Is this overtraining? - Triathlon Week

Shyrie · 12-02-2006, 01:48 PM

I bike commute to work. It's 10 miles each way (the route I normally take). It takes me a while because I'm dreadfully slow (just over 10 mph).

I want to get enough training in for the other sports (and I don't have any swiming experience).

I made a google calendar for my weekly excercize/training slots. I really haven't sorted out the "type" of training (ie heart zones, etc).

Here's the schedule I have set up (starting January '07):
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Any input, please?

pyschosyd · 12-02-2006, 02:56 PM

It all depends on what you currently are doing. The best way to get a grip on the training volume is to keep track of the hours you are training. For ex. 8hrs a week.

If many of these workouts are new, and your hours per week are substantially above what you are currently doing you might hurt your body and overtrain.

There are athletes that do 30hrs per week as pro's. Myself with an IM focus I will do between 8 and 20hrs per week. The type of training you do should change throughout the year as well. Typically the winter is a base building time. Building up general endurance,strength and working on technique. Closer to the race season you will start working more on speed.

I would ease into this schedule. If it starts not being fun, ease off. As you are new to the sport you don't want to burn out. Also, feel free to mix it up a bit. Cross train with different sports occasionally.

Looks like you are taking this seriously though.

Best of luck
SYd

Shyrie · 12-02-2006, 04:18 PM

Well, for the most part, I do the gym schedule, and the bike schedule. The "new" stuff is the swimming and the running (tho I do some running now). I guess, the mornings are the real new stuff. I'm not a morning person, and can't figure out how I'll wake up to go running, but that's when the sunlight is (so I can go out near my house where there is a real lack of streetlights).

I also don't really bike on the weekends, or with any real momentum right now. I'm sure with better training I'd be able to bike faster, which will shave off a good amount of the time. I've just never been very good at the training part, but have been doing the bike commute since about Aug 05, and don't think I've really "improved" in it. Time to take that more seriously.

This year, I'll try to kick myself into the morning schedule, but I can't add all the swimming till that pool opens up in a few weeks. Also, I'll try to make the gym classes more "optional". So, if I miss them, I won't panic about it.

Floyd · 12-24-2006, 11:50 AM

I'm not a medical professional, but I think as long as you feel okay biking 10 miles that it's okay. I think a lot of what triathletes do would be considered overtraining by non-triathletes, simply because the large length and effort of a triathlon.

craignyc · 02-15-2007, 08:53 AM

you need more running in your schedule, you obviously bike a lot, the hard thing is running after biking. I would work on that.

Just as a guide, I am training with a team and our schedule is this
Monday - swim
Tuesday - day off
Wedneday - run
Thursday - bike - brick everyother week.
Friday - swim
Saturday - brick
Sunday - run 3 weeks a month, bike 1 week

rhino52 · 02-17-2007, 07:12 AM

Its the first task you must complete in a TRI so you should be very comfortable swimming the land sports are easy to finish once you are out of the water ( my first sprint i ended up breast stroking 26 min in the water for 1/2 mile) not a very good split but i biked and ran with ease... get serious about the water ,, the biking and running afterward will seem like a breeze! Good luck Rhino

Shyrie · 03-25-2007, 06:56 PM

Well, I am a program right now, so I have a personal trainer that does the [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] updates for me, and schedules stuff. But, since I need work basically everywhere, it's hard to get enough training in.

Currently I am taking swim lessons once/week. Should practice swim another 2x. Bike commuting 3 days (taking train others). And trying to fit in running time.

Sunday mornings (7:45am sharp!) I'm doing a group tri training program. It's mostly using a computrainer, and getting suggestions/practice doing drills and transition tips. So, my schedule didn't even last. But, I think I'm doing some sorta excercize every day right now. Still superslow. =(

I "swim" (quite poorly) at like 3:20 for 100 yards or so.. Bleh.. but considering I didin't know that 'crawl' and 'freestyle' were the same things - much less how to do them, I guess I'm doing okay.