Anyone done a sprint triathlon?

pepperdine

A group of my friends and I have challenged each other to finish a sprint triathlon next summer. That gives me roughly 9 months to train for it.

I've been working on the running already and I'm up to 10 mins consistently, however I haven't been in a pool or on a bike in years and years. I'm a little nervous about this, but I'm also really excited. I feel like my workouts have no purpose and then it's hard to find the motivation to do them. With something big to work toward, I think this will really push me.

Has anyone done a sprint triathlon and how did you train for it? Am I crazy to even attempt this if I am about 50 pounds overweight?

Thanks!

fiftyandfit

Great minds think alike!! My husband and I were sitting on the couch watching the Ironman from
Hawaii....seeing a 65yr old man and a 58yr old woman compete made us look at each other and
say "Why not?".
That being said, we are looking to compete in Carlsbad Sprint in July. Maybe La Quinta in April (God help me!)
I'll be 52yrs old next month. I'm overweight and have asthma.
My new mantra....NO EXCUSES!!
Good for you on the running 10mins straight..more than I can do at this point!
Recently purchased a hybrid bike. If I really get into this, I'll spend the bucks on a good road bike!
Swimming laps in a pool, not looking forward to open water swimming!
Keep me posted on your training.
I found a really good website for us beginners ~ www.beginnertriathlete.com

Pam:drinker:

Athena413

check out rufusracing.com - there is a training plan on the link for the Summer Roundup Tri.

helma123

I've never done a triathalon, but I've done a marathon and I honestly believe you can do anything you want to do, it just depends on how bad you want it. 9 months is plenty of time to train as long as you are consistant with it. Racing is great motivation for me. I think I would have stopped working out a long time ago if I wasn't constantly training for my next race. This is the first thing athletic I've done in my entire life, but I love it! Don't sell yourself short. I know you can do it. And you'll have so much fun! Good luck!

paladeac

I'm 40 pounds overweight and I've done 4 sprint tris. (Would have been more but I had a shoulder injury this summer.) My first one was 13 months after I was hit by a car while biking and sustained a fractured pelvis.

I LOVE it! There's nothing like the feeling of accomplishment when you finish.

Check and see if there are any training groups. They can better a big help - not only with the training but also what to expect in the race and how to set up your gear, etc.

I can't wait for next season!

darsh11

I am about to do my 4th triathlon this weekend. When I started training last May for my triathlon in October 2010 I weighed 245 by race day I was at 219. I love triathlons they make you feel like you are superman or superwoman. There are some great 13 week training programs on the web.
My favorite is http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=261

I was wobbly on the bike at first, but it does come back. Now I love to fly down the hills at mock speed. I am still improving the run, but there are so many people in all shapes and sizes and they have one goal and that is to finish the race.

My motto is First or Last you get the same T-shirt, you just have to finish the race.

alyssamiller77

Pepper, I have the same goal for next summer. I plan to do a sprint tri sometime and have been looking at a few options. I've been biking and running but am still trying to find a pool that I can use to train for the swimming portion. Do you know which event you're planning to do yet?

I've been doing a lot of reading on Beginner Triathlete http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/ and have learned quite a bit. They have lots of information out there and even let you build a customized training plan for yourself (although admittedly I have not started a formal training plan yet).

BTW, I noticed on your profile it says you live in Franklin, I'm in West Bend. Maybe we'll end up seeing each other at one of these triathlons

amewha

My brother and I challenged each other to do the "My First Triathlon" sprint several years ago. My training consisted of commuting to work on my bike ~15Km one way, doing a 5k run after I got home 5 days a week and swimming once a week. A couple of times before the race I biked to the pool, swam, biked home then went for a run just to see what it felt like to transition between the 3 events and to see if i thought I was missing anything.

If you are not a runner already, maybe start with the Couch to 5K program. (I just set up a 5K route and ran as much as i could and walked the rest until I was able to run the whole way) Start working your biking legs on a stationary bike, but try to get outside on a real bike as early as possible and swim as much as you can.

I have always disliked swimming, and I got my butt kicked in the swim! I should have trained for it more, but the Bike and the Run went great and in the end I beat my brother :>