Triathlon

[hammersavage]

Ok folks, last year, I began running races for the first time in my life. Ran a couple 5k's, a 10K, was part of a team for the Jersey Shore Relay. Liked the whole experience alot.

So this summer, i'm looking into running a sprint triathlon, which is just a mini-triathlon.

It's swim .5 miles, bike 39 miles, and run 4.2 miles. It's held at the end of April. I found the only way I really work out hard is when I know I have a race upcoming.


The running will not be a problem but I rarely swim and bike.

Has anyone ever competed in one? What kind of bike do I need? Do I need a wetsuit or other special equipment?

Any training pointers?

Any help or stories would be much appreciated.

[Ritalin]

Hammer, I did a half Ironman a couple of years ago, and I can answer a couple of questions for you.

Depending on where the swim is you won't need a wetsuit. If the water is going to be cold it would be advisable, and the wetsuit actually aids your buoyancy, but you don't need it if the water is acceptable temperature. The swim isn't that long.

A decent bike will make your experience better. I didn't have a good bike at the time, and I did all my training on stationary bikes at my gym. I rented a really good bike for the race, and it worked out great. If I could change anything, I would have done more training on the road with a bike, because I actually got to the point where I was generating really good power on the stationary bike, and when I got on the good fast bike I was a little spooked by the speed. I could have gone faster but I was a little afraid. If you're in good shape and you have a really great bike you can get it going really fast.

The key is to be very strict about your training. You have to train a lot. Not for a long time per workout, but there are a lot of workouts during any one week. I followed a training schedule that I found on trinewbies.com - a great site.

The training schedule for a sprint tri is here: http://www.trinewbies.com/10wtp.pdf
You should do it, it's a lot of fun. Get a heart rate monitor and train.

update on your progress, please

[PapaBear]

I did a biathlon once (no swimming). My problem was the opposite of yours. I was a bike racer, but I had never really run much before. Since you aren't a biker, make sure you use a bike that's comfortable for you. Some of the high end ones can be hard for a runner to adjust to.

BTW... I crashed and got a concussion:wallbash:, but I still won my age group.:smile:

[ralphbxny]

I have no help to offer, other than a Good luck man! I look forward to hearing you completed it. I wish you all the best. Go for it!

[hammersavage]

Thanks Ritalin. That site was great. Starting to put shit together.

I made up my own calendar last night. i'll probably buy a new bike this weekend. Thanks for the advice and encouragement. I'll keep everyone posted and feel free to add more to this thread. I need all the help I can get.

[Ritalin]

Thanks Ritalin. That site was great. Starting to put shit together.

I made up my own calendar last night. i'll probably buy a new bike this weekend. Thanks for the advice and encouragement. I'll keep everyone posted and feel free to add more to this thread. I need all the help I can get.

Which race are you going to be in? I'm kinda looking for a reason to train for something too...

[hammersavage]

http://citytri.com/bmtrispring.htm

kinda down the shore but I like the lengths.

"The event is held once again at Bass River State Forest located only an hour from Philadelphia and one hour and a half from the Verrazano Bridge in NYC. The swim is in the calm and clear waters of Absegami Lake with the start on a well maintained and clean beach area. It will probably be one of your most enjoyable swims. The water temperature has been in the upper sixties. We strongly recommend you wear a wetsuit. The 29 mile bike course is primarily right turns on country roads with wide shoulders. The 4.2 mile run course is a fast flat run with lots of shade and on the roads and paths of the campground area of the Bass River State Park. You will enjoy every segment and finish to a crowd of spectators who can hang out around the picnic tables and playground near the transition area. Enjoy!"

[hammersavage]

alright, about halfway through my training.

i've lost about 25 pounds since mid January which is nice.

I swan 20 lengths last night no problem, gonna have to swim equivalent of 34 lengths.

The biking has been tough because its so cold. But I don't find it tiring the lengths I do bike, just a little boring.

The running was easy going in but is a whole different ballgame when you run AFTER you bike. My legs feel like such shit for the first 1/2 mile.

So, I am slightly ahead of the schedule that I set for myself but I still got a long road ahead of me, I know. just keeping anyone interested posted.

[TheGameHHH]

i have nothing but respect and admiration for people that do triathlons, half-triathlons, iron mans and the like. good luck man and i hope you accomplish your goal.

[Mike Teacher]

If I go for a long bike ride is that a Unalthlon

[hammersavage]

If I go for a long bike ride is that a Unalthlon

I'll allow it, mike...

[tonypop]

Good luck. That's some hardcore shit. Just the swimming alone would kill me.

[hammersavage]

About a month out. Got the swimming down. Need to work on my biking alot this last month now that its warming up some.

Got my bike, helmet, wetsuit, etc. This is alot of work. But i'm in good shape. I hope its good enough to finish with a respectable time.

[hammersavage]

Well........i did it.

Had the race this Sunday, my times for the swimming and run were fine. The fact that I didn't have a great bike like everyone else killed me and my ass. But I wasn't going to spend a couple g's on a bike just for a better time. I'm just happy I finished and didn't dog it at any point.

Got a 5 mile race in Dave's home town of Spring Lake in late May to look forward to now.

But I recommend taking on a race like this for anyone looking for a challenge. It was a great experience.

[Badinia]

Congratumalations!

And remember, you're only really competing with yourself! You finished! Now you can lazily tell your fellow barflies, well, when I did the triathlon...

Neat!

[Ritalin]

Well........i did it.

Had the race this Sunday, my times for the swimming and run were fine. The fact that I didn't have a great bike like everyone else killed me and my ass. But I wasn't going to spend a couple g's on a bike just for a better time. I'm just happy I finished and didn't dog it at any point.

Got a 5 mile race in Dave's home town of Spring Lake in late May to look forward to now.

But I recommend taking on a race like this for anyone looking for a challenge. It was a great experience.

Awesome! You finished. That's really great.

How do you feel about the entire experience? How much did you train, and do you think you could continue to train like that? My favorite part of the training was the swim, because it's so peaceful once you get used to it.

Give us some more info.

[hammersavage]

The entire experience was great. I've done running races in the past and was looking for more of a challenge and this certainly was that.

I trained 5-6 times a week depending how busy I was. Swam twice a week, ran after work, and kept biking mostly to weekends because its been so damn cold the past few months, couldn't do it after work.

I could keep training like that, I mean, I have another race coming up so I'll keep running every day after work. Might not swim too much that, it's a pain in the ass to do after work. I decided to do this race on a whim 3 months ago, if I had started earlier I'm sure I could of done better.

I looked at my split times and competitors with similar to worse swim/run times had bike times about 45 mins less than me. That was all the difference in regards to my time. But like I said, i'm not buying an expensive bike just for a better time.

The swimming was awful though. With that many people, in that cold of water, in a wet suit...it was panic attack inducing. I didn't like it. Even though the biking is painful, i can do whatever I want mentally at least.

Anyway, a great experience, will definitely do another, maybe after I buy a great bike but don't regret signing up for it at all. I recommend it for a great challenge to anyone else.