Gulp, first week of training.... Help...

So, on May 23rd I turned 33. I feel like I'm the most fit and healthy I've ever been, yet it was still the first birthday I felt...OLD. As a birthday present to myself, I signed up for a Sprint Tri in Coeur d'Alene, ID in July..... 7 weeks and counting.

I'm a runner who enjoys "casually" riding my road bike (maybe a 15 mile ride every week or so), and "tread water" only with a life jacket when I'm retrieving my wake surf board playing on the lake. On Wednesday, I did my first "BRICK".....I rode for 12 miles then ran for about 2 (unable to run any further).....
OMG. What did I just get myself into!?! THIS is going to be rough! I guess I'm giving up my summer of boats and booze! Not such a horrible thing, I suppose ;-) Yet, I feel like I'm gonna have to get SERIOUS about training.... and learn how to...um, swim. Eeeks. I'm too competitive NOT to take this seriosly,(plus, I'm actually looking forward to seeing how I do) so I need some advice!

1. What is an "average time" to complete the race?
2.The swim is in the Spokane River (Washington), end of July... wetsuit or no? Should I invest in a tri suit or just go with a basic 3/2? I'm 110lbs and tend to get a little chilly in this Idaho water...
3. The bike is 3 loops, so I assume there's gonna be a lot of peeps/turns on a short course... I'm not used to riding in packs. Should I be worried?

Thanks girls. It's my first time on the site, and I've learned SO much from all of you.... I appreciate any advice you can offer!

Hope to hear from you soon!

B

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Originally Posted by bb523

7 weeks and counting.

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Make sure you ride twice a week and one of these can be a brick. 2 miles off the bike is way enough, your race will only be 3. Run another 1-2 times until you can cover the distance. Maybe add some small hills or do some tempo variations.
Swimming - it's too late now to learn freestyle. Go swimming 2-3 times a wek and swim the full distance, breast stroke, at least one of these times, every week.

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On Wednesday, I did my first "BRICK".....I rode for 12 miles then ran for about 2 (unable to run any further).....

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see, you almost already did the entire distance of the race. Now you know how horrible it is, start chipping at it in small pieces :D

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OMG. What did I just get myself into!?! THIS is going to be rough!

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yep, but you'll do it again next time :D:cool:

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1. What is an "average time" to complete the race?

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let's see...
500meter swim, good swimmers under 10 min, slow 15+min
20km bike, slow = 22kph, medium=30kph, fast=40kph (I'm kidding a little, that's the pros)
5km run, fast 20-25 mins, everyone else up to 40 mins?

The race I did last year, the winner had 1:01 (9/30/21min and under 1min transitions), the last person 1:52 (17/47/42min and 3/2min transitions).
Me? was in 56th out of 152 at 12:30/32/26 min and between 1-2min transitions.

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2.The swim is in the Spokane River (Washington), end of July... wetsuit or no? Should I invest in a tri suit or just go with a basic 3/2? I'm 110lbs and tend to get a little chilly in this Idaho water...

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Check out the average temperatures in July, maybe you can find sth - 18,19 degrees (centigrade) can be done - i had a scary moment at my second race in 17° water.
I do not think you should invest in a wetsuit for the first race and the 15 minutes it will take. You could rent, but you need to practice, so you need it at least a week or two before the race. And it'll cost you 15-20sec in transition.
You could buy a tri suit or just shorts and race in a sports bra. If you can handle it, race in running shorts. This way it won't cost you anything.
A coach once told me she did all her first races in a bathing suit!

you should also invest in a piece of elastic from the sewing supply store - for a race belt. You make it fit around your waist and attach the race # with safety pins. If you're lucky there will be a race belt in the goodie bag for next time. You need to wear the # on your back on the bike and on your front on the run, so you just turn the belt around.
Check youtube for some transition videos and practice these!

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3. The bike is 3 loops, so I assume there's gonna be a lot of peeps/turns on a short course... I'm not used to riding in packs. Should I be worried?

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People are not supposed to draft so there actually shouldn't be any riding in packs!!!

Congrats on deciding to do a tri!

You can probably already do the bike and run but you'll want to practice them at least twice a week.

It sounds like the swimming is going to be you problem. Breast stroke is easy to do but I find that it really tires out my legs and makes my knees hurt. If freestyle isn't an option then I'd suggest going with side stroke. It's my go-to stroke if I get overwhelmed.

Remember to try to have fun.

I disagree about learning freestyle. I actually had a very good teacher and did it in just a few more weeks then you have. I also swam 3 days a week with a good coach/teacher and made my race (all 250+ lbs of me).


Just remember.....this is YOUR race no matter how fast, slow, average you are. The main goal is to FINISH and to have FUN!!!!!

tina

Thanks ladies for your advice! Sounds like I need to get in the water....PRONTO!!! Wish me luck!! :eek:

Last year was my first year of doing tris. I did 4 - 2 sprints, an Olympic and a HIM. My advice is to focus on your weaker legs. You're already a runner, so do more swimming than running.

The swim is my strongest leg. I swim maybe once a month. You probably want to run a little more often than that. :D

Good luck and have fun!

Veronica

Yeay for you! I am in a similar situation myself and although I'm scared out of my mind, I'm also really excited.

Also, in addition to all the good advice already said, read these discussion boards often-- they've been both an inspiration and calming force for my rookie-self!

Good luck!
Sarah

You go girl! I was you this time last year.

I'd recommend you get a Total Immersion DVD. Team Estrogen doesn't seem to have any at the moment but they're about $25 on amazon. They'll take you from being able to float to being to swim freestyle with great efficiency without a coach. After working w/ 2 swim coaches with very little success I used this DVD everyday for about 6 weeks and developed a very clean stroke that will allow you to finish the swim with tons of energy left.

The Total Immersion method breaks it up into little bite sized skills that you learn through very specific drills. Once you master the set of drills you're good to go. The instructor on the DVD is very good at giving specific instructions on what to focus on and what to feel in your body. For me this made the whole thing easy.

My main advice is to swim as many days of the week as possible. For me if I miss 1 day in the pool I can TOTALLY tell. 2 of 3 days and its like I'm starting back at the beginning. My first year I didn't really understand this so I didn't really ever make great progress in the pool.

I can commiserate!

I'm signing up for my first trail triathlon which will be in August. I "only" have to make it 1/2 mile in the water, but I swam for the first time in years today and well...let's just say the lifeguard was probably alternating between amusement and terror *sigh*. I can make it ONE length of our small pool before resting...I need to make it 37!!! AND I've never swam in open water; I'm terrified of it!

What in the world have I gotten myself into!?!?

I remember well how overwhelming the swim portion of a tri used to be. But after taking the leap and signing up for a 1/2 Ironman I was determined to get over that and get comfortable in the water. Not to mention more efficient.

Don't freak out that at this point you are worn out at the end of swimming one length of the pool. You are not alone.

I was the same way and now I can swim over 1.2 miles!! It just takes time and practice. Each week I spend 3days training for the swim.

I will second what others have suggested here. I read the "total immersion swimming" book when I started to swim and that helped me greatly.

Stay positive, you can do this! :D And at the end of it all you WILL be a triathlete. Addicted to the sport like the rest of us.

Thanks for the encouragement Urlea! It's very helpful :)

I swam with more success today (I plan on getting into a 3 days a week, every other day off, schedule but I wanted to try again today this time for a better experience before taking the weekend off). Worked mainly on not tensing up like I was doomed to drowning (which incidentally dooms me to sinking, go figure) and that helped a lot.

I will try to get my hands on a copy of total immersion, either in DVD or book form, ASAP.
I also signed myself up for a Masters swim class starting in July, which if nothing else will force me to train.

Martian - is your tri in a pool or open water? Going to the pool 3x a week is a great plan! But if the tri is open water then until you know what chop feels like you don't really know where your skills need to evolve to. Also the open water is a challenge that you just have to go out and do. Basically survive it once and then you know for certain you can finish and not drown and from there its easy.

Also, be certain that the lifeguard has seen much much worse!

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Originally Posted by fidlfreek

Also, be certain that the lifeguard has seen much much worse!

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You might be surprised! :p

Anyway, yes, the tri is in open water at a local reservoir. I'm currently petrified of the whole open water part of things, but I'll get over it.

My current plan is:

1) Build up my endurance and technique in the pool (that's the "sounds good" way of saying "teach myself to swim instead of flail")

2) Suffer through...errr, enjoy immensely...a Masters swim class running through July and August.

3) Towards the middle to end of July get a wetsuit and do some practice runs in open water once I'm confident in the pool (at least the reservoir I need to swim in has a lifeguard staffed open swim area, so I hopefully won't drown attempting my practice runs!!!)

That gives me a month for some open water practice runs since the tri is in late August.

Sound about right? Suggestions?

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Originally Posted by bb523

So, on May 23rd I turned 33. I feel like I'm the most fit and healthy I've ever been, yet it was still the first birthday I felt...OLD. As a birthday present to myself, I signed up for a Sprint Tri in Coeur d'Alene, ID in July..... 7 weeks and counting.

I'm a runner who enjoys "casually" riding my road bike (maybe a 15 mile ride every week or so), and "tread water" only with a life jacket when I'm retrieving my wake surf board playing on the lake. On Wednesday, I did my first "BRICK".....I rode for 12 miles then ran for about 2 (unable to run any further).....
OMG. What did I just get myself into!?! THIS is going to be rough! I guess I'm giving up my summer of boats and booze! Not such a horrible thing, I suppose ;-) Yet, I feel like I'm gonna have to get SERIOUS about training.... and learn how to...um, swim. Eeeks. I'm too competitive NOT to take this seriosly,(plus, I'm actually looking forward to seeing how I do) so I need some advice!

1. What is an "average time" to complete the race?
2.The swim is in the Spokane River (Washington), end of July... wetsuit or no? Should I invest in a tri suit or just go with a basic 3/2? I'm 110lbs and tend to get a little chilly in this Idaho water...
3. The bike is 3 loops, so I assume there's gonna be a lot of peeps/turns on a short course... I'm not used to riding in packs. Should I be worried?

Thanks girls. It's my first time on the site, and I've learned SO much from all of you.... I appreciate any advice you can offer!

Hope to hear from you soon!

B

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Hey B, just read this. A friend of mine is also doing her first tri at Race the River. (We live in the area) She is using a "couch to sprint" training plan, but by now you should be able to find a 6-week plan, since it's 5 or 6 weeks away, if you wanted a plan.

The swim is in the river right where it outlets from the lake, currently the temperature is about 63-64 degrees F, but by July it should be closer to 70. It will be chilly, but should be okay without a wetsuit. You should be able to swim in the lake just upstream of that point and get familiar with it (the temperature should be the same). The good news is that it is downstream. If you look at the swim times from last year they seem fast - because you're swimming with the current.

The bike is on a four-lane road (two lanes going either direction) so there should be plenty of space. The run (or walk, if you walk) will be pretty much flat, and is on the centennial trail (a multi-use paved path, basically).

You can look up times on the website from last year. It looked like there was a mix of people who were fast and then "the rest of us." Otherwise, I don't think I could have convinced my friend to sign up. ;)

WOW...and I am stressed about learning to "swim" by Sept. 5th..I think I have 11 weeks. I started my "lessons" this week. My SO has done tri's and swims w/ a tri coach program. So she is my "personal coach" for now. There is SOOOOOOOOOO much to remember and put all together with swimming. In fact since I bike and run just fine -- I think most of my training will be in teh pool. Like most here, I need to feel comfortable in teh water. While trying alternate side breathing I sucked in a bunch of pool water my first day!
Actually have to admit I have not signed up for the tri. A copy of the registation (web site) sits on my desk. I will sign up...I have time. And I am in the pool!

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Originally Posted by katluvr

WOW...and I am stressed about learning to "swim" by Sept. 5th..I think I have 11 weeks. I started my "lessons" this week. My SO has done tri's and swims w/ a tri coach program. So she is my "personal coach" for now. There is SOOOOOOOOOO much to remember and put all together with swimming. In fact since I bike and run just fine -- I think most of my training will be in teh pool. Like most here, I need to feel comfortable in teh water. While trying alternate side breathing I sucked in a bunch of pool water my first day!
Actually have to admit I have not signed up for the tri. A copy of the registation (web site) sits on my desk. I will sign up...I have time. And I am in the pool!

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You will get there. Right now it feels like you're thinking about everything, but slowly you'll think about less and less, you'll develop a pace, and you'll be able to swim longer distances.

Stick with it and set a goal!! You can do it. :)

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Originally Posted by colby

You will get there. Right now it feels like you're thinking about everything, but slowly you'll think about less and less, you'll develop a pace, and you'll be able to swim longer distances.

Stick with it and set a goal!! You can do it. :)

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They say it takes at least 10,000m of swimming before stroke changes become ingrained and start feeling natural. Stay with it.