Any triathletes here?

raeface · February 2012

I have wanted to do a tri for about 6 years now. I decided this is the summer I am going to do it! I just had my second DD 5 weeks ago and am starting to train for a sprint. I actually have to get back in shape before the real training begins. Just wondering if anyone has advice or would like to talk about their experience.

lulamagoo · February 2012

I did a sprint tri last summer, and got immediately hooked!

If you have an open water swim as a part of the tri, be sure to train in open water. It is incredibly different from a pool. You should be able to find open water clinics once springs hits.

Feel free to PM me if you want.

Good luck!

HappyMommy28 · February 2012

You will love it! When I run long distances I feel bored at times. I found that the tri was right up my ally! My first (and only so far) was a sprint. So much fun. Practice practice practice is all I can say! With enough practice you will do just fine!

Best of luck to you!

lindsayandjamie · February 2012

I did a sprint last year and intend to do another one this year. You can find training programs online or even better hook up with a tri training program. Generally swimming is the challenge unless you are already a strong swimmer, so the training group can help you with that. Good luck and have fun!

kirkette · February 2012

Ditto pp who said train for open water swim if you're not swimming in a pool. Also these two sites have great training programs and info:

https://www.trinewbies.com/tno_trainingprograms.asp

https://www.beginnertriathlete.com/

GL!

argonne · February 2012

I raced as a semi-pro/elite triathlete before I had DS. I have raced up through the Ironman distance, so I have some pretty good experience.

Swim: Open water is way different than the pool. As PP said, you'll want to get some open water swims under your belt before jumping in with 100 other people on race morning. Having said that, it's highly unlikely you'll drown. Yes, you'll get kicked, hit, etc. but you have to realize that no one is trying to hurt you. There are usually tons of safety boats in the water, so you'll never be far from a "rescuer". If you do get freaked in the water, it is okay to hang onto a safety boat as long as you don't make any forward progress while hanging on. Wetsuits are great, but you'll want to get used to one before you race in it. Tri wetsuits fit tight and you may get a bit panicked with the constrictive feel around your chest.

The best thing to do in the swim, is let everyone go at the start. Start to the side or back and stay out of the initial chaos that is a tri swim start. Once you get about 200m into the swim, everyone will space out a little and you should be able to find free swimming space. (this is not the case in an Ironman where 2500+ people jump in the water at the same time, but you're not doing an IM yet).

Bike: For your first few, you'll be fine with a mountain bike or hybrid bike. Don't spend money until you know you'll like it. If you decide you like it, I would suggest buying a decent road bike with aerobars and clipless pedals for your first few seasons. If you decide you really like it, then you can start looking at more expensive tri bikes with bullhorn bars.

You will be required to wear a helmet that is clipped on every time you are handling your bike. This is a huge rule and you may be DQ'd if you don't comply. On the bike, you are not allowed to draft (meaning using another riders slipstream to reduce your effort). Don't get within 3m of the back of another bike or within 2 m of the side of another bike. If another bike passes you, you need to fall back and stay out of the draft zone. If you want to repass, do it quickly (I think you have 15 sec to make a pass). If you go to pass, and can't, then you need to fall back out of the draft zone.

Run: You're going to feel like sh!t when you first start running off the bike. Your legs will feel heavy and your heartrate will be high. The best training you can do to alleviate this feeling is doing brick workouts. This is where you bike and then run. You can do a longer bike, then a longer run, but I found the best brick workouts are when you do a shorter bike (like 10 miles) followed by a shorter run (1-2 miles) and repeat 2 or more times. This will also give you some training on transitions.

Transitions: These are another "practice makes perfect" area. Your transitions (from swim to bike and bike to run) should be quick. You'll need to figure out the best setup of your transition space. I like to put my helmet with straps up and open on my handlebars, with my sunglasses. My bike shoes will be open and ready for my feet to go in (some people like to attach their shoes to their bikes, but I've seen many transition wrecks because of this, so I advise against it).

raeface · February 2012

I have been checking out those site plus others. There are also 2 tri clubs in my area. I am going to see which one seems like the best fit for me and my schedule.

Thank you all so much for your responses and words of encouragement!

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