Anyone do a triathlon?

[erickpl]

Originally Posted by GRN ENVY

Yea I need to add more weight into my workout, Going to join the LA down the street since they have an olympic size pool which will make swimming a mile easy. I'm working on pacing now, as doing all 3 back to back is tough at the moment. I would like to compete but being this is my first one, I don't want to out a number on myself until I have completed one. After I do one I think Ill try and compete in one.

No two tri's are alike in a season. Weather, geography, pool vs open-water, etc all play a role. Even the method of start (waves vs shotgun) makes a difference. Don't worry about competing. Just focus on completing and learning from the experience. Your first couple will likely be tough - I know mine were.

Add in the fact that my age group has a LOT of competition and a LOT of fast athletes, I don't focus on getting on the podium as I'm only in my second year. But I do track my pace against previous races and work on improving in tangible ways.

If you want to get strong on the bike quick, find a long hill and go. We have a 4 mile long hill here with 6-9% grade and we'll do that a few times a week.

[erickpl]

Originally Posted by GRN ENVY

I have decided that I will do one that's in September. How did you train? What did you find works best for you? As of right now Im running 2.5- 3 miles 6 days a week, next week going to add swimming to the work out. Plan on adding biking over the next month


The tri will consist of either a .25 or .5 miles swim, 9 mile bike ride, and 3.1 miles of running. Really excited for this! Been tracking my runs for the past 8-10 weeks, and averaging 20-24 mins for the 3 mile runs.

Thanks for any input

Your 5k pace time sounds about in line with mine (though I am more towards your 24 minute time than the 20). Be sure to vary your route and change up the terrain.

Be sure to allow for rest days once you start adding in the bike and swim portions. Rest is just as important to let your muscles repair.

Dietary items aren't THAT big of a deal for a sprint triathlon, but once you get to the longer duration tri's, getting nutrition during the race becomes more important unless you wanna bonk (like I did this weekend at a tri practice race).

[GRN ENVY]

Yeah the Tri I am doing is a sprint. Right now I track all of my runs and work outs via different apps on my iphone. Have gone and got fitted for a road bike, just need to find a deccent one to get training on. I don't plan on cometeing, I want to finish it and get a base line number, then do another tri later and improve upon. Im not concerned with where I will finish, but really just finishing is my main concer. I want to be prepared for the race and getting all the info from veterns about what I should be aware of will only help. Have gotten a lot of great advice from friends who compete in them as wel as some of the shops I stopped in at to learn. Needless to say I am excited to do it and counting down my training days.

erickpl im sure I'll be sending you a few PMs about what I find during my training as it goes on. And I'm sure I'll be asking for advice as it goes on too. I really appreciate your input!

[GRN ENVY]

Originally Posted by erickpl

Your 5k pace time sounds about in line with mine (though I am more towards your 24 minute time than the 20). Be sure to vary your route and change up the terrain.

Be sure to allow for rest days once you start adding in the bike and swim portions. Rest is just as important to let your muscles repair.

Dietary items aren't THAT big of a deal for a sprint triathlon, but once you get to the longer duration tri's, getting nutrition during the race becomes more important unless you wanna bonk (like I did this weekend at a tri practice race).

Yeah I mainly run on sidewalks and roads, will probably head to the beach this weekend to run on that to get some resistance, will also swim there too.

Ive completely changed my diet. Change from whites to wheats, have cut out sodas and junk food. have started less fried food now. Have increased vegs and fruits and have started to get protein bars and looking into shakes now. Im now changing to rest two days a week now so I can transition into bike and swimming and allow for a more adequate recovery time.

[erickpl]

Your dietary changes will benefit you in more than just the triathlons.

When I say different routes, I mean add hills (both up and down) to your run. If you always run the same route, the body gets used to it. So mix it up. I have about 5 different routes I take just around my house so as to not get into a rut. Get some terrain changes and don't be afraid to run in the rain or when windy. Mixing it up really helps you.

As for the bike, getting fitted will be your best friend when you start riding, just be prepared for some sore backside until you get used to it.

The local gym will have spin bikes and I highly recommend spin classes to help you learn your heartrate threshold and get used to being on a bike for about an hour or so at a time. It's a good measure of how high you can go before you're being counterproductive and going anaerobic in your training and racing.

My Bike MS ride this weekend isn't a race, but it is longer than a sprint or olympic tri distance. We're either doing 45 or 75 miles, so the pace will be different, but the endurance training helps.

Keep up the great work! If you ever get up to north Alabama area, perhaps you could do one of our triathlons around here!

[GRN ENVY]

Originally Posted by erickpl

Your dietary changes will benefit you in more than just the triathlons.

When I say different routes, I mean add hills (both up and down) to your run. If you always run the same route, the body gets used to it. So mix it up. I have about 5 different routes I take just around my house so as to not get into a rut. Get some terrain changes and don't be afraid to run in the rain or when windy. Mixing it up really helps you.

As for the bike, getting fitted will be your best friend when you start riding, just be prepared for some sore backside until you get used to it.

The local gym will have spin bikes and I highly recommend spin classes to help you learn your heartrate threshold and get used to being on a bike for about an hour or so at a time. It's a good measure of how high you can go before you're being counterproductive and going anaerobic in your training and racing.

My Bike MS ride this weekend isn't a race, but it is longer than a sprint or olympic tri distance. We're either doing 45 or 75 miles, so the pace will be different, but the endurance training helps.

Keep up the great work! If you ever get up to north Alabama area, perhaps you could do one of our triathlons around here!

There are no hills in florida, closest thing I have are highway over passes, I tend to stay away from those lol

It rains everyday down here so Im not too concerned about running in wind/rain did it yesterday morning in fact. Thanks for all the input