Triathletes

[MrFreefall383 0]

Anyone here crazy enough to swim, bike, and run back to back? I ask because I'm starting to really think about running my first triathlon starting next season, and I'd like to get some input. A friend from high school became a triathlete a couple years ago, and I found out recently. Never expected someone like him to be a triathlete, and being that I'm very into fitness, I thought to myself about a week ago, "Why the hell not?"

So if anyone is a triathlete here, or has any input on being a triathlete, what it takes, things to remember, things to look out for, etc, please share whatever you've got for me.

Thanks.

"If at first you don't succeed... well, so much for skydiving." - aviation cliche

[Kidd 0]

[url]http://www.runnertriathletenews.com/

Sounds awesome, good luck.

[BlueSkiesKel 0]

there's a few of us
but they are AWESOME!

[ntrprnr 0]

Feel free to PM me - I've done a handful, including Escape From Alcatraz - The "What the HELL WAS I THINKING???" Triathlon. Happy to talk more.

Doing Nautica NYC in three weeks.

BlueSkiesKel is also a huge Triathlete - and probably the hottest Triathlete on DZ...

We've got some really fit people on DZ.com, which is just really cool.

_______________
"Why'd you track away at 7,000 feet?"
"Even in freefall, I have commitment issues."

[Acensky 0]

I did my first one in April. I was on a team since it was all of our firsts we thought that it would be fun and it was. I got the biking part of it. I think the next one I do I will do two events, biking and running. my swimming is good I'm just not in THAT great of shape.

forgot to add, do it for the fun of it, not to be the fastest.
I think people get too competitive and they ruin it for the rest of us.

Good luck and have fun!


Heather

Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

[GQ_jumper 4]

BlueSkiesKel is also a huge Triathlete - and probably the hottest Triathlete on DZ...

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If there aren't pics posted than I can't believe a statement like that, I'm sorry my friend but I'm going to have to ask you for some proof

Seriously though, I'm considering training for one as well, I haven't been in the states long enough to train up for one in recent years but once I get home I'll be home for good. I want to take a shot at it.

History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.
--Dwight D. Eisenhower

[ntrprnr 0]

There.

_______________
"Why'd you track away at 7,000 feet?"
"Even in freefall, I have commitment issues."

[simplyputsi 0]

going on my 7th tri in 2 weeks. They have all been sprints so far, which is where I'd start if having never done one.
My next is an international distance which will be a whole new experience, basically twice the distances i've been doing.

They are fun. It is nice to get out and compete in something. You'll be surprised how much you can push your body in that situation.
The bonus to training for them, is you get friggen ripped and lean.

Most important piece of advice I can give you is learn how to swim, and swim well. Get a coach if you have to. The swim is like nothing you have ever done unless you are a swimmer.

Skymama's #2 stalker -

[MrFreefall383 0]

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going on my 7th tri in 2 weeks. They have all been sprints so far, which is where I'd start if having never done one.
My next is an international distance which will be a whole new experience, basically twice the distances i've been doing.

They are fun. It is nice to get out and compete in something. You'll be surprised how much you can push your body in that situation.
The bonus to training for them, is you get friggen ripped and lean.

Most important piece of advice I can give you is learn how to swim, and swim well. Get a coach if you have to. The swim is like nothing you have ever done unless you are a swimmer.

Thanks for the advice all. And to the yahoo above me, real good one.

Actually, I'm glad you said that, because I've been working on my swimming a hell of a lot more lately. Running and biking really shouldn't be too much of a problem for me, I've been good at both for years, and regularly training harder and harder in both. I've been an avid swimmer for a number of years as well, used to swim over a mile every other day when I was still lifeguarding. Needless to say, I'm already in pretty damn good shape. But a triathlon is the only way I can really prove to myself that I can do more than just run a few laps around a track and swim a mile the next day. And I just bought my first road bike today, so that'll be another real good tool.

As for the details, I'm fairly certain right now that I could complete a sprint tri in my present shape, but that's something I'm going to find out for sure toward the end of this season. I'm going to plot out my own personal sprint tri around town using the local pool for my laps, and the high school track for the running portion. With any luck I'll complete it no problem, and I can bump it up from there for next season. Regardless, the test run at the end of this season will tell the tale. Shall keep you all updated.

And to ntrprnr, yes, she is hot.

"If at first you don't succeed... well, so much for skydiving." - aviation cliche

[MrFreefall383 0]

To those who give a hoot, I gave the new bike a full shakedown cruise yesterday, tested the shit out of it. Only found a few small problems, and all of them are easily remedied. The first is the seating position is a little out of whack. It's crunching my balls and chaffing the inside of my legs after just one ride. So I'm going to adjust the saddle's horizontal angle just a touch, and see how it changes things. The bike rattles at the upper end of the gearing, when I'm in the toughest settings for downhills as an example. Every stroke or two, it'll sound like the chain is rubbing against something, which suggests to me the derailleur needs to be tweaked out just a little, so I'm bringing it back to the shop tomorrow to get that changed before it becomes a bigger problem like a busted derailleur. Other than those two small problems though, the bike is amazing. That means it's time to start training.

"If at first you don't succeed... well, so much for skydiving." - aviation cliche

[BlueSkiesKel 0]

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There.

so you post a BAD picture of me.. gee thanks peter

[simplyputsi 0]

how many chain rings do you have up front?? 2 or 3?? if you have 3 sometimes you will never be able to get rid of the chain rubbing when you are at the highest or lowest gear. If you have 2 it needs to be adjusted.

for anyone who cares I just completed 10 days in a row training. I know, bad me. That is what motrin, ice, recovery drinks, and gu are for. Oh and easy days. Anyway. Get to training!!!!

Skymama's #2 stalker -

[Broke 0]

I have no problems with chain rub. Both my mountain bike and my road bike have 3 rings up front. Sometimes you start to have issues when you start switching up components.

Divot your source for all things Hillbilly.
Anvil Brother 84
SCR 14192

[BlueSkiesKel 0]

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for anyone who cares I just completed 10 days in a row training. I know, bad me. That is what motrin, ice, recovery drinks, and gu are for. Oh and easy days. Anyway. Get to training!!!!

tisk tisk tisk.. you know thats bad! 6 days trng, 1 day rest.. repeat... gotta give your body a break or it wont improve hun

[AggieDave 6]

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BlueSkiesKel is also a huge Triathlete - and probably the hottest Triathlete on DZ...

Steady their cowboy...My wife does triatholons as well, although she only has about 500 jumps.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[ntrprnr 0]

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tisk tisk tisk.. you know thats bad! 6 days trng, 1 day rest.. repeat... gotta give your body a break or it wont improve hun

Easy when your body's already in stellar shape, Bee-yotch.

_______________
"Why'd you track away at 7,000 feet?"
"Even in freefall, I have commitment issues."

[Broke 0]

Where's the proof?

Divot your source for all things Hillbilly.
Anvil Brother 84
SCR 14192

[BlueSkiesKel 0]

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tisk tisk tisk.. you know thats bad! 6 days trng, 1 day rest.. repeat... gotta give your body a break or it wont improve hun

Easy when your body's already in stellar shape, Bee-yotch.

i never said EASY.. i was just sayin its better to do 6 on 1 off
thhhhbbbbbbbbbt

[AggieDave 6]

I've posted pictures before, Morgan is a stone cold hottie, an athlete and an engineer. Somehow I got real lucky.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[MrFreefall383 0]

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tisk tisk tisk.. you know thats bad! 6 days trng, 1 day rest.. repeat... gotta give your body a break or it wont improve hun

Easy when your body's already in stellar shape, Bee-yotch.

i never said EASY.. i was just sayin its better to do 6 on 1 off
thhhhbbbbbbbbbt

It is. Both the Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness and The SWAT Workout, written by the same author, say the same thing, that if you don't give your body one day off, you can cause major injuries. I never work out more than 6 days in a row. And if it's a day off, it's a day off, I'm not doing anything that will strain any of my muscles too much. It's just moving around to keep from cramping, and that's it. And honestly, it doesn't matter if you're in stellar shape or a fuckin' couch potato, it's still better for your body taking one day off for every 6 working out. If you can make it the 6 days straight, you're in good enough shape to get into a routine.

And to answer all the info about the bike, it's a 2-ring front, not a 3-ring, and has no parts changed out as I just bought it two days ago. Stock everything at this point, but that's why I said it needs to be adjusted, because a rattle/click like that isn't normal for a bike I bought two days ago brand new.

"If at first you don't succeed... well, so much for skydiving." - aviation cliche

[Stumpy 256]

Sounds like you need to take half a turn out of the limit screw. No need to go to a shop for that!
Its well worth learning how your bike works. I try and do anything that can be done without haing to spend a lot of money on specialist tools.
Your indexing will probably go a little out of whack really soon too as the cables stretch so keep an eye on that.

Never try to eat more than you can lift

[MrFreefall383 0]

Quite frankly you're talking mostly in another language. The limit screw is probably simple enough, but I'm under free maintenance and adjustments for 30 days with this shop, so I might as well let them adjust everything right now, and watch closely what they're doing. As for indexing... ??? As I may have mentioned in the first post, I'm brand spankin' new to road biking, and brand new to owning a bike that I really felt obligated to maintain in perfect working order. So needless to say, I'm like that car guy who knows how to change his oil, rotate the tires and adjust tire pressures. Granted, I could probably learn everything about the bike in a very short time, my mind works that way, but right now I'm a newbie.

"If at first you don't succeed... well, so much for skydiving." - aviation cliche

[Stumpy 256]

He he fair enough!! If you are in the 30 day thing then make the most of it!!! But when you take it in, like you said, keep an eye on what they are doing and ask questions.
As for indexing - in the '"olden days" you moved the lever till it put the derailleur in the exact position required - it was a continuous motion from top gear to bottom. Gears these days are usually "indexed" which means that you click once and you get a down shift, or an upshift. As the cables stretch, the derailleur position per click changes over time so the shifts become less crisp, especially under pressure like when climbing for example. Its a very simple thing to fix this, usually by barrel adjusters on your gear levers or something similar. (Its a lot less complicated (and messy) than an oil change!) If the bike shop will show you then its a very simple operation.
As for position, see if you can find someone who really knows how to fit a bike to you. I'm doing 100 - 200k rides every week at the moment, and if the bike is not quite right you REALLY get to know about it. Fortunately mine was fitted to me by an expert, and its 100 times better than my old one. I get tight in the shoulders after a couple of hours now, but thats more lack of training than bike fit!

Good luck with it, i love road biking, and group rides especially are a lot of fun!

Never try to eat more than you can lift

[MrFreefall383 0]

Yeah, indexing sounds like a simple enough concept, so I'll definitely keep a very close eye on that. Thanks for the explanation, it helps a lot.

As far as position is concerned, I was actually sized to a smaller frame than I thought I would need. And that's something the tech said as well, that if I needed it tweaked to fit me better, he'd do it for free within 30 days. So I'm going to adjust the saddle a touch, and if it's still not quite right, get a new stem.

And I'm already riding with my dad. He funded half the purchase just so he could have a riding buddy.

"If at first you don't succeed... well, so much for skydiving." - aviation cliche

[MrFreefall383 0]

Small update for those who give a hoot.

Friday's workout was far more than I probably should have done, but I'm 100% convinced that with a little extra training, I can do my first sprint-tri before the end of this season.

So here's how it unfolded. First I went out at about 12:30, did a 20 mile bike ride, then came back, very shortly went to the pool to swim 800m freestyle, and another 150 of lung-building strokes. Then I came back home, realized I had a little more energy than I thought, so I quickly put on my running gear, and went to the high school track and ran 3.25 miles. So the short version is that in terms of triathlon elements, I completed all the events plus some. All I have to do now is train enough to link them all together, and that event is mine for the taking. Reality is of course that I didn't plan on doing that kind of workout this soon in the season, I figured I'd try it in a couple months when I was in better shape. But now I know it's possible for my body to take that much abuse in one day, I just can't slow down now.

"If at first you don't succeed... well, so much for skydiving." - aviation cliche