Active Community: Message List

Re: Training for the first Tri.

IronMakeover — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:15:56 GMT

Jason,

Thanks for the sweet words! It brightened my afternoon!

Have a great weekend all,

Sara

Re: Training for the first Tri.

IronMakeover — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:57:59 GMT

Hey there tmdougal,

I'm glad you've decided to join us & train for your first tri. You've gotten some good responses already, I'll add a bit.

Observe/volunteer: When I do something new I like to check it out first if possible. Can you volunteer at another event within driving distance? Being on site & seeing how things are done should help you feel more confident, and if you can volunteer you'll feel refreshed helping others.

active.com articles:

http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/10_Tips_for_First-time_Triathletes.htm

http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/Triathlon_Wisdom_From_Ironman_Champion_Dave_Scott.htm

http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/8_Tri-Training_Tips_to_Help_Plan_Your_Season.htm

Race-day checklist: you'll find my checklist of checklists for race prep here. http://ironmakeover.blogspot.com/2008/11/check-it-off-your-tri-race-day.html

Transition tips:

T2 bike to run tips from Gale B http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya6HxuE_x58&feature=PlayList&p=53353F27C81963C2&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=30

T2 tips from Dave Scott http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH6Bc3kiVGM&feature=PlayList&p=53353F27C81963C2&index=18

pre-race warmup prep from Dave Scott http://www.youtube.com/user/ACTIVEdotCOM#p/u/1/0cY43PaSEHQ

tri travel bag from Gale http://www.youtube.com/user/ACTIVEdotCOM#p/u/66/XUnKr2PSFY8

transition area set-up tips from Gale http://www.youtube.com/user/ACTIVEdotCOM#p/u/69/8sp9hxJKsII

And yes, don't worry about looking silly! For a laugh check out the long-horn straw incident from blogger Steve in a Speedo's virgin athlete contest.

http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/2009/03/vote-tales-of-virgin-athlete-contest.html I've never seen that on race day! My entry didn't make the top 10, but you can read it http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/2009/03/sara-i-can-see-your-crack.html & http://ironmakeover.blogspot.com/2009/03/my-swimsuit-was-see-through-things-i.html. **make sure whatever you wear on race day is NOT see-through!

:-) Sara

Re: Swim anxiety!

IronMakeover — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:43:54 GMT

GreenMtnGirl,

Hey there, I'm glad you found us. :-)

I'm glad you've connected with this coach and that he/she is supportive etc. It's definitely common to feel nervous, but I'm so glad you went into the first session feeling excited. That's awesome!

I'm sure your coach will give you some great drills/activities for the swim. There are great youtube video's on active.com's channel & expert articles here too. I love Dave Scott's tips, he's easy to understand, well-spoken, a great teacher & 6x World IM champion...

fixing common problems http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SVfLvO5Z0M
efficient swimming - technique http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYt8x_7uL48

And find Natalie Coughlin's tips here:

http://www.active.com/swimming/Articles/Q-_-A-With-Natalie-Coughlin-Breathing-and-Hand-Position-Tips.htm

http://www.active.com/swimming/Articles/Natalie-Coughlins-Video-Swimming-Tips.htm

I failed the last swim class I took as a kid. When my husband and I started doing more triathlons, we took a local swim clinic with a tri pro. I took it twice and am always looking for ways to improve. I'm not fast, but I cut 16 minutes off my first IM swim time, and am hoping to cut another 15 minutes off next time. "Anything is possible!"

I hope you'll stay in touch & let us know how your winter training goes.

:-) Sara

Re: Tales from the Trails: Training Encounters

IronMakeover — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:01:44 GMT

Yes. I'm answering myself.

I saw this on twitter today & thought of my lonely thread, sitting here without any bites. This triathlete was attacked by a pack of dogs! Scary!!!

I'm surprised how she found safety, the dogs must have been short or incapable of jumping? http://www.fox12idaho.com/Global/story.asp?S=11499924

A fun clip from my earlier post:

http://community.active.com/thread/58510/chopper-sicem-boy-things-i-wish-i-knew/0/0

Tales from the Trails: Training Encounters

In the 1986 movie Stand by Me, a kid named Gordie gets caught taking a shortcut through a junkyard. Milo, the junkyard owner, demands answers and Gordie runs. Milo calls to his dog, "Chopper, sic'em, Boy!" But Gordie hears, "Chopper, sic balls!"

The chase begins. **special note - they swear in this clip.**

10 minutes... zzzzzzzzzz

IronMakeover — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:42:48 GMT

Short & easy. What's the shortest amount of time you've tried to convert into a nap? You know, sleep? I heard that past age 35 smelling coffee beans or drinking coffee is more effective for alertness than taking a nap. Thoughts?

- Are naps for preschoolers?

- Can you actually fall asleep in 10 minutes?

- Where is the oddest place you've taken a nap? **This one time, in NYC, I was waiting to schedule a shuttle pickup and a sleepy lady crawled out of a dark little broom closet to help me make my reservation...

As triathletes, parents, spouses, employers/employees, we're TIRED. My former thread on exhaustion & funny things had 27 responses & 8,000+views. Add to that conversation http://community.active.com/thread/66814/i-was-so-tired-that-i/0/0

I thought you all may have more to say on SLEEP?

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Sara

p.s. I snore.

Athlete Profile: Meet Patricia Miller from 405 to Finish Line!

IronMakeover — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:41:24 GMT

Hey guys,

I connected with Patricia in our tri community here & wanted to share part of her story with you. She's determined, super-positive & a triathlete!

I'll paste in the first few paragraphs of my feature on Patricia. I hope you'll join me in congratulating Patricia and sharing her story with other current and future triathletes!

Read the entire piece at http://ironmakeover.blogspot.com/2009/11/triathlete-meet-patricia-miller-from.html.

Many first-time triathletes hope to shed a few pounds while training for their first event. Instead Patricia Miller lost weight first (230 pounds!) and then celebrated that powerful transformation by training for and finishing her first triathlon. In a similar fashion, Miller chose a reverse triathlon (run-bike-swim) rather than a traditional triathlon (swim-bike-run) for her first event.

Even at her peak weight in 2001 (405 pounds) Miller was active, hitting the gym 3-4 times a week and walking 2-3 hours once a week. Walking was slow and steady work. Her first treadmill mile took 55 minutes. But even a slow step is a step towards a healthier lifestyle and Miller was determined to get there.

She asked for a referral to a dietitian and saw limited success with exercise and diet choices over the next four years. In 2007 Miller researched Gastric Bypass surgeons. And with her doctor’s advice, Miller dropped more weight, getting down to a safer 350 pounds by the morning of her surgery (Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass—Roux-en-Y (RGB).

“The risk of death due to complications from any surgery is significant when you are morbidly obese and rise dramatically when you are ‘super obese,’” says Miller. As far as super powers go, Miller jokes that super obese would not be her first choice.

Instead, she wanted to become a super triathlete. She saw marathons and triathlons as high-level athletic events and knew one day she’d like to do a triathlon. “I wanted to be fit and doing a triathlon seemed like the best well-rounded way to demonstrate I was now a fit person,” says Miller.

Read the entire piece at http://ironmakeover.blogspot.com/2009/11/triathlete-meet-patricia-miller-from.html.

Patricia, you're incredible!

:-) Sara

Re: Help me decide: Oly distance or Sprint on 1st open water swim?

IronMakeover — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:40:08 GMT

Hi Terry,

I think you're being modest about your last race! And yes, it's surprising how competitive all the agegroups are!

Good points about the pool vs. open-water differences:

- venue

- distance

- water temp

- weather, wind, waves

- sea life

- # of swimmers around you vs. in a lane

Can you look at last year's race and see how many people were in each event? Is it a mass start, wave start or time-trail swim start (one swimmer every 3 seconds)? It is easy for new and experienced swimmers to freak out in OWS.

You want to be "comfortable and confident" in the water. The race isn't won in the water. You want to get out feeling strong vs. slushy etc.

What are your expectations for the race? You could use it as a test race & still see improvement/positive gains overall. You've gotten great advice from the other responders. Find a way to get in the water. There are many mental games & techniques you can use in training and on race day to help you handle OWS issues.

Keep us updated! April isn't that far away!

:-) Sara

Re: six weeks out before first sprint. sign up or pass?

IronMakeover — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:52:48 GMT

Wow, that sounds tough, especially that you trained on asphalt - big change biking/runing in the muck! I'm glad you had fun. I hope you had someone there to take some muddy post-race pictures!

Well done,

Sara

Re: good training program for newbie

IronMakeover — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:47:03 GMT

Hi there,

It sounds like you already have a good prep/base set for your training. April's a great timeframe for a solid race. You must live where it's warm & sunny year-round to race in April!

The sites Joe mentioned will give you ideas on how to mix each sport into a training week and plan. Many athletes try to get 2-3 sessions per discipline (SBR) per week in minimum. Some sessions will be combined, swim-bike, bike-run bricks, etc.

There's so much great information on active, in the message boards, the expert posts, the training plans http://www.activetrainer.com/endurance/coaches/gale-bernhardt/plans/ & even on youtube.

6x World IM Champ Dave Scott has excellent youtube videos on swimming, cycling, stretching and running http://www.youtube.com/user/ACTIVEdotCOM

And Natalie Coughlin has tips & videos on active as well. http://www.active.com/swimming/Articles/Q-_-A-With-Natalie-Coughlin-Breathing-and-Hand-Position-Tips.htm

Enjoy!

Sara

Re: Pool swimming in Sprints

IronMakeover — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:20:12 GMT

Hey there,

The pool sprints I've done are 400s. One event had 4-5 per lane and another had only 2 swimmers per lane. Sometimes pools have swimmers serpentine swim back and forth in each lane of the pool.

And winter indoor triathlons will have athletes swim for a set amount of time and try to get as many lengths/laps as possible.

Do you have a specific event in mind?

Sara