Fifty Plus (50+) - 50+ Miles and Jill B. Nimble

Had a great ride today. With the new cyclocomputer, I found out that what I had guessed was a 20-mile ride has turned out to be closer to a 30 mile ride. And we've now done that ride three weeks in a row. Pretty good for our first month as bike riders!

Well, today as we were leaving our favorite breakfast spot and unlocking our bikes, a group of women pulled up on their road bikes. We got to chatting, and it turns out that they are a group that gets together to train for triathlons in the Jill B. Nimble (http://jillbnimble.com/index.php) program. Wow! It sure looked like they were having fun. And all different shapes, sizes, and ages. I asked them if there are any women in their 50's training for triathlons, and they said yes. Anyone can join. I looked at the Web site and it looks really, really fun. They have level 1 groups and inspirational success stories of women who trained and completed races. So I'm thinking that if I'm riding come next spring, I might join. (I'm too new a rider to know if this cycling thing is a passing fancy for me or not. Feels like not, but who knows...)

Any 50+ women here heard of Jill B. Nimble? When we stopped at our LBS, we got to chatting with a 40-something man who was getting a new saddle installed on his Gunnar hybrid. I mentioned the women we'd met earlier, and he said that anyone who goes into triathlons is nuts. Am I nuts to think it sounds like a fun thing to do, at least once in a lifetime?

If it feels good-do it!

Thanks, rck. Now I'm going to have that "If it feels good, do it" song playing in my head for a while! I'd forgotten all about it.

How long of a triathlon are you thinking about?

Outside of the fact that I am out of shape for both the running and biking portion, and I can't swim, a triathlon sounds pretty good.

Your welcome!

Triathlons are nuts unless you also enjoy running and swimming long distances. Twenty+ years ago, when tri's were just getting going nationally, I regularly got invites in the mail, just because I belonged to the Southern Bicycle League. Boy, was that a waste of postage!

Any 50+ women here heard of Jill B. Nimble? When we stopped at our LBS, we got to chatting with a 40-something man who was getting a new saddle installed on his Gunnar hybrid. I mentioned the women we'd met earlier, and he said that anyone who goes into triathlons is nuts. Am I nuts to think it sounds like a fun thing to do, at least once in a lifetime?

I don't think it's nuts at all. One of the things on my list of 50 things to do before I die was a sprint triathlon, so last year, a couple of months before I turned 50, I did the Irongirl triathlon in Maryland (.62 mile swim, 17.5 mile bike ride, 3.4 mile run). I had never run, but I muddled through with a mix of running and walking. It was great fun, and though I didn't do it this year, I plan to next year. So if you know how to swim--or even if you don't, but want to learn--it's definitely worth it. There are all ages and sizes and fitness levels at triathlons, so never feel like you wouldn't fit in.

If you're the slightest bit interested, and whether you're "fat" or not, I recommend the book Slow Fat Triathlete (http://books.google.com/books?id=5auxXrG5Fg4C&dq=&pg=PP1&ots=t9dqjgg2pf&sig=AfpowmBUySwNmIW9kNBLfBE5uhE&prev=http://www.google.com/search%3Fhl%3Den%26q%3Dslow%2Bfat%2Btriathlete%26btnG%3DGoogle%2BSearch&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title#PPP1,M1) by Jayne Williams. She makes you believe you can do it, and it gives great tips on how triathlons work, transitions, preparations, etc.

I've never heard of Jill B Nimble, but if I lived in your area, I'd be sure to check it out!

Janice

Hi Janice,

You are an inspiration. That book sounds perfect! Fortunately, I'm at a decent weight, just not in shape. I "know" how to swim, but am not in the habit of swimming. Kind of like until a month ago, I "knew" how to ride a bike, but never really did much riding.

What I like from what I've read about the Jill B. Nimble program (which is all across the USA, BTW, sponsored by Danskin) is that it's for a specific period of time: Two months; and for a specific triathlon of your choice. You work with a team and a coach; or you can work one-on-one with a coach; or you can work on your own following online instructions. So training for two months for one race feels do-able in a way that training to become a triathlete doesn't. And I'll be getting in shape. Part of the $$ to join includes a membership to the Y, which is right down the street from our house. And my employer pays for any kind of exercise program up to a certain $$ amount, so I wouldn't even have to pop for the $259 to join the club. The other thing I like is that you don't have to have a certain type of bike. I can race in my Trek 7.2 FX hybrid.

We'll see...

Hey TruF, do it! Do you know how long the running part is (couldn't find that at the site)? I used to be a strong swimmer, and I had good endurance for running (when I was a lot younger) but I don't know how my hips would like running now. Like you, my weight is fine but I'm not in shape yet.

Hi Yen,

No idea. I suspect that each race is a little different? From what Janice said, if we can't run the whole way, it's OK to walk.

I spoke with my 86 year old stepfather about this last night. (He's my inspiration for living a long, happy, and active life. I suspect that all three are related, don't you?) He said that he was going to run a boardwalk-to-boardwalk marathon in Santa Cruz when he was in his 60's. He trained and was all set, but the night before the race an emergency at home forced him to leave Santa Cruz and head back to Castro Valley. He wishes he'd stayed and done the race. In hindsight, he said the emergency could have waited a day, and he regrets missing that opportunity.

Wish SoCal and NoCal weren't so far apart so we could train together! Hey, if we decide to pursue this adventure, maybe we could train for the same race?

Trudie

I have a good friend - female - who is about 72 who has been doing triathlons up until this year. I don't know if she will do them in the future, but she really enjoyed them.

Triathlons can be short or long. It is not like triathlons in the dark past, where they were of a real long length.

Do it!

Am I nuts to think it sounds like a fun thing to do, at least once in a lifetime?

Sure it's nuts. But that is no reason not to go for it if it looks like something you would enjoy. My guess is that you'll have a lot more fun than the sour puss you met at the LBS.

Thanks, DnvrFox! I just contacted Jill B. Nimble for more information about when they are putting together the next Santa Rosa team and what I can be doing in the meantime to train. I'm also ordering the book Janice recommended. What the hell; life is short.

Trudie