Triathlon - My first tri...nervous

I'm gearing up for my first tri in May, and I am quite nervous. Yikes. I am a swimmer and a cyclist but I am so not a runner. This is a sprint tri, the swim is a meer 300 meter pool swim which is cake for me. The bike is less then 15 again cake. But it is a 5k which really has me sweating. I can walk it no problem but run...not so much. I can't even run a mile without dropping to a brisk walk. Which really surprises me because I swim more then a mile with no problem, and I've clocked several metric centuries and the HHH last August. I also do step aerobics, lift weights etc. So what gives? I am in great cardio shape but yet I still suck wind when I run. Any thoughts? Tips etc? I long for the bike/swim bi!!

http://www.geocities.com/triathlonrules/nonrunner.html

Dear CyclePrincess.
One trick you might try is one they talk about in Runner's World. Pick a time that you can run, say 3 or 4 minutes. Do that then walk for a minute. Then run again for 3 min,....repeat. Gradually try and increase the run portion up to 8 to 10 minutes. One of their running guru's says that by doing this every mile you can easily work up to a sub 4 hour marathon. In a sense you just break it up into 26 one mile segments!

Best of luck in your sprint Tri.
a.c.

Good advice above. I suspect that you are just not used to running and so it's a different thing for your body. Tri...uh try some of the walk/run plans that help you work up to running the whole distance. Here's one, there are many others. http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

You have plenty of time to get better by May so don't be nervous. I'm doing an Olympic length on April 17th and I will probably be doing 3 min run followed by 1 min walk the whole time.

Have fun and let us know how your progress is coming along.

cycleprincess: As others have pointed out don't try to run the whole 5K use a run/walk strategy instead. Run for 1 minute walk for 1 minute or run 2 walk 1. Experiment and see which works best for you.

When in May is your triathlon?

May 1st. For about a week now I have been doing a walk/jog every other day. After a warm up I'll walk (3.5 mph) a minute and run (5.0) a minute. I can sustain that for about 10 minutes before I have to drop to a 2:1 ratio. I guess it's a place to start. I would like to work up to a 10 minute mile, right now it's closer to 13 minutes. 5mph for me is a run and I can't sustain that long at all, a minute at a time is about my limit. I can drop to 4.5 mph and hold there 3-5 minutes at a time. I really don't want to come in last place, and I'm afraid it's looking that way. Anyway...oh, and my husband sleeps on the couch now because I wreek of ben-gay. My tibialis anterior muscles are killing me!!

Hey princess,

Is it the Benbrook Tri? I am doing that one as well if it is. Cool! I am not worried about the run or the bike, but the swim. I know how to swim and all, it is just that I have not been in the pool since last summer!!! Talk about nervous. I really need to get some lap time under my belt (which is not as loose as it should be). AHHH...trying to find time. Good luck and keep us posted of your run progress!!

RT

Cycleprincess,

That pain is called "shin splints." It's common for beginner runners. If it gets too painful, back off running a while. The key thing here is don't get discouraged - you have plenty of time. The hardest part about running is building up to do that first mile. Once you get to that, the jump to 2 miles isn't bad. Then you almost to 5 K.

If it hurts running , do a walk at an easy pace. But just keep at it. Believe me, you'll be doing two miles at the end of the month without a problem.

apply ice to your shins after your runs and see if that helps. For now concentrate on just running. Don't worry about your speed. You have the rest of this month to continue your run training. You can do it!

Also, regarding your comment about coming in last, WHO CARES! You are out there doing it which is 1000 times better than being a spectator on the sidelines. If you get discouraged just remember all of your BF friends are rooting for you :)

I'm going to bet that there is NO WAY you can be last. Your description of your fitness level makes it sound like you'll do just fine. Take a look at the 2004 results for your tri and you will see that there will be a handful of people who take 2+ hours to complete the event. My guess is that even if the run portion takes you 42 minutes, you have a chance of being sub 2:00.

When I returned to doing tri's last year (after an 18 year layoff)...I was THE SLOWEST male runner but I still beat a bunch of people and came in at 1:55...and it wasn't an easy course.

Seriously, when you get to the course on race day, you're going to see people that you would never imagine would do a tri. One race last season I talked to a girl who was probably 5'2, 250+ lbs. Had to admire her for getting out there. I guarantee that there will be a few people like at your race. You won't be last.

Relax, look forward to it. Celebrate your improvements...you've probably already noticed that you've been getting stronger.

By the way, if your race is the Benbrook Tri...here are the results... http://www.doitsports.com/newresults3/client/43438_61714_2004.html

Check out 60+ year old Beverly who slugged it out for 2:20+

Cycleprincess: you may want to check out the book ChiRunning by Danny Dreyer. You might run easier after learning the techniques in that book.

It is the Benbrook Tri, so I'll see you there RoadToad. I'll most likely be pulling up the rear...but that's alright. Even if I am last place, it beats where I was three years ago, which was 300 pounds of couch potato!!

Ran again yesterday, 3.5 miles. Well, I did a walk/run which is about all I can handle right now. If I keep my current pace I'll finish the 5K in under an hour, about 45 minutes. I swam today and I felt great. Clocked 300 meters at 6:23, not bad. Then I did some drills. If I can get my bike around 30 minutes or so I might just make it under 2 hours. Gee...too bad I can't double the swim and bike and just leave out the run alltogether!

Hi cycleprincess -

Running is my problem as well and I'm actually surprised it isn't for more people since it is such an injury-prone sport. I've been doing a walk/run program to slowly build myself up to 30 minutes of running - I get huge shin splint problems otherwise.

The funny thing that nobody ever talks about is how there is no proportionality in a sport you're not familiar with. For example, I have only about 2 speeds of running - very fast (sprint if I'm chasing somebody) or average (when I'm going out for a "jog"). It is very, very, very difficult for me to "run" slowly or at any other speed. I think that's one of the big reasons that a run/walk thing helps because it averages things out. I did my first sprint triathlon last summer and ended up walking most of it, but I'm hoping to improve on that this year.

Good luck with the tri!

I think I'll end up walking most of mine too...mostly because I'll be spent I'm sure by the end of the cycle. I havn't trained for "the brick" yet either, so that will factor in too I'm sure. I plan to do that today, run after my cycling class. So we'll see how that goes.

Here's a piece of info that should give all of you non-runners some inspiration. My last tri (sprint) I did a 2 min run/1 min walk repeat and finished in just over 30 min. I've been trying to work up but shin splints have been an issue for me. My last training run was nearly two weeks ago (I've been riding a lot more than anything) where I had worked up to 3 min run/2 min walk for 35 min.

This evening, while on a business trip I did a 7 min run/1 min walk for 40 minutes. This was huge to me and what I would call a break-through workout. It does get better guys and gals. You get stronger and you build. Stick with it.

No kidding...last June I had gotten SO out of shape that I would get winded walking up the stairs in my home. This was hard to deal with as a guy who was always athletic and even played football at a Division 1 school. It took years for me to regain my motivation but once you get on the train, improvement goes fast.

So hey, I didn't post this to say how great I am...I did it to show you how good you can get if you stay with it. Keep the faith!!! Be strong.

My last tri (sprint) I did a 2 min run/1 min walk repeat and finished in just over 30 min.

That's very encouraging to hear. Last night I was working on a schedule to ssslllooowwwlllyyy build my run/walk up to 4 minutes running 1 minute walking. That's the ratio I think I want to use for the Disney marathon in January.


I've been trying to work up but shin splints have been an issue for me.

Bummer :(. Have you been icing them after your runs? That seems to help me when mine start acting up. You'd think with this cycling and how it builds the muscle next to the shin that we wouldn't have this problem.


This evening, while on a business trip I did a 7 min run/1 min walk for 40 minutes. This was huge to me and what I would call a break-through workout.

Congrats! This past weekend at the Galloway running school we discussed run/walk ratios and based purely upon unscientific data collection that 3/1, 4/1 or 5/1 yields better results than 8/1 or 9/1. I'm sure individual results may vary but it's something I'm going to experiment with on long runs to see which ratio feels best for me. Keep us posted on your progress.

I'm still working on a 1:1 ratio, but I increased my speed when running from 5 mph to 6 mph. It actually feels better and my heart rate doesn't spike much higher then it did at 5. I have noticed though that my heart rate has dropped on the running portion since I initially started. I would max at 180 on the run and I'd recover to about 148 before I had to start running again. Anyway, now I'm able to keep it between 160-165 on the run and I'm able to recover to 140. Anyway, yesterday I ran again, but only for about 25 minutes before my friend seduced me into a swim. Not hard to do!! This Tuesday my friends and I are meeting early and doing a mock tri. We are swimming at the gym and then riding our bikes over to the track at the high school (about 15 miles) and then running the track). Then we'll ride back to the gym. Keep ya posted! Thanks so much for all the encouragement!!