My First Triathalon

Hello Everyone
I'm new to this board but not to OH.  I just commited to my first Triathalon this coming March.  It's time for me to step outside of my comfort zone and start to challenge myself.  I have been taking it easy this past few weeks due to a skin graph on my nose from a basal cell cancer.  I plan to start training next week.  Normally I take cycling classes, due some treadmill work and resistance training.  Any advice, enouragement, support, training tips would be greatly appreciated.  I am excited but also nervous.  I suppose I'm most nervous about the bike part as I'm not used to a road bike or riding with people. 

Thanks

Best advice for the ride.... Get out on the road! Spin class is soooooooo different than riding. There is no wind, you have to imagine hills, you don't have to shift gears, or steer the bike, or share a road with others. The more you do it, the better you will get, and the more you will come to love it! Since you are starting, I recommend building up your base here in the off-season. Go buy a heart rate monitor and focus your workouts to stay within 50-80% of your max heart rate, no more than that for now. It is so awesome you have commited to a race! Without a goal or a destination whether it be a certain weight, a certain distance, or a race, you will never reach your potential. Congrats and welcome to the board... Don't be a stranger.

-Dan

Dan

I know I'm going to have to get out on the road.  In the past 3 years I've become good friends with one of the instructors at the gym.  She is a fitness junkie, extremely competitive, finished her first full Ironman Comp. last year.  She has been trying to get me to commit to a triathlon for about 2 years and I've always been too intimidated to do it.  Yesterday @ lunch I don't know what came over me but I told her I would do it.  There's no backing out now, full speed ahead.  I have a heart rate monitor already, the problem I'm going to have is I'm not very experienced with hand brakes, I'm used to the old school bikes with the brakes on the peddles.  You are quite an inspiration yourself, thanks for your input and I will be here on the boards regularly.

Ok-you need to make your workouts FUN! If it's not fun for you, you won't stick with it. I encourage spin class, but go to many different ones and see what you like. Different instructors. When I teach spin, I take more of a cyclist approach. I hate hate hate when instructors do weird shizzle on the spin bike that wouldn't help w/road riding.

As for HR training, I don't think you need a monitor right away. Also-you will need to get your HR MAx/vo2 tested b/c that 120-age formula isn't accurate for most people.

South Carolina has lots of great triathlons...also-see if there is a local training group. The group I coach for offers weekly swims, spin class, weekday and weekend activities and training schedules.

Also... it's a triathlon, not triath-a-lon. I used to spell it that way too :D

Hey

I'm with you on the fun part.  I really love to workout but sometimes I get in a funk and it's easier to not do it.  As I stated in my original post I'm recovering from skin graphs on my nose and have been heavily bandaged for almost a month. I can't get the area wet so I havnt been doing anything serious as far as working out for the past month.  I really miss it and can't wait to get back to it.  One of my cycling instructor's prompted me to commit to the Parris Island Triathlon  thanks for correcting my spelling on that.  Thanks for your advice, it's very much appreciated.  Oh and I will check out the HR Max/vo2 test.

Trust us all. Getting into a "funk" from time to time is part of the challenge. Heck, sometimes, I think thats the biggest challenge.

Sign up for the triathlon as soon as registration is open, and use that as a goal. Like all the other fine people here have mentioned, make it fun. Nothing is worse than a boring workout.

Good luck

I will sign up as soon as registration opens.  My "mentor" is an extremely organized individual and will see to it that I do.  I will also post to help keep myself committed and accountable.  You and so many others here are great inspritations to many.  Thank you.

I've only done 3 sprint tris, but I've never had trouble on the bike with people.  You get pretty stretched out.  Then again, I'm not a very fast swimmer and end up coming from behind on the bike and having to play catch-up.  Most people are good about etiquette, and I've never had trouble passing anyone on the bike.

As far as training goes, I'm probably the only one I know who does almost all my training indoors.  That's fine for sprint tris, but for the longer races I'm planning for next summer, I'll have to get on the road for longer rides than spinning provides.

If you don't already have a road bike, ride a few and see what you're most comfortable on.  I didn't have much to spend, and ended up getting one with straight bars like a mountain bike since that's what I'm used to.  It was safer for me since I bought it a few days before my last race.

I'm not recommending anything, just letting you know that there are options.  We all have to do what we can within our own comfort zone.  I'm sure I'll keep my bike for at least one more season before trying to get something more tri-oriented (with aero bars, etc.).

Good luck, and have fun!  It's a great feeling finishing your first!

Linn

Linn
Congratulations on your 3 sprints, I think that's awesome.  I committed to the particular triathlon because the swim is conducted in a pool.  I have a fear of swimming in the ocean (sharks) or lakes (alligators) so a pool it is.  I am starting to research bikes and I will try them out and see what I'm most comfortable with.  Thanks so much for you input.

95% of my training is indoors also.  And I find that to be unfortunate.  The running on the treadmill just doesn't compare to the road.  It is much harder on my legs on the road.  However I noticed that I ran faster on the road.  I do get the occasional bike ride, but most of the time I am in the gym on a bike.  The time on the bike seems easier on the road than it does in the gym.  All of my swimming is deffinately in the pool.  I'm a chicken when it comes to open water swims.  Lakes and rivers o.k.  Ocean = shark food, and I just can't get that out of my head, so I guess a big Ironman is out of the question.

Best wishes for your Tri

Scott