Hi, I'm another new person poking in my head to join the conversation. Reading this thread is very helpful and inspiring. I'm glad it is here!

So, I decided yesterday that I'm going to do a sprint triathlon in mid-September. I'm excited, but also very nervous. I've been working out with a trainer since November 2009 and have lost 77 pounds in that time and have gained a lot of fitness. He's been encouraging me to sign up for this triathlon and I've been very resistant (too scared) but yesterday I decided I'd go for it. I feel okay about the run and the bike. I just got a new bike and am already regularly going for 18 mile rides (the tri is 15). As of last week I can run a 5K without taking any walk breaks in 37 minutes. But, swimming. Oh, swimming. I haven't done any swimming in around 18 years. Who knows if I even still know how? My trainer is encouraging me to sign up for some private swim coaching and that's the route I'm taking. I'm hoping my first coaching session will be next week. It will be very interesting to see just how much I do or don't remember about how to swim. Yikes.

:welcome: Foresmewithlove and Desert! Thanks for joining us! I will try to answer questions but FYI last year was my first year of triathlon and I have only done 2 sprints, so I'm far from an expert...

Originally Posted by foresmewithlove:
First, is 6ish weeks long enough to train? I am pretty in shape and could easily do the bike part, but I am worried mostly about the swim. My goal isn't to place or anything, just to finish it, so time doesn't really matter. I would also like to not walk at all during the run.

How long is the swim? Is it a 500 or a 750? In either case I bet you can do it, just make swimming a priority and get to the pool at least 2x/week (you said you're already set for biking, so you could reduce biking to 1x/week to fit in an extra swim). If you haven't really swam in a long time, I highly recommend practicing breast stroke as well as freestyle. When I did my first tri I had prepared so that I was able to do the distance freestyle, but when I got in the water and there were all these people splashing around I freaked out and started getting mouthfuls of water when I tried to breathe, so I switched to breast stroke and did much better. In my second tri I did mostly freestyle, but mixed in some breast stroke so I could see where I was going.

Originally Posted by foresmewithlove:
Second, do I need to invest in any fancy equipment? Can I just wear my normal running clothes for it? I know I will have to figure out the swim suit thing, but I have no problem biking in sort of wet clothes....

No, you don't need to invest in any fancy equipment. You can if you want to, but it's not necessary. All you really need to do a triathlon is a swimsuit, goggles, a bike, bike helmet, and a pair of running shoes (and maybe a water bottle). This year I bought myself tri shorts and a tri top, but last year I wore a sports bra under a standard swimsuit, then after the swim pulled on a pair of shorts and a running shirt (which had my race number pinned to it) and did the rest in that. It worked pretty well.

Originally Posted by foresmewithlove:
Third, should I be scared??? I tend to not take things very seriously, but I would hate to show up and look like an idiot because I didn't prepare enough!

No, you don't have to be scared! Especially for sprints, a lot of people show up without having prepared very much (or at all). There will probably be a lot of other first-timers and they will be at least as nervous as you.

Originally Posted by foresmewithlove:
Oh, also, is it still possible to lose weight while training?

Yes, it is possible! But don't be discouraged if your weight loss slows or stops while training -- you may be adding muscle and you might need more food to fuel your workouts.

Desert, when I got in the pool for the first time to train for my first sprint, I hadn't swam a lap since I was about 10 years old. I made it about halfway across the pool before I had to stop to catch my breath. Talk about discouraging! But before long I was swimming laps with no problem, and by the time my sprint actually rolled around I could swim twice the distance required. You can do it! Also, getting coaching is a GREAT idea. I took an adult group swim class over the winter and learned SO much and sped up massively (I'm still super-slow, but much faster than before). And like I said before, don't discount breaststroke. It may be slower but it can be easier, so if you get tired in freestyle you can switch until you catch your breath.

Let us know how your training goes!

Speaking of training, I did my scheduled bike ride this morning and my average speed as 12.7 mph, which is pretty darn good for me. Yay! My tailbone is still messed up though, boo (not as bad as before, but still ouchie). I think after my tris are over I will lay off the bike for a while.

Hi guys sorry I haven't been around my weight loss has crept backwards a bit and you know how that tends to go... haven't been around here. (hangs head)

I finished my Horribly Hilly ride which was 6,000ft of elevation over 70 miles... It was definately super-challenging. I finished but I did have to walk up some of the crazier hills. It took us a pretty long time to do it like 5:45 of riding time but I think that includes walk time too. Heh.

My half Ironman is in 24 days. OMG!!

Okay off to swim... I'm just coming off a rest week. My legs are still fairly tired from the weekend. I thought they were OK until last nights bike workout.

Anyway I need to back up and read what I've missed...

Thanks for the encouragement Paperclippy. It is nice to know I'm not the only one who has looked at swimming after a looong time out of the pool. I'm thinking I'll get in my gym's pool this weekend, just to see where I'm at. Like, do I still know how to float? Let alone swim.

This morning I took my bike out and tried using clipless pedals for the first time. That was an adventure and a half. I managed to keep myself from falling, but had more close calls than I can count. I just rode circles around my neighborhood and practiced stopping and starting over and over again. I'm still not entirely comfortable with the clipless pedals, but only practice will fix that, right?

So today I got in the pool and swam for the first time since high school (I'm 36). To my surprise, I do still know how to swim. However, I can only get about 3/4 of the way across the pool before I have to stand up and pant for awhile. I think I made it all the way across before stopping twice, but that's it. If I'm going to actually do that triathlon in September, I'm going to have to improve quickly!

Muse, :nono: don't you know that when your weight loss slips is when you need to be on 3FC the most? :hug: Great job on your bike ride, and good luck on the half-IM!

Desert, don't worry, you will improve very quickly!

I had a good brick this weekend but my schedule for this week is already screwed up because it was raining this morning when I was planning a run. My sprint is coming up in a little less than 3 weeks. It's part of a series -- they do the exact same sprint once in June, July, and August, and I'm signed up for the July one. I looked up the June results and based on that, I think if I can do like I've been doing in training I should be just about at the back of the pack. Hopefully instead of 5 people after me like last year I'll have 50 people after me. I think I can pull this off in at least 1:45 if not faster, but I haven't done a real open water swim before and it's a hilly course. I'm planning to go down and swim there and bike the course this weekend.

Hey guys, I asked this on the main Exercise forum but I thought I'd ask here too. What sort of watch do you use for training? I need a new one. We bought DH a Timex Ironman watch for his running training (it's the cheapest version, was only $30) and I've been borrowing it. I basically want a watch that will have all the same features as that one, but also have a heart rate monitor and be smaller since my wrists are pretty tiny -- DH's "unisex" watch doesn't quite go small enough for a good fit for me.

Relatedly, I took his watch running today and used it to time splits in my 45-min run. I think I need to work on pacing. I did the first mile in 11:00, the second in 11:57, the third in 12:31, and the last 0.7 in 9:29. :lol:

Hey gang,

I haven't been around much, but my excuse isn't because I've been training a lot. Far from it! BUT, I did do an Olympic distance tri this weekend that royally kicked my butt, more mentally than physically. I'd post my race report, but I don't want it to discourage anyone from trying that distance. It really is fun and I plan on doing another Olympic at the end of the season...maybe. We'll see how the rest of the summer goes before I commit to anything.

Anywhos...

paperclippy - I've been using a Timex Ironman watch for swimming and running. It's a women's model so it comes in pretty colors and seems to be suited for small wrists. The one I have doesn't have a heart rate monitor, but I know some other ones do. There's also other high-tech HR watches, but those run pretty high. Hope this helps. And looks like we have about the same pace running :)

Desert - Congrats on signing up for your first tri!!! That's usually the hardest step for most people. And you have plenty of time to improve your swimming, especially if you already know how to swim and just have to work on your swim endurance (at least that's what it sounds like). Keep it up!

forsemewithlove - Don't be scared of your first tri. And don't take it too seriously. And by that I mean, have fun! I did my first one about a month ago (sprint, also) and I had an absolute blast! There are always going to be newbies and even veterans mess up, such as go the wrong way or leave for the run with their helmets on. So no worries.

First, if you're already mostly in shape then I think 6 weeks is plenty of time. Truthfully, I didn't do much training for my sprint and I finished strong. Well, my run was super slow, but I was prepared for that and didn't let it bother me too much. So if you're not looking to place, then you should be totally fine in 6 weeks. Just make sure you get comfortable swimming in whatever place the tri is going to be, like if it's a lake or a reservoir, go out there at least a few times to get comfortable with the open water. That seems to freak people out the most.

Second, no fancy equipment needed. I wore regular spandex and a sports bra under a rented wetsuit (water temperature was 60 degrees so the wetsuit was much needed) and then threw on a shirt for the bike ride and shorts for the run. So yeah, it was everything I owned already.

I guess I answered your third question at the very beginning, so just remember to have fun. That's most important. Good luck with the swimming!

Hi Au! Please do post that race report, I am vaguely considering an Olympic next year and I would love to hear about it, even if it didn't go too well. But hey, you finished, right? :high: Thanks for the watch advice!

Training is kicking my butt the past week or two. Over the weekend I got out to the park to swim in the reservoir that the tri is in. A little awkward at first but after I warmed up it felt okay, and I think I got the hang of looking forward every so often to make sure I'm going the right direction. Rode the bike course afterwards -- very hilly! I can only hope that I will go fast enough on the downhills to make up for being so very slow on the uphills. I had been hoping for a 1:45 overall time but I'm not sure I can pull it off with all those hills. Maybe I'll have a massive adrenaline burst on race day.

How's everyone else? Muse, how's the half-IM training going?

That's so smart, paperclippy! I wish I'd thought to do that my first time around at the courses I've done. The one tri event over here would definitely require me to do some practice swims in that lake. I'm not great in open water and it was not a very forgiving lake....choppy and deep. And now you know about the hills on the bike portion too. You can maybe work some hills into your training more.
I'm focused on running now, but my marathon training is getting much more challenging with longer runs and the heat and humidity right now, it really takes it out of me. It doesn't help that I just got back from vacation with some "extra baggage" that I need to get rid of too. I gotta get my head back in the game here!

I did day one of C25K (although not really starting from the couch) yesterday with the hopes of doing a sprint tri some day.

I swim for about 45 min - 1.5 hours a few times a week in the summer (depending on the tides) and I can bike 20 miles or so no problem. It's just the running that I need to work on...

Welcome seagirl!

Less than a week until my tri. I'm starting to get both nervous and excited. Last night I had a dream that I was going to go do a triathlon that started at 5pm but I couldn't get off work early enough, and when I got there I asked if I could just join in on the bike since I had missed the swim and they said no. :lol:

Still trying to figure out race nutrition. The plan is for a couple Clif shot blocks during the bike ride. I never seem to manage to figure out how to do race nutrition because when I do brick workouts I usually eat right before I go, since eating then hopping on the bike is fine for me. I can't eat right before swimming or running though, so I figure if I eat a couple hours before the race starts I will need those shot blocks to have energy for the run. I've had them before but I don't know what the best timing is for it -- do I eat them at the beginning of the bike, the middle, or the end? Do I eat 2 or 3?

I have two weeks between this tri and my second one so I may experiment a little then, but I'm open to any advice you guys have.

I sure hope you keep us up to date here - I really enjoy reading these and it helps enormously. Too bad LitChick isn't on this thread; she just completed her first tri a few weeks ago.

As for me, I had work travel and other pressing activities in June but am back in July. I have been focused on biking and swimming - I'm still not sure I want to pound my knees with running until I weigh less than I do now. I did try some running and am able to do it - slowly. :) I've even done a couple of bricks.

Keep posting! Give us chickens some courage. :)

Thanks Calluna, I will definitely keep posting. Please do invite LitChick to join us on this thread!

We used to have more experienced triathletes posting, but I guess life has gotten in the way. ;) But in a few years, we will be the experienced ones!