Last year after running the Boston marathon I felt down for a couple of weeks. I don't think that my mood was necessarily triggered by lack of endorphins. I think that it was more an issue of the blah I have always experienced after important life events (a big exam, wedding, birth, etc) where there was a lot of build up and the nothing else big on the horizon. Having things planned after Baystate has helped and I had no mood issues. With Boston coming, I feel the need to start thinking about what my after Boston life. My big even after Boston is going to be a half ironman. I am excited about it. It is a very low key race, small, with a very safe swim, and lots of beginner. I am truly excited about changing gears and really starting to train for a triathlons. Although I did a sprint tri last summer, I have never really trained for one, so I have no idea if I am going to like it. This is why I am starting slow. I am not buying an expensive bike. I am not buying a wetsuit. I want to see if the triathlon thing will stick.
OK, so now the questions.
1) Do you know any free training plans for half ironman, whether on line or in a book?
2) Is a heart rate monitor necessary for bike training, and what is its advantage?
3) I find that I can now swim effortlessly if I breath every second stroke (I swam 28 laps like this today, no problem). I do alternate which side I breath on (switch every length). I can swim breathing every 3rd stroke, but I get tired quicker than if I breath every 2nd stroke. I did some reading on this, and found conflicting opinions. What do you think?
4) For those seasoned triathletes, what advice do you have for a newbie?
THANKS!!!
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i don't really have any advice because i am not a triathlete, but i am excited to follow along! chris is training for one in july and i am SO EXCITED for him and to watch him, etc. i googled a bunch of training plans for him and there seem to be a few good ones out there. he is mostly going by team workouts for his though.
i can not give enough praise to the people in my triathlon team-they all have been so helpful and have connected me with different shops and store owners who are so thrilled to help a newbie.
there are a lot of free training programs, i just printed off several before i came to read your blog. just search for them and find something that will work for you. i have learned that is what is most important....it needs to work for you.
my friends that bike do not have heart rate monitors, i don't think they are needed.
you might find a few swim lessons very helpful. i took 5 lessons and learned a ton, as did my seasoned tri friends.
I'm not sure about free plans, I'm sure there are some, but I don't know where.
A heart rate monitor is a good thing to have on the bike. Especially if you'll be riding in hill and wind. A lot of people like to use speed for the bike, but it really means nothing because of hills and wind. It's not a necessity, but it's nice to have especially for someone new to the sport of cycling. After a while, you really get to know your effort levels, much like you have for running.
I think that it's best to get as much oxygen as possible when doing an endurance event, so if you are most comfortable breathing every other stroke, go with it. This is an issue that can be debated over and over, but I've read some interesting articles from people with PhDs in physiology who are also coaches of olympic athletes who suggest this too. The idea is to get out of the water feeling good, not tired. Being comfortable breathing to the other side is very important for sighting, in case of chop, waves etc. Having said that, when i alternate breathing my stroke straightens out and I'm faster, but I get tired easier, so even though I'll do entire workouts alternating breathing, I'd never race that way because it's just not natural feeling to me.
I don't know a thing about tri's nor do I have any anwers to your questions but I think it's very smart of you to be planning for the time following Boston. Very smart! Maybe there are some good books out there too. Good luck!
So much to say I don't even know where to start! ;)
HR monitor is not a must on the bike, but it sure is nice at least at first so you can get a good understanding of how hard you're working. Sometimes you just want to be riding easy and the HR monitor will help you hold back... sometimes you want to go hard and the HR monitor will keep you honest there too. Without it, it's easy and common to allow your easy days to be too moderate/fast and your hard days not fast enough... just like running in that regard.
As for swimming, the last thing you want to do is to put yourself in oxygen debt. So go ahead and practice bilateral breathing some in the pool, but don't force it on yourself. I do not normally bilateral breathe and I do just fine when it comes to the swim. :)
Have fun with your transition to tris!
there are so some great tri's up here, here's the link to the website
http://www.timbermantri.com/index2.html
I so hear you on needing a new venture to look towards after a big event! I'm doing Lavaman tri in Hawaii in ~3 wks, and I'm already trying to gear up for the aftermath mentally;-)
and for tri tips/programs, I was going to say 'hopefully maggs will respond' and she did- I'd take her ideas b/c she ROCKS in the tri world.
I'll take a stab. I don't know of any free training plans but I am sure they are out there. I do not train with a heart rate monitor. I don't think they are necessary but lots will disagree with me. I know my body and can figure out if I'm going hard/not hard enough. I swim every third stroke because I've found it's easier to sight when I'm on the course this way and I find it enables me to keep my balance on my stroke more - breathing seems to disrupt my fluidity. That being said, lots of swimmers, swimmers much better than me, swim every second stroke because they like to get more oxygen. I really think it just comes down to what you are more comfortable doing. As for advice - oh boy. There's so much I've learned the hard way. Nutrition is a big one. Make sure you know what works for your stomach and get calories in on the bike. And, have fun!
I don't know anything about triathlons so I'm not much help here but a friend of mine is doing her first Ironman in St. George this year and has done hundreds of others (she's 26 with 3 kids. Sickening)....here is her blog, which I think you'd enjoy:
www.triathlon-mom.blogspot.com
Have a great weekend!!!
You are right about the post race blues, and typically the bigger the build-up, the bigger the slide down the other side ... unless you already have your mind focussed on something (which you will).
A few thoughts re training for a Half IM.
1. You have three sports to actively train for. (Not one with some others on the side for recovery.) My point here is that you are now trying to get the most out of your efforts in each sport so your mindset needs to be different to that of a single sport athlete. What does that mean?
2. Train your weakness, race your strengths. It will be very tempting (I imagine) to try to focus on your running, cause you are good at it. I have seen (and beaten) many very good runners who were so tired after the swim & bike that they could not "unleash" their run weapon! Training to avoid this will be your key! So what does this training look like?
3. Try - if your life permits (!) - to get in three of each sport per week. Combine bike/run sessions into a "brick" workout occasionally to get used to the feeling of running after a ride.
4. Use your run training as a guide. The FIRST principles work well for tri's. Ie, long day, intervals day, tempo day. You will find this easy to do on your run (duh!) and swim sets can be easily managed like this too. Cycling can be a bit harder to manage the two shorter sessions effectively. They are hard to do (safely) on the road so try a track/velodrome or indoor trainer if you have access to one.
I'm happy to share more thoughts with you ... but only when you've done Boston!
Cheers, Paul :-)
You can create customized swim workouts for free at www.swimplan.com. I think the HR Monitor is important for long distance. But you will need to learn how to monitor yourself and find out what your max. heart rate is on the bike. Yeehaaa.
I know nothing about tri training, so my two cents are probably worth just that. But I would gor the HRM on the bike. Given the newness and intensity of the training, more data on performance and exertion levels can only help. Plus, if it were me, I'd just be facinated with the data.
i am not a triathlete either - but this is very exciting! i know you will do great and i am the same - i need something 'next' to look forward to.
i've googled tri training plans before so i know there is stuff out there. i don't know what is good of course though, as i have no experience.
this will be another exciting journey to follow!
How fun that you're going to go for a Half Ironman! You'll do very well with your super strong running. I could write pages on all those topics you're wondering about. Regarding the free plans, I am sure you can find some. But be careful and be willing to change them to meet your own needs. I believe plans should be written 'in pencil' because we area ll different and have different needs arise week-to-week.
On the swim...Find what makes you comfortable! In open water swimming, I don't think there's any need to try to breath every 2nd or 4th or 3rd. I think it's helpful to be Able to bilateral breath because you might end up with waves on one side, or a lot of people splashing in your face and you might Need to turn the other way. So it's important to be comfortable with that. But in distance swimming, breath when you want to and keep a steady rhythm.
HR Monitor for bike: it's helpful. Just like the others said. There are times when you think you're going easy but your HR is too high and vice versa. That said, a lot of factors influence HR so you need to be smart about analyzing it with a grain of salt.
As far as tips for a New Triathlete....there are many. I agree w/ Beth...practice nutrition. Especially for a 70.3. It's key.
Practice running off the bike. You'lllearn to love it.
Practice and ask about setting up transition areas. Keep it simple. You'll be flustered coming out of the water and the less you have to see/choose from the better!
Get Psyched for Boston!!!!!!!!
I knew you would have alot of people chirping in on their thoughts and i am not going to read them all so i can give you my thoughts:) repeating is likely!
1) Swim...i would breathe when it feels right. In a lake you may have sun or people smacking you on one side or you may just need to sight more to one side. That being said...work on that in the pool as well. Head out of water, get used to that doggy stroke. its hard!
and of course get to OW as soon as you can to practice not following a lane line.
2) Bike HR monitor. I think it helps to make sure you dont blow up on a HIM, for a shorter race i wouldnt even wear one. your HR zones for the bike will be different for the run so just keep that in mind.
3) Run off the bike. practice this a bit. And also practice eating drinking whatver on the bike bc you dont want to depend on loading up on the run. You need to be well fueled to run that Half Mary and not get off the bike depleted.
I did my first HIM last summer. It was a blast, I loved it. I felt super prepared and i think that the fueling part was what got me to the finish strong. Tired, but strong. AS for training programs I am not sure. Steve in a speedo talks about a site called Beginner Triathlete. I am not sure what that is.
Yea! Good for you!!!
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