Triathlons

[sw copy-pasta ;(]

Has anyone done any long course Triathlons? I've been thinking of starting to train for an Olympic-caliber triathlon in 2010, 70.3 Ironman in 2011 and the full Ironman in 2012. This is mostly just an extreme mental and, well, "pineappling" hardcore physical challenge that I want to accomplish. Of course, I'm gonna need to get cycling ASAP, since I haven't really done any hardcore biking. Ever. Running will also be intense. Right now, I can go for like 40-45 minutes at a steady ~8:30 mile pace. Just gotta keep up the endurance. And for those of you who are wondering how long each of these triathlons are...

Olympic Triathlon: 1.5 km (.93 mi) swim / 40 km (23.8 mi) bike / 10 km (6.2 mi) run
Half (70.3) Ironman: 1.9 km (1.2 mi) swim / 90 km (56 mi) bike / 21.09 km (13.1 mi) run
Ironman: 3.8 km (2.4 mi) swim / 180 km (112 mi) bike / 42.2 km (26.2 mi) run

And yes, that 42.2 km run is indeed a marathon.

Anyway, I sort of know how to approach this. I'm planning it out now so that once the swimming season is over, I can jump right into running and biking hardcore. Endurance will definitely come first. If you can't go forever, you won't finish. Plain and simple. I think of it as going as far as you can with a good pace, then for the next workout, go farther. Sprint work would come next, next meaning 2-3 months, since I don't wanna be out there in the Ironman for 16 hours (although some do. The pros finish in like 8 hours, while plainfolk like me finish in like 12+ hours). Then I guess a month before my first Triathlon start to taper in volume so I have energy for the real deal. Nutrition is gonna kill me though. I've never been a fan of eating highly nutritious foods like salads and stuff... Just not a fan. ♥ But yeah, protein and carbs after workouts, fiber and stuff everywhere else. I was thinking of getting the JACK LALANNE POWER JUICER. "LOLOLOL???" I know right. But it'll be an easy way for me to cram veggies into my diet. But yeah, after all that, any more advice from people who might have done these types of triathlons in the past? And encouragement is accepted. :]

tl;dr: I'm triathlon training. Advice?

I am actually trying to get into long distance biking, so I was doing a little research on Bike Forums yesterday. You can find a lot of interesting things there, like Green Smoothies. I really want to try one once I can find my damn blender.

That is all the knowledge I can dispense at the moment but I hope it was useful.

I dunno why, but I laughed at the blender full of veggies and fruits. ._.

But thanks! I'll definitely try this. Hope it tastes decent. I might as well get a new blender while I'm at it. Mine sucks. Hard. The blades are like butter knives. :[

I am actually trying to get into long distance biking, so I was doing a little research on Bike Forums yesterday. You can find a lot of interesting things there, like Green Smoothies. I really want to try one once I can find my damn blender.

That is all the knowledge I can dispense at the moment but I hope it was useful.

That smoothie looks delicious. I must try it out sometime.

I am actually trying to get into long distance biking, so I was doing a little research on Bike Forums yesterday. You can find a lot of interesting things there, like Green Smoothies. I really want to try one once I can find my damn blender.

That is all the knowledge I can dispense at the moment but I hope it was useful.

Thanks for that smoothie link, I must try it!

Erm, as for actual advice, I really don't have any to give myself. My fiance ran his very first marathon ever in June with four months of training (he followed a schedule similar to this) and he hadn't really been doing much in terms of exercise before his training. So as long as you are serious about achieving your goal, I'm sure you could do it. He is also planning on doing the Ironman in a few years time, I'll see if he has anything else to add.

On a side note, my fiance also tricked me into running my first half marathon with him in about a month. I'm terrified.

Im a personal trainer and first of you seem to have the will to do it, thats important and you have your first step right, endurance. basically want you want to do is have a periodization program, now you say its in 2010, so assuming that the event is in January(you didn't state) you have 5 months. (not that long when you see how to break it down)

Ok so you have 5 months this is a basic periodization program(assuming its in 5 months)

**Training 3 times a week

Month 1 + 2 (cardio vascular base)
- Day 1 Long short Run (80%)
- Rest Recov day (not counted in training)
- Day 2 Endurance Weights (to fail)
- Rest Recov day
- Day 3 Long Short Run (80%)

Month 3 Intervals (lots of types of interval training basically fartlek)
- Day 1 Interval training (90%)
- Day 2 Endurance Weights
- Rest Recov day
- Day 3 Long Short Run
- Rest Recov day

Month 4 Sports Specific (this is where the swimming and bike riding come in)
-Day 1 bike/swim
-Day 2 bike/swim
ect

Month 5 Taper
the last month you do not want to do heavy exercise or else when you do your event you will feel like pomegranate. at most maybe 2 runs 1 each week then 2 weeks rest recov. (sounds strange i know but best practice is to start the event when your adaption phase it setting in.

that all may seem like lots of no sense making gibberish but i would strongly suggest you get a coach to help you with your training. heres a picture that helped me when i was trying to learn all this a few years back (sorry drawings not my strong point..also 12am here)

 Spoiler

soooo yeah...any questions....feel free to ask

August 2010 ♥ I wanted to give myself a year of preparation time. And since I'm a competitive swimmer from the months of September to March, the above might work out after swimming is over: April 1, perhaps. But a question: Why start biking in the fourth month and not up front? I mean, I'll be in excellent cardiovascular shape when I start running because of the seven months of hardcore swimming I'll be doing. So would I be able to start running and biking right off the bat? Or do you think that would be torture on my legs..

And I'm familiar with tapering as I've been doing it for swimming all throughout high school. Tapering for districts and tapering again, but not as well, for states which are only two weeks after districts. We usually start tapering right after our "hell two and a half" during Christmas Break. We pound out insane yardage.. It's gross.

And when you talk about 'Endurance Weights', is it full body weights or just lower body?

And hell yeah I have the will to do it.

Thanks. :]

-accidental double post-

Anyone have suggestions as to what kind of bike I should get? I've been lurking around the internets, and it seems like Road Bikes are the way to go. In addition to that, I've searched for road bikes online and found a bike called the Cannondale Six 5. It's a decent price (mind you this is gonna be a Christmas gift to me. ) And.. Biking Shoes? wat. They can cost upwards of $350. Any advice on what type of shoe I should get? I guess the type of shoe would sort of depend on the type of bike, too. Whether or not it can clip on and such.

WHY IS BIKING SO CONFUSING?

i put biking in the 4th month because biking is crap, when you think about it, its the easiest part of the event, the main muscles are legs and your working them heaps in your long short runs. when i say endurance wieghts i mean low wieghts high reps can be any part of your body a split porgram would be best but you dont want to bulk up so thats why theres only 1 session a week.

as for biking im not sure what type of bike you should get, i know that the gym that i work at has a triclub maybe you could check out a few around your area. i know boulder in the US has heaps, it helps when you have the support of a few people that have done it all before.

Edit: though this is all well said and done, i dont know you so i cant give you the best advice, for e.g. i find biking easy since i have been doing it all my life, but if you have never done it then you will find it hard ect. it all depends on the person.

-accidental double post-

Anyone have suggestions as to what kind of bike I should get? I've been lurking around the internets, and it seems like Road Bikes are the way to go. In addition to that, I've searched for road bikes online and found a bike called the Cannondale Six 5. It's a decent price (mind you this is gonna be a Christmas gift to me. ) And.. Biking Shoes? wat. They can cost upwards of $350. Any advice on what type of shoe I should get? I guess the type of shoe would sort of depend on the type of bike, too. Whether or not it can clip on and such.

WHY IS BIKING SO CONFUSING?

We'll I'll come to your rescue. So you can get clipless pedals and just run flats. If youre gunna run flats though you wont have as good power all through the crank rotation. Although flats alre alot cheaper. A decent set of flats is 75 bucks cad. Or 100 for a great pair. The thing with flats aswell though is theyre heavier then clipless pedals.

Id sugest that if youre going all out you should get clipless pedals.

And seriously, fu'ck cannondale. Overpriced pieces of pomegranate. And if you want a really good bike suggestion. Go to Pinkbike.com
Go into the forums and go to the road/29er/touring/fixie section.
Check out some threads there. And please for the love of god do not start a new thread there asking what bike you should get. Use the search button.

And get a ROAD BIKE
NOT a RACE BIKE

Race bikes are for people who aren't noobs to the sport. If you get a race bike you'll probs eat pomegranate and you'll feel very uncomfortable.
ALSO LYCRA IS THE WAY OF THE ROAD BIKER. Get lycra or get out.

And if you want me to get specific about pedals get some SPD. Just go to your lbs(local bike shop) and ask them to fit you with some spd shoes and pedals. MAKE SURE ITS A FUCKING LOCAL BIKE SHOP NOT FUCKING SPORT CHECK OR CANADIAN TIRE OR SOME pomegranate.

and my bike suggestions would be
-Specialized Allez
-Giant Defy
-Trek 1 series

And for god sake carry fu'cking spare tubes with you when you ride.

And keep your tires at like 90-110 psi. If your psi is low you have a high rolling resistance. YOU DO NOT WANT HIGH ROLLING RESISTANCE IT SLOWS YOU DOWN.



any more questions just ask.

So, clipless seems like the way to go for more power and stuff. And I'm probably gonna go for the Allez Double / Triple. Is there any real difference between the weights of them? The double is carbon framed, which I'm assuming is lighter, while the Triple is aluminum framed. Does it just work you more or what? I'm probably gonna go down to the 'lbs' and ask, ask, ask away.

Thanks :]

Carbon is lighter and a fuckton more expensive. Aluminum is still light as pomegranate though but ALOT less expensive. The lighter your bike the longer you can go. You cant actually make your bike itself go faster w/o different gears but you can make it easier to go faster and go faster for longer.

Basically go aluminum. The tiny bit of extra weight it has is worth it for teh money you save.

They're both the same price. ;x

$699.95

Yeah, I just checked em. None of them have a carbon frame. Just carbon parts.

Carbon frames are 800+ alone lol.

Oh, I just read carbon in the description. ;[

Oh, I just read carbon in the description. ;[

Yeah the forks are.