TechKnowGN

Scotlandtb - I'd go to results.active.com and search by sport 'triathlon' that'll get you a good list of races to start from. Some races lists splits (the times for each section of the event) and some don't so you'll want to do some looking.

For a first race, I suggest setting a few different goals. The first one is just to finish, and then make them better from there. You can do well in one section of a race, only to lose time in another (i am not much of a runner yet)

I forgot to mention that Olympic is also often called international distance.

Nooch

Name: Drew "The Nooch"
Age: 25
Clyde/Athena: Clyde @ 246 5'7"
# of Triathlons completed: 0
Longest race; next race; advice: N/A, August 2010.

I found this thread, along with volunteering at the NYC Marathon, and am a little inspired.. So I found a local Tri, it appears to be a short sprint, with the swimming portion in a pool, which I think'd be good to get my feet wet (pun intended).

It's the Pascack Valley Tri, August 21st, 2010, and it's 300m Swim, 10 mile ride, and 5k run. Training starts, well, as soon as I can.

And any advice would be great!

TechKnowGN

Drew,

Welcome to the thread!!

There are training plans online to prepare for short triathlons.

I would focus on 2 things: The area you are strongest and the area you are weakest.

Because this is Bike Forums, I'm going to assume cycling is your strength. How fast can you ride 10 miles?
Which area is your weakest?

The reason I say focus on these two is that your strength is likely the section you'll enjoy the most, and the area you're weakest in is likely the area you can make the most improvement on between now and the race.

Nooch

well I'm a miserable swimmer and can't run a lick... And honestly, I'm still working my way up to 10 miles, but I average a 10-11 mph pace right now.. Still working my way up in distance and speed, every time out is better.

TechKnowGN

Nooch,

That's EXACTLY where I was when I started racing. My first race had massive hills, I was totally underprepared, and still managed to finish, even after walking up hills, even after walking the entire 5k course, I still finished!

The good news is that you have a TON of time between now and then.

My advice:

for swimming - There is a program called total immersion. Its available via book or DVD. its less expensive than lessons generally, though a masters or learn to swim class may be useful and affordable.

For cycling - You already know what to do there. miles miles and more miles

for running - There are a ton 'couch to 5k' programs all over the web that will work you up into running.

Nooch

Thankfully I've got two friends who are swim coaches, and they both said they'd sneak me into their pools and get me some training hours... It's not that I can't swim, I used to love doing laps back in my younger days, but I'm an asthmatic and indoor pools absolutely kill me. Between the temp of the pool and the relative humidity, I just get drained after one lap.

My other concern with swimming is I've never swam in open water, really.. I'll go and mess around and body surf over the summer here and there, but I've never been confident in wading out into the ocean.. Thankfully this tri is in a pool, which brings me to my next question: All the tri-shorts I've found say 'not for use in chloronated water...' Anyone know of any that are, or am I better off just getting jammers and pulling tri-shorts over them for the ride and run..

And yeah, the timing of this event is part of the reason I'm figuring to go for it. I've already figured out that I want to do an organized 25 miler sometime in the 2nd quarter of 2010, so as I train for that, the bike portion will become easier.

It's all stemming from some volunteer work I did at the NYC Marathon over the weekend.. I'm in the mindset that if they can do it, then I can do it. Sure I've got some hurdles to get over, but for once in my life I have this sense of determination that is brand new to me..

TechKnowGN

Nooch -

Wear jammers for the majority of your swim training. for the last couple training swims and the race itself, just wear the tri shorts. The Tri shorts advertise no chlorine because they do break down over time, but one or two or even 5 swims arent a big deal, so long as you rinse them out right away after. They just want you to know not to wear them in the pool all the time. Ive worn mine in the pool some. I'll tell you putting them in the dryer once was a lot worse for them than a few times around the pool.

Daspydyr 

Greetings, are any of you C/As coming to Vegas for the 2009 Silverman? Just curious if any BF people will make the journey?

TechKnowGN

Daspydyr, while I'd love to be there for a race, I just don't see it in the cards. I am headed to CES in Janurary.

TechKnowGN

So, now that we're working our way into most folks "off-season" what are your plans?

For me, it's training through racing. It was clear as I gave up time in my 3rd and 4th races of the season to people I had blasted on the bike that the "run" portion of the tri was killing my results. This is not surprising, because in my first 3 races I walked the entire way, and the 4th i jogged 2 miles very slowly after i walked the first mile.

So, to improve, I've got back to where I started - road races. Of course, when I did them prior to this year, I walked them. Now, I run them. (ok, so it's a jog, but it's still faster than running).

I was a relatively fast walker; I competed in one of the preeminent competitive walking events in the country in 2007 and 2008. I was walking over 4MPH without any special technique, and finished 349/2000 in 2008.

But now I'm running. And while I'm not a fast runner (yet), i have taken over a 1 minute per mile off my times in only a few weeks worth of regular running. I finished my first 5k this weekend on a very hilly course, and PR'd by almost a minute. The flat courses around Boston should see me be even faster as i get more training time in.

TechKnowGN

I wanted to wait until after I got signed up to tell everyone, and now that it's done; I can!

I signed up for TimberMan, a 70.3 Iroman race on 8/22/10! I am REALLY excited. My wife and I are both going to do it.

It means a ton of training, and an effort that should really put me strongly on the path to weight loss.

Peter_C

Hello all!

Due to boredom I have just finished reading this entire thread. I know that I can not do this, but if I may. I have a few questions?

First, what is the difference between a "Triathlon" and, an "Ironman"?

In a number of the posts. it was mentioned that while to goal for most was simply the doing of it, (not trying to win) isn't there maximum times allowed per section? And, if so, may I get an example?

Lastly, I *thought* that in a triathlon, you swin first, bicycle second, and run third (while carrying the bicycle)? Is this not correct? And, if I am wrong, what am I wrong in? The order, the carrying, or both?

TechKnowGN

Peter,

Thanks for reading the thread!!

An IronMan is a specific distance of triathlon. An IronMan is a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a 26.2 mile run. There are also half-IronMan races, which are half of all those distances. And of course lots of distances less than than (and a couple even longer!)

Im not quite sure I understand your second question, but if I have it right, you're asking how much time you have to finish the race. Each race has different rules as to how long you are allowed to take. The Ironman has very standard rules for all of their races as to how long you have to finish the race.

For your last question, in most races it is swim, bike, run. You do not in most races have to carry your bike. The exception is the XTERRA race series which are off road races in which you may run during the biking section carrying your bike, because some obstacles are not easily crossed while riding. There are also other different kinds of triathlons where the swim is replaced with some form of boating involving a paddle such as kayaking or canoeing. There are also winter triathlons that involve various winter sports. But you're right, the swim, bike, run is the most common type of race.

John Bailey

Hi all,

Name: John
Age: 60
Clyde/Athena: Clyde
# of Triathlons completed: 0
Longest race: The first one
Next Race: East Jordan

Well, I can swim, but not very fast. The biking should be a breeze. However, one of the reasons I like biking is the "ease on the knees." I understand you can walk, but I doubt that I would afford myself that luxury. Have any of you triathletes had problems with your knees? There is a local triathlon that is a 1/3 mi. swim, 19 mi. ride and a 3.1 mi. run. I'll have to work a little on the swimming as I haven't done any in a long time. Again, the biking part should be easily done. I often walk 3-5 mi. at a brisk pace, so I think this is very doable. But, I do worry about the knees at my size and age (60).

Any anecdotal info would be well received by this Clyde.

John

TechKnowGN

John, first of all welcome!

Second, I'm a big clyde and I do have some knee pain from hockey injuries. The trick is to take short strides, and try to avoid slamming your heel. Big strides put added stress on everything. small quick strides are actually much faster than long slow ones. Slamming your heels pushes all the force straight up you leg to your knees. Not good on anything. Work towards a stride where youre moving more towards landing with the emphasis on the middle of your foot. it takes a little time but its worth it. Also, get good running shoes. expensive, but again worth it. Make sure to go to a running shoe store so they can look at your stride and provide advice as to the right kind of shoes.

The recommendation I would make is to follow one of the many Couch to 5k plans out on the web. They are very common, easy to find, and all very similar. they put the emphasis on just being able to run the distance and time it takes to do a 5k, not on speed, so they're ideal for just getting started.

I walked competitively for a couple years before I did my first triathlon. Because I was afraid of running (I'm around 325# right now) so I worried about knees, ankles, feet, etc. The doctor said keep an eye out for injury, and make appointments for anything that doesnt respond to ice and ibuprofen. But otherwise she said there wasn't any reason I couldnt try it. I was a pretty decent walker, winning walking divisions in several races. But even with that, my fastest walks still are only as fast as my very slowest runs.

Kamala

I'm looking at the 16 and 20 week training plans that are all over the web for Olympic and half-Iron distances. Any thoughts on how to blend those with daily or near daily bike commuting?

TechKnowGN

We're starting a very similar thing with a training plan for the Half-Iron we're doing in the fall. My wife is an athletic trainer, and we talked about the injury implications. Running is a daily part of her life, just as cycling is mine. If you're doing the commute at a pace at which you are not strongly exerting yourself, then it shouldn't be a problem. If you're doing too much, it could lead to injury. If the exertion is light, then consider it a recovery ride. Even in the middle of a large workout plan your recovery days can still be active.

Kamala

That's what seems intuitively right. Looks like I'll be cooling it on my morning time trials :-)

John Bailey

Thanks,

That's exactly the kind of info I was looking for. Looks like I'll be doing a little pool work and doing the walk/jog thing this winter. I tend to do a bit of snowshoeing and back country skiing, so the fitness shouldn't be a problem, just the technique. This will be an interesting thread this winter and I'll be looking forward to the results everybody starts posting next spring.

John

Kamala

So as part of my training/biking, I reward myself for 50 mile rides. I want to do the same thing for running, but haven't figured out a good equivalent distance. 10K seems too short, I'm only out there for an hour. Enjoyed my reward after my first half-marathon yesterday, but that's not something I'm going to be doing that frequently. 8 mile? 10 miles?

Daniel Frost

Name: Daniel
Live: Hamilton, New Zealand
Age: 29
Weightloss to date: 72 pounds - 14 to go
Definately a Clyde. Chose triathlons as I have always had a fascination and my weightloss plateau'd, had to step up the training, also a friend of mine went from clyde to competing at Kona World IronMan champs in 3 years. Found a sprint event to aim for (300m swim, 9km cycle, 3km run) The swimming is getting there, can swim the distance just working on speed, biking was easy, been a mountain biker in my younger days, run took me 6 weeks to get up to 3 km distance. My goal is to compete in olympic distance. The events I am doing this summer have olympic distance also, so i get a little experience at those courses. After hunting thru the internet I found this site and www.ontri.com this site allows you to record all your workout times and gives you a whole lot of data back. Been excellent for me. place dont be afraid to ask questions, my ironman friend has coached me a little in all aspects of event.

My 1st triathlon is on 3rd of January

TechKnowGN

First off, if a 10k only takes you an hour... you're WAY ahead of me. Right now Im really flying if a 10k takes me 1:25.

What is the reward... food? If so, you should be careful with that, because there are studies that say even athletes who associate the good feelings of food after a hard workout can develop into emotional eaters. Plus you can wind up giving back a lot of the calories you burn.

But done in moderation, it's cool. I know I like to have a cold one or 3 after a race.

I'd say 10 miles is the kind of workout you would want to do moderate rewards after.

TechKnowGN

Daniel -

Good luck!! I wish I had a tri coming up. We're doing a 10k run on 1/1 though and Im horribly behind on training, as we just decided 2 days ago.

cohophysh

Well, after a hiatus from much exersize I have been working on my walking miles. Got the Ipod/nike pedometer to track my progress. Also have been doing Jillian's shred workout, however, I am going to start substituting that with time on the bike trainer to get my butt back into saddle shape. I changed the set up of my bike, I installed a stem with alot more rise. It puts me more upright and much more comfortable. As I build core strength I will probably put the old stem back on...Oh, I am supposed to be talking about off season. I am hoping to get a gym membership for Christmas. There are two around with pools. Good luck to all
brian

Daniel Frost

I just booked in 2 days ago for a 40km road race a week out from christmas. I just looked at the course today and there is one very big hill. Thanks for the support, love this forum.