EnduranceGirl2 Member

My favorite is #35. Somewhere we had a thread about bike seats that drain. It the shoes that take the worst hit.

Even if there are a ton of people at the start, it's still possible to avoid the worst of the body contact if that will freak you out. I tend to stay off to one side. You won't be the first one out of the water, but you'll be relaxed enough to play catch up on the bike and run. Doing a little breast stroke is helpful if…

Wow! You go girl!

Love, love, love my DeSoto 400 mile shorts but they are pricey. I also recommend Sierra Trading Post. I've never bought tri gear through them, but have bought cycling jerseys and hiking gear. Don't wait until the last minute though. Their stuff is high quality, but sometimes the particular item fits weird or sizing is off.

Here we go... Knocked off the last run miles this morning. Now to do the whole IM in one day - Louisville awaits. June 1-7 Swim 5500 m Bike 82 mi Run 5 mi June 8-14 Swim 4800 m Bike 40 miles Run 36 mi

I started having back issues for the first and only time in my life when I started training for half marathons instead of 10k's. I found strengthening exercises where your spine is stable to be very helpful- planks and side planks in particular. Be careful and feel better soon.

Count me in too. I'm a little late getting into the game so I'll pot my 1st two weeks this weekend.

Welcome to the world of triathlons. August is plenty of time (perhaps too much - maybe find an early season "practice" race) and don't worry too much about gear. I've seen people on mountain bikes and beach cruisers for a sprint. A tri kit is nice to have, but plenty of folks do the swim in a swimsuit and then pull on a…

I've been lifting 1 day a week using exercises primarily from the Fink triathlon strength training book. Typically 3 sets of 10 and the routine takes a half hour. I'm ready to increase the weight and plan to move to twice a week as race season draws near. The regimen incorporates lots of BOSU ball and other core/balance…

I do this too. It also helps reduce breakage from putting the cap on and off.

Mornings. Just like cardio workouts, if it doesn't get done early, life tends to get in the way and it won't get done at all.

If you want some shorter experience in the TN river, consider signing up for the Chattanooga Waterfront Olympic Tri. It's held in July, so it's a notoriously hot, humid race, but the swim is pretty easy especially if TVA is releasing water from the dams.

One more vote in support of Trijoe. Just remember if there's chop, try to breathe on the side away from where the waves come in if you can. Tune-ups make a world of difference - I raced on my vintage '92 Trek for a couple of years before I'd saved up enough and decided I'd made a big enough commitment to spring for a tri…

They also make neoprene caps and booties. I think they are race legal below 60 F. Good luck!

Congrats! Sounds like a great experience. Keep in mind you can also rent wetsuits either online or from a tri-shop if there's one near you. This may help you decide what you want when you're ready to buy (i.e. sleeves/sleeveless, fit around the neck, etc.) Have you picked out your next race yet? :smile:

Wow! You go girl!

I've done several sprint and olympic tri's and just completed my first HIM. I'm not nearly ready to sign up for one yet, but friends and family are predicting a full IM in my future. Makes me tired just thinking about it :-) After a year on MFP, my main goals are maintaining my weight loss and continuing to improve my…

Make sure that the timer isn't still running from some long forgotten workout. I had troubles uploading and this turned out to be the problem.

Good luck and have fun. Having plenty of of open water swimming experience will be a big help. The nearest open water to me is an hour away and making it to group swims is really tough. Your goal sounds perfect too - finish and find out what it's like. Chat with other competitors too - most are very friendly and willing to…

Carbon soles are probably not worth it. Clipless pedals definitely are. SPD-L have adjustable float and are easy to learn to use. I have a pair of Graneau tri shoes that I had been using for all my riding. My foot is wide and I'd get cramps after a couple of hours on touring rides. I just bought a pair of men's Mavic…

My transition advice would be to bring only what you absolutely need for racing into the transition area. When you're tired, even little things can be enormously distracting. I also repeat the mantra, "First head, then feet" so that I always switch out gear in the same order and don't do something stupid like take off…

Patagonia and J Crew have great jeans. J. Crew's cafe pants are also narrow through the hips. If you are also tiny through the waist, they will probably gap in back when you sit down though. They are generally more than $50, but watch for sales and do online searches for coupon codes.

I double like the idea of sprint triathlon training. The variety also reduces boredom.

Make sure you also include some strength training - planks and side planks are particularly good. Strengthening your core keeps you stable, reduces the stress on your joints, makes running/walking more comfortable, and reduces injury. Check out "Chi-Running" or the POSE method for technique. There may not be one right way…

I finally got my hair cut super short so I just slap on a hat for the run. When it was longer, I was also a fan of using a bandana to keep the wispies out of my face. My hair is so straight and heavy, that even when it was long, I could never wear ponytails because the hair always worked its way loose and the weight gave…

Welcome to MFP. I joined 6 months ago to get myself in better shape for triathlon. Check out the triathlon discussion group - there's a bunch of supportive and knowledgeable folks who contribute although dialogue has been fairly quiet since it's off season.

Revisiting the bike question again - I just went to All3Sports and got measured for a tri bike. Woo Hoo :-) As expected, my legs are long and torso is short. Top picks for my measurements and budget are the Scott Plasma II and the Blue Triad EX. All3 Sports doesn't carry Specialized Shiv's and I haven't checked…

Yes, going out and trying it is the only way. Doing a sprint race or an open water swim race would also help. Especially near the start and around buoys, people tend to crowd and swim into each other. Shortening and speeding up your stroke will also help you cut through chop. Although the swim is my weakest leg, I enjoy…

Thank you! These are awesome.

I'm starting to train for my first half-marathon in October. I also hit the elliptical trainer for 60-90 min at very high resistance once a week or so. This seems to be good training for rolling hills and my summer hikes in the mountains. 10-15 minutes of core and upper body work 2-3 times/week has also been helpful.