Well it has been a couple of weeks now and I have for the first time the feeling that I am so close, yet so far away. I feel something in my left knee and I am taking a couple of days off from running and biking, but will up my swimming to three times a week.
This is the single best thing I have ever gotten into. I am running more than I have in years, biking for miles on end and having fun (on a stationary bike in a building with limited AC at best) and beginning to learn to swim properly.
I have lost some bodyfat, have increased my endurance and muscle-tone and feel like a million bucks. CHCB has been giving me pointers throughout the process and I even got some free stuff from him!
Right now, since I have a few days off, I am going to work on my stroke. I feel like I am going way too fast when I watch other swimmers, but I am having a really hard time slowing down. I have the breathing down to every third stroke now, but I am still trying to find a master's swim class here.
...and I am beginning to geek out on Tri-Bikes. I am torn between the QR Kilo, the Cervelo Dual Ultegra and the Felt S32 (My personal favorite right now).
Non-Army related Triathlon question
Good stuff, brother!
I just started riding hills again after a year of flats...ouch!
About your knee:
I frequently get a little iliotibial band (ITB) friction early in the season when I am ramping up my bike and run mileage-sharp pain on the outside of the knee. There is an ITB thread in this forum, and I put a couple of stretches up in it that should help. What confused me about ITB stretches for years was that the stretch is NOT in the affected area. You should feel the stretch way up high in your hip/ass area, where the ITB is wider and more amenable to stretching. When it gets tight, the narrow end, which attches at your knee, rubs, causing the pain.
Stroke tips:
Think about being long in the water. When your hand enters the water, stretch it forward, all the way, hyperextending your shoulder, making yourself as long as you can. Don't start your pull until your other hand is already passing your ear on the way forward. Picture yourself climbing a rock, reach as high as you can, grab a piece of rock (or in this case, a piece of water) then pull your body past it. This makes you long, which improves your movement through the water (think about a 16' kayak versus a 12' kayak) and it rolls your shoulders, which makes you more slippery through the water. This long reach also helps you employ the muscles of your torso in your pull, and they are much larger and stronger than your arms. Keeping your arms in the front quadrant means you'll spend almost no time with your shoulders square.
The key to speed is NOT increasing your stroke RATE, but your stroke efficiency.
The best complement I got about my swimming this year is:
A girl watching me swim my fastest 600m split of the season said to a friend of mine
"You said he was a fast swimmer, but look how slow he's going!"
See you at the races.
I just started riding hills again after a year of flats...ouch!
About your knee:
I frequently get a little iliotibial band (ITB) friction early in the season when I am ramping up my bike and run mileage-sharp pain on the outside of the knee. There is an ITB thread in this forum, and I put a couple of stretches up in it that should help. What confused me about ITB stretches for years was that the stretch is NOT in the affected area. You should feel the stretch way up high in your hip/ass area, where the ITB is wider and more amenable to stretching. When it gets tight, the narrow end, which attches at your knee, rubs, causing the pain.
Stroke tips:
Think about being long in the water. When your hand enters the water, stretch it forward, all the way, hyperextending your shoulder, making yourself as long as you can. Don't start your pull until your other hand is already passing your ear on the way forward. Picture yourself climbing a rock, reach as high as you can, grab a piece of rock (or in this case, a piece of water) then pull your body past it. This makes you long, which improves your movement through the water (think about a 16' kayak versus a 12' kayak) and it rolls your shoulders, which makes you more slippery through the water. This long reach also helps you employ the muscles of your torso in your pull, and they are much larger and stronger than your arms. Keeping your arms in the front quadrant means you'll spend almost no time with your shoulders square.
The key to speed is NOT increasing your stroke RATE, but your stroke efficiency.
The best complement I got about my swimming this year is:
A girl watching me swim my fastest 600m split of the season said to a friend of mine
"You said he was a fast swimmer, but look how slow he's going!"
See you at the races.
2nd PLT A co 1/75 78-80
Ranger Class 502-79
Ranger Class 502-79