Tell me about your first triathlon!

[Veronica]

I wrote all about in a thread "How hard Can it Be" in the tri section.

You can also follow the link to my website to see pics and my write ups.

I had a great first season lst year and I'm looking forward to doing more.

Veronica

[kelownagirl]

Oooh, your first - how fun! I did my first last August. Here's a link to my blog race report if you wanna read all about it.

http://kelownagurl.blogspot.com/2008...ce-report.html

[badger]

I'm seriously contemplating doing a triathlon in March. I did't realize how expensive it was, though. The Olympic length is $49, and sprint (800m swim, 20K bike, 5K run) is only $5 cheaper.

At this point I'm tempted to do the Olympic, but my biggest weakness will be the run portion. I'm a swimmer so I don't worry about that, I figure I can just stay on the bike and be able to do 40K, but I've never ran 10K in my life. I don't doubt my finishing it, it will be more like in what shape I'll be in afterwards.

How are you training for yours?

[alpinerabbit]

At your first race, the primary objective is to finish and not worry about times and place (rank that is. You should know where your bike is )

You've got the swim down, so you're not sweating there. Just swim it and don't overexert.

Cycle - lots. 40K should be a joke for you by the time you race.

The 10K - it doesn't matter if you're not a "runner".
I was semi-injured all last year. I think I ran 10 K twice before my race, at a slow pace. Just work your way up to the distance. If you have good cycling fitness, you'll compensate. But do some bricks. Very important. Just run 20 mins off the bike, a few times at least.

And think about transitions too. Practicing that is not a bad idea. Again just to know where your stuff is.

I had my first oly last year - swim seemed easy, I just gave in to the facts of life that I would be swimming for half an hour.
Gave way too much on the bike and paid for it on the run but gritted my teeth and finished.

March is really early for a tri.... I'm just thinking. Mine was in August.


You're worried about entry fees being pricey - just wait until you accumulate all the accessories !! - wetsuit. aero bottle. aero bars. tri shorts or suit. you're not in need of swim classes etc, but I was.
it can be done without the above, but somehow the "goodies" are fun too.

[Iris616]

Your first tri! That's exciting. I did my first last September. Here's a link to my blog post about it.
http://tris3kidsandlife.blogspot.com...ri-report.html

A few posts before that one talk about my training. I chose a sprint tri for my first race, it seemed the least intimidating.

Ditto on what Alpine Rabbit said about bricks. They're really hard, but if you do them, the run will be easier during the race.

Also, check out http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/
It's a great source for information and support.

As for why I decided to do a tri, I think it was because I had turned 40, and was looking for a way to challenge myself. It's something I wanted to be able to say that I did, but now I'm pretty hooked.

Good luck and have fun!

[HillSlugger]

To give you an idea of my first tri experience, when I wrote the race report I called it "The bad, the good, and the ugly".

I decided to do tri in a "if she can do it, so can I" kinda way. I was already biking seriously and had the winter to learn to run and swim. The running came along great but I needed to take lessons to really learn to swim. My first tri was a pool swim 300m but I was barely at the point of being able to do it all freestyle. 6 weeks before I sprained my ankle racing a 5k so by the tri my running was barely up to distance again.

Race day:
The swim was a "snake swim" where we were started in 10 second increments from fastest swimmer to slowest. As soon as I was in the water I had issues with slower swimmers ahead and faster swimmers behind and lost my composure. The swim ended up taking me far longer than I was capable and it wasn't pretty.

T1 was a bit slow, but not bad for a first time.

The bike (12 miles) went great and I set a PB for speed at that distance (a nice flat route really helps!)

T2 was faster than T1 but still kinda slow.

The run (5k) quickly turned into a mess. I was really hurting and started walking within the first mile. At the turn-around point I started running again, hoping to run the whole way in but later tripped and fell and started walking again. I did manage to run the last 1/4 mile or so but I could barely lift my legs.

Although I was thrilled to have finished my first tri I was initially hard on myself and depressed because I had done so poorly compared to what I thought my potential was. It took me several days to correct my "rectal-cranial inversion" and truly appreciate what I had accomplished.

[badger]

I'm curious, when you guys say "tri", what distance are we talking about? Is there a set distance, or is it basically any event comprising swimming, cycling, and running?

If one says "I did the Sprint", will most people know it's 800M swim, 20K ride, and 5K run? or is that something the University who's hosting it made up?

Rabbit: I never really thought much about transitioning. I've thought about what I ought to wear. I need to get better tights as the pair I have now keeps slipping down when I run! My bike is just a cyclocross converted to commuting with a straight bar. Nothing fancy, but I'd rather not look the part - nothing worse than looking like a million bucks in special gear and coming in towards the end or not finishing!!

I do hope it's not too cold; they've always had it in March. I remember one year it was snowing!! But truthfully I'd rather have it on the colder side than hotter, I don't do well in the heat.