outashape

One foot and then another. I have a treadmill and last year tried to jog for 1-2 miles every so often. How do I start? Should I start with 1/2 mile and then fast walk? Do I just jump in and start with a base of 1 mile? Should I walk or jog everyday? How about running? Should I sprint 2 or 3 tenths each jog? When my legs hurt, do you just keep going? I know with cycling, (about 4-6000 miles a year) the first hills each year are difficult, and the first 5 miles in the winter are hard. Do I jog first, or start with running?

Next set of questions? Should I take swim lessons to learn the right technique. I have a membership at Bally's. I've tried to take lessons at the "Y" a couple of years ago. It was just basic swimming. Are there classes like at community colleges or do you need private lessons?

Should I concentrate on either running or swimming and when I get some sort of base, then add the other discipline?

I should probably get a book huh?

heresy

Run at an easy pace for five or ten minutes, then walk for a couple minutes, and repeat. If you can handle running longer, then great. Just don't be too aggressive at first. I would guess 30 minutes at a time is good to start. Every other day is more than enough to start. You should increase the duration gradually. The general rule is to increase your mileage no more than 10% per week.

As a side note: don't say "jog." Joggers were guys in nylon suits back in the 70s. Today people run, albeit some are slower than others.

I would not entertain the thought of any "fast" running for at least several weeks (six to eight). By fast running, I mean no threshold runs or track workouts. Starting speed work too early in your training will only: 1) hurt you; and 2) make you hate running. It will be hard to train for (let alone complete) a triathlon if you hate running.

As for swimming, take some classes if they are offered near by. There are probably a couple colleges or swim and tennis clubs that offer master's classes. That will get you into swimming shape pretty quick. If your gym offers classes, take them (afterall, you do pay for it). If you are unsure where to go, seek out a local triathlon club and ask those guys where they swim.

travis200

To start off running it really depends on your fitness level. Since you bike alot I would say you are in good fitness. Try to run 3-5 minutes then walk an equal amount. Try this 2-3 times a week for about 20-30 minutes. The second week run the same but drop the walking to say half the run time or more or less depending on how you feel. Stay with that until you can run further and walk less keep increasing the run and decreasing the walk. After a few weeks you will be running and no walking. Go slow take your time in the begining stages cause you are building up all those muscles you don't use like your shins. Shin splints hurt so get a good pair of shoes from a respectable running store not Foot Locker or those types of stores with "lastest cool looking" shoes!

For swimming do like above and search out masters swimming in your area,they are usually held mornings and evenings at high schools or local pools. Some of these have organized swim lessons some don't so look around.

deliriou5

don't let running discourage you in the beginning. when i first started running 2 years ago, i couldn't even run 1 mile without stopping. running on the track made it easier to get started for me - but this varies from person to person.

i agree with the thing about getting properly fitted shoes - it's just as important as getting a properly fitting bike! walmart is to bikes what foot locker is to running shoes! i have really messed up knees, and i really think a large part of that has to do with having run in bad shoes. when i went to the doc about my knees, getting proper shoes was at the top of his list of things for me to do.

oh yeah and before you read anything i wrote - there's no distinction between jogging and running - even if you're running REALLY slow in a marathon, it's still considered running, not jogging. don't worry about speed. in fact, most of the "running" you see in triathlon is what you would probably consider "jogging" at all but the most elite levels of triathlon.

finally, go to https://www.runnersworld.com . It has a wealth of info on running, and is sure to get you psyched up about the sport. It worked for me!!

outashape

Thanks so much for the info. With daylight shortening, I know the cycling season here in Michigan will be slowing down by November. I'd like to be at a level where I'm either running or swimming at some type of endurance. Now don't laugh, I ran 2/10 of a mile and walked the other 8/10. I did roller skate real hard for two hours. Tomorrow I plan on a 50-70 mile bicycle ride and the new program of running. There is a Runner's World store in one of the strip malls, I'll stop by tomorrow and get some shoes.

One more question. Should I wait till after cycling season to add the swimming? I do cycle all winter, dropping mileage from 100-300 miles a week to 30-100 miles. I'm going to go check out the website. Thanks again.

travis200

I would add 1 day a week in for swimming to start off with. If it is possible you can swim in the morning like 6am then do an afternoon/evening workout like a recovery ride after work.

RiPHRaPH

run just to move. i started out super slow. i only run once a week, but notice big differences in the muscles quickly. after one month (5 runs) i was running 4.5 miles in 40 minutes. now i run for one hour. i don't care how long i go. my aim is to train the muscles and not get hurt by running too quickly.

heresy

Everyone has offered you good advice. Just try to remember that running is an acquired taste, so it takes a little getting used to. The initial general discomfort passes quickly.

I completely forgot to mention the part about getting a good fit on your shoes (I should know better; I worked at a running store for a few years during grad school). That will make all the difference in the world. Make sure you try on a few brands and styles. Remember that the best running shoe made is the one that is most comfortable to you.

Ajay213

This thread has been interesting to me as I've been thinking about doing an upcoming Tri, it would be a 3mi run, 10mi Bike and 1,000ft swim (the swim part is in a pool designed as a tube ride, about 4ft deep all the way around it). The event is in the tail end of Sept.

I'm not worried about the bike or swim part, but the run part scares me quite a bit. Which is wierd, I can hop on my bike and ride at my AT for 40 minutes (pushing around 200w) and it will barely phase me. Get me to run 200ft and I feel like I've never done it before. So the run will be about a hair faster than a walking pace I think. Any other tips to get a little more conditioned for it?

This caught my eye, but I'm curious about your conditioning before you started. I can easily work in one or two runs a week without much problem, and being able to cover a mile in just under 10 minutes wouldn't put me on the leaders board, but it also means I wouldn't finish dead last.

Andrew

RiPHRaPH

i ride fast on tuesdays and thursdays (20+mph) with tempo on wednesdays and easy on fridays. saturday is a ride or run depending on my schedule. ride long (50+ miles on sunday) with off day on mondays.

so with a little over 2000 miles of riding in on aug 6th, i only run on either saturday or mondays. i started in mid june. my first three runs my legs were burning for days (days!!!) afterwards, but never effected my riding. i can only run with music. i concentrate on running lightly (nice heel strike) i had to convince myself that running was fun. (i'm still not too sure of it) but i find that one hour is fine. now i do a little speedplay, but am always being careful not to get out of my rhythm or push myself enough to get shin splints. i had nike air's from a few years back. my fitness is excellent and i can run without my heartrate going above 140. but my legs just won't let me do anything faster than 9.25's to 9.50's.... mostly my pace is 10's (10 minute mile)

my tri is in 5 weeks and am going to give it a try. my swim is weak (nowhere for me to practice) but my ride strong and running a 10k is shaky, but if i do it then i will enjoy the moment and forget the time involved.

Ajay213

I found what looks to be a pretty good training program for a newbie runner, basically run a couple minutes - walk a minute then repeat it for 20-30 minutes. Do that twice a week, and every week add more time to the run while keeping the same walk time (ie 3min run - 1min walk, 5min run - 1min walk, etc) until you get to the point you are running the whole time. I'll have to adjust it to my own fitness level but it looks good. Thoughts?

The tri in Sept (only 5 weeks away) is 3mi run, 9.8mi bike, 1000ft swim. My swim is REAL strong, my biking is good (my endurance is fine but I still need more speed) and my run is probably going to be no more than a walk.

I've set the lofty goal of just finishing the event and have every expectation of finishing dead last from looking at the times of past events (the top guys are running 5 min miles! But they aren't as fast on the bike). From there I'll work on the event in Nov (gotta love living in the tropics) which has a longer bike and swim section and a shorter run.

Andrew

cindy

Congrats Ajay!

You will be surprised just how addictive Tris become. You are well on your way. Oh, and I bet you won't be last either! It seems like every person I talk to that does Tris always worries about that for their first Tri (or any Tri that they do that is significantly longer than the one they have already done). Many different levels of people do Tris--- last Sprint Tri I did a 91 year old man came in last-- but I tell you what-- the guy finished.

Soon you too will refer to yourself as a triathlete! Many dream, imagine and even contemplate the possibility-- some prepare for the "one day" event-- few actually do it. So if you do it-- regardless of time-- you are in the minority. It isn't about the time you post on any results board--it's about the time you had on your journey to the finish line. Enjoy yourself, you never get to re-experience your first Tri.

DanFromDetroit

This Couch to 5K program has worked for many folks. The forums at the WWW site are not bad either.

Dan

Castanza

Everyone has given you great input. The only thing that I would add & re-empasize is the importance of finding the right shoes. Some folks tend to pronate roll in, and some excessively, so for those people they need an anti pronation shoe.

My advice, is go to a running store or a store that sells exclusive triatholon/cycling/running apparel. These folks can look at the way your shoes wear, and advise you on different shoes that may be better for you. I have found that a lot of the sales people at footlocker don't really know what a good running shoe is for you. Although once you figure out what you need, you may find a good buy there.

Another point, find a soft surface to run on. Tracks are okay in the beginning, but tend to get boring afterwhile. Also its not good on your hips, especially if you run on the inside track. When you do run on a track, running easy, change up the direction you are running every so often.

Than as your legs get used to the pounding, start introducing harder surfaces, like asphalt. Stay away from concrete as much as possible.

It sounds like cardio wise you are ready, you just gotta get your bones/tendons/ligaments use to the pounding. So just remember this, cause I bet that you probably can move pretty good. Good Luck, and if you have patience, you will do well.

outashape

I tried the run 5 min (slow) walk 3 min for a total of 20 min of running. I wanted to do more but after reading from the different websites, I am going to have to hold myself back so I don't get hurt or burnout too soon. I am competing against bikeprolog.com, so I am putting in more mileage than I want on the bicycle. I did a century a couple of days ago and a 50 miler today. I am trying to train for a quad century on 8/28 so I want to work on sitting in the saddle for long periods rather than hill or speed training. I'm really excited about having a goal. I really want to participate in a trialathon. Probably not till next year, but I'm going to be slow and steady. Thanks for all the input.