Newbie Questions
Afternoon all. I am enjoying my trial period inside the EN House and have done quite a bit of poking around. I do have some questions though as I evaluate whether EN is the right fit for me. (I have a strong lean towards it, because I really like the ROI focus and everything I am reading makes a lot of sense...though I do have a couple questions. Please forgive me if these have been answered elsewhere, I might have overlooked them in my searching)
So here they are:
- I am new to the triathlon game and have really been enjoying training and learning. So with that said how tolerant is everyone with newbie questions and a person that really seeks to understand? I have been a few local triathletes that were both hard core and frankly triathlon snobs, if you hadn't done multiple Ironman races they didn't want to bother with ya. I know y'all are hard core (and I am an over the top type A too) but wanted to learn more about the familial vibe.
- I saw on the EN site that being a team member give access to certain sponsor discounts and other savings opportunities. (woohoo, maybe a Quarq can be on my future purchase list!) What are those discounts? Is there a list of discounts available?) This helps with the ROI for me as I pick "must have" training/racing gear.
- Also, are there any "official" EN stores/shops? I like to patronize those that support groups I belong to or am associated with.
- Does EN ever do a group buy for items like a Computrainer?
- How does strength training and conditioning fit into the training plans for both out-season and race training? I am a former ball player and have a hard time giving up strength training completely. (though I have switched to high rep, lower weight training since starting my tri training.)
- Okay - Swim Training.... I am a new swimmer and have been working with a local coach on my form and technique (also have taken a Total Immersion clinic that seems to have really helped my form - but I have a long way to go still.) I did an open water swim this morning and while my form has improved my endurance just isn't there yet. I was able to swim 100m and then had to breaststroke to get my breath and lower my heart rate. The swim is by far the area where I am weakest and I have to get better. How do the EN plans help me improve my swim endurance?
- Are all the EN members on the Athlete Map? I can't believe there isn't anybody from the Charlotte, NC area. Not a big deal, just curious. Would love to hook up with other local EN folks if there are any.
Thanks for answering these and helping this noob figure out what I need to do to achieve my goals!
dusty
0
Comments
The deals that Rich and Patrick have worked out are great. Though we could always use more, ahem. Also, if there is a deal out there, the chances are that a member of our 400 person team has seen it and posted something to let others know about it. One can only wonder what will happen if a good percentage of the trial members do join. I assume nothing would slip through.
As for weight work, there are some who swear by it and some who never pick up a weight. I used to be a big lifter and basically stopped in the last couple years since I started doing tris. I have started up again but have found it hard to fit everything in. Rich always says he is a time manager for us which is true. Not knowing your family life but I have a wife and 2 kids, plus I work at night. Would I love to lift 3 times a week, run 4 times a week, swim 3 and ride 3 every week during the season? Of course, do I, or most people in the Haus have that kind of free time let alone energy? Mostly no. So I don't think the coaches are opposed to it, just that it takes so damn much time. But it isn't like we aren't into making our bodies better here, which strength training definitely helps. We have weekly weigh-ins. We had a 100 pushup challenge. I thought there was talk of a pullup challenge as well. Lots of cool stuff actually. So what i think is that if you join your best bet would be to do your weight work a few times a week in the Outseason but come season time you may have to scale that back dramatically or just have to settle for bodyweight stuff at home.
As for the Athlete Map we all wish it worked. I ma sure you have some folks down there. Hopefully something can get done about this.
Like you, my swim sucks. I don't float. Form trumps all at this point in your swim life. Continue to work with your local guy and once you feel comfortable with form these workouts will give you that endurance.
Hope you enjoy your trial.
Rich, I'll be glad to remind about the possibility of a Computrainer group buy!
Dusty, if you join you'll gain access to the Wiki. All of our downloads, etc live in there, though I believe we attached the Swim Clinic eBook to the first week or two of the OS plan you can all see in your accounts now.
Hey Rich,
I joined up on Saturday (I think it was Saturday, might have been Friday night). How can I confirm that y'all have me as an active full member?