bobthib

After 60+ years of Olympic couch potato, I started cycling seriously at 61. That was almost 4 yrs ago now.

I did a fair amount of biking as a kid, but abandoned it at about 14 since it just was not cool. My wife and I got some hybrid bikes back about 10 yrs ago after I was diagnosed with cancer, and we used to ride to Starbucks and back, 8 mi total. I tried jogging then but "my brain was too small for my skull, and the bouncing around gave me a headache." Turns out it was just bad form and footwear.

Anyway, I got hooked up with a local cycling club and found I really enjoyed the road cycling thing. That addiction (100 mi wk) led me to find more times to be able to cycle. I ended up riding each Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30 AM with a group of Tri guys and gals. After about a year and a half with them, I jumped the shark and got a TT bike (which they all had.) I was quite amazed how much faster it was, and I decided to try a Tri. I signed up for a sprint.

I have a pool, and I had some half way decent (so I thought) sneakers (Adidas) and I started swimming in the pool and running after my rides. For the first 2 months I was unable to run very far without slowing to a walk. First it was 100 yds, then 200, etc. At the same time I was doing laps in my 15' x 30' pool; first 5 laps, then 10, etc.

I did my first and only (so far) Tri on Sept 9th. I was in the 60 - 64 AG along with 7 others. Advice from this and other forums told me to "race to complete, not to compete" on my first race. That was good advice and I think added to the enjoyment. 5 days before the race I went to the site and did a mock tri, doing the course alone. It was my first open water swim, and I found that I was unable to do the 400 m freestyle. I resorted to the breast stroke for most of the swim. Riding the 10 mi route was easy, and the subsequent 3.1 mi run was OK, but I did walk 3 or 4 times.

When race day came, the swim seemed a whole lot longer! I started free style, but quickly fell into the breast stroke. Did the last 25 m free style, and ran to the gate. 11:48. T1 was slow at over 5 min, but I took off on the bike. Not one person passed me. Did the 10 mi in 29 and change. T2 was a bit quicker, and I wished I had elastic laces as it seem to take for ever to tie my new running shoes. I ran for about 1.5 mi and slowed then ran and slowed 2 more times. Finished in just over 30 mi, and to my amazement I took 3rd place! And I was the oldest in my AG.

That event got me hooked on Tri's and I started to work on my running and swimming. I got the "Runkeeper" app on my phone, and I"m doing the "10K in under 60 min" training plan. I also joined my Tri friends at the local poll 7 - 8 pm M-Th. One of the guys we ride with is the swim coach. Now this is where the title of the post come in.

We train in a 25 m pool. I arrived with only goggles, a towel, and a swim suit and my cap from the sprint. The coach tells us to do 100 m warm up, easy pace. I'm a head up swimmer. NOPE! That won't work! I have to learn to swim with my face in the water, and breath every 3rd stroke.

In running, breathing is important, and I'm sure there is some techniques that are better than others. But fact of the matter is, you can breath any time you want.

NOT SO WITH SWIMMING!

So I'm now in my 3rd week of swim training and I am doing better, but all this is really not as easy for me as it seems. And the other frustrating part is that I can keep up with these young guys on the bike, but my stamina from biking doesn't translate to swimming. It's totally different muscles, and they just have not developed the way my legs have. Running was hard at first, but now I can do 10k non stop with ease. I'm not fast, but that will come, just as the running did. It might take longer as my legs were pretty well developed from cycling, but I really don't do any upper body. Need to work on that.

I just hope the swimming will come long. It's difficult to go to the class more that 2x a week, and the home pool is OK, but it's too short for any real exertion. And now it will soon be too cold. The good new is that Jan 1 I'm going on Medicare and my program includes a gym membership. The gym has a HEATED pool!

CbadRider

I always think I'm in shape until I try to swim. I can ride a century and do a marathon but swimming 100m will leave me gasping.

Good luck on your training, it sounds like you've got a great plan.

friborgcr

Wow cool story you got here, jealous about your gym having a heated pool!

Out of the three, I think swimming is the hardest as well. It specially depends no the condition of the water. Swimming when you're tired makes it harder, so you have to train twice as much.

bobthib

Like Nike says, "Just do it!"

I can see an improvement in the 3+ weeks, and the adult swim technique class I attend has a great instructor. Everyone else is light years ahead of me in the class, but they all started at some point. Most say "I was like that xx months ago" Many of them are Tri guys and gals that I ride with, as is the instructor.

100 m still leaves me gasping, but 3 weeks ago it was 25 m. I'm hoping the progress will continue.

JCNeumann

It takes a while to build this up. If you can get a coach or friend help you do swim turns, it will keep your momentum rather than stop and touch the wall. It gets a little closer to an open water swim which is more continuous.

And keep it up that first 100m is just brutal, but its the first mile whenyou run Make sure you are kicking well - that will make an big difference if you arent using them effectively. Apologies if this is "preaching to the choir"!

b2run

I did my first tri a tri this year. I hadn't done any biking or swimming to speak of before. Swimming is the hardest because it is so dependent on technique. I bought a dvd from triswimcoach which is helping a lot. Biking seemed to come a lot easier and I've done quite a bit of running. I find being of a "mature" age, getting into shape takes longer. It's just a fact of life.

Leinster

First swim since forever ago this morning, went on a group ride straight after. Good lord I'm tired right now.

Any advice on kicking technique in the pool? I know the idea is to do as much with the arms and save the legs, but if I kick any less than 4 or 6 kicks per stroke, my arse starts to sink, which is surely just as bad as having tired legs.

cooker

I'm what you call fit but fat. I did a Try-a-Tri for the first time in 2010 at age 58, and then a Sprint Tri the next two years. As a regular cyclist, I can ride any distance, and for swimming, being a bit overweight actually helps a bit with buoyancy, plus I spent my childhood summers in the lake and also took years of swimming lessons, so even with older age, limited training time, and mostly doing breast stroke, I finished in the top third of all ages swimmers in the Try, and middle of the pack in the Sprint.

So I'm in the opposite camp from you. Running really is hard!

Unfortunately I currently have a touch of peroneal tendonitis (inflamed tendons at the back of the outside ankle bone, probably from playing badminton while overweight), so I'm not doing a tri this year.

cooker

I've never been able to generate much power kicking. If I just kick, I hardly move. So during freestyle/crawl, I just kick enough to stay level and maybe steer straight. Yet other people seem to be able to propel themselves quite effectively with just "flutter" kicking.

jbenkert111

I agree with all of you. I do not like to swim, I find it hard to access and I just don't have the time. That's why the good Lord let us do DUATHLON's. I do wish there was more of them.

Monoborracho

Get a set of swim fins and a swimming snorkel (not the stuff you use in the Aruba). Learn to power with your legs and swim that way for 1/3 of your workout, maybe 300 -500 yards to start.

Then take the fins off, start swimming, and you'll be surprised what your body wants to do

bobthib

So I've been swimming for about 9 months. I swim with my tri group 3 x per week at the local community pool. It's a master's swim techniques and class. I've also organised a weekly ocean swim and bike events for the summer. We have 3 to 20 people show each week. We are up to a mile swim. I wear training fins, but don't kick. I wear them for safety, but starting in July I'll drop the fins.
The water is too warm for a wet suit.
So while I am not a strong or fast swimmer, I have improved dramatically.
I really look forward to swim class. So hang in there.

cooker

Thanks. I'm actually okay with the status quo. Saves the legs for the other segments!

bobthib

Cooker its true that in a triathlon you want to minimize kicking to save your legs for the next two events. However, the advie on the training fins and kicking is true. Our swim class is lead but a championship triathlete but he insists on starting every class with the kicking exercises above. It develops core strength that running and biking doesn't. And while you won't kick much in a long triathlon swim, your few kicks will be stronger.