Half - DONE, Lost motivation, a TRI?

Hi everyone,

Seems like forever since I've posted.  I finished my first half at the end of February and haven't done ANYTHING since then.  I was really tired after the race and then allergy season kicked my butt... so I feel  like I've been really sick and tired and have NO MOTIVATION! 

Anywho, I think maybe I want to do a tri.  I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT TRIS!!!  The one I want to do is 1/3  a mile swim, 17 mile bike ride and 3 mile run.  I have no idea what kind of time I need to finish in as to not completely embarass myself.  I also don't know jack about the clothes and equipment I need.  My bike is a $20 mountain bike I bought at a garage sale.

For the ladies, do I wear and bra AND the tri suit?  I am really concerned about how my flabby body is going to look in spandex!! GACK!  

My hubby is also not thrilled about paying another race fee.  Especially since the weekend before that race, we are doing the Red Dress Run... .which is more about drinking and partying than running and it's $40 a person. 

I need all the knowledge you have!! Help me!  Any and all advice is welcome! 

Your post reminds me SOOOOOOO much of my wife. She asked me "If I do a Tri, What do I wear?" I giggled and said, lets get some training in then we will get ya pimped out!  Ok so you can wear a tri suit, maybe compression under if you need a little more support for the skin. As for the time... JUST have fun and don't worry about time! LOt's of people do Sprint distance Tri's on Mountain Bikes... I would recommend switching out the tires to slick or smooth road tires to give you a little more speed. The ladies here can answer the bra thing... All-in-all, I think it's  great you want to do this, and it will really help you get back on track with your motivation. Great to hear from you !!!!

First of all, a tri (sprint length your looking at) is much easier than a 1/2 marathon. Or at least I think so.

I'm doing my 6th Danskin Triathlon next weekend.

On attire - just wear a tri top (tank with built in-ish bra) and biking shorts that work in the pool. You can find them in any sports store. I wear the entire outfit in the swim, bike and run portions. Easier than pulling shorts over a swimsuit.

ON your kit - for the swim you just need goggles. I've also find that I can rent great racing bikes in the location of the race. I train on my heavy bike so I fly when I'm racing. Cheap and super fast.

Other than that you're good to go.

have found this site helpful for training tips for newbies http://www.my-triathlon-training.com/index.php?option=com_co ntent&view=frontpage&Itemid=1

That being said. why not sign up for another 1/2 marathon? I do several a year. Just signed up for the Vegas 1/2 in December. By putting them on the calendar I stay motivated and in the gym!

Good luck.

j

I wear a tri top with a built-in bra, but I also wear a sports bra. I have tri shorts which have a little padding for the bike, but not so much that they never dry through the whole race.

I like this website for learning about tris:

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com

Aside from the advice you already have, here's a little insight as to how I work.  Remember that I'm over 6 years post-op and think I'm still doing okay most of the time.

One of the best things you can do to keep yourself motivated is to have different goals for different times of the year.  Now that I'm in school, it's often just about keeping going as much as possible, but not always.

I like to do the Rock and Roll Arizona marathon (when I have the energy to train for it - didn't this past year).  That's in January.  Then I switch things up and do a sprint tri in April.  After that, school gets out and I can start training for a half marathon in the summer and a couple other tris.  That keeps me doing some variety in my workouts and helps me have different goals throughout the year.  I tend to get bored, so that helps me keep focused on training of some sort and keeps me in the gym and (hopefully) fit.  Then comes fall and time for marathon training again...

Not sure if this helps any, but that's what works for me.

Linn

I've not been doing this long, but I can't go into a race without knowing what the one AFTER is going to be.  This keeps me working towards something.

My 1/2 is in 2 weeks and I just entered a 10K for a few after that.  This gives me time to line something up for the end of summer.

Sorry I don't know anything about Tris, but good luck! 

I can echo Linn and Sue's response.  I typically do both of these techniques (i.e., mix it up over the year and schedule well in advance).  I will schedule my big events really far out like the Goofy in January that I'm already signed up for and my top sprint tri in late august that i'm training for.  I also have one or two big events planned for the fall.  I will put in several smaller fun events in between the big ones or smaller events that would fit into a large events training plan.  There is always a let down after a big event where motivation dips, the trick is to recognize it and deal with it proactively.

best of luck, sprint tri's are a lot of fun, and training for them keeps the boredom away!

Don't worry about your time.  The first time you do anything it's always a personal record!!!!

There are more people enthusiastically clapping for the final finisher than there is for the middle of the pack finisher.  Everyone there knows what it was like the first time and how much courage it takes to get out there and try it.

Sprint Tri's are great, and i agree with the idea that they are easier than a 1/2 marathon.

The last sprint tri in my area was
.5 mile swim 13 mile ride and 4 mile run.
The fastest female finisher was 1:28:48
The slowest female finisher was 2:52:01
So as you can see there was a great diversity of times there.

Have fun with it, and enjoy the experience.

Scott