Anyone doing a triathlon this year?

jeffrey71
jeffrey71 Posts: 432
edited September 20 in Fitness and Exercise
After the weight loss it is time to take it to the next level now! Starting to train for a triathlon this year! Anyone else doing the same?

Jeffrey71
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Replies

  • abredbenner
    abredbenner Posts: 125 Member
    I am! The Lonestar Tri in Galveston TX.
  • Chenoachem
    Chenoachem Posts: 1,758 Member
    I am not doing one this year but I have done them in the past and I found them to a lot of fun.

    Good Luck with the training.
  • jeffrey71
    jeffrey71 Posts: 432
    Good to hear from you all! I am looking at one in June here in Indiana. It will be my first. I would appreciate any training tips you might offer. I am a strong swimmer but I have never swam in anything like a tri. I am a good cyclist. I used to ride home from work about 20 miles before I was downsized. My running skills stink! But I am working on them. I have no deluisions of granduer! At my age of 56 I just want to finish. I have a pretty good set up here for training. Weights and stack machine, Sole eliptical, and spinning bike. I know I need water time and I am addressing that now.

    Before the weather got real nasty here again, I was running outside, 3 mile stacks, in about 24 minutes. Last night I rode the spinner at 80 rpm for 20 min and then my strength training (P90X). Tonight is Yoga night.

    Please let me know what I need to add or cut!

    Thanks a bunch!

    Jeffrey
  • jessmomof3
    jessmomof3 Posts: 4,590 Member
    Hi! I'm a triathlete and am doing a sprint tri in June and an Olympic in July. I love them! I'm already training for a marathon in May, but adding in the spinning and swimming. I also love P90X for strength training.

    Good luck!
  • abredbenner
    abredbenner Posts: 125 Member
    Jeffrey what distance are you planning to do? I did one sprint last year and now I am training for an Olympic in April. I thought I was a "good" swimmer until I started trying to swim 1500 meters. I am training with a group. I usually swim 2 nights a week, strength train 2 night/week, run 2 times/week and then bike once or twice. Sometimes it is bike followed by a run. Fridays are rest.
  • jeffrey71
    jeffrey71 Posts: 432
    Abredbenner,

    I was looking a club one in June that is 500 yd swim, 14 miles bike and a 4 mile run. Then I was looking at the Chicago Triathlon Sprint depending on my times.

    We are so weather impacted here for training outside. I strength train daily about 1.5 hours. I run outside when it is over 32 degrees. When I cannot get outside I do intervals on the eliptical. Running or eliptical about 2-3 times weekly. I bike on the spinner daily from intermitted 5 minute all out sprints to 30 minute rides not falling under 80 rpm. I have been paying closer attention to chest and shoulders on my strength training for the swimming. Lots and Lots of push ups, flys and rows. I usually rest on Saturday with a little light exercise, not much if any. I am trying to get the local Y to let me swim there but they want an annual fee. I have not paid it yet, but I may have to. I just want the pool there and nothing else. My equipment is just as good or better and I do better if I don't have anyone to visit with! LOL

    Jeffrey
  • abredbenner
    abredbenner Posts: 125 Member
    You seem to doing great. You will do well int he sprint. I had to join a gym ($30/month) for the pool. The group I train with allows us use of the pool 2 nights/week but they are both far away from me and I don't always have the time to go. I do like using the hottub and sauna at the gym though and sometimes when the weather is rainy I use the stationary bike. I am in TX so I have pretty good weather all year round. It just requires waking at 4 am soemtimes to get long runs in befor ethe heat kills you :happy:
  • Chenoachem
    Chenoachem Posts: 1,758 Member
    I would recommend training for running while tired. Since it is last it can be the hardest to complete. If the Tri you plan on doing is a lake swim, make sure to do some lake or ocean swimming before hand. The pool doesn't completely prepare you for training with drift and people punching you in the face, back and legs.

    Other than that it is definety important to have fun.
  • coronalime
    coronalime Posts: 583 Member
    I am attempting a 1/2 iron man in Whitelake, NC this May. Then I have a mini and an Olympic this summer. I did a few minis last summer. Fun times. Training time is crazy!
  • jeffrey71
    jeffrey71 Posts: 432
    Chenoachem,

    I had been planning on lake swimming once they warm up here! Right now I can run on them! Probably about 14" of ice on all of them around here. I wondered how physical the swim would be. I am planning on starting in the very back and going from there. The cycling will be my strength. I had not given any thought about my run training when tired. I really like that idea and I will put it into place. Thanks alot for the suggestion!

    Tonight I did about 2 hours of yoga and road the bike for 5 miles just to stretch my bad knee out.

    Getting old ain't for sissies!

    Coronalime best of luck training for the 1/2 ironman! If you have any training tips I would appreciate hearing them.

    Jeffrey
  • abredbenner
    abredbenner Posts: 125 Member
    Jeffrey,

    I stayed in the back for my sprint tri but it was still a different experience than the pool or even the open water swim that I dis with a friend the week before. I did not get punched or kicked but the motion of the water was challenging. I was not used "waves". I took in a few mouthfuls of lake water. I don't know how anyone does the NYC tri in the Hudson River - YUCK!
  • FrenchMob
    FrenchMob Posts: 1,167 Member
    As you can see in my signature, I have a duathlon & triathlon in a few months which will be my firsts also. I'm also have a half marathon in September. I suck at all 3 so it's definitely a challenge..lol
  • jeffrey71
    jeffrey71 Posts: 432
    Good afternoon!

    Abredbenner I could not agree more! Maybe they just run across the river! LOL I will definately get some lake time in before the tri.

    RV good luck with that and keep me posted. My only goal is to finish. I will work on the "glory" later! LOL

    Working on legs, back, and abs tonight with a little bike time. I should be doing some intervals on the eliptical but I feel a little lazy. Way too cold to run outside. The wind chill is around zero and it is snowing, again. I HATE winter!

    Jeffrey
  • coronalime
    coronalime Posts: 583 Member


    Coronalime best of luck training for the 1/2 ironman! If you have any training tips I would appreciate hearing them.

    Jeffrey
    [/quote


    I wont know any tips till I see if I survive :) . We do have a bike trainer so I can ride inside on my bike. My very 1st tri I was fortunate that I went and watched my hubby do his the day before. I watched all the transitioning and how to "set-up" everything. He is also doing the 1/2 iron the weekend before me so I can learn some tips before mine especially on nutrition which can make or break your run. I wish that I could sqeeze in a mini before this 1/2 but its just not in the cards.

    I also wish I could ride with clips. I just dont have the confidence and I cant seem to gain it. I lasted about 30 sec before piling up in the driveway 3x.
  • jeffrey71
    jeffrey71 Posts: 432


    Coronalime best of luck training for the 1/2 ironman! If you have any training tips I would appreciate hearing them.

    Jeffrey
    [/quote


    I wont know any tips till I see if I survive :) . We do have a bike trainer so I can ride inside on my bike. My very 1st tri I was fortunate that I went and watched my hubby do his the day before. I watched all the transitioning and how to "set-up" everything. He is also doing the 1/2 iron the weekend before me so I can learn some tips before mine especially on nutrition which can make or break your run. I wish that I could sqeeze in a mini before this 1/2 but its just not in the cards.

    I also wish I could ride with clips. I just dont have the confidence and I cant seem to gain it. I lasted about 30 sec before piling up in the driveway 3x.
    \
    Hey there!
    You will survive! Good idea on the watching before your race. I have no idea about setting up for the transition. I wear contacts so I will have to be fast getting them in after the swim. I have been bike traning on my spinner. Not the same as road friction but better than nothing. My wife is a Dietician so I have that pretty well covered and she will plan all my meals 90 days before races. I don't like pedal clips. I have taken mine off my road bike. I am going to use cleats and see how that works out. I have straps on my spinner that work pretty good for it. They seem to release the foot easily. It may be something to work off of. I have never wrecked with clips but I almost dumped a couple of times in traffic and that made me take them off. This area is not very bike friendly when you get out on the road. I feel safer on the shoulder of the 4 lane highway than on the county roads.

    Working on cardio tonight for an hour then strnegth training tomorrow and Sunday off! Oldest daughter is singing in her last college receital!

    Jeffrey
  • QuakerMom
    QuakerMom Posts: 56 Member
    Glad to see this thread, and would love to hear from more of you.

    I just signed up with Team in Training to complete my first ever triathlon -- the Wildflower triathlon (olympic distance) in May, in California. I'm excited and a little nervous. I am least excited about the running part of it, but will be doing first a 5K and then a 10K at least once as part of the training, so hoping that will help and boost my confidence.

    My main goal is just to finish, and secondary goal is to run (not walk) at least half of the run portion. :) I hope my knees can handle this. At 46, and w/10+ extra pounds on me, this is a bit of a stretch. But I'm really into being on a team and pushing myself physically in a way I haven't done in... well-- decades. Besides that, I'm training in honor of a friend who is battling leukemia, and find that motivation really inspiring.

    Visit my fundraising page to learn more & donate to a great cause:
    http://pages.teamintraining.org/sj/wildtri10/rsimpsonvl

    Go Team! Good luck to everyone in your training.

    --Rita
  • COtoAK
    COtoAK Posts: 35
    Gold Nugget Triath in Anchorage, Alaska. It's a mini one and training for it is my primer for my last race of the season: Mt Marathon!
  • coronalime
    coronalime Posts: 583 Member
    Fitting it all in is exhausting! Anyone reading some tri book by a Fitzgerald? It was rec to me tonight in the pool..Hate to switch plans 1/2 way through training
  • kramerse
    kramerse Posts: 4 Member
    My whole life I have wanted to do triathlons and am finally going to do it!

    I have plans to do 2 sprint triathlons in the St. Louis area in June/July, the Olympic distance Chicago Triathlon in August, and still considering the 1/2 Ironman in Austin, TX in October.

    Haven't felt such a sense of direction like this in my life for a long time.
  • FrenchMob
    FrenchMob Posts: 1,167 Member
    For those looking for a great resource for triathlons/duathlons, etc, check out http://www.BeginnerTriathlete.com

    The site needs getting use to, but it's got tons of info, and forums, training logging, gear reviews, first time stories, etc..
  • FrenchMob
    FrenchMob Posts: 1,167 Member
    There's also http://iamtri.com/ which is like a Facebook for triathletes. :)
  • jeffrey71
    jeffrey71 Posts: 432
    Wow!

    Nice to see new people stopping by.

    RV those site you recommended are good. I go to them quite a bit.

    I am fighting left knee pain, on the inside of my knee. I am 56 and my doc thinks it is artritist (sp?). It is causing me a lot of grief right now. I have only been running about 2-3 miles for time about 3 times a week right now. I am not a particuarlly good runner but my times have been about 7:45 per mile. After about 2.5 miles the knee really hurts. I have plenty of cardio endurance and strength but the darn knee is a real issue. Anyone else have knee issues? What have you done to get through it? I will not give up!

    Kramerse I have been looking at the Chicago Sprint in August. I think it is on the Saturday before the International. But again this knee is going to have be a whole bunch better.

    My overall goal is to do the Tampa Ironman in 2011 (probably a dream LOL), but it is a goal!

    Outside of the running , biking, and swimming what do you all supplement your training with? I do the P90X nightly. I am on my 6th cycle through it without missing a day or workout and I am starting to get a little bored and want something new. Ideas?

    COtoAK Do you do altitude training? Just curious...

    Have a good day! I will be getting extra workouts in today shoveling snow!

    Jeffrey
  • coronalime
    coronalime Posts: 583 Member
    Wow!

    Nice to see new people stopping by.

    RV those site you recommended are good. I go to them quite a bit.

    I am fighting left knee pain, on the inside of my knee. I am 56 and my doc thinks it is artritist (sp?). It is causing me a lot of grief right now. I have only been running about 2-3 miles for time about 3 times a week right now. I am not a particuarlly good runner but my times have been about 7:45 per mile. After about 2.5 miles the knee really hurts. I have plenty of cardio endurance and strength but the darn knee is a real issue. Anyone else have knee issues? What have you done to get through it? I will not give up!

    Jeffrey

    I have rhematoid and take shots weekly. IT issues are my main probelm and flair up around mile 10. My knee pain is worse if I run fast. I am a SLOW runner usually run safe in the 10/11 mark. I can run 8's but thats when the pain is bad the next day so I save that for race day. Also whenever a joint starts to hurt I get new shoes...Even if I only wore them for a month. . Besides taking anti inflammatories I would rec finding someone in your area that deals with knee issues for runners. We have a medical group here that soley deals with runners.. they work on your gait/stride. Also you can try compression tights. Other then that..stretching and yoga help if you can do them consistently. Drink lots of water if your on anti-inflammatories since they dry you up. Also dont run back to back days if you can help it and try not to do long rides and long runs back to back. rem its worse right now in the cold
  • jeffrey71
    jeffrey71 Posts: 432
    Coronalime Thanks! Some I was doing and some not. I will keep you posted.

    Jeffrey
  • areay22
    areay22 Posts: 150 Member
    I love doing triathlons. I've done an olymic one and 2 half ironman's! I'm really wanting to do the full ironman this year, i'll see how the body holds up...and the bank account ;-) Good luck with your training!
  • Chenoachem
    Chenoachem Posts: 1,758 Member
    For those looking for reference on Triathlons the books I used were:

    The Triathlete's Training Bible (Paperback) Joe Friel (Author)
    ChiRunning: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-Free Running by Katherine Dreyer, Danny Dreyer
    Workouts in a Binder: Swim Workouts for Triathletes by Gale Bernhardt
    Total Immersion: The Revolutionary Way To Swim Better, Faster, and Easier by Terry Laughlin and John Delves

    Good Luck.
  • COtoAK
    COtoAK Posts: 35
    COtoAK Do you do altitude training? Just curious...

    I have done altitude training regularly in the past when I lived in Colorado. I have hiked 9 14k/ft mountains. I used to feel pretty confident and cozy with high altitude until I experienced altitude sickness.

    My husband and I have seriously considered getting an airtight room and sleeping in high altitude air. It's starting to become more mainstream. I'd like to eventually do the Pike's Peak Marathon, so I'd have to do something like that or go back to Colorado, stay with family, and get reacclimated to the region.

    Are you considering going altitude training?
    Best thing for it? Water!
  • JennCh
    JennCh Posts: 63
    My whole life I have wanted to do triathlons and am finally going to do it!

    I have plans to do 2 sprint triathlons in the St. Louis area in June/July, the Olympic distance Chicago Triathlon in August, and still considering the 1/2 Ironman in Austin, TX in October.

    Haven't felt such a sense of direction like this in my life for a long time.

    I feel the same way about having a sense of direction. I'm training with a friend for a sprint tri in April. Having committed to doing it and following the training laid out by someone who has accomplished triathlons is such a help in maintaining focus. Not being able to complete some of the training as it is a bit more than I'm capable of at this point is another issue, but I'm going to keep plugging away, hoping by April I see a difference in what I can do.
  • jeffrey71
    jeffrey71 Posts: 432
    Good Afternoon Everyone!

    I have been getting my tri training in shoveling snow the last few days! My good news is that my left knee is getting better! At the young age of 56 I have what appears to be an arthritic left knee. The new med seems to be working, finally! Last 2 nights I have had a pretty intense work out regimine.

    Last night I worked on legs and back strength for 1 hours non stop. Lots of lunges and one legged squats. I then went to the eliptical for a 30 minute interval session (severe hills) at 3.5 mph non stop. Immediately went to the spinner bike at a 90 cadence for 8 miles matching 12th gear on my Raliegh bike. I am still not swimming due to a lack of facilites. If anyone has any suggestions as to a series of exercises to sub for the swimming for now I would love to read them. Tonight is my martial arts night. Pretty much cardio.

    I am planning to ramp up more very soon knee permitting. Does anyone here belong to USAT? Opinion? I was thinking of joining. I have registered for the Warsaw, Indiana tri in June. My first!

    Take care everyone!

    Jeffrey
  • jeffrey71
    jeffrey71 Posts: 432
    I got a new bike! Cannondale R900! Whoo Hooo!

    Jeffrey
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