Triathlons?

Okay, maybe I am getting a bit overzealous but I would like to try my hand at a triathlon one day. So, do they have various types of triathlons, or they all about the same? I want a beginner one or something that's not going to kill me within the first 20mins. It's a goal I want to accomplish and I think it would be fun to try. How do they go as well, do you swim first, ride second and run last? Gee, I am such a novice but I'd like some advice about it before I get stupid and register for one. How much working out should I do, and since I don't eat that much how much calories are we talking? I am lucky if I can get 900 in a day, this is with the lapband.  Kelli

In my pre-op life, I did the Danskin Trathlon at 250 lbs.  It's an event geared for the novice athlete, though they do offer an elite competition class. The Danskin folks are incredibly supportive and provide all kinds of knowledge and training info via their website.  I think they even offer a mentoring program for new athletes. I'm contemplating doing the Danskin Tri in NJ this September; this is where my family lives, so it would be nice to go home for a visit.  But I will definitely doing the Danskin in Disney, in 2008.  A few friends are going to be doing it along with me -- It will be a blast.  The Daskin Tri Series tours the US and raises money for Breast Cancer research.  All shapes and sizes participate -- I cannot even convey what an awesome event it is. I try to keep in mind there are some real challenges to fueling my body for competition, to my goal is not for speed, but just to cross the finish line. Anyone can train for an event, but the hardest part of the race is getting to the start line. :) Good luck! Donna

Kelli, In my pre-surgery life last year, I did three tris and I'm scheduled to do another in August.  They all have the same order: swim, bike, run. The thing that varies is distance. Sprint is the shortest (and easiest); the swim is usually between 500 and 750 meters, the bike can range from 10 miles up to about 14 or 15, and the run is usually a 5k. These are the only ones I have done and the difficulty of these varies based on the course as well. There are some great races out there that are pool swims if you're at all uncomfortable with swimming in open water; most people are and the pool swim is great for a first-time triathalete.  The distances go up from there to Olympic, then to half-Ironman, then to the Ironman (very hardcore).  I completely agree that you should focus on just finishing, not time. You should also think about finding a triathlon club in your area (if you're near a larger metro area) or find an online group. Tri's are growing exponentially in popularity and there is tons of info out there on the web. The biggest thing to look for is training guidelines and these really vary based on what you're capable of right now, since a person's level of comfort in all of these sports tends to be really varied.  You'll find that you'll naturally take in more calories (and protein is especially important as you're building muscle). I do find that I need at least a little bit of natural carbs (i.e. a banana and some softened granola) right before a workout or race, but you'll want to avoid "sports nutrition" like powerbars, gatorade, any kind of gels, etc. because of the sugars. They'll end of making you feel worse instead of better. I'm not sure of the specifics to lap-band since I had gastric bypass, but you maybe able to handle the sugars better. Check with your surgeon or nutritionist about sports nutrition before you try anything though.  I hope this was helpful and feel free to email me if you have any questions.  Rachel P.S. I found that I had more motivation to train after I actually signed up for a race, so don't be afraid of just taking the plunge and signing up. If you get close to the race day and find that you're not feeling as prepared as you should be (and I don't mean that you're just chickening out :), you don't have to actually do the race. Your entry fee will be lost, but you shouldn't participate if you're not prepared (plus, the threat of losing that money might be motivation to train well). Good luck!!!