It's tomorrow! Transition bag is packed. Ack!

Anne

Anne, how did it go???????????

Race Report
 

The race features a 1000 m lake swim. I started in the third wave. I had a decent swim, given that my swim training has been sacrificed at the altar of running lately. Reach, swivel, pull, breathe. As usual, the women’s waves are relatively civilized. After I finished passing most of the breast- and backstrokers, and catching a few of the older men’s wave stragglers, the young men’s wave began to swim by me at about 400 m. They are not so civilized, and while I’ll cut a little slack given the opacity of the lake water, I did have to convince a couple of them that swimming over the top of me was not an option with a swift kick to the whatever. Then one of the young women whacked me hard in the nose. This is seriously much cooler than swimming in a pool!

I had a relatively quick transition given that I had to escape from a 5 year old wetsuit (very stiff) that had adhered to my body with a thick coating of lake goo, spray on sunscreen, body glide and human sweat. I liked the bike course, which was very fast. At one point I looked down at my newly-installed computer reading 24 mph on a relative flat and thought I must have screwed that up somehow, because normally I’d be turned inside out to hold that. It was right, with a slight downhill and light tailwind helping me out, but I feel like I had an awesome bike. The return was slower with a light headwind and crappy pavement, but I still finished the course easily in under an hour.

I had another relatively fast transition to the run, and managed to hold a decent pace for the first couple of miles, with minimal walking. The last mile was tough, with just enough of an uphill grade (the same stretch I managed 24 mph on the bike but the other direction) and at the end of the race that it started to hurt and I had a couple walk breaks in the end. But my time was reasonable, and the breaks were just breaks and not a break down, and I was happy with my performance in the end. I finished closer to my dream time than my nightmare time and had a great day on the course. I pushed myself, challenged myself, but didn’t kill myself. This is the first race in a while I’ve been adequately trained for, and as always, training helps.

Finally, this was a special race for me. I turned 40 on the course, the bike to be specific, and it was a great way to start a new decade.

Anne

:cheer: :woohoo: :swim: :bike: :running:

Great job Anne! And happy birthday!!!

Anyone else have one coming up soon? I want to hear about it!

I did 2 last year (One Sprint and one Oly) but I backslid a bit over the winter/spring fitness and weight wise. I'm thinking of signing up for just a Sprint for late summer/fall for this year. I won't do as well as last year, but at least it will get me going again.

I'm shooting for a Half for late next year and I think doing the sprint this year will keep my training and moving forward. Too easy to put things off until it's too late otherwise, which is what I did this year.

I almost always have a race of some sort on my calendar. It helps.

Right now I'm doing a weekly series of aquathlons (swim/run) put on by our local parks and rec department. 800 yd swim with a 3.1 mile run. It is a little toasty this time of year, over 90 for last night's race, but at least I'm wet while I'm running, which helps.

Anne

Happy Belated Birthday Anne! What a great way to turn 40!

Well I've started running again as of yesterday and despite it being 6 months since I've ran at all I was still able to go for 10mins and then 3 5 minute runs after that. That doesn't sound fabulous, but I'm 10lbs heavier then when I started learning to run and I couldn't even do a minute back then, so a total of 25mins spaced out with some walking was a pleasant surprise.

I'm thinking of signing up for either Danskin or Chicago Tri sprint later this summer. Kinda depressing since I was upto doing Olys last summer, but I have to ease into it. I'm thinking about the steelhead 70.3 for next summer.

Now I just have to get my butt back on the bike and back to the pool.

Has anyone here used a Tri training group at all? There is one starting up this weekend, but as a not-quite a beginner anymore I'm wondering if I'd get much out of it. Just hesitant because of the $$$.

Good job starting running again Idealmuse! Starting is always the hardest part.

I haven't used any training groups, but I think Anne is part of a triathlon club/group.

I still haven't signed up for the sprint in August I was thinking about. I'm pretty sure I'm going to sign up for it, but I don't know if I'll really train for it so much as just try to keep up my current fitness level. I'm focusing on weight training right now and I think it's really helping me with other sports. Stronger leg muscles means faster running and biking, and stronger arms means faster swimming!

In other news I may convince DH to do it with me, or at least to do one next year with me. He's started couch to 5k for general fitness, since he's been slacking off on working out for oh, the past YEAR (funny because from the time we met 8.5 years ago, he worked out three days a week consistently up until last year!). We grabbed an old bike his mom had for him to ride, not with the intent of triathlon but more so we could go on recreational bike rides together. It's in the shop right now so that it will be rideable again (it sat in a basement for about 10 years, and despite being old, it's $150 to fix it compared to $500 for a new bike). And the final hurdle? Our community pool opened up on Memorial Day and I've convinced him to come swimming with me (by telling him I was afraid to go by myself, which was true).

Yay! I'm excited. At least so far, our pool is totally deserted Sunday mornings, which means it's open for lap swimming instead of full of crazy kids playing marco polo. I need to get DH a pair of goggles though, right now he's just swimming with his head above the water. Yesterday he tried to match my laps. He managed to make it 9 laps but was pretty exhausted. I did 12 but stopped at that because I didn't want to make him feel bad for not being able to swim as much as me (I usually do 20). He is significantly faster than me at freestyle but surprisingly slow at breaststroke.

Okay, I'm writing a book here. I'm just so excited that it's finally warm outside, I can go swimming in a pool that's a 5-minute walk away instead of a 25-minute drive, and it's free, and I found a great new bike route that's really scenic. :D

Can't talk. Training. :)

Working with my tri coach again. I should see some improvement in my times soon.

I do belong to a tri club, which is great for training partners, information, and discounts from sponsoring businesses (running stores, tri stores). I recommend it.

Anne

I did end up signing up for the 12 week training group. My first schduled workout was today at the pool (after bring away from the pool for 10 months!) and our first Group workout is tomorrow night. Still havent decided on the oly versus the sprint. I rather do the Oly because it's the one I did last year, but I don't know if I'll be prepared enough by then.

Muse, how is your training going?

I'm still debating about which sprint to sign up for in August. There is one downtown August 15, one in the park August 22, and a women-only one in the park August 29. I'm kind of thinking I'll either do the downtown one or the women-only one but I can't decide. I'm afraid that if I put off signing up any longer I'll end up not doing it.

Jessica,

Don't overthink it! Pick the one that feels right to you and sign up. You'll have a great race either way.

Anne

Hi all! Jessica pointed me over here. I am training for my first triathlon in July!

It's a shorter one
325 yd swim
12 mile bike
3.25 mile run

I am pretty excited. I actually feel ready now, and have a harder time taking rest days than getting in the workouts. I have been experimenting with different fuels, trying to find the right one that gives me energy without loading up the tummy.

Welcome Fiberlover!! :D

I was bad, I didn't experiment before my tri. I did okay with some powerade before the swim, and then half a clif bar and gatorade during the bike ride. I was too scared to try "gu"! :lol:

Guess what? DH finally got a bike!! The old one we got from his mom is finally out of the shop. I wouldn't call it good as new, but it is rideable. There are some cracks in the casing around some of the cables, and one of his gear indicators doesn't work (the gears work, just not the indicator), but everything else is functional. We went for a spin around the neighborhood last night.

I want to take DH on my favorite bike route this weekend but I'm not sure if it's okay to take him on an 8.4-mile ride his first time out. I think his legs could handle it okay but he's certainly not used to sitting on a bike seat.

Originally Posted by paperclippy:
Welcome Fiberlover!! :D

I was bad, I didn't experiment before my tri. I did okay with some powerade before the swim, and then half a clif bar and gatorade during the bike ride. I was too scared to try "gu"! :lol:

That Gu scares me! I worry that I will choke on it. I actually have found the best fuel so far has been Stoneyfield yogurt smoothies. They go down easy, and have enough sugar to give me energy, but enough fat and protein to last for a while.

Lori, those smoothies sound like a great after food, but I'd be puking on that during a race.

Ran 3+ this morning. Getting back on the bike tomorrow after a minor crash last weekend.

Anne

GU's aren't bad if you like sweet things. I just bought a bunch of them because they were on sale, but I've also tried them before. They gave out Gu's at the Chicago Tri last year.

Speaking of which I finally bought my entry, so I'll be doing the International Distance again. This year is just "To Finish" again because of my weight I don't run all that fast.

"Muse, how is your training going?"

Paperc -

Thanks for asking. It's going well I'm back to running again. I did 30mins today... fairly slow because I was instructed to stay in zone 3 HR so for me that's about 4.3mph. I like working with the group so far. They don't train as much as I'm used to though so for weight loss purposes I'm adding in walking. I still want to lose another 20 or so before my Tri.

The womens only races are nice because there is less of an intimidation factor, but I'm sure you'll have fun which ever you pick.

What to wear.......
 

My first tri is in a couple of weeks. I feel confident I will be strong enough to finish strong for me, but I'm having trouble with what to wear. That's what I'm stuck on. That's what I can't stop thinking about. I need SUPPORT for the run.

Geranium, for mine I wore a sports bra under my swimsuit, then layered on sweat-wicking pants and a shirt. It was cool and rainy during mine though so I wore long pants. The only thing I know for sure is that if you don't have something covering your thighs, you can get pretty chafed on the bike and run.

I was at the running store getting shoes for DH the other day and I saw their tri shorts and tri tops. I was seriously tempted, but at $75 for just the shorts it wasn't worth it at the time. Still fretting about which August tri to do (if any). I think I might stop going to bootcamp next month and go back to running, biking, and swimming on my non-weights days to prepare.

$75 for just the shorts..........
 

that's kind of the heart of it. I know what would be the easiest (go to REI, Buy all new stuff), but I feel I have all ready invested so much money in something I haven't even done yet. I'm over thinking it I suppose. Congrats on getting your DH on the bike. Mine is really athletic, but it's sometimes hard for me to get him to join me. He is extra obsessed with mountaineering lately, so it's hard for me to pull him into a simple ride or run when he could be off climbing mountains. I think I talked him into an 8k fun run at the end of July though. That should be , well fun......

That's exactly it, Geranium. I spent so much money on running shoes, gear for winter training, bike supplies, and swim gear before the triathlon that it felt like it would be ridiculous to spend another $150 on clothes!

SGeranium those Danksin Tri-suits are pretty flexible as far as sizing. I wore mine last summer and lost about 35-40lbs while training and was only starting to get to a point were it seemed a bit big. If you buy one size down it will probably last awhile.

Other then that you could wear sports bras that look less like bras and then just slip on a shirt for the bike/run over top.

For both my Tris I've just done a tri-top and capri running pants (also danskin) going under the wetsuit and threw a shirt over the top for the bike/run. I only use my tri-suit to swim in practice as little sense as that makes, and the capris make me more comfortable since my legs sag because of my weight loss.

Just when I figure it out...............
 

moments after I order what I think will be the missing pieces of my outfit I checked the race website and find it's been delayed. FOR THREE MONTHS. I couldn't be more disappointed. I've been working towards this goal for months and I'm ready to go. ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Nothing to do but carry on I suppose, chin up and all that. I'm going to spend some time trying to find a race or two to fill in the gap and keep it interesting.

That sucks was that the Danskin/Trek or whatever they are calling it these days (I know they are 2 different races now)

At least you have more time to train!

Hey triathletes!

Body Glide. Lots and lots of Body Glide. Everywhere. For chafing. Don't be shy with the stuff.

As life gets busy, I post less. Sorry. Still training hard for the big race in October. My bike is really improving to pre-kid levels and my swim is back where it should be too. If only I could get it together running. I'm hoping it is the heat. It's often 80 deg at 5 am here this time of year, and I could just be feeling that.

Anne

The trek
 

The Danskin is impossible to get into here. I need to change my schedule around a bit. What do your training schedules look like?

Body Glide: Does it dry out? I bought some last year and there doesn't seem to be much "glide" to it. I put it on my neck for the wetsuit and I wasn't sure it was even rubbing on. Wondering if I just bought a bad one or its properties are just subtle. Someone mentioned they have it in a gel now too or something?

Training: Not sure if you were asking me, but mine is dictated by the tri group I joined. She has us mostly doing 2x each sport for 45mins-1hr a day. Way less then I was doing last summer on my 3x Olympic plan (from beginner triathlete.com) I also was using more intense training zones. When she wants us to "Run" in Heart rate zone 2 I have to walk to keep my HR that low. :(

training plan
 

I was talking to anyone interested in sharing:). I got off track with the sprint plan I was doing from beginnertriathlete.com. I just having a hard time fitting in everything I want to fit in. I was doing double workouts most days so I could fit in the extras I wanted too, but time is a challenge right now. Plus right now I really enjoy running the most, so I get antsy to do it more than 2x a week, so I add it in as a second work out and feel tiiiiiiired. Do you all do Yoga and/ or weight train in additon to 2x a week? I'm still trying to figure it out.

Christine

I'm trying to figure out a new workout schedule myself. When I was training for the April sprint, I ran MWF, swam TSa (sometimes only one or the other), and biked ThSa (usually only one of those days). But I had a lot of my workouts cancelled because of springtime rain.

Lately I've been weight training TTh, doing bootcamp MT, and swimming or biking Su, and occasionally something on W, F, or Sa. Bootcamp is ending though and I'm still eyeing those August sprints.

I'm thinking my new schedule will be something like this:
M - run
T - weight training, maybe swim
W - run
Th - weight training, maybe swim
F - rest
Sa - swim and/or bike
Su - swim and/or bike

I don't really know. I've been swimming in my neighborhood pool lately which is usually full of little kids so it's hard to do laps. Sunday mornings it is pretty much deserted so that's my ideal time for swimming. OTOH swimming is my favorite to do after weight training because my legs cramp up too much biking or running. I am open to suggestions! I do my weight training at lunchtime at work so my evening is free for another workout.

"Do you all do Yoga and/ or weight train in additon to 2x a week? I'm still trying to figure it out"

No yoga - She does have us "strength train" but to be honest I'm finding it not that useful. We do it from worksheets which I find myself fumbling around and reading more then doing. I was thinking of just forgoing those and just picking out a strength training DVD to do instead. I have the Chalean Extreme DVDs which I'd love to do but I think it would be too much/too often on top of the tri training so I'm not sure what would be a good replacement.

Sucks that you can't train that well in the pool. Mine is a university pool with lots of swim lanes and has a community membership.

I like the BT plans, I'll probably follow one for my 1/2 IM I want to train for next summer.

Hi everyone! I got my trisuit at the end of last week and I love it! It's going to be great for just our long bike rides when I am done with this triathlon. I got it here: Paragon Sports
Only $67.50 with free shipping! :woohoo: I wore it biking on Saturday and then for a swim and it was very comfortable and I think it reduced drag in the water.
My tri is on the 12th of July. I think I am going to do 1 or 2 more bricks between now and the weekend, then take it easy and do lots of stretching next week.

Any good hints on what to put in my transition bag from swim to bike?

Fiber - besides the obvious - Bike helmet, Sunglasses, Bike shoes, Socks, and liquids...

I'd make sure you have at least some gels or something similar... and advil just incase. I also like to have chapstick. Try doing a search on some of the tri sites for suggested packing lists you'll get tons of suggestions.

And make sure you remember to remove the bike helmet for t2... In my first tri I ran off wearing it before a friend noticed shortly after I crossed the mats. D'oh! but makes for a good newbie story. :)

Fiberlover!!! I just saw on the maintainers thread that you did your triathlon!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!! :carrot: :cb: :broc: :celebrate: :swim: :bike2: :running: :bravo: :congrat:

After much agonizing I finally signed up for the downtown sprint triathlon on August 16th. The deciding factor ended up being that I tried swimming in the reservoir and got freaked out, and tried biking the hills in the park and got exhausted, so I figured I was better off saving that more challenging course for next year.

Now I just need to figure out my training plan for the next couple weeks until the tri. I haven't done any bricks since the last triathlon so that will probably be on my plate soon.

Paper - Good luck!!!

I think I should have stuck with a sprint this year also... I signed up for the Oly because it's what I did last year, but I've been having a hard time getting my run fitness to match last season (Stupid Stupid me for taking too much time off!!) and smart me then signed up for a 15k on top of that Nov 1st of which i'll likely be dead last!

4 1/2 weeks and counting for mine....

(Off to hop of the bike trainer!)

Muse, how is your training going? I saw in your sig you're planning a half IM next year - wow! A friend of mine just did one of those (the Vineman). I doubt I'll personally ever progress past sprint distance, just because of the running.

I need some advice from you ladies. My sprint is coming up next weekend. There are two problems:

1) I stupidly didn't check my calendar and scheduled it during TOM. I hate hate hate tampons. Any advice? I could stack my BC to skip my period but I really hate doing that too.

2) We're expecting temps in the upper 80's and high humidity for race day, plus there is little shade on the course (also a potential for thunderstorms, but I imagine it would be cancelled if that happened). My last race was in April and it was cool (60 degrees) and rainy. I had a Clif bar in my fuel belt and it was fine. I imagine it would melt into gooey nothingness at 86 degrees and full sun. What's a good alternate energy bar that won't melt? I admit, I'm still afraid of GU.

I'm afraid of GU too
 

I think GU and others also makes gummy bear like energy bits. I tried them once and they were OK. The power bar will probably still be OK though, just softer. I ate a lost in the hot car protein bar last week when it was in the 90s. It was a little sticky, but it still did the trick ;). I 'm drifting aimlessly the last couple of weeks. I need to refine my plan. DH and I have a big hike scheduled for Sunday, I hope I'm up for it, last time I went hiking with him I bit off way more than I could chew. He's nuts........