. Thought about pushing through but decided I would be better off trying a bit more rest. Sucks, I can feel the base dwindling...

 

[gruecd]

Another nice run tonight with 11 miles done at 7:38 average pace. Picked it up towards the end, with the last two miles in 7:24 and 7:15, respectively. What's been encouraging lately is that I've been getting progressively stronger further and further into my runs. Anyway, today's run gives me 62 miles in the last seven days. Tomorrow will be a double recovery run--an easy 4 in the morning and an easier 5 at night.

Off now to a board meeting for the running club. Have a great night, everybody!!!

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Ummm...why don't you target 3:50 then? Your half is faster then hers and you've done a marathon. What am I missing?

I was wondering the same thing. If your 1:48 half is even somewhat indicative of your current fitness level, then 3:50 should definitely be do-able for you.

What I find when I plug times into race predictors is that I over-perform for short distances and underperform as the distances get longer. For example, If I plug in my 1:48 half, calculators tend to predict 5K times that are a couple of minutes slower than my actual PR. My 10K times are also a little faster than predicted, but it's closer. Despite the fact that I like distance running and disklie 5Ks/10Ks, I just seem to be relatively slower at distance. Not sure why.When I trained for my first marathon, I found that I had a very difficult time maintaining any kind of pace once I got beyond 15 miles or so. Now, my base fitness level was really bad then -- I was one of those guys who went from never running longer than a 5K in October to lining up for a marathon in May, which isn't a good idea. That was several years ago, and I'm much stronger now than I was then with a much better base. I guess I'm still just concerned that while I have no problem running a 1:50ish half, things change on those longer runs.

Maybe I should rethink the 3:50 thing. We'll see.

 

[BassNBrew]

Ummm...why don't you target 3:50 then? Your half is faster then hers and you've done a marathon. What am I missing?

I was wondering the same thing. If your 1:48 half is even somewhat indicative of your current fitness level, then 3:50 should definitely be do-able for you.

What I find when I plug times into race predictors is that I over-perform for short distances and underperform as the distances get longer. For example, If I plug in my 1:48 half, calculators tend to predict 5K times that are a couple of minutes slower than my actual PR. My 10K times are also a little faster than predicted, but it's closer. Despite the fact that I like distance running and disklie 5Ks/10Ks, I just seem to be relatively slower at distance. Not sure why.When I trained for my first marathon, I found that I had a very difficult time maintaining any kind of pace once I got beyond 15 miles or so. Now, my base fitness level was really bad then -- I was one of those guys who went from never running longer than a 5K in October to lining up for a marathon in May, which isn't a good idea. That was several years ago, and I'm much stronger now than I was then with a much better base. I guess I'm still just concerned that while I have no problem running a 1:50ish half, things change on those longer runs.

Maybe I should rethink the 3:50 thing. We'll see.

I would think so. How cool would it be to sprint past the wifey at the tape, throw your arms up to fully absorb the glory, and then yell, "oVVned you girl, now go get me a cold beer!"As it stands now she's telling you to HTFU.

 

[Sand]

I would think so. How cool would it be to sprint past the wifey at the tape, throw your arms up to fully absorb the glory, and then yell, "oVVned you girl, now go get me a cold beer!"

You really need to work the word "wench" in there when you do rub it in. Women love that word.

 

[gruecd]

So here was my first "official" week of Boston training:

M: Rest (basketball)

T: 8 miles @ 8:20 pace

W: 9 @ 7:38

T: 7 @ 8:23

F: 5 @ 7:50

S: 13.1 (hilly) @ 7:35

S: 9 @ 8:22

TOTAL: 51.1 miles

This week:

M: 11 @ 7:38

T: 4 miles rec AM, 5 miles rec PM

W: 8 miles w/4 @ HMP

T: Rest

F: 7 miles rec

S: 15-17 miles

S: 4 rec

TOTAL: 54

 

[prosopis]

4.5 miles today at a 10 min pace.

 

[wraith5]

Great to see so many guys checking in and making progress with their running and swimming!!

I have been trying to find some balance in my routine, and it's not working very well. I seriously don't know how you triathletes do it. My biking and lifting are having a significantly negative impact on my running (i've been getting a swim/week in as well). I just don't have the energy or time!! I'll keep working my schedule to try & find something that works but considering how much I hate getting up early, it's going to be a challenge.

So overall my January, which was really about 3 weeks of time because of my back, consisted of:

8 runs (48 miles) - short and disappointing. I wish the ice would go away on the trails...

8 rides (approx. 120 miles) - guestimating based on 8 hrs of trainer work at about 78rpm.

3 swims (2.4 miles) - I'll hit 1 mile per swim going forward and start thinking more about my form.

4 weight workouts - just started incorporating this about a week ago. I have a routine on my Smith machine to hit most of my upper body.

Last week was a bit rough for me - on Thursday my dog (14.5 year old golden retriever) laid down in the backyard and wouldn't come in - it was 10 degrees out. I took him to the vet and found out he had advanced cancer. On Saturday we had to put him down; it happened that fast! So in addition to being emotionally draining, I just didn't have the desire to get out there and do much.

 

[wraith5]

4.5 miles today at a 10 min pace.

how did it feel?

 

[proninja]

Alright, so I'm thinking about signing up for a couple sprint tri's early in the summer and beginning training to get started. I've been biking a lot lately, and just signed up for the Seattle to Portland ride in July, looking to do the Seattle Century a few weeks later too, so I'm not too worried about the bike.

I'm going to start swimming twice a week with a friend who was just a tick below olympic level, and assuming I'm going to get my ### kicked regularly, which is good. I swam a lot as a kid, for a bit in college, and went to the pool 5 or 6 times about a year ago before stopping.

The running is what gives me pause. I abhor running, but today I just agreed to run in a 5k in March (still wondering why) and I'm going to have to run a little bit so I don't embarass myself.

After all this, I thought crap - why not do a tri or two? I found this thread through the swimming one, and while I love FBG, I really don't feel like reading through all the pages here. I haven't started googling yet, but figured I'd lean on a few of you guys to point me to a website with some training advice so I can design myself a program.

Tuesday and Thursday nights I'm going to be in the pool. Wednesday mornings I'm doing a pretty intense hour ride with a cyclocross dude, and Sundays I'm going to be starting to ride with a couple guys around here who start out about this time of year doing 30-50 miles, and working their way up to 100. I'd like to ride once more during the week, even if it's just a 15 mile ride after work. I'd want to run a couple times a week too, so I'm thinking something like this;

Sunday - long ride

Monday - morning run

Tuesday - night swim

Wednesday - morning ride

Thursday - morning ride, night swim

Friday - morning run

Saturday - day off

How's that look?

I've just read the last page, and am hearing talk about lunges. Would weightlifting be a better addition once or twice a week than one of the three disciplines?

Where should I go to start reading about how to get started? Is slowtwitch a good resource?

 

[2Young2BBald]

Alright, so I'm thinking about signing up for a couple sprint tri's early in the summer and beginning training to get started. I've been biking a lot lately, and just signed up for the Seattle to Portland ride in July, looking to do the Seattle Century a few weeks later too, so I'm not too worried about the bike.

I'm going to start swimming twice a week with a friend who was just a tick below olympic level, and assuming I'm going to get my ### kicked regularly, which is good. I swam a lot as a kid, for a bit in college, and went to the pool 5 or 6 times about a year ago before stopping.

The running is what gives me pause. I abhor running, but today I just agreed to run in a 5k in March (still wondering why) and I'm going to have to run a little bit so I don't embarass myself.

After all this, I thought crap - why not do a tri or two? I found this thread through the swimming one, and while I love FBG, I really don't feel like reading through all the pages here. I haven't started googling yet, but figured I'd lean on a few of you guys to point me to a website with some training advice so I can design myself a program.

Tuesday and Thursday nights I'm going to be in the pool. Wednesday mornings I'm doing a pretty intense hour ride with a cyclocross dude, and Sundays I'm going to be starting to ride with a couple guys around here who start out about this time of year doing 30-50 miles, and working their way up to 100. I'd like to ride once more during the week, even if it's just a 15 mile ride after work. I'd want to run a couple times a week too, so I'm thinking something like this;

Sunday - long ride

Monday - morning run

Tuesday - night swim

Wednesday - morning ride

Thursday - morning ride, night swim

Friday - morning run

Saturday - day off

How's that look?

I've just read the last page, and am hearing talk about lunges. Would weightlifting be a better addition once or twice a week than one of the three disciplines?

Where should I go to start reading about how to get started? Is slowtwitch a good resource?

Your plan looks perfect for a sprint. The bike leg makes up the most time in a sprint so you are starting from a strong position. BeginnerTriathlete is full of GREAT advice, training plans, etc. You'll also be able to find triathletes in your area to train with. I have done some training with the MI group and they are awesome & was out in CO and one of the BTers out there hooked me up with a place to swim.

 

[gruecd]

proninja:

I'm strictly a runner, so I'm happy to help with anything you might need in that area. For the swimming and biking questions, I'll defer to the tri-geeks.

 

[BassNBrew]

Alright, so I'm thinking about signing up for a couple sprint tri's early in the summer and beginning training to get started. I've been biking a lot lately, and just signed up for the Seattle to Portland ride in July, looking to do the Seattle Century a few weeks later too, so I'm not too worried about the bike.I'm going to start swimming twice a week with a friend who was just a tick below olympic level, and assuming I'm going to get my ### kicked regularly, which is good. I swam a lot as a kid, for a bit in college, and went to the pool 5 or 6 times about a year ago before stopping. The running is what gives me pause. I abhor running, but today I just agreed to run in a 5k in March (still wondering why) and I'm going to have to run a little bit so I don't embarass myself.After all this, I thought crap - why not do a tri or two? I found this thread through the swimming one, and while I love FBG, I really don't feel like reading through all the pages here. I haven't started googling yet, but figured I'd lean on a few of you guys to point me to a website with some training advice so I can design myself a program.Tuesday and Thursday nights I'm going to be in the pool. Wednesday mornings I'm doing a pretty intense hour ride with a cyclocross dude, and Sundays I'm going to be starting to ride with a couple guys around here who start out about this time of year doing 30-50 miles, and working their way up to 100. I'd like to ride once more during the week, even if it's just a 15 mile ride after work. I'd want to run a couple times a week too, so I'm thinking something like this;Sunday - long rideMonday - morning runTuesday - night swimWednesday - morning rideThursday - morning ride, night swimFriday - morning runSaturday - day offHow's that look?I've just read the last page, and am hearing talk about lunges. Would weightlifting be a better addition once or twice a week than one of the three disciplines?Where should I go to start reading about how to get started? Is slowtwitch a good resource?

Slowtwitch or beginnertriathlete are both good.You don't have enough running in that schedule. Turn Wed into a brick by following up your bike ride with a run. Not sure what your time looks like, but long run, tempo run, and speed work (intervals) would be ideal. Ditto this for the bike. Swim to stay in the raceBike for showRun for doughLift weights for the ladies and injury prevention.

 

[proninja]

Alright, so I'm thinking about signing up for a couple sprint tri's early in the summer and beginning training to get started. I've been biking a lot lately, and just signed up for the Seattle to Portland ride in July, looking to do the Seattle Century a few weeks later too, so I'm not too worried about the bike.I'm going to start swimming twice a week with a friend who was just a tick below olympic level, and assuming I'm going to get my ### kicked regularly, which is good. I swam a lot as a kid, for a bit in college, and went to the pool 5 or 6 times about a year ago before stopping. The running is what gives me pause. I abhor running, but today I just agreed to run in a 5k in March (still wondering why) and I'm going to have to run a little bit so I don't embarass myself.After all this, I thought crap - why not do a tri or two? I found this thread through the swimming one, and while I love FBG, I really don't feel like reading through all the pages here. I haven't started googling yet, but figured I'd lean on a few of you guys to point me to a website with some training advice so I can design myself a program.Tuesday and Thursday nights I'm going to be in the pool. Wednesday mornings I'm doing a pretty intense hour ride with a cyclocross dude, and Sundays I'm going to be starting to ride with a couple guys around here who start out about this time of year doing 30-50 miles, and working their way up to 100. I'd like to ride once more during the week, even if it's just a 15 mile ride after work. I'd want to run a couple times a week too, so I'm thinking something like this;Sunday - long rideMonday - morning runTuesday - night swimWednesday - morning ride, night runThursday - morning ride, night swimFriday - morning runSaturday - day offHow's that look?I've just read the last page, and am hearing talk about lunges. Would weightlifting be a better addition once or twice a week than one of the three disciplines?Where should I go to start reading about how to get started? Is slowtwitch a good resource?

Slowtwitch or beginnertriathlete are both good.You don't have enough running in that schedule. Turn Wed into a brick by following up your bike ride with a run. Not sure what your time looks like, but long run, tempo run, and speed work (intervals) would be ideal. Ditto this for the bike. Swim to stay in the raceBike for showRun for doughLift weights for the ladies and injury prevention.

My last ride averaged 15.2mph for 12 miles, with some pretty good hills in it. Had about a 5 mile flat stretch I stayed at 20 for, and it hurt when I was done. I did 24 miles the week before, and was around 14mph average. Swimming starts tomorrow, and it's going to suck. Running starts soon, and it's also going to suck. I'm not an athlete right now. The longest ride I've been on since I started a few months ago is a bit over 40 miles, and I stopped for lunch halfway through. I've probably got 25 pounds I can comfortably drop, but if my goal is to lose weight, I'll get bored quickly. I'm starting tomorrow.

 

[Sand]

Swim to stay in the raceBike for showRun for doughLift weights for the ladies and injury prevention.

I prefer to just put it away on the swim. It makes the rest of the day sooo much more relaxing.

 

[Sand]

I've just read the last page, and am hearing talk about lunges. Would weightlifting be a better addition once or twice a week than one of the three disciplines?Where should I go to start reading about how to get started? Is slowtwitch a good resource?

There is a *lot* of disagreement on whether weights work for endurance sports. The evidence seems to indicate that it works to some extent for swimming and biking and not for running. Lots of conflicting studies, though.As far as where to start reading, I'd start at beginnertriathlete. I wouldn't worry about Slowtwitch too much (good classifieds, though). BT has some good articles. As far as training goes, though, what you are doing is fine (though more running is good). From where you are (pretty much were I am) just getting in volume is good. Any volume. Just swim, bike, and run. Rest a bit before a race. Then crush the race. Easy peasy.

 

[Newman]

This thread never disappoints…frustrating that I don’t know guys that I can talk about this stuff with. It’s pretty cool to find such a group of motivated people.

I checked in a couple of times over the last month to get advice in advance of my first half, which I ran this past weekend. I appreciate the feedback I received. I finished just inside of 1:36, which I was very happy with although slightly outside of my goal time. Being in Texas, I wasn’t used to running in the kind of weather we had (mid-20s w/ 15 mph wind and wind chill in the low-mid teens – the wind kicked my ### at the end of the race). That said, it was good to get the experience in sub-optimal Texas running conditions. I learned quite a bit this first time around, and I’ll look to do another half in the fall. I figure since I’m this invested I’m going to shoot for a full in April. Good luck to those who have races coming up soon.

 

[BassNBrew]

January Totals

run - 47.42 miles

bike - 132 miles :X

swim - 6.11 miles

lift - 3 times

total hours - 23.1 hr

Last year: 23.4 run and 365 bike

I need to run more, but this isn't a bad start. 20 miles a week should be my target, 15 would be passable.

Weather just killed me on the bike. Cold, rain, and snow wiped out any outdoor riding. 100 miles a week is a must, but the weather must cooperate a little. This was a major setback in seeing any improvement this year.

Just learning to swimming so the focus is on form and drills, not cranking out laps.

My first swim event is 2 months away and features a 250 yard swim. I have a 3/30/3 du at the end of this month.

23.1 hours isn't even 40 minutes a day. Wow that sucks.

 

[pmbrown_22]

Wraith - Sorry to hear about your dog. That really sucks. It is like losing a friend.

sounds like everyone is off to a great year for the most part. A few injuries to iron out then back at it for some. For my month of January, I ended up with 110 miles ran. A little off what I wanted, but I know that it will pick up as I get more into my training. I will echo what someone said, that I have no idea how you guys find time to do all of this training. I have lost about 7 pounds in the new year and I am stuck so I know that i have to train a bit more to get off the plateau. It will happen as I hope to lose a bit more and finally get down to 165. This is the year I will do it.

I did and easy 4 yesterday on the treadmill. Not exactly how I wanted to do them, but for a recovery run it was good enough.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I checked in a couple of times over the last month to get advice in advance of my first half, which I ran this past weekend. I appreciate the feedback I received. I finished just inside of 1:36, which I was very happy with although slightly outside of my goal time.

Good job.

Being in Texas, I wasn’t used to running in the kind of weather we had (mid-20s w/ 15 mph wind and wind chill in the low-mid teens – the wind kicked my ### at the end of the race).

Here in the Dakotas, we have a name for that kind of weather. It's called "March."

 

[tri-man 47]

proninja - welcome! I agree that a lot of it is just getting in your time in each discipline. The beauty of tri races is that, because of staggered swim starts (for most races), once you're on the course, you really can't gauge where you stand against others, it becomes you against yourself ...you trying to do your best, given the training and given your conditioning. Everyone has a different bike (some very expensive; some three-speeders with baskets), everyone has had varying amounts of time commitment. So you just go out and do your best.

Newman - great 1/2! Congrats.

gruecd - good start to the Boston training! I'll keep a close eye, since I'll be into it next winter!

Wraith - sorry to hear about the dog. We've got a cat that's about 15-16 years old, and since she hangs by me most of the time, I dread the day we lose her.

---

I'm starting to gear back up my tri-specific training this week after an easier three months focused mainly on yoga and some weekend workouts. I'm eager to see if the extra rest and the yoga are a benefit to me.

Iron Gym: After my woeful first efforts, I'm now doing about 20 lifts per workout, e.g., 6 sets of 3 and a couple reverse grip (forward grip?) pull-ups ...still struggling on the latter. But I needed this ...see if it helps as I get back to the pool.

 

[The_Man]

I did 46 miles in January, despite taking a full week off for reasons I can't now remember.

Got February off to a good start this morning with 4 pre-dawn miles at a relatively brisk (for me!) 8:22 pace. Did the last mile in under 8, which felt great. After having my legs feel so tired at the end of my 8 mile long run on Saturday, they felt so strong this morning. It was great!

On tap to do 73 miles this month as I work toward the half-marathon on March 20.

Wraith - so sorry to hear about Sinbad. I posted a little something in your other thread. You did absolutely the right thing, and kept your promise of putting his welfare first for all the great years you had together. He was very lucky to have you take such good care of him.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Total for January: 110 miles. The cool thing about January is that I didn't miss a single regularly-scheduled run. February won't be quite so kind, as I'll be out of town the next few days and so I'll miss my Thursday and Saturday runs. I'm doing my long run (10) today instead of Thursday so at least I'll get that one in.

 

[Third]

This thread never disappoints…frustrating that I don’t know guys that I can talk about this stuff with. It’s pretty cool to find such a group of motivated people. I checked in a couple of times over the last month to get advice in advance of my first half, which I ran this past weekend. I appreciate the feedback I received. I finished just inside of 1:36, which I was very happy with although slightly outside of my goal time. Being in Texas, I wasn’t used to running in the kind of weather we had (mid-20s w/ 15 mph wind and wind chill in the low-mid teens – the wind kicked my ### at the end of the race). That said, it was good to get the experience in sub-optimal Texas running conditions. I learned quite a bit this first time around, and I’ll look to do another half in the fall. I figure since I’m this invested I’m going to shoot for a full in April. Good luck to those who have races coming up soon.

Dude. That is a TREMENDOUS time for your first half. 7:32 pace...wow. :jealous:

 

[Third]

Total for January: 79.8 miles.

Missed two scheduled runs due to a trial. Feeling pretty good about my mileage for what is really only my 3rd month of regular running. I'm going to finish out the FIRST training program for my half in March, but think my mileage will actually increase once that is finished. Right now I'm only running 3-4 times per week per that schedule, but I would like to go to 5-6 days in the spring.

 

[2Young2BBald]

I am back, sort of. Got in a 2,500 yard swim last night. I tried not to do any pushing off the wall at turns and it had a huge impact on my time. I swam 5 sets of 500 yards at 8:56, 9:13, 9:22, 10:01 & 10:07. The last two sets I was testing things a bit seeing if I could hold my legs in position with as little kick as possible. I saw a little drop in stamina after taking an entire week off. Good news is, NO CALF PAIN at all I am still going to avoid all running until next weekend. I found some info on how to run train after a "calf heart attack" that I think I'll try. My goal is to get back to normal to begin an 18 week 1/2 training plan the 1st week in March. I don't have to technically start until mid March, but am adding a few weeks for race weeks in the schedule and there respective tapers. Before I hurt my calf, I was doing the weeks close to about the 11th or 12th week of training.

Considering I missed an entire week of training, January wasn't all that bad I did 9.66 miles of swimming, 101.50 miles on the bike and 22.35 miles running (I had two more sessions of each planned).

Wraith, so sorry to hear about Sinbad! Looking at your tri training, you are being WAY too hard on yourself, that is a GREAT multi-sport training month. The offers still stands to have my wife work on yours to let you get out and at least do a sprint this year. It'd be a shame to let all that training go to waste!

 

[BassNBrew]

The offers still stands to have my wife work on yours... It'd be a shame to let all that go to waste!

 

[2Young2BBald]

The offers still stands to have my wife work on yours... It'd be a shame to let all that go to waste!

The going to waste part sounds about right

 

[Sand]

This thread never disappoints…frustrating that I don’t know guys that I can talk about this stuff with. It’s pretty cool to find such a group of motivated people. I checked in a couple of times over the last month to get advice in advance of my first half, which I ran this past weekend. I appreciate the feedback I received. I finished just inside of 1:36, which I was very happy with although slightly outside of my goal time. Being in Texas, I wasn’t used to running in the kind of weather we had (mid-20s w/ 15 mph wind and wind chill in the low-mid teens – the wind kicked my ### at the end of the race). That said, it was good to get the experience in sub-optimal Texas running conditions. I learned quite a bit this first time around, and I’ll look to do another half in the fall. I figure since I’m this invested I’m going to shoot for a full in April. Good luck to those who have races coming up soon.

That is a kick ### half marathon time!---For my January:Run: 106 miles (most volume ever)Bike: Goose EggSwim: 30,000 yards (17 miles - also the most volume ever)Strength: 4 hours or soOnce the half is done I will be hitting the bike again and getting out - hopefully it warms up soon. Running was my limiter (by far) last year so this winter was a running winter. I am going to try and hold the running at 25 miles/week. The swimming is going to have to go up to get ready for my swim in May. I suspect in April I will easily hit 50k yards for the month.

 

[wraith5]

The offers still stands to have my wife work on yours... It'd be a shame to let all that go to waste!

I locked in on that part, too!! 2Y it looks like I actually have a green light on a tri! At a work party a couple of weeks ago a co-worker's wife was working on my wife (giggle) and she seems resigned to the idea. W00t!! I was determined to get out for a run this morning, until I saw all the snow on the ground. Stupid February in Chicago!! So 3.5 on the treadmill instead. At least I ran. At some point either tonight or tomorrow morning I'll lift & bike. Thanks for the comments & support about my dog (The_Man I saw your comment over there as well so thank you x2!!). It's funny how much that means coming from a bunch of guys who for the most part I've never met - but it really does mean a lot.

 

[wraith5]

I checked in a couple of times over the last month to get advice in advance of my first half, which I ran this past weekend... I finished just inside of 1:36...

nicely done!!

For my January:

Run: 106 miles (most volume ever)

Bike: Goose Egg

Swim: 30,000 yards (17 miles - also the most volume ever)

Strength: 4 hours or so

Do you have gills or something?!? WOW that's a lot of swimming!Congratulations on a fantastic start to the year!!

 

[Sand]

I checked in a couple of times over the last month to get advice in advance of my first half, which I ran this past weekend... I finished just inside of 1:36...

nicely done!!

Just as a note I didn't run the half in 1:36 (I wish!) The quotes got messed up here. My half is in two weeks!

For my January:

Run: 106 miles (most volume ever)

Bike: Goose Egg

Swim: 30,000 yards (17 miles - also the most volume ever)

Strength: 4 hours or so

Do you have gills or something?!? WOW that's a lot of swimming!

 

[Tecumseh]

Went ahead and did my 5 miles tonight instead of tomorrow. Felt good all the way through, but now my knee aches like a #####. I iced it, but I think I need to try a brace.

So here's the deal, armchair docs: As I said, the knee felt fine when I was running, but on my walk breaks and when I was finished it felt very loose (not in a good way). It felt unstable.

Now that's a bit different than what I've been feeling. The past couple of long runs it was more of an acute pain on the inside front.

So, any opinions? Knee brace? Fitted shoes? HTFU?

 

[Sand]

Went ahead and did my 5 miles tonight instead of tomorrow. Felt good all the way through, but now my knee aches like a #####. I iced it, but I think I need to try a brace.

So here's the deal, armchair docs: As I said, the knee felt fine when I was running, but on my walk breaks and when I was finished it felt very loose (not in a good way). It felt unstable.

Now that's a bit different than what I've been feeling. The past couple of long runs it was more of an acute pain on the inside front.

So, any opinions? Knee brace? Fitted shoes? HTFU?

The only time my knee felt like that was when I popped my ACL. You shouldn't ache like crazy after a 5 mile run. That isn't normal. An unstable knee isn't normal. I'd consider seeing an orthopedist.

 

[prosopis]

My January total mileage was 62.89

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Went ahead and did my 5 miles tonight instead of tomorrow. Felt good all the way through, but now my knee aches like a #####. I iced it, but I think I need to try a brace.So here's the deal, armchair docs: As I said, the knee felt fine when I was running, but on my walk breaks and when I was finished it felt very loose (not in a good way). It felt unstable. Now that's a bit different than what I've been feeling. The past couple of long runs it was more of an acute pain on the inside front.So, any opinions? Knee brace? Fitted shoes? HTFU?

Generally speaking, your knee isn't something you want to mess around with. All runners are going to have minor aches and pains, and sometimes that will involve the knee are, but it sounds like you know its more than just normal achiness.Pain that subsides while you're running but comes back as soon as you stop is sometimes indicative of tendonitis, which is something you tend to develop when you increase your mileage too fast or when you overtrain. But patellar tendonitis is usually felt near the patellar tendon (duh) just below the kneecap. Pain on the inside of the knee figures to be something else, but it's worth emphasizing that just because you can run through it doesn't mean you should.You could take a few days off and see if rest helps. Or you could try something simple, like a patellar strap -- I wore one several years ago when I was having some undiagnosed knee issue and it worked great. If that fails, then maybe its time to see your doctor and get referred to a physical therapist.