EnduranceGirl2 Member

I see a couple of other folks will be in Knoxville on the 17th too. Maybe we can meet up sometime. REV3 Challenge Knoxville HIM 5/17/15 Roll into Spring Century 6/20/15 Hospitality HWY Century 7/12/15 Toughman AL HIM 8/15/15 Wilson 100 9/12/15 IM Chattanooga 9/27/15 Halloween Half Marathon 11/1/15 I'd like to get an…

Just jump in and enjoy the experience. Rather than focus on athletic performance, focus on the transitions and have fun moving from one event to another. Keep it simple. It's a sprint tri, not an expedition.

Sweet! Enjoy!

Multiple goals make the training more worthwhile. I set 10K and olympic tri PR's last year while training for Louisville. My half-marathon goal is still eluding me so I've signed up for one about 5 weeks after IM Choo Choo. By then, I should be recovered and ready for the half even if I take a couple of weeks off after IM.

Do you know if the knee pain is from cycling or running? If you are using clipless pedals, the position of the cleats on the shoe can be critical. Increasing the float may also help. Also, intensity as well as distance affects injuries too.

Bike fit is super important for both comfort and speed whatever the bike-type. The biggest advantage for me of a tri-bike is the fit - I've got long legs and a short torso so no matter how my road bike was adjusted, the reach from the seat to handlebars was too long. My tri-bike is very stiff so I get lots of road…

I'm also a bilateral breather in the pool but generally breathe to my right during races. If I'm getting anxious and my form is breaking down, switching to a bilateral pattern helps. Drew's planned pattern sounds like it could work for me too - will need to try it.

I use a "Safer Swimmer" safety float during open water swim training.

How big is the "non-newbie" wave? I'm not a newbie, but the swim is by far my weakest leg so I tend to start at the back. If the main wave is <50 women, I'd say go with the main pack. If it's bigger, starting with the less experienced group may be a better option if only so the kayakers can keep a better watch on you. If…

Try SwimOutlet.com and do a search for discount codes before you check out.

For the pool, wear a rashguard and for racing either wear a tri-kit or wetsuit depending on the temperature. I see guys wearing tops either for sun protection in the summer or for whatever personal preference in an indoor pool and no one asks or cares. Be proud of your accomplishments. For cold (near zero) weather, I like…

If you can find a group of athletes that train together but isn't a formal club that you pay to join, it's a great motivator and source of information. The Beginner Triathlete is also helpful if you haven't checked it out. The members of this group have also been terrific support for me. It's also less overwhelming than…

More similar advice - make a plan and follow it but be flexible too. The plan needs to fit your lifestyle and your own needs. For example, I follow a three training days, one rest day during peak training which gives more rest than many plans allow. Finding a great swim coach last fall was helpful. Goals for next year -…

I would also recommend doing an early season tri (or very late season this year if you're someplace warm) before you feel fully prepared. The only purpose is to find out what the race is like without having high performance expectations. Learn what it's like to go through transition, do an open water swim, etc, face your…

wow. Thanks for sharing.

Nice job getting through a tough ride. Sounds like you made up for it with a great run.

Two thumbs up on the Jay DiCharry recommendation. I'm also using these exercises with my cross country team. "Be Iron Fit" is also good. Much of my training uses rocker boards or yoga balls for instability. They bring a whole new level of difficulty to fairly simple exercises.

Way to go! Sounds like you had fun too despite the heat.

Welcome to the world of triathlon. Good to know you're hooked ;-)

It's longer than I intended, but my race report is posted at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/tri4life854 . For now it's open to all MFP members, but I'll probably restrict it to friends in a week or so. It was an incredible day and your support and encouragement helped me feel well prepared.

Given that I just finished my first IM at Louisville this weekend, I would also advise you not to rush into it. One of the more heartbreaking aspects of the race was encountering folks who had bitten off more than they were ready for. Being completely exhausted, hot, tired, sick, and full of crushed dreams all at once…

IM Louisville mission accomplished! Ups and downs as expected, but overall a great day. I'll post my race report as a blog once I write it up. Thank you for all the support and suggestions.

Cave woman 15, Racing is addictive. The half- iron is waiting

I'm going to work on my swimming. My swim coach has more or less told me that I am no longer allowed to blame my slow swimming on bad technique and that I just need to stop being a wuss in the water. 100 m intervals, here I come.

I agree don't hurry with buying a bike so that you are better able to determine what you need vs what you would like. Its the motor that counts. I loaned my old ('93) road bike to a friend who had done her first race on a mountain bike. When she did her third race, she talked me into joining her and I was hooked. Two years…

It wouldn't surprise me if someone is really hurting that they would use anti-chafe cream while they were out on the course, never mind transition. Some products come in tubes small enough to tuck in a pocket or packaged as individual wipes just for this purpose.

Nice! Glad you had a good first experience. Be warned, the sport is addicting:happy:

Please keep those tips and stories coming. I just did a century ride on not huge but relentless rolling hills similar to the Louisville course. My short 2 mi brick felt good enough that I could imagine myself going a lot longer which was a huge confidence boost. Chunking the run into shorter segments, planning positive…

If the chafing is from cycling, good shorts go a long way. You get what you pay for.

Wow! Great 10K story. Thanks for sharing. Part of the fun of my preparation is having this conversation with numerous IM finishers and finding out the various reasons we do this. I've glimpsed the darkness during my half-irons, and my training has been intense enough to understand why some people ink themselves with a…