I love to swim sprints in a masters meet but I also have enjoyed doing triathlons. It is very difficult to train for both. I'd love to hear from folks that compete in both masters meets and triathlons to learn how they balance training and competing in both.
Your balance sounds like a great one. How many miles do you run each time?
Good luck to your sis!
When I have done tris, they are short ones (1.5-2.1 miles) so when I run, I only run 2.5 miles at the most. Running is my weakest and slowest part of the tri.
Right now my sister is done with the swim and bike and ranked 11th over all. She's doing well!
I do triathlons along with the swim team too. What I normally do is go for a short run or bike ride in the morning. I then go to swim practice in the evenings. During the weekends, I usally do longer runs or bike rides.
I focus on swimming most of the winter, since that is when swim season is for me. I do less biking and running during this time- and more swimming.
During the summer, however, there are a lot less swim meets going on, so I try to focus more on triathlons.
I'm not an expert by any means though. I have only done 4 triathlons so far- this year is my second season.
I swim 4X a week, spin/bike 3 times and run out of a sense of guilt. I try to double up twice a week and usually lift on bike days also. All of this explains why my results are rather pathetic but I can't give up swimming. I started doing tris b/c of the many variables with pool closures (annual maintenance, storms, chemical issues, kids pooping in pool, etc). Also, I do them to annoy the Smiths, mission accomplished on that.
I swim 4X a week, spin/bike 3 times and run out of a sense of guilt. I try to double up twice a week and usually lift on bike days also. All of this explains why my results are rather pathetic but I can't give up swimming. I started doing tris b/c of the many variables with pool closures (annual maintenance, storms, chemical issues, kids pooping in pool, etc). Also, I do them to annoy the Smiths, mission accomplished on that.
Thanks for the info! Can relate to what you are saying about pool issues. It is hard for me to not want to get outside when the weather warms up. I really should just be swimming due to a medical condition I have, but it just seems I can't give up idea of doing a triathlon again. The running is the main problem so I have tried doing an aquabike race at a triathlon and it was fun!
Swimshark - How did your sis do today?
Thanks, Amy! It has been a little bit of time since I have done one. When I used to do them, I got a bit carried away with my training. Overtraining is an understatement! I would like to stick with the sprint ones - 1/2 mile swim, 16 mile bike, and 3 or 4 miles run max.
I really like the sound of your training plan. It sounds like one that would get me in good shape to do the distances I'm thinking about doing.
Just to give you an idea of how crazy I used to be, I would get up at 6 on Sunday morning and ride two hours. At 2 p.m. that same day and during the heat of the summer, I would go run 10 miles on a flat, smooth surface. I was only training to do a sprint triathlon. Doing stuff like what I mention ran me into the ground, so I'm trying to approach this from a realistic and sane point of view. The info I'm getting here is great!!
This makes so much sense!! How long are your runs and bikes when you are doubling up? I'm thinking about trying this to see if my body will handle it.
When I double up, my bike rides and runs are about 45 min each. My swim practices in the night time are around 1:20. It makes it so much easier to fit the workouts in if you do some in the morning and some at night! It is also not that hard for your body to handle either- you just have to get used to it. What distance triathlon are you training for?
Swimming crawlstroke in a wetsuit is incredibly easy compared to training butterfly. My training strategy has been to let my biking and running comprise my slow aerobic training. So in the pool, I work mainly on butterfly, and to a lesser extent, medley. I don't do crawlstroke sets in the pool. I do very little open water swimming. At triathlons I use the swim as a warmup and have been first out of the water more than once. At Masters meets I am prepared for the events I actually care about, fly and medley.
Aztimm- Great article!
That Guy - Wow! I'd hate to be a male racing you in a triathlon! With that great base, I bet you are an animal! Am I correct in thinking that you have done half-ironman and ironman distances? Any plans to do an ironman in the near future?
Any folks out there use an online coach or a website to get training plans? If so, would love to get some suggestions.
Any folks out there have any suggestions on HR monitors - brands, usage, etc.?
P.S. That Guy - Am I allowed to do one-arm fly on those fly sets?
Wow! Sounds like a smart way to go about it! Will you share some of the fly and medley sets? Also, how much biking and running do you do each week and what type of workouts?
Typical fly sets:
3 x (4 x 50 on 1:00, then easy 100 on 2:00)
24 x 25 on :30
100-75-50-25 on same base interval, repeat... maybe :P
200-150-100-50 's lying, that's not typical at all!!!
Typical medley sets:
10 x 100 on 1:30
5 x 200 on 3:00
400-300-200-100 on same base interval
Typical bike week: 100-130 miles. During peak training I will double that, but not for more than a couple weeks at a time. Commute rides M-F with a big ride on Saturday.
Typical run week: varies. My tri season is over so I'm at about 8-12 miles a week for the foreseeable future. Ramping up for next tri season, I will jump up to 25-35 miles/week, with Tues-Sat runs around 5 miles each and then a long Sunday run. I've learned the hard way that anything more than about 35 miles breaks me down too much. As they say, your mileage may vary...
