Triathlon training

[LeatherneckPA]

This is not going to be a daily "blog" type of thread. It just looks that way right now because things are happening so close together at the beginning. I expect as time goes on to only post for significant advances, troubles, or changes in weight.This is just my way to keep track of the subscription more easily.

Monday, September 15, 2008
I started my training by taking a 15 minute walk. Not much by most standards, but for a fella who has been decidedly sedentary for a long time it was enough. I found this neat start-up plan titled The 0-60 Plan" at The Walking Site. Very gradual, and starts off very easy. But wow, did my feet hurt the next morning. I've been battling a plantar fascitis for the past few months. I've had the foot pain for about three years but I wrote it off as being caused by standing on my feet too long at mainline.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Decided to go to a store called Elite Feet that had been recommended by my podiatrist. Woman in there just flat out freaked when she saw my sneakers. I didn't see anything wrong with them. Then she set them next to a brand new pair of the same model. WOW!! No wonder my feet hurt. I had compressed the soles to half their new thickness. So now the lady tries to fit me. Kind of tough in it's own right as I wear a 13 EE or EEE. Usually I go to Foot Locker and end up settling for whatever they have in my size. And generally nobody but New Balance is carried in my EE or EEE widths. We tried on a several different shoes, none exactly my size, but she said it was to get in the right ball park and to see what my feet were doing. The EE's and EEE's were only size 12 or 12½ and the 13's were only D's. But actually, one of the 13's (the Dyads) seemed to work pretty well for me. But she asked me to come back on Friday and do the whole thing all over again with the store owner (a licensed physical therapist) because, according to her, my feet are doing a bunch of things that have her befuddled. She said she'd be comfortable sending me home with the Saucony's, but would prefer to get a second opinion. I couldn't really complain about that since this store gives you 30 days to wear your shoes and still return them for exchange or refund if they aren't working for you. (And once the shoe is worn they are just eating the cost of it since there is no way they can return it for their money back. So they have to be very good at what they fit you with.)

Her last statement to me, as I was leaving, was that she didn't think it would be a good idea for me to train in these sneakers anymore. So I have decided not to walk until Friday, at least, depending on when I get my good shoes.

Since I was so decidedly sedentary for so long I have also decided to work into this slowly. I took Tuesday off from training. And I plan to train only every other day for the first two weeks. The local YMCA is going to cost me $50 a month for family membership. But it's the only way I can swim through the winter.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Got my bicycle out and went for a gentle 4 mile ride around the River Road circle. That's pretty much going to become my standard training road until I can do at least 10 miles at a shot. Then I'll be able to ride in to town and back without getting stranded. At this point in time I'm not worried about speed. I'm just interested in getting the muscles accustomed to working again.

[73ss454]

Good for you, gotta start somewhere.

I had plantar fascitis last year and man does that hurt. I went to therapy and all but it still took 9 months to feel better.

One of the things I used was the Dr. Scholl's planter fascitis shoe insert and it really helped.

Everyday I walk at least 2 miles and ride my bike for about 25 minutes or so. I figure 1 hour a day should help keep everything moving.

[donheff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeatherneckPA Monday, September 15, 2008 I started my training by taking a 15 minute walk. Not much by most standards, but for a fella who has been decidedly sedentary for a long time it was enough. I found this neat start-up plan titled The 0-60 Plan" at The Walking Site. Very gradual, and starts off very easy. But wow, did my feet hurt the next morning. I've been battling a plantar fascitis for the past few months. I've had the foot pain for about three years but I wrote it off as being caused by standing on my feet too long at mainline.

Hopefully, the new shoes will fix things but be careful. Sore feet can stop you cold. If the problem persists you should see if you need orthotics. I like to walk and frequently will (or at least did) walk 10-15 miles a day when visiting big cities like New York or London. Then my feet (the bottom of the balls) started to hurt to the point that I couldn't walk more than a mile or two. I got fitted for custom orthotics and am now able to walk about 5 miles comfortably but still can't go distances.

Are you really going for a triathlon? I would love to do it but running is out of the question for me. If it turns out your feet are an impediment don't give up - swimming and biking are still in the picture. DW and I went from very little aerobic excercise a little over a year ago to riding about 100 miles a week now. We both feel great and have lost a lot of weight.

[toofrugalformycat]

If you have plantar fasciitis, even bicycling can make it worse. I learned this the hard way.
What fixed me the first time I had planter fasciitis was a 2-week canoe trip down the Yukon. Almost no time on my feet for 2 weeks.
What fixed me the 2nd time I had it was a foot specialist guy (a physical therapist know locally as "the foot god") who made custom orthotics. At his direction, regular icing for weeks until it was better, then contrast therapy and gentle stretching, with a very slow gradual increase in activity. At the first hint of pain, go back to square one with the icing and rest. Now I stretch my calves and heels every single day for maintenance and will have to for the rest of my life.
Until I went to the foot god and took it seriously, it just never got fixed. The kicker - activity did not always hurt when I was doing it (walking, biking, whatever). It hurt THE NEXT DAY. A lot.
Some people never heal from plantar fasciitis, because it takes time and discipline to heal. I hope you take this seriously and get help to heal yourself soon. You'll have a lot more fun if you're not in pain or worrying about being in pain.

[mickeyd]

Congrats. Sounds like a nice plan and start of your plan. Can't wait to read about Thursday...

I recall starting my long-delayed exercise program years ago and it was not dissimilar from yours. It's all about one foot in front of the other and keeping your perspective. I now would not think of not working out at least 5X/week, as it's become part of what I do on a regular basis.

[DangerMouse]

Glad to see that you have started your training. Sounds like you have found a real winner in that store where you went to purchase your new trainers. At least they didn't try and just foist anything on you.

[FinanceDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeatherneckPA This is not going to be a daily "blog" type of thread. It just looks that way right now because things are happening so close together at the beginning. I expect as time goes on to only post for significant advances, troubles, or changes in weight.This is just my way to keep track of the subscription more easily. Monday, September 15, 2008 I started my training by taking a 15 minute walk. Not much by most standards, but for a fella who has been decidedly sedentary for a long time it was enough. I found this neat start-up plan titled The 0-60 Plan" at The Walking Site. Very gradual, and starts off very easy. But wow, did my feet hurt the next morning. I've been battling a plantar fascitis for the past few months. I've had the foot pain for about three years but I wrote it off as being caused by standing on my feet too long at mainline. Tuesday, September 16, 2008 Decided to go to a store called Elite Feet that had been recommended by my podiatrist. Woman in there just flat out freaked when she saw my sneakers. I didn't see anything wrong with them. Then she set them next to a brand new pair of the same model. WOW!! No wonder my feet hurt. I had compressed the soles to half their new thickness. So now the lady tries to fit me. Kind of tough in it's own right as I wear a 13 EE or EEE. Usually I go to Foot Locker and end up settling for whatever they have in my size. And generally nobody but New Balance is carried in my EE or EEE widths. We tried on a several different shoes, none exactly my size, but she said it was to get in the right ball park and to see what my feet were doing. The EE's and EEE's were only size 12 or 12½ and the 13's were only D's. But actually, one of the 13's (the Dyads) seemed to work pretty well for me. But she asked me to come back on Friday and do the whole thing all over again with the store owner (a licensed physical therapist) because, according to her, my feet are doing a bunch of things that have her befuddled. She said she'd be comfortable sending me home with the Saucony's, but would prefer to get a second opinion. I couldn't really complain about that since this store gives you 30 days to wear your shoes and still return them for exchange or refund if they aren't working for you. (And once the shoe is worn they are just eating the cost of it since there is no way they can return it for their money back. So they have to be very good at what they fit you with.) Her last statement to me, as I was leaving, was that she didn't think it would be a good idea for me to train in these sneakers anymore. So I have decided not to walk until Friday, at least, depending on when I get my good shoes. Since I was so decidedly sedentary for so long I have also decided to work into this slowly. I took Tuesday off from training. And I plan to train only every other day for the first two weeks. The local YMCA is going to cost me $50 a month for family membership. But it's the only way I can swim through the winter. Wednesday, September 17, 2008 Got my bicycle out and went for a gentle 4 mile ride around the River Road circle. That's pretty much going to become my standard training road until I can do at least 10 miles at a shot. Then I'll be able to ride in to town and back without getting stranded. At this point in time I'm not worried about speed. I'm just interested in getting the muscles accustomed to working again.

I've competed in a few triathlons myself, so if you want to PM me instead of discuss on here, you can. Custom orthotics can allow you more flexibility in shoe choices. Stick with name brands, no off brands. New Balance makes some good shoes, so does Saucony. I was always a Nike and Asics fan. A lot of it has to do with HOW your foot is acting (pronating or supinating)........

[LeatherneckPA]

This past weekend
I go to Elite Feet finally on Saturday. Bonnie took about three minutes to size up what was going on and then we started trying on shoes. Second pair gave the result she wanted, but she wanted them in a wider size. They are a nice New Balance stability shoe, model 992. They won't be in for 7-10 days. In the meantime, my aerobic activity has consisted of pushing the lawnmower and carrying the weedwacker.

Saturday, while the DW and DD were spending all of my spare cash I found a digital scale in Bed, Bath & Beyond that actually weighs up to 400 pounds. Took that puppy home. (OK, close you eyes and think of your happy place. DO NOT attempt to envision this next sentence!!) Monday morning, stepped on the scale in my birthday suit, and it read 368.4. Wednesday morning, it now reads 366.2 So technically, I have already lost my 2.25 average for this week. (I might just have to volunteer to mow lawns for the exercise. Wait a minute!! What am I thinking!?!?

I'd love to find an open source program that lets me chart my weight each week and then prints it out as a graph. I think that would be cool to watch.

[Urchina]

Leatherneck, thanks for the link to the walking site! I had a great plan to lose weight this year and did fine until June (was on target) -- then lost focus and tanked. Trying again, but need to incorporate more exercise. It's nice to hear of someone else starting from scratch!

I broke my bike out of storage last week and am using it for quick errands. It's so cool, not having to battle for space at our crazy-busy grocery store parking lot!

[LeatherneckPA]

urchina, I am planning something similar. I've ordered fenders for my bike and a set of folding wire panniers for the bag. It's only 4 miles for me to get to town, 6 miles to downtown, and 10 miles to Wal-Mart. I hope to replace my truck/motorcycle with bicycling for quickie trips to town. good luck with the walking chart.

Oh, my new sneakers came in. They are fantastic. In fact, I ordered a second pair to wear while I'm at school teaching. The only problem is that I have to carry them in because I wear boots while riding the motorcycle to school.

[DangerMouse]

Do you have any updates with your training progress?

[LeatherneckPA]

Those New Balance 992 sneakers are great!! I am up to walking a mile at a shot now. And I hope to do more starting next week. Maybe make it a daily walk? 6 mos to a year ago I would not have believed I could do this. My foot would hurt so bad after one mile that I'd have to take the next three days off. I've ordered another pair of 992's to wear around the house and while doing yard work and such. The podiatrist, the therapist who fitted me, and webMD all say that going barefoot is the worst thing I can do for my plantar fascitis. That'll take some work since I live barefooted.

Bicycling the four miles is fairly comfortable now. This Thursday I am going to ride my bike in to my TOPS meeting. That's about 6 miles. Cindy will put the bike in the back of her car for the return home, since it will be dark by the time we adjourn.

For those not familiar with the program, TOPS is a weight loss support group similar to Weight Watchers but more reasonably priced. And they don't try to sell you ANY food. It's $12 a year to join and a dollar each week for the meeting. There is never any criticism for backsliding (as I did recently, up to 369.6). During the taking of the roll the secretary reads your name and how much you lost, and everyone applauds your efforts. Or she just reads your name and then everyone says "We're glad you're here." Nobody ever hears how much you gained if you did.

Last Thursday was my first time back in quite a while. It sounds silly for a strong-willed, self-confident (DW says arrogant), Marine to say but I really do better at losing thanks to them. Thursday's program was a discussion of sodium; it's impact on weight and blood pressure, what foods it's prevalent in, and how to manage our intake of it. I've been playing this weight loss game so long (I even have college level courses in dietetics and nutrition) that they have yet to cover anything I hadn't already read but this brings it to the fore of my memory and helps me focus.

[Rambler]

Good going Leatherneck. I'm sure you'll be up to multiple miles in no time. When I started I was still good to walk quite a distance, but couldn't run/jog one lap around the track. After a couple months I can go better than 3 miles without having to slow to a walk. Hope to get up to about a 6 mile run/jog in the next couple of months, and then add biking and swimming.

Actually your training for the Nations Triathlon has inspired me...hope to complete the gym exercise equivalent in September of next year, since I would not be able to participate in something like that locally. I know it isn't the same, but my gym has a pool, stationary bikes and the treadmills, so I will do it all there.

R

[LeatherneckPA]

Rambler, where are you at that you couldn't find a local triathlon? They are all over the world. For the US check out USAT. I'm sure Google can turn up tris local to you if you are an expat.

My plan for a trial run (next summer) is to swim in the local river, and plot out a ride and run that finishes near my house. I have to admit to an ulterior motive here. The DC race is relatively flat, with no significant hills. Central PA on the other hand has plenty of them. I believe that if I can complete the trial run with those hills in close to desired times I should be able to hit my times down there on the flats.

[Rambler]

I'm on assignment in a big asian city (can't be more specific for now). There are a couple of marathons around here, but I think I would do better in the olympic distance triathlon than running 26miles. If I can get thru the gym-based trial, I may give a shot to an on-the-ground trial next summer when I am home in the states for a visit. Then in a couple years, after we move back, I will try a local tri to see how well I do. Problem is that I really could stand to lose about 50# or so, which would take a lot of stress off the knees and ankles. Slowly but surely, I guess...

R

[TromboneAl]

How many biking/running miles are you up to now?

[LeatherneckPA]

Thanks for asking, Al.

I'm still just in the walking stages, but I'm averaging 2 miles per day now. And those expensive sneakers are worth every dime! I probably won't even think about trying to run until the spring. Just too darned much weight to be running on bad knees and bad ankles right now. My hope is that by getting under 300 I'll be able to start a nice slow running progression. I believe by that time that I will be able to sustain my walking for 8-10 miles, which means that if I had to I could walk the last part of the tri.

As far as biking goes, I was riding 4 miles 3 times a week around the river road. But this Sunday I tried a "big" ride and went twice around the course. LOL, wasn't worth much for the rest of the day. I want to increase my cycling to 3 on/1 off starting Nov 11, when I return from FL visiting my mother.

While I'm in FL I will be able to continue my walking easily enough. There is a loop that goes past the South Clubhouse and back around past Mom's that is right around 3 miles. It will be a good time to increase, nice and warm, and should lay the groundwork for staying at 3 miles when I get home.