How to get started with a Sprint Triathalon?
moonangel12
Posts: 971 Member
I have always been intrigued by tri’s - 3 of my favorite sports/activities all in one! But the distances were daunting. I only recently discovered sprint triathalons and my husband is encouraging me to give it a go... but so many more logistics to consider. Where to swim through the winter? The whole transition thing? I don’t know the lingo or etiquette at all... plenty of time to research though. The semi-local one I found describes itself as being good for beginners, but then I see a cut off time of 40 minutes for the 5k and wonder if I could even do it... just a 5k, with training, sure, but that time after swimming and biking? Eeek! Currently I could do 37/38 minutes, but my ankles are the main issue so I am hoping once I lose a little more weight they could handle a faster pace.
I would love to hear from those that have been there done that, but recently enough to remember being a newbie. Thoughts? Advice?
I have already learned a little about what to wear... Tri shorts and a top sound like a good plan, for sure!
I even contemplated signing up as a volunteer for the one in April just to get a feel for it.
I would love to hear from those that have been there done that, but recently enough to remember being a newbie. Thoughts? Advice?
I have already learned a little about what to wear... Tri shorts and a top sound like a good plan, for sure!
I even contemplated signing up as a volunteer for the one in April just to get a feel for it.
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Bump. I was just invited to one that would take place 10 months from now. Would need to improve my swimming. But am thinking about it...0
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So I am expressly not a triathlete, but I have seriously thought about training for one (not going to happen, not within the next few years at least) and i know multiple triathletes. I also watch a lot of Global Triathlon Network videos
. Beginner Triathlete is a good online resource from what I've been told. I occasionally read their forums despite not doing the running piece. I would also look for local triathlon clubs. Many of them have group workouts, including group open water swims. There's also Masters Swimming groups.
Lastly, there are a ton of triathlon plans out there for all of the typical triathlon distances. Structured training will be your friend, so using a training plan is probably a very good idea.2 -
moonangel12 wrote: »I have always been intrigued by tri’s - 3 of my favorite sports/activities all in one! But the distances were daunting. I only recently discovered sprint triathalons and my husband is encouraging me to give it a go... but so many more logistics to consider. Where to swim through the winter? The whole transition thing? I don’t know the lingo or etiquette at all... plenty of time to research though. The semi-local one I found describes itself as being good for beginners, but then I see a cut off time of 40 minutes for the 5k and wonder if I could even do it... just a 5k, with training, sure, but that time after swimming and biking? Eeek! Currently I could do 37/38 minutes, but my ankles are the main issue so I am hoping once I lose a little more weight they could handle a faster pace.
I would love to hear from those that have been there done that, but recently enough to remember being a newbie. Thoughts? Advice?
I have already learned a little about what to wear... Tri shorts and a top sound like a good plan, for sure!
I even contemplated signing up as a volunteer for the one in April just to get a feel for it.
I've raced all the distances from sprint to Ironman and been a mentor in my tri club for a number of years. Based on your post, a few thoughts come to mind:
1) Sprint triathlons are a great way to start. Typically lots of support/encouragement, as the tri community is very welcoming to newcomers.
2) Lots of great resources online, in print, or in person. One book that many find helpful is Joe Friel's "Your First Triathlon : Race Ready in 5 Hours a Week" . This book provides lots of great information about how to start, how to pick a race, "can you do it", nutrition, swim, bike and run training, triathlon gear, training support, emotional support, and just about every other facet of the sport that a beginner would wonder about. Its a great read for newbies.
3) Most people have a concern (or many concerns, lol) related to completing either the race, or a segment of the race, within the time cutoff. Don't worry about that now. Remember, you're going to pick a race that allows time for training, and by following a plan you will build endurance, so you'll be more fit by race day than you are today.:)
4.) Volunteering at a race is a terrific idea. You will see that people of all ages, body shapes and abilities are able to participate in triathlons. You'll probably also notice that as a group, the participants are very enthusiastic and it is contagious.
5. ) As for training, my tip is to focus on your weakest discipline. For example, if you are a good swimmer and strong cyclist, but only an "ok" runner, then be sure not to skip the run workouts. I'm only an average swimmer, so I force myself to hit all my swim workouts no matter what else comes up.
As far as training logistics, you'll figure them out yourself or find a triathlete to help you. Finally, there are many folks at mfp who know the game, so ask questions and you'll get answers. We're always glad to have new folks join the sport.
Looking forward to reading your first race report.
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Tried sending you a message and friend request. App isn't letting me. I did a couple triathlons in 2017 and now want to do more.
Easiest way to start is to sign up for one. Tell people you're gonna do it. Backing out after paying a fee and bragging to all your friends your doing this would be harder than actually running it.
You can swim in an indoor pool for the winter. I live in Canada so open water swimming season is pretty short. Even many triathlons use a pool.
I don't understand cut off time? Do they expect you to finish the run portion in that time? The ones I entered had no time limits. I think my run time came in around 40/45 minutes. I am a slow runner too. And yes, I walked about half of it. So did many others.
Send me a friend request, or pm me. Would love to exchange support and motivation!
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Thanks for all the information! The book sounds right up my alley, and that it will answer a lot of my early questions... going to look for it for sure!
MsOpus - I got your request!
I found the time limits under the FAQ page... they all seem a bit tight, but maybe because of how they have it laid out?
https://rev3tri.com/westfields/faq/0 -
moonangel12 wrote: »Thanks for all the information! The book sounds right up my alley, and that it will answer a lot of my early questions... going to look for it for sure!
MsOpus - I got your request!
I found the time limits under the FAQ page... they all seem a bit tight, but maybe because of how they have it laid out?
https://rev3tri.com/westfields/faq/
Rev3 is a great race organization. The Westfield event will be a great choice as a first race.
I've done both their Quassy olympic and 70.3 race in Connecticut (now Ironman CT). The courses were painful , but the races were very well run. 0 -
Check out the Women for Tri FBZ page. Everything you need to know gets discussed there! I’ve done 3 tri sprints and a 3rd as the swim leg on a relay team. It is rare that there are cutoffs on a sprint. I don’t consider a 40 min 5k cut off very beginner friendly. I walk the 5k.
There may be a tri training group in your area you can connect with.
Swim in a pool during the winter and consider taking adult swim lessons or masters group to help work on your technique. Be sure to do some open water swims before your first outdoor swim event. It is very different and can take seversl swims to acclimate.
Races always need volunteers and some will give a discount towards a future event. I volunteered during training and the event last year when I did the swim leg relay. I learned so much and it inspired me to buy a bike and go the whole event this year.2 -
The bike is my next question mark - I have a 25 year old Cannondale, my parents bought it for me when I was 10 I think
my dad rode for the Phx FD and did different races over the years (I did a couple 25 mile rides with them when I was 9 or 10) so I grew up with good quality bikes. I have been wanting to get back into biking for years, and now that our children are getting older and we live near good trails (canal tow path) I think it can be a reality. Both hubby and I would do well to get properly fitted for bikes (he had a good Giant, but sadly our irresponsible young adult selves left it out in the elements for far too long). From what I have been reading on here I should be able to pay for a proper fitting for my current bike, correct? I put hybrid tires on it a couple years ago, so the thickness of a mtn. bike tire, but smooth for paved conditions. 0 -
Yes you should be able to pay for a fitting for your current bike. The question is, will a bike from when you were 10 still be the proper size? They can’t fit “any bike” yo any person. It needs to be right general size.0
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I shot up young, and stopped growing at 11 or 12 so there is a good chance it will still fit... but not a guarantee. I was wearing just one size smaller shoe at the age when I got the bike...0
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You've gotten some great advice, not too much for me to add (Joel's book is great) other than adding bricks to your workout schedule (a brick is just a run right off the bike) . The main reason to do them is just to get accustomed to the changeover from bike (which is more quad intensive) to running (hamstrings) - the first one may be pretty comical, your legs may feel a little like jelly. They're also a great way to practice your transitions. (If you're riding the bike you got as a kid I'm going to assume that you don't have clipless pedals - what you lose in mechanical efficiency you gain is a faster transition)
Another thing occurred to me. For your pool work this winter get a pull buoy. Triathlon swimming is more upper body focused than regular swimmers - we're saving our legs for the bike and run and we don't kick a lot for propulsion more just to stay horizontal in the water. For a sprint distance you don't need to worry about a wet suit unless the water is really cold. If you decide that a wet suit is needed make sure you use it in open water in advance of your race so you're comfortable donning and doffing it (some races provide wet suit strippers which makes like so much easier).
Have fun!3 -
moonangel12 wrote: »Thanks for all the information! The book sounds right up my alley, and that it will answer a lot of my early questions... going to look for it for sure!
MsOpus - I got your request!
I found the time limits under the FAQ page... they all seem a bit tight, but maybe because of how they have it laid out?
https://rev3tri.com/westfields/faq/
Rev3 is a great race organization. The Westfield event will be a great choice as a first race.
I've done both their Quassy olympic and 70.3 race in Connecticut (now Ironman CT). The courses were painful , but the races were very well run.
concur - i've done many Rev3 tri's over the years and Westfields is a fun one - you could also look to Kinetic Sports, they do a lot of VA/MD/DE races and are a great company.
Also note - those cut-off times are based on the entirety of the race - so for example, you have 20min to do the swim but you do it in 10, then you have slightly longer for the bike/run over the course - the max time is 2hrs (clear as mud right?)0 -
My words of wisdom: do way more open water swimming than you think you will ever need. Practice with a tri group if necessary to experience people swimming over you and crowding you. Swimming in your own lane in a clean, clear pool will NEVER get you ready for the feeding frenzy of a tri swim.3
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BrianSharpe - I had contemplated a pedal change, I think more of a strap system though. The clipless make me nervous. I know with practice it would get easier but I have seen people fall over because they didn’t or couldn’t unclip!
And I might be a year off on my bike, I was closer to 11... I think right before we moved cross country. Still young, but even closer to the point when I stopped growing. I was HUGE in 6th grade compared to everyone else, came back from summer break in 7th and the story had changed!1 -
Deannalfisher - time cut off explanation makes total sense to me! Still not sure how possible it is for me
I will check for more races in the area - when I do a search for 5ks it is pretty plentiful, but tris either aren’t as consolidated with their listings or few and far between (given the proximity to DC I am thinking I just haven’t figured out the best place to look). It would be good to volunteer sooner rather than later!0 -
I have watched races and listened to the commentary regarding the open swims - terrifying! Thankfully the one I am looking at as a starter is indoor, single lanes, 5second spacing I believe.My words of wisdom: do way more open water swimming than you think you will ever need. Practice with a tri group if necessary to experience people swimming over you and crowding you. Swimming in your own lane in a clean, clear pool will NEVER get you ready for the feeding frenzy of a tri swim.
How do you safely practice in open water? I could have hubby troll and fish the shore along side me in the river! Ha!
I am sure I am asking questions that will be answered in the recommended book and other resources as I go along - thank you all for taking the time to answer them!
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How common is it for triathlons to have cutoff times? I would be some upset to be on my first sprint triathlon and have someone tap me on the shoulder a km from the finish and say "Sorry honey, you're done. Better luck Next time"
My goal was to finish on my own two feet and I did. Yes I was slow but I still came in ahead of all those who never tri'ed.0 -
How common is it for triathlons to have cutoff times? I would be some upset to be on my first sprint triathlon and have someone tap me on the shoulder a km from the finish and say "Sorry honey, you're done. Better luck Next time"
My goal was to finish on my own two feet and I did. Yes I was slow but I still came in ahead of all those who never tri'ed.
I don't recall that time cutoffs are common in sprint distance races.
For longer distance triathlons, say 70.3 and 140.6 mile races, there are typically cutoff times.0 -
moonangel12 wrote: »
I have watched races and listened to the commentary regarding the open swims - terrifying! Thankfully the one I am looking at as a starter is indoor, single lanes, 5second spacing I believe.My words of wisdom: do way more open water swimming than you think you will ever need. Practice with a tri group if necessary to experience people swimming over you and crowding you. Swimming in your own lane in a clean, clear pool will NEVER get you ready for the feeding frenzy of a tri swim.
How do you safely practice in open water? I could have hubby troll and fish the shore along side me in the river! Ha!
I am sure I am asking questions that will be answered in the recommended book and other resources as I go along - thank you all for taking the time to answer them!
Swim with others. Get someone to man a kayak or paddle board.0 -
How common is it for triathlons to have cutoff times? I would be some upset to be on my first sprint triathlon and have someone tap me on the shoulder a km from the finish and say "Sorry honey, you're done. Better luck Next time"
My goal was to finish on my own two feet and I did. Yes I was slow but I still came in ahead of all those who never tri'ed.
Not very many sprints have cut off times. Not sure about Olympic distance. The longer races 70.3 and 140.6 Ironman do have cutoffs. Read all the race info carefully before you sign up.0 -
you can swim in the locale pool just do laps. run on the tredmil to get the distance. and take some spin classes all over winter. then after winter start going outside and doing those exercises. i wanted to do a triathon but you have to factor in other thing. but i agree look up beginer triathons0
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We have a jon boat, kayaks for all 6 of us, and I have a paddle board as well (profile pic, actually) sooooo, yeah, totally possible (minus the fact that the weather is getting ready to change, not sure about the whole wetsuit/cold water swimming just yet... although I mentioned it to hubby and he is willing).0
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The cutoff time definitely makes me pause on even thinking about registering for this particular one. Grrr... It’s still early in the planning process, not even training yet.0
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The posts about finishing times and cutoffs has made me recall a particularly inspiring moment from my last race in 2018 (I'm rehabbing an injury this year, so no racing.)
This 9 minute video has a few cool moments. The first 2:30 of the clip are basically Ironman marketing, so ignore that, but then notice the athletes in transition on race morning and then at the end when they are crossing the finish line. All shapes, sizes and nationalities, and all of them are smiling.
My 2 favorite scenes are near the end: First at 8:37, a 75 year old athlete crosses the line, then at 8:57, a guy who has failed to finish in his previous SIX attempts crosses the line and the crowd goes wild!
I saw that guy several times while out on the run course that day, and though he was suffering as much as anyone, he smiled the whole day. He was simply NOT going to quit.
https://player.vimeo.com/video/2857836282 -
I have been wondering about when it would be appropriate to try to do one. It has always been a major goal of mine. I do martial arts and have good fitness in certain ways, and not so good in others. I can't even run close to a 5k straight yet, so I wonder if I should wait until I do that? I do 5k races fairly regularly and can still get under 40 minutes even with walking a significant portion of it, but that's without swimming and biking first.
I am a finisher, and have done 7k obscacle course mud races that involved significant incline, plus 4 hour Krav Maga belt tests, so I think I could probably make one on my two feet without any time limits. I am just wondering at what point I should wait for my fitness level to get to first. It is also difficult because wihh training already 3-4 times a week, I have limited time to work in trialthon training. But I would love to do one sooner rather than later, even if I have to crawl across the finish line.0 -
I have been wondering about when it would be appropriate to try to do one. It has always been a major goal of mine. I do martial arts and have good fitness in certain ways, and not so good in others. I can't even run close to a 5k straight yet, so I wonder if I should wait until I do that? I do 5k races fairly regularly and can still get under 40 minutes even with walking a significant portion of it, but that's without swimming and biking first.
I am a finisher, and have done 7k obscacle course mud races that involved significant incline, plus 4 hour Krav Maga belt tests, so I think I could probably make one on my two feet without any time limits. I am just wondering at what point I should wait for my fitness level to get to first. It is also difficult because wihh training already 3-4 times a week, I have limited time to work in trialthon training. But I would love to do one sooner rather than later, even if I have to crawl across the finish line.
Based on your description of fitness level, I see no reason why you couldn't pick out a sprint distance race that sounds fun and begin training now to race early next year. Since you are a "finisher" and have done some endurance type stuff, my guess is that you'd probably enjoy the training and challenge of triathlon.
Regarding your question about fitness level: swimming, cycling and run fitness are built over time. That is why the training plans are typically mapped out at 12, 16, 20 or 24 weeks. The idea is to build general aerobic capacity as well as sport specific fitness by slowly ramping up volume. There's tons of info out there on how this happens, (search "periodization" and "supercompensation over time" if you're geeky) but a simple way to look at it is to think of climbing a set of stairs. If your goal fitness level on race day is the top step, then on week one of training you move to "Fitness Step One", on week two you move to "Fitness Step Two" by increasing training volume slightly, etc. When you reach Week Four of your plan, you remain on Fitness Step Three, at reduced volume. The reasion for this is to allow your body time to recover and capture the fitness gains you built during the preceding weeks. You continue this process (or something similar) for the duration of your 12 week plan. This builds your fitness while minimizing the risks of becoming injured during the process. This can be done while pursuing other sports, but my two cents is this: At some point, you'll probably decide what your priority is for triathlon. If you just want to complete the race, then that could leave time for other training pursuits. If you want to become competitive, then its a usually a different story. Especially at the longer distances, the training volume and intensity can make it difficult to remain focused on other sports at the same time.
TLDR Version: Start now, follow a structured training plan. Be consistent and you will have success on race day.
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moonangel12 wrote: »
How do you safely practice in open water? I could have hubby troll and fish the shore along side me in the river! Ha!
Obviously, never swim alone. I chose a fall tri for my first so that I could practice in warm lake water. In a bigger, all-sports lake, it's helpful to have someone on a waverunner to take you out and drop you and you can swim back to shore with them escorting you (preventing you from getting hit by other craft). Getting used to a dead start (no push-off) is also a good idea. Or if you have a lake with a cordoned-off swimming area--swim around the limits of the ropes. Those kinds of places usually have lifeguards. Look for a local tri group that welcomes beginners--they will usually schedule some open water practice and you can learn from them, too.
A wetsuit does give you more buoyancy, but there are water temperature limits for when you can use them. If you expect to be swimming in a race with a wetsuit you should practice in a wetsuit--it's a little more time-consuming in transition. Pro tip--put your timing chip on UNDER your wetsuit.
One more thing to think of--unless you are considering "costume changes" which would add huge amounts of time to transition--think carefully about your choice of bras... You don't want to choose something with a lot of padding (which you might need for your run) because it will become waterlogged in your swim. Also, practice swimming in your bra... Women problems
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I have been wondering about when it would be appropriate to try to do one. It has always been a major goal of mine. I do martial arts and have good fitness in certain ways, and not so good in others. I can't even run close to a 5k straight yet, so I wonder if I should wait until I do that? I do 5k races fairly regularly and can still get under 40 minutes even with walking a significant portion of it, but that's without swimming and biking first.
I am a finisher, and have done 7k obscacle course mud races that involved significant incline, plus 4 hour Krav Maga belt tests, so I think I could probably make one on my two feet without any time limits. I am just wondering at what point I should wait for my fitness level to get to first. It is also difficult because wihh training already 3-4 times a week, I have limited time to work in trialthon training. But I would love to do one sooner rather than later, even if I have to crawl across the finish line.
no think just do
my first one was on a drunken dare - i hadn't swum in about 5 years; had just bought a bike and hadn't run a 5k faster than about 45 min
12 years later - i've done 2 ironman, multiple half ironmen and love it4 -
deannalfisher wrote: »
no think just do
my first one was on a drunken dare - i hadn't swum in about 5 years; had just bought a bike and hadn't run a 5k faster than about 45 min
12 years later - i've done 2 ironman, multiple half ironmen and love it
That is amazing! I can’t even fathom the distances at this point. I have dreams of doing thing like that, but still question how capable my body is of doing them...0 -
"deannalfisher wrote: »
no think just do
As usual, @deannalfisher , you've made it simple!
And once "in", the addiction takes hold and there is no escape! 0
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