Triathlon?

Hey guys, next weekend I'm running in a local triathlon, Well it's actually a 1/2 tri. .25mi swim, 13mi. bike, & 3.1mi. run. After my surgery I kinda just got sick of lifting every day for no real reason & wanted to push myself a bit, I'm pretty sure i can do it no problem, but i figured when i made my decision to start training for it (6 weeks til race) would be too short to correctly train for the Olympyc tri. sooo, Anyone else around here ever done any Triathlons?

Nate

Nate,

I used to do them all the time, but I haven't participated in any for several years. I have participated in the sprint distance as you describe up to a 1/2 Ironman (1.2/56/13.1). The 1/4 mi swim, 13 mi. bike and 3.1 mi run is a good introductory distance. Most people who are in reasonably good shape should have no trouble completing it.

The swim is the biggest hurdle for most people. I am assuming it is in a lake somewhere, although some smaller triathlons hold the swim in stages in a lap pool. Depending on the # of people participating, the event will start in heats or waves of people, typically by age group. Expect to get hit & kicked during the swim, especially at the start. If you are not a strong swimmer, stay to the outside of the pack or hold back a little bit and let the frenzy get ahead of you. If you have a wet suit, you may want to wear it. Even if the water temp. isn't cool, they help with bouyancy and let you ride higher in the water.

What type of bike are you riding? If you have, or can borrow a decent road bike, you won't regret it, although many people use the standard Schwinn 10 speed or a mountian bike.

The run is the easiest part for most people, however after a hard bike your legs will feel like jello. If you haven't done so already, go out for a hard bike ride and then run a few mile immediately afterward so you can experience it before the race.

Get all your gear layed out in the transition area, loosen up the laces on your shoes, have a towel available to wipe off with, make sure your bike is in good working condition and in a low gear for starting out. If you are competitive, a lot of time can be gained or lost in transitioning from one event to the other.

-Tim

Nope but I've done a pentathalon.
Billiards, Volleyball, Golf, Bocce, and Darts. Damn thing nearly killed me. But like Mojo said, keep hydrated.
Tull

Good luck Nate

do threesomes count?

lol..no eric what you meant to say was a bi-athalon!.no those dont count either

Only thanks to the support and help from each other were we able to complete the weekend events Reid described. In fact, as soon as we returned to Florida I went right back to training so I am better able to keep up for andy up-coming events at the Pinkham Compound.

BTW: I too used to run and lift quite a bit. Longest were 1/2 maratons. My brother and I ran quite a few 10K's over the years. Stay hydrated is my best advice. Lots-o-luck Nate. Let us know how ya do.

john

Hey Nate,

Good luck on the triathlon; have fun with it. I never have done one, but I do run a lot. Boating, skiing, running, reading, motorcycle, family, friends; lot of life is good.

Chuck

riedp and jbear
Like I said earlier, hydration is the key
Tull

John, I got back here and it took 3 days to recover, you would cry and send sympathy cards if i rambled about the trip. the kids, my wife and mother had a great time, sometimes a mans idea of a vacation is a hammock between a couple of cypress trees with a chilly one and some on deck to back them up.... need i say more lol Eric

well guys, the Tri was yesterday morning. Finished with a time of 1hr 16mins, good for 77th/ 280ppl and 7th in my age group (20-24). Everything went pretty well, I can't say that any of the event really pushed me to the edge where i didn't think i could go any longer. Came out of the swim about mid pack, during the bike passed about 20-30 ppl (& got passed by a few with their $8000 bikes who couldn't swim well, but were killer bikers), passed another 20-30 during the run, & i think only 2-3 people passed me during the run, so I guess running's my strength. Only two problems, both resulting from the bike ride, about 3/4 through my 13 mi. ride, my entire Nether region Fell asleep, verrry weird... and my left foot was hurting from the clipless pedals, rigt now it feels like I've got 1/2 a golf ball stuck under my left foot right now. So.... Anyone have a good Tri bike with Aero Bars they want to part with to a fellow CCer for a discounted price? haha

Nate

yeah it bothered me a bit while running, but wasn't too bad after the first 1/2 mi-1 mi... kinda just ran through the pain, the pain really came out a few hours after the race as one would imagine. Yeah my bike was actually a pretty nice bike, I borrowed my Boss' Jamis Coda Comp which is actually a road bike, but he's got the flat bars on it with bar ends (almost like mtn bike bars) so i couldnt really get into a good tucked position & cut down on my drag. But it was still a ton better than riding on my mtn bike. I was blowing people on mtn bikes & as i did it I was definitely happy I found a nice road bike.

Nate