Mentors and Mentee's thread 2014

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  • TRTR ✭✭✭

    Flyaway - I'm sure you'll agree with me (as usual) when I've explained myself......FM is a slow, low key race in the New Forest with about 120 to 150 competitors, the weather can range from sunny to p*ssing down. there's not many supporters (except ponies), and its pretty exposed and tough with most of the run off road. Most of the pirates like well supported races, with more competitors and the chance of making a holiday out of it as far as I can see (which can be done in NF). The TT folks like it as its tough, run by nice folks in an amazing place. FM would appeal to some pirates though, your mentor has done it, one time it had rained so much he nearly had to swim through the fords on the bike course...............see you there ?

  • TR the bike part of Challenge Barcelona last month was hit by a thunderstorm, ankle deep water in some places, driving rain in the eyes and a drizzly run so abroad has no guarantees either! I feel I'm acclimatised.

  • id do FM if i was closer - didnt mind going to the new forest for the double but wouldnt travel that far for a single or less. and i agree with TR not to a lot of pirates taste although the ones that do the lower key events are the ones that arent after the " go pirate" at every corner

  • TRTR ✭✭✭

    Kate - sounds like ideal prep then, If you've done the Middle Distance (which was a hard day out this year with that ran route) and the Heartbreaker then you are well set for the FM.

    DK - sounds like you live a long way from the New Forest then, I live about 30M away so its ok for me.

  • I have 1 mentee for this year (that i have mostly ignored so far....oops) 

    I am happy to take another is anyone is interested.

     

    I am better at Ironman than i am at being a mentor, but a crap mentor is better than no mentor?.

  • Picking up on FM - I did it this year for by cherry-popping first IM distance. Not from the area at all, just fitted in at the right time of year when talked about training & effects with rest of family etc...

    Made it into a genuinely brilliant week holiday for all the family (two pre-school kids, the missus and in-laws). The event itself is awesome - the run truely horrific! It is the same course as Heartbreaker earlier in the year.

    Organisation is spot-on, made to feel really welcome. Free food at pre-race briefing, free food at end. You can stash your own food at the bike feed stations, and you even get to pick a finish tune to be played as you come through the holiday park at the end image

    In short - a low-key event, spectacular scenery along the whole route, good organisation and in lovely area. What's not to like?

  • Dragging up a thread that has not been seen for a while but I have been thinking about this a lot of the Christmas break.

    Would one of the experienced pirates be prepared to mentor me? I am planning top follow Finks competitive plan and have entered Titan Middle distance and IM wales.

    I would really like to put in a decent time for my first IM and do feel like I have potential. Having not really done  a lot of excessive in the past 10 year but  I have been training fairly consistently for the last two months and am averaging about 15mph on the bike and about 1hr for a 10km  both over hilly terrain.

     

    Cheers and Happy New Year.

  • Ah yeah, I can help with duathlon, yeah says Cat5 as he ponces about in the GB kit. Brilliant.

    Hey Cat5, how are yer, Pole, he is actually a pretty good bet to learn from. image

  • Bounce for this one. I'm training like a dick, 45 mile run last Saturday, marathon next Sunday as part of a holiday to Gran Canaria with my brother which will involve cycling, eating and drinking. Is there any training plan anywhere which allows running every day as I'm struggling not to? A bit like looking at weather forecasts, keep going until you find one which suits you. First IM is in June, when should I be swimming the full distance? 

  • One approach would be to start off thinking about your goals. What and when are your races and what do you want to get out of them? For example, do you just want to finish, would you like a particular time, overall or on one of the disciplines? Or do you just want to have fun, swim, run and bike and race?

    If you want to get faster, what does this mean for you in practice? For example, if it's the swim, do you need to invest in lessons/analysis? Do you just need to commit to swimming more frequently, or a greater distance or do you need more focus when you're at the pool? 

    What is getting in the way of your goals? It sounds like you run a lot - every day is far more than necessary for IM training. But if the A goal is to have fun/ do what you enjoy, then maybe this doesn't matter. It's probably (almost definitely! ) not conducive to improving your bike, swim or overall IM time though. So to answer that Q, no, probably  no plans have running every day. It's high impact and takes a fair bit out of you.

    Once you know what you need to do, it's a question of how to get there. Do you think you need a plan? Did you follow one last year? Can you adapt it or have your circumstances changed?

    Swimming the distance - how far are you swimming now? You should be comfortable doing 2km sessions a couple (2-3) times a week, certainly. 3k by the end of April. I think there's limited value to swimming 3.8km in the pool too many times, although it's good for your confidence to know you can.

    Have you ever looked at the beginner triathlete programs?  I'm sure you wouldn't have to start from week 1, but you could look them over and use them as a guide perhaps?

    Ultimately, it's about you, and enjoying what you do, but you have to realise that you only get out what you put in, and the run is only a part of the IM. 

    Sorry for the waffle. Edited for typos (Damn phone)

  • Thanks flyaway, much appreciated. For the first IM in June it's for fun as the hills mean that my time will be slow, I did the half last year in 6.11. In August I want a 12.15 after going 12.46 last year but in a hideous sea swim which took 1.46 rather than the 1.20 I was hoping for. I'm swimming 2K OK in the pool, but am having lessons again to correct my manic stroke so my instructor doesn't want me doing too much long stuff, more drill work. Last year I was part of a study group and was following their schedule, but had to put more running in as I was going backwards, settled on5 days a week but a couple were short brick sessions. I didn't enjoy that plan so want to do something different this year, as I've got a pretty good base I don't want to start from scratch. 

  • How does 12:15 break down? 1.5/6.25/4.5? 

    In what way do you feel you went backwards? You shouldn't need to run 5 times a week to maintain or improve. What sort of runs were you doing? What was your IM run split? You might have to have an honest look - were a lot of them fairly pointless runs? Did you do the quality sessions, or did you just run a lot of miles? If you run less, you'll have more energy for the run sessions you do and also for the other disciplines so you can actually get fitter/faster. 

    It can be hard to reduce what we enjoy, but I feel quite strongly that if you want to perform your best, you'll have to give up some of that running. Oh, and make sure you have a proper rest after next Sunday. Suspect you can refuel in a fairly pleasant way at least! !

  • Should be able to do 1.20, 6.20, 4.15, with some time for changing and proper loo breaks, none of this peeing on the go nonsense. Barcelona was 1.45, 6.25, 4.20. Swim was terrible after storms, bike was good, now I know how the run feels I can push harder. I was running 60 miles a week in 2012, with 14 marathons/ultras, and down to 35 ish in 2013. I ran a marathon in April and it was awful, so upping the mileage again helped, I run a club track session, longish, and a Few 6 to 8 milers with some tempo or intervals thrown in, junk miles felt like the easy ones on the brick. I am bloody good at refuelling, but find a run the morning after a marathon and spin to flush the legs out in the evening the best recovery, then track on a Tuesday night to get the pace back.

  • Not sure I can add much more. You cant run train like you're marathon training, while you're IM training, if that makes any sense. Not if you want to IM train "well", anyway. On the other hand, your target isnt massively ambitious (you may well hit it even if you train the same this year as last year, simply through experience, providing you dont get injured) and I think we should spend our free time, money and energy doing what makes us happy. If running a lot makes you happy, who am I to try to convince you to do something different?

    Maybe someone else's opinion? (someone? anyone? Bueller?)
    This opinion is the same as mine which probably wont come as a major shock to anyone. Or, technically, mine is the same as that. Whichever.

  • Oh god, does this mean I am the Bueller of the IM world, right, I'm listening, simply to save me from the 80s hairdos! Thanks flyaway. Fink is the only plan I've heard of, mainly because I know sweet FA about triathlon, anything you would recommend?

  • No, I just thought it was kinda quiet in here. Everyone else was probably out runningimage

    The only plan I've ever followed is the beginnertriathlete one, although I can't pretend tthat culminated in a particularly impressive race. I make up my own. I don't personally rate Fink all that much, but his plans do at least have a balance betwixt swim, bike and run! 

    I'm sure you know more than you think. You've done an IM, which means you trained for an IM, so assuming you weren't asleep through the process, you probably gained a fair bit of knowledge. Swim a fair bit, bike a lot and run less than you are?

  • Sounds like a plan! And no, not asleep during any of it, another enduring problem/opportunity in that 5 hours a night is the maximum, downside is it makes me even hungrier.

  • O.rangeCannon (kona-7) wrote (see)

    I have 1 midntee for this year (that i have mostly ignored so far....oops) 

    I am happy to take another is anyone is interested.

     

    I am better at Ironman than i am at being a mentor, but a crap mentor is better than no mentor?.

    Hi I am training for a half on 8 june 14 and I intend to do a full in 15 and would be happy for any help imageimage

  • How did this going in 2014 were there many Mentor/Mentee relationships formed and how did they go?

  • Hi scuba.....

     i had one from here....He beat my time so job done......image

    I enjoyed it  even though I didn't do much  apart from to try and reign him in a bit getting carried away   image

    I think I will be asking him to mentor me when i return to tri in 2016 after a year out  image

    but would still be happy to mentor someone else next year as long as they don't expect anything technical ... support advise and someone to check you are on the right track is more me than talking about cadence and power output and intervals etc

  • I had a pirate mentor last year. I found it really useful and got some great advise.
  • seren nos wrote (see)

    Hi scuba.....

     i had one from here....He beat my time so job done......image

    image

  • In all seriousness, Seren is a great mentor.  As she admits, she isn't all about HR, power curves and stroke counts, but then neither am I, so it suited me well.

    It was good having someone on hand to ask stupid questions and advice on issues as they occurred/popped into my head.

    In fact, I'm not sure I want to share her with other mentees, so maybe I should downplay her usefulness!

  • imageimage She also makes a good fry up. image

  • I may take you up on that next year Seren if that is by any chance ok image
  • no problem Just plodding...   Pm me when you are ready  image.. ( you might want to wait for next years thread to see if you can get  a better offer) image

  • Cheers Seren, I start fink on Dec 29th so got a few weeks yet image
  • image Plodon with being round the corner from you now if you need anything just shout mate if you end up with Seren as a mentor might be able to get her to brum for a afternoon bimmble. image

  • Nice one Cake, cheers image
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