Triathlon questions

Tacklewasher

So, I've been walking/running 5K regularly, riding to and from work and have this dumb idea in my head to do a triathlon. August 2018, so, a year down the road. I've joined the Y so I can start swimming.

I plan to do the short Tri, so 5K run, 20K bike and 750m swim.

Sat with the coach at the Y and went over things but thought I would toss my "plan" out there.

I know I need to include strength training, something I've been loathe to do so far. So I'm going to do 2 days a week, using their circuit machines for 6 weeks, then standard machines for 6 weeks then free weights. This was my coaches suggestion and seems pretty reasonable to me.

Run three times a week, 5K moving to 10K.
Swimming once a week for now, 250m moving up to 1000m
weights twice a week, still unsure of the plan but more for general fitness/core than building abs/biceps
Biking 3 days a week ~10K until fall and then focusing on this in the spring.

Except for the biking where I will bike home after work, I plan to do this in the mornings before work so I'm kinda not able to double up days. Sunday will be my day off.

Too little? Too much? I will have to drop a day of running and add a day of swimming, but not sure when I will do that.

scorpio516

For a sprint it's not too much work. Especially if you just want to finish.

To be fast on the run, run more.
To be fast on the bike, bike more.
To be fast on the swim, that takes technique. If you aren't a fast swimmer or never have been, it might take instruction to get fast.

RudeboyCantFail

I'll also recommend that it's good to practice the bike to run transition...find some time on occasion to ride for a bit then go into a run. It may be tougher than you think so good to get used to it.

slowbubblecar

I second getting experience with the bike to run transition.

I did one and it was a lot of fun. I didn't train much for the swim and did not do very well in that part, but I spent a lot of time training on the bike and going straight to the run. It seemed to work out well for me.

If you are trying to get a good time, I would do some of everything but really work on the bike as the bike segment is the longest. I was last in my age group on the swim, but biked and ran more towards the front of my age group so I ended up passing several people in the bike/run that could swim well.

As far as the lifting goes, it is good to get some strength training in, but the reality is that it is mainly a cardio event. Getting biceps or trying to get abs doesn't help with cardio endurance. I'd focus more on getting the cardio capacity to be able to do a cardio event that could last up to 2hrs.

Good luck!

TavistockToad

You only need to get 1 of your 5k runs up to 10k IMO. you might want to increase the others slightly, but 2 shorter and one 'long' run is fine.

Tacklewasher

Thanks for the advice.
I'm not concerned about time, I just want to say I did it.
One of my runs will be the weekly park run, so it's 5K.
And I'm not looking for abs and biceps, but I do know I need to do strength training and should have been doing it during my weight loss already, so I figure 2 days a week will do me good.

I'm still looking to lose ~35 lbs in this same time frame, so that's also part of my goal. Guess I should have said that first. And yes, that will be done through diet.

I'll read up on the transition. I may have to change plans in the spring and include that.

jjpptt2

scorpio516 wrote: »

For a sprint it's not too much work. Especially if you just want to finish.

To be fast on the run, run more.
To be fast on the bike, bike more.
To be fast on the swim, that takes technique. If you aren't a fast swimmer or never have been, it might take instruction to get fast.

Agreed.

IMO, a first timer should be focused on being good enough in the water to not drown, good enough on the bike to make it to the run, and good enough on the run to finish without having to walk the majority of the course. Anything beyond that is gravy.

So with that in mind, swim enough to be comfortable in the water. If at all possible, do a few open water swims because open water is VERY different from pool/lap swimming. If you can, swim with other people near/touching/pushing/bumping into you. It'll happen on race day and you should be comfortable with it, at least to the point where you don't panic.

Get good enough on the bike so your comfortable riding the distance. If you can ride or at least drive the course ahead of time, do so. Also, while not required, I do suggest you know how to fix a flat tire should you get one.

Then the run is just the run... go out and do it.

At some point you'll probably want to practice things like the transition, getting your wetsuit off (if you'll be wearing one), and maybe some bike-to-run workouts, but those can wait until next year.

jjpptt2

Tacklewasher wrote: »

Thanks for the advice.
I'm not concerned about time, I just want to say I did it.
One of my runs will be the weekly park run, so it's 5K.
And I'm not looking for abs and biceps, but I do know I need to do strength training and should have been doing it during my weight loss already, so I figure 2 days a week will do me good.

I'm still looking to lose ~35 lbs in this same time frame, so that's also part of my goal. Guess I should have said that first. And yes, that will be done through diet.

I'll read up on the transition. I may have to change plans in the spring and include that.

Yea, with a year to plan/train, I'd focus on the basics now. A little bit of strength training, a little bit of cardio (maybe focus on your weakest discipline for now), and your diet/weight. Then come spring you can really shift into training mode.

deannalfisher

I think for now yeah you are good with that plan - as you get closer to race day, there are some tailored online beginner plans that are more focused - but it shouldn't differ too much from your rough plan

http://beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/training-plans-view.asp?planid=15&memberlevel=1 (this is a free one for example)

always happy to answer triathlon questions

BrianSharpe

Given that swimming is often the hardest sport for most triathletes I`d suggest swimming not less than 2 x weekly and if you can get some coaching on swim technique. If the triathlon is going to have an open water swim get out into open water as soon as you can, trust me.....it`s completely different than swimming in nice, flat, clear water and following that black line in a pool, and get involved in group swims if you can, there will be an element of body contact during the race and it can stress some people (I had my goggles kicked off last Saturday....it happens)

If the race is wetsuit legal (in August the water may be too warm) consider renting a wetsuit, a decent triathlon one is not cheap but if you enjoy your first race and decide to do more investing in a good quality suit is money well spent.

Do you have some hills you can ride.......an old adage in cycling is `don`t buy upgrades, ride up grades`....

You`re probably early to be worrying about brick workouts (running right after a bike ride) but you`ll want to incorporate some of them into your training before the race.

I`d also suggest getting a copy of a book by Joe Friel - `Your First Triathlon`, it`s a great resource; he`s also got a great book The Triathlon Training Bible

If you have a local tri club check them out. I`ve found that almost all of the triathletes I know are very generous with sharing their experience.

Have fun!

Rincewind_1965

jjpptt2 wrote: »

At some point you'll probably want to practice things like [...] maybe some bike-to-run workouts [...]

Heard this very often and subsequently did so.
Strangely the first 300 meters of running seem to be a PITA (more precisely: "calf"), whether I trained bike-> run or not. After these 300 meters the muscles open again and I'am able to pick up speed.
But it is good to know that the pain will go away, so for me that is the main-purpose of this training.

Tweaking_Time

I just finished my first Sprint-Tri. I did not come in DFL, but was definitely in the back 10% of the pack. Now that I have completed one event my thoughts on training and nutrition have changed. I trained hard for mine...so much so it started affecting my personal life. I lost all of my free time.

Going forward, I plan to train no more than 4 days per week. I also plan to make at least one of those training days into a long training session (2 hours or so) to work on stamina for my next Sprint Tri.

ALSO - the tri-athletes were awesome. Very supportive! Even though I was at the back of the pack coming to the finish line, the people that already finished were cheering us in. I was grinning like an idiot when I crossed the finish line.

Good luck with your training. I personally think your training plan, if you can get it all in, is fine. But I think you will have to scale it back to have any sort of a personal life.

Alidecker

If it is an open water swim, definitely try to get some practice with that before the actual race. It is a big change from the pool. Luckily the first one I did had a practice swim the weekend before....learned about the need to site where I was going. I made the practice swim a lot longer than it needed to be. LIke BrianSharpe, I have been kicked in the face, luckily my goggles did not come off though. The swim is my strongest part, so I ended up swimming wide around the group of people in my wave and passing them

Practicing transitions helped me a lot. I wasn't super concerned with time for the first one I did, I just wanted to finish, but I was doing this with my brother and beating him was the goal right behind finishing . I beat him on the swim and the run, he killed me on the bike....my transitions gave me the win!

Tacklewasher

There is an open water swim across the lake that happens in July in town. There is training leading up to that. I may not do the swim as the timing is usually in the middle of my vacation, but I may see about the training. People I work with do the swim so it wouldn't be too weird. Anyway, that is next spring, and I'll be in the pool until then.

Biking up hills. I can't go anywhere without going up and down hills so I've got that covered. It's downhill to work but uphill home.

I'll check out the website and books linked.

As to a personal life, I'm doing most of this weekdays when the Y opens at 5:30 am. My wife doesn't move until 7, 9 on days she doesn't work. 26 years of marriage and we still don't have our lives synced

Djproulx

Congrats on your decision to race a triathlon. Sounds like you have a good approach and plenty of time to train before race day. You've also received some great advice above from other triathletes.

I'll add my two cents, and that is: "focus on your weakest discipline" . For example, if you are brand new to swimming, you'd be well served by getting some lessons and starting to learn good swimming form early in the process. Since you do a little running and cycling already, you should be in a great position to complete your first tri by next summer.

Have fun with it, but fair warning: Triathlon can be addicting.

Djproulx

Tweaking_Time wrote: »

Good luck with your training. I personally think your training plan, if you can get it all in, is fine. But I think you will have to scale it back to have any sort of a personal life.

Let me say for the record that a "personal life" outside of triathlon is overrated.

jjpptt2

Djproulx wrote: »

Tweaking_Time wrote: »

Good luck with your training. I personally think your training plan, if you can get it all in, is fine. But I think you will have to scale it back to have any sort of a personal life.

Let me say for the record that a "personal life" outside of triathlon is overrated.

IME, they are mutually exclusive, at least once you get into longer course racing.

wpt31337

You don't need a year to train for a sprint tri. Most people could easily stumble through one with 3 months training. Shoot for a race in April 2018. I'd recommend Tom Holland's book The 12-week Triathlete - full of baseline triathlon knowledge.

Djproulx

jjpptt2 wrote: »

Djproulx wrote: »

Tweaking_Time wrote: »

Good luck with your training. I personally think your training plan, if you can get it all in, is fine. But I think you will have to scale it back to have any sort of a personal life.

Let me say for the record that a "personal life" outside of triathlon is overrated.

IME, they are mutually exclusive, at least once you get into longer course racing.

Agree that can be true, so we've tried to find ways to include spouses and significant others during our high volume training periods. The last two summers we've had a standing Friday night "swim, music and wine" session where several spouses/S.O. join us as kayak support, and others show up after the swim for outdoor music and wine at the country store adjacent to the swim area.

noexcuses0626

Hey! I just finished my first triathlon (Super Sprint) on Saturday and I'm gearing up for more (longer distances) in the future. Mine was 375m swim, 10K bike and 2.5K run. I was most nervous about the swim.
Honestly, I didn't train for it at all and up to the night before I still wasn't 100% I was going to go through with it at all. I rode my bike all summer (usually with my 6 year old on a trail-a-bike), varying distances. I go to a HIIT gym 3 times a week, so my cardio is pretty good, and I have a pool, but I never swam laps and the weather didn't allow for much swimming at all these past few months. And my running was sidelined a few years ago due to a recurring calf tear... So I ran once this summer, maybe 4 km. But then, my mom and daughter decided to come and watch me do a triathlon, so I decided to go through with it.
Anyway, I did it and I didn't finish last! Far from it, actually.
All that to say that, if I had it to do over, I would definitely train harder. Nobody is REALLY good at all three, so I would focus on your weakest sport. Mine is swimming, so today I signed up for swimming lessons to improve my stroke (breast stroke was NOT an efficient way to swim 375m). I also started running on the treadmill so that I can improve my stamina and my speed. Cycling was not the least bit challenging, so I'll keep doing what I was doing and maybe add some distance. Losing a few pounds also wouldn't hurt my performance, so I'll try to do that before next triathlon season as well
So, good luck and most importantly HAVE FUN! It's an incredible feeling when you cross that finish line. I was already thinking about my next tri

DX2JX2

Don't practice what you're already good at. Practice what needs work. If you're like most of us, swimming will be the make or break. I'd get at least two days per week of swimming, more likely 3 if you're a novice swimmer (at the expense of any other training).

Basically, get your swimming chops equal to your running/biking chops and then you can think about balancing your training plan. Even if you're not terribly strong on the bike right now, those skills are easy to build closer to the race for that distance (if you can run 5K regularly you can probably already ride 20K). Swimming is simply the hardest skill to build because it's totally foreign to most of us.