Swimmer to Triathlete by May?

paulksnn

Vitals as of 25/1/08
Male
6'1" tall
14st 12
Age 30

Goals:
1. Get fit enough to do a triathlon (Joey Hannon in UL start of May)
2. Lose some weight

I'm a fairly good swimmer (can do 80 lengths in a 45 min session in a pool).
Used to cycle a lot in Dublin - in and out of work, to swimming - 6 years ago.
Last ran a 10 k about 12 years ago - gave up because of my knees(cartilage).

paulksnn

Started at the gym 2-3 weeks ago, and figured I better start tracking how I'm doing.
First couple of weeks, I was cycling or running for half an hour, then both in an hour.
Have gotten up to 45-50 minutes of each now, so during the week I'm doing
run,cycle,swim,run, cycle. (All in the gym)

First run on the road on tue. night, did about 4 miles in maybe 40 mins. (I really need to start timing these things).
My bike arrived on wed., so will be able to do the cycling during more than lunchtime, as soon as I tune the gears and get a pump to pump up the wheels. I probably need lights as well.

paulksnn

Lunchtime run -
10k in 45.56.
Started out at 13.5kph, at level 2. Had to slow down for a couple of minutes to 12.6kph.
About 3/4 of the 10k completed at level 2.

Planet X

Paul, buy a track pump for cycling. You'll never get the tyre pressures up with a standard pump. About 30 euros or so. Well worth it. You'll whip the tyres up to 110 / 120psi in a jiffy. Very important to get the pressure up.

paulksnn

Thanks planetx. I'm already after picking up a pump already though - darn it. I presume a track pump is the same as a foot pump?
Foot pump left the tyres so floppy, was forced to go out and get a track pump.
60psi -> 120 psi, made a huge difference, strangely enough

paulksnn

Was up and down a ladder most of the day saturday.
Between that and the run Friday, I've ended up witha bad case of shin splints.
I'll be heading to Cork in a couple of weeks, so I'll make it my business to get to John Buckleys and get proper trainers.

Gym Lunchtime today-
Cycling machine 2 (they all seem to be configured differently)
55mins 24k.
Pushed hard to keep the cadence up around 88-90.
Also worked hard on using the upward motion as well, completing the circular effort, as oppposed to the down effort.
Averaged 25kph. A bit disappointed, but the machine seems to require more energy than machine 1(the normal cycling machine I use)

cunnins4

Paul, fair play for being able to stick a static bike or treadmill for longer than 5 mins! I can't! I've found them a bit unrealistic compared to running on the road and cycling likewise though, and far too boring.

At this stage, try to concentrate more on building up the distance rather than beating times. It's an olympic tri you're gonna do yeah? Try to get the 40k mark on the bike, then try to get to 50 and maybe draw the line at 55-60k. Your base'll be decent at that stage, then start looking at the stop watch.

I'm finishing my exams this week so next week I'm gonna be kicking off my training for the Dublin City Tri in August. I'm gonna start a log too. I come from a running and cycling background, but swim like a brick, so I'll be focusing on that.

Good luck with it, and keep us up to date!

paulksnn

14st8lb(I'm not sure the scales are accurate)
Running machine on level 2 for 5.5km. 1 km at 13kph, 14kph, 13kph.
7km in 36'21".

Tried a different pair of runners - disaster. Left foot now has a blister on the arch.
Ran through the pain in my shins - hopefully it'll go ease off. Definitely back to the other trainers for the next run.

Dissapointed by my progress altogether.

Thanks for the encouragement cunnins.
Mp3 player is a must for a gym.
At the moment though, the gym is a necessity.
Until the evenings get a bit brighter, cycling and jogging on country roads is still a bit dangerous.

BossArky

paulksnn wrote: »

Tried a different pair of runners - disaster. Left foot now has a blister on the arch.
Ran through the pain in my shins - hopefully it'll go ease off. Definitely back to the other trainers for the next run.

Do you wear thick socks when running? I try to wear thick hiking ones, or football ones. If I'm stuck I'll put on two ordinary sets. It may not prevent all blisters, but helps a bit.

Good luck for the triathlon season. I'll be doing a few too so keen to see how you get on!

paulksnn

BossArky wrote: »

Do you wear thick socks when running? I try to wear thick hiking ones, or football ones. If I'm stuck I'll put on two ordinary sets. It may not prevent all blisters, but helps a bit.

Good luck for the triathlon season. I'll be doing a few too so keen to see how you get on!

I do wear thick socks.
I think I'm used to wearing the other runners more casually, so normally a bit looser, which I think is where the problem sorted. I didn't lace them up tight enough.
Yes, I am an idiot.

paulksnn

14st 12 this morning. There's no way I gained 4lbs in a day(always taken first thing in the morning). Feckin' scales.
No time at lunchtime to train, but left work a bit early, took the bike out for it's inaugural spin and learned a couple of things.
51mins - 20.4km - 24kph average.
1. I need mudguards - it's wet out there.
2. Need to tighten both brakes!
3. Country roads are bloody rough.
4. I need kryptonite headlights to be able to see where I'm going in the dark.

My hands also got quite tired riding more vertically with hands where I can change gears up and down.
At least I got out on the road. Didn't mind the rain and the wind too much, but it did slow me down. I'll also have to find a solution to rain laden glasses - visibility dies a death. I'll have to find those contacts that got lost in the move.

Racing Flat

paulksnn wrote: »

Left foot now has a blister on the arch.

Get blister block socks (double layered soles on the socks). Can get them cheap in Marks and Spencers, or a little more pricey for the 'brands' e.g. 1000mile socks, in sports shops such as Elverys, Mick Dowlings Sportsworld, John Buckleys, runways.ie

Oh the comfort...

hunnymonster

The double layer socks are the only ones that give me blisters. certainly worth a try but they don't suit everyone.

paulksnn

Dear god.
I knew my knees were getting sorer. I presumed it's from the cycling and the running.
This morning, I do feel I have the knees of an eighty year old.
Stiff and sore.
I'd hate to think I might have to take it easy already. I'll have to see how it goes, but my history of knee problems seems to be coming back

12st 10
1500 m swim in 35 minutes with 3 45 second breaks.
About normal.

paulksnn

Not feeling as bad today.
Decided to take it a bit easier and run through these shin splints and sore knees.
Run(treadmill): 10km @12.7kph - 48 mins.
Completed relatively painlessly. I must be more gradual in my increases.

paulksnn

2/1/08 Rest day
3/1/08 Cycle: outside -26.84 km 59min Avg speed:27.2 kph
Ended up raising the saddle an inch and a half - My knees felt a huge difference.
I concentrated on keeping the cadence up, rather than on maintaining a speed.
Hopefully, I'll improve slowly and still be able to work

paulksnn

4/1/08 Run: Treadmill - 11km 51 min Avg Speed 13.2kph.
14st 10
Changing the bike saddle yesterday has made my knees feel infintely better today. That or going more for cadence.
Eating @ 11.15am seems to help as well. Some fruit or sardines.
Not much progress is being made on the weight front.
I do find that strange, given that i'm burning 600 - 1000 cals every weekday when I train.

paulksnn

5/1/08 - Very Tired - No Training
6/1/08 - Still tired
Swim 1500m 36 mins.
Hope to cycle tomorrow at lunchtime as well as go for a short run in the evening. I need to build up the amount of time I spend out there.

paulksnn

7/1/08
Cycle:Gym - 22.5km in 50 mins. Avg. 27kph.
No much improvement on the cycle last sunday - but I'm out there doing it. This week has been very poor really.
Hope to run for half an hour this evening as well.

Got for a half an hour run as well.
Not sure of the distance.
Had to slow to a walk twice for about 30 seconds to a minute.
Happy enough to have been out twice in one day though.

I'm not too worried about the lack of weight loss, but I suppose I should look more closely at my diet.
I was reading that using more of the gym equipment to generate more muscle and burn more calories is the thing to do.
I really don't know though, how this will affect the training for a triathlon

No chance to do any work tomorrow

paulksnn

8/1/08 Swim : Endurance Session in the pool.
1750m in 40 mins.
Next swim session should really be a speed session.
I followed the links on limerick triathlon's page to find the result of last years joey hannon.
Fastest swim for those results was 10 mins and the slowest 30 !!!!
I can only assume the link was to the wrong set of results. If they're not - God help me.

interested

paulksnn wrote: »

8/1/08 Swim : Endurance Session in the pool.
1750m in 40 mins.
Next swim session should really be a speed session.
I followed the links on limerick triathlon's page to find the result of last years joey hannon.
Fastest swim for those results was 10 mins and the slowest 30 !!!!
I can only assume the link was to the wrong set of results. If they're not - God help me.

Hey Chief
Not sure if its a primary concern of yours but notice you're keeping a log of your weight - if the plan is to drop a little / a lot - my advice would be to purchase a HR monitor - training at 60-70% of your max HR, moving between cardio machines in the gym and later to out door runs or bike spins works a treat in shedding the pounds. Also, weight can fluctuate a bit based on fluid.
Went through similar experience last year myself - the speed and fine tuning came towards the end - I spent the first 16 weeks doing long, 60/70% sessions.

Enjoy

paulksnn

Hey Interested,
Thanks for the advice. The machines in the gym have those HR monitor things and normally put me at about 140-145 bpm. I remember seeing a calculation before that said I should be working at around 140, so I thought I was doing right(based on age - http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/library/activity/thr.htm).

9/1/08 : Run Outdoors 1 hour - (6.5 miles approx)
Boy did my calf muscles really know about that one. Don't know the distance -just around the old homestead in Cork.

10/1/08 Run Outdoors 1 hour (5.5 miles approx)
The same route as yesterday(didn't have a bike and gym wasn't a option, so had to do a run!).
Only got about three quarters of the distance yesterday. I think I need to stop running on a treadmill and do more outdoors. My legs really notice the difference.
It's probably just different gradients, but I need to do this.
It was also about 9 o'clock before I got out, so tiredness could be an issue.
I had to slow down to a walk a couple of times, but tried not to stop.
The calf muscles were very sore. 2 runs in 2 days I think was the problem, as I've been alternating the running and the cylcing.
I'll try and use google maps and figure out the distances later today(done - 6.5 and 5.5 miles approx).

paulksnn

Disaster - The outside of my right knee is very sore.
I considered going for a swim and decided against it. I was going to walk to the shop for a sandwhich, and my knee was hurting.
I've done some googling and it looks like I might have Iliotibial band syndrome :mad:

Does anyone know how long I'll need to rest this sort of thing for <shakes head>

BossArky

This may not be relevant...

I used to get a sore right knee from lots of long distance cycling.

I guess it was in my right knee because I am right side dominant and was putting more of my right quad into the cycling. Try some hamstring exercises to even out the muscle imbalance.

Since I have started stiff leg deadlifting I don't get this right knee ache anymore.

paulksnn

thanks for the info boss - Hopefully the exercises willl help when this injury gets rested. Its not a muscular pain. That I can put up with.
Actually, the muscles of both legs feel surpisingly good considering I did 2 days running in a row.

paulksnn

11/2, 12/2 - Nothing. I rested my knee and did some soft stretching of the leg.
13/2 - Swim 1km It really is all going wrong.
On top of the knee thing, which no longer hurts when I walk, but twinges when I'm going down hill alright, I've caught my daughters cold and now have a head full of cotton wool.
I really did feel drained while swimming - but at least I did something. I was going stir crazy at home. I can't remember what I used to do with the extra time.

Anyway, I'm going to try an easy cycle in the gym tomorrow. Hopefully that won't do any more damage to the knee. I'll have to wait and see.

cunnins4

Just get some rest man. Listen to your body, it seems to be saying no for now. Just chill a little longer.

paulksnn

14/2 - Cycle - 18kms in 40 mins - Averaging about 27kph.
I didn't want to risk a run today, and it doesn't look like I'll have a chance tomorrow.
Went for a walk with my daughter last night, and didn't get any twinges, so thought I'd at least try the cycle in the gym today.
Pleased enough to have gotten the exercise and not done any damage.
Hopefully with the enforced break tomorrow- I can do a short run on Saturday.

paulksnn

15/2 - Nothing
16/2 - Cycle Outdoors - 20kms in 48 mins
I was planning on being out a half an hour longer, but my knee has started twinging again.
*&^ D(*&£&^^""*!
17/2 Walking on the beach today, definitely knew I shouldn't have cycled yesterday.
Okay, an enforced week off it is. I had no reaction to swimming last wednesday, so I might just do that for the week. I'll keep an eye on it though.

paulksnn

18/2 Swimming 1k Frontcrawl
Decided to try and do a bit more sprinting
250m warmup
50m@45s +30s rest X 5
25m slow + 25m fast (60s) +30s rest X5
250m Medium pace.

My average pace really does seem to have improved. I'll try for the 2k endurance tomorrow.

19/2 Swim, 1.5km 30 mins approx.
I felt fairly strong doing this swim. The sprints do seem to make a difference. Unfortunately I didn't have the extra 10 minutes required to finish the 2km.

paulksnn

20/2 Sprints
50m@45s +30s rest X 5
25m slow + 25m fast (50s) +30s rest X5
50m slow 50mfast, 50m slow 50m fast 50m slow
250m warmdown

21/2 - 2 kms in 40 mins(no stops) - 1.75km frontcrawl - 250m medley warmdown
Haven't swum 2kms in a session in long time.

The sprints are definitely doing something - Muscles I never knew I had in my shoulders are complaining :-)

I found a link from the VHI for triathlon training, I thought I'd post and maybe think about following it. http://www.vhi.ie/hfiles/hf-707.jsp
I haven't decided yet. I'm a bit concerned that the most you do in a practice cycle is 18km.
The idea of doing 2, if not 3 of the exercises at the weekend I need to do though.