Triathlon - just did my first triathlon

just did my first tri today. seattle escape from the rock sprint triathlon.

was a sprint triathlon, 1/2 mile swim (but one of the bouys moved and so they said it was closer to 3/4 mile), 12 mile bike ride, 2.5 mile run.

i finished. was one of the last people out of the water but passed at least 40 people during the bike and pretty much held my own on the run.

first thing i learned was that next time, i need to practice swimming. i did NOTHING to prepare for the swim, and thus it was pretty horrible. but i figure that DFL is better than DNF, right? :D

anyways, time to start thinking about next time...

-alex

Tri's seem to be the "thing" now. Congrats!

Hey Alexs...Congrats! Didn't know about this tri, but I'm doing the Kirkland sprint next weekend and it'll be my first one. I'm excited for it. How'd your transitions go?

Teski

Teski,

My transitions weren't too bad.

T2 was very easy for me... slip off the bike shoes, climb into the running shoes, and away I went. My buddy had the floppy legs feeling after leaving the bike and running, but I was fine. Probably because I commute on a 48x18 fixed most of the year. :D

T1 was a little harder, partly because I had such a hard time in the water and was exhausted coming into the T area. Be prepared to be a little fuzzy-headed coming out of the water. I found that having something to drink right away in T1 was very helpful. Water was good, some kind of fruit juice would have been perfect.

Please post your thoughts, reflections, etc in bikeforums when you finish your tri.

Oh, yeah, and GOOD LUCK! :D

-alex

Congrats Alexs. I also completed my first tri this summer. It was an Olympic triathlon conducted under very trying conditions. Two 750 m loops against whitecapped water certainly challenged most of the competitors. I must say it was one incredible experience. I was absolutely shocked at the level of sporstmanship shown by the competitors. Polite and supportive, something not often seen in a competitive event. Like you I was great on the bike. The swim was fun but I have a lot of work to do on the run. Maybe an Ironman!
Hockey

Congrats Alex! Welcome to the madness.

And Hockey, you absolutely nailed it. The best thing about triathlon to me is that 95% of the participants are out there competing against themselves. So those other triathletes aren't competitors so much as comrades in the struggle.

In my first tri, I was so worried about the swim that I focused most of my training in the pool. Consequently I was the first guy out of the water and thought "I'm going to win this thing!" Only to have dozens of folks fly by me and my crappy old Schwinn World Sport 10speed.

I attempted my first tri this summer at the Nissan Xterra East championship in Richmond. Competed in the Sport distance race (that turned into a duathlon because of high water). Was having a great time until i busted my rear wheel near the end of the bike portion and DNF. I plan on doing a road tri (olympic dist) on the 21st. good luck everyone out there, let us know how they go!

Way to go Alex. There will always be things to work on; but pusing yourself and having fun is why we do it.

Congrats Alex! Welcome to the madness.

And Hockey, you absolutely nailed it. The best thing about triathlon to me is that 95% of the participants are out there competing against themselves. So those other triathletes aren't competitors so much as comrades in the struggle.

In my first tri, I was so worried about the swim that I focused most of my training in the pool. Consequently I was the first guy out of the water and thought "I'm going to win this thing!" Only to have dozens of folks fly by me and my crappy old Schwinn World Sport 10speed.

Congrats to Alex!! It is addictive

Don't Knock the Schwinn World Sport 10. I bought one in 89 as my only mode of transportation in college and have been using it in tris for the last 5 yrs! I used in Rocky Point, Mexico Tri and My wife used it in the Escape from Alcatraz Tri this year. Its been a good crappy old bike, not flashy but reliable. Never had a flat and the chain came off only once in competition.

I agree with comradery on the course. Many are happy to stop and/or take pics as they enjoy the beautiful venues where the tris are held. They are always encouraging. It is a personal competition to do better for yourself but people are always ready to help others.

How well do you need to be able to swim to pull that off.

What type of training would you recommend.

I have competed in and finished seven tri's and I found that a major lifesaver is a wetsuit. DO NOT get any old wetsuit, but drop $200 on a tri-suit. I have found that I can swim easier and faster as a result of the added boyancy and being "streamlined." Of course it is awful nice and warm on cold days. (Training in Lake Michigan in the spring is no picnic either!)

Everyone wears a wetsuit. The water temp in the bay in June is still only 55-60. I recommend being able to do the distance 1.5 miles before you get there and if possible lake or ocean training. (We took weekend vacations once a month and went to Rocky Pt so she could do the ocean.)Not so possible here in Tucson. On the bike, just do as many hills as you find, 24 miles.
Just listen to what the event coordinators tell you. They say to always swim towards shore, not the exit pt, and the current will put you in the right spot. If you swim for the exit pt you will end up being rescued as you go under the golden gate bridge and out to sea.

oh yeah and my wife had a baby aug 30, 2002 and started training in Jan 2003. the registration opened around dec 20. This year it is a lottery and the first round already happened. I got in but my wife did not.
they are having another drawing in Feb.

http://www.tricalifornia.com/alcatraz/2004/