Keep "tri"-ing 2010 triathlon season chat!
 

Hello all! Our last thread kind of petered out so I thought maybe by starting a new one we would attract some more folks and some more chat.

This thread is for anyone considering doing a triathlon, curious about triathlon, or planning to do triathlon, whether it's a sprint distance or an iron man. Please join us!

So while I'm at it, here's an update on my current status. I haven't officially signed up for anything yet but I'm planning on a July 17 sprint with an open-water swim (500m, 10mi, 5k), and an August 1 sprint (500m, 12.5mi, 5k).

I am also now the proud owner of triathlon shorts and a triathlon tankini top which I got on clearance sale. Whoo! Plus a CamelBak, also clearance. The only problem is that the tankini has a built-in bra, and my chest is too big to fit into any sort of built-in bra. I'm trying to decide if I should just wear my usual sports bra under it and let the built-in shelf sit halfway across my chest, or if I should just cut out the shelf bra and risk having the little fringe that I can't cut with scissors itch at me.

I'm still here. I have the Seattle rock and roll marathon (i'm running the half and dh is running the full) on June 26. dh and I are doing a loooooooong ride in July. so I'm looking for a oly in August. I haven't found one that fits the schedule yet, but I will. My training is kind of catch as catch can on everything , but my run plan right now. Swimming is suffering the most.I need to rectify that or switch to du's.........

How's everyone else?

as for new gear. I got clip-less peddles and bike shoes for my b day . I made it all of .86 miles before I fell over :dizzy:

Hi ladies... With the gaining of popularity of Tri lately I'm really surprised there aren't more of us! Anyway new thread is a good idea.

SGeranium - Clipless falling is a right of passage. We all do it! What type of clips do you have? I'm using the Look Keo ones. I've never used any others though so I don't really have anything to compare them to.

Paperclippy - Hm Maybe try it the first way before you cut it out and risk tearing it? I've worn sports bras under tri-stuff that had built ins before, but with my major weight loss I've also lost so much "up there" that I don't have to worry about these things as much. (Seriously it's sad... like 44DD to 34C) having it possibly cut across half-way might be uncomfortable though but with the extra compression of a 2nd one underneeth it might be enough so it won't cut across?

Things here are going well. 2 months until my first big HIM race. After this week I have a slow-week and then we start the crazy building of hours. I still haven't gotten to ride hills yet so I'm a bit nervous. I have to get some different gears on the back of my bike so I can spin up the hills better. Anyway so far my body has been handling the hours OK. I got a new wetsuit...

I bought one a size smaller then I should have (assuming I'd still lose weight) and I'm debating about exchanging it for the proper size.

Thanks for re-starting this thread. I'm one of the guilty ones who's been MIA.

I have my first tri, a sprint, two weeks from tomorrow, same distances as yours and also OWS. I'm using that as preparation for an Olympic-distance tri on June 26th (1500m, 30 mile, 10k). I'm terrified that I won't be able to run that long, but I'm not too worried about the swim and bike. I mean, I'll definitely be close to last, but my goals are 1) to finish, and 2) not to be so slow that they're picking up the cones behind me.

There are a few more races I'm signed up for over the summer, but not all of them are tris, and they're not nearly as important to me as this one is.

And throughout this tri training, I've realized I absolutely LOVE biking, so I invested in a good road bike about a month ago. And I've been out on it every day that the weather has allowed. I'm slightly addicted. If only that was the case with running, my life would be so much more pleasant.

paperclippy - As for the sports question, I will probably be having the same issue. My solution will probably be to use my own sports bra since there's no way tri clothes have enough support for my chest. I'm having a hard enough time finding anything that'll fit in the first place (triathletes are so SKINNY), so I've given up on looking for support in the boobs.

And to avoid itching/chafing from cutting out the shelf bra, you can always use either Vasoline or BodyGlide. They seem to be pretty good at preventing any sort of skin irritation.

That's about it for me. Good luck to everyone training out there!

Whoa, I totally didn't see everyone else's responses before I posted that!

SGeranium - I too just recently got clipless pedals and they are the devil! Well, they're amazing, but quite humbling ;)

Idealmuse - You're crazy, in a good way of course. Glad to hear your training's going well, and I wish you the best of luck with the upcoming crazy workouts and hills. And I'm also very surprised that we seem to be the only ones. Maybe with the new thread we can get a few more people on board?

Hello folks! I've been pointed to this thread for answers. ;) Hope you don't mind! I'm very curious about triathlons.

I'm discovering that a lot of people sign up first and then build toward it. I don't know how people are that brave!! LOL! I'm training first, THEN I'll sign up.

The other day I was doing laps in the pool and three of us converged in the same place and created quite a wave. The guy next to me and I both got it in the face and came up sputtering. :dizzy: While laughing together, I learned he was learning how to swim because he signed up for a triathlon!! He'd been watching me swim (a bad idea) to learn how to breath. I figured if he could just sign up and then learn how to swim, well then there is hope for me yet!

There has been an athlete living inside me a long time, but I have only just met her. ;) I have a lot of questions about triathlons and hopefully being more informed will help with my nerves. It's sounds from the discussion above that you do go straight from the pool to the next event. I can't imagine running wet!! Yuck! And I'd be another for whom a shelf bra would NOT cut it. When in the schedule do they usually place the swimming and why couldn't they make it last?! Swimming last sounds divine!

Also if the swim is in a pool, is it necessary to know how to flip at the end of the lane? I do not.

Hi all,

I've done a few sprints over the last 3 or so years, but my goal is to get to an oly at some point. I am still pretty back-of-the-pack and hope more weight loss will help. Also hoping to get to a half-marathon in the next year...I am up to 15k running.

There must be something in the air...I just went clipless too. I've keeled over once. Good luck to everyone! :cool:

Eliana - Yeah you don't have to be a stellar swimmer. I hadn't swam since I was a kid when I decided to do Tris. I signed up for lessons but it was only 5 classes and I just swam on my own after a few times per week. And That which was enough to get me through my first few Tris. I guess I was swimming for about 4-5 months by then. There are all kinds of swimmers out there. I even saw people holding onto the ropes on the side of the breakwall. I say if you're interested go for it. In the shorter ones you can always walk parts of the run if need be too.

Tea - Olys are fun I enjoy them more then sprints. Something about a sprint is just over too quickly for me... but I'm weird like that. I'm pretty BOP too... maybe MOP in the bike in shorter races.

Augeremt - Getting excited about your Tri?


Things are OK here. In my training we tend to go in 4 week cycles. This is the end of a "build" and next week is a rest week, which is just really a week with lighter workouts. For the first time I think I'm looking forward to the rest. My legs are a bit shot especially after biking 60 on Sunday and the bike workout we had last night in my training group. We're getting to the point though where the workouts are going to start being a real stretch for my ability... so we'll see how the body holds up.

Also my weight is a bit up right now... I haven't been writting down what I eat this month that always gets me into trouble despite all the exercising I've been doing! Gr.

I'm surprised. I always thought anyone who did a marathon, biathlon, triathlon, etc were stellar athletes in every sense of the word. I thought everyone who entered did so to win. I think "olympics". I guess it's not that way.

I just love to swim. I have never been formally taught, but have been holding my head above water since I was four. :D I am very slow for that reason. I don't know proper technique. But I can swim forever and I breath very naturally as long as it's to the left. :D I'm just slow and I don't know how to flip.

Running and biking I feel like I can at least tackle. Form isn't AS important as it is in swimming. Important, yes, but it doesn't slow you down nearly as much as improper form slows you down in the pool.

Does anyone know how spin cycle class translates to the bike? I have no idea how many miles I could conceivably bike but I feel like I do quite well in Spin Cycle class.

Definitely not. I've done every Tri I've done so far in the obese category. I'm doing a half ironman (70.3miles) in 2 months and depending on the week right now I keep flipping between obese and overweight BMI.

Don't get me wrong the more ft and athletic you are the easier time of training you'll likely have, but it's not a requirement.

I even saw some girls in the 250-300 range at Danskin... they likely walked most of the run... but STILL how cool is that?

Lots of people do Tris just to enjoy doing them. Most people know that in a field of 2500 people or whatever they aren't likely to win right? Everyone has a different reason why they do it though.

Spinning is pretty good as far as biking. You'll want to gain some more outdoor experience, but spin class is usually good for building up leg muscles for the bike. I do lots of workouts on the bike trainer.

Geranium, I don't know if you're looking for a local olympic or you are planning to travel, but there is an oly here in Indianapolis on August 1 (I'm doing the sprint that's at the same time). Good luck on the marathon!

Muse, I'm surprised there aren't more people here too! Maybe people just don't look at the Exercise forum that much. I will go promote our thread on the maintainers forum, I know there are a couple triathletes or aspiring triathletes there. I tried on the tri top over my sports bra yesterday and it felt okay, although I didn't do anything active in it. I'll try the combination next time I go for a run or a ride and it's warm enough to not need long sleeves. Good luck with your HIM!!!

Au, good luck!!! Definitely come back and give us a race report after your sprint. How much did you spend on your bike? I'm vaguely considering getting a road bike to replace my hybrid but I am cheap.

Eliana, :welcome:! The one sprint I did that had a swim in the pool did not require flip turns (although you were allowed to if you wanted to). The standard triathlon format is that you put your bike, shoes, etc. in a "transition area" before the race starts. Then you start the race with the swim, get out of the pool/lake/whatever and run to the transition area. In the transition area you do whatever clothing change you need, put on your helmet, and get your bike. You run with your bike to the end of the transition area, then get on the bike and ride off on the bike course. After the bike, you end up back at the transition area, where you put your bike in a rack and take off running. So they are all one right after the other.

In any case there are people of all abilities in triathlons. You can look around and you might find one in your area that is specifically labeled as being good for beginners. The first one I did was a beginner's triathlon and had people doing breaststroke, backstroke, and even dog paddling their way through the swim! I would suggest trying to learn to breathe on both sides. I breathed only to the left last year until I took an adult swim class this winter, and since I learned to breathe on both sides I've been much faster. It is really hard at first but the more you do it the easier it gets, and now I feel weird if I only breathe on one side.

:welcome: Tea! I'm a back of the packer too -- well, back of the back of the pack. I'm hoping to just be back of the pack this year instead of, you know, dead last. ;)

So I was planning to do two tris this season, one on July 17 and one on August 1. But now I'm wondering if they will be too close together, and if I should do one in June and the one in August. The August one is for sure since it's the same one I did last year and I want to improve my time. If I sign up for the June one it is coming really soon, but I think I would be okay. On the other hand, I have more time to prepare for the July one, and two weeks between races should be little enough that I stay in shape while still being long enough to recover a little. What do you guys think?

Also, how do I know if I need a wetsuit? The June/July tri has an open water swim in a reservoir. I've swam in that reservoir with just a swimsuit in summer before with no problem, but I didn't go very far from shore.

Paperclippy: I think there's a bit of an intimidation factor because people think they have to be able to do all three events really well. That's sort of the fun of it...almost nobody does all three really well...you always have to be working on something. And re the wetsuit...I haven't done a tri that requires one yet, so I don't know. I've seen wetsuit-required races (it's colder here in Canuck land), but maybe there are some where it's optional?

Eliana: Nope, not even close to stellar here. I've been last in a couple of tris too. The thing that's good about them here is that if it's a pool swim, the start times are staggered so that if you are slow, you start first. Then even if you're last, you don't come in last. For a mass start swim, it's different...I haven't tried one of those yet. One book that really helped me was The Slow Fat Triathlete. Very funny and encouraging writer. She did her first tri at over 200 lbs. So did I...I was last by a very long shot...but now I can do that same tri and be somewhere in the front of the back of the pack, lol.:dizzy: You could do a try-a-tri, which lots of people start out with (including me)...half the distance of a sprint.

I'm playing with the idea of doing a super sprint (here that seems to be halfway between a sprint and an oly) at the end of May (1000m/26k/8k) which I have done before a couple of years ago...That is a very long swim for me...I was fourth from last then, but I could probably do a bit better now.

Ideal - If by excited, you mean utterly terrified, then yes. I've been having a few dreams about it lately, but I think it's just the unknown that's bugging me. It's been a while since I've been so much out of my element. I should be ok. I think.

clippy - "Advertising" in the general/maintainers forum is a great idea! Hopefully we can get more people chatting with us, and maybe convince some of them to take up tris. It's addicting.

As for the race report, I will definitely write one up. If I survive the race...haha!

And the bike, I spent about two months looking at various models, and also started out thinking cheap. First, I wasn't going to spend more than $600, then $800, then $1000, and the one I finally bought was $1250. Yeah, I know, so much money...

BUT, it's a pretty sweet just above entry-level bike that's been known to last people many many years. I like the fit of it (like a glove, I swear), and the components on it are really good and the shifting is super fast and smooth. The bike itself is ridiculously fast. I was passing people who looked much fitter and better outfitted than me within a week of buying the bike. And I didn't even have clipless pedals yet! Now I'm super speedy.

What I'm trying to get at (besides justifying to myself why I spent so much money on my first bike) is that investing in a well-fitting frame and good components is the way to go, since they'll last you a long time and upgrading them separately will cost more in the long-run.

I somewhat had to learn the lingo when bike shopping so I can be more specific about certain models, components, pros and cons, etc, if you'd like. Let me know.

If you can tolerate cold water then you don't need a wetsuit. The race director for my first race said the water temp is going to be about 62-63 F and last year a couple crazy folk swam without one. But that's a bit chilly for me. Wetsuits are allowed up to 78 F (or something like that) so it's your call if you think you'll need one. I figure if I'm comfortable in a suit, then I may as well reap the advantages of it.

Also, about your tris, the ones spaced two weeks apart should be alright in terms of your fitness. Like, even taking a break after the first one to rest, you should be fit for the second one. Depending how much you've been working out, you should be ok for the June one, too. Can you play it by ear and register a week out or something? Or does it sell out? You can always make the call last minute to see how prepared you're feeling.

Eliana - By no means do you have to be a stellar athlete...although the tri-, running-, and cycling-specific clothes are made for those kinds of people. I have yet to find a tri or cycling top that fits comfortably and doesn't make me look like a stuffed sausage.

Through posting on tri forums, I've found many people who got into tris obese, overweight, or completely out of shape, and got hooked, and now lead healthier (and skinnier) lives. I mean, I'm 210 lbs right now and 5'4", so I'm well in the obese category (BMI 35.5) and I have a tri in a little over a week.

I will most definitely be a back of the back of the packer, and I'm hoping my wave starts early enough so that they're not picking up the cones behind me, but finishing is my only goal right now. I know I'll be slow, and probably one of the biggest girls out there (I live in Colorado...everyone here is super-skinny...not fair!), but whatever. At least I'm out there racing, which can't be said for a lot of people.

Tea - I signed up for the Oly first and then for the sprint as part of a warm-up/build-up for the Oly. I think it'll be a good distance for me because, like Ideal said, it doesn't feel like it's over in a flash. But at the same time, it's not super long like a half-Ironman (although I want to try one of those next season...we'll see how that goes). So yeah, I hope my logic is correct!

Most websites will say what the average water temp might be for the race. If it doesn't try looking up race reports on BeginnerTriathlete.com. Really how much you can tolerate is personal preference. In Lake Michigan I've swam with a wet suit when it was in the high 50s and that was crazy cold even with a suit. In the 60's I prefer a suit. In the 70's I'm okay without one.

I've only done one tri w/o a suit and it was fine. The flotation really does help you be faster though as it lifts up your butt and makes you more streamlined, so unless the water is warm I wear a wetsuit now.

What kinda bike Aug? Sounds nice! :)

I emailed the race directors to see about the water temp -- they said they expect it to be between 74 and 82, so I ought to be okay without a suit.

I went to the library yesterday to find some books with triathlon training plans, since I am too cheap to pay for online plans and the free online plans are pretty useless for me. I was laughing pretty hard when I found a book called "Triathloning for Ordinary Mortals," then when I flipped to the training plans section it said "These plans are based on a standard run time of 9 minutes per mile, bike of 16mph, and swim of 40 minutes per mile." Ordinary mortals, yeah right! I wish I could go that fast! :lol:

In any case I found a book called "The Woman Triathlete" that had just what I was looking for -- a 9-week intermediate sprint training plan for people who are already capable of doing the full distance but want to improve on their speed. Coincidentally, I have 9 weeks until my July tri. I officially registered for it today.

Now I'm stuck trying to figure out how to adapt the training plan to my schedule. The plan has 2 swims, 2 runs, and 3 bikes per week. I've been doing 1 swim, 2 runs, 2 bikes, and 2 strength training sessions per week. Also, the plan has the swims on MW, but I prefer to swim Sunday mornings since the pool is less crowded then. I'm not sure how much I can wiggle around the plan without reducing its effectiveness. Should I drop strength training for the next 9 weeks? Add them in anyway? Drop one of the bikes and one of the swims from the plan?

the water for my sprint was 69 and it was OK. I didn't wear a jacket before, the air was a little less than 69 so by the time I got in the water it actually felt not exactly warm, but not shockingly cold either. I think I'll rent or buy for august, just for the extra float though.

congrats on finding and signing up for your race. I hope to someday be a mere mortal apparently.

My pedals are the cheapest Shimano model. The guy I bought them from at REI told me I would be rough on my first set so I should go cheap while I learned and then return them after I worked the kinks out (because the are cheap) and then up grade. I'm pretty sure this isn't what REI had in mind when they developed their return anything at any time policy but whatever. I am in love with how my legs feel while I bike in them.

My endurance has increased so much from a year ago that I think I will really enjoy doing the oly length. There is a late season 1/2 iron that I sort of still fantasize about . It's in mid September................... It also has a 1/2 iron length DU option.............. I'm just not sure.

There are many people of many abilities( sizes, ages, physical ability) at these races, especially if you do an all female event like I did the first time.

Hi guys!

I just completed my first tri this Sunday!! I'm a runner and signed up for a tri to just cross it off my list, but I think I'm totally hooked.

Mind if I join your group?

I have been cautiously interested in triathlons...I am a good cyclist and a good swimmer, but I don't know if it's possible to make a runner out of me. I thought I would get under 200 before I tried running again- concerned about pounding on my knees.

About 7 or 8 years ago I did some running, up to about 5 miles. More often around 3.

Welcome Amber and Calluna! Amber, congrats on your first tri! :cheer:

Calluna, for a sprint distance triathlon you can very easily walk the "run." In fact a lot of people walk in the run portion or alternate running and walking. Especially if you are fast in the water and on the bike, being slow on the run shouldn't hurt you too much in overall time.

Thanks for the response on that. I have to confess that I took my courage in both hands even to post.

I also wondered about triathlons and living in AK, but there is a strong tri community here and plenty of events of different types in the summer season.

Calluna, no need to be scared of us! I'm a beginner and a slowpoke. Last year was my first triathlon -- I did one sprint in April and one in August, and I had to walk the run in the August one. I didn't quite come in last, but there were only 5-8 people behind me in each race. As my coworker says, "Complete, not compete!" My goal for this year is just to be faster than last year. Also, don't worry about still weighing a lot -- there is even a special category in triathlon called "Athena" for women over 165lbs.

So tonight I went out on a ride and I took DH's bike instead of mine. Both of us have hybrids, but mine is basically a mountain bike with slightly thinner tires and his is basically a road bike with slightly thicker tires, so I thought I'd try his out and see if it made a difference. Well, it made a difference, but not a positive one! I have never had a more uncomfortable ride in my life. I wasn't any faster than I am on my bike, but it was exhausting (even though my legs weren't tired, go figure), put way too much weight on my wrists, and hurt my neck because I was weirdly hunched over. The handlebars on my bike are significantly higher so I have a much more upright posture on mine. Also, while the seat on his didn't squish my tailbone so much, it was completely crushing other parts. :o

In any case, the result of this experiment was that I think I'm going to stick with my almost-mountain bike.

Mine IS a mountain bike (a Cannondale) with hybrid tires. I went for a 27-mile ride yesterday. :) It was awesome.

Paperclippy, I absolutely cannot ride with a male-design seat! My bike used to have one and it hurt so badly I thought I'd never get on a bike again.

Do you worry about what kind of bike you ride in tris? I hear that you see every kind of bike imaginable. Mine is a pretty good bike, and I'm not really wanting to spring for a different bike just now if I can avoid it.

I talked to my partner recently - he used to tri and even did the Ironman triathlon in Hawaii some years ago. I think he might be willing to coach me, which would be a great help.

Most of the bikes you see people riding in tris are either tri bikes, road bikes with aero bars (I can't tell the difference between that and a tri bike), or road bikes, although (at least in the sprints I've been in) there are always a number of hybrid and mountain bikes. I get the impression that most people who are just getting into triathlon compete with whatever bike they happen to have on hand, and if they decide to continue with the sport and get really into it they will upgrade their bike. People who were cyclists before becoming triathletes tend to have road bikes already.

In any case I have done two sprints on my hybrid and I don't plan to upgrade any time soon. Then again, I always do short distances. I've never biked more than 15 miles. I think maybe if I decided to go for Olympic distance or get more into cycling I would buy a road bike.

The things I *did* spring for this year in terms of gear: tri shorts, a tri tankini top, and a camelbak. Baby steps! :lol:

So yesterday I went out for a long (for me, 1:15) bike ride on a new route. I mapped it out before I went, and memorized what streets I needed to turn on. I did my first two turns with no problem, but then I came out of a subdivision to a major street. I was pretty sure it was the street I wanted, but it was labeled "975 E." On my map it was called "Ford" further south and "Pleasantview" further north. I turned anyway since I was pretty sure it was the right one. My plan was to head north on it, pass 146th St, and turn R on 156th St. Well, I kept going north for a long time, but I didn't see either of those streets. Finally I got to an intersection with a street marked "200 S" where if I kept going straight I was going to be on a dirt road. I was totally confused, got off my bike, and called DH to have him look me up on the map online. :lol: It turned out I was actually in the right place, but yet again the street names were changing on me, and 200 S actually WAS 156th St. Meanwhile, the "975 E" I had been riding on had magically turned into "950 E" instead, but according to DH, it was actually the same street as Ford and Pleasantview. Sometimes I hate Indiana!

Anyway, I also did a swim yesterday according to the training schedule in the book I got from the library. It was a "T-time" test, do you guys use that term in your training? Apparently my T-time is 2:30 for 100yards.

Hi all,

I just finished my first tri ever on Sunday (yesterday). It was a sprint distance: 750 m swim, 12 mile bike, 5k run. I loved (almost) every minute of it and definitely plan on doing it again. This one was in preparation for an Olympic distance tri in five weeks, so it was nice to see what a tri looks like and get a taste of what's in store for me soon.

Below is my race report. Sorry it's a bit long. I copy and pasted what I wrote out for myself and another friend. Hope you don't mind the length :)


Overall, the race went well and I'm very happy with my result. It was the perfect sized race for a first tri, and since it's one of the first outdoor ones of the season, there were a lot of newbies in the crowd. They said we had 88 first-timers (they even had a division for us) out of a field of 400.

I woke up super early to get there early like you all suggested, and it was definitely the right call. My roommate Maggie and I drove down there with enough time to leisurely get marked, pick up our timing chips, set up transition, walk around, and get ready for the start. No pressure or rushing at all.

I had been really anxious all morning and got even more anxious when we got to the race and saw the reservoir with the buoys set up. It seemed so long! But milling around and hearing others talk about this being their first tri put me a bit at ease. Everyone was so nice. There were two ladies and a guy in the bike rack next to mine and they were saying how one of the ladies had taken the guy's wife's credit card and signed him up for the race without him even knowing. The guy chimed in, "And my wife's not even here." In short, everyone was so nice and supportive, which definitely helped.

Warmup
Warmup consisted of getting in the water to feel out the temp. O. M. G. 61 degrees is COLD. My body felt fine in the full wetsuit, a bit chilly, but fine. That wasn't the problem. As soon as I put my face in the water I got an immediate brain freeze. I tried a few more times to see if more exposure would help, but it was just as horrible each time around. I didn't think I could last the 15-20 minutes it would take me to swim the half mile and I started to get worried. But there was no backing out and there was really nothing I could do about it (besides suck it up), so I tried to get my mind off that while waiting for our wave to start.

We (being Maggie and I) were in the 4th wave, so we hung out a bit watching the pros kick butt. A few of the elites were out of the water before Wave 3 had even started. Wow!

Swim: 19:23
Not too bad, actually, once my face got used to the freezing cold of course. 750 m feels a lot farther when you don't get to stop at the end of the lane after every drill. Haha! My time was a bit slower than I wanted, but I put everything I had into it. My arms felt super heavy in the wetsuit (I definitely had this feeling when I swam in a SCUBA suit for a fitness test a couple years ago, so maybe I just don't like sleeved wetsuits...or I need to strengthen my arms) so I alternated between freestyle and breaststroke. It seemed to work and was an easy way to spot and not go off course.

I essentially sprinted the last 100 yards or so in an effort to keep up with this lady in front of me, which was a bad call. See T1.

T1: 2:38
I was as efficient as I could be considering the severe light-headedness I felt as soon as I got out of the water. I thought I was going to fall over within the first few steps, so I had to catch my bearings a bit.

In transition, I had to hold onto the rack so I wouldn't fall over while taking off the wetsuit and putting on my shirt and shoes. Again, I severely questioned my ability to complete the next stage of this tri. Seemed to be a pattern throughout this race.

I slowed down a bit to buy myself some time, had some water, and went along as soon as I felt ready to stay upright without assistance.

Bike: 41:40
AMAZING! I didn't think I'd like the loop idea since I like seeing new things the whole ride, but it was really great, actually. I'm a convert.

The course was completely closed to traffic and consisted of three loops of 4 miles each, so even though some crazy fast riders were already coming in when I was just headed out, there was still a nice overlap of faster waves with me. It was actually fun to be passed by the super duper fast tri bike people and see them in action. It made it feel like we were doing the same race, instead of just seeing them at the start and then at the finish, and nothing in between.

One of the guys I paced myself with was in an earlier wave and the only reason I could keep up with him was because of his clunker bike. He had these rainbow-colored board shorts and the squeekiest mountain bike I've heard in a while. So it was easy to hear him coming and turn up the pace so he wouldn't pass. I can only imagine how fast he would've been had he had better equipment!

I pushed myself more consistently than I've pushed before and ended up with the best bike split I've ever had. My legs felt great at the end. Tired, but great. At the beginning of the first loop I remember looking down at my bike computer and thinking, "Wow, I've only gone 1.5 miles? This is going to be LONG." But by the end of the last lap, I was bummed that the bike was already over. It was just super fun to actually be racing people and passing each other back and forth. Towards the end, a lady pulled up to me while passing me and we chatted a bit and then she went on her way. I'd passed her in the very very beginning and told myself that there is no way I'm finishing behind her. I didn't see her again til the very end when she passed me and then we ended up keeping the same pace. So mission accomplished, kinda. I probably could've passed her again, but I was saving my legs for the run, which was a waste since there was no hope for me there.

T2: 1:38
Nothing special. Walked through most of transition, got my running shoes on, and took some water. I think I may've even put on sunscreen, but I'm not sure. That could've been T1.

Run: 42:13
Oy. I died. I knew I was in horrible running shape so I was hoping for a 12 minute mile or so, alternating between jogging and running. I stuck with part of the plan in that I walked and jogged, but I think I did about half and half. I got passed by EVERYBODY and didn't pass a single person. So frustrating. And everyone was like, "Keep it up, you're almost there," as they ran by. That just pissed me off even more and made me feel like they were pity-partying me, which was totally not the case. That was just in my head. Those same statements during the bike put a smile on my face and made me pick up my pace, but during the run I just scowled and cursed under my breath.

Maggie, my roommate, caught up to me right before mile 1 and we ended up walk/jogging the rest of the run course together. I felt bad that I was slowing her down and kept telling her to go ahead, but she wanted to do this tri together (and so did I, actually) so we pushed each other to go a bit harder. I think it would've been even more frustrating had she not been there, so everything worked out really well in that respect.

Post-race/Cool-down:
Didn't really do a cool-down, but I stretched a bit. I tried to eat some of the post-race food, but my stomach just wasn't feeling it so I stuck with a protein drink and a liquid diet. We hung out a bit for awards and then headed home to chill in the backyard on a beautiful day.


Official time: 1:47:30
Overall: 338/350
Females: 140/147
AG: 30/30


In short, great race and we lucked out with the conditions. Saturday was crazy windy and today is just as bad. Yesterday was the only calm day we've had in a few days.

Next step is to add another run day in for a total of three a week (and stick to them!) so I can survive 6 miles for the Lake to Lake Oly in five weeks, and push myself harder in the swim intervals, since I definitely need to get that endurance up as well. Bike training can stay the same, since I don't really want to add too much in the coming weeks.

Here's the link to the results: http://www.myentryfee.com/results/RaceList.aspx

The tri is called Summer Open Sprint Triathlon and my full first name is Katarzyna, Bib 613.

My roommate Maggie finished 1 sec ahead of me only because she thought I'd sprint to the finish with her. My legs were shot and I didn't want to fall on my face at the finish line, so I played it safe and jogged in. She still feels kinda bad because that puts me last in the age group. It's hilarious since I don't care. I accomplished my goal of not being dead last overall, so that's good enough for me :)

-Kasia

Au, GREAT JOB!!!!! :congrat: :swim: :bike: :running: Wow, that was a speedy bike leg! :cheer: Thanks for the race report! :woohoo:

Thanks so much for that! It is *just* the sort of thing I need to read to get a feel for the events. Congratulations on your tri!

Hello! I will be completing my fourth half marathon on Sunday, and I am looking for a new challenge. I think I'm going to do a triathalon next, because I like swimming and biking and I think it will help me have more of a total body workout than running. (Also, it's going to get too hot to run loooong distances for me very soon.)

Do you guys incorporate weight training or yoga into your training programs, or do you just (ha!) run-bike-swim?

Thank you in advance, I've been really enjoying your posts!

Welcome Chemist! :welcome: Good luck on your half!

Last year when I started training I did not do any exercise except for run-bike-swim. Then after I finished the tris I had planned, I took a boot camp class and started weight training (using the New Rules of Lifting for Women). I basically spent my winter on weight training and running with some swimming thrown in. This spring I was weight training, running, swimming, and biking, but now that I'm getting close to my races I've reduced the strength and increased everything else. My current plan is to do weight training one day a week and focus on upper body strength so that my legs aren't too sore for my other scheduled training.

I don't think yoga should be as much of a problem as heavy lifting. Mostly I had to cut back on the lifting because my legs were too sore to bike or run which was messing up my schedule.

I had a good bike ride this morning. Got my butt out of bed at 6:00 (luckily it is light out at 6 now) and did 11 miles. I thought I was going slow, but when I calculated it I was actually going 12mph which is fast for me. I guess I'm improving!

Thanks, paperclippy for directing me to this thread. It's been inspirational and makes me want to sign up for another tri this year, but alas I cannot.
This year my "new" challenge is to do a full marathon. It's in October and tri season is well over by that time up here (N Wisconsin). I'm doing this early one (June 6) just to get me moving before doing a couple longer running races to prepare me for the "big one". I'm already thinking next year if I keep my fitness up over the winter I could alternate triathlons and marathons (provided I don't die in the first one, of course) and do a couple of each. I've only done 2 triathlons so far and the one I'm doing June 6 is one I've done before. It's an easy swim in a shallow man-made "lake", a pretty flat bike portion and a typical run with some moderate hills. My worst portion will be the bike. I don't enjoy it and I think of it as something to get through to finish.
Maybe someone can help me. I have a pretty nice road bike that I just got a few years ago, but my butt can't take the saddle time very well. No matter what I've tried it's VERY uncomfortable. I have NO padding back there and gel seats, bike shorts, etc have little effect. Then there's the fact that my hands go numb on and off after about the 4th mile. I have carpal tunnel junk which is probably the culprit. I've tried repositioning, not putting as much weight on my hands, but it's hard on a road bike. I don't have the aero bars...maybe that would help, but I don't have time to get comfortable with them for this particular race. Anyway, in the past I've done fine on the bike portion in the actual race, but I almost dread the training if I'm going over 6-7 miles. I used to enjoy it more. I'd like to again. The feeling riding the bike is great, wind in my face, flying along on this fast bike, but then my butt and hands crap out on me and it turns into a chore REALLY fast. Don't get me wrong...I'll keep doing tri's because they're awesome. I'd just like to get over this bike training mess. It used to be the swimming I dreaded since I didn't learn to swim properly until 6 months before my first tri, but now that's become a wonderful and refreshing cross-training tool that I REALLY enjoy. Suggestions anyone?

:welcome: MsP! Is your race a sprint?

Unfortunately I don't have any advice about the bike. I have similar problems -- my tailbone aches and my wrists hurt (also a repetitive stress injury sufferer here). Usually my butt starts hurting at about 8 miles and my wrists at 10, at least on my hybrid bike which has upright handles. You probably saw my post from a few days ago where I tried riding DH's bike and was in agony the whole time! :lol: I know it's less aerodynamic, but is there any way to raise the handlebars on your bike? I find that the higher the handlebars are, the less pressure there is on your wrists (although there is more pressure on your butt instead).

Where is everyone? How is your training going?

I have a question for those of you who do a lot of cycling. I was thinking about trying to join a group ride from a local bike shop, but I've never done a group ride before. Is it okay to join a group even though I don't have a road bike? Also, I average 11-12mph usually. Is that too slow for a group ride?

Amber,

Congrats on your first tri!!! I just did mine last week and I think I'm totally hooked as well :) :) :) It's so much fun.

And of course you can join our group! Do you have any other tris planned for this season?

I generally stick to swim/bike/run because I'm too busy. But then again, the things that keep me too busy are other sports leagues I play in a few times a week, so I guess you could call that cross-training. I'm not sure.

I know people that do both weight-training and yoga, but for the most part I think it's mostly s/b/r.

I have the same problem with the saddle in that my soft lady parts hurt after a while. I've searched and asked around and it seems like the only solution to that problem is to get a new saddle. Try out a few at a bike shop and see what works best for you.

My hands went numb in my last tri as well, and that was definitely from putting too much pressure on them during the bike. Usually in training I don't have that problem, but I think I was just in the zone during the sprint and didn't notice it til I got back to transition. I also don't know what to do about that, though. Not be as intense? That's not an option!

Thanks! That's the fastest I've ever gone! I went for a ride yesterday and could only get up to 14 mph (the tri had me at 18). I just lack the motivation during training to push myself into discomfort.

As for the group rides, JOIN! Try to find a no-drop ride since those are more geared towards beginners and 11-12 mph is usually fast enough. Everyone had to start somewhere so go for it!

I recently found an all-female cycling group out here that I've been meaning to try out but just can't drag myself out of bed at 9 am on a weekend. So I'll try real hard on Saturday and see how it goes.

As for my training, you'd think I'd ramp it up seeing as how I barely finished the run on the sprint and have an Oly coming up in 5 weeks. But instead, I've taken it super easy this week. Ay ay ay! I need to work on this.

I have made some progress in my explorations...I am certain that I can bike well and above the requisite distance for a sprint, as I do that all the time, and I know now that I can jog 3.1 miles, however slowly.

While I know I can swim the requisite distance, my preferred stroke is typically the side stroke - too slow for a tri -- but I think that can be remedied, and I'll be going to the pool this weekend to look into that a bit more.

I have a new swimsuit (my old one is now too big! hurrah!), some good running shoes, and a good bike. Have looked into training plans and various fora online - there is so much information out there! And fortunately the slow, fat triathlete doesn't seem to be an uncommon animal.

I think perhaps I can do this. :)

calluna-You CAN do it! My first tri was a priceless experience that I'm proud of. I was obese and not too fast, but I did it and enjoyed it immensely!

I'm dealing with a bit of a quandry. My tri is this coming weekend and I normally would be doing a training taper to rest my muscles, but I'm also training for a marathon and want to do the required miles for the week. I think I'm going to tone the miles down slightly and add in a bit of bike and swim time.
I did a 7 mile bike last week in about 30 minutes, so I felt good about the pace, but it was a little on the hilly side, so that helps (on the downhills!). My run pace is often about 10 min/mi. I'm a slow-ish swimmer in open water, but this is a short/easy swim so I guess I'll plan on 10 min max there. That should put me at about 2 hours for the whole thing, give or take some for transitions and stuff. I'll let ya'll know how it goes!

Calluna, you can do it!

MsP, good luck! Come back and post a race report after you finish please. :)

Au, thanks for the advice about the group rides. I think I need to look around to find a good group that will put up with a slowpoke on a hybrid bike.

I think something is wrong with my butt. :o :lol: Not kidding, actually. Last year I did a similar amount of biking (I thought) and while the first few times out my behind was a little bruised and sore, I quickly got over it and was fine. However, this year every single time I go out my tailbone feels like it's getting crushed, and it really really hurts (especially right when I get off the bike and it has room again). It continues at work and at home, whenever there is pressure on my tailbone it hurts a lot. The bike is the same one I used last year, I haven't changed the seat or anything. Any ideas what's going on? Should I have my doctor check it out? Or just give it more time? It's been doing this for several weeks now.