Advice from Triathletes

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bjshields
bjshields Posts: 677 Member
edited October 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Okay, so yesterday, my friend & I did the Osprey Sprint Triathlon in the lovely waters of the Chesapeake Bay (and yes, you are allowed to say ewwwwww). I finished 2:07:10, not even really thinking about my time, just wanting to finish, and I ended up walk/running with a lady who was a lot slower than me but was great company, so I just walked/ran with her almost the whole 3.1 miles. My friend finished 1:50:12 and was THREE MINUTES away from placing third in our age group!

We both are new triathletes and haven't really tried to beat our time or get significantly faster. I am on a 35-lb. hybrid, and she is on probably a 25-lb. hybrid, which was kind of good in the wind, but is really heavy. We also did not wear wetsuits (like everybody else did).

So my question is: how much faster can you expect to get if you work on your swim form, get a road bike versus an old hybrid, and really start working on your run time? I think for my friend, it's probably realistic that she could place, at least in this event and in our age group (45 - death). For me, I'm not sure how much better my time could get.

Advice would be appreciated.:smile:

Replies

  • bjshields
    bjshields Posts: 677 Member
    NOBODY?! Seriously?:noway:
  • reeldancer
    reeldancer Posts: 156 Member
    My MFP friend did a tri yesterday too - I will tag her so she see this. Maybe she will know.
  • skywalker
    skywalker Posts: 1,533
    Let me start by saying I'm no expert on this. I just do this stuff to try to get fit and see if I can go the distance. :laugh: But I will say this... It's amazing the difference a road bike can make. I just did my first tri yesterday (reeldancer's friend). It was a seriously hilly course and I could see not finishing it at all on a hybrid. There definitely is a difference. Also, wetsuits do give you a definite edge. You're more bouyant and I feel like I don't have to work as hard when wear one. As far as running goes, I HATE it, but the right training will make you faster.
    All that said, sounds like you're quite a strong athlete already if you just missed placing. Whatever you're doing, keep doing it and congrats on your tri! :drinker:
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