Smokehouse

Ok, so here's the stats:

June '16
400m swim (outdoor pool)
25K ride (flat, 115' elevation change)
5K run (road, flat, 55' elevation change)

38 year old male, 175 lbs, 6' tall...no major medical issues. Joined a nice locak complex that has a full indoor track, and great swimming area.

Swimming. Used to swim a ton...and talking about lap swimming here, not "with my friends at the pool" swimming. I haven't swam laps in a very long time (over 10 years) and just started again last week. I'm going to have to get my sea legs again...but I'm pretty confident that in time, 400m shouldn't pose any real problems for me.

Cycling, at this point I consider myself a mildly seasoned cyclist. I normally ride 2000-2500 miles a year, have no problems doing 100K rides. So, with that, I strongly doubt the 25K ride will be an issue. I have a Specialized Tarmac that is no way optimized for Tri...but with a 15 mile ride, I don't expect this to be an issue.

Running. Crap...this is where I am absolutely abysmal...and I mean abysmal. I have some goofy feet issues (flat feet, pronation, you should see how my cycling shoes are set up, LOL.) I began running a few months ago. Leg, feet, knee problems have made my runs patchy at best.

I'm obviously going to have to invest in some good shoes soon. A 1 mile run for me is often at a 10'ish min/mile...not good. On top of that, my HR just skyrockets when I do this, often I'm in the 170-180bpm range. Way too high in my opinion...but for some reason it just kills me running. I'll wrap up a single 10 min mile with my HR at 182 and so damn out of breath I feel like I can barely finish a cool down walk. (I did do a 2 mile run, but it was at a pathetic 13.xx min/mile pace.)

This issue has me very frustrated, but before I look too much into that data...I'm going to spend some time running an indoor track this winter. If I'm still hitting this wall come Jan/Feb, it may pose a major problem, who knows. For now, I may overlook it.


Training plan:
I'm going to use this plan here:
"Original Sprint" 13 Week

I know we're much far farther out then 13 weeks, so I may actually do this program twice. And I plan on riding more that what they say (in terms of trainer duration).

Any advice, tips, thoughts would be welcome, especially is there is any tips on running...which seems to be killing me at this point.

Lastly...Garmin. I'd like to buy a unit for this so I can track my training efforts. Looking at this one here:

https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Forerun...ct_top?ie=UTF8

I currently have a 500 on my bike and it has yet to fail me, sadly, it won't do for this purpose.

Gear? Save some running shoes and a nice set of tri-shorts...I think I'm set. As always, any advice is welcome.

OldTryGuy

You have PLENTY of time so don't sweat it. I began swimming in March 2012 and had my first Sprint that July just 1 week after my 62nd birthday. My swim was/is sloooooooow. The biking was easy since that is my joy. The 5K was also slooooow because I can only walk, bad knees. Out of 9, I finished 6th but had so much fun I did another sprint in September and then registered for a full Ironman in November.

GOOD LUCK and ENJOY!!!

WebFootFreak

OTG is spot-on.

I would suggest getting your hands on the shoes and tri-shorts asap. The shoes to try to limit the issues you're dealing with, and I'd suggest riding with the tr-shorts very soon as well. Since you ride 2K+/year I'm assuming you're using biking shorts. Since the chamois in tri-shorts is that much thinner, your sit bones are not going to like you for the first few rides. You've got time, I would consider putting the 13 week plan on hold. Given your swim and bike history, there's no real worries there. As far as the run, I would suggest a c25k to ease yourself into it. Blowing up your heart rate for a 10min mile and having nothing left for the remaining miles is counter-productive. Save blowing your heart up for the intervals that come later

dpd3672

Good shoes are important, they can address a lot of the issues you mention. I'd get those as soon as possible, go to a good running shop and have them analyze your running and get the right pair for you.

If running is a struggle, I'd recommend getting one of the many free (couch to 5k) apps. Quite a few friends of mine had great success using apps like that to get started. It'll take what you have and build on it gradually, avoiding injury and overdoing it.

Smokehouse

Just thought I'd pop in here to post some positive results.


First off, went and got an evaluation at a local running store. The customer service, time they took with me, and their level of knowledge was outstanding. I wish I had a local cycling place like that...it would have saved me a good amount of pain having to learn on my own. Landed up with a pair of Saucony Guide 8 shoes...great fit, super comfortable.


Began my "training" yesterday and truth be told, I'm pleased with the results. For the moment I'm going to stick with the "complete not compete" plan and just get some time in. I ran 1.5 miles total with a .25 warm up, 1 mile run, .25 cool down. Didn't pay attention to time, did monitor HR. Did a nice pace on an indoor track and managed a solid run in the high 160's HR wise. Definitely not where I want to be...but better than before.


Cleaned up, went for a swim. Did my best to us what freestyle form I remember from over 20 years ago. Swam 7x 25yd laps in the pool. Again, baby steps.


The session left me feeling good...no real pain issues, the run went smooth...very positive about all of this.

OldTryGuy

I am happy to read this! The future is looking good, just take things a little slower even when the body/mind says you can push it because right now it is all about building a great base.

A podium finish awaits.

richietables 

As stated above, shoes are important! A good running store will set you up.... Just shuffle along at first and you'll get moving! If you go too hard at first (in any of the three) you'll either injure yourself or just plain start to hate it! Go for it!

xjustice09x

I started doing tri's last season. I started with super sprints and sprints. recent years I had done mostly cycling. I was a competitive swimmer for over 10 years until I graduated high school. I am also not great at running.

Many triathletes are not what I would consider great swimmers. People like me with a swimming background are at a huge advantage for the first leg of the race. I didnt really start swimming again until about 2 months before my first tri this year (my second tri season). Since you are starting training now you will probably do just fine.

It sounds like you are a decent cyclist. Especially with the shorter distances its easy to overdo it and push too hard on the bike. I train and race with a power meter so I race my sprints at my FTP or slightly higher, that way I still have something left for the run. If you decide to work your way up to longer distances pacing becomes even more important.

I really dread running. Thats the only leg that is holding me back from doing a full ironman distance race. Think about joining a running club, or take some kind of running clinic to get some help with your running technique. I signed up for a running clinic a few months ago it has helped me switch to more of a midfoot strike with shorter quicker strides than my natural heel strike and longer strides. You already have good shoes which can be a huge help.

For tracking my training i use a Suunto Ambit2S. Many people seem to like the garmin watches. On the bike My garmin 500 has been great for the past few years.

You never know and may surprise yourself with your performance. I went into my first tri just looking to finish. One of my coworkers who was also doing their first tri and I ended up on the podium in our age groups. It was a super sprint though which which had less participants and was less competitive than the sprint.

On race day ignore what everybody else is doing and race your own race. And most importantly have fun.