training for my first two tris

[Brina]

I am signed up for an olympic distance try in late August and am planning a sprint distance in early July. I started working out after a long hiatus due to injuries last august and am finally getting reasonably fit from a cardio standpoint. I am spinning 3 classes a week and can run about a 5K right now.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[yellow]

I'm not a triathlete but after someone put a little bug in my ear (that I eventually banished--the bug, not the person), I found this site for Tri newbies. I'm sure other ladies here can point you to other resources.

Good luck. You tri ladies are ANIMALS!

[Running Mommy]

hey Brina- Welcome! I'm one of the resident tri nuts on this forum. When I first started I found trinewbies.com. I think there is also another one now called beginnertri.com? But I've never been to that site. If you have any questions feel free to send me a PM or email, I'd be glad to help. I've prolly made all the mistakes that can me made! I prefer to call it "experience"..
One word of caution though.. Triathlon is addicting!!

[btchance]

I've signed up to do my first tri this May also, it's actually a little shorter than a sprint, and I'm planning on doing a sprint later on after I move. I can do the biking and swimming distances fine now (although I haven't done open water yet, still too cold even here in Alabama), but I'm still trying to get the run going. I'll get there though. Good luck with yours Brina. I understand about the injury thing, my feet and ankles are shot, hence being far behind on the running compared to the other two, but I think I've got the feet problems corrected at least. Hope you don't have anymore injury problems.

[tprevost]

Brina & btchance,

Congrats on signing up! I just signed up for my first tri in July as well! The ladies here are SO supportive and have a lot of GREAT info!

In addition to the websites given, there is also some good info at the following site under "Triathalons"

www.bikeforums.net

I'd love to hear your plan and how things are going so please keep posting!

Tracy

[mommelisa]

wow, great job brina and btchance and you, tracy, too!!

first time tri'ers, what a blast!

there are a lot of good beginner programs out there, if you google beginning triathlon program, you'll find lots. that can help you to determine how much/what you want to concentrate on daily getting ready for your races.

another good source for info is www.coolrunning.com - they have a "multisport" forum where there are a lot of resident experts. :-) you'll get a lot of support and advice from the group there or at trinewbies, too.

can't wait for the race reports!!

[btchance]

Okay, so I was really worried about whether I was going to be able to do any of the triathlons in August I was wanting to do because I start my clinical rotations for school. Well guess what, I just got my schedule and I'm going to be doing rural medicine at that time, which suspossedly has very little to no on call during the weekends!!!! I'll actually be able to do some. Now it's just hoping they don't fill up before I can get some idea of my schedule.

[KSH]

The other website is: www.beginnertriathlete.com.

Congrats on training for your first 2 tri's! Very exciting.

You didn't mention it (?)... are you swimming? If it's your weak point, make sure you don't overlook getting some yardage in. Swimming is usually where most people get psyched out.

Spinning classes are NOT like riding a bike outside. Make sure you get some time outside (when you can). Also, in the spin classes, don't follow the instructor when they tell you to put the tension all the way up and mash on the pedals. In cycling, you NEVER do that. It's called mashing... and you want to spin your pedals at all time (spinning).

Make sure you get some bricks in. Going from the bike to the run can be *odd*... your legs feel like jello. Maybe try to start running on a treadmill after your spin classes? It would be a good start.

Ok... best of luck to you! I am sure you will do fine.

[Lise]

I'll just second what everybody else said, and add a funny (now, it's funny) story from my first tri. My friend Nic and I had signed up to do it, compleeeetly ignorant of what we were getting into. We made it across the lake, glad to be alive, we got on our bikes, and it quickly became appearant that Nic had never actually ridden her bike. She didn't know how to fasten her helmet. The bike had knobbly tires (a mtn bike, I guess). She has asthma. We stopped 9 times in the 27 mile course so she could catch her breath, cry, use her inhaler, etc.

Later, after we walked the 6.25 mile "run", I said, "uh, Nic, what happened with the bike thing? You told me you were training!" She was. She was riding a stationary bike in the gym. Not The Same Thing!

We've done the same tri two more times, with much better results!

Best wishes as you train! Lise

[Brina]

everybody, thanks for all the encouragement and links. I will probably have a ton of questions, so running mommy I am sure I will be taking you up on your offer to email or PM questions. Thank you.

KSH,

Thanks for the advice. To answer your questions, I have started to swim again, but I am the least worried about this leg. I was a competitive swimmer in high school and an ocean lifeguard through college. The run on the other hand terrifies me, especially for the second race - I have never run a 10K in my life, much less after swimming and biking. As for the spinning versus biking, just waiting for the weather to cooperate - I bought my new bike home and it promptly snowed the following morning. I see spinning as mainly helping build my aerobic capacity back after my long, long layoff.

Lise, I love the story of your friend. I promise to work out more than that.

[Running Mommy]

I'm here Brina whenever you need me!
I think you have a big leg up being a strong swimmer! That is most triathletes weaker leg, or the one that freaks them out the most. As I like to say "if you get tired biking you stop and coast, if you get tired running you walk, if you get tired swimming YOU DROWN!" YIKES ha ha ha
Remember the first one is all about going out and having fun! You only have a first one once you know, so enjoy it.
But yeah, Like Lise said- you have to train. I think too many people see others doing it and just "assume" they can too because they are skinnier than them or they hear things from charity groups that trump how anyone can do a tri/marathon/century etc.. So they just assume that it must be easier than it looks. Well, yeah- anyone can... With the PROPER TRAINING! Does that mean you have to go out and kill yourself everyday? Heck no. You just need to work up a nice base and you'll be fine. Every workout builds on another. The only real important thing about tri training is that you have to practice running off the bike. Even if it's a short bike and a short run, those first few moments matter. Your legs are like jello the first half mile or so, but w/ practice it gets better.
Ok, I'm rambling... Sorry... back to the couch for me!

[KSH]

o answer your questions, I have started to swim again, but I am the least worried about this leg. I was a competitive swimmer in high school and an ocean lifeguard through college. The run on the other hand terrifies me, especially for the second race - I have never run a 10K in my life, much less after swimming and biking.

You sound just like me!

I was a competitive swimmer in H.S. and it's truly a skill you never lose.

I typically zoom through the water and place 1st or 2nd in my age group for the swim portion.

Then I bike... and I average around 18 MPH, so I do pretty good at holding my own on the road.

Then I run. No wait. I walk and run... get a side cramp... double over... pinch my side... have a funny little jog hunched over... that brings me in on an 11-12 minute mile. Which I am quite proud of, considering.

After my tri season last year, I decided to train for a 1/2 marathon, to get over my "I can't run" fear/thoughts.

I trained for about 2 months, and then I got leg pain. Not sure it was the achilles (?) tendon, shin splints, who knows. I had to give up training.

Took time off, and started to run a little bit again... and BAM the leg pain is back. So, I have changed my running form, I walk/run, and I am working on uping my miles... but the leg pain is still there and very painful (it's not a physical injury, the x-rays came back clean).

Anyways... I went off on a tangent. I wish you the best of luck in training for tri's.

[Running Mommy]

Hey KSH have you gone to a "real" running shop and had a good shoe fit? That may be the difference. A running shop will watch you run and analyze your foot strike. It sounds like a biomechanical thing to me.. Just my .02

[KSH]

Hey KSH have you gone to a "real" running shop and had a good shoe fit? That may be the difference. A running shop will watch you run and analyze your foot strike. It sounds like a biomechanical thing to me.. Just my .02

Yea. After the pain popped up last year, I rushed out and bought new shoes from a real running shop. The pain went away, for a whole week.

I have gone to the Doctor... stopped running to heal... changed my form... but nothing seems to fix the problem. I feel like I will never be able to run again.

[Brina]

Yea. After the pain popped up last year, I rushed out and bought new shoes from a real running shop. The pain went away, for a whole week.

I have gone to the Doctor... stopped running to heal... changed my form... but nothing seems to fix the problem. I feel like I will never be able to run again.

Ask your doctor for a referal to a pt who specializes in foot issues. I got one when my plantar fasciatis popped back up (first had it while pg with twins, then it recurred a few years later) the pt was able to do great things for me with massage, assisted stretching, exercises for me to do at home and some inexpensive shoe inserts - I didn't even have to go the orthotics route.