2010 Tri Thread

[ghoulishgirl]

Check out these swimsuits! I have the black and pink skull/ argh! suit!
http://www.splish.com/

 

[mgsmom]

Those are SO cute! I saved that site to my favorites - fun suits!!
Just got my suit yesterday - haven't tried it out yet.

 

[crewmatt]

Yea, the whole purpose of a brick is to get you used to how you're gonna feel after getting off the bike. Also for me there's a huge psychological component, the first few times I ended up running way to fast because I was used to how fast I was going on the bike.

 

[BigEeyore]

Can anyone offer any transition tips? Mostly for the swim to bike part - what to bring, what not to worry about, etc. For a sprint tri, is it worthwhile to wear bike shoes and change shoes going to the run, or just put on running shoes after the swim?
Thanks to all! This thread has been informative and inspirational! I wasn't even sure what a triathalon was about a year ago, and here I am getting ready to do my first. I am truly enjoying my training so far - I have historically just done one type of exercise, and it has been great for me to mix it up. Love it!

 

[jmasgat]

Here's what I had for my transition area (laid out in the order in which I would use it)...
--Towel to lay stuff out on
--BIKE HELMET--put it on first so you don't forget it
--towel (to dry feet if necessary, but I don't think I used it)
--socks, which I had laid out in the shoes
--bike shoes (I have clipless pedals. If you don't, I would just wear your running shoes)
--gel, which I put in my tri shirt pocket (if it had been a longer race, I would have taped them to the top tube on the bike)
--sunglasses

I think that was actually it for the swim to bike transition. I had the water bottle in its cage on the bike. I already had sunscreen on. I didn't need to put on or take off any clothing. Pretty much just get helmet and shoes on and go. They didn't require us to wear the race number during the bike, so didn't need to do that then.

For the bike to run...
--race number on an elastic/race belt (so you just pull it on and don't have to worry about pinning anything on you at that point)
--running shoes

For a sprint, I didn't wear my fuel belt (for water/gels). Your water/fuel needs may vary, so think about what you would want to have with you.

I'm probably forgetting things, and I only did the one sprint, so others will have more to say.

Maura

 

[Sandy321]

Since I got great info last time my DS did the Chicago Tri, thought I'd post a wave and the update - DS is going to Nationals in Lubbock TX April 17 - and if anyone needs to rent a wetsuit ds team reccommended this site:

wetsuitrental.com

give them your dimensions, pick your choice (sleeves, no sleeves) $40 return ship is $12 -

 

[wtpclc]

Maura - great list!

Sandy - COngrats adn good luck to ds!!!

I did my longest bike of the season. 20 miles. felt good!!!!!

 

[hoosmi]

Maura- good list. I was laughing visualizing the steps.

Frustrating work out yesterday. I took Emma to the pool (spring break). There were a bunch of obnoxious kids on one side of the pool and then three older guys swimming laps through the middle. I swam a few laps with them, but they kept stopping (not to breathe, but to chat for 5-10 minutes). I thought about sharing the lap lane (1 person was in there), but that would have meant abandoning Emma to the obnoxious kids. She will swim some laps with me if I torment her enough, but she's not up to sharing the lap lane with other people yet.

Tri class is tonight. Last week went reasonably well. Drills for swimming are totally new to me- I've always just swum for distance. The one where you swim with a closed fist?! Crazy. That's called sinking in my book. I ran 5 miles at lunch today, so I'm really hoping we'll be on the spin bikes instead of running for the second half!

Jen in GA

 

[jmasgat]

Jen Bummer about the pool. It does get hard to share sometime. Oh, and the fist drill, isn't that fun? I have tried it and felt on the edge of drowning. So yesterday I tried a pull buoy--to help you back end stay afloat. That was a hoot. It may be helpful, but it will take awhile for me to get used to it. The other recommended item for doing stroke drills are swim fins (e.g. Zoomers)--just to help you stay afloat with a stronger kick. I haven't tried those yet.

My "tri" training is relly not--right now it's pretty much run with a swim and bike/spin XT session mixed in. I figure it will be good enough for an early summer sprint tri, but not for anything else.

Maura

Maura

 

[mgsmom]

Hey guys!
My swim training just took a hit - my shoulder has been hurting for the last week - bummer! I've been just trying to get my running up to speed, so maybe then I can concentrate on the swimming when I get better.
Got my Dolfin Uglies suit and it was SO cute - too bad there was not space for the girls
I'll keep looking - shopping is half the fun right?!
I like all the transition tips - keep them coming! And the training tips!
I know exactly what you are talking about when someone said they took the run out too fast after the bike - I remember coming out too fast too because when I went from bike to foot, it just seemed like I was crawling!

 

[hoosmi]

Hey guys!

Tri class was fun. Two observations: 1) it's absolutely impossible for me to remember what drills I'm supposed to be doing and I'm just pleased if I hit the lap button on my watch; 2) the Umbros I slipped on over my tri shorts for the spin class were actually older than my 18 year old swim partner. I don't know when I got so old!

Oh, third observation: there is some justice in the universe. The obnoxious kids were back, but had to sit and watch us from the bleachers because we were in a class and even they were intimidated by our Iron Man coaches. Sweet!

Maura- the coach showed me the fins and the little pull thingy. I'm going to try it on my own when only the lifeguard can laugh at me! I'm still trying to get to the point where I can get past a couple of laps with bilateral breathing- cause if the waves are hitting me on the right for my tri, it's going to be a long day of breast stroking...

I'm leaning heavily towards trying to do well in the sprint this time around and leaving the olympic distance for a later date... my coach says I can swim the olympic, but I generally won't even get past my knees in the ocean and anticipate a potential massive freak out (oddly I could handle the idea of being in the lake at Disney because I told myself Disney wouldn't let any creatures in the water and I refused to let myself think about how silly that was.)

Jen in GA

 

[Duanerice]

They are killing me! 3,000 meters last night. Being new to swimming that is the farthest I've swam. Warm up 600 m mixed stoke then 3 X 600 freestyle with 45 sec rest, then 600 cool down. Who ever thought 600 was a cool down?

Was that enough? Nooooooo! Right after that we had 45 minutes of run intervals. I mean 5 k pace. If you could talk you weren't running fast enough. I am sure it will be good for me in the long run (meaning time not an actual long run).

I agree about the fist drill. First few times I thought I was going to sink. Amazing what a difference an open hand makes. But I loved the pull buoy. That was so much fun. I could actually swim using it. Wonder if I can take it into a race?

Heck, we swim 4 - 5 to a lane in practice. Not usually an issue because we know each other's speed.

Anyone else have ear problems? Just started after about 6 weeks in the pool. I finally bought swim cap so that might help. Tried the silicone ear plugs but I just couldn't get them to work. I did get the stuff that dries out your ears but they still bother me.

Longest bike ride ever last weekend - 30 miles. We'll do 40 this weekend.

Overall I'm Loving it! I just have problems fitting in all the disciplines that we have to do. What do you all do? Here is my schedule. All the weekday stuff is after work.

Monday - Swim with club - 1 hour
Tuesday - Bike on indoor trainer or weights. Someone just loaned me a trainer last night so I can start biking when it's dark.
Wednesday - Swim and run with the club (2 hrs)
Thursday - haven't figured this out yet. Sometimes weights, sometimes rest. I run on Wed and Fri so I didn't really want to run on Thurs. Might do weights or the bike trainer again.
Friday - swim at lunch then run after work. Nothing longer than 8 miles unless I am training for an event.
Saturday - bike ride with club. varying distance but will keep at around 40 miles (can't believe I am saying that)
Sunday - the club either just runs or does an open water swim with a run now that it is getting warmer. I have yet to show up for a Sunday training session. This is my day to take it easy and getting up at 5 am to get to the practice is not my idea of fun. i usually run 4 - 6 miles sometime during the day or do a weight session.

enjoy,
Duane

 

[ghoulishgirl]

Duane, I love the pull buoy too, except we use hand paddles with the buoy and after about 50 yards I start thinking, " why did I like this? It feels like I have cinderblocks on my hands!"

 

[mgsmom]

Oh, my gosh, you guys are beasts!!!

I did a one-hour spin class tonight then ran a mile and thought I might die.... I better step it up!

 

[mgsmom]

PS - Jen - I still have some Umbros too - i luv them

 

[BigEeyore]

Maura - great list and tips on transition! Thank you!

Duane - your training regimen makes me feel like a wimp! I still haven't built up to doing two things on one day - you are doing great!

I finally got a pull buoy, paddles, and fins a month ago, and they have just completely changed my swimming. They don't cost much, and so worth it! I heard somebody saying that training with the paddles and buoy is really good for tri preparation b/c it teaches you to depend on your arm strength and save your legs for the bike and run.

 

[stego]

Duane:
Just initially looking at your weekly description I'd say 8-10 hours a week? It looks like a lot but I think that is because you don't specifically have a rest day. I would suggest you consider that; perhaps that is the day you can do yoga or stretching.

I think in your case you are training for a specific distance and perhaps that is what tri is all about. Tri is multi-sport and the distinction is that the athletes have to be good at ALL three disciplines. It's food for thought, at the very least.

I am in the heart of my spring season and most weeks run in the 6-12 hour range. The pattern is usually 3 weeks build-up; and then a taper off week. I will tell you I've noticed in the past 3 months that my training has been predominantly about quality.

Speed is essential; thus I have to train at race pace. It's not pleasant to get up in those zones and stay there but that's how I get the result.

 

[Duanerice]

Thanks Steego,
I usually end up with a day off at least every 8 - 10 days or so. I am just learning the swim/bike so not training for any specific distance yet. I have a few more sprints on tap but I am looking for an Oly.

When we train with our coach there is no holding back. We train at race pace most of the time. Agree after an hour swim, run intervals at 5k are not too much fun

enjoy,
Duane

 

[ghoulishgirl]

Hey guys! I bought a wetsuit! A 2009 Zoot fuzion longsleeve in medium short. Hopefully it won't be too big, as there are no returns on clearance items. I figure if it's too big, I'll sell it locally or on ebay.

 

[tiberius]

I haven't been around this thread much of late, but wanted to report in that I did my last brick workout before my 70.3 in a few weeks. I did a 43.4 mile bike ride followed by a 2.5 mile run, which I'll follow up with a long run around 8 miles tomorrow as my last full training weekend before I taper down for the April 25 race date.