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skydude2000

Triathletes

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Hi guys,

I'm looking for some good sources and info. I've competed in one charity 'sprint' triathlon before, and it was great! Pretty tame in terms of triathlons, I know, it was a 300 m swim, 12 km bike and a 3 km run.

I'm planning on 'competing' to raise money for Cerebral Palsy, considering it's something I've dealt with personally. Are there any semi-pro triathletes here who can give me some good tips for training? How long does one need to train for something like this?

Anyone on here who's done it before? Specifically the race in San Francisco.
Does anyone know people I could talk to about sponsorship for an event like this? Like I said, I'm pretty much a newbie with this stuff when it comes to competing, especially for charity.

I'd like to do the Escape from Alcatraz in June of 2010, so it's 1.2 mile swim, 18 mile bike, and 8 mile run. I'm not saying the swim will be easy, because I've never swam open water before, and it'll be F*ing cold.

But I'm going to do some training in Tobermory (Lake Huron) later this year, and hopefully again next year before I leave.

Any other suggestions about what I should do to prepare?

Thanks in advance, and sorry for the wordy thread. :D
PULL!! or DIE!!

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Hi there,
I'm by no means a pro (and I only aspire to be a semi-pro) but I have participated in a bunch of triathlons, and having been raising money for ALS research as part of one particular event for the last three years.

As far as training goes, is the tri you're planning on participating in a sprint, an olympic or a half? Your training will depend on the length, your current physical fitness levels, and your proficiency at each sport. I won't go into details as far as a training plan goes, but there are several really great books out there that will do that for you, based on your own fitness levels and available time. When I was training for sprint triathlons, I would work out pretty much every day, for at least an hour alternating between biking, running, and swimming. Somedays, I'd do two sports a day. That was probably excessive for a sprint, but it built a great base for longer races, and allowed me to finish at the top of my age group.

As far as specific training techniques go, doing bricks (biking then running right after ) will help a whole lot with endurance. They are hard, but you gotta do them. If there is one sport that is harder for you, focus your training on getting better in it (just don't ignore the other two). Also, practice your transitions. If you have the opportunity to do the race course before the actual race, that's probably one of the most helpful things that you can do for yourself as far as being mentally prepared. (If the race course involves open water swimming, make sure you have a buddy system before you do it). If you can't do the race course, at least drive it the day before.
Like I said, there are books out there that will provide you with training plans. A good one (although sort of technical) is Joe Friel's Triathlon Training Bible. One that I've been using for my ironman training is called Ironfit.

You mentioned that you're raising money for charity. Good for you! I've raised close to 200 grand for ALS research by joining a team that trained to compete in one particular triathlon every year. We had a team website, with each individual having their own page. Online donations are definitely the way to go. I started out by targeting friends, coworkers, and family members and asked them to spread the word. Depending on your event, there may be groups of people competing in order to raise money for your specific charity, so I'd contact the charity/organization and see if they can give you some details on who's doing what, if there's an organized donations website, etc.

So, good luck, and feel free to PM me if you have any training questions.:)
M

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I'd like to do the Escape from Alcatraz in June of 2010, so it's 1.2 mile swim, 18 mile bike, and 8 mile run. I'm not saying the swim will be easy, because I've never swam open water before, and it'll be F*ing cold.



Go get yourself a swim instructor/coach. You don't need to have one forever, but get one for 1 or 2 times a week for maybe a month. It will make a huge difference. Open water swimming is not easy, nothing like a pool at all.
I'm not semi pro, but I've done 9 triathlons. 8 sprints, 1 olympic.

I'm gonna stress that you get help with the swimming and definitely do the swims you spoke of. You have a year, and I can tell you that the more you swim between now and then the better.

That's all I've got for you really. Have fun and good luck!!
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I train for half marathons with team in training which is part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. TNT also has a tri team program. I know this isn't your cause, but they do offer free coaching in exchange for fundraising. You should also check with your local fitness centers. Some of the ones here offer tri training programs. You would also check with REI and local run/tri stores. They sometimes offer training programs too.
Adrenaline is my crack

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Thanks for all the tips everyone. I've contacted the organizers to see if I'll still be able to compete without having to qualify, since it will be for charity.

Normally I do about 100-200 laps per day in the pool, which is just slightly over what the SF Bay swim would be. I think they have two separate divisions for the races, olympic and sprint, and I'm not sure which I'd be best to do yet.

Normally a swim coach would be a great idea, but I don't think it would help, with the way I swim. I can really only swim with one arm, because of my disability. So I think my best option for that is to start training open water soon, and learning to minimize my use of energy.

That forum is great, I think I'll have to keep my eyes on that for some more tips.

Thanks again for the advice, and feel free to add more or PM me if you have other tips.
PULL!! or DIE!!

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