Triathlon - It's short, would it be nuts?

Ok, some background info and advice request - I'm an avid cyclist (regularly cycle about 20+ miles/day with 40-50 mile day sprinkled in every couple weeks), ok swimmer and (currently) poor runner that is just starting to really look at getting into Tri's, would it be dumb to just jump in and do a Mini-tri after only a couple weeks of swimming/running?

The breakdown goes like this:
250y pool swim
4 mile bike
1.4 mile run

Should I wait until the next mini inna month and get a little more swim/run time in first? If I don't participate this weekend, I plan on volunteering at the least to get some experience.

- Kelly

Give it a shot. Just break it into its components: 250 yards is 5 laps the short way; 4 miles is a pretty short bike ride; and 1.4 miles is just short of 6 laps of a standard track. It'll be fun, go for it.

Ok, some background info and advice request - I'm an avid cyclist (regularly cycle about 20+ miles/day with 40-50 mile day sprinkled in every couple weeks), ok swimmer and (currently) poor runner that is just starting to really look at getting into Tri's, would it be dumb to just jump in and do a Mini-tri after only a couple weeks of swimming/running?

The breakdown goes like this:
250y pool swim
4 mile bike
1.4 mile run

Should I wait until the next mini inna month and get a little more swim/run time in first? If I don't participate this weekend, I plan on volunteering at the least to get some experience.

- Kelly


If you're physically fit (in the sense that you don't have any dangerous heart problems, etc), then you will be more than able to do it. mini tri's are great because if you're new to it, it's a great way to see whether or not you really like it. plus most of the time, the folks there are all trying it out on their first time too so there's not too many folks who race past you, cutting hard corners, throwing elbows in your face during the swim, or drafting on you on the run, like in some of the other races. for the most part, the sport is still beginning and the participants that i've come across are very welcoming of newbie tris. so go on out there and give it a shot. as an avid cyclist, you'll be more than in enough shape to do it.

That's not bad at all. You could do that waking from a dead sleep. :p

Nope, go do it. Once you realize that it wasn't that hard with little/no training, you'll want to try something bigger!!!

The other nice thing about an event that short. Most people that do them will be first-timers, so you won't feel weird or out of place & everyone should be super helpful & encouraging.

*edit* +1 on riding4freedom Next time I'll read before I post. :)

do it

do it i'm doing an olympic distance on saturday and i'm bout the same with the biking as you but i'm also a distance swimmer in school. i havn't trained that much but i'm still doing it. do it and have fun with it.

Do it.

I'm 280 lbs, I can't run on hard surfaces for very long (2 miles on a treadhmill is no prob though) and I have done duathlons of 1k swim and 5k run with no problem. Get out there and do your sprint tri!!

Thanks for all the encouragement guys, I really appreciate it. I'm nervous as hell about taking this on, but it's prickling my competitive juices, so I'm going to go for it and just have a blast with it all and we'll see what comes of it.

Thanks for all the encouragement guys, I really appreciate it. I'm nervous as hell about taking this on, but it's prickling my competitive juices, so I'm going to go for it and just have a blast with it all and we'll see what comes of it.

What's likely to come of it: You'll do a Sprint next, join USAT, and next year you'll be planning your vacations around events. :D

Welcome to the club!
Jim

***UPDATED***

Just wanted to post a quick update to this and thank everyone again for encouraging me to go through with this race. It was freaking awesome and I'm totally hooked!! I'm looking forward to doing the super sprint in August now.

Thanks again guys!!

Good for you for listening to all us smart BikeForum folks.

Glad you had fun & good luck at your next race!!!

Yay! Awesome.

***UPDATED***

Just wanted to post a quick update to this and thank everyone again for encouraging me to go through with this race. It was freaking awesome and I'm totally hooked!! I'm looking forward to doing the super sprint in August now.

Thanks again guys!!


Great, now tell your friends and hook them in! Oh yeh, get ready to spend $.

Great, now tell your friends and hook them in! Oh yeh, get ready to spend $.

Just getting most of my friends to ride a bike is a feat in and of itself, getting them into Tri's at this point would be a nigh on impossible. I'll wait till next season to start converting them...uh, one question...do I get toaster ovens out of these conversions?? :p

Ugh...don't remind me about the $$$ factor though...my wallet is already cringing in fear, while the VISA is burning a hole in my pocket...yikes!! :eek: