Triathalon

[VeganMan]

Anybody ever done a tri or doing tris? I'm very interested and would like a little advice.

[LJ]

I'm interested too. We have a local one in the spring...run 6, canoe 6 and bike 18. You have a partner and your times are combined. Would love to do it but I'm so scared....don't really know why?????

[libellule]

Hello! I have done five triathalons. They were all sprint distance. Two were Danskin triathalons...women only. The other three were co-ed. It was a lot of fun. I am thinking of doing some this spring/summer/fall myself I would like to drop about 10 more pounds so that I can be in my optimal shape.
I like to do the triathalons soley for the purpose to beat my personal best, and to feel a sense of accomplishment. It makes me feel alive. I do have to tune-up my bike as it is very old and is dire need of adjustments. So, if I can afford to do that and manage the fees, I wil do at least two.
I will look up some of my old links for tris and see if they are still active. (they are on another computer).
I am sure if you do a search @ your fav. search engine and type in triathalons, info will pop up. I live in the NW and there is a whole bunch of them. Good luck. I'll see if I can find my info.
Also, Carl Lewis McDougalled during his heaviest training. He met Dr. McD and he sort of challenged him. He took it on and has not gone back.
--Li

[momof4]

I did some triathlons a few summers ago (when I was mom of 3!). They were SO much fun! One website that really helped me out a lot was http://www.trinewbies.com/. Some of those people are so funny--like talking about being dead last, having the canoe "escorts" on the swim (they're out there for safety, and usually follow the last swimmer in), and how even if you're dead last, you're still ahead of everyone who didn't even try. That helped me a lot--as you can tell, I wasn't trying to come in first place! But they're so much fun! Maybe since it'd been a long time since I'd competed in anything, but it felt great to get that rush of adrenaline again.

You may want to see if you could volunteer at a tri first, so you could get familiar with the transition area and how all of that works. That was probably the most stressful part for me, but when I got to my first one, there were a lot of other first-timers there, and the atmosphere was great.

One thing that has bothered me about the triathlon group is that it seems to be a lot of wealthy people with tons of time to workout. Many are into the latest gadgets to get their times better, a lot of supplements, etc. I did read a story that there was a guy who did the Ironman Tri at Lake Placid (I think), and he wore cut offs with the pockets sewn up for the swim, he rode an old banana-seat bike for the 112 miles, and ran in basketball shoes for the run. I believe he was trying to make a point!!

I do want to do some again, perhaps this summer. I think one important thing to realize is that you need to be able to sustain the whole distance--ie, it was easy for me to say, "yeah, I can swim 3/4 mile, I can bike 18, and I can run 5." HOWEVER, on race day, it was quite another to do that all in a row. And running can be really difficult after you bike, so you need to practice that.

Good luck, and have fun!

[stevek]

Hey LJ,

I've completed the Little Miami Triathlon five times. The last time in 2001.

A triathlon of this distance is quite a bit easier than a marathon. Less wear and tear on the same muscles. Most people who complete triathlons are either runners or cyclists who enjoy the challenge of something a bit different.

To train for the LMT make sure you get enough running and cycling miles in (15-20 running, 20-30 cycling) for at least two months before the triathlon. If you are a novice at canoeing It would be helpful to have someone experienced show you how to keep a canoe straight. I never could.

Take water with you in the canoe and make sure you have water or a sports drink with your bike to drink after the run. Also you will need to have a cage on your bike to carry water while you are riding.

Many people are stiff right after getting out of the canoe, so take it easy when starting the run segment. Good luck if you try it, it's a lot of fun, and you forget the pain of the event quickly.

[LJ]

Hey LJ,

I've completed the Little Miami Triathlon five times. The last time in 2001.

A triathlon of this distance is quite a bit easier than a marathon. Less wear and tear on the same muscles. Most people who complete triathlons are either runners or cyclists who enjoy the challenge of something a bit different.

To train for the LMT make sure you get enough running and cycling miles in (15-20 running, 20-30 cycling) for at least two months before the triathlon. If you are a novice at canoeing It would be helpful to have someone experienced show you how to keep a canoe straight. I never could.

Take water with you in the canoe and make sure you have water or a sports drink with your bike to drink after the run. Also you will need to have a cage on your bike to carry water while you are riding.

Many people are stiff right after getting out of the canoe, so take it easy when starting the run segment. Good luck if you try it, it's a lot of fun, and you forget the pain of the event quickly.

Yep, thats the triathalon I'm talking about! (I only live about 35-40 minutes from there) My brother has done the LMT almost every year for I don't know how long. My friend who was going to partner with me can't do it this spring, I'm going to 'partner hunt' for the fall triathalon. (hope my hubby doesn't take that the wrong way!) I think training for it will really help me to shed this extra weight!!! Thanks for all of your tips. My biggest challenge will be biking...I'm not really into biking all that much, mine is hanging in the garage collecting dust.

[stevek]

Hey LJ,

The LMT is a lot of fun and someday I'd like to do it again. Maybe when the kids get a little older and I have more time to train. If you don't like bicycling don't sweat it. One year I didn't ride my bike one time before the triathlon and I was able to finish the event (my quads were crying in pain, though). To just survive the bicycling segment you could probably get by with cycling just once a week for 10-12 miles for a few months. If you can afford to buy a nice, new road bike it can also make a big difference in your time and in the amount of effort required.

[libellule]

Vegman,
The website I was referring to was www.trinewbies.com, (as mentioned above). Just didn't want to leave you hanging. I am glad someone posted it, it refreshed my memory.
Good luck.
-li

[LJ]

Hey LJ,

The LMT is a lot of fun and someday I'd like to do it again. Maybe when the kids get a little older and I have more time to train. If you don't like bicycling don't sweat it. One year I didn't ride my bike one time before the triathlon and I was able to finish the event (my quads were crying in pain, though). To just survive the bicycling segment you could probably get by with cycling just once a week for 10-12 miles for a few months. If you can afford to buy a nice, new road bike it can also make a big difference in your time and in the amount of effort required.

Yep, thats my problem too....kids take up all my time. I have no problem getting a work out in at home, but to get out and train for a triathalon might be too much for me at the moment. Thats good to hear about the biking though, i think I'll get mine cleaned up this spring and start biking some more, plus I have a great neighborhood for biking. There really is no excuse. I'd love to get my hubby to partner with me but he can't do the running...he wrecked his knees as a college linebacker.