My first triathlon.........in 15 months time

HiekelEssterol · May 2015

Yes 15 months is a long time but I want to lose 150lbs+ in that time.

I'm going to take part in an Olympic distance triathlon. The swim, I have swam that distance before, albeit slowly. I'm not swimming at the moment though. The 40km cycle, I'm currently cycling 6.5km at a pace of around 24kmph. Is this a decent target, or should I be looking at a faster pace than that? The run, I'm not running as yet. I'm walking, 2.5km at 5kmph.

I'm banking on the fact that I have plenty of time both to lose the weight and to sort my pace out.

If anyone had any input regarding pace, loading weight to take part or anything else I would be really interested.

Thanks

ea15792 · May 2015

The best way to up your pace is to run more and lose weight. My pace didn't really start to improve in races until I started running upwards of 20 miles a week. I would work on being able to run 3 miles without stopping first, and then add one run a week where you run a little longer (gradually increasing the distance). Lots of easy slow miles will probably be your best bet to increase your running pace. I'm not a swimmer or biker so I don't know about those things, but it wouldn't surprise me if adding more miles to those would help those paces as well. Losing weight helped me a lot (I went from a 12 minute mile to an 8 minute mile after running more and dropping 50lbs).

ironmankat · May 2015

I'm answering a question you didn't ask, but I bet you will be ready to race before you lose 150 lbs and that will motivate you even more. You might find that halfway there you can do it. Weight doesn't put you at much of a disadvantage on the bike. And triathlon is a great equalizer on the run because small fit people have to shuffle too! Once you get running if you can include a lot of 'brick' (bike/run) workouts you'll be ready to go. Even if it's just jogging a quarter mile after your bike ride you'll be stronger than lots of competitors. You've got a great goal but don't be surprised if you surpass it!!!

dmkoenig · May 2015

First off, congrats on your goal of dropping significant weight, and your long term plan to complete an Olympic Tri. My general feedback is it is way too early to even think about pace; given that you expect to make a major change in your body, whatever numbers you come up with are going to be sheer conjecture at this time. Right now your focus should be solely on your weight loss journey. On the exercise front, walking is a great way to develop fitness and losing weight with minimal risk of injury. Given your current weight situation, trying to introduce running in any significant way at this time is going to be a risky proposition. Running puts significant stress on the muscular-skeletal system, so introduce running into your training very slowly - and make sure you have a good pair of structure/stability running shoes that won't break down.

The other thing I would recommend is considering one or more intermediate racing goals prior to your Olympic, especially a shorter triathlon like a Sprint or a My First Tri event. Aside from having lower fitness requirements, there are a lot of logistical challenges and other considerations (like the apprehension of your first open water swim) which are good to explore in a shorter event. It will also help keep you motivated and your training on track if something is coming up in the near term.

mwyvr · May 2015

Setting a goal is great, congratulations. Is it doable? Yes! Qualifier? Yes as long as you don't have any serious health issues other than weight, and are very self-motivated which I'm guessing you are given your goal! IMO key to reaching your objective will be avoiding progress impeding injury.

Properly motivated and taking on your training smartly from the start - the weight loss can be done. For some context, in September 2014 I weighed in at over 115kg (> 255lbs). I started running that month... slow and fairly disheartening for me as I used to be a distance runner and it was hard to think of old-me and reconcile that with then-me and all the work that lay ahead.

But I never lost belief that I would make progress. I'm now down to 88ish kg (195) and most of that is thanks to simply jacking up my activity level. My diet wasn't particularly unhealthy before, but my calorie intake often was simply inappropriate for a less active me.

With a close eye now on calories in and out, and continuing to ramp up my running (and time on my bike) I expect to be at my goal weight by this September (another 17kg to go), meeting my birthday 2014 promise to myself.

I set lots of small objectives for myself along the way rather than huge ones, and I'm far from done yet. Along the way I've been doing a fair amount of reading and podcast listening to get in touch with current thinking on training. As a serious sports injury marked the start of my weight gain ~9 years ago, I'm very concerned about avoiding progress-impeding injury myself.

Currently I'm running 35 - 55km a week, trending higher, taking rest days, mixing it up, and so far injury free and planning on keeping it that way.

Good luck on your journey! Keep us all posted!

LKArgh · May 2015

According to your ticker you have a total of 260 lbs or so to lose. So, to be honest, at this point, I would focus on diet, increasing endurance, and not setting any goals at all regarding performance. And talk to your dr, especially before you start running. The last thing you want is an injury setting you back several months, so take it easy and listen to your body

HiekelEssterol · May 2015

Thanks for all the responses. At the moment I'm taking it real easy. I won't run on the treadmill at all. I simply don't feel comfortable on them, so they are for walk only. At the moment I plan on open air walking maybe once per week and that is where I will bring running into it, even if it's only 50m to syst off with.

With the bike I've found a real rhythm now. I know my preferred seat height and rpm so well keep adding a little bit more distance once per week to that.

I've spent some time on the British triathlon website and seen that there are lots of GoTri events all over the country specially for beginners, so I will be making great use of them as I progress.

Thanks again for your time.

My first triathlon.........in 15 months time

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