What was your first event?

[northstar]

Hi all,

A girlfriend has talked me into doing the Iron Girl duathlon in Bloomington, MN in September. 2 mile run, 22 mile bike, 2 mile run. I thought this seemed like a very accessible distance for a beginner. I've never run a race (or ever really run...) but feel like I have all spring/summer to train so I should be able to attain my goal of finishing without much walking during the runs.

I was curious about what events everyone here did as beginners. What were the distances? Were you able to finish? What do you wish you had done in your training to prepare?

[HappyAnika]

(Disclaimer: I'm still a beginner)
My first event was just cycling, I did the Tour de Cure Colorado last August, metric century route. I'd just been building distance all summer with no set training plan and I did really well. This was just a ride, not a race, so I got to stop as needed as the aid stations.

I'd had a triathlon in the back of my mind, but I wanted to make sure I could actually run a 5k first, so next event was a 5k in October. I hadn't been running a whole lot, maybe once every other week. Then I got sick 2 weeks before the run and thought about not doing it. But then I was feeling better a few days before and had this "now or never" attitude, so I decided to go for it and if I hated it I didn't ever have to run again. So I did it, slowly, but without stopping, and I was in pain afterward, mostly just the lungs. But I didn't hate it. Knowing that it was possible for me to run 5k, I have since embarked on a more structured training regimen, using the 5 - 10% increase/week rule. Slowly building distance and keeping my pace easy is helping me enjoy running, and so far my problematic knees are happy. This is what I wished I'd done before my 5k last fall, then I would have finished feeling better. So we'll see how my first sprint tri in July goes after some brick training.

If your duathlon isn't until September, it sounds like you have plenty of time to train for it and finish successfully. I'm jealous you have a du with only 4 mile total run, all the ones around here are 10k total which I'm just not up for yet. Happy training!

[MINIskirt]

I haven't done my first event yet, but it will be the Encinitas Beach Duathlon.

1.5k beach run
10k bike
2.5k road run


It's coming up on May 20th!! I'm pretty confident I can't finish, though.


My first triathon will be July 21st. It's a 400y swim, 11m bike, 5k run.

[KSH]

Let's see... my first event was a duathlon... in March (?) of 2005.

It was uummm... (if I recall correctly):

2 miles running
10 miles biking
2 miles running
10 miles biking
2 miles running

What do I wish I had done differently?

1) More cycling OUTSIDE. Riding a spin bike isn't the same thing.

2) Had worn clothes that were easy to run/bike in, without having to change clothes.

3) More bricks! I didn't do enough ride to run combos in my training.

4) More running! I should have been running 15-20 miles a week, not 5-10 miles a week.

Well, good luck, you have enough time to train- you should do great!

[northstar]

I feel lucky that the runs are shorter. For beginners like me, it makes getting involved in these types of events *possible*. The other great thing about it is it's a women's event...no guys! I guess they had over 500 people last year.

[alpinerabbit]

My first was a metric century/100K mountain marathon (road cycling, 3 passes) I enjoyed it bunches - thanks to DBF coaxing me along and my inner fire pulling me up the mountain - although we were 25 minutes late starting and catching up with the broom wagon until KM 30.

[mountainchick]

My first event is going to be in September. Its a sprint distance tri called Escape to Siesta in Sarasota, FL.

But my first official bike event will be Conquer Palomar in San Diego at the beginning of June.

[roadie gal]

My first tri was the sprint distance of the Donner Lake Triathlon. A few women from work had decided to do it. I live right there, so it was easy for me to practice the course. If you can scope out the course before your first race it really helps (as you can tell from my Rage race report where I couldn't get to the course beforehand).

[HillSlugger]

My first tri will be in July.

My first biking event was a 10k family ride for a local charity. This was less than a year ago (this year I'm doing the 45K ride). I followed that a few weeks later with a 25 mile diabetes ride (this year I'm doing the 50 miler).

I'm excited and nervous waiting for that first tri!

[JenLeath]

My first tri was Jordanelle sprint distance 800m swim/10k bike/5k run. I left my house (45 min away) 2 hours before the race started. There was a lane closure up the canyon, it took me 1 hour to travel about 10 miles. I was almost 10 minutes late. I was so nervous on the shuttle bus, I didn't know if I would still be able to race. I got to transition, put on my suit and sprinted to the lake, it was about .25 miles away (it's called "the trail of tears"). I ended up starting with the olympic distance people. My heartrate was 20 bpm above my normal range for the entire race. I finished, exhausted. In spite of all the hassles, I had a blast. Things I learned..

1. practice transition
2. don't be late
3. pack a t-shirt to wear after the race. It was so hot and sunny, I didn't stay for the stuff after because all I had were my tri clothes.
4. I wish I had my family there, I didn't want my DH and babies to wait all morning with me before the race. But I really missed not having them there to cheer me across the finish line.

Jen

[Tri Girl]

My first race was the Mudwater Triathlon in Kansas last year. It was a sprint and was sooo much fun. My zipper broke on my wetsuit when I was putting it on (um...big butt and thighs maybe?), but it was cold, so I wore it anyway- not exactly the way a wetsuit should be worn (open backed). I'm sure I was a sight.

I am planning on doing the Iron Girl Triathlon this year in Dallas. Sounds like a lot of fun doing a tri with all women. Have a great time at your du!!!!!

KSH- I'm doing an F1 du in a few weeks (the same format as your first). Not looking forward to running 3 times ( ), but I know it'll be fun!

[KSH]

I am planning on doing the Iron Girl Triathlon this year in Dallas. Sounds like a lot of fun doing a tri with all women. Have a great time at your du!!!!!

KSH- I'm doing an F1 du in a few weeks (the same format as your first). Not looking forward to running 3 times ( ), but I know it'll be fun!

Oh hey, I'm doing the Iron Girl too. It's pretty close to my house, and doing all woman's tri is fun.

Duathlons... you know what, I have decided that I HATE THEM! Seriously. I suck at running. Good luck with yours! I am pretty sure I'm going to keep away from Du's in the future.

[tangentgirl]

I'm very much a beginner too! My first tri was the Triathlon at Pacific Grove last September. I trained with Team In Training (woohoo!) starting in June. It was an Olympic distance: 1 mile swim, 26 mike bike, 6 mile run.

I've done a couple of sprints since then and I'm heading to Wildflower for the Olympic this weekend. I can't wait!

Things I learned..

1. practice transition
2. don't be late
3. pack a t-shirt to wear after the race. It was so hot and sunny, I didn't stay for the stuff after because all I had were my tri clothes.
4. I wish I had my family there, I didn't want my DH and babies to wait all morning with me before the race. But I really missed not having them there to cheer me across the finish line.

Jen

Ditto all that!

[Tri Girl]

Oh hey, I'm doing the Iron Girl too. It's pretty close to my house, and doing all woman's tri is fun.

I'm not sure if or where we'll be vacationing that week, but if I get to do it, I'd like to meet up with you when we're down there.

Duathlons... you know what, I have decided that I HATE THEM! Seriously. I suck at running. Good luck with yours! I am pretty sure I'm going to keep away from Du's in the future.

Yeah, I don't love them either (have only done one, but it wasn't the best). I'm going to try this one because I'm secretary of our tri club and all the races our club hosts are comp'ed for me this year since I'm an officer. I at least gotta give it a shot (and free races are something that I'm just too cheap to pass up).