Tag Archives: Triathlon

first triathlon, Fitness, motivation, triathlon

Fantastic Finish Foto Friday – DIY Tri, Red Beard, and a Kilt

Leave a comment

Welcome to Fantastic Finish Photo Friday. We want to bask in the awesomeness of your finish photos. A finish photo captures a moment in time, where you overcame the challenges of the race and training, and reached your goal. The feeling of elation as you cross the line is what keeps us pushing our own limits. Please consider sharing your own photo to inspire others who are working toward their own finish.

This week’s photo is from David PowersDr. David Powers:

David:

Doing a triathlon has been an item on my bucket list for years, but I kept putting it off. Last week I finally did it. I basically, said, “Screw it!” and hosted my own. If I’m the host, I have to do it, right? My goal was to take an entire group of people who’d never done a tri before, and give them a low stress chance to do something awesome. We all completed, including three kids ages 7, 10, and 12.
Awesome David. You made your own path the triathlon, and brought the next generation with you. Very inspiring.
To read more about David’s DIY triathlon, check out his blog:
Please consider sharing your own photo to inspire others who are working toward their own finish. It doesn’t have to be from a triathlon, just any race that has special meaning to you. If you are interested in sharing, please send a message to firsttimetri@gmail.com.
first triathlon, Fitness, mantra, marathon, motivation, triathlon

Kick in the Butt Monday – Easy Days

3 Comments

Merry Monday! Let’s do this! We all could use a bit of motivation to get rolling on Monday. On Mondays, I like to share a Mantra or short inspirational message. If the message resonates with you, use to motivate yourself in training or life. Do you have your own awesome Mantra? Please share it below in the comments.

Easy Day

 

The workouts that seem hard now, will soon be easy, if you keep training.  Maybe you can’t run a mile without stopping, or swim a 100M without be winded. Don’t give up, keep training, and soon your will be amazed by your progress.

I’m currently training for my fifth marathon. When I look back to the training for my first, it’s a night and day difference. My first 18 mile run ended in disaster. I had never run that far, and at mile 14 both of my calves seized, and my wife had to come pick me up.  That was a hard day for me. In my current training plan I have three 20 milers. I can complete them with little struggle. I still bring my phone, in case of disaster.

What workouts used to be difficult for you, that you can now complete with ease?

first triathlon, Fitness, motivation, nutrition, running, triathlon

The Definitive 10 Tips For New Triathletes

1 Comment

Are you ready to take on a triathlon? Fantastic, let’s get you started. Below are top ten tips to have a great first race. Check out the links embedded in the tips to dig deeper into each topic. Happy training, and I hope you have great first triathlon.

1. To get started, Sign up for a race

Close up of sign up form

Signing up to the race sounds kind of obvious, but  is very important. First, signing up tells your brain it’s go time.With that race day looming in the near future you will be more committed to train. . Second, choose a race that gives you the proper amount of time to train, but not lose your motivation. A training cycle of 8-12 weeks works well for new triathletes. Lastly, after you sign up, tell your family and friends. They will know you are serious about your new goal, and be your support system.

7 Tips for Selecting Your First Triathlon

Continue reading The Definitive 10 Tips For New Triathletes →

first triathlon, Fitness, running, triathlon

Give FTT a thumbs up on facebook

Leave a comment

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS A HUGE AMOUNT OF SELF PROMOTION!

FTT facebook

The First Time Triathlete facebook is now live!

I know, hold you excitement. Why does this matter to you? Good question. Along with the great information and inspiration posted on this blog. I share well curated articles from other sources relating to triathlon and endurance sports. I know your facebook wall is already barraged with memes and cat videos. I promise to only share high quality useful information. (If I get a cat riding a tri bike video, it will be shared.)

Are you sold yet? Click here to like the FTT facebook page.

facebook_like_button

Ok, enough of the used car approach, here’s the real reason for First Time Triathlon and the facebook page. One of my greatest passions is endurance sports. I love the sense of adventure and achievement of training for and completing a race. You get to know your true self when you push your limits for a goal. A goal you are not sure if you can complete when you start training. The feeling of euphoria and pride when crossing the finish line is what I want to share with anyone who willing to sign up for their first race.

I need your help to reach these new triathletes. If you are a seasoned triathlete or training for your first race, you are inspiring someone else. They may not tell you directly, but they respect you for pursuing a big positive goal. Some of these people are your facebook friends, and may want to start their own triathlon journey. These are the people I would love to assist in seeking their own goals.

Thanks for being awesome, and liking the FTT Face book page!

facebook_like_button

adventure, first triathlon, motivation

Motivation Monday – Add Adventure To Your Life.

Leave a comment

Merry Monday! Let’s do this! We all could use a bit of motivation to get rolling on Monday. On Mondays, I like to share a Mantra or short inspirational message. If the message resonates with you, use to motivate yourself in training or life. Do you have your own awesome Mantra? Please share it below in the comments.

One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure. – William Feather

Adventure

I love this quote, because it talks about adventure as a mindset. It’n not the cliche “Life is an Adventure” ads you get from shoe companies. Instead, he says to get more out of life treat it like an adventure. If you are stuck in a rut, find a different rut to jump into.  Be aware of your life around you, and look for opportunities to explore. Take your daily routine and look for ways to add variety and excitement.

Five suggestions to add adventure to your routine:

1. Change your commute. Drive home a different way. Take the bus. Walk or ride your bike. Change you view point on the same old way to work.

2. Try a new food. Go to an Indian/Ethiopian/Spanish restaurant. Taste food from another culture. You can learn a lot about another culture by tasting their food. If you enjoy cooking, try the recipes at home.

3. Workout in a different place. Change up that daily 5 mile run, with a new route. Do your yoga practice on the beach, or in a park. Instead of lifting weights at the gym, get outside and lift some rock and branches.

4. Lunch Al fresco. Are you normally eating your lunch in a crammed break room? Go outside and eat your lunch. If there is a park near by even better. The fresh air and change or scenery will get your brain recharged.

5. Plan a weekend adventure. One Saturday a month, break your routine and try something new. Take a short trip. Go for a hike. Check out a museum. Adventure shouldn’t be reduced to a family vacation one week a year.

Do you have any suggestions to add adventure to your daily routine?

Photo Credit

first triathlon, Fitness, spin class, triathlon

The Pros & Cons of Spin Class for Triathletes

4 Comments

Spinning class at the gym

Loud music blaring, an instructor yelling through a headset, and sweat flying everywhere. Ah Spin Class! Spin class is essentially riding a bike, but not actually going anywhere. Spin class as an effective tool in your triathlon training plan. As with all training activity, there are some pro and cons. Below, I will discuss the advantages and concerns of spin class when used in an effective training plan.

Let’s start with the positives:

  • Save Time – Just jump in a class and go. No need to get on a bunch of gear to ride outside or drive to a safe area to ride.
  • No Cars – I have personally never heard of anyone being hit by a car on a spin bike.
  • Constant Effort – There aren’t any stop lights, cars, dogs, or anything else to make you stop. This is the biggest “bang for your buck” with spin. If you are on the bike for 45 minutes, you get 45 minutes of work. This is especially effective for interval work. You can maintian your effort for your interval without uninterrupted.
  • Weather, What Weather – Unless the AC breaks, there’s no need to worry about conditions. No hot, cold, rain, sleet. This also means you can’t use the weather as an excuse not to train.
  • Motivation – The energy from a room full of others working hard can give you the motivation to push. A good instructor will also keep the energy level high.
  • Pre-planned Workout – No need to plan or think, just show up and do the instructor’s workout. The energy spent planning a workout is sometimes harder than just doing it.

Here are some areas where spin classes lack effectiveness for triathlon training:

  • Too much intensity – Most spin classes are designed to get a good sweat going, and make the clients feel like they have put in a hard effort. This is great if your goal for that workout was high intensity, if be mindful of your intensity. A good training plan will have a mix of high and lower intensity work. Too much high intensity work leads to injury and burnout. You can still do class on an easier planned day, just dial back the resistance and intensity.
  • Bike Handling – All of these spin classes are going to give you some new found speed. Before your race be sure to work on some bike handling skills. Bike handling skills include turning, leaning, stopping, climbing, and descending. The only way to gain these skills is to go on the road and ride at your race speed. The more comfortable you are with these skills the faster you can go.
  • Speed Perception – You can put massive power to the spin bike pedals, but you don’t move. It’s important to get out on the road, and know what speed you produce for your effort. In a race proper pacing is balancing the effort vs speed. Know what effort produces what speed, sop you can properly pace during your race.

Over all spin classes are great for bike and overall fitness. I personally attend at least one class a week. I go to class with my wife, as it is a workout we can do together, and both get benefit. They are not a complete substitute for time on the road. Be sure to do some miles on the road, so on race day you are comfortable on the bike.

Do you use spin classes in your training?

first triathlon

Happy Holidays, Your feedback would be a great gift.

2 Comments
IMG_2249
This was my ugly Xmas sweater

Dear Blog reader,

Happy Holidays! If you were looking for what to give me, your feedback would be a great present.

I started this blog about a year ago to provide information, and motivation for new triathletes. Endurance sports have been part of my lifestyle for years, and I wanted to give something back. I’ve had some life changing accomplishments, and met awesome life long friends through endurance sports. I want to support others so they can get that amazing sense of accomplishment from completing something they though wasn’t possible.

There are many resources that are supposed to be for beginner triathletes, but the information presented can be intimidating. My goal is to break down what the new triathlete needs to know into easily digestible parts. Fear is what holds most people back from trying a triathlon. If I can fill in some of the unknowns that cause the anxiety, then I have done my job.

Over the past year we have highlighted some inspiring athletes. I’ve received some great feedback from new athletes that used this site to help out with their first tri. I want to help as many people as possible.

I’m planning the future for this blog and need some feedback.  If you are considering a triathlon, what are your biggest questions? If you are an experienced athlete, what were you issues starting out? Do you like motivational posts, or instructional posts? Any constructive comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you ans be well in the new year,

Shawn Buddenhagen

first triathlon, Iron Man, motivation, triathlon

Fantastic Finish Photo Friday – From Sedentary to an IMOO’R – Raymond

Leave a comment

Welcome to Fantastic Finish Photo Friday. We want to bask in the awesomeness of your finish photos. A finish photo captures a moment in time, where you overcame the challenges of the race and training, and reached your goal. The feeling of elation as you cross the line is what keeps us pushing our own limits. Please consider sharing your own photo to inspire others who are working toward their own finish.

This week’s photo is from Raymond Marier:

First time Triathlete Raymond

Raymond: Three years ago, I was sedentary and obese. None of my pants fit anymore and I decided that I needed to lose “a few pounds”. I eventually lost over 50 lbs. At that point, someone challenged me to run a 5k. I had never run before, and had no real desire to start, but decided to give it a try. I guess I had a talent for it, since I ran my first full marathon 18 weeks later. One of the race series that I enjoyed had a sprint Duathlon on their schedule, and that motivated me to get a bike for cross-training (hadn’t owned a bike since I was twelve). It wasn’t long before I added swimming (the only sport that I had any background in).

I ran my first triathlon that summer and loved it. By the end of the season, I completed my first 70.3. By the time I crossed that finish line, I knew that I wanted to try a full Ironman. I remembered seeing the Kona championships on TV as a teenager and thinking that they were all insane. Now, I wanted to do one.
I spent the entire next year competing in events to test myself, to see if it would even be a possibility. The day after finishing my fourth 70.3 (Muskoka, a brutally hilly course), I decided to take the plunge. I signed up for IM Wisconsin for September 2014.
For the next year, this was my obsession. It was all I thought about. I followed a training plan for 30 weeks (never followed a plan before) and peaked at 29 training hours/week (I was completely sedentary 2 1/2 years before) and completed over 4000 miles of training in the 30 week span (over 100 miles swimming, 1000 miles running, and 2500 miles cycling). Still, I was terrified that I just wasn’t ready.
Race day was a blur of emotions. There were some real highs, and some devastating lows. I had stomach issues early on the bike which killed my nutrition plan. I could not eat at all, and barely sipped any fluids. I was severely dehydrated by the halfway point on the bike. I almost took the DNF at T2. But, I took a short break, forced some fluids down and started feeling a little better. I had 7.5 hours to complete a marathon. I started real slow and just worked on hydration. I was able to eat grapes and orange slices, so I was finally getting a few calories. By mile 3, I could run a little, and completed most of the course running (with walks at the hills and aid stations). At mile 19, I could barely stand up anymore, but I realized that I could walk the rest of the way. I decided to do just that. When I reached the finish line, a wave of emotions swept over me. I don’t even remember the fist pump captured on this photo, but it shows how overwhelming the comclusion of this three year journey was for me…
Full race report here: http://roadtomadison.wordpress.com/category/ironman-wisconsin-race-report/

That is an amazing photo, and journey. Raymond’s expression is priceless. All of his hard work, and passion culminating in a moment of excitement as he achieves his goal. Fantastic work Raymond! You are an inspiration.

*Raymond’s full race report is truly epic, and worth a read.

For more Fantastic Finish Photo Fridays, the archive page can be found here.

Please consider sharing your own photo to inspire others who are working toward their own finish. It doesn’t have to be from a triathlon, just any race that has special meaning to you. If you are interested in sharing, please send a message to firstimetri@gmail.com.

first triathlon, Fitness, motivation, triathlon, Uncategorized

You are an Inspiration – Share your Story

Leave a comment

Fantastic Finish Photo Friday

 

 

Do you have a finish or race photo that means a lot to you? Please consider sharing it to inspire others. I am seeking submissions for the Fantastic Finish Photo Friday feature.These are some of the most popular posts, and people really enjoy them. Thanks to all of the athletes who have already shared their story.

See past post here: Fantastic Finish Photo Fridays

We want to highlight your accomplishment to show others what is possible when you put in the training, and complete your goal. What may seem like a small accomplishment to you, may spark someone else to start their own journey. The superhuman performances of the pros are great, but the everyday athlete can’t relate. We want to hear about the athlete who completes a race while working full time and raising two kids. Or overcomes their fear of the water. Or gets off the couch and decides to take control of their own health. These are truly inspiring stories.

Please consider sharing. For the post, I just need the photo, and a short paragraph about what that photo means to you. If you would like to write more, please do. No need for full race reports. If you have one, I can gladly link to it.

If you are interested, please fill out the form below, or email firsttimetri@gmail.com

Go back

Your message has been sent

Thank you for your greatness

Shawn

 

bikes, cycling, first triathlon, Fitness

Workout Wednesday – Work Horse of Bike Fitness – Tempo

Leave a comment

Happy Wednesday! Welcome to another edition of Workout Wednesday. Every Wednesday I will post a new Triathlon specific workout. If you like the workout, fit it into your training plan for the week. If you don’t like the workout you’re crazy, all of my workouts are brilliant pieces programming. (HAHA)

This week’s workout – Bike Tempo

medium_3941672887

In the past few weeks, we have covered cycling leg strength, pedaling mechanics, and cycling intervals. Now it’s time to pull together that strength and efficiency with tempo efforts. Tempo efforts are just long intervals. The key is to perform them at the correct intensity. Tempo intervals should be done at 80% effort, your breath and heart rate will be slightly elevated. At this work rate you are working just below your lactate threshold. Be careful not to exceed that 80% effort, as you will be entering the red zone, and working a different energy system.

Tempo workouts are in that sweet spot of training where you are working endurance and speed at the same time. These sessions simulate race effort, but at shorter intervals, so you don’t wreck your legs. Remember, effective training sessions should be done hard enough to get benefits, but leave you able to do the next session. (Check your self, before you wreck yourself.)

Tempo work can be done indoors or outdoors. If riding outside, be sure to have enough road to complete your interval without stopping. Once you get your self in the correct zone, it is much easier to maintain than restart.

On to the workout. This workout is programmed for an athlete how has been riding for at least six months. Feel free to add or remove intervals to meet your goals.

Bike Tempo Work I

  • Warm up I – 10 min Easy
  • Warm up II – 3 X 1 min on/30 secs off
  • Tempo Effort I – 2 X 5 min @ 80% / 90 sec res
  • Easy Spin – 2 min
  • Tempo Effort II – 2 X 10 min @ 80% / 2 min rest
  • Easy Spin 2 min
  • Tempo Effort III – 5 min @ 80%
  • Cool down

Give it a go! If you use this interval in your training, please leave a comment, and let us know how it went.

Happy Training!

 
photo credit: Tom Gill. via photopin cc